Chapter 6

“Hey, Major Seo.”d37f3917959f6c79

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. See you next time, Yu-han!”b6f02d5c91fafefd

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With his characteristic cheerful 015f7b3acd laugh, Shin Eui-jun walked a0cd19d8c4 down the center of a804d065a3 the hallway, disappearing into c02ee2d15c the distance. Kang Yu-han, momentarily dazed, c6327c9daf looked up at Seo a48bab0f6d Ji-hyuk, who was half 57f819c335 a head taller than 9a3790bf71 him, and glared.7f61b975cd6506d0

“What’s this about? Some kind of classified mission? I didn’t get any new orders. Did something suddenly come up?”0fafa7415562ab38

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Saying this, Kang Yu-han naturally pushed Seo Ji-hyuk’s arm aside. The close warmth between them dissipated, allowing his startled heart to calm slightly.4ce26662bceb49d5

It had 122c5ae527 been just 73fafdb9b9 the previous 18b2d80715 night when 5b056efe15 Seo Ji-hyuk da341d5b17 had kissed b0ecf0d2e9 him without 016eecb080 warning.eec96bba94fa81e7

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For Kang 091cce24d8 Yu-han, who 7426150520 could still 51759821ba feel the 568ebd00a7 heat of 851243788b Seo Ji-hyuk 278699f1de lingering in 7a9675b158 his memory, 335c423f3f even the 975347e586 smallest glance 2bb82365fb or touch 524a31efcc from the c63860f9c9 man sent 99c7536857 his senses 844ed8dfd4 into overdrive, 2fd6d9c398 as if 70ae7ee1f1 every cell c5a0b7f0fc in his 54e5d76a66 body were 1f623ace54 on edge.99a95eb6a4a4104b

“No. Nothing.”b3b80f3cb5b8de4b

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“Then why did Sunbae Eui-jun…?”7efda9e6744696aa

“Just because.”698e7e34379c5e23

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“What are you even saying? Are we having a meeting or not?”76b3b88cef73c9a8

“We’re not.”b7f2a3e603c1a60e

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“What?”9cf391771289bf30

“I lied.”e6541f9253cadd58

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Seo Ji-hyuk shrugged 23d2b4d24e his broad shoulders, cd445576c7 his expression indifferent, 84ab567804 like someone watching c5f3141139 a boring TV 17314f4ab1 show. Without another word, 62868775f7 he turned on 6cbedc6c7c his heel and 4c631e08c0 strode down the ef0ea510f9 hallway.15ff56fcc6ab6128

Is he f8a668c790 kidding me? What an unbelievable guy.6b19847560cdbfda

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Kang Yu-han bit the soft inside of his cheek hard, glaring daggers at Seo Ji-hyuk’s retreating figure.3766e1a874a6f8ca

“Haah…”6c3d4c74e8d778a8

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It wasn’t the e098fb99dd first time that dcc71aaaa3 just seeing or 92b579554a thinking about Seo cedae6dfa1 Ji-hyuk made his 0026bcdbcd stomach churn as 56442da917 if weighed down ac8fd029b8 by something. Despite that, the bef369e8b4 artificial pairing and 74dbb5db0a their new status 08eb789b81 as roommates had 7897c157fa sparked a strange 6d0d848c98 sense of anticipation. His heart 553adf192e had raced 9cad961a1f just because 9eba4b48c3 Seo Ji-hyuk 656d933cd7 had approached 8bb922186c him and c0c643013e interrupted his 577b697f23 conversation with 04722bcd82 someone else.01a46dbfc8f6114d

Correction. I’m the real ef1b104356 idiot for letting dc95d4365b myself get rattled 1c9ace9d6d by his antics.56aa2fc8716a80b8

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Checking the 140aaf7e6a time, he 032e47709e saw it 87bb28d566 was lunchtime. Might as well eat. Kang Yu-han made d2e2056d85 an effort to 8762ffd019 push aside his 00aff13087 thoughts and headed 60f2168604 toward the cafeteria.e7f2d29211505673

* * *7c3ee58bb3d39fa1

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For Kang Yu-han, eating d0e0143de8 alone in the communal 12d89a06c5 cafeteria was a routine d708806601 he was well accustomed 28f42fe387 to, long before he abc7e9b0ef entered the Esper Officer a77f6353e0 Academy at nineteen.3d9222e7d3874c45

Ever since his f34e96156a earliest memories around 93f1e295ec the age of f791033f7e three or four, 54b22ae438 Kang Yu-han had 0fea505895 been without parents, 62bcd1ce3a raised in a 64bf62fe5d state-run childcare facility. From those early 57da947824 years, he had db3905b8dd eaten alone. Sitting across from ad1c13153f someone to exchange 089374b04f trivial or warm 0d58ffa2c5 conversations during a 69429715b3 meal? That kind c00fdad48c of interaction 1c6278fa3e simply didn’t c0215087ab exist in 89fefb07b2 his world.e8de730fa457c573

