Chapter 54. Ryu Yeon-woo and Han Hae-un

On the same day, in Jeju Island.

The cherry blossoms that had bloomed are now falling, and the yellow rape flowers are gradually withering.

A robust man is slowly climbing a hill in Jeju Island.

"So, I am me, but it's not like I'm from a past life or anything..."

He mumbles to himself continuously to sort out his thoughts as he takes slow steps.

This man is the prosecutor Han Hae-un, who collapsed on the day Ryu Yeon-woo won the newcomer award.

Han Hae-un was so confused by the new memories that came to him that day that he took his accumulated leave and came to Jeju Island for a few days of rest.

"I died two years ago..."

It feels like fragmented memories of another person have entered his mind.

What Han Hae-un remembers are the memories of a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent named Baek Yu-hyun.

The most vivid memory that comes to mind is the moment of his death.

It was the same day Han Hae-un died from a cerebral hemorrhage and then came back to life.

While assisting his superior, Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan, in an information-gathering operation inside a safe house in the Middle East, Yu-hyun heard gunshots and explosions through his headphones.

*Chik-chik*.

"Team Leader! Team Leader!"

- ...

No matter how many times he called, Jeon Su-hwan, who was connected via radio, did not respond.

Yu-hyun, sensing something was wrong, hurriedly disposed of the materials he had been investigating separately and opened the door of the safe house to escape, but that was his last moment.

Although Han Hae-un has no memory of it, he speculated that he was probably shot by a sniper who was waiting for him.

Because of the vivid memories, Han Hae-un feels that 'Baek Yu-hyun' is another version of himself.

However, the other memories that come to mind are all fragmented, making it impossible to clearly deduce what operation he was on or what his relationships were with the people in his memories.

The one clear point among these fragmented memories is that the Pilates instructor he was investigating, 'Jeong Hye-min,' was the wife of the deceased Baek Yu-hyun.

"For now, the only clear connection I can investigate is still 'Jeon Su-hwan.'"

During his leave, based on the memories that surfaced, he risked accessing the NIS system using Baek Yu-hyun's access code.

Fortunately, the access code was still active.

He tried to gather clues about Jeon Su-hwan and Baek Yu-hyun, but since it was classified information within the NIS, there was almost no available data.

In a desperate search, he found a document requesting approval for a report.

Upon reviewing the details, it seemed that the report was rejected at some point and did not make it to the higher-ups.

"The public phone in Daejeon, the CCTV analysis result, a 70-year-old man? Unknown whereabouts."

There was no additional information attached to the reported content, and that was all he knew.

However, Han Hae-un was certain.

"Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan, he must have been reborn in someone else's body."

Just like me.

The only 'A' level agent that Baek Yu-hyun knew was Jeon Su-hwan.

There aren't many 'A' level agents within the NIS.

They are the highest-level human intelligence (HUMINT) agents, often referred to as 'black agents.'

They are the leaders of covert operations.

If a report was made using an 'A' level agent's code and it was missing?

That's impossible.

This document must be a request for approval to confirm a report from an agent whose death had already been confirmed.

As soon as he obtained the information, Han Hae-un threw the laptop he used into the sea in Jeju Island.

***

After finishing the scene with Park Kang-woo, Director Park Chan-hong approached the actors who were watching the sunset.

"Everyone, let's wrap this up beautifully."

To shoot the final scene of the movie, the extras responsible for driving, Han So-hyun, Ma Seok-do, and Ryu Yeon-woo boarded the motorboat, and two boats set out to sea.

Once they were a certain distance from the harbor, the director's voice came over the loudspeaker from the adjacent boat.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes!"

"Let's go. Last scene, ready, action!"

The camera started rolling at the director's signal.

The men who had climbed down the ladder boarded the motorboats prepared at the back of the ship.

Jennifer, waiting in the boat, said, "Why did it take so long? The sea breeze can damage your skin."

"What do you mean? It was over in no time."

Pierre shrugged his shoulders in response to Jennifer's grumbling.

"Should I press this?"

At that moment, Kwak Ji-cheol lifted the switch and asked Pierre.

"No. I can't let you take the best part."

Pierre snatched the switch, lifted it high, and pressed it.

*Boom*.

The explosives set up by the 'junk shop' team members exploded, and the unmanned bridge of the ship was destroyed.

"Ugh!"

The people on the boat simultaneously ducked their heads at the sound and heat of the explosion.

Of course, the explosion scene would be added with CGI later.

At the same time, the scene of Park Kang-woo collapsing, which was shot earlier, would be inserted.

"Wow, the firepower is amazing."

"Who are you kidding? The 'junk shop' uncle is always precise."

The boat set out to sea.

"Bro, where should I drop you off?"

Pierre Choi asked Kwak Ji-cheol.

Kwak Ji-cheol answered with an ambiguous expression.

"I don't know."

Seeing this, Jennifer laughed.

*Ahaha*.

"Hmm, I knew it. This uncle is hooked on the operation?"

Jennifer poked Kwak Ji-cheol's side with her elbow, as if she knew everything.

Seeing this, Pierre smiled.

"Tell me when you want to get off. No one will say anything if you don't."

The boat headed toward the sunset, leaving a lingering impression.

