“So... what exactly are we doing here?”

“Guarding a drug dealer.”

Even after hearing it twice, her brow didn’t relax. The medic, his hair bleached to a bright blonde, kept giggling as if her reaction was just too funny.

“You must’ve figured it’d be dirty work.”

“I mean, yes, but...”

“There’s this guy called El Chapo—super famous Mexican drug lord. The one they call the ‘Asian El Chapo’ is a Thai dealer. Made something like eight billion dollars smuggling drugs. That’s ten trillion won in Korean money. Interpol’s got a red notice out for him.”

He grinned, showing his teeth.

“Been ten years. Still hasn’t been caught.”

Just then, the driver came stomping in saying he’d found a car. He didn’t even bother taking off his shoes before throwing himself onto the bed and closing his eyes. The bed frame creaked, and the mattress sank in like mush.

Seoryeong, her face grave, stared silently at the dust rising out from the mattress. Even so, the medic kept chatting cheerfully, bouncing in place.

“That dealer? He’s Blast Corp’s top VIP client.”

“......!”

“They’ve helped him hide out for ten years—private jet, fake IDs, bodyguards, the whole deal.”

“Ah...”

Seoryeong quickly covered her mouth and nose with the back of her hand, worried she might inhale some of the dust.

The state of the room was enough to sap her spirit. Was this within the scope of her duties, too? The agents’ rooms were probably no better...

She sighed and rolled up her sleeves.

“Half of Blast Corp’s total revenue comes from the Special Security Team, you know. Not even kidding. Just the bonuses we get from that alone are massive...!”

Seoryeong dropped into a ragged, hole-ridden couch. Maybe it was the lack of sleep on the flight, but she felt far more drained than she’d expected. That was when the medic suddenly leaned in.

“Lady, you into money?”

“Not really.”

The medic clicked his tongue.

“Then I guess you’ll quit when you get back.”

“I won’t.”

She stood up from the couch and rummaged through the cleaning supplies she’d packed. Stuff she’d brought based on the folder the division head had handed her—though she hadn’t expected to actually use it.

“If you’re not desperate ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) for money, most people run off with a face pale as death. I had this one lady wave a crucifix at me out of nowhere. One old woman sobbed, begged me to get her out of here. One guy tried to report us to the cops. Which one are you?”

“I’ll start with cleaning, thanks.”

“What?”

“I mean, this looks like a gold mine.”

As Seoryeong calmly pulled on a pair of rubber gloves, the medic wrinkled his nose.

“Lady, I thought you didn’t care about money.”

Seoryeong didn’t answer. She yanked the curtain aside. Through the dirty, fogged-up window, a hazy gray cityscape shimmered into view.

A gold mine, yes. The kind NIS would love. This company—no, the Special Security Team itself—was the perfect stage for her.

“What a godawful company.”

Seoryeong hummed a faint tune.

***

It took about three hours to finish cleaning.

Her white mask had turned gray from all the dust that burst up with every touch.

Under the beds, dressers, wardrobes, windows, window frames, even the bathroom—she’d rinsed and replaced rags so many times she’d lost count.

She’d cleaned eight rooms, including the agents’. Rubbing her sore back, she stepped out of the final room when—

Thud—.

A heavy vibration rippled through the railing she was holding.

She peeked over the side—and saw a group of men coming up from the ground floor. They looked like they had absolutely nothing in common.

Thud, thud—. Shoes clanging on the spiral staircase sent the iron skeleton swaying like spray on water.

At the front of the group, a man lifted his gaze straight at her.

“......”

“......”

There was no time to dodge. Their eyes locked—maybe it was inevitable.

The blood-red sunset cast the decrepit motel in the hue of a sunken world. In that sea of decay, Lee Wooshin’s pale face stood out like a foreign organism.

What had once looked thumb-sized now grew steadily closer, and not once did he take his eyes off Seoryeong as he climbed.

