When Kwon Taek Joo came to visit, Salman had just removed the tape. The doctor in charge repeated that he was not completely cured, so he should absolutely not abuse him. The doctor pointed out after being promised by Salman that he would obey. Salman looked at Kwon Taek Joo and slowly moved his arm.
"The nurse said she hadn't seen you since dawn. Where did you go?"
"Are you really going to end it like this?"
As soon as he was asked, Salman did not answer, but just stopped to stare at Kwon Taek Joo and shrugged.
"What if it's not over?"
"If you complete the mission this time, what benefits will you get?"
"You are so ridiculous. What's the use of that?"
"Tell me, maybe it can be useful."
Salman looked at Kwon Taek Joo with a puzzled look. For some reason, Kwon Taek Joo looks very excited. Did something happen last night?
He hummed in response thinking that if he ignored it, he would be more disturbed.
"We will receive independent funding."
"From the Chechen side?"
*Chechnya is a Russian republic, located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, near the Caspian Sea.
He nodded to the next question. Zhenya said that a Russian participated in this operation to get the blueprint of 'Anastasia'. He said it was a very business to commit, but it was hard to believe. Since it will be so dangerous that it will risk its life, and even if the mission is completed, it will also be a semi-water bridge of honour. Surely Salman's story is much more convincing than someone who already has the same rights as him.
It is understandable that Zhenya and Salman know each other. His 'FSB' is periodically monitoring the movement in Chechnya. An Alpha unit was even stationed in Chechnya on the pretex of preventing unrest. It is possible to guess the extent of Salman's influence if South Korea and the US communicate privately with each other and even involve them in operations. It will be a thorn in the eyes of the Russian government and even Zhenya is no different from their natural enemy.
However, after knowing Salman's true identity, a question arised. Chief Lim instructed the security of Anastasia's blueprint if possible. The same request will be made to Salman. Then when the design falls into the hands of the two of them, who will own it? Korea sends Kwon Taek Joo? Or did the U.S. trade with Salman?
"If we get Anastasia, what happens next?"
The next moment, Salman suddenly pulled out his gun. A black gun aimed at Kwon Taek Joo.
"I have one more task."
Salman's expression stiffened. His clear eyes glued to Kwon Taek Joo did not fall, not even his outstretched arms were not swaying. It's the gaze of a sniper. A story reappears in Kwon Taek Joo's mind when faced with a cold face that seems to want to pull the trigger before his eyes.
"Anyway, do you think you're hated over there? Did the place called the National Intelligence Service send you my photo by mistake? ...There's no such thing."
At that time, Kwon Taek Joo did not pay too much attention to what he said. He couldn't even afford to consider that.
"It's like you know the corruption of your superiors that they can't reveal."
It's just Zhenya's guess, but on this occasion it's good to confirm it.
"Is that a directive from the US side? Or Korea?"
"I can't say it."
"Can't you even fulfil the wish of a dying person?"
Kwon Taek Joo convinces. Salman, who didn't seem to move even by a needle, lowered his gun and smiled.
"The story is over, what are you asking for?"
"Because it's over, I just asked."
"If you really want to know, it's a directive from Korea. The US side will operate independent funding, now I'm quite curious, what the hell did you do in your hometown? 'What did you do that you were sent all the way here and almost killed?'''
"That's it. I also want to know."
Salman threw a puzzled look. In fact, even Kwon Taek Joo doesn't understand why he became the object of elimination. He thought about returning to Korea and asked for a reason.
But there is another more important thing than now. Kwon Taek Joo remembers the reason he went to see Salman. He hadn't fully organised his thoughts yet, so his story became headless and tailless.
"Zhenya... No, that Psych shot and killed a politician at a party at his house. I thought he would be wanted right away but in the end nothing happened. If you are officially invited to the Bogdanov mansion, aren't you quite powerful? How is that possible?"
"If it were the news, I would have heard it. It's hard to believe, but they are Bogdanov."
"So he revealed the state secret when he knew I was a foreign spy? Is that also because they are Bogdanov?"
"A state secret? It depends on the severity."
"I heard that Russia is developing a new type of ballistic missile. Like 'SS-29'? There was a serious error but a North Korean engineer recently came and solved the problem. I thought it was 'Anastasia'. That's why I chased him all the way to Olkhon Island."
Salman listened silently, looking puzzled. Even though he knows that the enemy is an agent of another country, he (Zhenya) still brings the enemy to a party and even kills an influential politician because it seems that revealing secrets related to the latest weapon is not enough. In addition, he did not hesitate to act against the country when he became a colleague of Kwon Taek Joo.
