Episode 61

Considering there was no predetermined password, it seemed that the call was not made under intimidation, and it wasn’t someone else making the call on behalf of another.

“Where are you, Hae-woon? Tell me your current location.”

[Incheon Metropolitan City… Bupyeong-gu…]

Han Hae-woon, with heavy breathing, provided the address from the other end of the receiver.

Yeon-woo immediately hung up the phone and left the house.

Heading down to the parking lot, he drove his car with swift determination.

After quite a while of driving, he arrived at the given address, a funeral home. The day had turned dark, with no mourners in sight. Han Hae-woon’s silver SUV was alone in the parking lot.

Carefully checking inside the car, there was no one. As Yeon-woo walks to the entrance to enter the funeral home. From the nearby bushes, faint sounds caught his attention.

Yeon-woo followed the sound and cautiously took a watchful stance.

After pushing through some bushes, he spotted Han Hae-woon slumped against a tree with a notebook in his hand.

Approaching swiftly, Yeon-woo checked his pulse. Then, he examined his body.

“The pulse is normal, and there are no signs of bleeding. It doesn’t seem like he was attacked.”

Since Han Hae-woon collapsed every time he regained his memory, could it be that he recovered some memories for some reason?

Yeon-woo took out the notebook that Han Hae-woon held tightly even in his unconscious state.

Despite opening it, the sentences were filled with codes that seemed incomprehensible, possibly written in a language only he could understand.

“But why is he collapse in a place like this?”

For now, Ryu Yeon-woo supported Han Hae-woon and carried him to the parking lot where his car was parked.

– Beep. –

Searching through Han Hae-woon’s pants pocket, he found the smart key, opened the backseat door, and laid him down.

As if slowly regaining consciousness, Han Hae-woon, in a state similar to a drunk person, tossed and turned.

Wondering whether to take him to the hospital, Yeon-woo sat in the front seat of Han Hae-woon’s car, anticipating that he might wake up soon. He shut down the black box after a few minutes passed.

And then, after some time, Han Hae-woon regained consciousness.

“Ugh….”

Han Hae-woon groaned, holding his head.

“Prosecutor Han, are you awake?”

“Ah, Team… No, Team leader Ryu.”

Deciding to address each other as Han Hae-woon and Ryu Yeon-woo that day in the underground of the National Arts Theater, just in case they might get caught somewhere, the titles remained unchanged even when addressing each other.

Yeon-woo couldn’t help but wonder if there was any significance in calling him Team leader Ryu.

“You contacted me just before collapsing. I came right away and laid you in the car.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After exchanging greetings, Han Hae-woon hastily felt his own body.

“If it’s a notebook, it’s right here.”

Yeon-woo handed the notebook to Han Hae-woon.

“Oh, thank goodness.”

Han Hae-woon received the notebook, holding it preciously. Still grimacing from the severe headache, he opened his mouth.

“This is the investigation notes I wrote when I was Baek Yoo-hyun. Looking at the last entry I made before the Middle East deployment, it seems to provide some clues.”

While Yeon-woo silently listening, Han Hae-woon spoke again.

“The exact identity is uncertain, but even high-ranking officials at the National Intelligence Service suspected the existence of a secret organization within the NIS.”

Enduring the headache, Han Hae-woon opened the notebook again and examined the last page.

“So, it seems like I was dispatched to investigate overseas agents as well.”

“I had some suspicions.”

“Did you indeed?”

Although they hadn’t requested additional agents, when the dispatch came, they didn’t immediately head to the destination. Instead, they visited the embassy before coming two days later. However, even if they were under investigation, Yeon-woo didn’t worry much, as his activities within the NIS were limited to being an extra in movies, kept secret from the organization.

Instead, he took advantage of the dispatch and enjoyed the perks.

So, even when they met in the underground parking lot of the National Arts Theater, he couldn’t completely dismiss his doubts about Han Hae-woon.

“The problem is, being a field agent, I can’t determine where this order originated. Right now, you’re the only person I can trust right now is you.”

In a way, revealing Han Hae-woon’s past life was a way to prove innocence by becoming a target for elimination, just like him.

“Then, go find the person I told you about last time. Getting answers might be quite challenging, but if you mention my name, you might survive and have a conversation.”

Han Hae-woon recalled the name written in the diary in the underground parking lot of the National Arts Theater.

“You mean ‘Baek No-ya’ in Busan. I’ll start as soon as possible. I was a bit delayed because I had personal matters to attend to.”

Thinking of Jeong Hye-min, Han Hae-woon’s face darkened for a moment.

As time passed and Han Hae-woon’s condition improved, they both got out of the car.

Seeing Han Hae-woon’s somber expression, Yeon-woo patted his shoulder.

“Don’t overthink it. There’s a reason for everything, even in the new life you’ve gained. If it’s as you say, it’s the will of God.”

“Yes, Team Leader Ryu.”

Unconsciously using the title “Team Leader” made Yeon-woo raise his eyebrows.

“I’m Ryu Yeon-woo, and you’re Han Hae-woon.”

“Oh, yes. Team Leader Ryu.”

Seeing Han Hae-woon persistently using the title, Yeon-woo sighed as if he couldn’t stop him.

Then, as if he remembered something, Yeon-woo asked Han Hae-woon.

“By the way, what’s your main field?”

“Huh?”

“Prosecutors usually have specific areas they handle.”

Understanding Yeon-woo’s question, Han Hae-woon nodded.

“I’m from the Western District Prosecutor’s Office, Criminal Division 2. It’s almost the same as what Team 3 in the NIS domestic section handled.”

