Lee Wooshin twitched his eyebrow and halted. Wonchang, his voice cracked as if worn out from exhaustion, blurted out something half-coherent in protest. Glancing at his watch, he said,

“Three minutes. Wrap it up.”

The moment that strict permission was granted—hkk...!—a gasp broke the silence, and suddenly, something spilled noisily out from under the desk.

Lee Wooshin pressed his forehead and checked the time again. Still no contact from Han Seoryeong. Wonchang, seeming scattered, inhaled roughly and continued.

―Did you know the Owl has been in psychological counseling since she was a kid?

“......!”

He hadn’t. But before he could respond, Wonchang rushed in, driven by time.

―It’s been ongoing since around the age of ten.

A faint twist pulled at his brow. That subtle dissonance he’d been feeling ever since he stopped seeing her as just the Owl and began facing Han Seoryeong head-on.

To pinpoint that gap, he’d taken on the job in violation of the NIS’s absolute protocol. And now, as that missing information threatened to fill in—his mouth went dry for no reason.

Was this really the right thing to be doing? He was the one who’d chosen not to know the Owl beyond her file.

He’d firmly locked her identity as an orphan, diligent but isolated woman. Outside of that barebones profile, he’d never once tried to understand her or pull her out of it.

Everything about the Owl came to him through the reports passed on by the deputy director. He had evaluated and judged her based solely on that, never once reopening the file.

What kind of life Han Seoryeong had lived, what kind of grief she had grown up under—it had never been of interest to him. Maybe if it were a smear campaign, fine—but ‘understanding’ had never been part of his job.

How laughable and shallow their relationship was. And yet... when did he start becoming curious—not about the Owl on the paper, but the raw, real Han Seoryeong? He scowled, as though dragging up something unpleasant.

―Another notable thing... it appears she received long-term treatment not just in psychiatry, but also in orthopedics and dermatology. Mostly for misaligned bones and scar treatments, it seems...

“.......”

―Also, while her birth registration and orphanage records exist, there’s absolutely no trace of her before the age of ten. She was suddenly placed in the orphanage, started receiving therapy, and then all her psychiatric records were confiscated by the NIS. The volume of it is unnecessarily enormous. There’s even video footage—want me to send it?

“I’m busy. Later.”

―Now, this part is purely my own hypothesis...

Wonchang hesitated for a beat, gathering breath.

―I don’t think the Owl has any memories from her early childhood.

“......!”

―Judging from the counseling notes, she was often asked about her past, but every time she answered, something felt off.

“How?”

―...Like she was answering mechanically. She’d say, “I rode the carousel with my dad.” That line would come out, unprompted, over and over again. Even when asked what food she ate as a kid, or what color she liked—it was always just, “I rode the carousel with my dad.” I can’t explain it well but...

He needed to stop. Somewhere between idle curiosity and a wicked impulse—those thoughts clanged in his head like a siren.

―It was like she’d been brainwashed.

“......!”

―I can’t prove whether that’s scientifically valid in social psychology, but...

Lee Wooshin’s expression slowly darkened.

Ever since he met her again at Blast Corp... Ever since he witnessed a cold indifference in her during their marriage that he’d never seen before—he’d been consumed by the notion that something was deeply wrong.

He, who used to sleep poorly from the discomfort of a bed, now fell into slumber like a man drugged.

And when he woke in that hazy morning confusion, he’d blink instinctively at the sunlit space, unable to see her. She’d already rolled her eyes looking for Kim Hyeon.

Even though she couldn’t meet his gaze properly, she’d grin vaguely—not even at his face, but somewhere near his throat. And in that moment, he’d pulled her close and kissed her. Was that really part of the mission?

He could have walked away at any time. Could’ve dumped her whenever. So then why the fuck... had he dug this deep?

It wasn’t the Owl he wanted to know. It was Han Seoryeong. Because even a single inattentive glance, like she was brushing past a stranger, drove him fucking insane.

That dissonance—he couldn’t close the gap. It gave him a headache like cognitive dissonance.

She was just a target. The mission was already over. And yet—why was it still clawing at him?

Then he saw her, pushing her body past the limit, without hesitation, just to find her missing husband. That’s when he found the real Han Seoryeong.

Yes, found—that was the right word.

