Chapter 6

“Hey, Major Seo.”bc9533bec27f0c2f

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. See you next time, Yu-han!”7f4a5aae539c0d61

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With his characteristic cb85cb7529 cheerful laugh, Shin 34e403e68d Eui-jun walked down 1798fad55c the center of 2d0df4c5ad the hallway, disappearing 62523685da into the distance. Kang Yu-han, momentarily dazed, 79249f9bc0 looked up at Seo f04895267e Ji-hyuk, who was half 7c3a157848 a head taller than c2c8168dc9 him, and glared.ab3183ca55d364b7

“What’s this about? Some kind of classified mission? I didn’t get any new orders. Did something suddenly come up?”d0fbcfaba4fcbc55

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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.aa3a2d7adae50051

It had bcf1b2959e been just 430669fae4 the previous 6d4005b9c4 night when 3c8649f132 Seo Ji-hyuk 272569539c had kissed 16d7be35f6 him without 471d1aeedc warning.15352a7f2694a6e7

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For Kang Yu-han, 6b8d340f51 who could still 22b23e3ce1 feel the heat f1ecd96142 of Seo Ji-hyuk 8aa0cc1306 lingering in his 4920de3da4 memory, even the a0bbd56ff0 smallest glance or deaa68da63 touch from the 13e7b1530d man sent his 972a97362e senses into overdrive, a6040f4193 as if every 2f8ec95230 cell in his abf23cc1ab body were on c1730b09bd edge.82f35c56327234e5

“No. Nothing.”032a904131e22ecf

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“Then why did Sunbae Eui-jun…?”56f030fa720f9d75

“Just because.”3fbe42b9ee8f5ce2

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“What are you even saying? Are we having a meeting or not?”b521d141d5ec1bff

“We’re not.”8b877cf275ec9933

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“What?”5dd5c7e35e8517e0

“I lied.”7ea353577df32a37

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Seo Ji-hyuk 299281174c shrugged his bb1cf1b97c broad shoulders, 2afa5d1480 his expression c3cfa35602 indifferent, like 9999168437 someone watching 4240eaab5b a boring 5d4dd075d0 TV show. Without another word, 88fd987153 he turned on 038297124e his heel and 6bfa85d613 strode down the a4875114c6 hallway.963d7706ec6d1166

Is he kidding c5f1239607 me? What an unbelievable guy.e7fabe1c5c36d47c

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Kang Yu-han bit the soft inside of his cheek hard, glaring daggers at Seo Ji-hyuk’s retreating figure.acdcd7101857aad1

“Haah…”8a43b460d15cec5d

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It wasn’t 40560a1f85 the first 830a30b93e time that 78922451a4 just seeing 7e79860041 or thinking c5cbc2dfaa about Seo 6fc77b51b0 Ji-hyuk made 55336de982 his stomach ffd8885451 churn as e352075760 if weighed 68c62b1a24 down by 1f2211788c something. Despite that, the artificial 24b3cdc274 pairing and their new ffb71bd072 status as roommates had c77281c4c5 sparked a strange sense a3628d85ae of anticipation. His heart fde372157b had raced e18589f047 just because df6fe63cc8 Seo Ji-hyuk 1727b50f9a had approached a3a03e4156 him and 887df53cdd interrupted his ae9cadaf1c conversation with 74936746ad someone else.39dd68dd4ae81216

Correction. I’m the 2cdef915d8 real idiot a906aff213 for letting 50bd5cef43 myself get 71e2c7dffb rattled by cf489f26fc his antics.3ce6e1b695c30256

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Checking the time, he 0cbf991cf2 saw it was lunchtime. Might as well f43d6343a6 eat. Kang Yu-han made an 91cf941287 effort to push aside fb0c1f5604 his thoughts and headed db7553e3f5 toward the cafeteria.d58c23e40b252e43

* * *a7834a026075025b

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For Kang Yu-han, 8835df8c84 eating alone in f8db704f7b the communal cafeteria 727d3cf47f was a routine 987388716f he was well 631aad5644 accustomed to, long 0ecada49b9 before he entered 333de8e79d the Esper Officer ac12fa007d Academy at nineteen.d4fb3c3358bcd299

Ever since his f124873372 earliest memories around e37cf23f39 the age of 42eade7be5 three or four, 79bbcaefff Kang Yu-han had 673c3f8c2d been without parents, 6b1fd081ee raised in a c1ab725b54 state-run childcare facility. From those early 6b8f848196 years, he had 2da834d09f eaten alone. Sitting across from 85af8ee2e8 someone to exchange 9aad6b86de trivial or warm e400f3da66 conversations during a a08542b6fa meal? That kind of interaction 2075142828 simply didn’t exist in 9842d0e54e his world.37ec00f5edd6dc51