But Salman also didn't hear that Zhenya had been disciplined or reprimanded at all. Even if you are a member of the Bogdanov family, can you not be affected like that? Salman's face was sceptical, Kwon Taek Joo offered a possibility.
.There must be a reason why no matter what he does, no one can touch him?"
"No matter what you do, you can't touch it?"
"Like, He has Anastasia."
Salman was surprised by the sudden inferences and then quickly countered as vigourously as it was absurd.
"It's impossible. It is a weapon that Russia and North Korea have been diligently researching for many years. There's no way they let a boy under 30 years old take over."
Kwon Taek Joo gives the document he brings to Salman, brief articles on various incidents and accidents.
"All of the people who have died listed are people who have been involved in the development of 'Anastasia'. Coincidentally, they all died on the same day, in an inevitable accident or in a way that the cause of death was unknown."
"Do you mean this is completely murderous?"
"If all Psych says is true, think about it and try it. 'Anastasia', what will happen if the development process fails. Russia and North Korea had hoped that the news would not leak out. A unique lethal weapon. With the title alone, the unfinished 'Anastasia' has worried the whole world. The fact that you and I face each other like this is proof. On the contrary, if 'Anastasia' cannot be completed, the consequences are not limited to its failure, but even the inherent power of 'Anastasia' will be damaged, even if it develops again later, it is difficult to be considered as important as before. Maybe that's why they try to cover up not only the research results but also the fact that they have started to redevelop it. To do that, they will have to suppress those who know the identity and development of 'Anastasia'."
Salman's eyebrows pulled closer together. Kwon Taek Joo looked at his suspicious eyes and nodded in conclusion.
"All of them were killed so that No one can reveal that Anastasia's development has failed and no one can develop such a weapon again."
Salman sighed sighed.
"They had to deal with dozens of people in a short time without leaving any clues. Who was in charge of that?"
"If that's the case, of course FSB..."
"They can't send anyone away because this is a special situation."
When Kwon Taek Joo mentioned that, only one person appeared in Salman's mind. He was the only member of Unit Alpha 3, a special unit of the 'FSB' and the third son of the Bogdanov family, who provided a huge amount of money for the development of 'Anastasia'. There seems to be no other person more suited for the final stage of research, the purge mission.
Perhaps the government intends to wipe out Zhenya and his family as soon as he returns from completing all the work. But they couldn't. The Bogdanov family has survived ever since. No, their influence seems to be a lot stronger than before. That's the most confusing part. After all, why did the Kremlin hold such a time bomb?
Perhaps the reason is Zhenya. For example, if he didn't completely follow the instructions to slaughter all the developers and even remove the blueprint, or if the failed blueprint fell into Zhenya's hands and assumed he had found the cause of the problem based on his extensive knowledge of his weapons, the answer came up. It is said to be a weapon powerful enough to rebalance global hegemony. If it were in Zhenya's hands, not even the Kremlin could do anything to him. They had no choice but to turn a blind eye no matter what he did.
"But that's just your speculation..."
Salman intended to protest but Kwon Taek Joo offered something else. It's a local newspaper in Irkutsk that was published yesterday. Highlighting on the front page is a short article about a mysterious body found in Lake Baikal with a photo attached. The unidentified dead person is believed to be an Asian and was found with torn limbs. Since there is no evidence of the use of blades to destroy the body, it is temporarily concluded that the body was attacked by a fierce beast.
Salman's face was bewildered after reading the article.
"What about this?"
"This is Hong Yeo Wook, a North Korean engineer called in to fix the error of 'SS-29'. I saw him at the Bogdanov family villa. And..."
"And?"
"Anastasia's list of developers also includes his father."
"What do you mean?"
"Hong Yeo Wook came here not only to fix 'SS-29' but also to meet Psych. Sergei will call Bogdanov's family and government officials after the device problem is fixed. It really is, and he probably recognised Psych from the moment he stepped on the train across Siberia. They just pretend they don't know each other. We finally met again at Sergei's villa on the island of Olkhon, and I wondered if the situation would be reversed when he tried to avenge his deceased father. Looking back, it seems that Hong Yeo Wook often pays attention to Psych."
If Hong Yeo Wook had no other reason to attack Zegna, his death would prove the speculations from now. Kwon Taek Joo's head, which was full of complicated thoughts, was smooth.
Kwon Taek Joo confidently asked Salman, who was just reading the newspaper.
"Let's cooperate. Then I will help you get the promised support money."
Kwon Taek Joo is full of confidence in his tone and expression. Is there any place for Salman to trust? After a while, he looked at Kwon Taek Joo shaking his head.