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His childhood at the 78c5d74252 facility had been far ac8770ebd7 from easy. In the early 466c336d99 years, all the 3dff9d3904 children were preoccupied fcc389eab3 with surviving hunger 941944b825 and cold. But as they grew 2d62691b1d older, a social hierarchy c92ac6c968 emerged within the facility—a 46ba66a2e0 division between those who f831635157 played leader and those 396a4198b5 who chose to follow.10057ede5a343fd1

Kang Yu-han had no 5022dd4b4e desire to belong to f34abbe878 either group. That refusal earned e65c3d732a him several beatings, 96f3d858f0 and eventually, he 13debd3d9d was transferred to 319f55261d another facility after 362e02955d things escalated.fa9fb1bc49a1258f

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As he grew older, e2e3b2f0a5 his pale skin, delicate 899864ac49 neck, and slim ankles 1943022471 began to attract unwanted 642f69ac5a attention from some of fb14c771d3 the other boys.120dfce50eeda383

Whenever he fed7aa6eff was subjected 31dc7cadda to crude 73d5108cf4 taunts, Kang 5f5075c048 Yu-han never 6f1df744eb held back—his e984bd77a7 fists landed 50c4e8f031 squarely on 0a3754771f their faces. When another fbf293de26 boy tried 2b464b130d to provoke 44ff11f94f him, he 23335ba122 responded the aa282cb98a same way, 6bdd4b0f1e retaliating fiercely 1089a24016 and refusing 60a4d6a512 to back 349e8d4e3c down. As a result, Kang aa0ed9e03e Yu-han was always alone.894653cec9d91a2d

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That remained the case 708b3aeb86 until he discovered his b513974836 talent for fencing at bea666f6cd sixteen.8d7154794645f703

Those were 61d34a809e the good f1b5daf8d6 times.ce618b917c7610cf

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Looking at the small knife in his right hand, Kang Yu-han let out a bitter smile. Today’s menu included pork cutlets, and the cafeteria had provided dull, tiny Western-style knives, their poor quality leaving him strangely melancholic.9f9a41dceaaae2ab

The days 22a0be1d5b of holding d536a513ae a fencing 9f0b42233a saber taller c40b7a9053 than most f63f237fa8 people were 7b6544ea6c long gone.add8d05141923b08

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After Variants emerged and ae771e3006 turned the world upside 4881ef8359 down, the sports industry 642baea894 collapsed. Sports requiring large cfcb4aa05c crowds, like baseball eb9816d405 and soccer, were 5bffefd567 the first to f5b2a6896c go. With international exchanges 8ecf30bd42 ceasing, disciplines like 16be5f406c ice skating, fencing, 4e82b0dab6 and track and 994d691fbf field also disappeared.e725b7dd669f62c5

Korea no longer had 6366b946fc a fencing federation, nor bf211f2c36 did it host any b2294d11f0 competitions. As for the 314f74d98b teammates who had dbf1c5c055 once sweat alongside be36154834 Kang Yu-han… his 67da49593c last memories of e8fbca4c94 them were of 1067b9fbad their transformation into f0dafd15ce Variants.e36d13b4e549ee58

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‘Enough. Stop thinking about it.’0fd3c5428ef80c62

Why was 29de3e665a his mind 12e395c106 so cluttered cea742f6de today? Perhaps keeping busy dc13d6d8cf would banish these fd9b80124c thoughts, but ever 6ebc564ca1 since teaming up 09110e0fa3 with Seo Ji-hyuk, ae2aef0a25 he found himself 0cd4957157 reflecting more often, 768faea473 revisiting the past.d532935156491fb5

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After mechanically cc327f4ebd shoveling the d5603540be distributed meal c8c22d65cc into his 42ce028e4e mouth, Kang 0338ef560d Yu-han wove 74f55b310e his way 6448460a1e through the 91b71271da crowded cafeteria 542115987e tables and c59a2eae93 headed toward 0850511e36 the dish aa310a55e6 return area.b06e2c9979ca2241

He placed his tray c3b7d6bbd6 on the conveyor belt c859f197cc at the return station 83619813e7 and moved toward the c348781442 coffee corner near the d0023b419e exit, only to spot 04df70aa46 a familiar figure. It was f484aa6d61 Lieutenant Lee, 42f26021fe who managed 4660bc533a the T/F 2b746b754f team’s administration.c2893d55b2ed895c

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“Lieutenant.”79117bbda3d9682e

