“We were both just so busy after we got married.”

  Bitterness seeped into the words of Song Joo-eun as she shook off the burning memories of her first meeting with Lennon.

  “Hmm. I thought you didn’t love me, but were only using me.

  So, I decided I should do the same.”

  Lennon’s calm words cut deep into the heart of Song Joo-eun.

  “What do you mean by that?

  Stop being so unclear and speak to me plainly.”

  Despite her words of frustration,

  fear began to take root in her heart.

  “It’s not like we talk like this often, is it?

  If you have something to say, say it.

  If not, don’t.

  Do you really have to be so sarcastic?”

  She poured out the words she had suppressed deep within her heart for decades, like a dam bursting.

  She wanted to overcome the fear she felt toward her husband.

  It was the perfect chance to vent her long-unresolved feelings.

  In recent years, her husband had become a total stranger to her.

  He arrested Zahir without any explanation and remained silent about the murder of Chapman’s family.

  She only learned he had become the Secretary of Defense from a breaking news report.

  What on earth did she mean to this man?

  “Do you think I didn’t know? That you were snooping through my files.”

  Lennon stared blankly at her for a moment,

  then filled his empty glass and drained it in one go.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  Song Joo-eun flinched.

  She had a guilty conscience.

  Her husband was the head of the CIA,

  the world’s top intelligence agency.

  Unable to contain her curiosity,

  she had secretly peeked at Lennon’s computer whenever she had time.

  But that was all.

  She swore she had never taken or leaked any data.

  Yet, Lennon knew about it.

  Her heart began to race violently once again.

  “Now you’re playing innocent.

  Do you even know when things started to grow distant between us?”

  Song Joo-eun bit her lip and fell into deep thought.

  Married after less than a year of dating,

  they hadn’t been very talkative from the start.

  But it was definitely different when they were newlyweds.

  There was a time when they were so happy just looking at each other.

  “I don’t know. You never answered me even when I asked before, did you? Great.

  Are you finally telling me now?

  How long have you lived hiding those feelings?

  Ten years? Twenty? Impressive.

  Do you have to cut out your emotions like that to work as the Director of the CIA?”

  At her sharp words, Lennon slowly raised his hand.

  For a moment, Song Joo-eun flinched, thinking he might hit her.

  Lennon was merely stretching as if his body were stiff.

  He let out a hollow laugh, as if stunned by his flinching wife.

  “This liquor must be strong. It’s making both of us talk this much.”

  Lennon picked up the whisky bottle,

  checked the label, and set it back down.

  “Zahir Al-Muradi. It’s been since you asked me to help you bring that fellow to the United States.”

  Lennon searched through his jacket pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

  Hiss— the lighter flame flickered, and bitter smoke rose.

  Normally, she would have yelled at him to put it out in disgust,

  but now was not the time.

  “What happened to Dr. Zahir? Is he still alive?”

  Watching Lennon speak about various things, unlike his usual self,

  she hoped that she might finally be able to hear the reason now.

  “Well. That’s not the topic of this conversation.”

  Lennon didn’t even look at her.

  ‘Here he goes again.

  It’s a total habit.

  How on earth do the people working under him stand it?’

  “... Fine. Please tell me later. For now, I’ll do as you want. Go on.”

  “Phuuuuuuu.”

  Lennon blew out a long cloud of smoke.

  Though the gray smoke filling the room made her nose sting and itch,

  Song Joo-eun held her breath and watched his mouth.

  “You must be very curious.

  Seeing how you’re not even stopping me from smoking, which you hate.”

  She didn’t argue.

  Lennon was silent for a moment,

  looking at her as if she were a small child.

  ‘Does he find me annoying?’

  Just as she thought that,

  Lennon’s lips began to move again.

  “I didn’t understand why you insisted on bringing Zahir here.

  But seeing that desperate look in your eyes,

  I had no choice but to help.

  You were truly beautiful back then.”

  Lennon stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray—hard—

  before he’d even smoked half of it.

  His expression froze cold in an instant.

