Chapter 4: 1.4 – New mission – Set foot in Russia

What could be more useless than asking a child about their future aspirations? From president to lawyer, doctor, astronaut or entertainer overnight, majors and careers change countless times.

Kwon Taek Joo's childhood was the same. Even when he entered the university entrance exam room, he never thought he would become an agent of the National Intelligence Agency.

His brother is different. From the moment he started he spoke seriously, and his dream has always been the same. It's about being a soldier just like dad. 'His mother was very comforting when his brother chose a book during the cradle, often lamenting that ''Who would have thought it was a book of military theory.'''

The mother always hoped that her two sons would not become soldiers or anything like that. His maternal grandfather, who prioritised water over housework, and her military husband, whom she met early on through his introduction. Thanks to that, his mother said that all her life she had no memory of straightening her legs and sleeping. On the days when his father travelled for business, his mother hugged the two brothers and stayed up all night. She did not want to pass on that difficulty to her children.

But people still say that no child does the will of their parents. The brother eventually ignored his mother's expectations and volunteered to join the Navy and then died while fighting. It's been about 10 years since it happened. Since then, the mother has almost been obsessed with Kwon Taek Joo, her only remaining son. As soon as she took care of her eldest son's funeral, she hugged Kwon Taek Joo and repeatedly begged him not to be like her brother. But even he couldn't fulfil his mother's wish.

According to the National Intelligence Agency's work regulations, the identity of the employee must be kept secret, even from family members, including parents. Even if it's not just because of that, Kwon Taek Joo can't be honest with her mother. She was the one who lost her father, husband and eldest son for the country. His mother would not have been able to stand it any longer if she knew that even the remaining drop of blood would hold a gun more than a chopstick. She always thought that Kwon Taek Joo was just a low-level civil servant in a small provincial town. His mother would never have expected that Kwon Taek Joo was coming to Moscow as a Japanese citizen.

He closed his eyes and remembered the old story and suddenly took out his phone. Mom's message appeared as expected.

"Son, have a good lunch. 'Today, try your best!'"

That greeting always comes around noon every day. If there is no response, she will contact you immediately after work, so it seems that Kwon Taek Joo will have to send a reply message as soon as she lands. It's Monday and there are a lot of civil complaints, so I'm very busy, that's probably enough to make excuses. He now has the experience to strengthen his mother's trust.

Kwon Taek Joo checks the time when resetting the phone. It's been nine hours since he got on the plane. Looking at the remaining distance on the screen, it will take about an hour to arrive. Maybe you should check the mask on your face again. Kwon Taek Joo immediately stood up.

Just when the toilet was empty. He was about to open the door and walk in when he heard a noise from somewhere on the economy class side. Kwon Taek Joo opened the curtain to look at the situation on the other side. A passenger and a flight attendant are arguing. It seems that this guest thought it was free wine, so he drank a lot. Kwon Taek Joo quickly lost interest and went to the toilet. He locked the door, the light on his head turned on.

He looked at a strange face reflected in the mirror. Kwon Taek Joo's current is Hiro Sakamoto. Even his ears are modelled after him, only the black eyes are Kwon Taek Joo's.

He turned his head back and forth and rubbed it against the skin on his face, the feeling of artificial skin exactly like his own. Kwon Taek Joo by the way stroked his hair and washed his hands and dried it with a paper towel. As he was about to step outside, suddenly something hit behind the door.

It collided so hard that all the lights on the ceiling flashed. Soon the outside became even more noisy. The voice of a flight attendant asked, 'Are you okay?' The same sound of footsteps rushing towards him and the screams of a completely incomprehensible man what he was saying mixed together.

Kwon Taek Joo unlocks and pulls vigourously to open the door. The man who was leaning against the door from the outside fell into the inside.

"Damn...Damn, what the hell is that?"

A typical Russian man is drunk, still holding an empty bottle of vodka in his hand. It seems that the alcohol bought at the duty free shop at the airport was cleaned up by him on the plane. Kwon Taek Joo wondered who was so shameless that he drank for free until he got drunk, but the truth was even harsher than that.

He looked down at the man who was struggling for a while without saying a word, only the flight attendants were confused about how to handle it.

"Customers, please sit up. I'll help you."

"What? Dare to touch somewhere? Throw it away! 'Ah, leave it!'"

