Lovers

16

One Day, Suddenly

Ding―

I arrived at work with that sound. Up to that point, it was a normal workday, but the atmosphere inside the store was different from usual. There were quite a few unfamiliar people despite it being before opening time. And above all…

“We meet again.”

The Department 2 Chief was smiling broadly, showing her pearly white teeth.

Her white sweater, which looked as fluffy as streusel bread, was short at the waist, revealing her midriff every time she moved her arms, and her skin-tight skinny jeans blatantly showed off her figure. I’d heard skinny jeans were a bit out of fashion, but the Department 2 Chief seemed to wear them regardless, and rightfully so. They really suited her well.

“Hello.”

“I heard you were at the Security Bureau yesterday. Why didn’t you stop by?”

“Why would I visit Department 2?”

Why would I, who’s not even part of Department 2, visit there? When I asked, not understanding, Nina Volkari covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

“Kill two birds with one stone? Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“Not really.”

“But you had something to say to Otto Layer?”

The nuance was quite meaningful. As if meeting Otto Layer was something I should feel guilty about. That can’t be right, he’s my direct superior, so why would it be something to feel guilty about? I’m not a commoner like Jay Wu. I’m a person with principles who knows to respond when a superior calls.

I’m really going to get Jay when I catch him.

“It wasn’t that I had something to say, Otto Layer called for me.”

“Why?”

“For work.”

“What kind of work?”

She’s truly rude and just as brazen. Volkari seemed to be implying that she already knew everything and I should just come clean while she was being nice. I was becoming uncomfortable with her.

“It’s Department 1 business.”

When I cut off her approach, Nina pouted one side of her lips as if displeased. Tsk. A tongue-clicking sound came from her mouth, and then she turned her back.

“Fine, if it’s Department 1 business, it’s not my concern.”

But then she stopped walking and turned back to me.

“But if it becomes our department’s business, it becomes my business, right? In that case, you’ll naturally share it with me, won’t you? Professionally. Even though you belong to Department 1, you’re working with us now.”

“Of course, I’ll share it professionally. With Team Leader Baral, my handler.”

“Oh my, you could share it directly with me. I always welcome private conversations with handsome men.”

Volkari said, running her hand through her hair. Her red nails gleamed brightly, reflecting the light.

“I dislike private conversations that don’t follow proper procedures, whether with beautiful women or handsome men.”

At my words, she laughed loudly and then pulled out the chair across from Baral, who was sitting at the table, and sat down.

“Al, your employee seems to dislike me.”

Baral replied without even looking at her.

“It’s because you’re bothering him, Director.”

“I’m not bothering him.”

Volkari, speaking in a playful tone; Viviana, quickly placing documents on each table; Lee Martin, who seemed not fully recovered from last night’s drinking; and a few others were seated. It was easy to tell they had gathered for a meeting.

Why have a meeting here of all places? Couldn’t they have just called me, Viviana, and Baral to the Security Bureau? Only after thinking this did I remember Volkari’s earlier mention of my meeting with the Director.

Volkari knew that I had gone to meet the Director. This means that if we had a meeting at the Security Bureau, Layer might find out. Layer suspects that Volkari might approach Yudorov. If Volkari has even a slight chance of catching Yudorov, Layer will tear apart this operation of Volkari’s. Layer is a real con artist after all.

Volkari is deliberately holding the meeting here to avoid provoking Layer and to prevent Layer from knowing the meeting’s content.

She didn’t say a single word to me, but I figured out that she doesn’t want the content of this meeting exposed to Layer. She told me to “act professionally,” which doesn’t mean to bring information from Department 1’s meetings, but rather not to take information from here.

She’s really a sly fox.

I really don’t fit in here. Just as I was frowning and sitting down in an empty seat, Volkari clapped her hands, clap, clap, to get everyone’s attention and then grinned.

“Well, Riegel came, and he even promised a next time with Schnieke. So, let’s have a meeting about what we should do next.”

It was undoubtedly the worst meeting I’ve ever attended in my life.

“How about asking to be invited to his home?” Alfred Baral said.

I shot daggers with my eyes at him, thinking, “Don’t you consider my position, having to ask for such an invitation?” But Baral seemed unaffected by my glare. This bear of a man.

“Isn’t that too obvious? Or did Schnieke do really well, contrary to my expectations?”

Volkari asked. I wish she’d be more specific about what “doing really well” means. As I blinked, Viviana and Baral shook their heads simultaneously.

“No way.”

“Not at all.”

I was dumbfounded and opened my mouth.

“I tried hard, you know, I really did.”

But Lee, who should have been helping me, stabbed me in the back.

“Trying hard and doing well are clearly different. Trying hard is about the process, doing well is about the results.”

This bastard.

As I turned my head, Lee wasn’t looking at me. He was shaking his head at Volkari.