"I told you, didn't I? The headquarters's support ends at the cost of the hospital."
"I don't need support from the headquarters."
"What are you talking about? What would you do with a weak body and no support?"
"Don't worry. You can move better now, right? You don't have to worry about weapons either."
"That's not the only problem. What he was trying to do was a single act outside the campaign. If you fail, it's the end, and if you're not lucky, you'll die. Do you think the headquarters will pick up your body?"
"Did you prepare for all that when you came here?"
"That's right. But the situation at that time was much better than it is now. Why don't you stop and face reality? They already know who we are. If we are noticed, we will be followed immediately. Also I don't even know where that damn 'Anastasia' is."
"Let's see. About how to defeat the immortal Koshichei, that Psych guy has already told me about it."
"Where is that again?"
"I think I know where the design is."
Kwon Taek Joo assures that by opening the satellite image that he has been wearing since now. It seems to be Bogdanov's villa. Salman had seen it once before, so he was familiar with it. But what does this mean? Salman's expression became more confusing.
Kwon Taek Joo points to the different places in the photo and tells a surprise story.
"Psych says there's an uninhabited castle in a large body of land, and there's no way to get there, whether it's horseback riding or walking and that I can't get there if it's not a fish or a flying beast. In that story, the vast land seems to mean the estate, and the uninhabited castle seems to mean the Bogdanov mansion. Psych has previously told a similar story, that their mansion is twice as secure and the supervision is very tight, so I can't get in without going through official visitation procedures."
On the night of the secret party held at Bogdanov's mansion, Zhenya said so.
"Isn't this a strange place? Now it's so crowded, but normally there is no one."
Kwon Taek Joo ignored it at the time because it was a meaningless word but he didn't expect it to be a great suggestion like this. Of course he was still not 100% sure. Kwon Taek Joo is just trying to connect each small piece as if stacking a puzzle together.
"And there is a very tall old tree growing in the castle, they say that the age of the tree is equal to the age of Koshichei. Bogdanov's villa is decorated with many garden trees, but only four birch trees are planted around the corners. Since ancient times, the Slavs planted a young birch tree when a child was born, right? Coincidentally, there are 4 children in the Bogdanov family and there is a villa on the south side of those trees. So the 'big jewellery box' placed on the south side of the tree must mean the building itself. Each room that fills it is a 'small jewellery box'.
Intersecting lines are drawn on satellite images to divide the building into a set of small squares. Each square represents a room.
"Psych said that there is a jewellery box that everyone is looking for, but it is neither too much nor too little compared to other boxes. If there is a design of 'Anastasia' somewhere in the villa, I think it will be right there. He said that Koshichei's heart may or may not be in it. That means that even if you find the room, you are not sure to find the design right away, right? There must be a special device or something similar in the room."
"So, did Psych tell you where such a design is?"
Salman was sceptical. Kwon Taek Joo nodded instead of the answer. A sigh came from Salman.
"Hey, sober up. What did he think to reveal such information?"
"I don't know about that either, but he has never revealed false information. He is always so complacent."
Kwon Taek Joo was not discouraged by the sincere advice. He made an attractive offer to Salman.
"I won't force you to do it with me. If you don't care or are not interested, you can refuse, but I can't give you much time, so decide quickly. If there really is a design there, I will give it to you."
Salman remained silent. Dangerous and reckless. But he didn't want to give up right away either. Salman could not leave empty-handed after such a defeat.
"Are you sure there's a blueprint in that room?"
Salman did not give up doubts until the end. Kwon Taek Joo shrugged.
"When I broke into Bogdanov's villa, I saw one of the rooms. Everyone was at the party so all the lights in the room were on, all the curtains were pulled down. But only the curtains in that room were wide open. There are no furniture in the room, nor are there people living. Of course it may just be a coincidence. So I searched for more pictures of the villa. Visible at a glance. All year round, day or night, that room is always lit. Whether the weather is nice or not, the curtains are always open. Recalling the memory of that room, it seemed suspicious. I was a little confused at the time, so I snooped in front of the window of the room, my shadow fell on the floor and something glittered, even if it was fleeting. Maybe it's moonlight, but it's different from moonlight. There's something in that room."
The conversation between Kwon Taek Joo and Zhenya at that time also came to his mind clearly.
"Why are you climbing in that place?"
When he looked at Kwon Taek Joo climbing outside the 3rd floor, he said so clearly. He wondered if he would mind him wandering in front of that room.
Kwon Taek Joo stared at Salman as if he had finished what needed to be said. Salman, who was nervous, suddenly stood up and took the gun.
"I'm really crazy too."