“Hmm…”

Bong Ha-gyun seemed to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“Nah, forget it.”

“Huh?”

Jo Woo-sun’s face immediately fell into a look of confusion.

“You’re not going? Just like that?”

“You said it’s in Goseong, Gyeongnam. How am I supposed to find the time to go all the way down there? I have to start filming next month.”

“Still, why not just stop by once? You never know what might happen.”

“I don’t think it’s possible. I have to head back up to Seoul at dawn. Then I’d have to pick a date and come back down, so…”

A sense of urgency flickered across Jo Woo-sun’s face. He hesitated for a second, wondering if he should say it.

‘It’s not as if this is completely unrelated to him.’

Soon, Jo Woo-sun made up his mind.

“There’s another reason you should go there, Director.”

“Huh?”

“The landlord. He’s the prosecutor who was in charge of Actor Lee Ji-hoon’s case. To be precise, the one who ‘was’ in charge.”

‘Twitch.’

As if by magic, Director Bong Ha-gyun stopped moving.

“Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office?”

“So you do know him.”

“Are you serious?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“…Is that why you said it would be helpful to me?”

“No. That’s for a different reason. You’ll find out once you go. For your information, Shin Hye-seo and Min Ha-ru are staying there right now as well.”

Director Bong Ha-gyun’s mouth hung open in a daze.

“I can understand Hye-seo since she’s the CEO of the agency, but why is Min Ha-ru there?”

“You’re dying to know, aren’t you? So, just trust me and go there once.”

“…”

After a short silence, Bong Ha-gyun finally nodded.

“Fine. No time like the present. I’ll head there right after staying here for just a bit longer.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. He’s someone I’ve really wanted to meet at least once.”

Bong Ha-gyun had been suffering from a great deal of guilt since ‘that’ incident. He hadn’t been able to take action immediately, fearing it might affect his next project. For an ordinary person with much to lose, even summoning courage isn’t easy.

However,

‘He was different.’

He was a prosecutor of the Republic of Korea with plenty to lose. Not to mention his social status; he could have risen to an even higher position if he had wanted to. Yet, Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun had unhesitatingly given up what he had and stood up against power. He had criticized the organization, the media, and even society.

“…Regardless of age, Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun is a man I can respect.”

***

The Chief of Staff continued his report as usual.

“The recruitment of the actors is complete.”

Chairman Hwang Man-cheol nodded silently.

“They have decided on the airport as the location for the operation. They say a crowded place makes it easier to blend into the masses after the deed is done.”

“That story sounds familiar.”

“Yes. It is the same as the Kim Jong-nam assassination case.”

“I recall the culprit of that case was caught?”

The Chief of Staff nodded.

“That is correct. Therefore, they have carefully selected only those who wouldn’t matter if they were caught this time. For your information, although the two killers in that case were arrested, they were both released as innocent within a few years.”

“When a new crime occurs, copycat crimes always follow… Indeed, it seems that assassination case has inspired quite a few people.”

They say that to a killer, even murder is a form of art.

“All roads lead to Rome. It means that killing people is not much different from business.”

Chairman Hwang Man-cheol let out a short chuckle.

“Anyway, I enjoyed your story.”

The Chief of Staff bowed with a humble expression.

“I am glad you found my fiction entertaining.”

***

When I opened the pink envelope, the neat, carefully written handwriting caught my eye immediately.

『 To Prosecutor Baek Seo-jun,

I wondered how to convey my feelings to you and decided to do so through this letter.

For me, the stage had become a prison at some point. Unable to break free from my roles, something inside me made every day difficult.

I was scared. I was afraid that I would no longer be able to do this work, that I would lose myself, and that my very existence would become an obstacle to my many colleagues.

In that situation, your appearance was nothing short of a miracle to me. Thanks to that sweet dessert, I was able to return to filming. I was able to stay by my father’s side before it was too late. I probably cannot express this gratitude with any words.

However, please remember this: the most brilliant scene in an actor’s life began not on the screen, but by your side.

Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart. I hope your future is filled only with sweet happiness, just like the glass of dessert you handed to me.

Sincerely, Jo Woo-sun. 』

“…”

I folded the letter I had finished reading and tucked it into my pocket.

“Instead of a letter cursing me to die, it’s a thank-you note filled with such sincerity.”

As expected, when it comes to ‘reward’ alone, my former career couldn’t hold a candle to my current life.

“Uncle!”

Just then, Seol came running toward me.

“Walk, don’t run. You’ll fall!”

“Apple!”

“…Wow! Our Seol, you can speak English now?”

I hesitated for a moment before stroking Seol’s hair. When it’s time to praise, you have to do it properly. What was funny, though, was…

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

The baby otters had also rushed over and were standing in a line next to Seol. They even had their hands on their hips, as if imitating Seol’s behavior.

“Uncle!”

“Squeak!”

“Uncle!”

“Squeak!”

Seol looked up at me again with a face that said, ‘How do I look?’. Of course, the otters did the same.

“Our Seol is really smart, isn’t she!?”