When she tore herself out of those stale pages he’d read without interest, when she burst out of the file—that moment was closer to a shock than anything.

―...But really, do you think the Owl’s that kind of person? According to the doctors, she’s indifferent to the pain of others, regularly violates rules, and sees violence purely as a means to an end. It says she acts on impulse and is hostile toward most people.

“......!”

―At this point, I’m starting to think the reason she’s looking for Kim Hyeon might not be love ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) after all...!

“.......”

―Team Leader, are you really going to stay tangled up with the Owl? How about pulling out now? After going through all this data, I’m honestly scared I’ll get caught in something with her later...

“Can’t.”

―Sorry?

“It’s already too late.”

He’d already sucked her tongue. He offered no elaboration—his face remained blank.

If the real Han Seoryeong had such a vicious personality, then that meant she’d been putting on an act in front of her husband the whole time...

Suddenly, a soft laugh slipped out. Goddamn adorable. That heat that surged through him every time he saw her—finally, it felt like it was cooling.

In the end, what he’d really wanted to confirm were those tiny things. The things he never even tried to know before.

―Anyway, my conclusion is this: the deputy director definitely edited the data to his liking. But it’s unclear what he was trying to hide. Having a bad personality isn’t rare these days, and everyone forgets their childhood. The one thing that bothers me is that parroted line...

At that moment, a loud thunk, thunk echoed from above the linen chute—like someone kept hitting the surface. Lee Wooshin bent immediately and peered into the smooth metallic tunnel.

His brow furrowed. His eyes sharpened like a specialist’s. The aluminum shell was trembling faintly. Wonchang’s hesitant voice continued.

―Maybe there was some kind of classified material in the Owl’s lost memories...

“......!”

―That’s why I think she was repeatedly checked and monitored. Of course, that’s just my theory...!

Just then, a body dropped through the linen chute, landing with a thud into a pile of soft towels. It was Deputy Director Ju Seolheon, unconscious, sprawled out. Lee Wooshin looked down at her without a word, his face cold.

“Fear is what fundamentally moves people.”

―...Sir?

“It means everyone has a locked door they don’t want opened.”

―.......

“You did well. Brought something useful.”

He immediately hung up the call and placed his fingers on the deputy director’s neck. His eyes, unreadable, quietly observed the artery beneath her skin.

Then, without a word, he pulled her phone from her pocket and held the power button down. He hoisted her into a large linen cart—and thud—another weighty sound fell inside.

“――!”

The linens shifted. A familiar breath tickled his ear.

Lee Wooshin pulled down his mask and reached out without hesitation. But Seoryeong, her stamina halved from carrying a person up the stairs, simply shook her head, exhausted.

So he slid his hand under her arms and effortlessly lifted her up.

“Who told you to go limp during a mission?”

“......!”

“Put some strength in your legs and stand straight.”

“That...!”

“You haven’t even struck back properly yet.”

Something inside his chest was clearly breaking apart.

***

The two of them pushed the cart out through the underground corridor that connected to the department store, finally escaping to the outside.

Fire trucks and ambulances lined up at the curb, the area in complete chaos.

Seoryeong headed straight for the ambulance she’d parked in a hidden corner and opened the rear door. Lee Wooshin watched her with a grimace, still carrying the unconscious deputy director.

“You’re driving, Instructor.”

She tossed him the keys. Inside, Seoryeong laid the deputy on the emergency bed, swiftly securing her wrists and ankles with Velcro restraints.

A wall lined with straps. Dirty medical gloves. A chipped portable oxygen tank. A beat-up defibrillator...

Some familiar medical tools were present, but the old, empty interior made his heart chill. Because he knew exactly what she planned to do here.

“Just leave with the other ambulances once they start clearing out.”

“When the hell did you prepare this vehicle?”

Lee Wooshin asked in disbelief as he started the engine.

“This is from the nursing home I used to work at. They ran a private ambulance service. I called for a background check and they said they were junking an old one—so I bought it cheap.”

“......!” 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“That way, we can run to the end without getting interrupted.”

She tossed off her jacket and rolled up the sleeves of her white blouse. That such a tight, concealed space could be an ambulance—Lee Wooshin gave a short, hollow laugh.

The red warning lights flashed to life, and the ambulance pulled safely onto the road. As the surrounding cars moved aside, the two of them began racing down the highway without resistance.