Codename Anastasia

Prologue 1.0 - Mission in Busan

7:49 pm at Busan International Port.

Night gradually falls on the pier. Export preparation work also took place enthusiastically. The 5,000-ton auxiliary ferry clearly shows its majesty under the flickering light of street lights. This is a scheduled train that operates once a day and will arrive at the port of Shimonoseki, Japan tomorrow morning.

The doors close after boarding time ends. The crane finished loading the goods and finally quietly withdrew. As expected, the lights in the station went out. The surrounding area was quiet, buried in the stillness of the night, only the ferry tied to its rope was still floating on the black, rippling sea.

But the atmosphere inside is completely different. A man entered the room arranged early and put down his luggage. Passengers around him were busy looking everywhere on the train with excited faces. Everyone gathered in small groups at a drinking table in the village hallway, some people also recorded every moment with cameras in hand. Boisterous laughter echoed everywhere, even on the cold, windy deck of the ship was filled with a typical atmosphere of excitement and anticipation for the journey about to begin.

Kwon Taek Joo is present in that crowded place. He wore a normal suit with a jacket, looking no different from the people present except for his extremely depressed expression. That was clearly not the look on the face of someone staying in the most expensive room.

He occasionally lifted his sleeve to check the time. Kwon Taek Joo followed every movement of the second hand on the watch. Exactly 8 o'clock, the whistle signaling the departure of the ferry split the night sea. Kwon Taek Joo followed suit and walked out onto the balcony.

The deck below appeared clearly in his vision. Tourists are still busy taking photos. It would be difficult to get a decent photo in this darkness but they kept pressing the shutter button. He was indifferently observing those constant movements when a small mechanical sound suddenly came from his left ear. Next, someone's voice rang out.

"How are you? Are you enjoying the romantic atmosphere of the night sea?"

"Not bad. Noisy but also quite boring." Light laughter came from the communication device in his ear. Meanwhile, Kwon Taek Joo's eyes were still directed towards the deck. He carefully looked at each person passing by, but no one particularly stood out.

"Report it."

"Contact person Kim Young Hee and National Security Agency official Lee Cheol Jin were both confirmed to have boarded the plane. Lee Cheol Jin is disguising himself as a Chinese citizen. He wil probably leave China as soon as he arrives in Japan, and Kim Young Hee has booked a ferry leaving from Shimonoseki tomorrow night."

"Then I'll have to reach them before the ship docks." Kwon Taek Joo muttered to himself and quickly left the balcony.

"Are you going to start acting now?", the man on the phone asked. Kwon Taek Joo just walked out of the room and answered while walking through the empty hallway.

"When playing hide and seek, good players are those who like to take risks."

If the targets are to contact each other, a chaotic scene would have been the best time, because meeting in a place with few people will only attract more attention.

Kwon Taek Joo jumped down two spiral stairs. He passed by a group of people gathered in front of the 2nd floor restaurant and examined each face one by one. This time there are no outstanding characters either. Kwon Taek Joo went straight down the stairs leading to the first floor lobby and gave brief instructions.

"Cal me."

The phone rang immediately. Kwon Taek Joo let the sound vibrate continuously twice and took the call when he reached the middle of the stairs.