"Ow!"

The obnoxious drunk guy pushed the flight attendant who was trying to get him up. Not only did the crew member fall, but all the other crew members looked confused. It seems that no one can subdue the big Russian guy at the moment. Some righteous passengers also help the crew. It is troublesome to intervene directly in the incident. While Kwon Taek Joo was thinking, a flight attendant hurriedly contacted the cockpit.

Usually when these situations occur on the plane, the plane will make a temporary landing at a nearby airport. In that case, the drunk man and all the passengers had to get off the plane. In addition, everything from baggage checks to boarding procedures is done again. Then waiting for hours until the plane is rearranged or arranging an alternate flight is the basic thing that will happen.

It is not advisable to get into other people's affairs. Kwon Taek Joo doesn't want to do anything to attract attention. But he was also annoyed because his original plan was ruined by a shameless person and suffered from that trouble himself.

Kwon Taek Joo grabbed the drunk man's back who was still leaning against his feet.

"Get up for a moment."

"...Eh!"

The man was forced to get up and was dragged to the toilet. He was shoved hard and slammed his ass into the toilet and fell forward. As the fallen man's arm poked out the door, soft screams sounded from the passengers outside. The people in the front seats hurriedly stood up to watch a good movie. The flight attendant kept asking them to sit down but no one followed suit. Eventually, calls started pouring in from all over.

The staggered man stood up with a cruel expression. He grinned with a flushed face and then wiped the saliva from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Oh ho... You try it, like this, right?"

Kwon Taek Joo just waved his finger at the drunk who was wheezing. The man muttered something and then suddenly rushed towards him like an agitated bison.

Kwon Taek Joo immediately wrapped around the man's neck trying to attack him and clamped him to his hip. The drunk man was suddenly grabbed by the neck using both hands to squeeze Kwon Taek Joo's legs and then quickly lifted him up with the intention of hitting him straight into the ceiling of the plane.

The crew members watching closed their eyes tightly. But the surroundings suddenly became quiet. A passage of time has passed that people still do not hear the predicted impact. The passengers who stepped back from afar blinked. And the expected sound sounded a while later.

But the one who fell was not Kwon Taek Joo but the one who was as big as the other cow. The man who had just been suddenly attacked at his weakness was still lying down and hugging his neck. Kwon Taek Joo completely controlled him before releasing his clenched arm. He then kicked the big drunk who was unconscious and pushed him out of the restroom. The suppressed screams that had been suppressed for a while now sounded from the passengers. Kwon Taek Joo walked out leisurely while stroking his wrinkled jacket straight.

"What's wrong?"

At that moment, the co-pilot was informed that the situation had appeared. He alternately looked back and forth between his body lying on the background and Kwon Taek Joo and turned his eyes to the flight attendants. Kwon Taek Joo returned to his seat as if nothing had happened. Click. The sound of a tightened seat belt announced the commotion was over.

The flight attendants who were busy dealing with the drunk passenger are now busy appeasing other passengers who are complaining and protesting. The situation of the deputy captain is not much different.

We apologise.

You must have been surprised? I'll bring a glass of warm water right away.

It's safe now. Please don't worry.

Sorry everyone.

Kwon Taek Joo kept hearing those words from the other side of the closed curtain. A series of apologies for the uproar were also issued.

He was trying to ignore and close his eyes, but the co-pilot and manager approached, it seemed that they were trying to express their gratitude for his help. You must have just defeated a heavyweight opponent.

"Can we respond on time?"

"Well, unfortunately the incident has already been reported to the control centre so we have to wait in the sky until the airport allows us to land. The arrival time is expected to be about an hour late."

It finally became so. Kwon Taek Joo frowned and nodded in boredom and immediately put on his headphones. Despite being refused to talk around, the two still sent sincere thanks before returning to the position.

Passengers who were complaining up to that point also became docile when the plane shook due to the turbulent air. They sat down and fastened their seat belts and held their breath straight even if the flight attendants did not have time to request it. Someone even muttered in prayer.

Thanks to that, Kwon Taek Joo was able to experience about an hour of tranquillity. His ears buzzed and he couldn't close his eyes. When he was still killing time, a message on the flight sounded again.

