In the evening, Zhenya went out to patrol and watch the mansion. Finally alone, Taekjoo felt like he could breathe. He was sprawled on his bed, enjoying the break he hadn’t had in a while. His mind and body both relaxed. He proved to himself once again that he was a better fit for solo missions. In hindsight, Zhenya did give him some help. But it was better to work alone if the help in question did more harm than good.
Then, something vibrated. Taekjoo took out his phone, but it remained silent. He’d gotten the phone from Zhenya, so there was no one else who would call it aside from Zhenya himself. Maybe it wasn’t Taekjoo’s phone, but Zhenya’s? Had he forgotten to take it with him? Maybe it was nothing important. Maybe just the wind.
While considering other possible explanations, Taekjoo reluctantly climbed down from the top bunk and looked for the source of the vibration. He searched Zhenya’s bed and found a phone under the pillow. Just as expected, there was a new message. Taekjoo tried to read it but was barred by its password. It wouldn’t hurt to try, so he entered the same password Zhenya used back at his armory. To his surprise, it worked. He had unlocked the phone.
“...”
But now that the device was actually unlocked, he found himself hesitating. It was rude to go through other people’s phones. Taekjoo lived by the belief that he should not meddle in other people’s business, and they should not meddle in his. Was it absolutely necessary to read the message at the expense of compromising his own principles? The message could be something so personal, something so unrelated to Taekjoo. But what if the personal nature of the message revealed who Zhenya truly was? Two contrasting arguments clashed in his head.
After a long deliberation, he turned on his laptop and connected it to Zhenya’s phone. He still had some time before Zhenya returned. Taekjoo wasn’t proud of what he was going to do, but at the same time, he needed proof he could trust Zhenya. What exactly does Zhenya do for a living? Did he really join this mission just to get his hands on the blueprint of a weapon? Who are the people closest to him? Taekjoo felt he could stop doubting and lower his guard only if he knew the answer to any of these questions.
He plugged the USB into his laptop. It was one of his few possessions that survived the hotel explosion because he had had it on him. It was no ordinary USB. It was specially designed to withstand shock and moisture. Still, Taekjoo wasn’t sure if it would work. He scanned through the list of files nervously. Thankfully, the computer-based spyware was preserved in perfect condition.
Taekjoo launched the program and accessed all the files on Zhenya’s phone. With a single command, the data was instantly copied to Taekjoo’s laptop—even the files that had been deleted or altered. Then, he immediately returned the phone to where it had been earlier. The unread message remained untouched, and there was virtually no trace of the spyware left behind.
Taekjoo started going through the copied messages on his laptop, starting from the most recent, which turned out to be quite a long one.
✦ ✦ ✦
The issue with SS-29 has been resolved, and we are currently checking for any other potential defects, just to be safe. The final results will be presented in two days, during the presentation, where everyone will be present. We kindly request your attendance.