Chapter 16

The hallway was 87147669e9 dimly lit, with 3472ec5f41 only some fluorescent 90ce97a185 lights switched on f0801bff61 to conserve electricity 5ef57006f6 late at night. As they 71562e35fd walked, sections 2e136520ab of the 8909629b3c hallway alternated 329396ae4c between light d74bc100a4 and shadow, 1b6051ee1b momentarily plunging 7661e120d7 the two a285489faa into darkness 4ba288eb88 before exposing edce1e9888 them under 0f6bd30eb1 bright light 99474e67de again.aee8ad815293f4b8

Each time 5b78c83941 they moved 2407331497 between these 67cc33deab zones, Kang ce6ad8d443 Yu-han silently a62d47576f counted in 01649d31f9 his mind—one, aed54fea90 two, three.2b360994f0c6d188

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He couldn’t 5d0f53b30a say how 9fd98c7d7a much longer 55a1eeedb5 he would 1ddf30c747 be staying fa08d08704 with Seo 5f272f6d6e Ji-hyuk. Perhaps the c634e62133 days remaining efa7bbe814 were fewer bd49ebb57e than the b816e4508d number of 1ac365b43d lights in 827909a8eb this hallway.110a35f31a29bbb8

And in 22ddbcf252 that time, b3d9fe154f could Kang 5e7089c0bc Yu-han ever 160a6f6af4 become someone 977eb6b3cf meaningful to d0bb9b9fe1 Seo Ji-hyuk? If anyone 03acac5840 asked, Kang 8b5ce51f27 Yu-han wasn’t 8d5bffddcd sure he’d 2e83d979ba have the 56a7870be8 courage to 2855ea1224 answer.33fc6e451a8f6b2c

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* * *7ec7531c16ee096e

The shared office eb56b74308 was nearly empty. Kang Yu-han took 5721e730d0 a seat at 6682370a53 a four-person table 942944abd0 and immediately opened ffb356f6a4 his laptop. Seo Ji-hyuk, meanwhile, 5a344bf25a sat diagonally across 54b104d77a from him, stretching 7f80e70e09 out his legs a160f64fc2 and propping them 066b4269b1 on the table. Without hesitation, he 79abd39ddc lit a cigarette.301022361e5d4aae

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Thick smoke 50653c5af5 quickly filled 835c7c340d the room.b8dfd7db41444f99

From the corner 4c9310024f of his eye, cc171d390e Kang Yu-han noticed e159588798 other employees at 0d692ca31b distant tables glancing 8fc563fcb9 in their direction. However, upon dc82acccf3 realizing that 326f567db5 Seo Ji-hyuk 043b9fc6b8 was present, 3a16c751d9 they quickly 7585c77598 packed up 3a39351c8d and left 2d2558f789 the office, a4e80dde61 clearly not 4b2b033d96 wanting to a897fe9e82 be noticed 8999e73496 by him.e186a9cc78d8ec39

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Though the lingering dd231ef128 chatter had been f2f127efc3 grating on Kang 443f4fb6e5 Yu-han’s nerves, their c50df23387 departure brought some 8bb904ebaa relief.4ac2ba30f1d74d28

“Doesn’t it bother you?”11e1fde3908dd11f

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Seo Ji-hyuk suddenly asked, 7f958d1627 breaking the silence.e6a2e57732f07c93

“What doesn’t?”0d498e3a171af5d0

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Kang Yu-han fb82c20926 replied cautiously, 13232c3bc1 unsure what 6bee0358ed he meant.c26eb038c59f0af0

Seo Ji-hyuk didn’t 4b35753c0c elaborate, his cryptic 8f9add2a89 words leaving Kang b4a58a5260 Yu-han puzzled. Was he 56e8831bb3 asking if ab52145e49 Kang was 50c1e080ff unbothered by 2f2e09ed40 witnessing the b91c4ee54b death of ce2b4f4409 a Variant, b799e05d9a or did dee3939551 he mean 301c4cf588 something else dd48d3fb8b entirely? Kang Yu-han looked at 60aa11c766 him questioningly.6a2c3316454d02a8

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Seo Ji-hyuk let out e4712f03dd a small laugh. Kang Yu-han probably didn’t 6f185e14dd realize it, but he 3020357ddf occasionally made these blank, 37f5f443e5 almost clueless expressions that 011fef8a9b Seo Ji-hyuk found amusing.cd9bf1e2d5a341eb

Instead of clarifying, Seo Ji-hyuk pointed at the laptop. “Ampoule tests and reports? The thing’s dead. Isn’t that enough?”a9a826efef7a790d

