“――!”

In the end, Seoryeong clenched her teeth and yanked the steering wheel to the side. Screeeeech—the rear tires slipped, and a piercing noise slashed across her eardrums.

She crossed the centerline and turned back toward the southern end, intentionally running over the steel spike strip embedded in the road. Bang—! Bang—! The sound of her tires exploding brought tears to her eyes with relief.

Only then did pale headlights begin rapidly closing in. The glare was so sharp it made it impossible to keep her eyes open. As it flooded over her, the tension drained from her limbs.

Soldiers jumped out of the jeep and began surrounding the SUV, rifles raised.

“Drag her out, drag her out!”

“Owner of vehicle Gyeonggi 3714, you are under emergency arrest as of this moment!”

At last, her sweat-soaked palms peeled off the steering wheel. With the tires blown, the car couldn’t move anymore. Seoryeong quietly unlocked the doors. Rough hands grabbed her and yanked her out without hesitation.

She let herself be taken without protest, obediently sprawling across the hood. Even as her arms were twisted behind her back, she couldn’t help but say it.

“...What took you so long.”

***

Two men in suits entered the interrogation room.

Ever since her vision had returned, Seoryeong had developed the habit of comparing every man she saw to Kim Hyun.

Height, build, skin texture, the shape of the eyes and mouth—she compared everything, almost compulsively. It was a form of hope, and also a form of suspicion.

The two men who walked in now both shared similarly sharp mouths and wore glasses. Despite the grueling, nonstop questioning, Seoryeong kept her posture cold and unbroken as she swept her gaze over them.

She’d been caught by soldiers, handed over to the police, and was being investigated under charges of violating the National Security Act. After a long gap, these two showed up.

They were NIS agents.

Her spine straightened instinctively, as if it had always known.

“We’re from the National Intelligence Service, Counterintelligence Division.”

The heavy throb in her head seemed to finally clear.

“As you’ve likely already heard, Ms. Han Seoryeong, you are being charged with violating the National Security Act and damaging military facilities. You sped across the Unification Bridge, broke through the southern checkpoint without authorization, and advanced near the northern checkpoint. You rammed multiple military installations. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, so you acknowledge that much.”

The thick report was flipped through with a quiet rustle, matching the purely businesslike tone.

“Until the investigation is complete, all surrounding facilities have been shut down. Soldiers are being dispatched, a sweep is underway—it’s a mess. This is a major tourist area. Thanks to you, Ms. Han, entire group tours have been canceled.”

“Good.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“...Sorry?”

“There was a soldier who collapsed, remember? If he needs to be hospitalized, this makes it easier for him, doesn’t it?”

“......”

A frown settled into the agent’s eyes as he stared directly at her.

Standing still like that, utterly unashamed even in a situation that clearly warranted guilt or remorse—that had always been Seoryeong’s flaw since she was a child.

Nothing had changed. She didn’t feel sorry. If anything, she resented that she didn’t feel sorry.

“Ms. Han Seoryeong, I advise you to choose your words more carefully. The National Security Act allows prosecution even for attempted violations. Everything you say can heavily influence the decision to file formal charges.”

“......”

“What was your motive for attempting defection?”

Seoryeong didn’t so much as flinch. The agent pushed up his glasses and pressed his fingers firmly against the bridge of his nose.

“Let me rephrase. Who is Kim Hyun?”

The corners of her lips twitched as if she'd been waiting for that.

“You reportedly answered only ‘Kim Hyun’ like a parrot during police questioning, then refused to say more.”

“He’s my husband.”

“No, Ms. Han, your records show that you are unmarried.”

“We lived as common-law spouses for two years.”

“...!”

The two agents hesitated, trading a subtle look. Seoryeong chewed the inside of her lip, trying to soothe the ache in her gut. The time that had meant everything to her had become this small, this pathetic. It was laughable beyond words.

“The man you claimed recently disappeared—he was also named Kim Hyun, correct?”

“Yes.”

“So your motive for defection was that man?”

A welcome question. She no longer needed to hold back. Seoryeong quickly recited the lines she’d been rehearsing in her head. The bluff began now.

“Chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, Great Leader of the People—”

“...!”

The room went ice-cold. A sharp gaze pierced through her like a knife.

Seoryeong ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) leaned in closer, her back perfectly straight, locking eyes with them in a deep, unflinching stare. Her nails clicked slowly against the surface of the table.

“It wasn’t easy memorizing all that. Originally, I thought I’d report him as a spy. But I don’t even know his real name or his real face. I think I might’ve been living with a North Korean agent.”

“...!”

“So maybe, sir, you’d do me the favor of finding out for me yourself?”

She let her mouth curl slowly into a smile, her tone languid and teasing. She didn’t blink, didn’t breathe. She studied their reactions like a wild animal, her expression calm but her eyes savage. Tick, tick, tick—she listened to the second hand of the wall clock as she spoke again.

“My motive for defection is Kim Hyun. If you let him slip away like this, who knows what damage he could do to the country. You should be the ones dragging him in.”

Just then, a cell phone rang. The agent who had been silently listening reached into his suit pocket, answering with a curt, “Yes, Deputy Director.” Seoryeong didn’t take her eyes off him for a second.

Deputy Director. That meant one level below the Director of the NIS. He responded with a series of respectful “yes”s, occasionally casting side glances toward her.

When the call ended, he sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. Then he tapped his colleague on the shoulder and jerked his chin toward the door.

The two men stood at once.

Seoryeong had no idea what had just happened.

“Well, I think that’ll be all for now.”

“...!”

Her face scrunched into a frown. What the hell? The momentum had been on her side.

She was sure of it. But this abrupt shutdown only deepened her suspicion.

Instinctively, she turned her gaze toward the mirror that filled one wall of the room.

“Your attempted defection will likely be written off as a result of mental instability. But for destruction of military property, you’ll probably face a fine of around ten million won. Ms. Han, thank you for your cooperation. You’re free to go home now.”

“...You know who Kim Hyun is, don’t you?”

“...Excuse me?”

“You’re going out of your way to hide it.”

“......”

“Should the counterintelligence division really be walking away after just looking at someone’s face?”

The man clicked his tongue. But Seoryeong’s stare drilled through the two-way mirror.

“Come out here before I smash that mirror.”

“......”

“Even if it’s hide-and-seek—we should be playing together. With me.”

“...Ms. Han Seoryeong. Enough jokes.”

Her complexion went pale as she grabbed the file on the table and hurled it at the wall. It hit the mirror and fell with a thump, papers scattering across the floor.

“The joke is what you people are doing...! Why the hell haven’t you questioned Kim Hyun even once!”

“......”

“Why are you hiding him?!”

Her voice cracked and exploded across the interrogation room. She had tried to keep her composure, but her breath came in ragged bursts. One of the remaining agents took a cautious step back.

“...Are you taking your medication properly?”

“What?”

“If you stay on your meds, you can still function in daily life.”

What the fuck is he talking about? She laughed bitterly and turned her head.

“They said she stopped taking her pills a while ago. That’s probably when the delusion about her husband disappearing started.”

“...Pills? What pills?”

Seoryeong couldn’t follow the words. She clenched her molars hard enough to hurt.

“I’m not sick. Why would I take pills?”

“We’ve reviewed the attending physician’s reports.”

“...What?”

His gaze briefly flicked toward the scattered papers on the floor. A sickening feeling crawled up her spine like a bug.

Seoryeong dropped to her knees and began frantically gathering the fallen documents, checking them one by one.

And then—

“Hanmaeum Punggyeong Hospital.”

She found the stack containing the doctor’s opinion. Her gaze turned cold as it swept across the pages.

Prescriptions for antipsychotics. Psychiatric notes for schizophrenia. Each one nearly identical, only the dates different—last year, the year before, the year before that...

No. That can’t be right.

Hanmaeum Punggyeong Hospital was the place she’d been going to since she was little. A kind, gentle teacher had been there—someone who’d corrected her many outbursts and helped her grow straight.

The one and only person she’d ever sent a wedding invitation to.

That person... ran Hanmaeum Punggyeong Hospital.

“――!”

Something was wrong. It had to be. Her hand trembled violently around the pages.