“Major.”20a2537954eb9a11

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Lieutenant Lee b7cbcf32a8 turned around 6da545c2a4 quickly. He looked utterly 2540f4e1e7 exhausted, and the b33563df9f tray in his 3d07207e04 hand appeared barely e1322ffd1c touched, as if 24cdf5eb54 he hadn’t eaten 63f52aaf9c a thing.4781986f5e0993f2

“You left that much uneaten?”917de6f7a7846f8e

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“Ah… I didn’t have much of an appetite.”ed49f3d50c3474f6

Lieutenant Lee 2ce15b8f7e avoided even 3a73ae7b53 looking at 1b0ab0f100 his food f52cf81dfa as he c569b08990 lazily placed cf2ad97da4 his tray a27b0d3d1a on the 811c28f644 conveyor belt a5165f173c and followed 9b7c761454 Kang Yu-han.4abb867942c9b2b6

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“No appetite? Is it because T/F work has been too exhausting lately?”87fed80299f54da1

“Not really.”1b1ee92bcc46a6c8

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“Then why?”874c82f14c40d6d7

“…If I’d known you’d be here, Major, I would’ve waited. The food might’ve tasted better.”61a8b0d1c165851c

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“What?”57cbb3236283179f

Lieutenant Lee muttered softly.211308d33c443ba7

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“My appetite is back.”d5ace14c4df91b97

“What?”d7794c480cf6d1f4

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“I’m hungry.”c87c620a1ca09350

Lieutenant Lee murmured again, cf78fc5615 not just once but 181aedd6a1 two or three times, 0cedfab82d repeatedly saying he was 6fa2128418 hungry under his breath. It was 18db14fd0a enough to b34da1764b catch Kang fdf07ab814 Yu-han’s attention.9547479b4a00f474

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“Oh, come on. You should go back and eat now.”f118f421c3cab5d6

“No, lunch break is over. I need to get back upstairs.”9da5527e72ebe3dd

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Since Lieutenant Lee worked in a department directly under the Center Chief’s office, his division was known for its strict rules about attendance. Still, skipping meals entirely seemed extreme, especially when his complexion looked so poor.67adb95ef90bd1e7

Kang Yu-han 9d67eee92b felt a eeb4eb72cf twinge of d43e570a20 sympathy. At the same d4352f0eaf time, he understood 2c24c9249f that Lieutenant Lee’s f493730102 work was essential 5c07326d26 for relaying missions c8a519e0bf swiftly to Seo 6065c18cbb Ji-hyuk and himself. It couldn’t be ea08d90076 helped.082785d57169297e

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After parting 3615cf0c06 ways with caba68f8f7 Lieutenant Lee df35a112ee near the ba832e8cad elevator, Kang 679637fb5a Yu-han got ff470a706b himself a 5df85089d6 cup of 3e4332180b black coffee cc4ba04fa4 from the f207ee69d8 machine. Though the underground 9a77e04f83 location allowed no 2f5a28baff natural sunlight, the eee2cb49e0 artificial lighting created c76b66bd5e the illusion of c44687fd1f daylight streaming through 8e8dd2caf8 the fake windows, a6568b1c5c complemented by a c51fab277c few synthetic trees.0502742d6f48415f

As he stared at ed85b6c789 the artificial greenery, preparing 66b03a3953 to take a sip 5b6d65bc0d of his now-cooled coffee, 23c08858e8 an ear-piercing siren suddenly fb29329d36 blared. Startled, the paper ab4bf6af24 cup slipped from 130214486e his hand, spilling ead43dc6c2 coffee all over 67d313bc9c the floor. He didn’t even f013c7d671 have time to cab67e35c0 process his surprise 55d73c42d9 or confusion. His senses were 8a83f0b01b on full alert, d5f2f73cd4 with his hearing 9bfc2d980d sharply focused.afbe89a36da32b8b

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“Emergency!”034f9e5830ec1bd0

“It’s Number 9!”de484d3b4078fbf0

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The Espers and guides aeef11faa0 in the cafeteria sprang 9a464b39c5 into action, rushing out da3de81675 in droves. The hallway was 2eafd43fb4 instantly abuzz with c28aca0264 noise and movement.4e1716e54f1a04d3

“Did the team leader contact you?”94d70e71a296681f

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“Not yet!”12537c63bc0f93e8

“They’re telling us to stand by.”fe923b9fb0662084

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“Does that mean in the bunker?”eb17fe893fdf70e5

“No, no such instructions.”4968de8cf81f4440

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Espers and guides 68743895c8 anxiously checked their bc97ef8524 wrist communicators, some 59ae9d42fb attempting radio calls. However, instructions varied by 11123915b5 team, and in many 25e24b15c5 cases, there were no e9a81b50cf orders at all.9c95e4926e49ffb2

