Surrounded by blinding light, Kim Hyun looked almost dreamlike, faint.

Am I really seeing a ghost? A corner of her mind went blank, as if lured by a water ghost. Even with the flashlight glaring bright enough to hurt her retinas, she kept her eyes wide open.

That face... the lines she’d traced over and over, hundreds of times... Her eyes ached. Could she call out to him? Was it really okay to say his name? What if he disappeared again?

Just then, the fishing boat Kim Hyun had arrived on turned toward the freighter. Only then did Seoryeong realize it was a boat dispatched by the Chinese public security bureau.

That meant... her move had been entirely read. And much too fast.

Was that really Kim Hyun? Or someone else wearing his skin?

What the hell was her real husband? ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ His face? Or what was inside? Even with her eyes wide open, she felt blind again, her vision clouding over like before, breath catching in a panic. Cold dread clung to the back of her neck.

At that moment, Kim Hyun’s eyes turned toward her. Her red, swollen hands. Her disheveled clothes. The chalk-pale cheek. Her hair a tangled mess. His gaze, precise as an ice pick scaling a cliff, swept over her piece by piece.

Seoryeong swallowed dryly before she even realized it. And when their eyes finally met—really met—something inside her chest dropped like a stone.

It was impossible not to know. Impossible not to.

The person who could pull her up in an instant, even when she was blind—

“Uuh...”

In the end, a strange sound slipped out of her mouth. All the things she’d rehearsed to say when she finally saw Kim Hyun again, the expressions she’d practiced... it all went blank.

She tried to rise quickly but stumbled. The flashlight that had been illuminating her face and body shook wildly.

“Your hands...”

Ah... it really was him. That voice was his.

But the man who seemed about to speak closed his mouth tightly. His steady gaze was fixed on her bloodstained hands. Her husband—still as kind as ever. Seoryeong suddenly wanted to cry.

“Seeing you like this... Hyunie, you really are good at acting, aren’t you.”

“......”

Kim Hyun only clenched his jaw, not saying a word.

“Tell me. Is that face fake?”

Looking uncomfortable, he pressed his hand against the side of his neck and nodded. He had the look of someone who wanted to run—but still stayed. That familiar softness in his gaze—something she’d only sensed vaguely before—was still there.

Maybe you could wear someone’s face. But could you fake that presence too? Just standing here, facing him, it felt like his thoughts were flowing into her, clear and wordless.

Even in this unwelcome reunion, she could see the expression on his face—the one that wanted to wipe off her hands, clean her face, straighten her clothes. That anxious, heavy look was a signal she’d seen on her husband many times. This wasn’t the fake sunshine-apricot who’d called her on the phone. This wasn’t corpse-Kim Hyun.

This was the real Kim Hyun. The one she’d shared warmth and a life with. The living Kim Hyun.

“It’s fake.”

The reply came out simply, and Seoryeong nodded. It didn’t even surprise her anymore.

“So all that time we were living together, you wore a fake face?”

“......”

He looked away, refusing to answer. Narrowing her eyes, Seoryeong studied his body quietly.

“But you look... bigger now. Your body... it’s almost like...”

“......!”

At that moment, the flashlight abruptly switched off. The intense light faded, leaving afterimages pulsing in her vision. Seoryeong shut her eyes against the dizziness.

“If you’re here, then just go ahead and arrest me already.”

She held out her arms like she wanted to be cuffed.

“That’s why you came, right? It’s not like you came because you missed me.”

“......”

“Even when I tried defecting to the North. Even when I kidnapped your superior. You never showed up. You didn’t even appear in my dreams. Not a single strand of your hair.”

“......”

“Of all people, you did that to me.”

“I...”

“If you did all this for a reason, don’t try explaining it now.”

“......”

“I don’t want to understand anymore. It’s the bare minimum respect I can give to the part of me that was scared of empty houses and hurt by empty picture frames, that wanted to die sometimes. Just put the cuffs on already.”

She shook her outstretched arms.

The boat fell silent again.

There was no point screaming Why did you do that to me? anymore. Seoryeong could only vaguely sense there was something off about her own origins. Something wrong, deep down.

Yes, this had started with betrayal and fury. But now she knew—demanding an explanation wasn’t the only way to process what had happened.

Still, Kim Hyun remained motionless, like he was swallowed by the dark. It was nothing like what she’d imagined hundreds of times. The reunion was heavy, stiff, and cold. All the heat was gone. It felt like staring at a dried husk, and her mouth filled with bitterness.

All she wanted was for him to turn the flashlight back on. Just for a while. So she could look at him as much as she wanted. This could be their last time.

