Joint Operation
“Oppa!”
“Yerin-ah!”
I watched the siblings reunite right in front of my eyes and let out a bored sigh. Sure, this guy hadn't been any help in digging up info on the Back World factions, but from what I'd heard, he was still a rogue assassin with a functioning brain. He'd risked his life to save his little sister, so Jin Yeon-ah had decided it was fine to let him see her. That's how this sappy reunion happened.
I glanced at Jin Yeon-ah standing beside me as I endured the whole thing.
“So, miss, you done interrogating those four?”
“Yeah, got word about an hour ago that it was finished. I already sent the info to Central, and the Execution Team hauled them off for now.”
“Mind filling me in on what they said?”
“Of course. I brought the report with me on the way here.”
At my request, she handed over a few loose A4 sheets that weren't even in a binder. What I read there was pretty damn interesting.
The faction that kidnapped these kids was based in the An-san area—specifically, the old industrial zone. And the reason they'd snatched the kids? A real jaw-dropper.
“Selling kids overseas? I knew it, but these bastards really went all the way.”
According to the interrogation, some overseas lab had specifically requested children, so they'd been targeting hard-to-trace kids. All the ones nabbed this time fit that profile. Would've been nice if there was more intel, but unfortunately, these were all low-level grunts. They didn't know which country the lab was in or how the faction really operated.
But if the grunts didn't know, the higher-ups sure as hell did. My thoughts reached that point, and I lifted my gaze to meet Jin Yeon-ah's.
“Miss, you already know this, but we need to move fast. Their faction isn't stupid—they'll know we've got a lead on them by now.”
“Before they can run, right?”
“Yeah. If we don't nab them today, the key players will all be gone.”
“Right, probably. That's why I called in some backup to speed things up.”
She nodded knowingly at my words.
“Backup...?”
“You'll see.”
I tilted my head at her vague answer, and she grinned before starting to walk.
Click—
She suddenly opened the hospital room door and stepped out. I hurried after her, and she pointed down the hall at someone approaching.
Following her finger, I spotted a familiar face: Seo Do-hyun, the office worker who'd guided me when I first arrived at Baek Ya-seong and before I became an official exclusive assassin. I still remembered her clearly. But Jin Yeon-ah's finger wasn't pointing at her—it was the woman following right behind.
“Who's that?”
She wore all black like my suit, but hers was more like military gear than a uniform. The high-end tech weapons on her belt screamed she wasn't from some ordinary outfit. Her short black bob and blank expression made her look even icier. And those eyes—like she'd killed hundreds. Spotting a kindred spirit in that gaze, I tensed up a bit.
Step, step—
Her footsteps halted in front of us. She glanced between me and Jin Yeon-ah before locking eyes with Jin Yeon-ah.
“Pleased to meet you, Jin Yeon-ah-nim. I'm Min Si-hyeon, leader of Central's Direct Execution Team.”
“Nice to meet you too. As you probably know, I'm Baek Ya-seong's third daughter, Jin Yeon-ah.”
Central Direct Execution Team. I'd heard of them back in training. Central's Direct Forces were like Baek Ya-seong—blades wielded by Central. If we were the stealthy daggers for covert ops, they were an arsenal for every situation. The Execution Team? Straight-up hammers that crushed enemies. Elite bodies, combat nerves, and tech that wiped out anyone Central didn't like. Rumor was they cherry-picked the best from the military.
And the woman in front of me, Min Si-hyeon, led them.
As I sized her up, her gaze shifted from Jin Yeon-ah to me.
“……”
“……”
Our eyes met for a moment. She'd probably judged me the same way I'd judged her—recognized a real threat. My mind flashed through how I'd take her down if she were an enemy.
But this was an ally meet-up. I shoved those thoughts aside and extended my hand first.
“Jin Yeon-ah's exclusive assassin, Baek Se-rin. Looking forward to working with you.”
“As I said, leader of Central Direct Execution Team, Min Si-hyeon. Likewise.”
Grasp—
Her calluses matched mine—hands of someone who'd never let go of their weapon. After a solid five-second shake, I released and spoke up, piecing together what Jin Yeon-ah had meant by calling in backup to hurry things along.
“Miss, calling in Central Direct means... a joint op?”
“Spot on. No need to turn this into an official mission and jump through hoops to get it assigned back to us.”
“Bringing in a Central overseer to keep an eye on things.”
“Exactly.”
Kidnapping and selling kids overseas was straight-up crime, ethically fucked, but not big enough for Central to jump immediately. Normally, we'd report it, they'd make it a mission, and assign it back to us. But for urgent cases like this, we could borrow Direct Forces for a “joint operation” and skip the bullshit.
Of course, Central had to approve, but Baek Ya-seong's rep could handle a request like this no sweat.
“Faction's about 230 strong. Would've been tough solo, but with Execution Team, we're handling it ourselves from Baek Ya-seong.”
“Got it. So, what's the plan?”
“We've drafted one. Based on the intel from you, Jin Yeon-ah-nim, bodycam footage, and site layouts. Let's review it together.”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
She'd come prepared with a basic framework. I followed Jin Yeon-ah and Min Si-hyeon to the briefing room.
One of Baek Ya-seong's dozen-plus briefing rooms was packed with everyone for the op. Our side: Jin Yeon-ah, me, subordinates Kwon Ji-yul, Lee Kang-woo, Kim Woo-jin, and Jeong Yoon-hyuk who'd rejoined days ago. Central: Min Si-hyeon and twenty Execution Team members.
We all sat facing the screen. Min Si-hyeon stood up front, lasering the display.
“Quick briefing. Interrogated rogues put the faction in An-san's old industrial zone. Big area, but key spots and rogue clusters are here and here—two locations.”
She highlighted two ruined factories. Massive ones. She pulled up their internals next.
“Big, but simple layout. Few individual corridors, one or two main passages—minimal escape routes. We'll split into three teams.”
The screen flipped to team breakdowns.
“Priority Factory A gets Baek Ya-seong crew. Lower-priority B: me and five Execution members. Rest block roads and alleys for escapees.”
Units deployed on-screen. She turned to us.
“We hit B first; A's rats grab intel and bolt. You intercept, we mop up. Questions or changes?”
“Nah, I'm good. No time for tweaks, and it looks solid.”
I glanced back—nods from the four and Jin Yeon-ah. Full buy-in from our side. She pocketed the pointer.
“No delays, then. Time: 17:34. Launching intel grab and extermination on this Back World faction that crossed the line with kids. They'll be gone from the world today—under Baek Ya-seong and Execution Team.”