“…So, does that include narcotics in Team 3? Hmm. Then, there might be something to investigate.”

With an intrigued expression, Yeon-woo sent a message to Han Hae-woon via a secure application on his smartphone.

“Look into this matter within reasonable limits. It may be nothing, but I have a hunch.”

Han Hae-woon nodded while looking at the smartphone.

“Understood. I’ll inform you as I investigate.”

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At the cafe in front of the house where Seo Ji-eun stopped by every day, she got her usual takeout coffee. Smiling as she received the coffee cup, she bowed her head in thanks.

“Thank you.”

“Yes, have a good day.”

The part-time worker looked at Seo Ji-eun leaving the cafe. The manager, seeing the part-timer, nudged her side and laughed.

“Hey, isn’t that girl pretty? The guy must be captivated again.”

“…Yes, indeed.”

After a moment of gaze, the part-timer resumed wiping the cups.

While taking the elevator with her coffee, Seo Ji-eun’s smartphone rang.

“Hmm?”

It was a call from the Vice Director, a call that hadn’t come for a while since the last project failure. Usually, the Vice Director, who personally visited broadcasting stations or Chungmuro for business, only called when there was a casting proposal.

With expectations, Seo Ji-eun answered the call.

“Yes, Vice Director.”

[What are you doing, Ji-eun?]

“I’m on my way home right now.”

[Is that so? Good. I have some joyful news for your mother.]

Seo Ji-eun’s heart pounded at the Vice Director’s words.

“Is it about a project? What kind of casting is it?”

[-Hahaha. It’s for the lead role in KBC historical drama. It might be tough because it’s a historical drama, but is it okay?]

Elated, Seo Ji-eun cheered in the hallway after getting off the elevator.

“Yahoo! Yay! Aaah!”

[What’s going on? Why are you like this?]

Too happy, she spilled coffee all over her hand. Fortunately, it had cooled down a bit, so she avoided getting burned

“Hehe. I spilled coffee because I’m too happy. What’s the name of the project?”

[It’s called “The Star Beyond the River,” a KBC1 historical drama. Don’t be surprised, Ji-eun.]

“Why? Why? I can’t be more surprised than I am now.”

[The male lead is Ryu Yeon-woo, and the sub-male lead is Jin Yu-han.]

Seo Ji-eun spilled the entire cup of coffee.

“What?! Oops, hot~!”

After finishing the call with the Vice Director, Seo Ji-eun rushed home.

“Mom, please give me a towel or a cloth I can throw away.”

“What did this troublemaker spill again?”

“Hehe, coffee.”

“What? Did you hurt your hand?”

While receiving the cloth from her mother, Seo Ji-eun extended her hand.

“It’s strong. I’ll clean the hallway and bring good news!”

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Han Hae-woon returned to Busan to begin the investigation, and the script reading for ‘The Star Beyond the River’ was approaching. Before that, an article was released, causing a frenzy on the internet.

[KBC1’s New Historical Drama to Capture Viewers, ‘The Star Beyond the River’]

[‘The Star Beyond the River’: Ryu Yeon-woo X Jin Yu-han X Seo Ji-eun to Start Filming Soon]

[A Comprehensive Gift Set with Next-Generation Actors in ‘The Star Beyond the River’]

The comments pouring in after the article was published couldn’t hide the excitement over the surprising news.

[Huh? Ryu Yeon-woo and Jin Yu-han? They’re practically forcing us to watch this.]

[Seriously, this combination is happening? In a historical drama? Crazy. Yeon-woo and Yu-han, though.]

ㄴI don’t know the plot, but it seems like it’ll pull in good ratings for sure.

ㄴDid the fan club already invade? Lol

[Ryu Yeon-woo’s acting skills need to be reevaluated at this level. He’s the lead in everything.]

ㄴWhat reevaluation? He just gets chosen for his good looks.

[I liked Seo Ji-eun, why is she coming back after so long?]

ㄴShe ruined her career with the Han Jun-kyung drug incident.

[It’s definitely the beginning of an epic drama. And this post will become a sanctuary.]

ㄴVisit the site right now, you are lucky, truly a high-paying part-time job [link].]

“Hahaha. Look at this. Young people these days really know how to comment amusingly.”

Director Lee Sang-hoon, feeling excited, kept refreshing the comments on the article.

There wasn’t anything particularly amusing, but from the perspective of producing historical dramas with a higher viewer age group, it was fascinating to see such online attention when collaborating with young actors for the first time.

“Oh, they should be arriving soon. Are you prepared?”

At Director Lee Sang-hoon’s words, Assistant Director Choi nodded.

“Yes, Director. We’ll start shooting right from in front of the elevator.”

This director, who often saw other broadcasters’ dramas shooting making films, had secretly envied them. Although the historical dramas he directed were charming and excellent genres, there were limitations due to the relatively high average age of the cast and the somewhat rigid organizational culture of KBC1 channel.

“Film everything and let’s release teasers on YouTube, one by one.”

At that moment, Ryu Yeon-woo walked in with cameras trailing behind him. It was indeed the making film crew from KBC headquarters, as the assistant director suggested.

“Oh, Actor Ryu.”

In fact, Director Lee Sang-hoon had shot numerous scenes, but he rarely exposed himself to the camera. Approaching Ryu Yeon-woo with a somewhat stiff posture, he extended his hands for a handshake.

“Director, how have you been?”

“I’ve been well every day, of course.”

There was something sincere in the director’s words, and Ryu Yeon-woo smiled slightly in response.

Just then, the door opened, and another man, with a camera crew in tow, entered.