Chapter 2

Hana changed into Jeon Yu-cheol’s shirt and returned to the scene with an uneasy expression. Then, Yu-cheol’s colleague greeted her politely and offered a bottle of cold water.

“Thank you.”

“Aww, it’s nothing special. I’m a fan of yours, Lieutenant Ha-na.”

“Ah yes.”

Whenever she met an overly polite person, she would feel strangely shy. Upon receiving the bottled water, Ha-na approached Jeon Yu-Cheol, who was undergoing a settlement at the scene. Then Yu-Cheol, who was sweating profusely after putting the criminals in the ambulance, spoke.

“Hey, it’s going to take more than 12 weeks for the injuries to heal.”

“I didn’t hit him that badly.”

“Are you kidding? How can you still say that afterwards? Ugh, I knew this would happen.”

“Then what shall we do? Are you going to arrest me for assault? Are you proud that the police have brought in civilians?”

“Hey! That’s not what I meant. Anyways, you worked hard. If it wasn’t for you, this time it would have been in vain. If you used that head to study, you could have gone to Harvard. Tsk.”

She reached out to Yu-cheol who was grumbling.

“Then, please pay for the labor. The promised amount plus the laundry fee.”

“Wow, look at this. How can you ask for payment immediately after the mission is over?”

“I’m a busy person. Please, the labor cost.”

Yu-Cheol looked around with an exhausted face and then pulled out some 10,000 won bills from his wallet. When he notices Ha-na’s frown, he finally pulls out 10 of his 50,000 won bills and hands them over. (TL: Approximately $422.10 usd)

“Take this, and I’ll put the rest in your bank. I’ll buy beef. Do you want some?”

“Hmm… Aren’t you going to get promoted after catching them?”

“Hey, I’ve advanced to the first rank. The salary is the same. eh?”

“Ah, I knew this would happen. You do this even while knowing my ransom.”

“I know, I know. I don’t know why but, we all know your ransom is among the highest in the industry. So, I’ll buy beef. Hey man! We haven’t seen each other for a day or two, there should be a friendship going back and forth. Don’t you think so?”

“Okay. Anyway, keep your beef promise. Will you remember?”

“Okay, okay. So, shall we simply drink a glass of soju today?”

When she remembered the snacks that accompanied soju, saliva pooled in her mouth. It was late, but she was feeling hungry after moving around for a while. So after readily answering yes, she headed towards the van that Yu-Cheol arrived in.

“I’ll be waiting for you here!”

“Oh, I’ll clean it up soon!”

Why is the car so dirty again?

She wasn’t sure which was in the homicide squad, the owner or the van itself. Ha-na sat on a torn sheet and kicked away the trash that was under her feet. After roughly cleaning up her seat, she took out her cell phone and aimlessly surfed the Internet.

The noisy international situation and the words of the National Assembly. The portal site was complicated and noisy today with articles about popular dramas and singers who dominated the Billboard charts. She quickly lost interest and put on her earphones. Then, a monotonous English conversation flowed out. After finishing the on-site command, Jeon Yu-Cheol opened the trunk, found a crumpled shirt, put it on, and came to the back seat.

“The article is going to be released tomorrow. Don’t worry, your name won’t be listed.” Ha-na nodded her head seriously.

“My name can never be on there. If it was known that I was sent out in the field…”

“Hey, that’s because I know.”

Today, at Yu-Cheol’s request, she was sent out to investigate the rape and robbery of a drunken woman that had already occurred three times.

They converted cannon vehicles into taxis, conducted illegal businesses, and committed crimes targeting drunken women. As a result, the victims could not remember the faces of the perpetrators. Infrequent blackouts were the problem. There were victims, but no suspects. Yu-Cheol narrowed down the suspects to taxi drivers and tried all sorts of methods, but they were not easily caught.

If the woman wasn’t pretty, they wouldn’t bother, and they were quick-witted, and could accurately distinguish targets even in the dark. The biggest problem was that they never picked up male passengers.

The criminals were picky about their targets, and undercover cops were obvious. So, Jeon Yu-Cheol asked Lee Ha-na, who was considered the last bastion, for help. The reasons didn’t even need to be complicated.

In addition, Ha-na would never get hurt.

As the success rate was high, he had to pay a fairly large amount of money, but considering the first-class special promotion, this amount was not even on the axis of an investment.

“Come on, let’s all go have a drink! I’ll buy!”

“Oh! Is that true? What’s up with you?”

“Hey, hurry up and get in! Before the team leader changes his mind!”

Jeon Yoo-cheol, who was rarely in a good mood, smiled broadly and climbed up next to Ha-na. He wanted to pass through but Ha-na insisted she would never step aside. Yu-cheol crumples his body and click his tongue

However, Lee Ha-na was in the midst of memorizing her English words with a very casual attitude. The attitude of the woman who knocked out two men and made everyone feel on edge, was nowhere to be seen.

“Aren’t you good at English?”

“English certifications are a bit different.”

“Practice is important. Do the Blue House bodyguards guard require English?”

