Codename Anastasia Novel (End) - Chapter 77

Indeed, no one dared to provoke the state-certified psikh. Even his family members couldn’t treat him carelessly. It was as Zhenya wanted. Was that good? Suddenly, Olga’s words came to mind, asking him how long he would be isolated alone. Even Kwon Taekjoo could see that Zhenya looked not just serene, but also lonely and weary.
“Don’t you think you’re getting more tired because of Anastasia? As Olga said, why don’t you just give it to those who want it? Then at least you wouldn’t have this annoying trouble. These bastards kidnapped you because they wanted it. I don’t need that kind of stuff anymore, so take it back or destroy it, whatever you want. Anyway, I was planning to hand it over to these bastards once I confirmed you were safe….”
“Ah, right. Taekjoo, I gave it to you. You even blew it up before. I hid one at the main house, and one at Azinokki too. Come to think of it, I think I gave one to that small woman as well.”
He gave ‘Anastasia’ to his mother? He instinctively frowned.
“What are you talking about? You’re always speaking in riddles.”
“I told you, Taekjoo. Anastasia can exist, or it may not. Only I can prove it. If I say what I gave you is Anastasia, people will believe it’s Anastasia. And if I say that pistol lying over there is Anastasia, then that will be Anastasia. Anastasia is ultimately in the heart of the believer, and whether it exists or not is up to me. And you’re the only one who knows this secret.”
“What, then? Was all that talk about it being your lifeline or whatever nonsense you spouted? I thought something big would happen to you if it disappeared.”
As he flared up, feeling deceived, Zhenya suddenly took a step closer. Kwon Taekjoo’s face was reflected perfectly in Zhenya’s blue eyes.
“That’s right. My breath, my weakness, and my secret weapon that makes me the strongest in the world. That Anastasia is right before my eyes now.”
The fine hairs on his neck and cheeks bristled. Zhenya was skilled at spouting such embarrassing words right to someone’s face. When he did, his reptilian, cold eyes would fill with an unprecedented warmth and soften.
“Taekjoo.”
“Why, why are you coming closer?”
“If you came to rescue the princess trapped in the castle, the ending is always that, isn’t it?”
“Who’s a princess? Don’t make me laugh.”
He didn’t want to press his lips together in such a blood-soaked place. But Zhenya suddenly gave him a pitiful look.
“Actually, I’ve been waiting. For days, hours, every minute and second, testing my patience.”
He tried to steel himself not to be swayed, but Zhenya always, ridiculously easily, opened Kwon Taekjoo’s defenses. For some reason, he couldn’t be firm when he saw that demure face. It was all a mask, he’s just trying to cunningly deceive you like a fox, no matter how much he repeated it, it was useless.
“…Damn it. Come here, Yevgeny.”
“Taekjoo, my zayinka.”
That face was just too…
“Aaaargh!”
As soon as the memory of kissing in a place littered with half-corpses came to mind, he shot up. He frantically pulled at his innocent hair. Was it not enough that his stomach had softened, but his brain had softened too? Maybe Zhenya’s crazy genes had infected him.
He couldn’t say his own life had been smooth, but after getting entangled with Zhenya, there truly wasn’t a single peaceful day. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what kind of person Zhenya was, and it was his own fault for embracing such a bomb, but still.
“…….”
He picked up his phone, which he had thrown some distance away. When he turned it on, the accumulated call history appeared. But there were no calls or messages from Zhenya. Just in case, he meticulously checked each contact one by one. No unknown numbers were visible. At least it seemed he wasn’t kidnapped like before.
He tapped his phone, pondering something, then made a call. The ringing tone sounded twice, then disconnected. Then, the voice of the person he was waiting for was heard.
Hello?
The owner of the rather displeased voice was none other than Yoon Jongwoo.
“Yoon Jongwoo, what are you doing?”
What am I doing? I’m diligently working, of course.
“Are you busy?”
I’m about to get extremely busy.
He was already trying to protect himself from getting entangled in another annoying situation. When he first joined as a subordinate, he was obedient and listened well, but now that he had grown up, he was quite defiant.
Of course, even so, nothing would change.
“Don’t be like that, just do me one favor.”
I don’t know what it is, but you do it yourself, Senior. You’re so free these days from resting so much.
“If I could do it myself, I would have already. Would I be asking you like this?”
When he retorted sarcastically, there was no reply. He just heard some grumbling from far away on the receiver.
“Yoon Jongwoo?” He reminded him, drawing attention. Yoon Jongwoo cleared his throat, as if feeling guilty, and replied.
First, let me hear what it is.
“Yevgeny Vissarionovich Bogdanov, you know him?”
Th-that person again? Why?
“Why are you stuttering? Is he a ghost or something?”
You’re joking, right? I don’t think he’s much different.
“Enough, find out where he is right now.”
…Huh? Are you telling me to investigate a civilian? How sensitive is that issue, Senior?
He jumped, horrified. He yelled so loudly that Kwon Taekjoo’s eardrums almost burst. He was so easily startled and careless, yet he managed to stay in the NIS. Did that mean his abilities were just that outstanding? A sigh inadvertently escaped him.
“Does he look like a civilian to you, that bastard?”
“No, well… Nooo… It’s not that… But I am a diplomat, after all. If I dig around needlessly and something goes wrong, it could escalate into an international incident…”
“That won’t happen, and if it does, I’ll take responsibility, so just find out where he is. I’m not asking you to go catch the bastard.”
Yoon Jongwoo once again held his phone far away and mumbled resentfully. When Kwon Taekjoo said, “I can hear everything,” he flinched and denied saying anything. Then, reluctantly, in a barely audible voice, he drew the line.
“This is really the last time.”
“Alright. Check immediately and call me.”
He hung up the call there. He just wanted to confirm if Zhenya had indeed entered Russia, and if so, whether he was still there.
He had always tried to meticulously separate his public and private life. But while spending time with Zhenya, that boundary began to blur. Once that guy started causing trouble, there was no limit to it, so he couldn’t feel at ease at all. Kwon Taekjoo himself had decided to take him in and tame him, and that’s how he settled in Korea. Therefore, if that guy caused trouble, it was no longer just his problem.

