Another day had begun. Taekjoo was just stepping out after washing his face when he heard the announcement say that they would soon be arriving in Irkutsk. That explained the sudden buzz in the air. The biggest and deepest lake in the world, Lake Baikal, was the highlight of the Trans-Siberian journey. It was where most tourists got off, and Louise was no exception.
Zhenya had been nowhere to be seen all morning. Taekjoo couldn’t understand what could keep him so busy. Zhenya was supposed to be Taekjoo’s partner, yet he never said a word about where he went. How was this any different from carrying out the mission alone? Taekjoo wondered. It felt like nothing but a waste of time.
And speaking of waste of time, Taekjoo recalled what happened the night before. It soured his mood. Every time the scene replayed in his head, he found himself washing his face again. However, the unpleasant feeling of being violated did not go away. It still felt like that sticky fluid was trailing down his cheek. Zhenya called it a mistake, but it was clearly deliberate. It was obvious he was looking for a fight, which only made Taekjoo angrier.
Taekjoo clenched his jaw but then started shaking his head. If he let it get to him, then it was as good as letting Zhenya get to him. Unnecessary, idle thoughts only lead to failure. Taekjoo had to maintain his cool whether his partner—more like a nuisance—made him want to scrub his ears and eyes clean.
Taekjoo popped his finger joints as he looked into the surveillance video.
“...!”
He flinched. Hong Yeowook’s seat was vacant. Maybe he went to the restroom. For the past few days, Hong had left his seat a couple of times in the morning to go to the restroom. So Taekjoo just had to wait a bit—Hong would be back soon enough.
But Hong Yeowook didn’t reappear even after a long time. There was no point in waiting any longer. He prepared his Colt and left his compartment.
The corridor of the first-class car was still quiet. Taekjoo expected Zhenya to be taking a phone call out in the corridor, but he wasn’t there either. He had this talent of disappearing at important moments.
Taekjoo put in his earphones as he walked, and a volume controller appeared on his phone screen. He wasn’t about enjoying a stroll with music. He set up the device meticulously as he silently brought it close and hovered it over every closed door in the premium and first-class cars. He tapped the volume button—sounds from the other side came through clearly. Taekjoo could hear someone sleeping here, someone offering coffee there. But nothing stood out.
He decided it would be better to move on to the second-class compartments and start looking for Hong. He continued walking with the earphones still on.
Most second-class passengers were travelers, who marveled at the endless horizon of snow they were seeing for the first time. They exclaimed at everything, even at a lone tree standing, and hurried to take a picture. The hallway jammed with excited tourists. Taekjoo was barely able to step forward and scan the seats thoroughly. Maybe Hong had noticed someone following him. He could be hiding somewhere. The train had been traveling nonstop since last night. It wasn’t like Hong had flown out or vanished underground. All Taekjoo had to do was look closely—he’d find him.
This was what he told himself. Still, he couldn’t help the anxiety creeping in once his target vanished from sight. If Zhenya had been a real partner, they could’ve taken shifts for 24-hour surveillance. Taekjoo blamed himself. He knew what kind of an asshole Zhenya was. He should’ve kept an even closer eye on Hong. Instead, he fell for Zhenya’s trick. Taekjoo regretted what he’d done. He was almost running from the anxiety.
He pushed out of the second-class car, weaving through a sea of people and luggage. Right before him stood the third-class compartment. It was cramped to begin with, and now that the train had stopped, it was basically a madhouse. Taekjoo took a deep breath, bracing himself before opening the door.
“Waaaaaaaaaahh!”
A baby’s loud wail was the first to welcome Taekjoo. There wasn’t even floor space to step on. The trapped air smelled foul. The passengers were either stretched out, tired from the train ride, or chatting to pass the time. Vendors wore hardened expressions, focused solely on unloading and sorting their wares. It was a challenge just to make it through the narrow space. Looking for Hong at the same time felt almost impossible.
Taekjoo’s eyes scanned quickly as he waded through the sea of luggage. He checked every face, prodded at bags, making sure he missed nothing. He looked everywhere, but Hong was nowhere to be found. Was he in the restroom? Or in the dining car? He smoothed out the fresh wrinkles in his shirt and made his way to the dining car. He stepped into the dining car, greeted by the warm aroma of coffee. It was breakfast time, but There weren’t many people, which made it easier to look around. People sat spaced far away from each other. Among them, the only Asian was a woman sitting alone. And there was no way that she could be Hong in disguise because of the difference in physique. He wouldn’t have had enough time to disguise himself as a Caucasian either. In the end, Taekjoo eft the dining car empty-handed.
Just then, a sudden thought made him tilt his head. Never mind Hong, but Taekjoo hadn’t seen Zhenya either. He had looked everywhere thoroughly. He was too big to be missed. Where the hell was he?
Taekjoo kept asking himself as he stared out the window. The train rolled on, past endless fields of snow. Sporadic trees stood draped in white, like they’d been tucked in. Everywhere the sunlight touched, everything it fell upon sparkled as if sprinkled with gold. Taekjoo stared blankly, organizing his thoughts.
That was when he heard it.
“...?”
Taekjoo turned his head to look and saw that there was a restroom. It was mostly used by second- and third-class passengers—and just now, Taekjoo had sensed movement inside. He stepped closer and pressed his ear to the door—but heard nothing. He pulled out his phone and held it near the door. Through his earphones, he caught only the faint sound of fabric brushing against the door. Was it Hong Yeowook? Or Zhenya?
Taekjoo tried the doorknob without hesitation, but it was locked from the inside. It was strange. Passengers on the Trans-Siberian weren’t allowed to use the restroom for 10 to 30 minutes before major stops. And in major stops like Irkutsk, restrooms were usually barred for thirty minutes. Taekjoo had left his compartment about forty minutes before the arrival, which was over twenty minutes ago. Which meant less than twenty minutes remained until the stop. Who could be inside the restroom that was supposed to be locked up? It could be a staff. But still, Taekjoo had to check himself.
He took a couple of steps back and pulled out his Colt from his side, aiming at the door.
That was when he felt the back of his head contract, hair standing on end. It was instinctual. Taekjoo turned and looked back. Even as his sight quickly whirled, he caught a man in his vision. A hoodie covered his head, a mask his face. Taekjoo couldn’t see who it was. He didn’t hesitate and aimed his gun at the man. Almost instantly, the man raised his own gun and aimed back. The long arms crossed midair.
Who is that? Is it Hong Yeowook?
Taekjoo half-pulled his trigger, trying to identify the man. But at that exact moment, something heavy hit the back of his head.
“Argh!”
His vision snapped to black—the world shattered like glass. The ambush had come out of nowhere. He didn’t hear the restroom door open, let alone a person moving.
Taekjoo swayed while holding his head. Warmth trickled down the back of his neck. He must be bleeding. It didn’t take long for him to smell the rusty blood in the air. Even as the world swayed around him, Taekjoo stayed vigilant. He kept aiming between the man and the restroom door.
But that didn’t last long. Taekjoo’s knees buckled. His body, barely hanging on, gave out. He tried to push himself up, straining against the floor. But it was a useless. His body was limp, and he couldn’t move at all.
His vision blurred, shadows shifting all around him. He couldn’t make out faces or shapes—just silhouettes in motion. And yet, a powerful sense of déjà vu washed over him.
Just before blacking out, Taekjoo thought he saw Zhenya.
(To be continued in Book 2)