Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 56

‘The President also wants to reconfirm your loyalty. This opportunity will be the Kremlin’s last act of grace.’ ‘Vazim oppa visited the house. The conversation he had with father was unusual. This time, you might get seriously hurt.’ No way.

The nagging unease he had felt all along intensified. His playful expression instantly hardened. Kwon Taekjoo on the island came to mind. A dizzying premonition caused his vision to turn yellow. In an instant, his composure vanished.

He had to return to the island immediately. His striding steps quickly turned into a run.

He flew through the fickle currents. As he pushed the speed to its maximum, the aircraft shuddered, unable to withstand the force. The sea below churned blackly, as if ready to swallow the precarious helicopter at any moment. He recklessly pushed for a daring flight that could lead to a crash. In his mind, there was only one thought: he had to get back to the island.

His heart thumped unpleasantly. His stomach churned as well. An unnamed sense of oppression constantly constricted his throat. Zhenya himself didn’t know why this was happening. He just vaguely felt that if he arrived at the island, just that, all these bothersome sensations would completely vanish.

Despite the bad weather, he arrived at the island earlier than usual. The first thing he saw was a military helicopter circling near the cliff. He immediately turned his aircraft towards it. As Zhenya’s helicopter approached, the military helicopter unhesitatingly opened fire.

Zhenya did not dodge the incoming bullets. The bullets grazed the windows, propellers, and the front of the aircraft, leaving scratches. Black smoke finally billowed from the tail. Despite this, he stubbornly charged towards the military helicopter. This aggressive movement revealed a willingness to collide if necessary.

Sensing danger, the military helicopter stopped firing and hastily gained altitude. However, they could not avoid the collision in the end. The propellers rubbed roughly against each other, creating sparks. The surrounding air momentarily compressed, then exploded mightily.

A tremendous roar tore through the air. Black smoke billowed, and the two aircraft, now scrap metal, fell helplessly. One step ahead, Zhenya leaped into the sea. Shrapnel from the disintegrated helicopter rained down threateningly. He plunged deep into the water to avoid them, then burst to the surface in a single breath.

Meanwhile, agents who had rushed to the coast indiscriminately pulled their triggers. Zhenya submerged again, disappearing from their sight. The agents aimed at various spots in the sea, waiting for him to reappear. But he did not surface for a long time.

Had he been wounded and drowned? Just as the bewildered agents looked at each other, a sudden chill was felt from behind. He quickly turned his gun, but his neck was twisted first. The bullet fired in his final moments took the life of an innocent comrade. Red blood slowly spread across the pristine white snow.

He quickly ran to the cliff where the military helicopter had been circling. Even with both eyes wide open, he strangely saw nothing. As he got closer to the cliff, the uneasiness boiling within him expanded to its limit.

Reaching the edge of the cliff, he looked down. Scattered bloodstains on the snow caught his eye. But Kwon Taekjoo was nowhere to be seen around them.

Without hesitation, he pressed himself against the ice wall and slid down to the bottom. The deep, soft snow cushioned the impact, but it wasn’t without shock. He gritted his teeth and forced his throbbing body to stand up. He frantically looked around the vast emptiness, searching for Kwon Taekjoo.

He followed the sparsely scattered bloodstains. The trail ended about ten meters ahead. And there, he saw a small cave Zhenya hadn’t even known about. Calling it a cave was an exaggeration; it was more like a narrow crevice just wide enough for a person to squeeze into.

Kwon Taekjoo, whom he had searched for so desperately, was curled up inside. He didn’t know how long he had been there, but his face was deathly pale. His white, sputtering breaths were almost imperceptible. Zhenya rushed over and grabbed his arm. He hadn’t been hallucinating. Only then did his held-back breath burst out raggedly.

“Haa, haa…” He frantically checked his breathing and felt his pulse. Because his own body was cold, it was difficult to tell how much Kwon Taekjoo’s body temperature had dropped. As Zhenya repeatedly put his ear to Kwon Taekjoo’s chest and checked his breathing, his collar was gently tugged. Even though it was an extremely faint force, Zhenya stopped all movements and looked in that direction.

Kwon Taekjoo’s reddened, frozen hand was pulling Zhenya’s clothes. It was a weak gesture, as if it would fall off with a mere touch. Yet, why did that touch feel so heavy? He simply couldn’t take his eyes off the collar he was gripping.

