Dopamine Addiction - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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1.
Hui-ju yawned as she stepped into the lobby, her eyes meeting those of the security guard at the desk. She offered an awkward smile and gave a small bow.
The older guard clucked his tongue with concern.
“You’re coming in at this hour?”
“Something urgent came up. You work hard out here.”
“Dear me. Did you catch a cold?”
Hui-ju nodded and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand.
“This winter’s cold is vicious. You be careful too.”
Her natural voice was nowhere to be found beneath that metallic rasp—it startled even her. She could only imagine what it did to others.
Oddly, this cold came with an especially severe cough. She’d been hacking so hard that she tasted copper at the back of her throat.
The guard pressed the elevator button for her. He apparently had a daughter around Hui-ju’s age, and it clearly weighed on him.
“Thank you.”
“Making someone with a cold come in at this hour. You should’ve said you couldn’t make it.”
“What choice does an office worker have? You do as you’re told. My lottery ticket from last week was a bust anyway.”
“Ha, well, that’s how it goes. You’ve got no other choice, have you?”
“Take care.”
Hui-ju gave a light nod and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the twenty-third floor. A nameplate beside it read “Master Asset Management.”
“Thanks for your help.”
As the guard called out his goodbye, the elevator doors slid shut.
“London would be around ten at night now…. Cough, cough.”
Another dry cough seized her. Only after wiping her eyes did Hui-ju straighten her hunched shoulders and step out of the elevator.
“This blasted cold.”
The empty office was filled with a chill that seeped into the bone. She shivered despite herself.
After setting down her bag, she filled the pot with water. While waiting for it to boil, her mind drifted unbidden to yesterday’s events.
“I shouldn’t have answered that call.”
It all began with a single phone call that had come in yesterday evening.
―Hey, it’s me. How was your weekend?
‘It was fine—until you called, Team Leader.’
―Sounds like that cold hasn’t cleared up.
Team Leader Han laughed heartily, as though he’d heard a funny joke. It wasn’t entirely a joke, but Hui-ju didn’t bother correcting him.
―Manager Kim got admitted to the hospital.
At those words, Hui-ju’s expression hardened. She pushed herself up from the sofa where she’d been reclining.
Perhaps sensing the shift in her attention through the phone, Team Leader Han continued in a lighter tone.
―He took a fall down the stairs. Went out to dispose of trash.
‘Good grief.’
―And wouldn’t you know it, he didn’t bring his phone. A dog walker found him yelling his lungs out down there.
Her sigh turned into a bitter smile. It troubled her how her profession could make her heart sink over a single phone call like this.
Few people knew that Master Asset Management was a front for the National Intelligence Service. Only a select few among the upper echelon.
Those who worked here managed Black agents operating across the globe and handled the collection of sensitive intelligence.
Though she didn’t work in the field herself, her office position offered little peace of mind either.
How she—someone who’d passed the civil service exam for grade nine—had ended up here remained a mystery.
When she’d gone to ask the personnel department about it, they’d only repeated something about a computer error while sweating profusely. Eventually she’d resigned herself to it. It had been four years now.
‘How badly is he hurt?’
―Two months of medical leave.
‘What kind of staircase and fall could do that?’
―Bones completely fractured. They’re operating to insert titanium rods today.
‘Someone should tell him not to dispose of trash ever again.’
―Actually, that’s what I’m calling about.
Team Leader Han chose his words carefully. Hui-ju felt an ominous premonition. It was the feeling of additional work materializing in the midst of her already overwhelming schedule.
And ominous premonitions were usually right on the money.
‘Team Leader.’
Hui-ju lowered her voice, but Team Leader Han beat her to it.
―The new assignments Manager Kim took on—for now, you’ll need to back him up on those.
She breathed out silently. She’d seen this coming from a mile away.
‘Do I just take the new work, or…?’
―Yeah, just the new stuff. Deputy Manager Yoon and I can split the rest.
Talk was cheap, though. The heaviest work would fall to Team Leader Han regardless. So Hui-ju nodded.
‘What’s the new assignment?’
―Nothing serious. Not much different from what you’re already doing. Just support one agent the way you always do.
A hiss. Steam rose from the pot. Hui-ju snapped back to the present, switched off the power, and poured water into a tumbler.
The tea bag she’d dropped in earlier released a gentle aroma.
Or so she imagined. Her nose was too congested to smell a thing.
After taking a sip, she picked up the security-locked laptop and headed for the consultation room—which was really a soundproof chamber equipped with security measures against eavesdropping and hacking.
