The Pursuer -2
The Pursuer -2
"Haaam... Slept well."
I stretched my limbs out on the king-size bed.
The cozy feel of the premium goose down duvet touched my bare skin.
The refreshing feeling was incomparable to the days of curling up to sleep on the narrow bed in the goshiwon.
I groped the space beside me, but it was empty.
Only a single strand of Su-yeon's hair left on the pillow and the faint scent of her perfume proved she had been by my side.
'She's already gone out. Of course, she's a diligent bitch.'
Yesterday at dawn, we rolled around all night.
I tried to let her rest, but Su-yeon stubbornly insisted she had to run around herself.
If she swiped her card for things like pregnancy tests, baby supplies, or ovulation inducers, a record would remain.
If the NIS or intelligence agencies started combing through my surroundings, they might find a lead.
So she went out to procure goods by paying cash, scouring second-hand deals and traditional markets.
'The plane ticket to the U.S. is also a problem.'
A jobless Korean man in his 20s, traveling alone to the U.S. right now?
The probability of black-suited men rushing over at the airport security checkpoint with a beep was 100%.
I might be dragged away with a "Mr. Kim Jun, let's have a little chat with us," and end up drinking a bowl of "crow soup."
So Su-yeon was running around frantically, trying to find a detour route or a business invitation that wouldn't raise suspicion through her connections.
"Hehe, cute."
Suddenly, the image of her last night, snuggling in my arms and acting spoiled, came to mind.
["Junnim... How about these baby shoes?... They're so cute, right? Our baby can wear these later, right?"]
["I'll get ovulation inducers too... I want to have twins... One son who looks like Junnim, one daughter who looks like me..."]
She was excited like a little girl playing house.
I stroked her head and praised her, saying she was admirable.
The fact that a rich, capable woman was desperate to receive my seed doubled my sense of conquest.
I got up from the bed and drew back the curtains.
Warm morning sunlight streamed deep into the bedroom.
In just my underwear, scratching my belly, I went out to the living room.
On the dining table was a covered plate.
"Oh."
When I lifted the cover, there were two sunny-side-up eggs on white rice, along with well-cooked bacon and kimchi.
It was clumsy work, but I could feel the sincerity of her getting up at dawn to stand before the stove for me, a woman who only knew delivery food.
A pink Post-it was stuck next to the plate.
[To my beloved Master♡
Please be sure to eat breakfast. I'll finish my errands and come back quickly.
When you come home at night, I'll make something even more delicious.
I miss you so much. My womb is waiting for you, Master. Mwah!]
At the end, the mark of her red lipstick was clearly stamped.
I let out a snicker at the lewd yet polite message.
"Thanks for the meal, wifey."
I sat at the table and turned on the TV.
News about Studs was still flowing on the news channel.
"Next news. The U.S. government has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 'S-Class Stud' James, who recorded the highest performance in the country. James successfully impregnated 50 women in the past month and, as a reward, received a Boeing 747 private jet and a private island off the coast of California..."
On screen, a man named James was popping champagne surrounded by beauties that rivaled Hollywood actresses.
Behind him, a massive private jet showed off its majesty.
"Kya, as expected from the Land of the Heavenly. The scale is different."
I broke the egg yolks, mixed them with the rice, and marveled.
Rather than receiving paltry support funds and being treated as a public resource in Korea, being treated like a king over there was a hundred times better.
I reaffirmed that my choice wasn't wrong.
While eating, I accessed a community site on a spare burner smartphone.
Title: Hey, you guys hear the news? The government's gone beyond monitoring porn sites now lol (Views: 5234)
Author: ㅇㅇ(121.134)
[Content]
Yesterday my friend tried to go on Pornhub using a VPN and his internet got cut off in 10 minutes lolol
Called the telecom company and they're spouting shit about 'abnormal traffic detected'
Isn't this 100% the NIS monitoring?
Can't even jerk off if you use a VPN when your dick won't even get hard, fuck, it's like a dictatorship level
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ(223.39): For real? I tried to go on HiroMi yesterday and got blocked too
ㅇㅇ(118.235): Yo, but isn't it because they're desperate to find Studs? Trying to find guys who get hard watching porn?
