7:49 PM, Busan International Port

Night gradually falls on the pier. Export preparation work also took place enthusiastically. The 5,000-ton auxiliary ferry clearly shows its majesty under the flickering light of streetlights. This is a scheduled train that operates once a day and will arrive at the port of Shimonoseki, Japan tomorrow morning.

The doors closes after boarding time ends. The crane finished loading the goods and finally quietly withdrew. As expected, the lights in the station went out. The surrounding area was quiet, buried in the stillness of the night, only the ferry tied to its rope was still floating on the black, rippling sea.

But the atmosphere inside is completely different. A man entered the room arranged early and put down his luggage. Passengers around him were busy looking everywhere on the train with excited faces. Everyone gathered in small groups at a drinking table in the village hallway, some people also recorded every moment with cameras in hand. Boisterous laughter echoed everywhere, even on the cold, windy deck of the ship was filled with a typical atmosphere of excitement and anticipation for the journey about to begin.

Kwon Taek Joo is present in that crowded place. He wore a normal suit with a jacket, looking no different from the people present except for his extremely depressed expression. That was clearly not the look on the face of someone staying in the most expensive room.

He occasionally lifted his sleeve to check the time. Kwon Taek Joo followed every movement of the second hand on the watch. Exactly 8 o'clock. The whistle signaling the departure of the ferry split the night sea. Kwon Taek Joo followed suit and walked out onto the balcony.

The deck below appeared clearly in his vision. Tourists were still busy taking photos. It would be difficult to get a decent photo in this darkness, but they kept pressing the shutter button. He indifferently observed those constant movements when a small mechanical sound suddenly came from his left ear. Next, someone’s voice rang out.

“How are you? Are you enjoying the romantic atmosphere of the night sea?”

“Not bad. Noisy but also quite boring.”

Light laughter emanated from the communication device in his ear. Meanwhile, Kwon Taek Joo’s eyes remained fixed on the deck. He carefully scrutinized each person passing by, but no one particularly stood out.

“Report it."

“Contact person Kim Young Hee and National Security Agency official Lee Cheol Jin were both confirmed to have boarded the plane. Lee Cheol Jin is disguising himself as a Chinese citizen. He will probably leave China as soon as he arrives in Japan, and Kim Young Hee has booked a ferry leaving from Shimonoseki tomorrow night.”

“Then I’ll have to reach them before the ship docks.”

Kwon Taek Joo muttered to himself and quickly left the balcony. “Are you going to start acting now?” he asked. Kwon Taek Joo just walked out of the room and answered while walking through the empty hallway.

“When playing hide and seek, good players are those who like to take risks.”

If the targets are to contact each other, a chaotic scene like this is the best time, because meeting in a place with few people will only attract more attention. Kwon Taek Joo jumped down two spiral stairs. He passed by a group of people gathered in front of the second-floor restaurant and examined each face one by one. This time there were no outstanding characters either. Kwon Taek Joo went straight down the stairs leading to the first-floor lobby and gave brief instructions.

“Call me.”

The phone rang immediately. Kwon Taek Joo let the sound vibrate continuously twice and took the call when he reached the middle of the stairs. “Hello,” he spoke up to continue the serious conversation with the silent person on the other end. No one seemed suspicious when Kwon Taek Joo was talking on the phone and walking around.

Not long after, a woman passed by. The collar of her coat stood up, looking very awkward. Kwon Taek Joo’s black eyes quietly watched that woman.

She passed the information desk and approached the vending machine next to the elevator. She stood there for a long moment as if choosing a drink. Other people came and then left one by one.

The woman took out the 1,000 yen bill again after the surroundings became quiet. After a long period of hesitation, what she chose was green tea. Change poured out of the machine, and the drink also fell down with a slight sound. She picked up the green tea quite naturally, then gathered the change and returned to the second floor. Kwon Taek Joo pretended not to pay attention to the woman, and she did not pay any special attention to him.

“The target is approaching.”

The voice ringing on the intercom caught Kwon Taek Joo’s attention after the woman disappeared upstairs.

“Okay. Let’s talk later.”

He pressed the button to end the call after greeting. At that moment, a man walked out of the living room at the back of the lobby. He was wearing a navy blue beanie and striding towards the vending machine.

The man rummaged through his pocket and took out a few coins but only glanced around, not at the drink. An overly cautious attitude. After a while, the man put a 100 yen coin into the slot.

At that moment, an arm suddenly reached over his shoulder. Then a cheerful clicking sound was heard. That familiar sound was like the sound of a coin rolling through a narrow groove. The blue beanie was still holding a hundred yen coin in his hand. That arm suddenly entered the vending machine, chose a drink and pressed a button.

