The reason I was dispatched to Russia was to serve as Irina's backup and controller.
In truth, the latter probably carries more weight than the former, but the former is also legitimately one of the reasons.
Russia said they'd support us with S-rank personnel, but the number is only one.
The rest are busy handling gates that damn annoyingly appear in that vast territory.
For that reason, backup for Irina could be considered natural.
'They said this guy called Mole might have a stupid nickname, but he's actually quite troublesome.'
If he were easy to catch, the S-ranks here would have already caught and beaten him up.
Since that didn't work, he survived until now and came to stab Irina.
Even after getting beaten to a pulp like that, he managed to escape from Korea.
Since he's that kind of guy, the conclusion was to at least not let our guard down.
Before even two days had passed and he was dangling from Irina's hands.
"Caught you, you bastard."
It seems that Mole guy hadn't fully recovered from his previous injuries.
Irina's appearance wasn't much different from when she left, so it seems there wasn't even a proper fight.
The actual Irina who got hit by the Mole's poison that even S-ranks feared is perfectly fine.
The captured Mole should be handed over to the Russian side right away.
After all, he was a Russian S-rank, so they should decide his treatment.
But if our Irina handed him over so obediently, why would she be called a crazy bitch?
"Hey. From now on, I'm going to beat you as much as you stabbed me, okay? If you think you're going to die while getting beaten, then die. Then I'll stop hitting you."
...Excuse me, doesn't that sound a bit strange? If you think you're going to die while getting beaten, then die?
Shouldn't it normally be "if you think you're going to die while getting beaten, say so"? Then saying you'll stop hitting.
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!—
Meanwhile, the death beating began.
The surface reason is 'he resisted during capture'...
"AAAHHH! AAAAHHH!—"
No matter how I look at it, he can't resist at all and is just getting beaten.
He has no choice since all his limbs were already crushed when she brought him.
I had to be grateful once again that Irina wasn't an Elder.
After about 30 minutes had passed? Irina slowed down her beating pace.
Oh. It finally seems to be over. Looking at the Mole, he still seems not dead.
"Kgh..."
"Ah, you bastard. Really. If you had come out early, you wouldn't have suffered this harsh treatment. Did you think I couldn't find you hiding underground? Ah geez, this stupid bastard, really."
Irina crouches in front of the mercilessly crushed Mole and giggles.
Then she hits the back of his head once and there was a sound like a pumpkin cracking.
They said to capture him alive if possible, but after barely catching him, she's really trying to kill him.
"Hey. Does it hurt? Does it hurt? Why won't you straighten your face? Damn. You really want to see your skull caved in?"
That's clearly a thug bullying an innocent good citizen.
In reality, it should be called a kind of hero catching and beating a villain who committed all sorts of evil acts...
'Irina... is that really a hero?'
Damn. We decided not to call that kind of thing a hero!
"Okay! Since you don't seem to have the will to resist anymore, shall we take you away now, Seojin oppa? Ah, if oppa says to beat him more, I could beat him more!"
At Irina's words, the sprawled Mole urgently looks at me.
With a desperate gaze asking to please save him, or rather kill him.
I wonder if that's really the look that can come from an 'Elder's' eyes.
Thinking of Kwak Hyuk or Hyeon Sujin, Elders felt almost like monsters.
Strangely, when they stand before Irina, those Elders become so pathetic.
"...Let's stop and go. Even so, he probably knows quite a lot of Elder information or villain force information, so if we want to get something out of him, it's better to do it moderately. Irina."
"Mm! If oppa says so, I'll stop! Hey! Mole! Know that you're lucky today!"
It's amazing to see her talking about luck after already beating everything she was going to beat.
The Mole seems just happy that the hellish time is over.
"You've arrive... GASP?!"
Korean personnel and Russian personnel waiting for us in the safe zone.
They all gasp in shock seeing the Mole rolling around on the ground from Irina's kicks.
From their perspective, it was understandable since she was treating an Elder, who was a monster to them, like a soccer ball.
"Here. I brought the Mole. As for why he's in this state, he resisted tremendously when I told him to be captured obediently."
If screaming to survive was resistance, then I guess it was resistance.
"If it were anyone else, they would have struggled just to subdue him, let alone kill him, right? It's because I'm at this level that I finished it by just breaking his limbs and beating him a bit. There's no problem with his life at all, so tell the Russians not to worry. And tell them not to say useless things."
Saying that, Irina winks at the Mole with one eye.
I think I know why she's doing that. Don't get beaten again by talking unnecessarily, just go along with it.
She seems like a thug type, but then she shows cunning like this.
Anyway, this concludes the dispatch mission. We came to catch the Mole, and we caught him.
There was some violence, but at least we weren't the ones who got hurt, so there shouldn't be a problem.
What's left is to quickly return home and rest for about a day using the dispatch as an excuse...
"Okay! Then Seojin oppa! Shall we go finish our business?"
Suddenly what is this about? What business are we going to finish?
When I send a look demanding an answer, Irina shrugs her shoulders once.