Not long after, his phone rang. He instinctively snatched it up and checked the caller ID. It wasn’t Zhenya this time either. He answered the call with an “Uh.” Yoon Jongwoo’s report followed.
“Senior. Yevgeny Vissarionovich Bogdanov, his entry record into Russia is confirmed? Two weeks ago.”
“And now? No record of him departing Russia, or any indication of him moving to a third country?”
“No. It’s clean.”
So, he’d been staying only in Russia for two weeks. It was an answer he had somewhat expected, but it somehow drained his energy. He was about to finish the call, saying “Understood,” when Yoon Jongwoo urgently called out.
“Senior. Don’t forget what you said earlier.”
“Earlier? What?”
“You said you’d take responsibility if something went wrong. I’m just a poor subordinate who succumbed to occupational pressure.”
“Alright, you brat. Get to work.”
He chuckled. Yoon Jongwoo insisted till the end, “Please make sure to tell Bogdanov that too.” Honestly, for an NIS agent, he was such a scaredy-cat.

The call ended, and the surroundings became quiet again. He stared at his phone for a moment, then tried calling Zhenya. Still, he didn’t answer.
“Ugh, whatever. He’s not a kid or anything.”
He casually tossed his phone aside, irritably ruffling his bangs.

The ground vibrated. Thump, thud, thump-thump, crash. With each different amplitude, he couldn’t stand straight. All around was dark, and the damp smell of earth permeated everywhere. Soon, with a violent explosion, the ground vibrated greatly. The shouts and screams of many people mingled. People existed only as blurry figures, not distinct forms. The languages they spewed seemed to be Korean, English, and Russian.
“Is this a dream?” he wondered, and walked a little further. There was nothing actually visible, so he had no choice but to move forward until he reached a dead-end wall.

Then, the wall and ceiling shook again. As a result, a cloud of stone dust poured down. He instinctively flinched, but tiny debris inevitably burrowed into his eyes, nose, and even ear canals. He felt his breath catch. He shook his head violently to clear out the foreign matter. He waved his hands to disperse the misty air.
Just as he was about to take another step, he stepped on something squishy. He almost fell but managed to regain his balance. Reflexively, he looked up and saw an unexpected figure. It was a boy of about six or seven. Left alone in a place like an underground dungeon, where not a single ray of light entered, the child had platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. It was exactly the same appearance he had encountered countless times in his previous dreams.

