“......!”

Yellow, viscous liquid dribbled down along with shattered bits of shell. It was a raw egg.

But before she could even move out of the way, a second and third egg came flying. She instinctively crossed her arms in front of her and ducked her head.

She tried to back away, but eggs rained from all directions, soaking her clothes before she could do anything. Did they think she was a corporate rep from the main office? Crude curses accompanied the assault.

“Was it really weed?”

“Is that what matters right now...?!”

She shouted in exasperation, but Lee Wooshin stood with his arms crossed, staring at her quietly, utterly unbothered by the eggs flying around them.

With dull thuds, the eggs burst on the ground like little bombs.

“It does matter. We can’t put a hallucinating junkie on the dispatch list.”

“I don’t do marijuana!”

“But your eyes were rolling back.”

“We need to get out of here, now...!”

“If it’s not marijuana, then what kind of scent drives a person that insane?”

“Shit, it’s my husband’s smell...! Where’s the damn car key?!”

At last, Seoryeong spat out what she’d been holding down. Seemed like she was the only one in a hurry here.

Thwack, thwack—eggs slammed into him too, but Lee Wooshin stood still, as if he'd been hit by something far heavier.

Fuck it, this guy’s hopeless...! Just as she turned to flee on her own, he grabbed her elbow.

“What the—!”

His large hand came down fast, as if he might slap her. What the...! Her fine hairs bristled, but Seoryeong didn’t blink. She simply stared at his solar plexus.

If you hit me, I’ll hit back. That flicker of resolve flashed through her mind—until his hand stopped beside her temple.

Crunch—something shattered. The vivid sound sent a shiver down her spine, from her ears to the back of her neck.

It all happened in a split second. He’d caught the egg flying toward her head and crushed it. Thick, sticky goo dripped from his fingers.

“That’s strange.”

While she stood stunned, Lee Wooshin casually wiped his wet hand on her clothes, mumbling to himself. He acted with complete nonchalance, devoid of any shame. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“Is it normal to follow a strange man just because of a scent? Even if it’s supposedly from some guy—”

He brought his nose close to his fingers, where the transparent slime stretched. The raw stench of egg reached her nose too. He let out a small laugh.

“At best, it’s just cheap dick stench, isn’t it?”

“......!”

“How are we supposed to entrust our team’s underwear to someone into pervs like that?”

His face had turned cold as he said it. Yet the corners of his mouth remained curled into a smug grin—that, in its own way, was impressive.

His voice still fluttered like a breeze, but his gaze was so frigid it could pierce skin. Seoryeong didn’t flinch. She met it head-on.

“Not just a man. My husband.”

“.......”

“There are men everywhere. But I only have one husband in this entire world. And he’s not a pervert, it’s not some bizarre behavior, and it’s not a disgusting smell. It doesn’t interfere with my work either.”

She used the narrowest opening to defend herself—her words carrying the message that she wasn’t disqualified from joining the trip.

Still, Lee Wooshin only stared at her, smiling faintly. His gaze, cold and weary like she was a nuisance, settled on her without pity.

Husband, huh... He scoffed and rolled the word around in his mouth.

“You’re right. It would be better if Ms. Han Seoryeong wasn’t here.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. Was that permission to come along?

At last, he scratched his brow in irritation and briskly walked toward the rear gate. From behind, even his broad back was stained and dirty from the eggs.

He didn’t say a single word for the rest of the return to the company.

***

“Thailand?”

She was summoned by the division head the next morning.

As she flipped through the folder handed to her, her eyes widened. There it was—medical, driving, and food services. Under catering, Han Seoryeong.

“Ms. Han Seoryeong will be joining the rear support team. Go over this carefully and prepare. The last page is the confidentiality agreement—sign it quickly.”

The division head scratched behind his ear, looking far from pleased.

“You won’t be on the field, so don’t worry. Just stick to support. There’ll be a medic too, so they’ll probably source the drugs locally. Meet the team at the airport—you’ll depart first. The agents are flying separately.”

“What will the agents be doing... in Thailand?”

She seized the chance to ask what she was most curious about—what exactly the Special Security Team did.

The division head twisted his lips and spun his chair around with a jerk. He pounded the keyboard, eyes locked on the monitor.

“I don’t know the details either. You’ll probably get a travel stipend—is your account still the same?”

“Yes.”

“There’s no assigned security for the staff, so take care of yourself. And even if something happens, act like you didn’t see it. If you spill food waste over there, you might get shot. Just your luck.”

He clicked his tongue and noisily cleared his desk. “It’d be best if Ms. Han Seoryeong kept her eyes shut,” he added, dusting off his grimy hands.

The departure was set for the day after tomorrow. It was tight.

As Seoryeong stirred beef bone soup with a ladle, she reminded herself to pack as soon as she got off work.

Standing over the stove for hours, sweat clung to her under her sanitary cap and mask. Beside her, another woman cracked eggs, and with every crack, her ears twitched.

Seoryeong instinctively recalled the previous day. The car ride back to the company had been suffocating, the air inside thick with that raw stench.

Did Team Leader Lee Wooshin decide then—that it would be fine to bring her?

Something about it didn’t sit right with her, but that was no longer her concern.

She was never one to care much about the "cleanliness" of the process. Still, the fact that they had called each other perverts left a faint unpleasant aftertaste.

“Opening the cafeteria now!”

The head cook glanced at the clock and shouted. As the women plated rice and soup on flat trays, Seoryeong added side dishes to the small bowls. She was moving in that mechanical rhythm when a familiar woman spoke to her.

“Seoryeong, I heard you’re going on a trip.”

“Yes.”

“Once you leave, it’s going to feel so dull here... What a shame...”

Seoryeong paused mid-scoop and looked up. The reaction was so different from the division head’s that she blinked in surprise.

“I’ll just be away for a few days.”

“That’s not what I meant...”

The woman glanced around, then lowered her voice.

“Everyone who goes on those trips ends up quitting.”

“Who?”

“People like us.”

“.......”

“When asked why, they just clam up. Not a word.”

Seoryeong thought of the confidentiality agreement she’d signed.

“That special-whatever team trip always ends like that... I liked you, Seoryeong. You’re like a daughter to me. What a damn shame...”

“But ma’am, you only have sons.”

“Exactly.”

She slapped Seoryeong on the shoulder and cackled. Though Seoryeong staggered a bit, her mind drifted deep into thought.

People always quit after coming back from the trip?

But the rear support team wasn’t supposed to be involved in direct action, so it couldn’t be due to injuries.

Then—.

“.......”

Maybe it was the guilt of not being able to look the other way.

She smiled to herself, hidden behind her mask.

***

It was her first time setting foot in Thailand.

The foreign scenery and unfamiliar smells made her heart race. But the new stimuli soon ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) wore on her eyes and nose.

It was winter in Korea, but Bangkok felt like midsummer. The thick humidity made it hard to breathe, only adding to her fatigue. Her sun-reddened skin already felt like it was starting to cook.

Seoryeong had arrived disguised as a tourist with the rest of the support team.

Just three staff.

One for medical, one for driving, and one for cooking.

She exchanged polite greetings with the others before boarding the plane. Perhaps due to experience, they moved with no wasted energy and spoke only when necessary.

They unpacked in a shabby area far from the airport. Every building was old and filthy. Their group entered a motel with peeling walls and climbed a rickety iron staircase, barely held together.

In the room, the medic laid out bandages, syringes, and antibiotics sourced locally. Seoryeong sorted the agents’ disguise outfits and instant food supplies.

Just as she was about to catch her breath—her head jerked up without warning.