“No matter what, you need to have a good grade to get a high salary.”

Everyone nodded their heads. saying ‘I don’t think I’ll be able to do that’. Then they joke with each other saying that English was best left to the experts. Yoo-cheol, who gave the address of a popular restaurant known as a long-established restaurant near the sandy market, changed the topic by chatting with the people who were glancing at Ha-na.

“How’s Do-hyun these days? Is he doing well? Where is he now?”

“I do not know. He was in the US two months ago, but recently I got a call from Spain, and a week ago, was it Cambodia…?”

“That guy, he’s so popular. He was discharged from UDT and was dispatched into the field right away, right? Overseas drug crime investigation team, that’s difficult.”

“Do-hyun is so smart. It’s not because he’s my brother, but he always does well.” She smiled brightly at the story of her only brother.

A woman with a smile sweet enough to melt someone is called a murder weapon. Even after hearing from Yu-cheol and seeing it in person, it was hard for everyone to believe. Ha-na opened the photo album on her phone and showed off a photo that Do-hyun had sent her not long ago.

There was a picture of UDT’s admission. There was a photo taken while surfing on the beach. Afterwards, he constantly sent the photos taken when interviewing with a broadcasting station.

“Isn’t this enough to be a mother and not a sister?” Yu-cheol joked.

“How about a mother and a sister? After all, it’s just the two of us.”

Ha-na and Do-hyun were born at an inn in Seoul.

Their mother, who gave birth to twins as a single mother, abandoned both of them without even breastfeeding once.

She understood. It must have been hard. Living as a single mother in Korea, especially in Seoul during the early 1990’s, would not have been easy.

Although their lives were saved with the help of an inn-grandmother, Do-won were weak from an early age. The orphanage tried to send the two together for adoption, but it was difficult to find a family that wanted twins. When they grew up and started puberty, the two started living away from the orphanage. From the rental room to the basement single room. And after living in a rooftop room, they were both accepted to universities with dormitories in central Seoul. Ha-na became a soldier for minor reasons.

They had no money, and she was hungry. In addition, Do-hyun gradually regained his health after coming out of the orphanage, and she also had extraordinary physical strength.

But it was impossible for both of them to go to college with the money they had saved. So, Ha-na sent the smarter Do-hyun to college.

Instead, she volunteered for the military. She hoped she could last a very long time if possible.

A place where lodging and meals were provided, a salary was paid, and jobs were given.

In addition, serving in the military suited her aptitude. She was given more opportunities than expected.

She entered the special task force with the highest grades and worked for more than 5 years, where she was introduced to PMC (Private Military Company).

It was at that time when she gradually felt that the salary given by the military was insufficient.

She used her talents to apply as a sniper, but she was a rare female agent. As a result, she caught the eyes of the executives and received a different level of training. Her main training was to improve her close combat skills, including espionage. Since her PMC’s training was unknown to the public, the intensity of her training was incomparable to any other military training. As a result, she has worked in Afghanistan and other countries in conflict.

In short, there were no borders at work. Wherever there was war and terrorism, the whole world was her stage.

Lee Ha-na returned to Korea a few months ago, stating that she would join the Blue House security office, rejecting her billion-dollar annual salary.

“Anyway, I’m glad you came back to Korea. Mercenary work, that’s impossible. No matter how much you fly and crawl, dying while working as a mercenary is the death of a dog. You know that right?”

It was late, but the van stopped in front of the Daepotjip, which was full of customers. (Daepotjip refers to a pub where you drink alcohol from a large porcelain bowl rather than a cup.)

“I know. That’s why I came back. I was tired of the nagging.”

“Yeah, well I thought about it. I have never seen a brother and sister as close as you two. My younger brother is always in accidents, and he can’t help it, but f*** him.”

“We’re twins.”

“Not all twins are like that.  You guys are unique. Anyway, let’s get in. I’m starving.” Yu-cheol patted his stomach and got out of the car with his colleagues. It was time for her to follow him with her bag.

Suddenly, the cell phone rang. A +855 country code displayed on the screen. Her face lit up when she saw that the number started with 23, the area code for Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

“Senior, take that call.”

Judging from the timing and circumstances, it was a call from Do-hyun. How long has it been? Ha-na first sent Yu-cheol away by shaking her head, and then answered the phone with excitement.

“I got a call. Do-hyun?”

The remote sensitivity characteristic of international calls is welcome.

[Are you a member of Lee Do-hyun’s family?]

It’s not Do-hyun. The caller was someone who knew Do-hyun. The smile disappeared from her face, and the caller’s business-like manner continued.

[You’re Lee Ha-na, right?]

“Yes, that’s right. Who are you?”

She hoped that her ominous premonition was wrong. She recalled what the instructor said during Hell Week.

‘The military uniform is a shroud, and the reason for training is to survive. It doesn’t teach you how to live.’

You’re going to put on your shroud and jump into the enemy camp.

She didn’t know why the words suddenly came to mind, but it had been a long time since her heart had beat so fast.

[This is Young-hoon Lee from IDC: A. Lee Do-hyun died during his mission.]