Prologue
Assume nothing.
Never go against your gut.
These were the two rules that Chae-Yeong had lived by her whole life as a spy for the Republic of Korea's most elite secret organization—the Sino Liberation Front (SRF). The "SPF" was a secretive, clandestine organization created under the umbrella of an international espionage and intelligence service called the Strategic Intelligence Division (SSIDO), and as the Sino Liberation Front's top spy, Chae Yeong was always sent on missions to spy on dangerous enemies and even some of the enemy allies of Korea. These missions usually took months, or sometimes even years. She often went into hiding for almost half a year or longer, never revealing her true identity to anyone but those close to her. And even then, she made sure no one could trace her back to her home base of Seoul. As long as it all went well—and if she didn't get killed in any of these missions—Chae Yeong considered herself very lucky.
"Miss. Lee, please come to my office." A male voice spoke over the communicator in her ear. "I have some important files to give you."
"Alright sir." Chae Yeong replied before turning off the communication.
Her mission for the past six months has been to work as this man's personal secretary so that she could get information about his business and about a particular gem that he had acquired in his last deal with strange investors. The gem was a famous diamond called a pendant, something that apparently belongs to the Korean government.
'Enough thinking; let's go to his office, or else you will get an earful from that man.' Chae Yeong thought to herself before stepping out of the elevator.
"Good afternoon, Mr.Kim. I'm here." She greeted him and then shut the door behind her. He nodded at her once in acknowledgement before pointing at a table that was covered with documents.
"Help me to sort out those." He ordered. "Alright sir." She smiled softly before pulling a chair from the table and sitting in front of the pile.
'Why can't he do it by himself? Jerk .' She thought while trying to read through the documents.
"Miss. Lee Please come here for a second." Mr. Kim's gruff voice stopped her train of thought.
She blinked rapidly before standing up and walking towards him. "Yes sir?" She asked in a soft tone as the man handed her a bottle of perfume.
"I want to get a perfume for a special person, but I'm not sure if she would like it, so can you please smell it for me?" Mr. Kim spoke to her quietly, so there wasn't enough space for the eavesdroppers who usually drop by. She nodded before taking the perfume bottle.
"Of course, sir," She answered politely before starting to sniff the scent. After a few seconds, her nose told her what it smelled like immediately.
"It smells really nice, sir; it's very unique." She looked up to meet his eyes with a smile.
Mr. Kim gave her a nod, satisfied with her answer. "Thank you."
"Your welcome." She said that suddenly she could feel herself getting dizzy. Her vision started to blur, and her heart was pounding fast inside her chest.
"Miss Lee, are you alright?" He sounded concerned.
"Yeah... yes. I just have a bit of dizziness, that's all." She responded. "It's nothing serious." She added hastily as she tried to stop shaking her head slightly.
"Are you sure, Miss Lee, or should I say, Miss Han Chae-Yeong?" He chuckled lightly.
'Oh crap. How did he find out my real name?' She thought.
"What do you mean, sir?" She forced a smile onto her face, but her head was still spinning.
"Your real name is Han Chae Yeong, right? You were sent by the SRF to work for me; did you think I wouldn't find out about your real intentions?" Mr. Kim narrowed his eyes.
'Crap. I have been caught. She thought as her eyes closed involuntarily and she felt herself start to lose consciousness. 'He must have put something in that perfume. How could I forget my most important rule?' She continued to think while closing her eyes tighter until she saw black around her.