“What’s up?”

At this point, the navy blue beanie realized the current situation. The heavy can of water fell with a clatter. The beanie quickly grabbed Kwon Taek Joo’s hand as he walked towards the place to receive the can of water. He shouted in confusion at the unexpected situation.

“Ah, you bastard, what are you doing?”

“It seems like you’re hesitant to make a decision. If I keep waiting, I’ll probably have to stay up all night.”

Kwon Taek Joo held his hand tightly and brazenly responded. The tone was whispery but provocative. There was no sign of remorse in the faint smile on his face, as if the conflict that was happening was what he wanted.

An unfortunate premonition and a creepy feeling. Instinct was one step ahead of the mind in recognizing the danger, the blue beanie’s eyebrows furrowed. Under the light, the anger was pushed away and replaced by an expression of anxiety. His breathing also became rougher, and at some point, cold sweat formed on his forehead.

“Damned.”

Immediately, the blue beanie suddenly swung his hand towards the vending machine. He quickly lifted the lid of the vending machine and picked up something inside. Kwon Taek Joo did not hesitate to step on the lid.

“Ah!”

A loud scream came from the man whose hand was caught in the vending machine. Kwon Taek Joo remained calm as if nothing had happened.

“Ah, this crazy guy!”

The man grabbed Kwon Taek Joo’s collar in response to the recent provocation. His eyes widened as he stared at him. But Kwon Taek Joo didn’t flinch; he just looked from his shirt to the man’s face. His eyebrows furrowed even more because of this strangely leisurely attitude.

Kwon Taek Joo grabbed the wrist of the man holding his collar. His leisurely movements seemed to be engraving each of his actions into the other person’s mind. The skin under the man’s eyes twitched. The eyes that had been glancing at Kwon Taek Joo now looked down at his wrist. Even when the man tried to ignore it, an unbearably cruel force began to spread; what was happening was definitely not good.

Kwon Taek Joo looked at the people gathered around and muttered.

“It’s true. Getting too much attention is very troublesome. Lee Cheol Jin-sshi also understands, right? Everyone in the industry is like that.”

As soon as his name was called, he was able to guess Kwon Taek Joo’s identity. The man’s already angry face suddenly turned pale.

Passengers continued to rush out and quickly surrounded the two people. The most curious thing is always watching a fight, and the strange expectations of people running to watch a noisy action movie arise. There’s no benefit to continuing like this. A cornered mouse will bite the cat back. Kwon Taek Joo didn’t know what unexpected actions Lee Cheol Jin would take if he put more pressure on him. If civilian casualties occur, a letter or two of apology will hardly calm the situation.

Kwon Taek Joo held Lee Cheol Jin’s arm tightly. Suddenly, he burst out laughing.

“Okay. Great!”

He no longer tried to hide his identity. If their identities are revealed, the spies have only two options. Committing suicide by drinking pre-prepared poison or using force to escape. He won’t throw away something that was hard-won, so the choice this time will be the latter.

Lee Cheol Jin quickly put his hand inside his jacket, but that arm was immediately lifted up by Kwon Taek Joo in a split second, followed by his head hitting the vending machine.

The vending machine vibrated with a thud. Lee Cheol Jin also couldn’t get over the shock and staggered.

At that moment, Kwon Taek Joo grabbed his arm and easily snatched the gun. When a gun appeared from nowhere, the gathered onlookers screamed and retreated.

Without hesitation, Kwon Taek Joo used all his strength to kick Lee Cheol Jin’s butt. His body hit the floor. His face and head were shaken so he could not stay awake.

Meanwhile, Kwon Taek Joo lifted the lid of the vending machine and took out the USB. The woman from earlier left it behind. According to intelligence information, it may contain high-level information equivalent to state secrets.

“Sorry, please give way! Just for a moment, please.”

At that moment, a flight attendant approached, apparently having received a report about the commotion. Kwon Taek Joo looked in that direction, simultaneously hearing an angry mutter ringing in his ear.

“There’s no law for you to rummage through other people’s things.”

Kwon Taek Joo turned his head with an unfortunate premonition. His eyes immediately met Lee Cheol Jin’s. His eyes flashed strangely. Could it be? He did not miss the rope that had just been dropped in front of him. “What’s going on?” the flight attendant rushed in to ask.

“Hic..”

It happened in just a split second. Lee Cheol Jin wrapped his arms around the flight attendant’s neck and pulled him back. In his other hand was a sharp knife.

“Ahhh!”

