The Owl... Right. So the Owl got a job here, huh.

―Did you... happen to meet her?

At the cautious question, he said nothing. Meet her? That didn’t even begin to cover it.

―She didn’t recognize you, right? You weren’t wearing the Kim Hyun mask.

“That’s right.”

His throat bobbed hard. In the end, there was only one truth: she hadn’t recognized him. Lee Wooshin exhaled slowly, regaining the composure he had lost.

―The Owl... her face wasn’t hurt or anything, right?

“What?”

―No, I just meant...

At the bumbling reply, he snorted through his nose. How could someone who oozed that much unnecessary emotion even function as an agent?

Aside from his field skills, Na Wonchang was hopeless at everything else. It was a wonder he’d even made it into the civil service.

―I mean, Team Leader, you told me not to report anything related to the Owl, so...

“So what.”

―Well... she recently attempted to defect to the North and got caught.

“...What?”

His sharp nose crumpled without mercy. Had he misheard? The ridiculous statement didn’t even register at first.

Lee Wooshin froze completely, unable to move for several seconds. What... did she do?

“The Owl... did what?”

―Tried to defect.

“...”

―She accused you—no, I mean ‘Kim Hyun’—of being a spy.

“...!”

―So since she tried to defect, she demanded a proper investigation into Kim Hyun, too.

He was struck speechless. The Owl... had done that. She had gone that far.

The reports on her had been as unremarkable as her personality. Nothing stood out. Just a string of mundane, ordinary sentences. A lonely, kind woman.

From the moment she became an adult, she had joined the workforce and lived out the same dull routine without complaint.

She was diligent, doing her best in her position. A person so obedient, so quiet—how could she have done something like that?

“She’s not the kind of woman who would do that.”

Even just now. The stiff tone. The unflinching kick. And the way she turned the shower on full blast even knowing it could burn him. She didn’t seem like the Owl he once knew.

And then there was the way she had stared directly at his erect cock. The moment he thought of it, Lee Wooshin clicked his tongue in irritation.

Of all times, why the hell did it have to get hard then.

Her gaze had always hovered vaguely near his collarbone, searching for Kim Hyun by guesswork.

But now her eyes had landed perfectly, piercing into him with a solid, unwavering focus like a nail. It felt unfamiliar.

So her eyesight must have returned. That unsettling feeling earlier—it had been bothering him since then. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

―Yeah... but after her husband disappeared, she’s been a little...

“...”

―She seems to be struggling.

Of course she would be hurt, and of course she’d have questions.

But he had believed—without a doubt—that she would grieve, endure it, and eventually return to her daily life. She was a kind person, used to carrying burdens alone.

Lee Wooshin grimaced, the sting of scalding water still prickling across his furrowed brow.

But now she had tried to defect?

The level of obsession bordered on bizarre, and his expression momentarily went blank. Na Wonchang, interpreting the silence as an ominous prelude to scolding, quickly changed the subject.

―Fortunately, the attempted defection only led to property damage charges, so it was resolved with a fine...! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“...”

―I should’ve been monitoring her movements afterward, but there were no further instructions from above, so... I left it alone. That was my mistake. I’m sorry.

Whether the Owl was here or not made no difference. If Lee Wooshin had one iron rule, it was that no completed mission should interfere with his current assignment.

He cracked his neck, loosening his stiff shoulders. The heat that had risen all the way to the top of his head began to cool.

Once he faced the situation head-on, his earlier turmoil vanished completely, like it had all been a lie. In that moment, Na Wonchang spoke again with a revived tone.

―Still, you probably won’t run into her often! You’re in completely different departments, and she wouldn’t recognize you anyway! The Owl’s only interested in Kim Hyun, so that’s a relief...!

His eyebrow twitched. It felt like something had scraped across his insides, but it passed so quickly he couldn’t quite grasp what it was. For now, Lee Wooshin just needed information on the Owl’s new position.

“Look into her.”

―Yes, sir...!

But that alone wouldn’t be enough. He needed to know what she was thinking, what her recent behavior had been like, her mental state, and how she was dealing with the issue of her missing husband.