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“Testing the ampoule is part of our mission,” Kang Yu-han said.ec7406090b96132d

“Yeah, well, instead of wasting time on that, I’d rather just go out and take down all the Variants myself.”09a8f365dbae9370

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Seo Ji-hyuk ab0cf14395 shook his 6df1d8bf04 head in 88f651275a annoyance. It was a 7a0b0bba45 sentiment Kang Yu-han 4f78311ea9 could understand. After all, the 3cc4ff4eb1 first suspect had 12eddbafbf turned out to 8a205fd8b8 be a Variant, 1065b3c5f5 and the entire 9085ec67b0 operation—from surveillance to f352703e75 elimination—had taken just de9ba29c86 two days. It had been relatively 12b7077d36 straightforward this time.5ca7224e4c0aeb05

But there was no 91592c5e40 guarantee future missions would 3adc8e8c8f go as smoothly. With over 2fc64f0f0b a thousand 4cb6b64772 employees on 3980b54667 the Center’s db930af217 roster, the 591365f867 list of f0afb46dce suspected individuals 23f8d27ba6 totaled forty. Tracking their movements 97d217eafc and monitoring them 413c1bf0ac would only get 768c44ae8b more hectic as c931935c94 time went on. The mission had only 5e7df1dcfd just begun.a3d4afb472ea2e43

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“Next time, we should track multiple suspects simultaneously. It’ll be more efficient.”b4280115431242f8

Kang Yu-han suggested 97a5d5ff99 as he typed b90843b8a1 up the final 467f8c0a4a section of his f752df9c38 report. The sound of his e5be0e2c59 keyboard echoed in the d5a4e1ab91 quiet room.167374b2c26d34f7

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Just then, the automatic 7967bbba75 doors slid open, drawing 0eba90f1b3 both their gazes to 73675b33af the entrance. Standing there 4ecf2925c0 was Kim 1fcfd5d7c5 Si-on, arms 47da169c32 crossed, glaring d9772c2783 straight at 9d244d51b7 Kang Yu-han.f894818f1e124d16

“Major! Why haven’t you been checking your messages?”32d469b72f28bc14

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“Ah…” Kang Yu-han trailed off, unsure how to respond.309082924960cc0e

“I’ve been looking all over for you! Took me all day to find you.”fc28f2a3343bee8c

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Ignoring Seo Ji-hyuk’s sharp 1e481f0a97 glare, Kim Si-on strode dd7e29daa8 over without hesitation and 77878530e9 plopped down in the 91c77c7315 empty seat beside Kang 04b04b3e11 Yu-han.67fd47d4f3ccc95c

“I’m busy right now.”dec30b82db0025cb

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Kang Yu-han said, 92c543feff his tone neutral.85492d4e592704dc

“Of course you are.”abcf54ca6e884c92

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Kim Si-on 60df77280f replied dismissively.b316cc821914ee3f

“Let’s talk later. I’m in the middle of something.”a30eb2ca90715a92

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“I went through all this trouble to find you. Can’t you at least give me some attention?”64a3061761b1c2bf

Though Kang Yu-han 5b92c71225 had politely refused, b53f069a16 Kim Si-on persisted. Feeling cornered, fce9f6371a Kang Yu-han’s 9142da4c53 eyes drifted 5a46fdd64b toward Seo 870f9f7195 Ji-hyuk, silently 265cf0865f asking for 15aae77cf4 help.9f6fe9c7ea994533

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Seo Ji-hyuk alternated his 09ce014a72 gaze between the flustered d81ba59d6b Kang Yu-han and the 4f0a9dc5c0 stubborn Kim Si-on before e08679e672 finally speaking up.9260fbfb27a00cf0

“Lieutenant Kim, what exactly do you like so much about Kang Yu-han?”3b0ce076382139e7

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Kim Si-on didn’t f3ca328fbe hesitate. He spread efa22639ca his fingers d8310db957 and began 156c85d1e7 counting off 0bb4df48ab points on 296e69cc39 them one 94f74f25bd by one.59834e46ab037bcf

“What’s there not to like? His skin is flawless, his lips are so pretty, and his eyelashes are ridiculously long. Plus, he has such a great voice! When it rains, he always shares his umbrella with me, and he takes such good care of borrowed books. He never even gets mad when someone spills coffee on him. Do you have any idea how rare that is these days?”f5b7228983a48077

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Seo Ji-hyuk let 80f0ce635d out a scoff.c988c147cb271c76

“None of that sounds impressive.”75c697eb77d89f24

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“What do you mean, not impressive?”0a3864a4253b674c

