Answering God's Call - Chapter 9

“…Are you serious?”

At Tatyana’s question, filled with suspicion, the man raised a brow.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if this is something that can just be brushed off so easily.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“….”

“Do you want it to be hard to get over?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then what do you want? What’s the problem?”

As if telling her to speak frankly, the man leaned back slightly. Tatyana looked at him with doubt, his face pretending to be at ease.

“The problem is that you look like there’s no problem.”

To be honest, Tatyana had expected that the moment he saw her, he would make a scene about not being able to work with someone like her. If he had opposed it desperately, she planned to step forward and say she would handle it alone. But instead,

He didn’t reject her. It didn’t even look like he was reluctantly accepting because of orders from above. Judging by Branch Chief Damian Hawkins’s reaction, it was clear he hadn’t said anything about whatever had happened between her and the man. She was a little grateful for that, but….

Either way, a problem was still a problem.

She couldn’t guess what he was up to at all.

Keep your allies close and your enemies closer. It didn’t seem like anything that deep. And he didn’t look petty enough to hold onto it and torment her over time.

The most likely scenario, at best, was that he intended to carry out the mission perfectly, then shake off the courier role and be promoted back to his original position. Or maybe he had some personal motive like hers….

“If the problem is that there’s no problem, then you don’t need to worry.”

“…Why is that?”

“Because I hold grudges longer than I look.”

“…A grudge?”

What? So it was the second one? He’s planning to torment her over time? Tatyana’s eyes widened at the unbelievable conclusion.

What is this? No one scammed me, but I feel like I got played.

“Yes. A grudge. A very, very long one.”

Having a grudge is already a headache, but a very, very long one?

“Then why did you ask what I’d do if I didn’t let it go easily?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Tatyana finally sprang to her feet. Compared to the man, she hadn’t spent as many years working as an agent, but if she counted the time she’d spent training and being subjected to experiments, she’d been part of this world for just as long as he had.

It had been eleven years since she crossed a sealed border on her own. Because of that, she prided herself on being able to keep her composure in any situation, but in front of this man, all of it felt useless, and it didn’t sit well with her.

Was it because she had wavered slightly at his words that it was better for him to be demoted than for her to be executed? Pathetic. Of all things, she let herself be shaken by that kind of empty line.

As Tatyana stood, the man lifted his head at the shift in her gaze.

“Am I not allowed to ask?”

“Is this part of your grudge too?”

“Well, think whatever you want.”

Now, of all times? Tatyana, who had been about to say more, pressed her lips shut. At this point, the best course was to resolve the matter as quickly as possible and send the man back to his original position. As she drew up that plan, the man, who had been sitting at the table, slowly rose.

“I understand.”

“…Understand? What?”

“That there was no personal grudge. You must’ve been desperate.”

At the concise, no-frills understanding, Tatyana blinked slowly. Even though she was surprised inside, her green eyes stayed calm as she suppressed the reaction. Facing that indifferent expression, Ruslan’s face also settled quietly.

He couldn’t know exactly what had happened before her defection, but one thing was certain. For Tatyana, who stood on the brink of execution, defection had been a once in a lifetime opportunity. She must’ve wanted to succeed in the mission by any means necessary and meet the qualifications set by Military Intelligence.

To survive somehow, to preserve her life, to cling to the thread of a chance she had been given and keep living….

Ruslan had experienced a defection from the edge himself ten years ago. He knew that long, exhausting, anxiety filled process better than anyone, and because of that, he couldn’t blame the woman in front of him.

He simply couldn’t.

How could he?

Besides, it was fortunate she only mixed in a sleeping pill because she didn’t want to make a bigger mess while focusing on her defection. If it hadn’t been for Tatyana’s defection, he would have been buried in the ground by now. So he truly didn’t have even a shred of regret….

“Even if you say that, I’m not apologizing to you, Father.”

“Don’t. I never asked you to apologize.”

He spoke with sincerity, yet her narrowed eyes showed no sign of widening again. She’s unbelievably suspicious. You could at least try to trust me. It’s true he teased her about holding grudges, but being glad to see her was also pure, genuine truth without a single lie.

“Yes, thank you, Father.”

