Codename-Anastasia-Chapter 49 - 4.3 Hide and Seek 4

A knock on the closed door gave permission to enter. The door opened and Professor Yoon's eves moved from the screen to the door. She had assumed it was a student or a teaching assistant, but the visitor surprised her.

"Why have you come here?"

The middle-aged man bowed his head.

"I have a few questions regarding Professor Kim Young Hee. May I come in?"

Professor Yoon's face stiffened.

"Hm, I don't know what you're expecting, but I also don't know much about that person. Everything I know is not true so I have nothing more to say. So please go back."

She drew clear boundaries and expressed her discomfort, but the man remained gentle and did not back down.

"Please, just a few minutes."

"Who are you anyways? Are you a reporter?"

"Sorry, I'm late for introductions."

The man took out his ID card and showed it to Professor Yoon, who was wary.

"I am the prosecutor's investigator in charge of Kim Young Hee's case. I came because there is a part that needs to be added in the trial."

The man who was explaining those things had a face similar to Chief Kim, but in reality. It was Kwon Taek Joo disguised as him. His identity card and appearance were so fake that even his family had a hard time telling the difference.

Professor Yoon sighed as if disappointed.

"Honestly, I don't know anything. A few years ago I went to a conference and got to know her through the introduction of another professor. We exchanged a few words right when our school decided to hire her. So we live close to each other but don't know about each other's private lives. But it's all just a disguise, what else can I say to the investigator?"

Even after living in the same house for more than a decade, people often cannot know that their spouse is a spy. Furthermore, there is no way she could have been aware of Kim Young Hee's activities within the co-worker relationship. What Kwon Taek Joo is trying to confirm is much more trivial.

"At the time of her arrest, Kim Young Hee was wearing a ring on the ring finger of her left hand. That ring is almost unworn, professor, do you know what ring it is?"

"I heard she was getting married. She's been dating a man. I don't know who it is, but I've seen him several times on her phone."

Is that man the dead military officer? But he has a family. Social status and self-image are important to spies. Based on that stance, it seems that she will not publicly announce that she is about to marry a married man. If she approached a military officer with the intention of stealing confidential information, their date would have to be more discreet. At least my colleagues couldn't notice.

If so, then there is definitely someone else. Kwon Taek Joo was quite confident but he did not rush to make a decision. This time he must dig step by step.

"I wonder if you know where you bought that ring?"

"Normally I don't know because men are the ones buying the rings."

"But.. you mean you know?"

"Yes. The person who designed the ring is the wife of a member of the same academy."

Professor Yoon immediately took out a business card and gave it to Kwon Taek Joo. "Let's try to find out." he felt a firm voice telling him to stop the questioning.

--

Kwon Taek Joo immediately went to the jewelry store that Professor Yoon mentioned. Seeing Kwon Taek Joo in a neat suit, the manager warmly greeted him and guided him to the consultation desk.

"Excuse me, what product are you looking for?"

"I want to see a ring."

"Ah, so that's it. Are you going to use it to propose?"

Kwon Taek Joo nodded. Thinking he was shy, the manager smiled and took out the request form.

"Do you want any special designs?"

"I'm not very familiar with gemstones, can I look at other products?"

"Of course."

The manager happily took the tablet and opened up the catalogs. He scrolled through each product photo and gave explanations that bordered on praise. Kwon Taek Joo listened briefly and only carefully observed the photos.

"Don't you know what the bride-to-be likes? Some people like fancy things, and some people like simple things. This type ignores the small details and increases the carat instead."

Suddenly an image caught Kwon Taek Joo's eyes. That is it. That is the ring that Kim Young Hee wore.

"This design."

"Ah, you like that design?"

The manager, who was embarrassed by Kwon Taek Joo's sullen reaction from beginning to end, suddenly became happy, but he was immediately confused after checking the relevant information.

"Sorry, but that ring was specially designed for a teacher to give to an acquaintance. It is not an ordinary product but a type of work created by inspiration. It will be impossible to make another one like it. But instead, I can make a similar one. What do you think?"

