Chapter 9

9. Crow

Jiseul pressed the call button and raised the phone to her ear.

Instead of answering immediately, she waited for the other person to speak first.

“…Flamingo, it’s me.”

A long silence passed.

Only after quite some time did those words finally come.

A husky voice with a familiar accent.

The distinctive pronunciation he used when saying her codename.

Jiseul immediately recognized the voice of her longtime partner.

It had been nearly six months since she last heard from him.

Relief and resentment crossed her heart at the same time.

A dull ache spread through her chest.

“Crow? What happened to you? Why are you only contacting me now…”

“You quit the company, didn’t you?”

That was the first thing Crow asked.

She didn’t know how he had found out, but his voice sounded somewhat troubled.

“Yeah. Three months ago. The Team Leader is probably still looking for you. Have you been staying hidden safely?”

“You don’t need to worry about me. More importantly, what happened to your promise to uncover the truth? You’ve been way too quiet.”

Crow immediately struck at the heart of the matter.

That was probably the entire reason he had called.

But Jiseul had nothing to say.

What use was the truth now that Prosecutor Shin Junghyeon was gone?

She no longer had the motivation to keep going.

She didn’t care what happened to the truth anymore.

If she kept digging, someone else might lose their life.

“…It didn’t work out. Prosecutor Shin ended up becoming the victim.”

Jiseul answered heavily.

If she hadn’t acted so recklessly, Junghyeon wouldn’t have lost his life.

“What are you talking about?”

“He died. They ruled it a suicide. They even framed him for corruption. They completely destroyed the reputation of a man who’s already dead.”

“…I’m sorry. That’s heartbreaking.”

Crow fell silent.

After a long pause, he let out a deep sigh and asked again.

“Then what about another way? Have you been looking for one?”

His question felt cold.

To him, Junghyeon’s death seemed like just one more death among countless others.

Jiseul fought back her irritation and tried to stay calm.

Her breathing was becoming shallow.

Her chest felt tight.

The symptoms felt as though they were starting again.

“Right now, no. I don’t think it’s possible anymore. No matter how much I look, there’s no one I can trust enough to take action.”

She honestly revealed the conclusion she had reached.

There was no one around her with enough influence to investigate something like this except Junghyeon.

And even if there were, she couldn’t ask someone to risk their life.

Apparently dissatisfied with her answer, Crow shot back sharply.

“So you’re giving up now?”

“We were up against a wall that was too big from the beginning. We don’t even know how far their roots reach. And if someone else loses their life because of this…”

“Stop talking like that! You said you’d uncover the truth no matter what. You said you couldn’t stand watching the program you created being used as a murder weapon.”

“…Sorry for sounding weak. But honestly, I regret how arrogant I was back then. We underestimated them. Both of us.”

“I never underestimated them. I was prepared to do whatever it took. I’ve already risked everything!”

Crow raised his voice, emotions flaring.

But Jiseul was afraid.

There was no plan.

No solution.

Right now, even protecting Shin Woohyun alone felt overwhelming.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do it. If you find a way, I’ll support you. But that’s my limit.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! So you’re just going to ignore all the innocent people who’ve died?”

“What other choice do I have? Prosecutor Shin died because of me! Because I rushed things! I never want to go through that again. And you need to be careful too. Don’t get caught. Ever.”

Jiseul meant every word.

After losing Junghyeon, her world had become complete darkness.

She didn’t want to watch another person she cared about die.

As long as that mysterious group was hunting Crow, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suddenly disappeared from the world one day.

They were that terrifying.

The thought terrified her.

She couldn’t bear the idea of losing Crow too.

But instead of understanding, Crow pressed harder.

His rigid voice thundered through the phone.

“Stop talking like that and get a grip! Do you think they’ll stop here? More people are going to die! Yours and my lives are only a matter of time!”

“Then what do you expect me to do? I don’t have money or power! I’m just an ordinary citizen! How are we supposed to fight them? We don’t even know who they are, let alone what’s really happening!”

“…Fine. I’ll find a way. Just don’t die before then. Stay alive.”

With those words, Crow abruptly hung up.

He was clearly furious.

Jiseul stood motionless in the middle of the wrecked living room.

Reality had become far too heavy.