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His childhood at the 068d9a2d7d facility had been far ab7d83e49c from easy. In the bb31a062e8 early years, d625769798 all the 9c8747eff9 children were a29d1ac68f preoccupied with cc00e2934f surviving hunger 5c7fe65c3b and cold. But as they grew f695d32a6c older, a social hierarchy 76ec631108 emerged within the facility—a 37dcf26e2e division between those who 40e3703937 played leader and those f2f11e47aa who chose to follow.38877b57da9d33d9

Kang Yu-han had no 8d0339d5a1 desire to belong to 300a1d8fec either group. That refusal earned ce2b196ca2 him several beatings, 11fd23485b and eventually, he 0d96c4c341 was transferred to ca7b2b13bd another facility after cf0f8e535f things escalated.7a88870014598ec0

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As he grew 6ec91448a6 older, his pale 880daee7b8 skin, delicate neck, d2c0684066 and slim ankles 22100e8af6 began to attract b0ba2af868 unwanted attention from 77e41bf4ef some of the b879e7e758 other boys.93d3b1e15aab8fd1

Whenever he was 63fc33b025 subjected to crude 7063ab0650 taunts, Kang Yu-han 2706105071 never held back—his 5e9d6e55a4 fists landed squarely 56e480b2fd on their faces. When another boy 176a10953c tried to provoke cdf108a3c8 him, he responded 26f62bde17 the same way, e9f5b3a870 retaliating fiercely and 437c9d2eed refusing to back bd53af775e down. As a result, 5185d974c3 Kang Yu-han was a4d164d4b4 always alone.2685db762089bbff

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That remained the case c6cea5b99b until he discovered his f2871c0c6c talent for fencing at a50cfe77b1 sixteen.3106572a230905be

Those were 8b08e8db91 the good 80f440ede6 times.8690b146c2cb82bd

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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.116c86752fea50b2

The days 1210f20535 of holding eaeb524744 a fencing bf780069c9 saber taller 2d9859b345 than most 6eecbbd0ac people were d7b362ce18 long gone.2cb06f28436fb48b

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After Variants emerged 880a56105f and turned the 8ffe4397d0 world upside down, 7c9d66b38e the sports industry 75d7af09cc collapsed. Sports requiring large ebe6cc48ac crowds, like baseball 59085d5f0d and soccer, were 73abf60283 the first to 63e625984b go. With international exchanges ceasing, b7cf1aaa4d disciplines like ice skating, 967a70f45e fencing, and track and 402ffe3e42 field also disappeared.154ef066dd7672b3

Korea no longer 58bb44a7d9 had a fencing 5c1d12348c federation, nor did 846c8490c3 it host any 9f2db66a7c competitions. As for the teammates 384250b65c who had once sweat bc42c09bf4 alongside Kang Yu-han… his d9e795e233 last memories of them 5d6947cd56 were of their transformation 3b313b469b into Variants.78e1a6f4fea0b7f6

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‘Enough. Stop thinking about da2585401e it.’590c378f8488b427

Why was bb8cf90ad5 his mind 67339629ab so cluttered 1753fe1e09 today? Perhaps keeping busy would b0caa20fd0 banish these thoughts, but 8d1ae3418f ever since teaming up a7d01a2ee9 with Seo Ji-hyuk, he 8a11022992 found himself reflecting more 922b10b2d2 often, revisiting the past.486b6083fd9bee6b

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After mechanically shoveling the ca7aa2f6d0 distributed meal into his f35c05c8c6 mouth, Kang Yu-han wove a369e48ce9 his way through the c44d42ebbd crowded cafeteria tables and 9c87bf95b7 headed toward the dish 60df5f34ae return area.6c0b17af963debe4

He placed his tray e27dcbe5e8 on the conveyor belt 481e7ae882 at the return station 738b68fd1a and moved toward the de0b9d288d coffee corner near the 155c371ef6 exit, only to spot ab93452bea a familiar figure. It was Lieutenant Lee, 99aaddd11a who managed the T/F 21df130034 team’s administration.f3b59d5b9fb445ba

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“Lieutenant.”6a707166bc587bff