"When was this ring made?"

"Hm, I don't know. But it probably hasn't been half a year."

"This isn't a couple ring, right?"

"Yes, this is perfect for proposals and gifts."

"So the person who bought it must have been a man, right?"

"What?"

The manager's smile faded from the questions that continuously flowed out like flowing water, his eyes silently sparkled with suspicion. It seemed he was slowly backing away.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Ah, yes. Over there."

Kwon Taek Joo walked in the direction the manager pointed. He pretended not to notice the prying eyes clearly following behind him and walked into the bathroom aisle.

The phone bell suddenly rang. The manager finally looked away and went to answer the phone. During that time, Kwon Taek Joo went out alone again. He saw the surveillance camera mounted in the center of the ceiling as soon as he entered. Cameras record the entire store's activities in real time because the products on display are expensive items. Even if the built-in memory is periodically cleared, there will still be a backup file.

Sometimes Kwon Taek Joo still hears the manager's voice talking on the phone. Repeated apologies, it seems he is receiving complaints. He focused on that and seemed to forget Kwon Taek Joo's existence.

A moment later Kwon Taek Joo arrived in front of the office. He gently lowered the door handle, but it was locked tightly. Kwon Taek Joo took the clay bar he received from Dr. Jo and pushed it into the keyhole. He waited a few seconds then tried turning it carefully, the locking device was immediately removed. Kwon Taek Joo went inside, careful not to make any noise from the door.

As expected, a computer was placed there. He turned on the power and inserted the USB into the slot. Immediately after that, an import window appears. The hacking program is executed by entering a specific command. Kwon Taek Joo specified the copy scope as the entire hard drive and pressed Enter. A progress bar graph appears on the screen.

Kwon Taek Joo waited and observed the movements outside the door. The manager seemed to still be on the phone. He still just kept apologizing, pitiful.

The copy was quickly completed. Kwon Taek Joo took the USB back and turned off the computer. He arranged the mouse back to its original position and went out. Kwon Taek Joo also did not forget to lock the door with a hard clay bar and stop by the bathroom to wash his hands.

"I'm very sorry, ladies and gentlemen. When you have time, please come visit and we will compensate you as desired. No, that's not it. It's not that I intend to ignore it, it's just that there are other customers here. Store.. What? Do you feel neglected? It's unfair. Yes, of course. You must have been heartbroken. I understand."

Kwon Taek Joo returned to his seat and pretended to take his coat and take a photo of the ring in the catalog. He then approached the manager who was still holding the phone. As soon as their eyes met, he showed remorse.

"It seems you're busy. I'll come back later."

"What? No.. I..."

He didn't have time to stop Kwon Taek Joo because the voice on the other side of the receiver continued to sound. The manager's face showed a tired look. Kwon Taek Joo left the store after he asked him to stop by again next time.

Kwon Taek Joo quickly walked out, the phone in his pocket rang. The only person who knows this phone number is Yoon Jong Woo. He took out his phone and walked away while receiving the call.

-Senior, have you succeeded?

"You really have the talent to act, don't you? As far as I can see, your skills aren't something you've only done this 1 or 2 times."

-are you scolding me?

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

"If you want to hear it as a compliment, it's fine."

-The ring, have you checked it yet? Is it really there?

"Yes. I found the ring. Now I just need to find someone."

If there is a hidden truth, the clue is contained in the USB. "I will contact you later," Kwon Taek Joo ended the call with Yoon Jong Woo and took longer strides.

--

Kwon Taek Joo checked the sale records in the copied files. Quarterly revenue data is organized in detail. According to the manager, Kim Young Hee's ring was made about half a year ago. The search scope was set by Kwon Taek Joo to the fourth quarter of last year and transaction details, deposit and withdrawal records from bank accounts, and sales records were entered. Kwon Taek Joo searched for the name of Kim Young Hee's ring model.

