Han Woo-jin. I felt like the whole world knew his name by now. 

I stared blankly at Agwi. 

Han Woo-jin, a communist? It sounded too absurd to believe. 

Not only was he engaged to another woman, but now he was being called a communist. 

“Jae-yeol is nothing but a pawn. Have you ever heard the name of that bastard?” 

I couldn’t answer. Agwi’s gaze remained fixed on me, piercing me as if he could see right into my soul. 

I didn’t move – I just bore him. 

Another laugh escaped his lips. 

I couldn’t tell if he had noticed the shock on my face or not. 

“This bastard is either a spy from the North or a communist. Either way, I’m going to get them both, no matter what. Oh, and by the way, the police will be paying a visit to your aunt’s house in Seoul soon.”

He approached me like a predator toying with his prey. Or maybe he was threatening to crush me alive. 

“I’m going to check if your cousin Park Jong-hyun really came here or not.” 

“Do what you want.” 

“Oh, it’s not about doing what I want. This is an official duty. We are hunting down a major criminal who has incited rebellion, along with the accomplices who have helped or harboured him, and anyone caught will surely die.

No, you’d better hope for a quick death, because before that, your flesh will be torn apart while you’re still alive.

If there were a devil, this would be him. 

“Do what you want, you idiot.”

Agwi’s face twisted at my words. He stepped forward and grabbed me by the collar. There was a scream and someone shouting in the background. 

But I didn’t flinch. I just looked at him. 

So what?! What now, you devil?

For a moment, Agwi’s gaze shifted. His eyes burned with a strange intensity, as if he were ready to devour me whole. 

A shiver ran down my spine as the shop door creaked open. And as if none of it had been real, Woo-jin stepped inside.

Is this what it feels like to have all the blood drained from your body? I couldn’t decide whether to scream and tell him to get lost or to keep playing along with this madness. I froze. 

Woo-jin’s eyes went cold the moment they landed on Agwi. His gaze darkened even more when he looked at me, pale and paralysed with shock. 

“Soon-young, let’s go home.” 

How… how should I react? 

I stared at Woo-jin, my face completely drained of colour. The very person who had turned my brother Jae-yeol into a criminal was now standing before me – the leader of those groups.

Agwi’s words – calling him a spy from the North, a communist, and threatening to skin him alive – rang in my ears like a storm. 

A summer typhoon was approaching from the south.

*** 

The rain poured down in torrents, thousands of needle-like drops hitting the ground. It was the hardest, most terrifying rain I had ever experienced, even after a lifetime by the sea. 

I untied my apron, grabbed my things and ran past Woo-jin, who was standing motionless at the shop door. 

Fear coursed through me, making me feel like my whole body was on the verge of collapsing. The sound of footsteps behind me, the voice calling my name – it all sent shivers down my spine like something out of a nightmare. 

“Woo-jin, yes, Han Woo-jin. The leader of a so-called readers group. He recruits university students to study leftist ideologies. This communist bastard is the root of all this chaos.”

I didn’t really understand what it all meant. But one thing was clear – they considered him much more important than my brother Jae-yeol.

“That bastard is definitely either a spy from the North or a Communist. Either way, I must catch them both. Oh, and soon the police will go to your aunt’s house in Seoul.” 

He was probably a North Korean spy. 

“I am Han Woo-jin’s fiancée.” 

The image of Woo-jin leaving with together with his beautiful fiancee I’d never seen before flashed through my mind. I hated it! I hated it so much! 

Oh God, what have I done? 

I wanned to tear my lips apart. I cursed myself for letting my heart waver, even for a moment. I wished that the raindrops, sharp as blades, would cut through me and sever my limbs.

“Soon-young!” 

Woo-jin grabbed my arm. 

“Let go of me.”

I pulled my arm away with all my strength. 

The path up the hill was lined with towering trees and summer grass, all struggling against the relentless typhoon, bending under its force. The wind roared louder than our voices, a deafening sound that seemed to tear at our ears. 

“Just listen to me!” 

Woo-jin stepped in front of me again, blocking my path. I shot him a look sharp enough to kill. 

“What are you trying to explain? What else do I need to hear? I feel like I’ve learned everything today. You’re a spy, aren’t you? A traitor from the North?”

His expression changed, filled with disbelief at my words. 

“Soon-young, it’s not like that.” 

“What do you mean, ‘It’s not like that’? What isn’t like that? You’re the mastermind! You’re the one who turned my brother into what he is now!” 

“……!” 

Woo-jin froze, his mouth shut as he stared at me in silence. The storm continued to rage, fierce and relentless, pounding against us in the darkness. 

“That’s right! That’s it!” 

I laughed madly, overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all. I couldn’t believe that the person responsible for all this had been standing right next to me all this time, pretending to help. The one who destroyed my brother’s life, who tore our family apart – that was him. 

“You are the one who let my brother end up like that! And now you pretend to help us? What is this? What the hell is this?” 

I felt like I was losing my mind. My brother is going to die. Han Woo-jin is going to die. According to Agwi, they are both going to die. If they both die, what will I do? 

If they both get caught, what will I do? 

I hated Woo-jin. I hated him with all my heart. 

I lunged at him, punched him in the chest and grabbed his collar. I should have killed him at the market… What do I do? Trust him, follow him, laugh with him, kiss him?

What was so good about him… about this man… this man I…