89
An Ordinary Couple
Sebastian, responding to my call, entered Lee’s apartment with minimal security guards and his personal physician. By the time the doctor arrived, Yus’s condition had worsened. His face was swollen like bread that had been baked incorrectly and should be thrown away, and his legs were in serious condition. The doctor kept glancing at me throughout the treatment. It was the look one would give a serial killer.
“I heard you claim your ransom is 500 million Lead,” Sebastian said, skipping all greetings and introductions. Yus, looking more comfortable after the painkillers kicked in, replied, “Yes, that’s correct,” as he sipped water through a straw from the tumbler Lee had brought him.
“Alright, let’s hear your reasoning,” Sebastian prompted.
“I’m the ‘White Sparrow’ of the Security Bureau.”
What is he talking about?
The White Sparrow was Lea Parke, and Sebastian had secured her through his sister. So why was Yus claiming to be the ‘White Sparrow’? Unable to understand, I looked at him, and he clicked his tongue, saying, “Ah, how should I explain this?” Meanwhile, I noticed Lee biting his lip. He looked completely defeated and didn’t try to hide it. Suddenly, I wondered about Lee and Yus’s relationship, and then I realized.
“Lee is your handler, isn’t he?”
“Correct.”
Lea Parke must have thought she was the ‘White Sparrow’. And she must have gathered information in her own way. However, from the beginning, there were two White Sparrows. The White Sparrow I needed to save was indeed Lea Parke. But the real White Sparrow hidden by the Security Bureau was Yus. A freelance spy. A man with no apparent connection to the Security Bureau. He had infiltrated Canaris. The fact that they went to such lengths meant they intended to go very deep into Canaris. Then…
Just as I was about to ask, Sebastian spoke:
“How far up did you go in Canaris?”
“You probably don’t know much about Canaris’s executives yet, so I’ll tell you this for free. In Canaris, there’s a King, Queen, Rook, Bishop, Knight, and Pawn. That means there are six executives. I’m the Bishop. So if you want to eliminate Canaris, there’s no one more suitable than me.”
“But doesn’t the Security Bureau know your information?”
“Ah, we have a bit of a disagreement there. They paid my initial fee to get in, but now they’re saying they can’t pay for the information.”
“I see.”
I chuckled at Sebastian’s words.
The Security Bureau had declared they couldn’t pay anymore because Yus was giving information bit by bit and demanding money each time. In fact, from Yus’s perspective, he couldn’t tell anyone that he had entered Canaris under the influence of the Security Bureau. If Canaris found out, he’d be a dead man. So he could only deal with the Security Bureau, but they had started to push back. As a result, he sought to find another trading partner other than the Security Bureau and finally found one.
“Which of the six is Rebecca Dagoba?” Sebastian asked.
“The Queen.”
“Because she’s the only woman?”
“Of course not. Her father is Dagoba, and she acts on behalf of her father. Dagoba only communicates with Canaris through Rebecca and helps them or receives their help. Even if you turn Dagoba, you probably won’t get anything. There might only be records of him meeting his illegitimate daughter a few times out of pity. Rebecca Dagoba is a crazy woman. She’s a fanatic of her father and would do anything for him.”
There are fewer executives than I thought. Only six? Already, the identities of two have been revealed. And Yus probably knows the identities of the other four as well. But he’s not the type to give information without money. No matter how I interrogate him, he would either endure or choose to die instead. If I give him the message that he can be controlled by violence, he would have to live as a pawn in the spy game for the rest of his life. Knowing this well, he will never cross over.
Sebastian will pay him.
Just as I clicked my tongue, Sebastian stood up.
“I’ve heard your story, and I’ll think about it.”
At those words, Yus blinked.
“Think… about it?”
“Yes, think.”
“No, what is there to think about? Don’t you want to know about Canaris? Aren’t you very interested in Canaris?”
One thing is clear. Yus doesn’t know clearly whether Sebastian is hostile to Canaris or wants to work with them. In other words, his position in the Security Bureau is just an external employee, so the internally shared information hasn’t been passed on to him.
Sebastian replied indifferently:
“But 500 million Lead is a lot of money. It’s enough to buy a castle in Europe. Did you think I would spend that much money after hearing a few words in just a few minutes?”