Why does that shoulder gesture feel so ominous? I hope it's just my misunderstanding.
"The dispatch was until tomorrow, right? So that means we have to enter Korea tomorrow, doesn't it?!"
"...No, wait. You mean we'll stay in Russia one more day and then return home tomorrow?"
Not domestically but overseas, and not even a warm place but in this damn cold place for one more day?
Damn it! Please let me go! I'm already tired to death from coming here because of you!
At least if there had been some activity here, but all I did was witness violence!
"Hey. Oppa. That's not right. Would I really ask you to work until tomorrow?! Even worrying is a luxury!"
You look exactly like someone I should worry about! You're making me worry right now!
"However, officially, we have to work until tomorrow. That's the schedule and plan. But tada? The work is already all finished, right? So we can unofficially return home. However, since there's an official schedule, we just need to stay together until tomorrow and then say goodbye when it's time. That's it."
Return home a day early and spend some time, then clock out right on time.
Okay. Yeah, I understood up to that point. It's not difficult, and I can accept it.
But Irina? It seems like there's your hidden true intention in there?
"Together, just the two of us."
"Yes. Together, just the two of us. Of course it should be that way. Right now Seojin oppa came as my backup, right? So we should be together until tomorrow!"
Together, just the two of us, until tomorrow. I could clearly see the intention of what this meant.
It's a situation where less than a week has passed since I had relations with Suhyeon.
I even exchanged words about grandson-in-law and father-in-law with Kang Minseong and Kim Taejun respectively.
Less than a week has passed since then, and I have to roll around in bed with another woman?
Unless you're a guy starved for women, wouldn't your conscience kill you?
"Um, Irina. I'm asking just in case..."
"No. I won't change it. I have no intention of changing it."
Can't you at least listen to what I'm saying before answering?
"It's obvious, isn't it? You'll say I should use the wish ticket a little later because you'll definitely grant it. Right?"
"...That's right."
"That's why. I won't change it. I have no intention of changing. Today, and tomorrow. During that time, Seojin oppa is mine. I can do whatever I want with you, and you only have to do what I tell you to. Wasn't that the promise?"
I hate you, past me. No matter how unavoidable it was, the wish ticket was really too much.
Even though I obviously knew Irina would come out like this, why did I do that...
"Um, Irina. I also have a minimum amount of conscience..."
"Irina."
"Yes?"
"Call me by my name too. Drop these stiff titles like 'Irina.' It's not like you're only giving Kim Suhyeon special treatment, right? I get really jealous every time that happens, you know?"
"That..."
"And drop the formal speech too. I don't expect it in official settings, so at least when we're alone together like this."
Huu— I sighed once and stared at Irina intently.
She received that gaze silently for a while, then bit her lip slightly.
"Do you really hate me? Is there not even this much room for me to enter? I worked really hard. To make even one crack to squeeze into, I really did my absolute best."
[CENSORED CONTENT]
She's trying to act like nothing's wrong, trying to be cool, but she can't help the trembling in her pupils.
She always nags me to maintain a poker face, but now she's making all the mistakes herself.
"...To be honest, you already made that crack a long time ago. A crack so definite that even Suhyeon can't do anything about it."
"Then why do you keep pushing me away?"
"I told you. I have pangs of conscience. Bluntly speaking, it hasn't been long since I had relations with Suhyeon, and now with another woman again? How would the Chairman or Suhyeon's father see that?"
Then Irina shows a very sharp look.
But with a voice that sounds extremely wronged.
"That's why I keep getting pushed back, you know. Me! This Irina! I keep yielding! Without using force, trying to be understanding in a way that doesn't suit the crazy bitch name! I'm really doing my best, so why do you keep doing this? Do I want something big? I'm just asking for enough so I won't fall behind to a minimal degree!"
"..."
"If we drag this out more here, we're just giving Kim Suhyeon, that woman, more ammunition. Do you think I'll just take it quietly then? That's when I really become a crazy bitch! I'm maintaining a precarious line to avoid doing that in front of Seojin oppa."
I was aware of it. That Irina was gradually giving Suhyeon some consideration.
That the reason for all of that was because she was worried about being hated by me.
"Seojin oppa."
With her head deeply bowed, Irina continues speaking.
"If I've done this much, please get caught a little. I'm working hard like this because I believe I can catch you someday. If I realize I can never catch you, then I really don't know what I'll do. You know in whack-a-mole games, if it's too fast to hit, you want to break the machine, right?"
I don't know why whack-a-mole suddenly comes up here.
If it's too fast to catch, you'd call the owner to complain first.
But since I also know that Irina herself worked very hard,
I concluded that at this point, it would be better to slowly get caught.
Swoosh—
I bent my waist slightly and brought my head toward Irina.
"...What are you doing?"
What do you mean what. I'm telling you to catch me now. So I'm getting caught by that 'mole' now, aren't I.
"Whack-a-mole."
"Yes?"
"I got caught. Irina, you properly went WHACK!"