Chapter 655

Jo Eunnara’s manager was anxious.

“No! Our Nara!”

He sounded on the verge of tears, like a man who had lost his country.

“Ha... How could they put music over this part? What about our Nara!”

It was the first scene where Taeo and Lia appeared in the same frame. Galdaeguk acted as though he had been waiting for this very day.

He drove the precarious tension home with lighting and music.

On top of that, putting a scene like this right after showing such a violent, cold-blooded shootout was cheating.

Taeo grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward himself, then ran his thumb over the slender wrist that could easily be hidden beneath that one finger alone. It seemed as though every emotion he felt had melted into that gesture.

All the waiting and loneliness until now, even how precious the other person was to him.

The side of Taeo’s face shown as he met Lia’s eyes to see through any lie was his left side.

Sharper and more distinct.

But the viewers already knew. They had seen Taeo standing all alone in front of the crosswalk. They knew how long he had waited.

So there was no point in him putting up his guard. If anything, it only made him look more pitiful.

After all, he had pulled Lia close enough that he could have embraced her at any moment, yet all he did was stroke her wrist.

“I'm saying they should put some music in when our Nara appears.”

Whether awake or asleep, all he ever worried about was Nara. As the field commander, V served as Lia’s guard whenever she headed to the ICC.

While Lia prepared the preliminary work needed to freeze the accounts, he had nothing in particular to do, so the extent of his daily routine was resting his chin on his hand while watching her or teasing her.

Which meant he couldn’t possibly miss it.

Taeo leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as he watched Lia, and Lia growing tense because she knew he was staring.

—This is delicious... Mm...

—How did you know I live for lightweight flirty characters like this, ah TT_TT Eungyo, thank you so much

—They barely even give us a two-shot, fuck, and the male lead has practically sewn his mouth shut, so why is this so sweet??? They're seriously driving me insane

“I'd prefer the ICC and Interpol to maintain the friendly relationship we have now, you know?”

“....”

V, who had a can of soda between his lips, smiled as he spoke to Taeo.

“Meaning, stop staring at our elite like that.”

V forcibly shoved the can against Taeo’s chest and said playfully,

“Throw that away for me~.”

Watching his retreating back, Taeo silently crushed the can. The red soda can went straight into the trash.

“Good, our Nara!”

Jo Eunnara’s face as he slung an arm over Lia’s shoulders when she came out of the conference room and glanced back over his shoulder was seriously something else.

How much of something else?

Enough that a single frame revealed that this was a man who had survived every trial and tribulation in a universe relentlessly determined to screw him over through the sheer power of his face alone.

“He doesn't lose to Han Yohan! I can hear the fans multiplying! Long live our Nara!”

Like the greatest patriot the world had ever seen, Jo Eunnara’s manager gave three cheers of “Long live our Nara!”

* * *

“Aaaaaah!”

Meanwhile, Meiling and her friends were watching Episode 2 of <Code Name: Time Seven> as it aired.

“I love this so much....”

As women whose first pick had been Joo Junseo, naturally, they picked Jo Eunnara. Even covering their mouths with both hands couldn’t hide their huge smiles.

Only Wang Haoyu, sitting below the sofa, wasn’t smiling.

“I think... I might like it when a relationship develops like this between people who were already close....”

Meiling withdrew her previous statement. There was something sweet about the feeling of friends becoming lovers.

Unlike Taeo, they hadn’t been given a whole backstory, but the characters alone were powerful enough to leave a strong impression. Wang Haoyu, however, judged them coldly.

“He doesn't look like he'd sacrifice himself for a woman. That's still not enough.”

Because Wang Haoyu was still firmly on Taejin’s side—in other words, Shin Seojin’s.

Having made his first pick with <The Great Garland>, Wang Haoyu refused to allow Han Yeoreum any man other than Shin Seojin.

Amid the subtle atmosphere surrounding the three of them, the story soon began moving forward in earnest.

At last, the project began.

Lia stood before a massive screen covering an entire wall. Across it were graphs shifting in real time, cryptocurrency windows, and a world map.

“Plan B. From this moment on, we're freezing the accounts.”

—Fucking badass TT__TT

—Ha, this reminds me of Lee Seohae, I fucking love it

—They really gritted their teeth and made this LOLOLOL fuck, look at the quality of this drama

—Han Yeoreum monologue, go go, hurry up and give it to me, I'm getting dizzy

There was no wasted movement in Lia’s hands as she worked without showing the slightest tension. The sound of the keyboard was unusually crisp. Her typing speed was extraordinary.