“Ah!”

Seeing the sharp blade, the surrounding passengers fled, only Kwon Taek Joo remained in his position.

He bit his lower lip out of habit. Whenever things go smoothly, he feels uncomfortable. There is no such thing as an easy thing to do. This time is no exception.

Lee Cheol Jin wrapped his arms around the hostage’s neck and clutched his weapon. The flight attendant shouted. Kwon Taek Joo scratched his head in annoyance.

“Give me that.”

Lee Cheol Jin reached out his hand to request. The sharp blade stuck tighter to the hostage’s neck. Kwon Taek Joo just stood there observing without reacting at all. Lee Cheol Jin impatiently waved his hand. He even shouted, “Throw it over here!” Kwon Taek Joo looked boredly at the hostage’s pale face with every move. His breathing was rapid, almost like a sob.

Kwon Taek Joo looked at the USB in his hand and threw it away without hesitation. The small USB hit the hostage and then fell to the floor. Lee Cheol Jin reflexively intended to bend down but quickly changed his mind and asked the hostage to pick up the item that had just fallen.

The flight attendant picked up the USB with shaking hands. In the desperate crisis, his pants were helplessly soaked. Lee Cheol Jin forced him to stand up and step back step by step on weak legs that no longer had any strength due to fear.

At this time, Kwon Taek Joo also slowly moved. The distance tightened as soon as Lee Cheol Jin retreated. The series of actions were without hesitation as if he did not care about the safety of the hostages. When Lee Cheol Jin took a step back, Kwon Taek Joo took a step closer. Lee Cheol Jin’s voice cracked with anger.

“Don’t follow me!”

But that threat had no effect at all. If he takes a step back, Kwon Taek Joo will definitely take another step. Although a certain distance was still maintained between the two sides, the anxiety of the person being chased was still indescribable.

“Please help me.”

The hostage rubbed his hands together in supplication. The urine that had soaked his pants was now dripping to the floor. For a moment, all movement and noise stopped as if time itself had stopped.

Lee Cheol Jin took a step back as if to check the situation. Kwon Taek Joo followed again. He went crazy and jumped up, his eyes seeming to have no mercy for the hostages.

“You bastard, didn’t you listen to me when I told you to stop?”

Even being angry was of no use because it’s hard to find room for compromise on Kwon Taek Joo’s face. Even if the hostage’s life is in danger, he will not back down. But one thing is clear: the moment the hostage stops breathing, Lee Cheol Jin himself will no longer be safe. All of that is contained in Kwon Taek Joo’s quiet but pressured gaze.

“This bastard…!”

Lee Cheol Jin quickly gave up the confrontation and pushed the hostages away. He then walked up the stairs in the back. Kwon Taek Joo helped the flight attendant who fell aside and chased after him.

As soon as he reached the second floor, people started flocking to the entrance to the deck. Kwon Taek Joo turned around and walked straight in that direction. The sight of Lee Cheol Jin quickly running away entered his sight. But Kwon Taek Joo didn’t run even though his strides were wider and he sped up somewhat, because there was absolutely no reason to lose patience. Either way, this ship is heading out to sea. Lee Cheol Jin is no different from a mouse that has crawled into a trap.

Kwon Taek Joo leisurely followed Lee Cheol Jin who was running away. His black hair fluttered in the sea breeze. That scene brought a strange sense of menace.

“Senior, the ferry assistant just reported to the Coast Guard that there was an armed person on the ship. What’s going on?”

Suddenly the voice from before rang out from the communication device in Kwon Taek Joo’s ear.

“Let’s talk later. I’ll probably be a bit busy.”

Kwon Taek Joo finally looked straight at Lee Cheol Jin, who had approached the railing. A warning sound came from the walkie-talkie, but he turned it off without hesitation. As a result, only Lee Cheol Jin and Kwon Taek Joo remained on the windy deck.

Lee Cheol Jin looked down at the dark sea. His hands that were clinging to the railing tightened. Meanwhile, Kwon Taek Joo gradually narrowed the gap. Lee Cheol Jin was cornered and suddenly swung his weapon wildly into the air. That gesture was like trying to escape at all costs, but it was also meaningless. The moment you are afraid, your threat has lost its power.

“Don’t come here!”

He quickly approached the aggressive Lee Cheol Jin. He alternately looked down at the dark sea and towards Kwon Taek Joo and continuously waved the knife in the air.

“I told you not to come here!”

He panicked and screamed violently. Kwon Taek Joo took out the Colt. That was the moment Lee Cheol Jin’s knife turned into a piece of scrap metal.