“Why, of all times, is that guy appearing in such a state?” He frowned, displeased. Of course, there was no guarantee that the child was him. Even though he strongly resembled someone Kwon Taekjoo knew well, it was difficult to be certain. That’s because Kwon Taekjoo had not yet confirmed his appearance as a child. Still, he kept thinking it was Zhenya, even without concrete evidence.

Whenever the child appeared, his dreams were unsettling. It wasn’t as if the child was specifically harming Kwon Taekjoo, but he always woke up feeling uneasy and with a strange sense of guilt. He had been relieved when he hadn’t seen him for a while, but now he had reappeared.
The child, who had met Kwon Taekjoo’s gaze, backed away, heightening his wariness. Something was held in his small, white hand. It looked like a grenade.
“Come to think of it, what did I step on a moment ago?” He slowly turned around. Where his gaze fell, dismembered flesh, having lost its human form, lay scattered haphazardly. Even the figures that seemed relatively intact were merely groaning, crushed under collapsed pillars.

An ominous premonition, “Surely not,” swept over him. He frantically looked around. But nothing registered in his eyes. Only the square, blue frame visible through a window. Beyond that, a shadow like a fighter jet quickly flashed past. Although unseen by the eyes, the uniform sound of military boots could be heard. Red lasers, spewed from various firearms, instantly covered the air and the ground. In the distance, a final warning to surrender echoed loudly.

Suddenly, Zhenya’s childhood anecdote, which he had told him, came to mind. Did he say he was used to being kidnapped? The lingering images from that time seemed to have manifested in his dream through his subconscious. The problem was that even though he clearly knew it was a dream, he couldn’t wake up. The imminent situation left him disoriented, and it was driving him crazy.
He looked around for an escape route. Around that time, a stronger impact than ever before struck the entire building. The earth shook violently. Even the ceiling, which had barely been holding on, collapsed with a crash, revealing its framework. If he stayed like that, he would be helplessly buried.

Everything was so vivid that, from the middle, his awareness of it being a dream faded. In his mind, there was only one thought: “I have to escape quickly.” He turned his head towards the platinum-haired boy. The child still merely glared at Kwon Taekjoo, his guard up. He gestured for the child to come to him quickly. But the child didn’t budge. Nor did he lower his heightened wariness.

“Zhenya!” He tried to shout, but his throat suddenly constricted. He tried opening his mouth wide and tensing his abdomen, but the vibration of air couldn’t spread as a complete sound. In the meantime, the merciless attack continued. The building began to collapse rapidly.
He ran towards the child, trying to drag him out by force. However, even that wasn’t easy. It was as if an invisible barrier had been erected in front of him; he couldn’t take another step forward. Even though he ran until his lungs ached, he couldn’t get closer to the child.

He kept calling Zhenya, his lips mouthing words. The child just watched blankly, as if encountering a strange sight.
“Damn it, run away!”
He struggled so hard that his limbs ached. His urgent shouts caught in his throat, echoing repeatedly within him. He felt like he was going to go crazy from the frustration.

As if mocking Kwon Taekjoo, something heavy flew past him from behind, cutting through the air. The inside of the building became momentarily vacuum-sealed. And immediately after that, the condensed air exploded, tearing the child apart before he could do anything. His whole body burned hot.

“…Hmph!”
He abruptly sat upright. His vision instantly cleared, causing dizzying vertigo. His eyes were wide open, not blinking for a moment. His eyelids even trembled with spasms.
“Haah, haah…”
His long-held breath finally burst out belatedly. His lungs ached. His gasping heart felt as if it would burst through his chest. The inside of his throat was so dry, as if he had been screaming the entire time.

It was only after he realized that it had all been a dream that he finally felt relieved. He slowly ran his hand over his face. His trembling palms were soon soaked with sweat. Looking back, it wasn’t a nightmare so terrifying as to make him tremble so much. On the contrary, there were times he had lived a more cruel reality. Yet, the unpleasant and disagreeable feeling wouldn’t shake off easily.

