Perfect Mission Chapter 2 - Who Are You? (1)

Chapter 2: Who Are You? (1)

A white ceiling and the smell of disinfectant.

Junho was extremely disoriented immediately after opening his eyes, due to a jumble of unfamiliar memories.

He remembered standing on a rainy street, then some crazy car crashing everywhere, causing an accident, and being thrown and smashed in a chain reaction collision.

But strange memories were mixed in.

Growing up in an orphanage, learning boxing and kickboxing, joining the special forces, working as a mercenary, changing his identity, and becoming an agent…

A life he’d only seen in movies was vividly alive in his memory.

‘Did the accident mess with my head?’

It didn’t make sense otherwise.

Schizophrenia? Multiple personalities? He didn’t know for sure, but something was definitely wrong.

Fortunately, he was still alive and intact after the accident.

The sensations he felt when he wiggled his fingers and toes were clear proof that he had two hands and two feet.

His anxious and uneasy mind caused all sorts of thoughts to race through his head.

“Junho-ya! Are you awake?”

A woman approached him.

She looked well over forty, and the traces of hardship were deeply etched on her face.

His mother, who ran a small diner, seemed to have come from work, as she carried a faint smell of food. That familiar scent comforted Junho.

He felt relieved to be next to his mother.

But somehow, it felt strange.

A comforting presence, yet somehow unfamiliar?

It was a strange feeling, difficult to explain.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Doctor, just a moment ago, my son’s eyes were open, but he couldn’t speak. Has he not recovered yet?”

She spoke to the doctor who was approaching.

The doctor came closer and examined his pupils.

“Although there was a significant impact, fortunately, there’s no major brain injuries. It’s likely due to the psychological shock from the accident. It’s temporary and will improve over time. A few broken ribs, but no organ damage, it’s a miracle. He should recover quickly with your help.”

“Ha… Yes. I understand.”

“He seems to want to rest, so please don’t wake him.”

“Yes.”

The attending physician gave a few more instructions to the residents and left, leaving the two of them alone again.

Jihyeon sat down next to the hospital bed and sighed.

“Ha… Thank goodness. It’s a relief. It could have been a disaster. You can relax now.”

At his mother’s words of reassurance, Junho slowly closed his eyes.

His persistent anxiety melted away with the warmth of his mother’s hand stroking his, and he drifted off to sleep.

How much time had passed?

When he opened his eyes, it was the middle of the night, and his mother was curled up asleep on the accompanying bed.

He felt relieved at the sight, but also a pang of guilt.

If it weren’t for the accident, his mother wouldn’t have to go through this.

Then the memories resurfaced, and with it, a severe headache. He clutched his head.

“Ugh…”

Junho stifled his groan, afraid of waking his mother. He tried to figure out the nature of these recurring memories.

Objectively, the most likely scenario was that he had gone crazy, but he couldn’t accept that.

He needed proof that he hadn’t lost his mind after being hit by the car.

Then, it hit him.

‘Home… I know the password. 042345. The day of my first operation. I killed four and rescued five, hence the code.’

All he needed to do was confirm that the memories were real.

His heart pounded as he pulled back the covers and tried to get out of bed.

“Ow… Ah…”

Clutching his chest, he changed his mind and obediently pulled the covers back up.

He decided not to move until he recovered.

Staring blankly around, Junho followed the IV line from the back of his hand and spotted a small, transparent pack next to the larger IV bag.

Painkillers.

If he removed that and left, intense pain would follow.

Realizing he needed to stay put, Junho spotted his mother’s phone next to her.

He knew her phone’s password, of course, so he unlocked it easily and searched for “Daewon Chemicals.”

[Daewon Chemicals Manager Kim Arrested for Alleged Leak of Confidential Data]

[Estimated Value of Stolen Data by Manager Kim Reaches 300 Billion Won]

Although the information in his head was fragmented and disorganized, he was certain of one thing: the confidential data they were looking for was in the possession of the person in his pre-accident memories.

Sighing deeply, Junho turned off the phone and placed it back next to his mother, then lay down again.

Even though he’d found what he was looking for, he didn’t consider it fully confirmed yet.

He needed to go to that person’s house and see it with his own eyes.

Until then, recovery was his top priority, so Junho forced his eyes closed again.

Although nothing was properly sorted out, he had decided on a course of action, so he didn’t bother with unnecessary worries.

Perhaps because his body wasn’t fully recovered, he fell asleep again not long after, despite forcing himself to sleep.

***

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. I can go alone, so go to work, Mom.”

His mother only stayed at the hospital with him that first night; after that, Junho spent the nights alone.

About a week later, he was discharged. Since his busy mother had to work and Junho didn’t have much to pack, he said he would leave on his own.

His mother, running her business, couldn’t be away for long.

