Like a clumsy beginner sharing her first kiss, she merely pressed her lips to his. The warmth and soft texture made her heart pound like it was being kicked from the inside, but in that brief moment, she broke into a cold sweat down her back, possibly from nervousness.

When she opened her eyes, the man’s cheekbones looked stiffer and more flushed than usual, and he was staring at her without even blinking.

“......”

Seoryeong pretended not to notice and closed her eyes again, burrowing in between his knees and pressing her upper body closer. She tilted her head and, this time, pressed her lips to his completely. Clumsy as it was, she brushed over his lower lip, licked lightly as if melting ice cream.

A fleeting thought passed through her head—that she was making a mistake she couldn’t undo—but that only made her press her shut eyes tighter.

The man didn’t move, as if frozen. But his soft flesh sank like snow under her pressure.

She couldn’t tell if the breath tickling her philtrum was his or the spring breeze. Their lightly touching lips soon parted slowly.

“So, is today another day you’re ready to throw away?”

“......”

Lee Wooshin remained stiff, the space between his brows faintly furrowed. Embarrassed by his lack of reaction, she was the first to pull back. Though his face had lost all expression, his gaze clung to her persistently with every movement she made. Feeling slightly overwhelmed by those eyes, Seoryeong added a poor excuse.

“I figured you wouldn’t like cake.”

“...Ah— I don’t.”

He barely managed to release the breath he’d been holding, grimacing as he let out a smile. He looked as if he’d just been confessed to.

Suddenly feeling awkward in this position, Seoryeong began to pull away—but was yanked back hard enough to make her vision spin. The man who pinned her back down onto his firm thigh wasted no time pulling her nape downward.

“――!”

It was a day with warm sunlight. Lee Wooshin trembled at the corners of his eyes and lips as if he were about to cry, then pressed his mouth to hers.

Startled by the unexpected kiss, she opened her eyes wide and saw him squeezing his shut in frustration. His lips parted, and his hot tongue twisted inside her mouth.

“Uuh... mmm...”

The shift in atmosphere was so intense it gave her chills. Through their connected mouths, she could feel his emotions raging.

Seoryeong didn’t resist and parted her lips. His resilient lips sucked in her tongue, changed the angle, and pressed again. Wet sounds echoed lewdly as they sucked each other’s flesh.

Even in that moment, his rough thumb persistently pressed into the back of her neck with slow pressure.

“Ugh, Instructor, wait... mmph...!”

She murmured between kisses and tried to push his shoulder away, but Lee Wooshin wouldn’t budge. Whenever their lips parted even briefly, he’d rub his nose against hers and reattach himself immediately.

With how ferociously he kissed her, she didn’t even have time to feel the daze of the spring breeze. If this kept up, something would definitely happen out here.

“Mm, mmph...”

“......”

“Get a hold... of yourself, mm, ugh...!”

Lee Wooshin clutched her face hard, as if to tell her to shut up. With that, Seoryeong couldn’t do anything except pant. Her entire body flushed red, her temperature skyrocketing.

The man shamelessly twisted his angle again and sucked on her lips fiercely. She could feel the tender flesh swelling with each passing second, but he didn’t care. He bit and licked relentlessly, until breath and heat spilled over unstoppably.

At this rate, she would be swept up completely. Seoryeong opened her eyes wide in panic—and locked eyes with a group of children, clustered like baby swallows, staring curiously at them.

“――!”

Seoryeong shoved the man away with all her might and stood up. His wheelchair rolled back a few times from the force.

As their lips broke apart, she gasped, and Lee Wooshin clung to her until the last second, letting out a loud smooch as if reluctant to let go.

“...Why are you stealing my cake?”

“That’s not what this is...”

Her collarbone was flushed red as she subtly jerked her chin. Lee Wooshin, pressing his wet lips with the tip of his tongue, turned in the direction she indicated.

There, a group of small children were holding a ball and giggling. Lee Wooshin let out a hollow laugh and casually slung one arm over the back of his wheelchair.

“Hey, kids, come here.”

He lazily beckoned with his hand. The children, showing not even a hint of wariness, ran over with innocent, wide-eyed faces.

Seoryeong wiped her lips in a rush, as if flustered, and instinctively pressed her forehead in exasperation. Only now did the heat crawl up her face from realizing what she had just done.