[In a few minutes our plane will arrive at Domodedovo Moscow Airport. Local time is 16:11. The weather is cloudy and the outdoor temperature is -13 degrees Celsius. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused to passengers due to unwanted noise during the flight. Thank you for using Japan Airlines and we look forward to serving you again soon. Thank you and see you soon.]

However, even after the broadcast, the plane was still floating in the sky for a long time. When it was landed on the ground, it was also more than 5 pm.

Kwon Taek Joo followed the crowd moving to the immigration checkpoint. He was not very stressed because disguising himself as someone else to go abroad with him was so familiar that he was boring.

The inspection ended in a flash. The employee just glanced at Kwon Taek Joo without asking any questions. Everything went smoothly until he took his luggage and went out of the immigration door.

Outside the crowded exit, people come to pick up guests, family and relatives. Despite coming at the invitation of the Russian side, Kwon Taek Joo entered the country a day before. Because it is expected that he will go to the hotel by himself without his own means of transportation.

But out of nowhere, a piece of paper with the words 'Hiro Sakamoto' caught his eye. Even when Kwon Taek Joo took off his sunglasses and looked back, the name written on it once in Japanese and again in English was still 'Hiro Sakamoto'. Below is also thoughtful there is the company name 'Itochu Corporation'.

As soon as he stopped walking, the man holding the paper smiled brightly.

"Mr. Sakamoto?"

"That's right. But..."

Kwon Taek Joo hesitated to answer. A cheerful smile bloomed on the man's face.

"Hello! My name is Vasily Alexandrovich who works at Gazprom's public relations office. 'I heard that you will enter the country first today, so I came to welcome you.'''

He suddenly asked for a handshake. Kwon Taek Joo looked at the hand raised in front of him and tilted his head.

"I didn't get any information like that..."

"Didn't you get the information? What's wrong with that? Obviously, this morning our side has already informed your company. 'Your company has also said that it will inform Mr. Sakamoto of the news.'"

Vasily is confident that there are no mistakes at all. 'I sympathise, wait a minute.' Kwon Taek Joo quickly checked his work phone. He thought that the message that had been sent all this time was a roaming message or a notification from the Embassy, but Head Lim's message was also in it. As Vasily confirmed, it is true that Gazprom will come to pick him up.

"Ah... That's right."

"Is it a mistake, right? Anyway, he struggled because he had to go far. But much later than expected?"

"There was a small commotion in the plane."

"Are there any drunk people making a mess?"

"…That, how do you know?"

"Well, that happens quite often to Russian men who are as hot as vodka. He must have been surprised. Is the luggage just like that? Let me help you?"

"It's okay. I can hold it myself."

"Ah, yes. So please go this way."

Even if goodwill is rejected, he is not embarrassed, but on the contrary, this man named Vasily just happily leads the way as if something good is happening. Kwon Taek Joo slowly followed behind. I don't know how and when things started to mess up, but when I think about it, the current situation is quite obvious, because whether I come to Russia alone or with the delegation, the fact that Hiro Sakamoto is the guest of honour has not changed. For that reason, no matter how tired or headache Kwon Taek Joo is, he has to be Hiro Sakamoto until he returns to the hotel.

He and Vasily walked to a black sedan (car with trunk behind) waiting. A man came out from the driver's seat and nodded and picked up Kwon Taek Joo's bag and put it in the trunk of the car. Vasily also personally opened the back seat store. He nodded wryly at the warm hospitality and then entered the car. As Vasili sat in the passenger seat and closed the door, the sedan left the airport as if it had been waiting.

Kwon Taek Joo's whole body fell apart because of the long flight. He sat deeply leaning against the chair and closed his eyes for a while. It's a sign to be quiet and don't make unnecessary conversations. But Vasily turned half-heartedly from the front row.

"Are you very tired?"

"Because of the time zone difference, there should be a little."

When Kwon Taek Joo reluctantly answered, he continued to ask how the meal was on the plane, if the seat was comfortable and if the flight attendant was beautiful. Vasily even poured out stories of his experience on the plane. Kwon Taek Joo just listened indifferently and turned his head out the window.

The thick darkness covered the road but it was not impossible to feel the atmosphere in Moscow. No matter where he looked, he saw a Lada car. Indeed, it can be called Russia's new national car. The combination of Starbucks's Emblem and Kiril characters located in the city centre caught his attention. Some passers-by wear long or short shafka. Their necks cringed and their noses were red from the cold protruding outside. I don't know if it's frosty weather or not, but everyone's face is stiff, showing an unapproachable appearance.

