In The Dark (SNOWDROP)

"it's stupid"

❄︎ — chapter 4 — ❄︎

"Sir," Lee Kangmu said, with annoyance obvious in his voice. "With all due respect, I did not join the ANSP just to be ordered to babysit the Director's twenty-seven-year-old son."

"Twenty-seven!" Hanna echoed. "He's only a year younger than me! Why does—"

"It's not babysitting," Chief Ahn said. "He's been arrested before, at a protest. Director Eun just wants to make sure he doesn't get himself into any more trouble, or it could have repercussions on his father."

Hanna almost laughed. She was all too familiar with powerful men who were willing to exploit their unlucky children for political prestige. She didn't like this prospective 'mission' at all.

"We can't refuse it," Chief Ahn pointed out. "It's a direct order from Eun Changsu."

"Even so, you don't need the best agents in the ANSP on it," Kangmu said dismissively. "Give it to someone else. I have dozens of other intelligence reports—"

"This won't affect your other work," Chief Ahn promised. "You just need to take a couple minutes a few times a week to make sure Eun Yeongu isn't anywhere he shouldn't be. Any suspicious activity should be reported directly to me. You don't even need to go out yourselves and trail him. Send another agent, if you want. You two are just managing the task."

"Fine," Hanna relented. "But while I'm doing that, do you have any other, more interesting cases open?"

Chief Ahn waved dismissively at the two. "Talk to timjang. I'm sure he'll be happy to hand over some of them to you. You two may go now."

Kangmu bowed and left the office. Hanna took a few seconds to follow him, but she had no intention of talking to him, as Chief Ahn had said. Instead, she pulled up another chair to Sooho's table, where she'd left her backpack.

"Sooho-ya... I've got a question for you."

Sooho put down his file. "Like what, noona?"

"Do you know who Eun Yeongu is?"

The door to Kangmu's office slammed shut. Sooho turned to glance over at it.

"Are you just talking to me as an excuse to not go in there?"

"Yes," she said bluntly. "But answer my question regardless. I actually need to know."

"Hm," Sooho hummed thoughtfully. "I've never met him in person. He's Director Eun's son, right?"

"Mhm," Hanna said. "His eldest. He's twenty-seven."

"I don't understand what this is about, noona. Was this what Chief Ahn wanted to talk to you and timjangnim about?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "Apparently, he's been out protesting. Director Eun wants to make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble. And so..."

Sooho snorted. "You have to babysit him?"

"That's what timjangnim said," Hanna sighed. "And frankly, I agree. It's stupid. My first mission back in Seoul shouldn't be to monitor a protester who's not even much younger than I am, even if he is the director's son."