“They’re almost at the destination. A search onboard is expected soon.”

It had already been twenty-one days since Seoryeong boarded the freighter.

The Beta Team’s leader, despite his graying hair, had a physique as imposing as that of an active-duty soldier. From the very first day, he hadn’t said a word about what Seoryeong had done. Even when the team’s internal dynamic collapsed, he hadn’t intervened.

Put nicely, he was hands-off. Put bluntly, he didn’t give a damn.

“It looks like the Chinese military is guarding these territorial waters, but what they’re really doing is looking the other way. And of course, they expect to be compensated for that. This kind of job is a sweet side hustle for them.”

“......”

“We’re going to follow protocol and do the same, so don’t give them a reason to pin anything on us. If this goes sideways, we’re the ones who’ll pay for it. Understood?”

The team members, their cheeks sunken from the past two weeks, responded at attention. Only Seoryeong lowered her head.

Well, would things really go the way the team leader wanted? Hiding at the rear of the formation, she let a smirk slip onto her lips. Because what she asked Channa for wasn’t just a tracking device.

This ship needed to undergo a high-intensity search. What Seoryeong wanted was a bloody confrontation with the Chinese military—not a safe passage.

What if word got out to China that the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea’s illicit assets were being smuggled by sea...?

China was pouring trillions into infrastructure development for the country, but Equatorial Guinea couldn’t repay them with anything other than mining rights.

There was no way China would let this opportunity slip by. It was the perfect chance to gain leverage over the VP, tighten control—and wasn’t the Korean black ops team caught in the middle like a shrimp between whales?

If the Kim Jong Il Prize Equatorial Guinea had received were brought up, it could link to North Korea and spiral into a national security issue. If tensions rose with China, it would become a diplomatic crisis. Either way, the NIS would be grinding their teeth.

They had already targeted the President’s relatives, even nabbed the Deputy Director of the NIS. And if they still wouldn’t hand over Kim Hyun, then she’d have no choice but to walk the tightrope from even higher up. Channa, after all, had plenty of connections—she’d been trained at a Chinese facility from the start.

“Team Leader, over there...!”

The sudden alarm blaring in the middle of the sea froze the entire deck. In the distance, a ship bearing the Chinese flag was speeding toward them. Its lighthouse-like beam scanned across the surface, illuminating each of the team members in turn.

“Interpreter, over here.”

The team leader stood at the rail with the interpreter.

Red background, yellow stars. The vessel cutting through the waves was a high-speed patrol boat—small and fast, used for reconnaissance missions.

Had that patrol boat been dispatched by Chinese Public Security or not? Concealed in the shadows, Seoryeong sharpened her gaze.

“――”

As the patrol boat neared, jagged Chinese broke the silence. A small recon team began to climb the ladder affixed to the hull.

Soldiers clad in green-blue uniforms with yellow patterns, combat vests layered over them, rifles in hand. After exchanging a few words with the interpreter, they started snickering.

They poked through every bundle on the ship, but their pace was sluggish, and wherever they passed, the faint stench of alcohol lingered. Meanwhile, the team leader handed them a black plastic bag, heavy as if it were packed with bricks. One of the men checked the thick stack of dollars inside and, after giving the Beta Team a quick once-over, abruptly asked:

[Is that one a smuggled good too?]

His curious gaze landed on Seoryeong’s face. The interpreter, pale, shook his head violently.

[No, no—she’s one of our team, she’s part of the crew...!]

[You’re telling me you’re sailing with a woman on board?]

[Yes, of course...!]

[And I’m supposed to believe that?]

[......!]

[You didn’t just bring her along for your own fun?]

Watching the interpreter squirm, unable to clap back, left a bitter taste in Seoryeong’s mouth. She couldn’t understand the Chinese, but body language was enough. The way that man’s eyes ran over her body—she knew exactly the kind of filth he was spouting.

[Then I think you’ll need to pay more.]

The man clicked his tongue, dragging the sound through his teeth.

[Pay separately for that one.]

[What are you talking about...!]

The interpreter’s brow furrowed sharply.

[If you want to take her, then pay up. Is that so hard to understand?]

“...Team Leader... They’re asking for more money.”

The interpreter relayed the words stiffly, his face darkened.

Even amid the mounting tension, Seoryeong only checked the pockets of her vest. A fixed-blade knife, three magazines, bolt cutter, and a knuckle duster—each tucked into place.

She quietly rolled her wrist. Another moment where she had to prove herself. It didn’t disgust her anymore.

“Team Leader...! What do we do...!”

The Chinese soldier was now visibly eyeing Seoryeong’s pale skin, and the interpreter stepped in again, clearly agitated. He beat his own shoulders in frustration as the team leader stood silent.

Seoryeong felt thankful. When the rest of Beta Team mocked and ignored her, the interpreter was the only one who swapped meals with her, who tossed her a roll of bandage after seeing her injured palm.

