"Ugh.."
Kwon Taekjoo barely managed to catch his breath as he climbed into the helicopter. He discarded his goggles, mask, and helmet they had long since lost their usefulness.
He ran a hang through his flattened hair when, suddenly, Zhenya grabbed him by the chin and dragged his tongue slowly from Taekjoo's lips to jst below his nose.
The pressure on his cheek remained him of a sharp pain he had been ignoring until that moment. His mouth was probably torn on the inside, his lips, now slick with saliva, tingled with a sudden sting.
Kwon Taekjoo suspected the moisture beneath his nose wasn't just from Zhenya.
"Taste strange." Zhenya murmured, licking his own lips. Quite the ironic complaint from someone who had the habit of licking Kwon Taekjoo wherever he pleased.
"Well, who told you to lick me?" Kwon Taekjoo snapped, frowning as he turned his head and shoved Zhenya's hand away.
"Let go of me. You bastard."
"You always leave with your head held high, only to come crawling back bruised and beaten."
"Does it make sense to come back without a single scratch, when I'm working as an active field agent? If I cared that much about self perseveration, I'd have to quit this job a long time ago."
"A single scratch?"
Zhenya looked at Kwon Taekjoo up and down with disbelief. Truth be told, it was hard to find a single part of Kwon Taekjoo's skin that wasn't covered in injuries.
And that was without even checking under his military gear. His ears still numb from nearly being blown apart in the explosion.
" I was so close to finishing things without any complications this time. But then other guys had to interfere… wait, before that. Why are you here? I explicitly told you not to follow me."
Kwon Taekjoo demanded, suddenly shifting the focus of his complaints to interrogate Zhenya.
This wasn't the first time Zhenya had shown up on one of Kwon Taekjoo's missions. Every time Kwon Taekjoo was on a mission, Zhenya followed him, almost flaunting his presence for everyone to see.
It was already a headache whenever he appeared, Zhenya also had a knack for directly interfering with Kwon Taekjoo missions, just like he was doing now.
As a Russian diplomat, Zhenya should have been careful with his actions, but it seemed he didn't care in the slightest.
"Are you saying I followed you?"
"What? Am I wrong?"
"Of course you are. I was simply running out of my usual cigars, so I came to pick out a few that suited my taste. Cuban cigars are the best, After all.
I was about to head home after taking care of that, but by chance, I found my lover wandering around. So the reason I'm here and why I picked you up is purely personal."
Kwon Taekjoo clicked his tongue at the ridiculous excuse. Did Zhenya really think such an absurd explanation would fly with both country and Cuba? Sometimes, Kwon Taekjoo wondered if Zhenya wasn't just stubborn but also a bit too simple-minded.
Did the world's complications really seem that insignificant and boring to him? Kwon Taekjoo always felt a wave of frustration when he fell into Zhenya's traps, and for some reason, he knew this time would be no exception.
He brushed his aside. Now wasn't the time to vent his frustration on Zhenya. Learning toward the window, he surveyed the situation below.
A like of police vehicles cashed after them, their lights flashing. There didn't appear to be any other reinforcements, suggesting they might avoid an aerial confrontation.
Of course, that didn't guarantee they'd escape Cuban airspace unharmed.
"So, where are we heading? They'll close off this airspace any minute now."
"Well, considering a little thief just blew up their precious source of income, I'm sure they're desperate to catch him. You better lie low for a while."
"Ha… You think I don't know that? Where and how exactly do you suggest I lie low?"
"If you don't have a place to hide right away, why not barrow a raccoon's den for the time being?"
"… A raccoon?"
Zhenya wasn't referring to himself. Maybe he had a contact nearby with a place to stay. After all, Cuba and Russia had friendly relations, so it seemed like a reasonable assumption.
Still, it was hard to guarantee that kind of support from a Cuban when Zhenya was helping someone who was literally an enemy of the state.
It wasn't long before the helicopter began to descend slowly. Below them, a nearly 100-meter yacht swayed gently over the blue waters. Was Zhenya really planning to land on it.?
It absurd to think a not-so-little yacht was their grand escape plan while being chased as potential terrorism suspects. The police vehicles that had been pursuing them gathered at the dock, watching helplessly from the other side of the water.
Sure enough, Zhenya landed the helicopter on the yacht and turned off the engine. The rapid revolutions of the blades slowed to a halt.
As if nothing was amiss, the yacht's crew appeared to secure the helicopter, not a single one of them was armed. One of the crew members approached and opened the door with almost mechanical precision.
Zhenya pulled Kwon Taekjoo to his feet, snapping him out of his daze state as he watched the scene unfold.
"Get off."
Kwon Taekjoo let Zhenya lead him, but he couldn't help staring around in disbelief. Just moments ago, he had been fighting for his life in a high-stakes chase.
Now, within minutes he found himself on a massive yacht. The entire situation was so surreal and disorienting that he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"What is this?"
"I told you, it's a raccoon's den."
"And who exactly is this 'raccoon'?"
"Does it really matter?"
"Of course it matters! Have you forgotten the situation we're in?"
" what situation? As far as I'm concerned, I'm just here for the strictly personal reason picking up some cigars.. so, I guess we're on the vacation now?"
Kwon Taekjoo was about to lose it at Zhenya's casual response. He couldn't fathom how Zhenya always stayed so calm and collected in the mist of chaos and upheaval.
Even on a battlefield, Zhenya would sip tea while bombs and bullets whizzed past him.
Even now, Zhenya walked away as if nothing was wrong. Kwon Taekjoo grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"Stop playing games, idiot"
"Who's playing games now?"
"Don't tell me you actually bought this yacht."
"Why? Do u want it?"
"No. I'm asking if it's yours."
"If I wanted to, I could make it mine right here and right now."
"Ugh. Stop beating around the bush and answer my question. Whose yacht is this?"
"You'll find out soon enough. But that's not what really matters right now. Is it?"
Zhenya continued to dodge Kwon Taekjoo's questions and headed down to the lower deck with a sense of familiarity, as if he were at home.
Meanwhile, the yacht sailed slowly but steadily toward some unknown destination. Kwon Taekjoo cast one last bitter glance at the flashing police lights on the dock before following Zhenya.
After a while the elevator stopped. As the doors opened, a completely silent hallway greeted him, a shark contrast to the lively lobby below. Kwon Taekjoo couldn't sense the presence of any, crew members.
He stood still, instinctively wary of his surroundings, but Zhenya stepped out and nodded.
"This way."
Kwon Taekjoo figured Zhenya might be planning to lay low here unit they reached their destination.After all, they had to be ready to act like stowaways.
For a hiding place, the yacht itself seemed excessively luxurious, but compared to the other areas they had just passed, this space was quite and welcoming.
"They said we could use the yacht's facilities however we like during our stay."
"Ha… who said that?"
"You don't need to know that, Taekjoo."
Zhenya remained tight-lipped about who had granted him such a favor. Even though they had grown very close to each another, Zhenya still kept plenty of secrets.
Of course, the same could be said for Kwon Taekjoo, so he couldn't exactly complain.
All he do was glare in frustration at the back of Zhenya's head..