“Foreigners aren’t allowed to join the NIS, right?”

—“The NIS even strictly forbids marriage to foreigners, let alone sharing blood ties...!”

“......”

—“That’s why my brother-in-law got immediately fired when they found out he was having an affair with a North Korean woman. The NIS’s open recruitment process is famous for its intense background checks. If you have a criminal record, were involved in school violence hearings, lost a civil suit—you’re rejected without a second glance. Same if you were the at-fault party in a divorce, if your spouse is a foreigner, if you have dual citizenship, even if you have a convicted eighth cousin—they cut you without hesitation. I even heard they comb through all twelve years of your primary and secondary school records. What more do you need to hear?”

“......”

—“My niece once wrote ‘Black Widow’ in her dream job column, and my brother-in-law foamed at the mouth and stomped her dreams into the ground... In intelligence agencies, bloodlines are guilt by association.”

“So if... your grandfather were Russian...”

—“Gasp...! You crazy unni, are you trying to get yourself executed...? How can you even mention Stalin in a free democracy...!”

Seoryeong stood there stunned, lips silently parting as she rubbed her throbbing temple.

“You got an offer from the NIS once too, didn’t you, Channa?”

At that, Channa fell briefly silent.

—“I spread that rumor to boost my market value, but honestly, it was more like a threat. The NIS didn’t want me—they wanted intel on the Cyber Warfare Unit. That was an interrogation, a negotiation, not a job offer.”

“......”

—“Even if they do use foreigners, it’s clearly as local informants used at the discretion of stationed agents. I’ve butted heads with Chinese bastards plenty of times, but South Korea’s main ally is America, you know...! So why would they ever hire someone with family in Russia and risk that kind of blowback?”

She sounded completely repulsed, and Seoryeong gave a small nod.

Was this question simply her own paranoia...? Seoryeong didn’t even want to know what kind of expression she had on her face. And yet, something that had been jammed inside seemed to ease, just a little.

She suddenly saw an unfamiliar expression reflected in the pitch-black window.

—“No matter how noble your mission, wanting to protect your family is basic human instinct. That’s why they ban international marriages to begin with—to guard against those weaknesses...! Bloodlines are scary because you can’t wash them away.”

“......”

The migraine was vicious. It felt like someone was stabbing her molars with a knife now. Seoryeong leaned her forehead against the window to rest.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw a man hurtling toward her, teeth bared—and she’d jolt awake. She simply couldn’t sleep.

How long had it been since they’d gotten off that helicopter? Even now, it didn’t feel like her feet were fully touching the ground. Maybe she should try sleeping. Maybe it would dull this feeling.

Seoryeong rubbed at her face as if trying to wipe away the unfamiliar expression she’d seen. What exactly was she hoping to confirm?

“――.”

Her heart was pounding like she’d committed an unforgivable crime.

“—Patient Lee Wooshin?”

At the sound of his name brushing past her ear, Seoryeong froze mid-step around the corner.

A few nurses were sitting around the station, sipping late-night coffee and chatting. Seoryeong’s attention sharpened instinctively.

“Honestly... I messed up earlier. I stuck the needle ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) in the wrong vein.”

“What?!”

A nurse around her age gasped and slapped the speaker’s forearm repeatedly while glancing around. But the one who had brought it up widened her eyes with a strange spark of life.

“But then suddenly, the patient found the vein on the back of his own hand and inserted the needle himself... I’m sure he was already under anesthesia by then, totally out of it... But he grabbed my hand and bam, just jabbed it in!”

“Huh? Was he a doctor?”

“If he were, we’d have heard rumors during med school already.”

The nurse looked up into the air, as if recalling something, lips slightly parted.

“I was freaking out, thinking it’d be a malpractice case, but he just pulled my hand and said, ‘Not there’... Oh, and why isn’t there anything on his chart about marital status? There wasn’t even an emergency contact number...”

“What’s with you?”

“I mean, aren’t you curious...?”

“Look, just mind your own business and get the dressing right. Don’t screw it up again.”

“Okay, okay—”

Seoryeong watched them wrap up their exchange, her expression embarrassed. One of the nurses, who looked just as exhausted as she felt, had a faint flush in her cheeks.

Seoryeong let her gaze linger on that blush, then rubbed her belly as if something was stuck inside. Her shoulder felt stiff, too. Rolling her shoulders, she set her feet back into motion.