“Trust me, Director. The moment this guy asks to be invited home, Riegel will start digging into what’s behind him.”

Lee’s face was cold. It wasn’t the Lee Martin who drinks and fools around with me, but Lee Martin of Department 1 of the Security Bureau sitting there. He warned sternly.

“Riegel is not to be underestimated. Moreover, the Riegel family has deep ties. If they find out that the Security Bureau is messing with Sebastian Riegel, the entire family will rise up.”

“So, what should we do?”

“But the Riegel family is always favorable when it comes to Sebastian. Especially if that shut-in seems like he might be in a relationship? They’ll welcome it with open arms, no questions asked. Being gay is a minor issue.”

My eyes turned to Lee. Despite knowing I was glaring at him, Lee remained composed.

“Whether it’s dating or sex, something needs to happen. We need to find out why Riegel contacted Canaris. We also need to see if it’s possible to contact Canaris through Riegel. That’s how we can save the White Sparrow.”

“White Sparrow?”

White Sparrow must be a code name. The problem is, why is this code name coming up here? And what does it mean to save the owner of this code name?

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became heavy at the mention of White Sparrow. I don’t know the details, but… I can tell the situation isn’t good.

“It’s the code name for an agent who infiltrated Canaris,” Lee whispered to me, explaining.

“Lost contact after providing information about the energy bomb.”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words and looked around. Alfred Baral, Viviana Dogen, and Nina Volkari. Department 2’s Team 1 and the Director being here like this wasn’t about catching Yudorov or finding the Holy Grail to claim the glory. It was a desperate effort to find a colleague who risked everything to save everyone, whose safety was unconfirmed.

I felt a bit sorry. I had assumed that the reason Department 2’s Director was doing this was out of ambition to secure the next Director position by catching Yudorov. After all, there were famous stories about Volkari being an ambitious person. So naturally…

…Shit.

“I’m a virgin, but for a first experience, someone like Riegel would be fine even if he’s a man. Let’s go for it! Damn, I just need to seduce him!”

When I shouted, someone burst out laughing. This triggered faint smiles from others. Viviana spun a pen with her fingers and retorted mischievously.

“You seduce Riegel, Team Leader? Come on, you’re not quite at that level.”

“What’s wrong with me? I’m a man who’s gotten three phone numbers while working here!”

“You’re cute, but to gay men’s eyes, you’re a bit…”

Lee picked up where Viviana left off.

“Let a gay man answer. You’re too rustic. Way, way too rustic.”

I shouted, “How am I rustic!” in response to Lee’s words, but my protest was smoothly ignored. Baral grinned and looked me up and down. Ugh, it feels weird. When I made an X with my arms in front of my chest, asking where he was looking, Baral traced the silhouette of my body with his finger and said,

“But you have a good body. Riegel has money, so he can change the rustic parts himself.”

Viviana was skeptical.

“Team Leader. With Riegel’s level of looks and that much wealth? Why would he do such a thing? There must be plenty of good-looking and sophisticated guys around.”

“For example?”

Viviana flipped her red hair with the back of her hand.

“At least this level.”

At that moment, everyone looked at Viviana with astonished eyes. It seemed quite sincere, which was absurd. Okay, I admit he’s handsome. I admit he’s rich. But he’s in contact with Canaris. It means he’s someone who can get along with bastards who think nothing of killing dozens or hundreds of people. You really like someone like that? Seriously?

Lee said in an incredulous voice,

“You’d eat poison just because it tastes good.”

“How do you know if it’s poison or not? You have to at least taste it first.”

Lee’s eyes now turned to Volkari.

You recruited this lunatic as your subordinate?

Then Volkari’s eyes moved to Baral.

You recruited such a lunatic…

And Baral, who had recruited such a lunatic as his subordinate, smiled with a slightly troubled face.

“She’s actually quite smart, despite appearances.”

“Despite appearances?”

Baral, now at a loss for words, gave Viviana a look that said, ‘Why did you have to say unnecessary things and put me in a difficult position?’ But she herself was unabashed. Watching this scene, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

Just then, my phone rang. If I had known it was a meeting, I would have turned it off, but since I didn’t know and came in, I couldn’t turn off my phone.

As I was about to apologize and chide myself with a smile, I opened my phone.

Jay Wu.

The name of that damned bastard appeared. This guy finally contacted me? I was about to answer the call and curse at him when…

“Hello?”

I heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice. What’s this? Why would an unknown woman call from Jay’s phone in Maderke? I meaninglessly checked the screen once more to verify Jay’s name and answered, “Yes, hello.”

I had a bad feeling.

“Do you know Jay, Jay Wu? I’m his fiancée. Tomorrow is his funeral, and I was wondering…”

My heart drops to the floor. The slowly fallen heart finally shatters into pieces.

Jay is dead.