Chapter 55. Finally, the Encounter

'Is it a pistol...?'

Han Haeun, unable to turn his head abruptly, stood frozen.

"Don't turn your head. Come to the underground parking lot, level 5, F-7 after the first act ends."

Han Haeun was surprised by the voice of a younger man than he expected.

*Bang*.

At that moment, the music signaling the start of the musical echoed loudly throughout the theater, and Han Haeun immediately turned around, but there was already no one there.

***

Ryu Yeonwoo's heart raced as he descended the stairs.

The figure that appeared behind Han Haeun, making him think it was a pistol pointed at him, was actually Ryu Yeonwoo holding a car smart key to his neck.

"Why...? Why?"

Even as he descended the stairs quickly, Yeonwoo considered numerous scenarios.

Unlike his previous life, where he was the unflappable Jeon Suwan, he now felt more emotions and was more accustomed to his life as Ryu Yeonwoo.

His rapidly beating heart seemed to prove it.

However, the seasoned skills of a special agent, honed over 20 years, were not lost.

Yeonwoo hurried to level 5 of the underground parking lot, checked the escape routes in case of an emergency, and re-inspected his cap and mask.

*Thud* *Thud*.

Time passed, and Yeonwoo, hiding behind a pillar, saw the young man, his target, walking towards him.

"Stop."

Han Haeun stopped at Ryu Yeonwoo's command.

"Is it really you, Team Leader Jeon Suwan?"

His voice was slightly strained.

"When Baek Yuhyeon arrived in Tehran, what was the name of the hotel he stayed at?"

A question devoid of emotion came from behind the pillar.

"It wasn't a hotel. He went directly to the embassy."

As soon as he answered, the next question followed.

"When the Humvee and GPS were both broken, how did you return to Yazd?"

"I wouldn't know. Team Leader, you navigated by the stars. You're not Columbus, you know."

Han Haeun quickly continued before the next question could be asked.

"But, Team Leader, I understand your suspicion, but my memory isn't fully back yet. It's fortunate that I remember what you asked..."

"Last question. What did I say before I died?"

Han Haeun smiled bitterly at the final question.

"Eventually, if you stay in the field too long, you'll be eaten. But I didn't stay that long, and I was still eaten."

"You're wrong."

A slender man walked out from behind the pillar.

"I said I was cold and needed to wrap myself in a blanket."

"No, that was something you said to yourself."

Ryu Yeonwoo slowly walked forward and extended his hand.

Han Haeun stared at the hand for a moment before firmly gripping it.

Tears flowed uncontrollably.

Suddenly, memories of another person flooded his mind, and he would occasionally collapse.

Days of investigating alone, with no one to rely on, and wondering if he had developed a mental illness as he gradually merged with Baek Yuhyeon, had been difficult for Han Haeun.

"You don't know how much I struggled to find you, Team Leader."

Ryu Yeonwoo patted Han Haeun's broad back.

"Um, you weren't this kind, were you?"

Han Haeun's comment made Ryu Yeonwoo chuckle.

"New wine in new bottles, a new life should be lived anew."

Then, suddenly, Yeonwoo's expression hardened.

"But, you shouldn't have died."

"Yes, I think so too. I'm still young, unlike Team Leader."

Ryu Yeonwoo shook his head.

"That's not what I mean."

Han Haeun looked at him again, surprised by Yeonwoo's firm tone.

"Yuhyeon, what was your last memory before you died?"

"Um, I heard gunshots through the speaker, and when Team Leader didn't respond, I followed the manual and destroyed the documents and tried to escape by opening the door. That's my last memory."

Ryu Yeonwoo, who heard this, stroked his masked chin and said,

"You shouldn't have died. The place you were in wasn't just a safe house. It was a place I created myself. Within the National Intelligence Service, fewer than ten people know its address."

Han Haeun, realizing something, was surprised.

"That means..."

"Let's move to a different location first."

Ryu Yeonwoo looked around the pillars and ceiling, aware of the CCTV, and took the lead.

Han Haeun quietly followed.

*Click*.

When Ryu Yeonwoo pressed the car key, the lights of a P company car in the corner of the parking lot turned on.

"Wow, did you reincarnate as the youngest son of a wealthy family, Team Leader?"

Ryu Yeonwoo, who heard this, turned around and chuckled.

"What wealthy family? I'm the eldest son of an ordinary family. Get in the car."

As soon as he got in the car, Yeonwoo turned off the black box.

Han Haeun, who followed, asked,

"But, how old did you reincarnate as, Team Leader? You look young."

Ryu Yeonwoo, looking at Han Haeun, took off his cap and mask.

"Oh, wow..."

He muttered, "I've seen you somewhere," and marveled at his chiseled face.

Ryu Yeonwoo, not Jeon Suwan, extended his hand again.

"I need to introduce myself again. In this life, I'm an actor, Ryu Yeonwoo."

"Ah! The rising star...?"

Han Haeun, who remembered that the prosecutor's office's Yun Jihye had been deeply engrossed in watching YouTube videos of her favorite actor during lunchtime, also shook Ryu Yeonwoo's hand formally.