Seoryeong had originally meant to visit the rest of the team’s rooms, but on a sudden impulse, she changed course.

When she opened the door and stepped inside, she was met with the cool mist of the humidifier, an empty nightstand free of any clutter, and a nighttime cityscape unfolding beyond the wide window. At the center of it all lay Lee Wooshin, blinking slowly in a hospital bed.

The razor-sharp edge that had made him dangerous was completely gone, his pupils slack and lazy. His gaze followed her movements with a delayed beat, sluggish and unfocused.

Was he really conscious right now? As Seoryeong stood off-kilter, holding onto the foot of the bed with a skeptical look, Wooshin furrowed his brow and mumbled.

“...Why’s it so pretty...”

A slurred murmur slipped from his lips. What the... Seoryeong’s brow furrowed.

“How the hell am I supposed to work like this...”

“...Excuse me?”

“I’m not going back to work. Just let them fire me. I’ve got fucktons saved up...”

“......”

“But you... what, did you crawl out of a photo or something?”

What the hell is he saying...?

She blinked rapidly, baffled. Listening to him mutter strings of disconnected nonsense in a slurred voice, she suddenly remembered someone had said he’d been under general anesthesia.

She briefly considered calling medical staff, then glanced away from the red button. He’d probably wake up on his own soon enough.

“Instructor, get a grip.”

“...Ah. Who?”

His eyes blinked again, turtle-slow.

“Your subordinate. Ha... never mind. Just lie back down.”

“......”

“Just keep your mouth shut and don’t say anything embarrassing you’ll regret tomorrow. Then you’ll come to properly.”

“Whatever. Bring me my phone.”

“......”

Should she just smack him in the head?

The hospital room was dead silent. Since Wooshin was the only one speaking, every word of his rambling baritone echoed clearer than expected.

“I need to call my wife.”

“......!”

Seoryeong’s expression twisted subtly. A strange, uncomfortable emotion made her think she must have misheard.

But the clarity in his eyes said otherwise.

So he wasn’t fully awake yet, and he couldn’t tell where he was, and now he was asking for... his wife?

She remembered, belatedly, that Wooshin had mentioned an ex-wife once.

Suddenly, her body locked up like she’d taken a brick to the back of the head. The unexpected moment sent a cold rush of blood straight to her nape.

Her fingers clenched tighter around the bed frame. Lowering her gaze to hide her shaken eyes, Seoryeong asked evenly:

“What’s your wife’s name?”

“I’m not dumb enough to go around blabbing about my pretty girl.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me—!”

Her face twisted in disbelief. A scoffing breath escaped her lips.

Who was it that used to rage in agony over his wife cheating...? The words caught in her throat, but she hesitated, unsure if it was right to shock a man who had just woken up.

What had he said about his wife again? That she was young, clumsy, and he used to hold her a lot. Yeah. He’d said that.

But she cheated repeatedly. Eventually, they separated. And Wooshin never, ever talked about the past.

If he was looking for her even unconsciously... then maybe that was his real heart.

One thing was clear: the more she spoke to him, the worse she felt. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Don’t say anything you’ll regret tomorrow. Just shut up and sleep.”

“You sure do talk carelessly. What’s your department?”

“Haah... I’m with the Special Security Team.”

“Your name’s crap, and you look like someone pieced your face together from someone else’s.”

His sharp brows creased as he scrutinized her. His previously dull gaze grew colder as it raked over her features.

The longer he looked, the darker his expression turned.

“When I say bring me my phone, you bring it. You type what I say.”

Seoryeong bit back a sigh and roughly scratched her eyebrow.

“I’m sending a message to my wife. So don’t make any typos—just write exactly what I say.”

“......!”

She instinctively clutched a handful of her hair and let out a strangled breath.

I can’t even close my eyes without seeing his ghost—but he wakes up and the first person he asks for is his fucking wife—?!

A surge of incomprehensible anger hit her like a bolt of lightning. Her feet stopped midstep. Her eyelids, which had been blinking naturally, stiffened like plaster.

Wait... I—I wouldn’t... I wouldn’t feel that way...

This rising flame—this uncontainable bitterness that made her want to throw everything away, even if it ruined the moment—

“...Get it together. Your wife cheated on you and left. Your marriage has been over for a long time.”