Sitting before multiple monitors that filled her entire field of vision, Lia took the lead. The other side noticed the moment she touched the accounts.

“Immediate response. The other side has started moving too.”

The traffic going wild was clearly visible on the screen. The agents around Lia began moving their hands faster as well.

“The virtual shell company's firewall is stronger than we anticipated. The traffic is heading toward the Geneva headquarters in Switzerland, but the IP is being rerouted every three seconds, so precise tracking isn't easy.”

“They're changing it in real time.”

The traffic on the screen kept changing again and again. The agents’ typing gradually lost its steady rhythm.

The operations team watching them grew tense as well.

“There's a delay in data input. We'll reverse the route. Abandon the main gateway to the Geneva central bank and enter through the connected Swiss national financial network.”

Lia remained unfazed. She calmly ordered a change in strategy.

“That'll drag the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, FINMA, into this too!”

“We just have to get out before they catch our IP.”

Lia was bold. A structural diagram of the firewall protecting the Geneva bank headquarters appeared on the screen. A loading screen appeared at the center of the main display.

Everyone stared in shock.

The ICC’s beloved top elite agent remained perfectly calm.

“Location... acquired! First Swiss Geneva account!”

Someone’s shout was followed by reports one after another.

“Bahamas complete.”

“Liechtenstein complete.”

“Cambodia complete.”

“Virgin Islands complete.”

All fourteen accounts were being blocked one by one. The operations team finally released the breath they had been holding.

“That's a different distribution method. How did you do it?”

“They derived it from old source code used by Russian intelligence ten years ago. I remembered that we cracked their intelligence encryption during our last operation.”

Lia focused so intensely on the screen that she looked ready to disappear into it. It seemed she could no longer hear anything around her.

“Field R-1. Respond.”

—This is R-1. No abnormalities.

“Field C-1. Respond.”

—This is C-1. No abnormalities!

The operations team exchanged radio communications with the field teams. Footage transmitted from the field agents’ body cams appeared on the screen.

“We've detected Natalie’s movements. Begin driving her out.”

Only V and Taeo’s eyes could be seen between the pieces of tactical gear covering their faces.

“Analysis of Natalie's likely escape routes is complete. First. We've sealed off the private runway at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Second, we've obtained the border patrol radar routes covering smuggling vessels at the Port of St. Petersburg.”

“Both air and sea routes are completely blocked! Then she'll go looking for an accomplice.”

The operations officer holding the radio gave the order.

“R-1. C-1. Both teams....”

The edit alternated between Taeo and V’s faces.

“Commence operation.”

At last, the operation began.

Bang!

<Code Name: Time Seven>

The title slammed across their faces, and the preview for Episode 3 began. Multiple targets appeared on the radar. Every one of them was Natalie or one of her subordinates.

“Let's move quickly!”

V, commanding the operation on-site, held a short-barreled gun, while Taeo, preparing to attack alone from a distance, held a long rifle.

“Thirty seconds until the security code is disabled.”

The bunker they had entered had several exits. They needed to flush their targets out like rabbits and drive the key figures toward Taeo’s position.

Lia analyzed the CCTV circuits, breached the security system, and opened the doors. V charged forward. Taeo took aim.

“Target acquired.”

—Eliminate the target.

Bang—!

Cold sweat formed on Lia’s forehead as she watched the shared feed in real time. She closed her eyes for a moment.

Even after the preview ended, the people who had watched Episode 2 of <Code Name: Time Seven> still couldn’t bring themselves to change the channel.

That was the power of Han Yeoreum’s unique ability to draw viewers in.

* * *

[Drama/Film Actors TALK / It's only Episode 2, how is it already this good]

Please delete next week and just air another episode right now

—Anonymous 1: fr how tf are we supposed to wait a whole week

—Anonymous 4: there's so much gif material today I'm already dying of happiness T_T

—Anonymous 7: seriously every single scene is packed full, there's nothing to throw away

[Drama/Film Actors TALK / Today's Jo Eunnara face compilation.gif]

I put every scene in slow motion so you guys can stare longer

—Anonymous 1: I can't leave this page

—Anonymous 5: let's go full patriot mode and make Jo Eunnara the male lead

└Anonymous 6: then what about Taeo TT_TT

—Anonymous 7: I can feel it, both of these are gonna be career-defining roles for Han Yohan and Jo Eunnara

[Drama/Film Actors TALK / Han Yeoreum's line delivery is as good as ever]

Got another taste of that diction I loved during Lee Seohae today TT_TT please let her command operations lots and lots...