"I'm a prosecutor at the Busan Western District Prosecutors' Office, Han Haeun."

"Hmm, it's you? The House of Love and Hope."

Yeonwoo nodded, recalling their previous conversation.

"Haha, at that time, I only had fragmented memories and couldn't make sense of anything."

Han Haeun, looking at Yeonwoo's face illuminated by the parking lot lights, marveled.

"Wow, did you save the country in your previous life, or...? Oh, you did."

Han Haeun nodded, seeing his former team leader, who had been reborn with a blessed face, unlike his own somewhat stern face.

Han Haeun, who had heard about the cases solved by Team Leader Jeon Suwan, which were legendary and part of the training materials he received when he joined the National Intelligence Service in his previous life, nodded.

Yeonwoo chuckled at Han Haeun's words.

"You're still the same, making silly jokes."

"Really, you've changed a lot. This is the first time I've seen you smile, Team Leader."

Actually, Han Haeun didn't know, but the Yeonwoo he was seeing now was even brighter than before.

Today, he was more like his former self, Jeon Suwan, because of the encounter with an old acquaintance.

"Anyway, you said your memory is inconsistent. What do you mean by that?"

In response to Yeonwoo's question, Han Haeun recounted the events and memories that had resurfaced so far.

Han Haeun felt his mind becoming clearer after finally sharing his struggles with someone.

Yeonwoo, listening to Han Haeun's story, fell into thought.

'Why is it different from my case?'

Yeonwoo sometimes thought that his own personality becoming brighter could be influenced by the original owner of this body, the high school student Ryu Yeonwoo.

Despite suffering from bullying and depression to the point of attempting suicide, his younger brother Sohyun said he was actually a bright and kind older brother.

"Hmm, maybe it's a difference in mental strength...?"

"Excuse me?"

To Han Haeun's question, Yeonwoo explained his hypothesis.

Originally, Ryu Yeonwoo's self was weakened by bullying, so when the strong self of Jeon Suwan entered, it had little effect. However, in Han Haeun's case, his strong self as a prosecutor clashed with Baek Yuhyeon's self, leading to a gradual fusion, according to the hypothesis.

"Um, that makes sense."

Yeonwoo had to share some personal information to explain his hypothesis and share information.

Although he didn't fully trust Han Haeun yet, he knew that even if Han Haeun told others about reincarnation, no one would believe him.

"But, the question is, why us two?"

In response to Yeonwoo's question, Han Haeun answered,

"I think it's a mission given by God."

"I didn't know you were such a devout religious person?"

Yeonwoo slightly distanced himself in the car.

Han Haeun, taken aback, waved his hands.

"No, it's not that. I mean the 'Heaven' in the national anthem. The heavens, the earth, the spirits... that kind of thing..."

Yeonwoo smiled quietly at Han Haeun's flustered response.

"You're joking. Ha, I can't get used to your changed personality."

Putting the joke aside, Yeonwoo spoke seriously.

"The fact that we both died means there's a high probability that someone intentionally interfered within the National Intelligence Service."

"Yes, and it's someone in a high position."

Yeonwoo nodded in agreement with Han Haeun.

"It could be a group, not just an individual. In my previous life, I wasn't interested in the internal power struggles within the National Intelligence Service, but there were a few people who raised my suspicions."

When Yeonwoo finished speaking, Han Haeun asked a question he had been curious about.

"Team Leader, have you ever reported through a payphone in Daejeon?"

"Hmm? How did you know that?"

Han Haeun explained how he came to know this information.

After listening, Ryu Yeonwoo shook his head.

"That was a very dangerous move, accessing the database with the old code key."

"It was that desperate... "

"That report was about our last mission. I intended to use it to sever ties with my previous life."

"Ah, the illegal arms trade by the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau?"

Yeonwoo nodded at Han Haeun's response.

"You said you didn't remember well?"

"Haha, I now remember most of the operation in Iran. It appears in my dreams every day."

"The information I obtained was a name. 'Baek Sol.' At the time, I thought it was the name of a Reconnaissance General Bureau agent, but now I wonder if it might not be a person's name at all."

Han Haeun nodded, repeating the word 'Baek Sol.'

"I'll start investigating from there."

"It's too dangerous to do it the same way. As you know, the eyes of the National Intelligence Service are everywhere in this country."

Yeonwoo took out a notebook from the dashboard and wrote down a man's name and a code.

"You said your base is in Busan, right? Find this person and ask for information. Since my death is a secret, you can use the name 'Jeon Suwan' without any problems."

"Understood, Team Leader."

Yeonwoo chuckled at Han Haeun's salute.

"I'm not a team leader anymore. I'm just a dreamy actor."

He then stared at the word 'Baek Sol' written in the notebook and continued.

"Whoever used us, I won't tolerate it. But for now, accept and enjoy your new life. After all, Baek Yuhyeon and Han Haeun are ultimately all you."

Han Haeun nodded, promising to be as careful and slow as possible.

At that moment, while the two were talking in the underground parking lot,

Ryu Yeonwoo's name was plastered all over the entertainment section of the Korean news.