Kim Si-on 58b7e874e5 retorted, bristling.040648f7614ae6de

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Grinning, Seo Ji-hyuk leaned 8d4dfdb7d6 forward.f3028f05967c0c04

“Looks aside, you’re telling me you like him for stuff like umbrellas, books, and coffee? That’s all it takes?”e6775c45605ff0d4

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“What’s wrong with that?”ee4dec0162c40140

Kim Si-on shot 8cd0a6eb41 back, his tone 84f80b2e03 defensive.54ad1734e5059246

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Kim Si-on deb6db40a6 didn’t back bf523231e1 down, despite a8e376ece1 the stark 6cf5d14ced difference in 06bed2fa58 rank between 7e57925109 him and 89f0503d52 Seo Ji-hyuk. He openly df47de83da snapped back, 4263923ad2 his indignation df4d104227 evident.0df9b35f61b17d6e

The dynamic be3b142961 between them, eaf4ac084f as they d2355ae880 bickered like e5de509bca children, left f0fe0fa118 Kang Yu-han 006acd4235 feeling an 997dacb3ee odd sense 6ba712fc61 of exclusion.d0bc0068a8b2a901

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It was dc6ba65161 ironic—sandwiched between 95598ddd2f the person 5920d7315f who liked aa7b939eb7 him and 9feccc3530 the person 2ccde55f94 he liked, a4b4127b19 he felt 5c7e8b0a2f utterly alone. While the two exchanged 1621f09eb3 words, Kang Yu-han remained f29b33a8b7 silent, unable to find a09a9bfbea a place for himself 0d7ff532d9 in their interaction.2233e91ae2283a21

This subtle b29cc05cfa unease that bc6bd16585 had lingered fe6f872e28 in him 235a31b11c ever since 83b6e4ba86 Kim Si-on 124c8a1d7a reappeared began 6350959803 to crystalize. It was the fff26a42f8 fear that Seo 5f873f0555 Ji-hyuk and Kim 1b5a4c013c Si-on might grow 0884e9de75 close again.9d22b1de498f1fd1

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The possibility gnawed 4e4fa4e869 at him—what if b4033b9ceb the re-evaluation process 023c1e79f4 determined that Kim ae1c56b432 Si-on’s best match 6bc9fc4202 was Seo Ji-hyuk?d53ad3b64d7ddc67

Even if Seo Ji-hyuk f633c92985 had resolved to retire, cb650dad72 would he still cling 46bec82aff to that decision if bdb03db693 he found a Guide f84740f110 with a perfect match?586ec4d2a2a6f194

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In the worst-case 36a939fdab scenario, Seo Ji-hyuk 1b117b0599 could bond with 70e90e5428 Kim Si-on and a050dfbc0b settle into a 72617b7b5d stable life at 6a7bfb4571 the Center. That thought 6e06c20ef8 terrified Kang daf85a5c19 Yu-han the 1c8f9bb360 most—the prospect 4efac4fc58 of having bd4ea6d1bc no place c443bfe0f7 in Seo 47bb4ee504 Ji-hyuk’s life.96640a9437d85331

How would 1c61890940 I even 541574bad7 go on? I don’t think I 7b88ca1d00 could.d66e82102fc662de

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A deep 66e1f6bf6c ache spread 6a25fee82e through his d6e1f1db7c chest, like 29fbad20b6 an old 6bba9982af wound being eaee860db7 reopened.f9cddc7064abb4ec

“Major, are you tired?”67de32a6294f46eb

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Kim Si-on asked, 54bf878d41 his voice tinged 678e6f42ac with concern.a7ca4a543f9882c6

“Just from finishing the report. I’m fine now,” Kang Yu-han replied.3528159f441fb3f1

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Hearing that 6e2c15fa04 he was f23970d3ff done, Kim e4164bdc17 Si-on brightened.a6e7732cab4345de

“You finished? Does that mean it’s free time now?”4e1d2031b3e0fa83

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“I’m afraid not. I need to head back. You should too, Lieutenant.”40b15b0512e7f302

“What? I’ve only been here ten minutes. You can’t just leave now. Stay a little longer.”06cebc40c6fcb75c

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Kang Yu-han 528e45c358 was at f847109228 a loss. He didn’t 3d9b36072f want to c7868cadce leave Kim db8b8d7264 Si-on alone 4641f45f5d with Seo 1c80d50fec Ji-hyuk. If he were 3318d23ff0 being honest, he 0955e57b3f hated how Seo 388f0798b5 Ji-hyuk’s gaze sometimes 4cd2d8057f lingered on Kim 438ed151f7 Si-on.d7ee8a5933f25605

