Deal Breaker - Chapter 76
Hyeji’s expectation that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be more proactive in rescuing Kanghyeon because he was the son of a vice minister was a complete misconception.
Well, sure. Treating all citizens equally is admirable.
However, as the days went by, Hyeji increasingly felt that Kanghyeon wasn’t even receiving the level of protection afforded to an average citizen. Perhaps because his father was a high ranking official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they were wary of public scrutiny, the ministry had been extremely cautious.
“Then what about paying a ransom?”
Kanghyeon had already hinted at this to Hyeji. Since they had kidnapped him for his abilities, there was a chance they wouldn’t release him even if money was paid, or that they would demand an astronomical ransom, but he had asked her to try anyway. He said that if she told his father, the funds for the ransom could be prepared by disposing of Kanghyeon’s assets as needed.
However, upon hearing that, Vice Minister Han rejected it outright.
“Funding a terrorist organization goes against my principles.”
Now she knew where Han Kanghyeon’s brand of pointless righteousness came from.
Ah, yes. Integrity. It’s great. Truly great.
But what about your son?
It felt excessive, but it wasn’t as though he had sat at home like some lofty scholar, clinging to principles and ignoring his son. He stayed in constant contact with Hyeji and never missed a meeting. Judging by how much his gray hair had increased, even if he didn’t show it outwardly, he must have been deeply worried about his son.
Moreover, it seemed he had played a decisive role behind the scenes in mobilizing the Libyan government forces for the rescue operation. If anyone had suffered the most, it wasn’t Hyeji, but him.
In Libya, rescue teams from the Center and the company had already been dispatched. They continued tracking Kanghyeon’s movements after the location he reported during his escape attempt, but on such vast foreign land, it wasn’t easy.
Then, once the Libyan government forces joined, things moved quickly. With official authority capable of conducting checkpoints and investigations across regions, pinpointing Kanghyeon’s location was swift.
In the end, fifteen days after his escape attempt failed, Kanghyeon was safely rescued, and most of those who had kidnapped him were killed.
Over the course of those two months, the hostages were also rescued from an abandoned power plant, just as his intel had indicated. Borodin, who had made Hyeji keenly aware of Kanghyeon’s market value, disappeared for a while. In the meantime, he was permanently expelled from the Center and stripped of his right to operate as an Esper.
He could now only work illegally as a mercenary on the black market, and even that was only possible when he wasn’t in prison. Borodin, who had been wanted by Interpol as a terrorist, was arrested in the Philippines five days ago.
So now, it seemed the 24-hour close protection could be reduced. Being surrounded by men in black suits with receivers in their ears in the obstetrics waiting room, drawing the curious stares of other expectant mothers, was an experience as embarrassing as the humiliation chair. At the obstetrics clinic, they even treated Hyeji with excessive deference, apparently mistaking her for the wife of a chaebol family.
Meanwhile, the baby grew strong and healthy. As she entered her fifth month of pregnancy and her belly began to noticeably round, rumors spread around the company about who the child’s father might be. Hyeji bought a single ring and wore it, ignoring all the looks that were dying to ask.
Ask about anything other than work, and your name goes to the Director.
The aura she had carried for six years was finally paying off in a moment like this. No one asked outright.
However, there was one person for whom “your name goes to the Director” didn’t work. How would he react when he saw this.
She hoped he would just not ask and let it pass. If he did ask, she would say she had an accident with a boyfriend she had been quietly dating all this time. She could just stick to her original decision, but unlike before, her heart was unsettled, and there was a reason for that.
‘Hyeji-ya.’
That man had started calling her so dearly from the day his escape attempt failed. They say when someone is confined alone, loneliness can drive them mad. And how badly must his mental state have collapsed that day. Haah, there probably wasn’t a single fragment left intact. She thought he had started calling her that because he needed emotional support and familiarity.
‘Hyeji-ya, what’s women’s ring size usually like? Yeah? You too?’
But even after being rescued, he kept calling her like that. Stockholm syndrome? But was Stockholm syndrome about forming attachment to his secretary, not the captor?
Anyway, once he returned to Korea and his moment of clarity began, the form of address would surely go back to Secretary Noh. Just like before.