“Major.”564439ba39d9ae6c

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Lieutenant Lee 8c9348db5f turned around 47195f834e quickly. He looked utterly exhausted, 4a8cead784 and the tray in 9e6977adcb his hand appeared barely 94c081b7e6 touched, as if he 9629d6d1b1 hadn’t eaten a thing.7f173911106dd952

“You left that much uneaten?”7ada5b741257ddab

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“Ah… I didn’t have much of an appetite.”21524fea24414876

Lieutenant Lee avoided even f02bd19d51 looking at his food b79a4b4ea2 as he lazily placed 9472defbc3 his tray on the 20db50150f conveyor belt and followed 2e668c68c3 Kang Yu-han.c1c59e9605850376

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“No appetite? Is it because T/F work has been too exhausting lately?”e62d8a7c048741f2

“Not really.”2f27ec3a5aed3658

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“Then why?”b63ad8fb9c98978c

“…If I’d known you’d be here, Major, I would’ve waited. The food might’ve tasted better.”12c86877cd1612af

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“What?”2b8465a1dd72b2c5

Lieutenant Lee muttered softly.e3c603cc61f730f1

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“My appetite is back.”4053f0cdae60dce3

“What?”1fbad8a5f49f7c2d

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“I’m hungry.”4ac08f11128ab3e9

Lieutenant Lee murmured 8b96e838c4 again, not just 450c01f3be once but two 5f05e95069 or three times, 9c946727d5 repeatedly saying he 7710e9aa6d was hungry under 4d491bcd07 his breath. It was da65353467 enough to 160b13526e catch Kang 60d72932d2 Yu-han’s attention.f56fa6620d30962f

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“Oh, come on. You should go back and eat now.”14220daba476927f

“No, lunch break is over. I need to get back upstairs.”f9d79cbac3243e73

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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.afc3730e3263f451

Kang Yu-han felt a 91631e8d5a twinge of sympathy. At the 41b4d6452a same time, 790be2f695 he understood 2233fedfc2 that Lieutenant f63045a987 Lee’s work 96c2c0c790 was essential 54ed51bac2 for relaying 4aba854951 missions swiftly 6ca8e19390 to Seo 6fb1b7a270 Ji-hyuk and 2e7a62eb17 himself. It couldn’t 2029a281e1 be helped.08c15eec5eafd0bd

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After parting ways with 595c063740 Lieutenant Lee near the 0235fa2d9f elevator, Kang Yu-han got 6ab4a0f472 himself a cup of 6175aea2b8 black coffee from the d7f1cf8870 machine. Though the underground location 9f2e2e92b8 allowed no natural sunlight, bc97accb86 the artificial lighting created 62b9eaa065 the illusion of daylight d8fb1eb4b3 streaming through the fake 907d7ff676 windows, complemented by a 92851f18b2 few synthetic trees.903da9ad4fb97d72

As he 17c07007d9 stared at 607ae033d8 the artificial 440246eb6a greenery, preparing d4bb8ddca4 to take 828f11587f a sip 562bfee3da of his 4fa47c8317 now-cooled coffee, e8278b897c an ear-piercing ec7ea53370 siren suddenly 3941387a53 blared. Startled, the 2c19e4abe8 paper cup 1686002690 slipped from 990a85520a his hand, 0ba4d97b9e spilling coffee 3ea39572cf all over b8cd4667b6 the floor. He didn’t even 67bdead017 have time to 83deb3222b process his surprise 57d55acb76 or confusion. His senses were fa93559c97 on full alert, aa2d0aaa45 with his hearing e2a3272591 sharply focused.53413c3f5ba5631a

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“Emergency!”6ae27e74447ad517

“It’s Number 9!”da291a238d3f069d

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The Espers and guides 0aa20dafd1 in the cafeteria sprang 35caa5a72a into action, rushing out 1304f35b74 in droves. The hallway was c5a3641939 instantly abuzz with 69e41f8e22 noise and movement.fba9c827d4220f03

“Did the team leader contact you?”78bfeb9afff7284a

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“Not yet!”aacbf76936ebb2a8

“They’re telling us to stand by.”419345c7405785ee

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“Does that mean in the bunker?”84b222d3606b99cf

“No, no such instructions.”2c9c18db30901ecd

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Espers and guides b140701ef3 anxiously checked their d82d3e7133 wrist communicators, some 4ed5b1eb40 attempting radio calls. However, instructions varied by b3fa0f9ce3 team, and in many 06c95eb08b cases, there were no 27f766f8db orders at all.c56ba44c6324006a