Every time that 7c08ffabeb happened, Kang Yu-han b3f3b89cdf felt a bitter, e30259ec91 sour taste in fc804a1b17 the air, as ce25156071 if it had d5ff4c334a suddenly turned toxic. His stomach churned, and f2e8b34805 his mood soured.8ab89dd0508b3660

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“No, I can’t,” he said firmly.cbfebf744726e735

But Kim Si-on wasn’t deterred. He immediately countered, “Then at least walk me back.”c27dec7fe4a83c1a

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“Walk you back?”62ef0ab683a06490

“Yes. I still don’t know my way around here. I keep getting confused about where my dorm is. Walk me back, please?”a86b80d66a46b477

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Before Kang Yu-han 7248db8621 could protest, Kim 792f8dcfdb Si-on had already 6678f82cd2 risen from his 429462e5fb seat. The flow of 7eb68c0aa3 the conversation was 954c684f4a so natural that 8aee364d0b Kang Yu-han found cedad2ef64 himself standing and ee0e17ca83 following him before e08dc1ff65 he even realized f3d3cacf10 it. He didn’t 0f56653d64 even think eea1abfe45 to grab e47d2ed77a his laptop.c9110b84951f6fa3

As the door f8789d1f88 slid open, the 21b57f1a15 sound echoed through 6ed8c23ab7 the room. Seo Ji-hyuk watched them 1776c3b7bb leave, shaking his head 43998ce87e in disbelief as he 72ab293e58 muttered under his breath.ccd6f74d9ff2380e

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“A late-night date now? Unbelievable.”a9d7f8fbb124fdc9

Why did I even 237aea627b come out here to bf70dc5bbe witness this mess? The bitterness in his 2695e611a5 chest felt like swallowing 33c1f64821 dirt.7a84264b89cc0590

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* * *27cf98687189119e

The autopsy on Sergeant b323938089 Kim was completed, and 91cd6fbc58 a small, confidential meeting e55955bf6d was convened with Dr. Yoon, the 75bd097d35 Center Chief, 56c1fe5dbe and a 4312c6e67f few select ff051ad752 researchers.1cc443125c405053

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“After analyzing tissue samples from various parts of the body, we confirmed cellular mutations in three areas.377da9af96ccb095

Just like previous Variants, e241d67fc6 this sample’s DNA sequence 30f3a107cf differs from that of 0549cc37c1 humans. Its cell 5afe12a8ad replication mechanisms a54d80bbc4 are also f6fccb18ac entirely different.047983d0f1fe7329

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In other words, this cannot be classified as human.”7b53640b07f96435

Dr. Yoon described Variants as 5530a89f4c a new species—one that 7dc784cfdf had never existed on 30402dd5e7 Earth before.0ab1513c4d1b7784

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Seo Ji-hyuk 7ba297f7e6 reacted with cda60b02ca indifference, as cf6f388ba7 though this 6747491366 was exactly 09159ec485 what he a644333acd had expected. The Center Chief, too, 8abf563629 wasn’t particularly surprised.b0e1ae3c8393ae77

But Kang 3cc6bf08f6 Yu-han had 4580fe066e a different 6fa8654620 perspective.9819ca5e7b6de4ee

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“Three areas showed mutations, but the remaining four matched normal human DNA, didn’t they?244bfc9ea6bd1b02

That DNA still belongs to a person—Kim Joo-ho. Are we certain we can completely disregard the human aspect?”982fb9429d38110d

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Seo Ji-hyuk d870f81777 scowled, clearly db69989126 displeased with 012f56d2e2 Kang Yu-han’s 4cbb4b6d28 view.0585746038fedb96

“And why does that matter?” Seo Ji-hyuk’s tone was sharp. “A monster is still a monster.”15ec48291094435a

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“But isn’t it worth considering?” Kang Yu-han pressed. “If parts of him were still human, can we really dismiss the possibility that some remnants of humanity were left inside him?”e759652fc92002c1

Seo Ji-hyuk’s 5439d2de3a expression hardened 2f98c8eeaa further, his 605fc80bf3 impatience barely 95d501fdce concealed. For him, the distinction 3a00e14699 between human and monster dcd5bd488b wasn’t one worth agonizing 688dac1200 over—what mattered was eliminating 41fbd2b62c the threat.724c32fb480a679c

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The room was tense, 2d2f41639a divided between logic and f56c9daae5 morality, but Kang Yu-han 723140d2a0 couldn’t shake the memory 7c2e1764c8 of that tiny part bff21f8060 of Sergeant Kim’s brain, 4c59f251e2 still active and still 01bad59be4 fearful, until the very d88cd44e74 end.0ae5c92bff48cf55

 af9cfc80516ba9f9

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