"Is it so cold these days?"

Vasily, who was chattering about his trip to Japan, suddenly stopped speaking before the unexpected question. He grinned without disappointment that his story was interrupted.

"It's been pretty good lately. Although it is winter, the temperature is only about minus 15 degrees Celsius. It's really worth living."

His shoulders suddenly shret. Kwon Taek Joo really hates the cold. But anyway, Vasily was excited to talk about a new topic.

"Sometimes some idiots say Moscow is too cold to bear, but that's because they've never been to a really cold place. In Irkutsk and Verkhoyansk, the temperature ranges from -20 degrees to -45 degrees Celsius. Compared to there, isn't Moscow a paradise on earth? Of course it won't be like in Tokyo, will it? I heard that the temperature is always above 0 degrees there, right? If it falls to the negative, there will be people who will froll, right? 'If this happens in Russia, the neighbour's dog will also laugh.'"

Severe weather can sometimes go down to -40 degrees Celsius? Just hearing the story is enough to make Kwon Taek Joo shudder. Vasily then babbled non-stop but nothing came up with the story.

Kwon Taek Joo looked out the window and then suddenly looked around. The speed seemed to decrease and the car stopped completely. It just like that, ran for a while and then stopped again.

He raised his head and looked forward. The cars lined up like a parade so long that it didn't know where it was the end. It seems that his car is stuck at rush hour.

If the plane had arrived on time, this would not have happened. It's all the fault of that damn drunk. Kwon Taek Joo should have beaten him a little harder. Vasily turned to exchange a few sentences with the man in the driver's seat and then turned to Kwon Taek Joo and asked for permission.

"If we continue like this, I don't think we'll be able to move at all, so what about taking a shortcut? This guy knows all the roads in Moscow. It's late at night, so maybe Mr. Sakamoto is very hungry. One way or another, don't you just want to rest after a long flight?"

It's good news worth hearing. Kwon Taek Joo wanted to eat something quickly and then lay down on the bed immediately. He nodded several times to Vasily, who was asking him 'Is it okay?'

As soon as authorised, the driver leaves the long row of vehicles and enters a nearby side road. It's a narrow road that doesn't distinguish between the roadway and the sidewalk, and it's also hard to find a decent street light here. The car went into the dark with headlights. A wild cat rummaging through the trash was startled by the light and ran away.

The driver said he knew the way well, and as expected, he ran around incessantly through the alleys that a car could hardly get through. The distance in a straight line is probably short, but if you don't get lost, it seems that this line will be fast.

It was the moment when Kwon Taek Joo optimistically sat against the back seat.

"..."

He quickly turned his head out the window. There seemed to be a strange object floating somewhere in his sight. He quickly turned his head to look back at the road he had just passed, but there was nothing remarkable. It seems that he saw something like a human shape. Just an illusion? It's hard to be sure because the surroundings are too dark. But Kwon Taek Joo still felt an unpleasant feeling that could not be shaken off right away. He tilted his head and slowly turned around and leaned against the back of the chair. When Vasily asked what was going on, he replied that there was nothing.

He looked outward and suddenly realised something. The car is still travelling on the same road it went too. The buildings are all the same and the alley is so dark that it is impossible to know what lies ahead, but it is unmistakeable. Kwon Taek Joo muttered while looking at the trash can that had just passed by.

"I guess we're lost.

"There's no such thing. We're on the right track."

"No. This is obviously the way just now. The trash on the left is the same as the trash we saw not so long ago, the location of the stain on it, the garbage spilled out and even the lid of the bin was closed just like before. And the building behind it too. Cracks in the exterior wall, the colour of the tiles and the shape of the window frame, even the laundry and flower pots hang all over it. It's no different from what I just saw earlier."

Kwon Taek Joo compares and affirms in detail the scene outside the window with past memories. Vasily listened silently and laughed.

"…Your eyes are so good."

The ironic tone of goodwill and excessive generosity has completely disappeared. Such a rapidly changing attitude is usually never a good thing.

Kwon Taek Joo sensed that strange sign and took out the Colt without hesitation. The sound of loading the clatter resounded and the trigger was pulled in half. He met the man in the driver's seat through the rearview mirror.

"Stop."