A very much needed explanation!!

For everyone confused about the sudden FSB switch in this chapter:
Remember that Taekjoo came to Russia to investigate Anastasia, which is a highly classified Russian weapon/project. And because he’s investigating something Russia wants kept secret, Taekjoo becomes a problem for the people involved with Anastasia.

REMEMBER Zhenya isn’t just some random crazy guy, he’s actually an FSB agent/civil servant(remember earlier in the story?) so his work is directly connected to this whole situation. The scene where Zhenya kills the guy who was sleeping with the woman is also giving us more context about the kind of operations he’s involved in. The woman was apparently trying to assassinate/blow up the guy she was sleeping with and Zhenya intervened. The reason why we got switched to this all of a sudden is because the FSB is trying to lure him out so they themselves can get takejoo since it’s clear that zhenya isn’t going to kill him.

Now for Zhenya and Taekjoo:

At first, Zhenya’s interest in Taekjoo is obviously NOT normal or healthy. He sees Taekjoo as someone interesting, entertaining, and worth keeping around, and he likes testing him and seeing how far he can push him. There’s also a huge power imbalance because Zhenya is MUCH more dangerous and powerful than Taekjoo, and Taekjoo doesn’t fully understand who Zhenya actually is.

But over time, Taekjoo stops being just a target/game to Zhenya. Zhenya becomes increasingly fixated on him, pays attention to him in ways he doesn’t have to, and starts treating Taekjoo differently from the other people around him.

That’s why the scene where Zhenya nearly kills Taekjoo is so important. When he realizes he could actually lose Taekjoo, he seems genuinely affected by it. It’s almost like he’s being forced to confront the fact that this isn’t just some game to him anymore. Taekjoo has become someone he doesn’t actually want to lose.

And THAT’S where the FSB plot becomes important. Professionally, Taekjoo is a problem because he’s INVESTIGATING Anastasia. Zhenya’s position puts him on the side of the people who would want that problem dealt with/want the takejoo DEAD. BUT personally, Zhenya is becoming attached to Taekjoo.

SOOO the conflict is basically:

FSB/Zhenya’s job: “Taekjoo is a threat. Deal with him.”

Zhenya personally: “…but I don’t want him dead.”

And I think that’s why the story is suddenly showing us all this FSB stuff right after the Taekjoo/Zhenya situation. We’re being shown that Zhenya’s relationship with Taekjoo is becoming a problem because the person he’s becoming attached to is literally someone his own side has a reason to eliminate.

Obviously, some of the “Zhenya is realizing he has feelings” part is interpretation at this point, but the important thing is that his attachment to Taekjoo is clearly becoming harder to separate from his actual job. oki hope this helps anyone that’s confused