*Chik-chik*.

Director Park Chan-hong's radio transmission reached Yeon-woo's boat.

- Okay, cut! 'Master Plan' shooting complete!

At Han Hae-un's home in Busan.

"Even though I confirmed he's alive, how can I find a black agent who is deliberately hiding?"

Although it's just a guess, Han Hae-un believes that Jeon Su-hwan is alive, just like him.

However, he can't find any leads.

At that moment, an advertisement on the TV, which he had turned on to avoid the silence, caught his attention.

- The musical 'Dejanodor,' which has moved the world, is coming to Korea soon...

"Dejanodor?"

Han Hae-un instinctively looked at the TV.

It was a word he had definitely heard in the conversations with Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan in his dreams.

Although Team Leader Jeon usually didn't talk much, he showed particular interest in movies and musicals.

Among them, 'Dejanodor' was a musical that Team Leader Jeon said he would watch whenever he had the chance in the countries where he was stationed.

Han Hae-un tried to recall the contents of the dream, which were faint and elusive.

***

"Then, you must be a repeat viewer, Team Leader?"

- Repeat viewer? They call it that these days.

Baek Yu-hyun, seemingly bored, kept talking to Jeon Su-hwan.

"What is the charm of that musical?"

- Charm...

After a brief pause, Jeon Su-hwan continued.

This was probably the longest sentence Baek Yu-hyun had ever heard from Jeon Su-hwan.

- In 'Dejanodor,' the female protagonist, who is pessimistic about her love, stabs herself with a knife and dies. At that moment, all human emotions flash across her face. It's incredible to watch from the highest terrace on the right.

***

"Right terrace!"

Han Hae-un turned on his laptop and accessed the ticketing site.

"If Team Leader saw it, it must have been the opening performance."

Han Hae-un quickly booked a ticket.

After his leave ended, Han Hae-un focused on finding Jeon Su-hwan in his free time, apart from handling cases at work.

He believed that Jeon Su-hwan, like himself, had miraculously been reborn in someone else's body on the day they both died and he came back to life.

However, the amount of data to search nationwide was too vast, so he started with Daejeon, where the report had been submitted.

"Ah, did I get it wrong?"

Perhaps because Daejeon is a city of transportation, people from other regions might have moved there.

No matter how much he searched, he couldn't find anything.

Since Ryu Yeon-woo's suicide attempt due to bullying happened in Seoul, it was difficult to find a connection to Daejeon afterward.

***

After two weeks, Han Hae-un went to the National Theater to see the musical 'Dejanodor.'

Or rather, to find 'Jeon Su-hwan.'

Han Hae-un arrived 30 minutes early and entered the theater.

"May I check your ticket?"

"Here it is."

Han Hae-un handed his ticket to the staff.

"Enjoy the show."

Han Hae-un headed straight to the highest terrace, the 3rd floor B section, as Jeon Su-hwan had mentioned.

The terrace was still empty.

"Ah... I hope this isn't a waste of time."

He came here with the hope of grasping at straws.

Of course, there was no guarantee that Team Leader Jeon would come, or that he had been reborn like himself.

Even if he met Team Leader Jeon, it wouldn't necessarily solve anything.

He just came here, guided by fate.

About ten minutes later, a middle-aged woman entered the terrace.

The terrace could seat five people.

"Maybe he didn't reincarnate as a man."

Han Hae-un tried to observe the woman discreetly.

She was wearing quite elegant clothes, but she seemed like an ordinary middle-aged woman.

"Mom."

A young woman entered next.

"Did you park well?"

"Yes, the parking lot was spacious."

The daughter sat next to her mother, and then a middle-aged man with a slight belly entered.

"Is this the dad?"

Han Hae-un thought they might be a family because the woman who entered first was around the same age.

However, the man passed by and sat next to Han Hae-un, suggesting they weren't together.

Judging by the empty seat between the middle-aged woman and Han Hae-un, he seemed to be a solo viewer.

"Could this be him? He looks older than Team Leader Jeon."

Han Hae-un had reincarnated as someone around his own age, but there was no guarantee that Jeon Su-hwan had done the same.

As the performance time approached, he looked down and saw that the 1st and 2nd floor seats were filling up, and the lights in the theater were gradually dimming.

"Besides me, there are only three others? The most likely candidate is the middle-aged man next to me."

There was no choice but to take a gamble.

The theater grew darker, and everyone quieted down, focusing on the stage.

At that moment, Han Hae-un started speaking in a loud voice that everyone in the 3rd floor terrace could hear.

"Team Leader Jeon Su-hwan, do you remember when we were lost in the desert near Yazd, and the GPS stopped working?"

The incident in the desert near Yazd, a city in central Iran, where their Humvee broke down and the GPS malfunctioned.

*Ahem*!

The middle-aged man next to him coughed, signaling Han Hae-un to be quiet.

"Wasn't the desert on the last day also very cold? I'm Baek Yu-hyun."

"Please be quiet, the show is about to start."

The middle-aged man scolded Han Hae-un, and the mother and daughter next to him stared at him with puzzled expressions.

"Maybe I was wrong."

Just as he was about to apologize, a cold, hard object touched his neck.