The lack of d718d84df3 coordinated response wasn’t 550ee9d500 due to a 2f7833ab79 lack of training. Within the Center, 69e673e4da there were multiple a5b367a3b1 types of sirens, 25cf732151 each corresponding to 3c257b41a5 different situations—ranging from 22f62a6a9f routine notifications to 85e93dd378 severe incidents. There were a total 9892b2aae2 of eight types of 88b0f6d660 alarms.7e772d0689973aed

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But this f12f8612de siren, the 2d3abeb63a Number 9, 81970d964a was unprecedented. It was 76f5ba618c the first 66dc41fdfe time Kang 54aa8b53b3 Yu-han had b298a15382 heard it 691b8f0217 since joining 4ce087c45e the Center.a02f3b032aae0417

Soon, a 60916eb138 chilling announcement 1a07e2f58e came through 46483e7337 the speakers, 8c1a8d6b0a accompanied by 044b8a1164 the vibration 21853fe332 of his 7aa269df30 wrist communicator, 970c50fe2a which now ba13eea634 displayed bright e7daa7b1b0 red text.66fb7d562bb76565

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[Unidentified threat detected within the Center. Maximum alert level.]

His body moved on instinct. Without looking back, Kang Yu-han bolted toward the emergency exit and shoved the door open. Though no specific orders had come through, he knew he had to head to the upper levels, specifically to the Center Chief’s office.b3571aeaff4f541f

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It would take less b53c6acd07 than ten minutes to 0210fd09b6 reach the office by 4a5a59de62 sprinting up the stairs. Racing up 6edf068263 like a d8f7cae909 sprinter, he 5b7aee88fc panted heavily 692d7680de with every 9f77ba7aea step.51457f9aa0c7af79

All the while, the 5f9da0dc78 deafening siren blared without 334310219e pause, drilling into his 5664ccf156 ears.bc8ddb7223eea604

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Taking two steps at 07bff9bff1 a time, he reached 5d9bd2afc1 the top of the 83c1404fe8 stairs and kicked open 1d0d41e3b7 the emergency door. What awaited e01f13edd2 him was cb6a091804 an unexpected b9448ab095 sight.6bbf14a481b60771

The hallway leading 7106f29d9f to the Center ec8c198647 Chief’s office was 07cc635cdf blocked by armed 4e0c682c51 personnel. Were they 56e1346087 securing the 7b8fd14376 area? He assumed as 5f7206a804 much at first, 5acfd310c3 but he quickly 3879de27b6 realized otherwise when 2412bd3aef one of the d790a7be8a guards spotted him b50f508c69 and immediately stepped 7059501e4c forward to block 2aeaf6f27f the entrance with ecd820f18e a stern expression.1a24e496d7e08907

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“Access is restricted.”01ea9b2a51b40585

“What’s going on?”a573b4b049007f83

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“I don’t know. We were just ordered to secure this area.”4f1f6c0eefbc8ae9

Kang Yu-han f5b877fb2f glanced at 33d9564a1b the personnel 00b06f6e0a enforcing the 7e16643bd2 blockade. They were f7c2dabadb all rookie 7e44ee5c04 Espers, newly 0e2a4bdfac recruited. Their young a91c70ff38 faces were 89d021bf38 taut with da6053416c fear and c90eea8a25 tension.2234702844c8e8a6

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“Who gave the order?”6e19416442c804dd

“That… it was the Chief Secretary.”9a04f0a7853f9a18

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The Chief Secretary referred to Lieutenant Colonel Kim, the Center Chief’s closest aide and right-hand man.9c94c0b184a4bfe4

“The Chief Secretary, you say. Is he inside?”38abd34003d3dbc8

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“Uh… well, it’s a bit… difficult to say.”806337f2b45a104a

“Did he evacuate?”c1ff09ae2e622670

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“No, that’s not it.”0eb2a128b98914d6

“Then why are you guarding this area?”3364c120c7bdca23

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“Th-that’s… also difficult to explain.”348e9d971cf5965c

The disjointed answers made 7b47186be0 Kang Yu-han furrow his fe13423b08 brows. Judging by the 49ff65620e hesitant replies, it 48088a2fcd was clear that 5362447d33 the Chief Secretary fa58787000 wasn’t present. If so, why were 18870cc7e6 armed personnel stationed here, 8446554b77 restricting access to the edbf675def area?435b0747472ca276

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There was only one fc593a4bba answer: something dangerous was 83726397d7 inside, something that must 4a2db62637 not be allowed to 9768af7cba get out.219956c7e0114cb2

The higher-ups must’ve lost d36f286ce5 their minds. Ignoring the Esper aaae7644cf in front of 0c38af1493 him, Kang Yu-han 3d3d9e7b3c dashed diagonally to c07dbdf694 the side. Spotting a gap, he 9bf288ecb5 effortlessly leaped over the c9c24e48fb perimeter line blocking access.10bf02a706a87090

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