Anyway, wherever the real Zhenyawas and whatever he was doing, he appeared in such a form and messed with his mind. Could something really have happened to Zhenya? While denying that it was possible, he couldn’t help but feel worried.
He nervously scratched the back of his neck and snatched up his phone. There was still no call from Zhenya. He immediately tried calling him, but now he couldn’t even hear a dial tone. It seemed he had turned off his phone.
“This bastard, if he’s going somewhere, he should at least say so.”
Was it that hard to inform him if he was going to be late, or if something unexpected happened? Unless he was in an unavoidable situation where he couldn’t.

Actually, they didn’t contact each other often normally. It was because Zhenya always knew and found him like a ghost, no matter when or where he was. It was rare for them to make separate plans to meet. Sending messages or calling each other constantly was also rare.
Furthermore, Kwon Taekjoo himself had never properly told Zhenya where he was going, what he was doing, or when he would return. It was partly due to NIS regulations, but he also didn’t feel the need to. They say, “If I do it, it’s romance; if others do it, it’s an affair.” He was exactly that case.
“Who’s talking… I have no conscience.”
He felt awkward at the sudden self-reflection. He irritably scratched his neck and checked the time. It was past 7 AM. There were occasional signs of life outside the door. His mother seemed to be preparing breakfast.

He sprang up and went outside. His mother looked surprised and said, “You’re up early.”
“Didn’t you say you’re starting work next Monday?”
“Yes. But if I rest too long, it might be hard to get back to work right away. I just thought I’d go out for a bit to check on the work progress.”
“Alright, then. I’ll make you breakfast, so eat before you go.”
“Oh, Mom, I told you I don’t need breakfast.”
“You shouldn’t get used to skipping meals. If your stomach and head are empty, how can you work properly?”
“It’ll be lunchtime soon after I get to work, you know.”
“Oh, you. Do you think you’ll be young forever? The debt you accrue to your body when you’re young, they say it comes back tenfold when you’re old. You’re not a child anymore, are you? You should start taking care of your health. These days, serious illnesses don’t discriminate by age, so you should get regular check-ups too…”
“Yes. I should. Of course. Is this aged kimchi jjigae? Smells amazing.”
At the hint of a lecture beginning, he quickly changed the subject. Then he escaped to the bathroom, saying he would wash up first. Until he closed the door, his mother rattled off his paternal and maternal family’s medical history, starting with a story about a friend’s son who had suffered a brain hemorrhage. He didn’t need to hear everything to guess the rest: what foods were good for which organs, what superfoods were gaining attention these days, and how harmful alcohol and smoking were. Whether it was when he was young or now, his mother’s worries and interests remained unchanged. Her nagging repertoire was also consistent.

He quickly finished showering and sat down at the table. There were so many side dishes on the table that there was no empty space, even though it was morning. He picked up his spoon without complaint, saying, “I’ll eat well.” Oddly, there were no old side dishes except for the kimchi. He picked at each one out of consideration for her effort, and soon a bowl of rice was empty. His mother said, “See?” and served him another bowl of rice. It was the moment she seemed most joyful all day.

“Is there a lot of work at the embassy these days?”
“If there were, would they let me rest like this?”
“Really? I thought the Ambassador was quite scarce, so I figured he must be very busy.”
Kwon Taekjoo’s chopsticks paused. It was because Zhenya had been unexpectedly mentioned. He almost choked on his food. He barely swallowed what was in his mouth and rinsed it with water. His mother, oblivious, told him to eat slowly. She continued to express her concerns about Zhenya.

“He hasn’t called at all, so I was worried if something happened. He’s living alone, all by himself, in a country where he can’t even speak the language. If an emergency happens, it won’t be easy for him to ask for help.”
“Oh, Mom. Is he a child? He also got a vacation like me and went back to his country to rest. So you don’t have to worry unnecessarily.”
He replied casually, then realized his mistake. His mother’s expression was utterly shocking.
“This child, this child! No matter how young he is, he’s your superior, isn’t he? I told you not to try to be equal with him! Even if he’s not here, how can you speak like that, calling him ‘him’ or ‘that guy’?”
He opened his mouth to explain, then closed it again. No excuse would work.
“…No, since it’s just us, I was trying to speak comfortably.”
“That’s how you get used to speaking casually, and then you make mistakes in important situations. Don’t you know that at your age? You’re so immature.”
She clicked her tongue in displeasure. She picked out some mackerel and placed it on his rice, glaring at him. It seemed his mother’s scolding had become more frequent ever since he met Zhenya. It wasn’t really that guy’s fault, but it wasn’t entirely not his fault either, so his stomach churned.