  “But when I used all my connections and information to threaten Hudson at MIT,

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  forced money from business giants,

  and built that massive lab...

  what did you do?

  You just tossed a quick ‘thank you’ at me and went back to your work.

  It was the same when we founded CAI.”

  She couldn’t argue. It was all thanks to her husband, Lennon,

  that she could tell Zahir she would provide everything if he came to the US.

  She remembered meeting Zahir for the first time in Turkey back in ‘96.

  * * *

  “He is essential for making my dream come true.

  Help me, Brian, just as I helped you.”

  “...Do you realize how big of a request that is?

  I have to use everything I have.

  It could ruin me.”

  “Please, I beg you.

  Let me create Artistea with Chapman.

  For that, I need a massive amount of energy.”

  * * *

  “Besides, were you digging through my computer to find out what happened in Gwangju?

  Did you want to know about your brother who died as a child?

  You wouldn’t have found a thing.

  Because I didn't know anything either.

  And why does that even matter?

  Since we got married in ‘95,

  I’ve done my best for your dream of creating Artistea.

  Was CAI founded in 2009?

  I’ve been supporting you for at least fifteen years.”

  She instinctively flinched under Lennon’s gaze,

  which felt like it was stripping her inner thoughts bare.

  “No, was it support, or was I being used?

  Heh. When Dr. Robert Bisnail first introduced you,

  I was the one planning to use you.”

  It was the first time Lennon had poured out his emotions at such length.

  Every word stung her conscience.

  Not a word of it was wrong.

  She had always only been on the receiving end.

  She gave plausible advice to others under the pretense of counseling,

  but she had never even properly thanked her husband.

  “That... I didn’t know you felt that way. I’m sorry.”

  Song Joo-eun couldn’t lift her head.

  Her husband knew everything.

  She was so ashamed she wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

  Though wherever she hid,

  Lennon would have found her if he wanted to.

  “The fact that we had no children during our over thirty years of marriage.

  We used being busy as an excuse, but it’s a shame.”

  ‘Huh? Did Lennon want a child?’

  It was the first time she had ever heard of this.

  She had thought that Lennon didn’t find her attractive.

  She believed his compliments on her beauty or him granting her favors were all just to save face.

  A child—that beautiful word had never sounded as strange as it did now.

  “...When did you find out I was investigating what happened in Gwangju?”

  She quickly changed the subject.

  She thought of Chapman and Grace’s cute daughters.

  Cathy and Kelly.

  Every time she saw those rascals,

  she couldn’t believe they were Chapman’s children.

  ‘To think that Chapman is married and raising kids.’

  But she hadn’t even thought about having a child with Lennon.

  ‘Well, weren’t we both really busy?

  It was even more so after Brian became the director in ‘98.’

  “Do you really think I wouldn’t have investigated the person I was going to marry?”

  Lennon smirked, the corners of his mouth curling up.

  Although she had already been found out,

  she felt a deep fear as Lennon mentioned the word “investigation.”

  ‘Is this how people felt when they dealt with Brian at the CIA?’

  “We just used each other out of necessity.

  You used my power and connections,

  and I got information through you.

  Certainly, Zahir, whom you recommended, was remarkable.”

  It seemed as if Lennon was looking back at his own life.

  Song Joo-eun realized his words were a sad justification to avoid the pain.

  But she had no excuse whatsoever.

  Her reputation and career, built over decades, were of no help.

  Instead, as she realized Lennon’s true feelings,

  a greater sense of guilt washed over her.

  It hurt.

  It hurt a lot.

  “Are you really not going to tell me about Dr. Zahir until the end?”

  She felt like using him until the very end since things had come to this.

  She might have nothing she could do for him.

  But he had something he could do for her.

  “Yes. I won’t tell you. I’m getting tired now.

  I don’t think I’ve spoken this much since my hearing for Secretary of Defense.

  My mood is a mess after drinking strong liquor since morning.

  To think I’m pouring my heart out... I must be getting old, too.”