Looking ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ around, she was relieved to see the caregivers and parents either resting with their eyes closed or absorbed in their phones. Still, her heart pounded like she’d been caught doing something bad.

“Want Uncle to give you a super fast ride on the wheelchair?”

“Just one lap here?”

“Two laps.”

“Gasp...!”

“Me! Me, pick me!”

“I want to ride too!”

In the blink of an eye, the kids’ attention had shifted and they were all shouting their responses.

With a faint smile, Lee Wooshin snatched the ball from one child’s arms and threw it hard. A tendon popped in his jaw.

“Whoever brings this back first gets to ride.”

At that, the children squealed with excitement and tore off after the still-arching ball.

This looks... eerily like something from training camp...

Seoryeong frowned with displeasure.

Once the kids had disappeared, Lee Wooshin tapped his thigh again and brushed his lips.

“What about the big kid over there? No interest in a ride?”

“Ha...!”

Seoryeong turned her head sharply, suppressing a hollow laugh. Nothing had been decided yet. She had only... stopped hiding her hesitation and laid it bare.

“I’ll be quitting Blast soon.”

Lee Wooshin, who had been watching the kids run off, now turned his gaze to Seoryeong.

“But Han Seoryeong, don’t you want to come with me?”

***

“I do... No—I will.”

Her answer came without hesitation, and CEO Kang Taegon’s face froze in surprise.

“You don’t even know where it is. How can you just say yes so easily?”

His expression seemed to ask if she was really okay with it. Even though he’d clearly called her here to convince her...

Seoryeong had been summoned to Blast by Kang Taegon’s call.

The Special Security Team’s operations were currently suspended, and their long-prepared mission in Africa had been handed over to the newly formed Beta Team.

“We’re talking about Equatorial Guinea. More specifically, transporting the vice president’s hidden assets via the sea route. The security personnel are all veterans, but the team leader requested reinforcements.”

“......”

“I heard the Special Security Team did extensive training for maritime protection. So, Agent Han Seoryeong...”

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“...Are you in a situation where you’re desperate for cash?”

When she answered without even hearing him out, Kang Taegon rubbed his chin, as if genuinely worried.

“It’s not that...”

It wasn’t about money, but it was a time to act fast. Seoryeong had been turning her phone to silent and ignoring the nonstop calls since earlier.

After being the one to initiate the kiss, she’d fled in a way that made it seem like she was running away, so it was understandable if he was angry.

But staying to hear him out would’ve messed something up badly—she felt it in her gut, so she ran without looking back.

In front of a sharp man like him, turning her back too carelessly would’ve gotten her pinned down for good. She lied about going to the bathroom and bolted from the hospital like her life depended on it.

Even now, the phone screen was flashing relentlessly. Though on silent, her lips were dry and her spine tingled with cold. With trembling hands, she pressed decline and forced herself to focus on Kang Taegon in front of her.

“――”

The moment she first had love ripped away from her, she’d learned that not just her body, but even her heart could become crippled. Facing Lee Wooshin always stabbed her with that loss like a needle.

That’s why she wanted to settle things with Kim Hyeon. If she didn’t fix her broken self first, nothing else could begin.

Africa was a place where a quiet battle for dominance was unfolding.

Since the Blast mercenaries were going up against Chinese military forces controlling Africa’s ports, it was the perfect setting for diplomatic messes to explode.

And yet, a ridiculous confidence told her she might finally be able to bring Kim Hyeon back this time. A gut instinct also whispered—this could be her last chance.

She’d vowed to spend the rest of her life chasing Kim Hyeon no matter how long it took... but for the first time, her tongue dried with desperation.

Please... Let me find Kim Hyeon... Let me...

“Actually, I had something else I wanted to tell you first.”

The sound of him tapping the sofa arm brought her wandering thoughts back.

“From the first time I saw Agent Han Seoryeong, I thought she’d be perfect for protective detail. There’s something I’ve always wanted to assign to you.”

“What is it?”

Her brows furrowed at this unfamiliar turn.

“Originally, I’d planned to send you to Russia to guard one of our VIP clients. But there’s been a slight change. That client will be coming to Korea instead.”

Her brows drew together sharply. Russia—again.

“His name is Ligai Viktor.”

It was a name she’d never heard before.