Come to think of it, no matter where she went, that interpreter was always somewhere in sight. It wasn’t lust, but his eyes definitely watched her more often than not.

“That’s all the money they’re getting. Just tell them to take her.”

“...What?”

“If they want the smuggled good so bad, let them have it.”

“......!”

“But get a firm promise about our ship.”

The team leader’s deep, heavy eyes locked right onto her. One of Seoryeong’s brows twitched ever so slightly. She wasn’t the only one thrown off—other team members exchanged frantic glances, blinking in disbelief.

“T-Team Leader... You’re really handing over Agent Han Seoryeong...?”

“Do it.”

“......!”

“What’s the interpreter doing, keeping quiet? We don’t have time. Say it.”

Why—why was the team leader, who’d seemed so impartial, suddenly doing this? Seoryeong stared at him, trying to read something in his harsh expression. He stomped toward her until he was right in her face. His eyes were dried out like bark, hollow and empty.

“I’d say that’s a pretty fair price.”

“......”

As Seoryeong’s brow creased, he bit down on a cigarette and lit it.

“I still don’t know why Seong Ukchan died.”

And just like that, a face popped into her head.

That guy... Seong Ukchan? He... died?

The unexpected news froze Seoryeong in place. Aside from the dull hum of the engine, silence cloaked everything.

“I was that boy’s instructor—and his father.”

“......!”

“The moment he came in, bleeding all over, I knew. It was something I’d never forget, even in death. The dog had torn both his testicles clean off.”

A thick cloud of smoke blew from his mouth.

“He said he watched as the military dog ate his genitals. They told me it was an accident during training—but how could I believe that? I’ve been in the military over thirty years. I know hazing when I see it.”

“......”

“Eventually, even the sound of a dog barking would send him into seizures. He ended up snapping the dog’s neck with his bare hands. I had him hospitalized. The next day, he bit off his own tongue and died. A disgraceful death, one we couldn’t even report.”

He didn’t even finish the cigarette—just crushed it out under his boot. The stale smoke from his lips was overwhelming.

“You bitch. You knew all of this.”

“......!”

The team leader hissed and yanked Seoryeong by the hair, tossing her toward the Chinese soldiers like trash.

“I don’t care whose wrath he incurred. I only grieve my son’s death.”

“Ugh...!”

The moment she saw those old, weathered eyes, Seoryeong realized: her plan had gone completely to hell. As she was shoved, a fist struck her solar plexus and a boot pinned her back. Her ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) cheek was smashed against the slick deck, her arms bound.

“Nngh...! Let go...!”

They’re selling me off like this? Ugh...! A rough hand yanked her hair to drag her upright. Was this their intention from the beginning?!

“Team Leader, no matter what she did, this is—!”

“Everyone back to position—!”

Some of the agents tried to move, but the team leader’s command froze them like statues.

“Some people have to experience it firsthand. You lot probably panicked over something minor because you’ve never met real, rabid dogs. So go on—see what a true beast is. I imagine my son was kind to you.”

“......”

“I want to believe he didn’t die in vain.”

And with that, the team leader turned away. The interpreter tried to lunge for Seoryeong, but when the Chinese soldiers raised their rifles, he had no choice but to stop cold. Gritting his teeth, he stomped the deck in rage.

Seoryeong, bound and reeking of alcohol from her captors, was dragged off the freighter.

Could things really go this wrong? It finally occurred to her—maybe this had been a trap all along.

Then, from above, the interpreter shouted:

“Agent Han Seoryeong, hang in there somehow...!”

Why the hell is he so late...—his voice cut off by a string of frantic curses. She instinctively lifted her head, but her chin was grabbed and yanked.

“Ugh...!”

But before her head was turned completely, she caught a glimpse of the interpreter smacking his own shoulder repeatedly. Was it a signal? A silent urge? The strange motion narrowed Seoryeong’s eyes.

She’d assumed he was just frustrated—but then a flash of light reflected off something transparent on his shoulder.

Wait... was that... a hidden action cam?

Why would he secretly attach a camera? She barely had time to register the question before being shoved hard toward the patrol boat marked with the Chinese flag.

“Channa, do you know what the most dangerous enemy is when you’re out at sea?”

Curled up tight, Seoryeong secretly slipped a magazine from her pocket.

Originally, the plan was for the freighter to be detained and for the standoff with the Chinese military to draw in diplomats and intelligence agents from multiple countries.

But... ever since Seong Ukchan’s name came up, maybe—maybe she’d known.

Her ribs ached from holding her breath so long, but the chill that filled her to the bone made the corner of her mouth rise instead.

Out here on the ocean, the only thing she’d learned—aside from storms—was this one truth.

The moment her hair was grabbed again, she opened her eyes wide.

“――”

You're going to get abducted right here.