“No, but…”
“You said 500 million Lead. It’s an amount that warrants several presentations. If you think you can earn it with just these few words, Mr. Gleinach, you’re seeing the world too easily.”
At Sebastian’s words, Yus’s eyes widened. I was surprised too. Gleinach? Is that this man’s name? Yus, with a completely bewildered face, muttered, “How did you know my name…”
“You’re not the only one who can do background checks, are you? I have at least one subordinate who’s talented in background investigations.”
I could guess who it was. The genie of the lamp, no, Nakaban of the tablet.
Sebastian stood in front of me and looked down at me. Then he asked in a gentle voice:
“Did you drink a lot?”
For some reason, I felt embarrassed. Remembering that I almost cried earlier, I closed my mouth saying, “No.” But suddenly, Lee, upset about something, tattled, “He drank a ton!” What the hell?!
Sebastian didn’t turn to look at Lee. He frowned while looking at me. The ends of his eyebrows drooping down made him look concerned. Ah, why did God put so much effort into one man to make my heart melt like this?
“Were you very upset?”
“…A little.”
“I understood what you meant. I’m sorry. I would have been very angry if I were you too.”
Receiving such an apology in front of everyone was quite embarrassing. Well… As I was opening and closing my mouth, Sebastian smiled with his eyes and held out his hand.
“Will you come back with me now?”
When I came here, I felt upset, angry, and hurt, all of it jumbled up and pressing hard on my heart. But now I could feel all that tangled mess melting away ridiculously easily. When I looked up at Sebastian, he was still in the same outfit he wore at the engagement party. He was dazzlingly bright. Ah, come to think of it, we got engaged today. It was spring during the day, and now at night, it’s snowing.
The snow in early spring had a different kind of warmth compared to mid-winter snow. I took Sebastian’s outstretched hand.
“Shall we?”
“Yes.”
Even if Sebastian hadn’t said “Yes,” I would have gone with him. But because he diligently answered once more, even the small bit of resentment that remained at the end disappeared.
“Let’s go.”
As I pulled Sebastian, he walked in step with me and looked back once.
“Then, I’ll be in touch,” he said, greeting them and turning his back. As we were about to walk out side by side, we heard from behind, “If it was going to be this easy, why did you make such a fuss earlier?” Lee was muttering as if he really couldn’t understand, but his voice was quite loud. Sebastian and I pretended not to hear and left Lee’s house.
On the way back in the car, Sebastian said:
“I’ve always wanted to do this with you.”
Did you want to fight? Did you want to upset me? Did you want to see me get drunk at a friend’s house on our engagement day and then beat my friend’s partner to death? Or did you want to bring a doctor to the guy I beat up? I couldn’t understand what exactly he wanted to do. But since everything seemed like it would be my fault no matter what I said, I just kept my mouth shut. Then Sebastian laughed.
“To fight over something so trivial like this.”
“It’s not trivial. Not trivial at all.”
How is it trivial when you’re putting your life in danger because of guys like Canaris? I grumbled, but Sebastian continued as if he hadn’t heard.
“For me to apologize to you. To comfort you. For you to forgive me. For us to laugh it off as if it’s nothing. To become the most common couple in the world, holding hands and walking under the snowy sky.”
“That’s a very ordinary couple.”
It felt a bit like an ordinary couple causing a scene, but my heart wouldn’t allow me to call my elegant fiancé a troublemaker. Only I should be the troublemaker. So I said it without the word ‘troublemaker’, and Sebastian replied with a face as happy as if he owned the world:
“Yes, that’s what I wanted. With you.”
“Aren’t you being too self-conscious? You’re ordinary except for being very handsome, a second-generation chaebol, and having a sharp mind.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Well, until a few weeks ago, you had that distinctive dyed long hair and Oriental fetish, but now you’re just an ordinary handsome blonde guy. Of course, you’re way above average in terms of looks, but still.”
Sebastian burst into laughter at my words. No, there’s nothing to laugh about. Why are you laughing, seriously?
I don’t know what I said that made him laugh. But Sebastian hugged me tightly like someone who couldn’t contain his happiness. Even in those arms wrapped tightly around me, I could feel his elation. I sometimes don’t understand the point of his emotions. But being happy is a good thing, right? I stroked his broad back and shared in his joy.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