—Anonymous 1: yesssss it's so cathartic

—Anonymous 3: never stumbles, never slurs, never swallows her words, writers must fucking love Han Yeoreum

—Anonymous 6: I love it so much I could just die

Every drama-related community was flooded with posts about Episode 2 of <Code Name: Time Seven>. The sheer firepower was unbelievable for a series with only two episodes out.

ScreenDaze (British Drama Community) @ScreenDaze

(Code Name: Time Seven action scene.mp4)

Russia is fucking awesome

7,761 Retrits 18K Likes

The spectacular visuals filmed on location in Russia and Galdaeguk’s signature direction, packed with countless metaphors, made the drama perfect for promoting through clips.

MyHeartBelongsToWomen (MyWomenArchive) @yeomisae

(Two-shot of Lia after Taeo pulls her by the wrist.jpg)

He can wrap his whole hand around her wrist...

Girl is tiny and talks too much

Guy keeps his mouth shut and just stares at her

Girl's like what the hell is wrong with this guy?

8,891 Retrits 19K Likes

└I'm fucking drooling, it's just pouring out endlessly, can't stop smacking my lips, mm delicious, did you go grocery shopping?

└Ma'am, kids these days don't know that joke, please stop, you're showing your age

└What are you talking about? I'm a middle school girl. I'm doing my math workbook right now

└They got rid of those workbooks, fuck, even that gives away that you're an old lady

On top of that, the completely unexpected chemistry between Han Yeoreum and Han Yohan struck viewers right in the heart.

They barely had any scenes together, and hardly even spoke to each other, yet the narrative and their acting alone made everything completely convincing.

The gamble of filling the entirety of Episode 1 with child-actor scenes had done no damage whatsoever.

After all, in romance, it was almost impossible to lose with the combination of a man already prepared to risk his life for her all over again and a woman who knew absolutely nothing about it.

“How are the views?”

Daily Media checked the portal sites.

Unlike before, the age of short-form content had arrived, and OTT simultaneous-release systems had been introduced.

The volume of online buzz was richer than ever.

“Well, there are always tons of people who click just because they see Han Yeoreum, so it's number one.”

Victory in Intube trailer views, victory in community buzz, victory in core-fandom concentration.

But there was one thing Reporter Wi needed to point out.

“But Code Time Seven is climbing fast, while the other two still aren't being pushed out easily because of their existing audiences. It's kind of... neck and neck?”

That was right. The generations that watched the most live television dramas were middle-aged and older viewers in their fifties and sixties and above.

Television remained their most-used viewing medium, and they were the core audience that reliably watched live broadcasts.

[<Class 1-1> Heo Haena's Adorable Morning-Bun Acting, Fierce Eyes Have Viewers Smiling Like Moms: “Still So Cute~”]

[That Suit Fit Is Insane... Noh Seungchan Reveals His True Identity in <Manager Kim's Survival>, Leaving Gu Minho ‘Shocked’]

“Then... even if it wins, doesn't that mean crushing them in the ratings is probably impossible?”

That was the rookie reporter’s analysis. After all, both <Class 1-1> and <Manager Kim's Survival> had been high-quality today. Their endings also did their part by making viewers desperate to know what happened next.

The protagonist was the only person who knew the true identity of the undercover agent hiding his overwhelming abilities, while the high-priced tutoring students were about to earn good grades using leaked exam papers.

Both secrets would keep viewers hooked as they wondered how they would eventually be exposed.

“<Manager Kim> gives you that fast-paced, satisfying payoff, while <Class 1-1> is more of that outrageous dopamine rush. Doesn't seem like either one is going to lose many viewers....”

It was simply that <Code Name: Time Seven> had turned out absurdly well. The other two were still above-average productions in their own right.

“No.”

The senior reporter, who had correctly predicted the ratings for every Episode 1, spoke.

“They're rerunning it this weekend.”

He was certain that all it would take was one taste of an episode of <Code Name: Time Seven> for viewers to abandon the others without hesitation.

Starting next week, it would be a battle between single-digit and double-digit ratings.

* * *

“Proceed with the report.”

Jegal Rok gave the brief order. As soon as morning came, the ratings for dramas on the three terrestrial broadcasters were released.

<Class 1-1> Episode 4 — 8.4%

<Manager Kim's Survival> Episode 4 — 8.1%

Both series had safely entered the eight-percent range. Given that both were solid productions, they seemed to have had little difficulty drawing strong early ratings.

<Code Name: Time Seven> Episode 2 — 11.7%

But Han Yeoreum’s drama, which had been chasing them from behind, had already begun to overtake them.

As though the penalty of starting one week later meant absolutely nothing.