ㅇㅇ(59.11): Writing fiction lol but if it's real, that's fucking scary, is this Big Brother?
ㅇㅇ(211.36): Gotta run away no matter what. This country has no answer.
The comment section was filled with distrust and fear towards the government.
It was too vivid a reality that I had experienced to dismiss as a simple conspiracy theory.
A government hunting down men who had been treated as impotent for three years like catching mice.
"It's not a simple conspiracy theory. They're more than capable of that."
I muttered bitterly.
But a smile spread across my lips.
Because I would soon escape this hell.
I looked at the calendar hanging on one side of the living room.
The dates Su-yeon had marked with a red pen.
Starting today, three days later, a date marked [♡Ovulation Day♡] had a large heart drawn on it.
And one week after that, the words [D-Day Departure] were visible.
"One week."
I just have to hold out until then.
I put the last piece of bacon in my mouth and chewed.
The salty, savory taste spread in my mouth.
It was the taste of freedom.
While eating while looking at the calendar like someone eating rice while staring at dried fish, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
'What if... I just head straight to the U.S. Embassy?'
The U.S. Embassy in Korea located in Gwanghwamun.
Under international law, that place was practically U.S. territory.
Wouldn't it be over if I just passed through the embassy's main gate and shouted, "My sperm is viable! I apply for asylum!"?
Wouldn't the U.S. ambassador welcome me with open arms and even send a helicopter?
I put down my spoon and briefly let my imagination run wild.
A scene of escaping to the embassy in style, like in the movie <The Bourne Identity>.
But I immediately shook my head.
"No. That's suicide."
The Korean government isn't stupid; where would be the first place they'd monitor to prevent the leakage of a Stud?
Obviously, the areas around each country's embassy.
NIS agents were probably stationed 24/7, watching people coming and going with telephoto lenses.
Especially if a 20-something man like me was loitering alone near an embassy?
The probability of being cut off at the entrance or kidnapped by a black van the moment I came out was 99%.
Even if I got lucky and got in.
Was I going to live inside the embassy forever?
I'd eventually have to move to the airport, and the moment an embassy vehicle came out, the Korean police or NIS wouldn't just sit still.
Traffic control, checkpoints, even stoppages disguised as accidents.
There was no way they'd willingly hand over a resource on which the nation's survival depended.
'Just look at the Russian Alexei incident for the answer.'
The reason he had a shootout at Moscow Airport to escape was probably because the embassy route was blocked.
Because a sovereign nation can use force within its own territory, even risking diplomatic friction.
"As expected... quietly, slipping away without anyone knowing is the right answer."
The 'business invitation' cover identity Su-yeon was preparing.
And using VIP channels through her connections.
This was much safer and more certain.
Rather than getting hooked by the flashy bait of an embassy and ending my life, it was better to hold my breath thoroughly and wait for an opportunity.
I downed the remaining orange juice in one gulp.
The sour yet sweet taste went down my throat.
My mind sharpened.
I had to discard any half-baked hero mentality.
Because right now, I was playing hide-and-seek with a giant monster called the state.
Ji-hyeon was staring intently at the laptop screen in the car.
The CCTV video data stolen from the convenience store last night.
Among the several gigabytes of scraped files, the footage from a specific time period was completely gone.
It wasn't simple deletion.
There were traces of so-called 'wiping' - random data overwritten at the sector level.
"Ha, look at this bastard?"
Ji-hyeon's lips twisted.
A mere convenience store part-timer ran a military-grade security deletion tool?
This was 100 percent.
It wasn't the level of deleting it because he got caught watching porn.
There was something at the level of a national secret that he had to perfectly erase his tracks.
"Kim Jun. Born XX year. Military exemption (testicular function cessation). Registered address: Gwanak-gu, Sillim-dong goshiwon."
She pulled up Kim Jun's personal information through the NIS intranet.
A spec so ordinary it was shabby.
But within this ordinariness hid the possibility of the 'S-Class Stud' the whole world was desperately searching for.