Should he emphasize his sincerity more, or try to lighten the mood? As he hesitated, Tatyana quickly greeted him as if telling him not to say anything more. Father, huh…. This time, Ruslan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Not Father. Ruslan.”

“…?”

“Call me Ruslan. Especially when it’s just the two of us.”

Tatyana’s mouth opened a beat late, failing to understand the meaning at once.

“No way, that—”

“Yes, it’s my real name. Ruslan.”

“What is this, all of a sudden? Is my name written there too?”

Tatyana pointed at the document containing her personal information. Ruslan shook his head and showed her the file with many sections redacted.

“Only a codename. Mor.”

“Then what’s wrong with you? Are you seriously insane?”

“Well. That’s harsh.”

“You’re worse. Why would you reveal a name I didn’t even ask for instead of sticking to ‘Father’? Don’t you know, any more than I do, why operatives use codenames and why we have cover identities?”

“It’s not like many people know the name anyway, and if you call me Father, I feel like I actually have to act like a real priest.”

No believers to begin with. That’d be too irreverent.

As Ruslan muttered smoothly, a look of dismay crossed Tatyana’s face. She didn’t even bother hiding the expression of looking at a lunatic she couldn’t deal with anymore.

Satisfied with that change in her expression, he lightly took her hand. Without taking his eyes off her as she flinched in surprise, Ruslan placed the now crumpled veil and cap into her hand.

“Get ready and come out. I’ll take care of the Easter eggs.”

“….”

“We’ve greeted each other enough, so it’s time to get to work.”

Ruslan turned around with an easy smile.

As if nothing had happened, satisfied on his own.

【 Those Who Do Not Believe in God 】

“Nice house.”

Clean exterior, quiet surroundings.

Arriving at a residential area on the outskirts of Vandenberg, Tatyana stood at a distance and looked at the modest townhouse. It was the home of Jennifer Fleming, an inspector from Military Intelligence who had been absent without leave for several days.

As she made her way there, Tatyana, who had been handing out Easter eggs to nearby neighbors, slowly turned her head to look around. Giving a few eggs in celebration of the upcoming holiday, exchanging brief greetings, and continuing small talk to naturally gather information, no one suspected a thing.

Perhaps it was because of their roles as a priest and a nun, and the devout atmosphere clergy carried… but the neighbors, who didn’t even realize Jennifer Fleming had disappeared and hadn’t noticed anything suspicious recently, would surely think nothing of it even if Tatyana and Ruslan lingered around here a bit longer.

Holding the basket of Easter eggs, Tatyana approached the porch. As a courtesy, she pressed the doorbell first and knocked on the door a few times, calling for Fleming several times, but as expected, there was no response. Glancing briefly at the small mailbox filled to the brim with mail, Tatyana called out to Ruslan.

“Father, should we break in and take a look—”

“This way. The back door is open.”

Ruslan, holding a basket of Easter eggs in one hand just like her, leaned out from the back. Following him into the kitchen connected to the back door, Tatyana abruptly frowned before quickly forcing her expression back into place.

“…There’s a smell of blood all over the house.”

At Tatyana’s quiet murmur, Ruslan glanced around and drew a deep breath. A beat slower than her in noticing the scent, he frowned.

“Yeah. If it’s spread this much through the whole house, it’s not just a drop or two.”

“But for the smell to be this strong….”

Moving quickly through the kitchen and living room, Tatyana climbed the stairs and paused on the landing, tilting her head. The smell of blood persisted even after leaving the kitchen, yet there were still no obvious traces.

Holding onto the question, Tatyana entered the second floor bedroom, and her brows shot up. A closet and drawers flung wide open as if someone had packed in a hurry, a broken camera and its scattered pieces, and an empty safe greeted them. Ruslan rummaged through the clothes strewn across the bed and then dropped them with a soft thud.

“Did they really run away?”

“Father, wait a second. Move aside.”

With a small sniff, Tatyana pushed Ruslan aside. He stepped back without resistance and watched her silently as she lifted and shifted the clothes and the thick blanket.

Suspicious of the sheets that were too clean beneath the blanket, she grabbed the heavy mattress and flipped it over in one motion. For a moment, he was struck by the strength it took to turn it as if it were paper. Then Ruslan let out a short breath at the stark bloodstains the flipped mattress had been hiding.