How long had they stood like that?

When a sneeze slipped out from the sea wind, he slowly reached down to unhook the handcuffs from his belt.

Kim Hyun walked toward her silently, head bowed, like someone crushed under the weight of a black ocean. Seoryeong studied his steps and opened her mouth.

“I was really happy.”

He paused—then moved again, like he was dragging chains.

“It was my first marriage.”

“......”

“But I never once told you that after we got married. I was always sorry for no reason. Ashamed. Embarrassed. So I just kept hiding how I really felt.”

“......”

“I really was happy. Every single day.”

Her nose stung, but she spoke proudly.

“You were the first family I ever had.”

“......”

“Our marriage might’ve ended like that, but I’m glad it was you. Kind, gentle you. No matter how much time passes, even if I grow old and wrinkled, I’ll never forget that.”

She forced down the trembling in her lips. She’d thought that when she found Kim Hyun again, she’d draw her gun right away.

But the thing she really wanted to say all this time... was goodbye.

“Thank you... for letting me live as an ordinary woman.”

“......”

His throat moved, hard and dry. Seoryeong quickly wiped her eyes and gave a faint smile.

“I’ve always wanted to say that. But you disappeared without even a goodbye. That one word—I couldn’t say it. It stuck with me. That’s why I...”

All the things she’d done to see him again flashed before her like a reel of film. Seoryeong swallowed hard against the surge in her chest. It felt like red water was welling up behind her eyes.

“I came all this way.”

She tilted her head back as if she’d finally reached the finish line. The sky above was black, like someone’s hair. Letting go of all those long days lightened her shoulders.

All the feelings she’d been holding in boiled over, swelled, then cooled again and scattered. With every shift in weight, Seoryeong felt like she was being emptied out.

When she swayed, Kim Hyun stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. Seoryeong, masking her heart, asked him,

“Was it hard, living with me? For you, marriage must’ve just been part of the job.”

“......”

Without a word, he fastened one side of the handcuffs to her wrist with a click.

“From this point on, Han Seoryeong, you’re under arrest for violating international maritime law and the National Security Act. You’ll be repatriated to face interrogation.”

His palm was colder than the steel touching her skin.

“And—”

Kim Hyun gently rubbed her blood-caked hand.

“Anywhere else.”

“......”

“Anywhere else—are you hurt?”

“Are you still acting right now?”

Seoryeong frowned unconsciously.

“You don’t have to act like my husband. Or like an agent.”

Kim Hyun wore a face like he’d been stabbed through the ribs. It only lasted a second.

The next instant, Seoryeong slapped the loose cuff onto his wrist and lunged.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, then pulled a fresh knife and slashed deep across his cheek.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. She sank her teeth into his face like a wild animal and refused to let go.

“――!”

He pushed her with all his strength—but there was no real violence in it. That only made Seoryeong clamp on harder. Like a rabid dog starved for days, she thrashed her head side to side, tearing at his flesh.

Something squishy and tough crumpled in her teeth. Whether it was real skin or fake, she didn’t care. But if he didn’t make a sound—maybe the face really was fake. Drooling through her clenched jaw, she asked,

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Han Seo—! You’re gonna get hurt, spit it out—! Let go—!”

But even while trying to shove her away, Kim Hyun still cradled her hips to keep her from falling. Seoryeong locked her arms around his head and gave it everything she had. As she tugged and twisted—!

“Ugh...!”

A sharp pain shot through her nerves. She could feel the sting of cold liquid piercing her skin.

He had stuck a syringe into her nape.

She cursed instinctively. Kim Hyun, expression hard, held her like a child.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. It’s okay.”

His split, bleeding face murmured gently. Seoryeong bit her tongue. No—she should’ve ripped off more...!

“N-No... You’re going to leave me again...”

“I won’t.”

“Liar...”

“When you wake up, I’ll be next to you this time.”

Seoryeong slumped her head against his broad shoulder. As her vision blurred, the feeling in his arms really did feel like her husband’s.

That bastard... Even now, to the very end...! But this shoulder... this shoulder was even firmer than Kim Hyun’s. Steady and familiar... just like someone...

And then—her consciousness was yanked down like someone grabbing her by the hair. Desperate, Seoryeong shook her cuffed wrist.

Thankfully, the chain held strong.

“Haa...―”

Kim Hyun pressed his face into the crook of her neck and exhaled a deep breath. He held her fragile body tight, like he’d never let go again. Just before her awareness vanished, she heard a faint murmur:

It was never hard. Not even once.

The hand patting her back was warm enough to bring tears.