And Junho had his reasons for wanting to be alone.

After leaving the hospital in the morning, Junho went to a hair salon and dyed his hair light brown and got a perm.

At 174 cm tall and over 90kg, with thick-rimmed glasses and an innocent face, he looked like any other good-natured high school student.

Junho, who loved food and games, actually looked like a college student when he wasn’t wearing his uniform. Now, with his brown, permed hair, he looked just like a college student.

He then searched for a university jacket, commonly known as a “gwajam,” on the secondhand market app.

He found someone selling a gwajam from a university in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

The price was reasonable, so he bought it immediately. He bought contact lenses at a nearby optical shop and arrived home past 5 p.m.

Junho removed his glasses, put in the lenses, drew a mole above his eyebrow with an eyeliner pen, put on the gwajam, and headed out.

“Wow… This is a really nice place…”

Junho arrived at a luxury officetel in Cheongdam-dong by bus.

Or was it a luxury villa?

Either way, it was a very nice building.

Junho thought that if things didn’t go as planned and he got caught, he’d be in big trouble.

Usually, in tense situations like this, Junho’s hands and feet would tremble, his voice would shake, and he’d lack confidence.

That was why he was treated like an easy target, a so-called “bread shuttle,” at school.

That was definitely the case, but…

Beep beep beep…

Junho, without a change in his expression, entered the entrance code.

Despite the security guard tilting his head and watching him from just behind the entrance.

The door opened, and Junho walked in as if he’d expected it.

The security guard, who had been watching from his seat, stood up and asked,

“Excuse me. Which unit are you visiting? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“601.”

“Really? That’s…”

“Yes, my uncle lives alone there.”

The guard’s face showed understanding.

“Ah… I see.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too.”

The guard was quite young and bulky, resembling a security company guard rather than a typical security guard. He bowed his head to Junho, who looked much younger.

Junho was about to walk away but turned back to the guard.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My uncle went abroad and took the elevator card key with him. I have something important to do at his place, could you take me up to the 6th floor?”

Suspicion returned to the guard’s face.

“You don’t have the card key?”

“No. I know my uncle’s door code, so just getting to the 6th floor is fine.”

“That’s…”

“If you’re suspicious, you can ask me anything from the registered records. I can answer everything.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the guard asked,

“What’s your uncle’s name?”

“Jo Gyeongcheol.”

“Could you write your name and contact information here?”

The guard checked the visitor log and took his card key to the elevator.

Security was paramount, but it would be too much trouble if the resident, who looked like a mere high school student, complained about the lack of flexibility.

After getting off on the 6th floor, the guard watched Junho enter the code for the apartment directly ahead and watched the door open. Relieved, he went back down. Junho took a deep breath and opened the door.

“This is… crazy.”

The house was perfect.

The living room alone, bathed in sunlight, looked over 70 or 80 square meters. The simple yet luxurious white-toned interior of the staircase leading to the second floor was captivating.

Although he already knew, seeing it in person felt like a dream come true.

Junho started exploring the house, stroking the pure white sofa in the center of the living room, but his awe soon faded.

The initial awe stemmed from Junho’s own emotions and lack of experience with such luxury. The subsequent calmness seemed to come from the memories of the previous owner of the house surfacing.

As a result, Junho’s movements became more efficient.

He went straight to the master bedroom and turned on the owner’s laptop.

According to the owner’s memories, there should be an email, and indeed, there was.

[The weather report hasn’t been received yet. Let me know if it’s still cloudy or if the wind is blowing. If the report doesn’t arrive within a week, I’ll abandon the departure.]

The message was, “The weather report hasn’t been received yet. Let me know if it’s still cloudy or if the wind is blowing. If the report doesn’t arrive within a week, I’ll abandon the departure.”

Junho, who wasn’t good at studying and had no interest in English, shouldn’t have been able to understand this, but he was surprised that he understood it instantly.

After a moment of thought, Junho wrote a reply.

Composing in English felt as natural as writing in Korean.

[The skies have cleared, but the cargo was damaged in transit. It appears the route has been compromised.]

‘Cool! So cool!’

He couldn’t contain his excitement at the sight of himself exchanging coded messages in English, just like a spy he’d only imagined.

There weren’t many ways for an individual to make money independently like a spy.

Naturally, there was no reason to sever ties with this world, so he sent the reply.

Thinking he’d wrapped things up nicely, Junho grinned, planning to take a bundle of cash from the safe. He opened the safe next to the desk, and then—

Ding!

A new email notification sounded from the laptop.

Junho turned to the laptop with a hardened expression and opened his inbox. The other party had replied.

[Who are you?]

‘Who am I?’

Junho was so startled that he stared blankly at the laptop screen.

They knew the owner of this place was dead.