No one spoke of life to Zhenya. Until now, he had lived a life akin to that of a grim reaper. He had personally taken countless lives, and that was all the world had wanted and demanded of him. Nevertheless, this foolish man was asking him to save him. It was absurd.

But for now, only he could help him. Only Zhenya himself. He looked at Kwon Taekjoo, feeling overwhelmed, then supported his back. Kwon Taekjoo’s entire body collapsed weakly into his arms.

“Is this the method you devised…?” He murmured, gazing blankly at Kwon Taekjoo’s pale face. His voice carried a strange, lingering emotion.

Soon, he carefully picked him up. Then, he slowly headed back to the mansion. His current steps left much deeper footprints than when he walked alone. Each of those footsteps left a deep mark on Zhenya’s heart as well.

He groggily opened his eyes. His head felt heavily pressed down. His body felt as if it were boiling. Perhaps his pupils had melted from the high fever, as his vision was blurry. He felt someone’s presence beside him, but he didn’t have the strength to open his eyes and confirm their face.

A cold towel was placed on his forehead. A groan involuntarily escaped him. Something cool kept flickering beyond his closed eyelids. He reached out and grabbed it. The presence, startled by Kwon Taekjoo’s sudden action, flinched.

“Are you awake?” It was Olga’s voice. He forced his eyes open. Then Olga, sitting close to the bed, came into view. Her expression was worried. What had happened? He couldn’t remember anything after a certain point.

Suddenly, the FSB special unit ‘Vympel’ had stormed in, and he remembered escaping from them, jumping off a cliff. Immediately after that, a sharp pain had pierced his body. He vaguely recalled trying to find refuge in a cave, squeezing out his remaining strength. Due to the gunshot wound, his body temperature rapidly dropped, and he steadily lost strength.

A long time passed, and no one came to find him. There was no way to escape on his own. The wind grew stronger, and his vision became increasingly blurry. He felt that if no one went to great lengths to find him, his body wouldn’t even be recovered if he died there. For the first time, he faced complete solitude. He thought he was accustomed to being alone, but the thought of potentially being abandoned forever made him feel overwhelmed and terrified. They say that when the body weakens, the mind also becomes fragile, and that was precisely his situation. Seeing that he was alive and well, it seemed he was found before he died.

He tried to sit up, but his side ached terribly. As he groaned and faltered, Olga quickly laid Kwon Taekjoo back down. Then she told him to lie down so it wouldn’t get worse. It seemed he had been shot in the side.

“You were unconscious for quite a while. Do you know that?” Olga sighed and asked, confirming. He shook his head. After losing consciousness, all his senses had dulled, and he hadn’t even registered the passage of time. He didn’t even know how he had been moved here. Since it would have been impossible for Olga alone, he merely surmised that someone else had helped.

Olga didn’t go into lengthy explanations of what had happened. It was important for an exhausted patient to get absolute rest. She wet a towel and wrung it out thoroughly. “You’ve been sweating a lot, and you have a high fever, so I think I should wipe you down. Is that okay?” He nodded and said, “Please.” His whole body had been sticky with sweat, which was unpleasant. Since he had a gunshot wound, it would be difficult to shower for a while.

Olga carefully lifted the blanket covering Kwon Taekjoo. At that moment, someone suddenly grabbed her arm. They also snatched the towel from her hand. It was Zhenya. He gestured to Olga, who was staring at him, to leave. Olga hesitated, her eyes filled with worry. If another physical altercation broke out between the two, Kwon Taekjoo surely wouldn’t survive this time. Zhenya urged the dithering Olga. “Leave.” It was quiet, but sufficiently intimidating. Olga reluctantly got up and left the bedroom. She left the door slightly ajar in case of an emergency.

“……”

“……” Their direct gazes met. This was effectively their first encounter since the altercation, but the hostility, anger, or animosity they felt towards each other had subsided. After going through such a commotion, all that seemed irrelevant. However, Kwon Taekjoo looked quite exhausted. He didn’t have the energy to engage in a war of nerves with Zhenya.