Two results soon emerged. Kwon Taek Joo clicked on the transaction statement. The credit card information that paid for the ring is written on it. The owner of the card is not the deceased military officer. However, there was a strangely familiar name that caught Kwon Taek Joo's eyes.

"This is.."

Suddenly a character with the same name appeared completely unexpectedly in Kwon Taek Joo's mind. It's not a common name, but it's not a very rare one either. Assuming that person is involved, the suspicions are mostly resolved. But that's just an assumption. Caution is required.

He also opened the surveillance camera recording. To prepare for unexpected situations, a whole year's worth of videos have been kept intact by the store. Among them, Kwon Taek Joo replayed the video on the day that coincided with the sales invoice.

Since early morning, there have been quite a few customers coming in and out. Kwon Taek Joo also saw the manager and designer he just met. However, there was no one in particular that attracted his attention. Kwon Taek Joo fast forwards the video at 4x speed. He looked at it for an hour and then stopped. He rewinded the screen that had just passed and played it back at normal speed.

A man and a woman visited after lunch. The designer personally came out to welcome the two. The image quality of the video is not very good, but the woman clearly looks like Kim Young Hee. However, the man hovering around the corner of the screen could not be seen clearly. Suddenly Kwon Taek Joo felt deja vu from that figure.

He sighed as he zoomed in on the screen like a habit. The place where Kwon Taek Joo was sitting was a shabby computer room. Unable to enlarge the screen and unable to improve image quality, it seemed he needed Yoon Jong Woo's help.

Kwon Taek Joo carefully uploaded the video to a website and logged into Yoon Jong Woo's favorite shooting game. He left his ID, password and requests in a note, then deleted all usage records on his computer and left.

As soon as he left the computer room. Kwon Taek Joo entered a big street. Crowded streets before work. He naturally blended into the crowd and walked away.

"...."

How long have you been gone? Kwon Taek Joo became aware of an unusual sign from behind. The road was filled with pedestrians. Some of them may have the same destination. However, it was strange when that person followed Kwon Taek Joo while constantly looking at the back of his head. At that moment, the faces of the people behind were reflected in the window of the car turning right. There are three people in total. They all closely watched Kwon Taek Joo.

There was an entrance to the subway station nearby, Kwon Taek Joo pretended to pass by, then suddenly turned around and walked into it.

"Chase!"

The pursuers no longer pretended to be people on the road and hurriedly gave in to chase him. They pushed people climbing up the stairs like water at the train station while fiercely chasing Kwon Taek Joo.

Kwon Taek Joo jumped through the ticket gate and avoided other passengers to climb up the railing of a staircase. He did not slow down and slid down the steep railing

When the pursuers arrived at the station, Kwon Taek Joo had disappeared. The men exchanged signs in silence and then dispersed in various directions. One of them walked around and checked the faces of the sparsely lined passengers while those who remained continued to turn in other directions. At that moment, the announcement that a train was about to arrive rang out. He became more impatient.

The man's eyes looked around and then suddenly fixed on one place. There was another man holding up a newspaper and covering his face. He gently approached, one of his hands reached inside his jacket and grabbed the gun.

Soon the train arrived. In a split second, he tugged at the newspaper. Contrary to expectations, the newspaper fell so easily but he did not have a chance to wonder. because a strong shock fell on his neck.

"Sigh."

He clutched his neck and staggered kicking the man. Passengers around were panicked by the sudden violence. The other pursuers who noticed the commotion also rushed over.

At that moment, the train doors opened and people poured out. The helpless pursuers were carried away by that fierce crowd. Kwon Taek Joo looked at that scene and then leisurely walked onto the subway. The pursuers pushed their way through the crowd and tried to approach, but the train doors closed first. The men who missed Kwon Taek Joo right under their noses vented their anger on the innocent screen door.

Kwon Taek Joo stood leaning his tired body against the train for a while. The movement of the subway train running on the tracks was transmitted to him intact. By now the other men must have called for backup, so he had to get off at the next stop. Kwon Taek Joo was calculating how to escape the siege when his phone suddenly rang. The caller was definitely Yoon Jong Woo.