“Hehehehe!”

As I stroked her head again, Seol immediately beamed with joy.

“Squeak!”

“Squeak, squeak!”

“Yes, yes, you guys did well too.”

I went on to gently stroke the heads of the four otter siblings with my fingers, and they let out high-pitched squeaks.

“Oh, my god…”

Having managed to witness that scene, Min Ha-ru clutched her chest from a distance.

“That… that scene is too dangerous for my heart.”

“Me, me too…”

Shin Hye-seo, standing next to her, was even wringing the hem of her skirt, not knowing what to do.

‘It’s just another peaceful day.’

…It would have been great if the day had ended exactly there.

‘Vrrr, vrrr!’

As if the heavens were jealous of this tranquility, my phone vibrated fiercely. The caller was an international number. It was someone I could easily guess.

“…Yes, this is Baek Seo-jun.”

I distanced myself and answered the phone behind the house.

— This is Lawyer Jin Sang-woo. Excuse me, but who did you say you were and where are you from?

“I don’t think who I am is particularly important.”

— No, it is important! My life is on the line here!

I thought about it for a moment, but it seemed better not to reveal my identity. Basically, suspicion is a passive trait for a prosecutor. I wasn’t much of an exception to this rule. To put it bluntly, if the other party changed their mind and spilled my identity, it would significantly affect this peace.

— Fine. Then let me ask just one thing.

Fortunately, Lawyer Jin Sang-woo didn’t obsess over my identity. As they say, the one in a hurry wasn’t me, but him.

“Now we’re talking. What is it you’re really curious about?”

— The person who prepared the forged passport for me wants me to be caught. You definitely said that, right?

“Yes.”

— That they deliberately made the passport poorly, like that crypto criminal.

“Yes.”

— I simply cannot understand that part. Why? If I get caught, who stands to lose the most!

Yes. It was a valid point. For an economic criminal, there might be a bounty. But if a simple murderer was caught, the outcome was obvious.

— They sent me fleeing abroad for the purpose of avoiding arrest by investigative agencies. What are they going to do if the forged passport is discovered and I’m extradited back to the country?

Troublesome criminals are deported. If an extradition treaty is in place, they are forcibly returned to the criminal’s country of nationality. Nothing Lawyer Jin Sang-woo said was wrong. However, because of that,

‘He bit the bait perfectly.’

My strategy worked. This flow of consciousness was exactly the state I had hoped for.

‘This reminds me of my days as a prosecutor.’

Identifying other crimes beyond what has already been prosecuted. Especially in a situation where there is no evidence, it eventually turns into a psychological battle with the opponent. Just like now.

“You probably received money as compensation for this task, right? And it must have been a considerable sum.”

— …

There was no reply. However, silence is an affirmation.

“Naturally, you wouldn’t have received that money in a domestic account.”

The moment a serious crime is committed, all domestic accounts are frozen.

“An overseas account. You must have received payment in dollars or another reserve currency.”

— …What are you trying to say?

“I don’t know exactly how much you received, but one thing is certain.”

I paused for a moment before speaking.

“With even your passport being a forgery, do you think that money is clean?”

— …!

“Even if that money is clean, wouldn’t other countries have enough justification to make an issue of it? Even though it’s a murder case committed by a Korean against a Korean, if it’s payment for a ‘contract killing’ and it’s found in their country…”

The sound of breathing through the receiver gradually became ragged.

“Even if it’s a significant amount of money, there will naturally be many who would salivate over it.”

— That…

“In the end, that money is the price of your life.”

— ‘Pant, pant, pant…’

“Since you know the law well, I won’t beat around the bush any further. The core of the matter is this.”

I spoke with strength in my voice.

“Under international law, the principle is that the country to which a suspect is extradited is determined entirely by the ‘arresting country.’ From the start, your question of ‘why would they do this to me when I’ll just be extradited back home?’ was wrong. In the end, where you go will be decided by the people with real power.”

— …

“I’ll say one last thing. You must be punished, but if you take our hand, at least your life and the lives of your family will be guaranteed.”

This was the end of the psychological battle that hadn’t been very long. I already had a sense of what stance Lawyer Jin Sang-woo would take.

— …I just received a call on the hotel phone.

As expected, his voice had become considerably more polite than before.

“Who was it?”

— It was Chairman Hwang Man-cheol’s Chief of Staff… He said I should come out through the back door of the hotel in one hour.

“I’m sure you contacted me because you suspected it, but if you go out, you’ll die. Just like An Yu-ra, whom you murdered.”

“…”

Whether fear had reached its peak, a response did not come for quite a while. After a moment,

— What… what should I do?

Finally, the desired response came.

“…Good. Now I will explain the way for you to live.”

And from now on, it was time to carry out a meticulous intelligence operation.

***

That night.

“I… I have no excuses, Chairman.”

The Chief of Staff bowed his head with a look of sincere apology.

“The target… has disappeared.”

‘Crush!’

In Chairman Hwang Man-cheol’s hand, the paper cup containing hot coffee was completely crushed.