How had things ended up like this?

All she had wanted was to help her country.

She had given it everything she had.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that her efforts would become a weapon used to butcher innocent people.

“Ms. Han Jiseul, what’s wrong?”

Suddenly, Woohyun’s voice rang out.

He had emerged from the room and was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

Jiseul’s heart dropped.

Her face instantly drained of color.

Her ears rang.

Breathing became difficult.

‘He didn’t hear the conversation, did he?’

The moment overwhelming anxiety struck, her chest tightened so violently she couldn’t breathe properly.

She pounded on her chest, trying to force air into her lungs, but it didn’t help.

She could feel the symptoms beginning again.

Yet there was nothing she could do.

Soon dizziness overwhelmed her.

The world began spinning.

Woohyun seemed to be shouting something, but she couldn’t hear him.

At some point, she stopped breathing.

Something inside her mind seemed to snap.

Darkness crashed over her vision like a wave.

Jiseul collapsed.

A complete blackout.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The rhythmic sound of medical equipment echoed through the quiet hospital room.

After staring at the pale woman lying in the bed for a long time, Woohyun finally stood up.

Outside the window, night had already fallen.

Fortunately, the doctors said there was nothing seriously wrong.

But Jiseul had remained unconscious for several hours.

According to the doctor, she appeared to be suffering from stress-induced panic disorder.

Was it because of that phone call?

When he had secretly listened and then stepped into the living room, Jiseul had been standing there frozen.

Her face had been pale.

Her lips trembled.

Her eyes were unfocused.

As if struggling to breathe, she repeatedly struck her chest.

Then, at some point, she grabbed her throat and collapsed.

By the time he reached her, she had already lost consciousness.

Thankfully, she was still breathing faintly.

He immediately called 119 and administered emergency first aid.

The doctor later told him that if they had been even a little later, the situation could have become far more serious.

She was a woman who kept giving him reasons to worry.

“…CEO?”

As he wandered near the window, a weak voice called out to him.

It seemed Jiseul had finally awakened.

Woohyun quickly approached her and spoke carefully.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling better?”

His urgent question made Jiseul nod weakly.

“Yes. Some water…”

Woohyun immediately poured a cup of water and handed it to her.

Her tiny face, completely devoid of color, looked even more pitiful.

Avoiding his gaze, Jiseul sat up and slowly drank.

The confusion in her eyes and her pale lips continued to bother him.

“I was shocked. You collapsed so suddenly. Do you have some kind of medical condition?”

“…”

“Be honest. If it’s serious enough to affect your work, shouldn’t I know about it?”

When Woohyun mentioned work, his expression hardened.

After a moment of hesitation, Jiseul finally spoke.

“…I have panic symptoms sometimes. But it’s never been this bad before.”

Though reluctant, she confessed.

She seemed deeply embarrassed that he had seen her like this.

“Do these panic symptoms happen often?”

“No. Not at all. It won’t affect my work. I was just dealing with something stressful earlier.”

“Something stressful? You mean that phone call?”

Woohyun tested the waters.

He was certain that phone call was connected to his brother’s death.

Part of him considered leaving it alone.

But he decided she needed some pressure.

This woman was clearly hiding some enormous truth.

The instant he mentioned it, Jiseul’s face turned white.

The hand clutching her blanket trembled violently.

“…D-Did you hear it?”

“Not the details. But it was obvious that you became extremely emotional.”

“…”

Jiseul said nothing.

Her normally clear eyes shook with confusion.

Her slender shoulders trembled aimlessly.

Her pale face only grew paler.

“It seems like you’re carrying a heavy burden. Wouldn’t it be better to talk to someone? I might be able to help.”

Woohyun spoke sincerely.

But before he could even finish, Jiseul stubbornly shook her head.

“No. Thank you for the concern, but this isn’t something you need to worry about, CEO.”

Not something he needed to worry about.

Woohyun laughed bitterly to himself.

Whatever secret she was hiding, she clearly intended to keep him completely shut out.

He reached a conclusion.

If he wanted to uncover the truth behind his brother’s death, he would have to start by digging into this woman.

Whether she was an ally or an enemy, one thing was certain.

Han Jiseul was deeply connected to his brother’s death.