  Lennon pressed his forehead with a tired expression.

  She saw his graying hair slipping weakly through his fingers.

  She suddenly realized her husband’s age.

  Born in 1959. Soon to be seventy.

  An age that knows the joys and sorrows of life.

  “I suppose so. If we had talked more often, things might have been different.”

  The vast stretch of time that had passed only made them realize

  how difficult it would be to bridge the deep chasm between them.

  “Do you think so?

  Since I’ve talked so much about myself,

  let me ask you one thing.”

  “What is it?”

  Strangely, she no longer felt afraid of her husband.

  Was it because she had caught a glimpse of his pain?

  Or was it because she had nothing left to hide?

  She didn’t know.

  “Was Artistea actually used in Moon White?

  It’s not something Chapman would have done.”

  “Chapman? Do you know how Chapman is doing these days?

  He’s ignoring all my messages.”

  ‘What makes him think it absolutely wasn’t Chapman?

  Isn’t Chapman the only one who has full control over Artistea right now?

  Was there a deal between them?

  No, even so, did they make a deal that Brian would trust? Chapman?’

  Five years had passed since he went into seclusion.

  There was no way Chapman was meeting with anyone.

  Even for her, his oldest friend,

  the only time she had seen him was once, four years ago.

  “Is that so? As expected, you aren’t answering my question.”

  Lennon showed his disappointment.

  Song Joo-eun felt a strange sensation.

  “Ah... I’m sorry...

  As far as I know, the Artistea technology was never handed over.

  So, I don’t know the cause either.

  What happened...

  Besides, now that Karida and Chapman are both gone,

  there is no one on our team capable of handing over Artistea’s source technology to someone else.

  Not to mention we can’t even solve the problems Artistea is causing right now...”

  “Is that so?

  Thank you for telling me.

  I can’t even remember the last time you gave me a proper answer.”

  Lennon let out a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan,

  then stood up from his seat.

  “I’m truly exhausted now.

  I’ve barely slept for the last three days while handling so many things.

  I just want to get some sleep now.”

  He climbed onto the bed and lay down straight away.

  “It’s because of Moon White.

  I’ll look into it, too.

  If I find anything, I’ll tell you.”

  Song Joo-eun covered Lennon with a blanket.

  “Don’t say it if you can’t keep your word.

  Just turn off the light.”

  Lennon pulled up the blanket and turned away.

  Song Joo-eun stood up quietly,

  looking at that lonely back.

  “All right. Since I’m on vacation,

  I’m going on a trip.”

  Perhaps she had been running away all this time.

  She was tired of running now. She vowed to start by accepting rest.

  “You? Where? Do you even have someone to go with?”

  Lennon spoke slowly with bleary eyes.

  He seemed very tired.

  “I’m going to talk to Haru.

  I’m thinking of going to Korea.

  As for the company...

  Robert will manage fine even without both of us.

  Anyway, there’s almost nothing we can do for Artistea right now.”

  “Heh. It’s funny that in a company with all those geniuses from around the world,

  no one can handle Artistea.”

  Lennon’s shoulders shook as he coughed roughly.

  “I agree. Things would change if Chapman came back...

  If you get in touch with Chapman, please help.”

  Song Joo-eun felt pity for Lennon.

  Even as the US Secretary of Defense who made the whole world tremble,

  he was just an old human being.

  “Sigh... You're asking me for help again.

  How long do you think I’m going to keep doing this?

  There was irritation and fatigue in Lennon’s voice.

  Song Joo-eun stopped with her hand on the doorknob.

  “...I’m sorry. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.

  It’s just... There’s no one else I can ask but you...”

  “I’ll think about it...

  Even though we still don’t share all our inner thoughts,

  we have the years of our marriage bond.

  I’ll at least give it some thought.”

  Song Joo-eun pressed the switch and turned off the light.

  “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

  She stood at the door for a moment until Lennon’s steady breathing could be heard in the darkened room.

  The next chapter begins Frank's story.

  Updates will continue every two days.

  Thank you for reading.