That chilling stare made her spine flinch. Her palms tensed up without meaning to.

“Hey, unnie—!”

Someone she knew suddenly burst through the group of men.

“Wow... seeing you outside of South Korea, I’m even happier to see you!”

“......Why are you here—”

Her mouth opened beneath her mask. Frozen in place, Seoryeong just stood as Channa came grinning her way.

“Surprised? I’m working too.”

“You’re... with this team?”

So the “shitty team leader” she’d cursed... that team leader was— 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Channa looked sheepishly away.

Just then, the agents came up behind her. No one had to say it—they were obviously part of the Special Security Team.

One had a lean body and sharp eyes, one had tanned skin and looked robust, another had their lips pressed tight, quiet. They all passed in front of her and gave Lee Wooshin a silent nod before disappearing into their rooms.

They wore ordinary clothes, but their builds and eyes radiated something far from average. Once Channa followed them in, only two people were left in the hallway.

He stood leaning sideways, asking lazily,

“Did you sign the NDA?”

“...Yes.”

“Then you’ve been briefed on the work. So what are you still doing here?”

His eyes swept over her dust-covered body, practically oozing disgust.

What does that even mean? Seoryeong stared at him, puzzled. Then, Lee Wooshin—still frowning as he ran a finger over his smooth lower lip—finally spoke again.

“I just can’t get it.”

“.......”

“You’ve heard everything, haven’t you? So why’d you roll around in dust?”

“The rooms were filthy.”

“.......”

“The hygiene here is complete shit.”

Lee Wooshin furrowed his brow sharply, took a breath, and went back to his default blank expression.

It was a bizarre look—as if he’d just seen something deeply wrong, or encountered an unsolvable problem. He briefly covered his eyes with folded fingers and stared up at the ceiling.

Was that not the answer he was expecting? She’d thought it was a reasonable response... but judging by his reaction, maybe not.

Finally, he smoothed his expression and gave her a charming smile.

“Two years ago, a Thai police chief got murdered by a drug dealer.”

“......!”

“Technically, he tortured him to death. The cop demanded a bribe that was too small, so they put a plastic bag over his face and kept beating him. Killed him by suffocation.”

Seoryeong blinked at the sudden, contextless story.

“A video of it spread, that’s how the story came out. But the police chief still hasn’t been caught.”

“.......”

“Han Seoryeong, you’re in a country like that, helping criminals. And not just that. You’re feeding the guys who show up to guard drug deals, maybe even assemble guns.”

He smiled with his eyes too, genuinely now, as if to mock her.

“And yet you’re still in the mood to clean this shithole.”

The tone was like he was humoring a clueless child—but the eyes that met hers were ice cold.

Seoryeong furrowed her brow slightly at his one-sided scolding. All of this sounded like he was really asking—why the hell are you still here?

She wiped back her messy hair with the back of her hand.

Was he kidding right now?

He’s the one who put her on the dispatch list—and now this?

Anger swelled in her gut, but she had no idea how to respond, so she hesitated. Then his mouth opened again.

“Be afraid.”

“.......”

“You’re not blind. So why are you walking around like you are?”

What the hell was he trying to say?

“Just act how you’ve always acted. Like the way you look.”

Lee Wooshin was still an ass, and navigating social hierarchies wasn’t getting any easier—but—

“I already am.”

Seoryeong had no intention of parting ways with the Special Security Team now. From here on, the key was to give the right answers.

“Will noodles with cilantro be okay tomorrow morning?”

“.......”

“Should I leave out the cilantro?”

Judging by the way his face twisted, she’d given the wrong answer again.

***

Every morning, Seoryeong began the day walking a few alleyways to familiarize herself with the area.

She got up at dawn, hit the market, prepped simple meals, and quietly left the food in front of the agents’ doors.

Strange architecture made her steps slow, and the faint smell of local spices made her glance around. She had just followed Channa out into downtown Bangkok.