"Have you checked yet?"

-Senior. This is not a composite, right?

Yoon Jong Woo asked in a confused voice. Isn't the game found on the sales invoice the same person?

"What's wrong?"

-If you watch it live. I just sent it to senior.

Kwon Taek Joo checked the image that was just sent. It appears to be an image taken and edited from a video. The person in the picture is definitely someone that Kwon Taek Joo knows. The person who promised Kim Young Hee a future was not the dead military officer.

Kwon Taek Joo put the phone to his ear.

"Shit."

-This is definitely appropriate. What are you going to do now? Should we send this document to the prosecutor in charge?

"Not yet."

-What evidence is more accurate than this?

The train arrived at the next station. Kwon Taek Joo carefully looked around and then quickly walked out.

"This is not enough. There needs to be more."

"I'll try to find it and get back to you, until then Jong Woo, slowly dig him out."

Kwon Taek Joo assigned the job. Before Yoon Jong Woo could say anything, he said "Alright." then hung up the phone.

Just like that. Kwon Taek Joo blended into the crowd again. The phone started ringing again. The text 'does not display caller identity' appeared on the screen. If it were Yoon Jong Woo, he wouldn't have to do that. But no one else knows this phone number. Kwon Taek Joo felt confused.

He ignored the call and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Not long after, the shaking subsided. Kwon Taek Joo was about to try to ignore it and continue walking, but before he could take a step, his pocket vibrated again. This time, the caller is still 'does not show caller identity'

Who is it? Kwon Taek Joo stared at his phone that continued to vibrate and touched the call button. He didn't speak, but just held his breath and put the phone to his ear.

For some reason, it had been a while and he still hadn't heard anything from the other end. Kwon Taek Joo thought the phone might have been disconnected, but the call connection time continued.

Kwon Taek Joo brought the phone to his ear again. As he gathered all of his nerves, Kwon Taek Joo could hear the sound of light breathing. The opponent also seemed to be clearly aware of Kwon Taek Joo's moves.

"Who is this?"

He growled. Although the tone was quite overwhelming, laughter came from the other side of the phone. At the same time, Kwon Taek Joo's heart sank. The laughter that rang in his ears was quite familiar.

Is it him?

Vague associations stirred up in Kwon Taek Joo's heart. His heart was beating wildly as if ready to pierce his flesh. His pulse was beating frantically. His spine suddenly felt cold, his hand holding the phone was sweating. Even in that situation, Kwon Taek Joo still couldn't hang up his phone. His thinking system was paralyzed and he couldn't do anything.

The call ended immediately after that. Kwon Taek Joo quickly checked his phone again, and the screen had turned to standby status.

It's really that bastard. How the hell?

A memory returned to Kwon Taek Joo's mind. While in Irkutsk, he contacted Yoon Jong Woo using the phone Zhenya gave him when he told him to feel free to learn about him. And he also owned a program that was easily infected with hacking viruses. If Zhenya succeeds in spreading this program to Yoon Jong Woo's phone, a call like just now is completely possible.

"Damned."

Kwon Taek Joo hugged his heaving chest tightly. His strong heart that was always proud was now trembling at the thought of Zhenya. Is it because this is the first time he has exceeded such power? Or is it because he is scared that he will take revenge.

No, the current insecurity does not stem from such simple emotions. It's much more complicated and deadly. During his time with Zhenya, everything always seemed to be under threat, and in the moment when he met Zhenya again, Kwon Taek Joo had the feeling that everything would collapse. It hasn't even been a month since he ran away from that deadlock.

The laughter from earlier still rang in his ears. Suddenly Kwon Taek Joo felt a passionate gaze looking at him. Kwon Taek Joo looked around again but there was only a stream of people rushing back and forth, no one was paying attention to him. Probably not Zhenya. Maybe those are just your useless worries. Kwon Taek Joo tried to comfort himself.

He pulled his collar up to cover his face and quickly left the place.