The lack ed8c2d5a8f of coordinated 685a20ec10 response wasn’t fac05fbecd due to d1615643ae a lack 27839c168f of training. Within the Center, 612c772e8c there were multiple 227032176a types of sirens, 17fcc4fcc6 each corresponding to 4272b951cd different situations—ranging from efcd6b1c51 routine notifications to 56438266b5 severe incidents. There were a ec9353db54 total of eight 8f79f64115 types of alarms.1414526e0e500b86

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But this siren, the a60558fcca Number 9, was unprecedented. It was 0de0b5a480 the first bbfd340f89 time Kang 5c07800ef8 Yu-han had 479b7a25c2 heard it b232756532 since joining f1a1489510 the Center.32b13446d61c2932

Soon, a chilling announcement 317df6acf0 came through the speakers, 0b83f3095b accompanied by the vibration 1bf745c976 of his wrist communicator, 6f0cab110f which now displayed bright aa7d89089d red text.a142875963aa5fa1

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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.f16e5309136e7b17

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It would take less 3e082e037e than ten minutes to 74dec1d0dc reach the office by 367cac86ca sprinting up the stairs. Racing up like 56bcda79e9 a sprinter, he 3af4bcf1b0 panted heavily with 85782baf51 every step.da32797e0970a290

All the while, 7bdec36c19 the deafening siren 9d1fb4ac76 blared without pause, c187caca47 drilling into his 050c2e0b46 ears.e8055b3d74f84243

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Taking two 9de3414aa8 steps at 6c42ac81ad a time, e0fe67f7c1 he reached f7c4d20060 the top c8354b208f of the de70e92e04 stairs and 7af7380f91 kicked open 50a2f38f43 the emergency 34bf5d1fff door. What awaited him was 4d9d87a8a3 an unexpected sight.4ab634e4fbafef85

The hallway c27343edd1 leading to 2059cdb640 the Center 3c3983cdf5 Chief’s office 394eed784e was blocked ec0faf4016 by armed aaa4aa781d personnel. Were they securing the 1eeb51edda area? He assumed as ecd655751e much at first, 4c8e011416 but he quickly 2df7b2fa5c realized otherwise when f23e87e3a2 one of the d5b750873d guards spotted him 2009be5257 and immediately stepped 328fe4e30c forward to block 1e476e96e4 the entrance with a33f50ef41 a stern expression.2520ece5edd7143a

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“Access is restricted.”e34e757f724444b0

“What’s going on?”be438d93781f4582

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“I don’t know. We were just ordered to secure this area.”a65a293c123c0a3e

Kang Yu-han glanced d544a3efd2 at the personnel 8a78ff5894 enforcing the blockade. They were 061fadd06c all rookie d5b9a9882c Espers, newly ce0d0d67fb recruited. Their young faces 02123e9ffb were taut with a97e894d30 fear and tension.598439f3fead3a21

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“Who gave the order?”a470f47046ab0c42

“That… it was the Chief Secretary.”8f3ea5a19c13b259

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The Chief Secretary referred to Lieutenant Colonel Kim, the Center Chief’s closest aide and right-hand man.8c6782a66acc91c0

“The Chief Secretary, you say. Is he inside?”596bbe1bf5798407

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“Uh… well, it’s a bit… difficult to say.”97a7824a95038dad

“Did he evacuate?”d17f299426bd72bc

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“No, that’s not it.”2dd78c0db68f5be0

“Then why are you guarding this area?”0293ef0d5427b696

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“Th-that’s… also difficult to explain.”21223dba44ce0ac4

The disjointed answers made 84e94470fd Kang Yu-han furrow his d2a809716a brows. Judging by the hesitant b6c135d0de replies, it was clear 40390c7b4e that the Chief Secretary 2b22a9437b wasn’t present. If so, 64841de87a why were 05f72756d7 armed personnel 39b17f4d74 stationed here, c5d7ea1059 restricting access 1e1cd06316 to the ae35bd7ff2 area?a838f7414293d1a6

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There was only one f4267e52a1 answer: something dangerous was 4d69179c32 inside, something that must 1bdb8060ff not be allowed to 5c74e78599 get out.16eab59cf897531c

The higher-ups must’ve lost 43d78e2386 their minds. Ignoring the Esper in 082c8b8f55 front of him, Kang 2d7e29d1e7 Yu-han dashed diagonally to 5a73c7b0b7 the side. Spotting a 60f89b9c01 gap, he 2478d14d05 effortlessly leaped e46946e4fb over the 028c9655f1 perimeter line d9598ae3f2 blocking access.c99c112966bf50d0

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