His mother wouldn’t defend him like that if she knew what he had done to her only son. He felt wronged, but he couldn’t reveal everything that had happened. He just vaguely repented, saying he was sorry, and continued to eat his meal.
After getting ready to leave, his mother handed him something. It was a lunchbox.
“Take this too.”
“What is this?”
“If the Ambassador sees his son going to work, he’ll start coming back too, won’t he? He’s a picky eater, so he’ll probably struggle with meals for a while. I prepared a few things he used to enjoy.”
“Oh, Mom, you don’t have to go through all this. I told you it’s not necessary.”
“You shouldn’t be so heartless. That young man is doing such important work, living alone without family, so if we can help, we should.”
She had become such close friends with Zhenya, yet she knew him so little. Could her weakness for his dazzling appearance be a maternal influence? Not long ago, she saw him dozing off and called him an angel, which made him spray his coffee. He never knew how to react whenever he encountered his mother’s innocent and pure gaze towards him.

“Zip it and do as Mom says. You travel a lot, so you know, don’t you? When you live abroad for a long time, you get lonely, depressed, and feel down. Especially since he doesn’t know Korean and can’t communicate. He has no friends, and he’s far from his family, so how frustrated must he be? You should check on him often and take care of him. Don’t just call him ‘that guy’ or ‘him’ whenever; think of him as your younger brother in times like that.”
It was strangely amusing that his mother had also discerned that he had no friends. He also wondered how she had become so captivated by him. She hadn’t been so blindly devoted when she prayed day and night for his father and brother. What would happen if his mother found out about his relationship with him? Just imagining it was daunting. A subtle sense of guilt settled in his chest.

“I’m leaving now.”
He obediently took the lunchbox and quickly left the house.

Before going to work, he stopped by Zhenya’s house. It was a visit without much expectation. It was merely to dispose of the lunchbox his mother had entrusted to him.
But seeing the empty house, he felt a sense of futility. There was no trace whatsoever of anyone having stayed there recently. Not only the bedsheets, but also the position of the props had not changed at all from when he had visited a few days ago. The house was so quiet it was chilly.

First, he went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There was nothing edible inside. He put the lunchbox his mother had prepared into the empty space. He didn’t leave any notes. He just figured Zhenya would look at it himself whenever he came back.

He slowly looked around the house again. How could a place where someone had lived for a year have so little sign of life? Except for toiletries, alcohol, bedding, and clothes with tags still on, there was nothing that could be called Zhenya’s belongings. There wasn’t even a washing machine. He didn’t know if he was sending all his laundry to a laundry service, or if he had so much money that he just threw away clothes after wearing them once.
He opened the cupboard, but it was just dusty. Then, when he pulled out the large drawer below, it was neatly filled with various kinds of ramen. He had been fed ramen so persistently that he couldn’t even eat ramen anywhere else. It was no use telling him to stop because he was sick of it.

“…I told you I don’t like ramen.”
He grumbled and closed the drawer. There was no food anywhere for Zhenya himself. Even when he wasn’t away from home for long like this time, he would only buy cheese, bread, and fruit as needed. And yet, he didn’t even enjoy Korean food. He wondered what he did when Kwon Taekjoo wasn’t around. No wonder his mother worried.

He briefly entered the bedroom too. He remembered being horrified when he first saw the bed in this house. Zhenya was so large that a commercially available mattress wouldn’t be able to handle it. So, the custom-made bed occupied most of the spacious room. They say that super king size is often preferred for newlyweds, but the even larger and wider bed there seemed to represent his strong will to “do it” in that space. And indeed, they rolled around on it without regret. There wasn’t a single position they hadn’t tried. Given that it hadn’t sagged anywhere after a year of such chaos, the quality had to be acknowledged.