Ji-hyeon closed the window and this time searched through women-only communities and anonymous forums for delivery drivers.
Keywords: 'Gangnam', 'Yeoksam-dong', 'man'.
[Title: Wow fuck, Gangnam bitches are rich so they even buy men lol (Views: 892)]
Author: Delivery Rider (Anonymous)
[Content]
Went to deliver to XX Apartment in Yeoksam-dong at dawn yesterday
The orderer was a woman, right? But the one who opened the door was some young guy lol
And he came out wearing just a bathrobe, with kiss marks on his neck super visible.
Women's shoes were scattered inside the house and the atmosphere was weird.
Isn't this 100% a gigolo or male prostitute?
Some rich old maid buying a young guy to play with, I guess. Fuck, I'm jealous.
[Comments]
ㅇㅇ: OMG lol that apartment is over 4 billion won.
ㅇㅇ: What did the guy look like? Handsome?
Author: ㅇㅇ Just a handsome style? But his body was good though.
"Choi Su-yeon..."
Ji-hyeon bit her lip.
Convenience store manager Choi Su-yeon. And part-timer Kim Jun.
The connection between the two was too clear.
If a man was wearing a bathrobe at dawn, they'd already seen everything.
Simple dating? No, considering the sperm test kit that disappeared from that convenience store, there was only one answer.
"Let's go for the confirmation kill."
Ji-hyeon closed the laptop and started the car.
The navigation destination was Gwanak-gu, Sillim-dong.
In the hallway of the old three-story building, a musty mold smell hung in the air.
Ji-hyeon covered her nose and stood in front of room 304.
It was Kim Jun's registered address.
She took a universal lockpick from her pocket and inserted it into the keyhole.
Click.
Just as the door was about to open, the door to room 305 next door swung open.
A middle-aged man with disheveled hair popped out.
"Huh? Who are you? Looking for Jun-i, the bachelor?"
He scanned Ji-hyeon up and down with vacant eyes.
Ji-hyeon subtly showed a forged police officer ID instead of her NIS identification.
"Police. Have you seen Mr. Kim Jun?"
"Police? Hehe, why police? Taking Jun-i away? That guy came, right? Right? I smelled it!"
The man suddenly giggled.
"At night! The smell of night flowers was vibrating from that guy! I smelled it, I tell you! Sniff sniff! It was real semen smell! I asked for some too but he ran away! Hehehe!"
The puzzle pieces fit together perfectly in Ji-hyeon's mind.
The ramblings of a crazy person? No, it was the testimony of a male whose instincts were alive.
Last night, Kim Jun definitely ejaculated.
And in such large quantities that the smell vibrated.
"Thank you. For your cooperation."
Ji-hyeon took advantage of the man's babbling to pick the lock of room 304 and enter.
The room was empty.
The closet door was open, important belongings were gone.
Only a dust-covered mark on the desk proved someone had lived here.
'He ran.'
Ji-hyeon felt a thrill as she looked around the empty room.
Her heart pounded as if it would burst.
This is my chance to turn my life around.
She took out her smartphone and was about to press the Director's number but stopped.
Director Kim's shiny bald head and spittle-flying shouts came to mind.
'What good would reporting do? He'd take all the credit, and I'd just get a "good job" and that's it. At best, a commendation certificate.'
She lowered her phone.
That would be the dumbest choice.
I have to grow this hand myself.
'I'll catch him myself. And blow it up in front of the media. "NIS female agent secures Korea's only Stud."'
Then Director Kim or the like wouldn't dare touch me.
The women's groups and public opinion would make me a hero.
A Blue House dinner would be a given, promotion, reward money... my life would bloom.
'Where did he go.'
She activated the NIS tracking program.
[Location tracking impossible. Last signal: Han River Banpo District]
"Smart bastard. He ditched the phone."
As if she expected it, she changed the target.
[Target: Choi Su-yeon - Real-time location confirmed]
"Bingo."
Ji-hyeon grinned and left the goshiwon.
The prey was a rat in a trap.
Now it was time to go hunting.