Zhenya silently removed the blanket. The cool air abruptly clung to his feverish body. He shivered, groaning softly. Zhenya intently watched Kwon Taekjoo and lifted one of his arms. Kwon Taekjoo instinctively flinched and pulled his arm away. Their eyes met again. Zhenya, who would normally have changed his expression instantly, now displayed an uncharacteristic patience, pulling his arm back. Then, with the damp towel, he gently wiped Kwon Taekjoo’s clammy skin.

At first, just the touch of the towel gave him goosebumps, but he gradually adjusted. Moreover, Zhenya was silently concentrating only on wiping his body. Zhenya meticulously wiped each finger, even cleaning inside his armpits. Kwon Taekjoo felt refreshed, which was nice, but Zhenya’s intense scrutiny of every part of his body made him feel unnecessarily embarrassed. He was just a patient being nursed, but it felt as if his private parts were being exposed thoroughly.

Zhenya again wet the towel and placed it on Kwon Taekjoo’s feverish neck. Kwon Taekjoo groaned, his brows furrowed at the terrible temperature difference. Zhenya then waited for a moment before gently rubbing and wiping his bandaged neck and chin. He also meticulously wiped his straight collarbones and the mounds of his chest, as if tracing them.

His sticky body quickly felt refreshed. Kwon Taekjoo surrendered himself comfortably, as if he had forgotten that the other person was Zhenya. Zhenya pulled back the blanket that was covering Kwon Taekjoo’s waist. Kwon Taekjoo was completely naked. He subtly curled his body, embarrassed by the fact that he wasn’t even wearing underwear, but he didn’t show it. There was no reason to be embarrassed between them, as they had already seen everything, good or bad.

Zhenya, without a trace of self-consciousness, briskly rubbed Kwon Taekjoo’s lower abdomen and thighs. He then meticulously wiped his groin, penis, and perineum, leaving no spot untouched. When the cold towel touched him, his testicles instinctively flinched. Zhenya, who would normally have smirked and uttered lewd jokes, was quiet. He simply focused on his task, his lips tightly sealed. It felt awkward. It was as if this wasn’t the Zhenya Kwon Taekjoo knew.

Soon Zhenya lifted Kwon Taekjoo’s knee so that the sole of his foot touched Zhenya’s chest. Kwon Taekjoo’s leg folded into a right angle. Zhenya reached his arm deep, effortlessly wiping his hamstrings and even his buttocks.

“…Why do you keep trying to run away? I’m not trying to kill you, am I?” After a long silence, Zhenya finally spoke. His tone subtly hinted at a long-held worry he was finally letting out. Kwon Taekjoo didn’t answer immediately. He just stared blankly at Zhenya’s face. It was strange that Zhenya would suddenly ask such a question. He even wondered if Zhenya genuinely didn’t know.

Soon, Zhenya also met Kwon Taekjoo’s gaze. Kwon Taekjoo responded indifferently to the man who was patiently waiting for an answer.

“Because there’s no reason to stay here.” His voice was not agitated, but rather calm. From the beginning, his presence here was not by his own will. From that point, this island was nothing short of a prison to Kwon Taekjoo. His repeated attempts to escape weren’t solely because of Zhenya. He simply had no desire to stay.

Perhaps Zhenya didn’t like that answer. He stopped wiping and silently stared at Kwon Taekjoo. He didn’t particularly contort his face or show any dramatic change in expression.

Yet, he didn’t know why Zhenya’s face seemed to overlap with the wounded child’s face he saw in his dream. It felt as if he had done something terrible. Zhenya’s unwavering gaze was undeniably burdensome. He averted his eyes from that gaze and lowered his legs himself.

With the interruption of their conversation, a tenacious silence fell. They hadn’t exchanged many words at other times either. So, there was no reason for it to be awkward now. But the longer the silence stretched, the more uncomfortable he felt.

After a moment, Zhenya rose. Kwon Taekjoo unconsciously tensed, but Zhenya inflicted no harm. He merely placed the towel he was holding on the table. As he was about to leave, Zhenya spoke. “Then make one.”

He woke up groggily after a long sleep. His head felt heavily pressed, and his body felt as if it were simmering. Perhaps his pupils had melted from the high fever, as his vision was hazy. He felt someone’s presence beside him, but he didn’t have the energy to open his eyes and confirm their face.