A simple investigation wouldn’t cover it.

“It’d be better to get her out of my way while I can.”

***

Negative emotions linger far longer and more stubbornly than anything good.

While peeling carrots, Seoryeong found herself thinking of that moment again. She already had more than enough on her mind, but from time to time, that man’s body forced its way into her thoughts, disrupting everything.

Even in hindsight, that bizarre tattoo and the way the heavy thing had bobbed—it was all so alien.

She forced the memory away and ran the peeler down the carrot’s surface with swift, practiced strokes.

Maybe it was because she’d been blind for so long. She hadn’t expected the visual impact to linger so vividly.

And she hated the man’s slyness—the way he concealed his rudeness with nonchalance. That breezy attitude, the one-sided communication—every bit of it was unpleasant. Her movements sped up as she peeled faster and faster.

“Ah...!”

Then she stopped. Her hand froze mid-motion. A soft gasp left her lips.

That guy... it was curved.

The delayed realization stiffened her face.

She was sure of it. That pervert in the shower—his penis had a slight upward curve...

Kim Hyun had been self-conscious about the shape of his. He used to hesitate, mumble, saying it embarrassed him—that the tip curved upward like a hook, that it looked different from others. His soft-spoken voice replayed vividly in her ears.

The memory swept over her like a wave, and suddenly, the pit of her stomach turned cold.

“Ms. Seoryeong...!”

Just then, the head cook called out to her from behind the stack of boxed lunches.

“Sorry, could you do me a favor? We don’t have anyone else free right now.”

“Yes.”

Seoryeong put down the carrot and wiped her hands on her apron.

“There are thirty total. Just deliver them to the Hwajin Factory.”

“Understood.”

“There should be a vehicle out front. Once you get to the factory, one of our people will be there to receive them.”

As she packed the lunches into large bags, the cook added a last-minute warning.

“There’s a protest going on there right now, so try to get out quickly.”

***

When she stepped outside carrying the bags in both hands, just as the cook said, a van was idling out front.

The trunk opened automatically, so she ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) loaded the lunch bags in neatly. But when she tried to open the passenger door, it didn’t budge.

They usually sent a group of employees together. She pulled on the handle a few more times, but the door wouldn’t open. The trunk had popped open instantly, yet here the driver showed no awareness. A clueless one.

Not wanting to waste energy, she circled quietly and tried the passenger side. Thankfully, it opened—but her expression hardened without reason. Her nerves were taut as she climbed in.

“Where’s your mask?”

“...!”

The soft but low voice stopped her from shutting the door.

She turned her head with a sinking feeling—only to see not a carrot, but him. The man. The one with the tattooed penis.

He leaned an elbow on the steering wheel and greeted her as if nothing were unusual. Today, his eyes were black instead of gray.

“...What are you doing here?”

“I’ve got business here. Should I head to the Hwajin Factory?”

“...”

“Or should I take a different route?”

As Seoryeong stood frozen with the door half-shut, he smoothly reached out and closed it the rest of the way, saying curtly, “Seatbelt.”

He leaned in close, practically invading her space, and withdrew just as quickly—leaving behind a strange trace of scent. A foreign odor she’d never smelled before. Seoryeong wrinkled her brow as she fastened the belt.

“I just started the engine.”

He said as he began to drive. Who asked you, she scoffed inwardly.

The man had pulled his black baseball cap low, casting a shadow over the bridge of his nose. His carefree attitude suggested someone laid-back, but the face beneath it was blank and cool, giving off a completely different impression.

Ah... So that’s why he’d looked familiar in the shower...

“Before we go—do you know who I am?”

“Yes.”

She answered without hesitation. The man blinked with a strange expression and tossed out:

“Then who am I?”

“...The new guy on the Special Security Team, I think.”

“...Ah—.”

He suddenly took off his hat, then put it back on again with a dazed look.

In that moment, he looked like a student—but the pronounced muscles of his upper body clearly marked him as a soldier. The elastic top that clung to his neck was one of the same training uniforms she washed for the team members.

Just don’t start talking again, Seoryeong thought to herself.