“Let me find it. The address should be…. There it is.”
A new name had been added to the video call list. She clicked on it, and a “Connecting…” message appeared.
While she took another sip of tea, the other person picked up. The black screen changed.
“Hm?”
Hui-ju’s eyes widened slightly as she brought the tumbler to her lips.
The first thing visible was a wall of deep chocolate-brown wood. And a table in a slightly lighter shade.
A kettle and hand drip coffee equipment sat atop it. A drop of coffee hung at the filter’s edge, falling at steady intervals.
That was all. No sign of a person anywhere on screen.
“…….”
She glanced upward. Only then did she notice a painting hanging on the wall.
Hui-ju’s eyes narrowed. The image was almost symmetrical—left and right perfectly mirrored—more geometric pattern than art.
Beyond that, there was nothing to suggest who she was speaking with. The table was dust-free and immaculate; everything lay in perfect order.
Then a man appeared from the left side of the frame. Long fingers grasped the kettle, and he poured water over the filter.
The coffee drops, which had slowed, now fell in steady rhythm again. She could almost smell the coffee from here.
Hui-ju watched, transfixed by his hands, until her eyes met his—a grayish-blue gaze through the screen. Only then did she finally speak.
“Hello, Liam.”
The name that fell from her lips—real or alias, she couldn’t say—hung in the air.
An alias, most likely. The identities of Black agents were often kept secret even from Intelligence Service personnel.
In that moment, the man’s brow furrowed slightly.
―I can’t see your face.
“Oh, is that so? One moment.”
Hui-ju clicked through various settings, asking each time “Can you see me now?” but Liam shook his head every time.
Finally, Hui-ju gave up and sighed softly.
“It seems to be locked by security protocols. The tech team hasn’t arrived yet, so I’m not sure what the issue is. Would it be alright if we just proceed like this….”
Cough, cough. She turned away, breaking off mid-sentence as a fit took her. She coughed so hard she gasped for breath, then apologized. “I’m sorry.”
“Would you mind if we just went ahead?”
―We don’t have much choice, do we?
Hui-ju frowned, reminded that he couldn’t see her face.
She typically handled Black agents operating in Europe—people who technically operated on the razor’s edge of legality. When necessary, they didn’t hesitate to break the law.
And among them, there were some she thought “just weren’t a fit.” ……Honestly, more than “some.”
She resented the fact that keeping their goodwill was necessary to complete assignments without incident.
If only she’d win the lottery. She’d throw her resignation letter in their faces and never look back.
“Due to unavoidable circumstances, I’ll be supporting you in James’s place for a while.”
The man with the coffee cup in his hand took a sip, responding with ease.
―Liam is fine.
As she’d noticed before, the man’s Korean—he appeared to be of mixed ethnicity—was flawless. As Hui-ju nodded, Liam, having taken a sip of coffee, murmured something almost to himself.
―I’ve done away with both my name and face. But you’ve managed to hide yours along with your voice.
He set down the cup with a soft clink. Then, slowly, he looked up.
Liam fixed his gaze on Hui-ju through the screen—or more precisely, on the camera.
―What’s your name?
She couldn’t have missed the distrust woven into those words. The air grew taut. Her already hoarse throat seemed to tighten further.
“It’s Sahara.”
Hui-ju gave her code name. The corner of Liam’s mouth lifted slightly.
―The desert?
Rather than answer, Hui-ju glanced at the phone and notepad on the desk, as though signaling she wanted to move to business. Though of course he couldn’t see her doing so.
Holding his cup in one hand, Liam leaned back in his chair. His posture was relaxed, yet his spine seemed stiff with tension.
She’d made contact with several Black agents over the years, but none had ever radiated such an overwhelming presence.
The man didn’t harden his expression or speak harshly, yet a suffocating sense of pressure emanated from beyond the screen, undiluted.
And so Hui-ju found herself frowning again. She simply couldn’t believe that someone with such a commanding presence was a Black agent.
Liam recited softly, as though musing aloud.
―Code name Sahara? I’d guess both parents passed early, no siblings. On the surface, bright and conscientious, but deep down, harboring a fundamental loneliness with no outlet. People think you’re mild-mannered and kind, but you’re actually rather cynical.
—…….
Hui-ju’s expression drained away. She fixed him with a cold, empty stare.
Liam took a leisurely sip of coffee, then set the cup down and spoke.
―I’d say I’m probably right on most counts.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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