Chapter 6

“Hey, Major Seo.”96161714f04b86b1

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped. See you next time, Yu-han!”3586e14d0db8ea63

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With his characteristic cheerful 3a9048c1a0 laugh, Shin Eui-jun walked dc01d1e6ab down the center of 49d66122bb the hallway, disappearing into 3ee887aff8 the distance. Kang Yu-han, momentarily dazed, b54d0eceea looked up at Seo 00a2c80fc4 Ji-hyuk, who was half 890cfb9455 a head taller than 3ec0ec2154 him, and glared.3a6879b2b3bdd15f

“What’s this about? Some kind of classified mission? I didn’t get any new orders. Did something suddenly come up?”7b8920791cdc11ee

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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.fac4efc6997e0308

It had 4f20db2554 been just 196f01b9fc the previous 87e8b085ad night when 97e9aa0c75 Seo Ji-hyuk da49684d2c had kissed 1fbebf9c4a him without aa7babbffb warning.cef4ff739306b63c

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For Kang Yu-han, who 8b5783ca10 could still feel the 04dc3ffaa1 heat of Seo Ji-hyuk fdfb55a612 lingering in his memory, 5e31368415 even the smallest glance db43ee6a2d or touch from the 99c2023fa2 man sent his senses 052b0dfcc3 into overdrive, as if 52d2a6427b every cell in his 808ba0d060 body were on edge.44ff161b7082769a

“No. Nothing.”2acb467297d12e59

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“Then why did Sunbae Eui-jun…?”d9c2489dd786f0b4

“Just because.”88625dcc1ed43a81

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“What are you even saying? Are we having a meeting or not?”33e43afc9f628669

“We’re not.”d65712f28895a699

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“What?”5079e5e0dda17167

“I lied.”80f16d02800fee00

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Seo Ji-hyuk 1cdfed68d7 shrugged his 1d35324e74 broad shoulders, f8907b2627 his expression 9f0236d980 indifferent, like 98addf373d someone watching a0760ac837 a boring 8e63b1db86 TV show. Without another adc4c8a1a0 word, he 7163cf06a6 turned on ff3cd02ed2 his heel 3f021f84dc and strode be2c39375c down the 1e55d15b24 hallway.d96e3f138ba128f7

Is he kidding me? What an unbelievable 2309fe0ed4 guy.45e08f3653d20ed4

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Kang Yu-han bit the soft inside of his cheek hard, glaring daggers at Seo Ji-hyuk’s retreating figure.9776056d4d0f936a

“Haah…”e80eb9ecbfde7259

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It wasn’t the 3a02e55e24 first time that 4602eff46d just seeing or b17eeddb15 thinking about Seo b592b83d88 Ji-hyuk made his f790a6c3d2 stomach churn as 0c599055fd if weighed down 71d7d22436 by something. Despite that, the bac9d396f4 artificial pairing and e4e0b4e7e5 their new status f759ef40df as roommates had 3c1d068b3c sparked a strange 2aa17be23a sense of anticipation. His heart 6c6e9dac01 had raced 816677f286 just because 21e31eebcc Seo Ji-hyuk 5e54aaea53 had approached 114d9824e2 him and 0383e0051d interrupted his 9f5988dc77 conversation with 97beff5c91 someone else.dd6889c4e8d0b3a6

Correction. I’m the 6869bc51b8 real idiot b445571538 for letting c87d600207 myself get 3473e6131a rattled by ab0082247e his antics.d33690da0f35194b

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Checking the time, 520877f8fa he saw it 5e020c1d02 was lunchtime. Might as well 323138235a eat. Kang Yu-han cc6cae5d30 made an b9607090bc effort to 12c85c8103 push aside 64aa8bb73e his thoughts d0a449e5b7 and headed c78b2600f3 toward the b81ff2e740 cafeteria.068abacc84221880

* * *517f9be60af01919

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For Kang Yu-han, eating fda26b9d56 alone in the communal 09c650f74e cafeteria was a routine edd0aa3db1 he was well accustomed b931d29074 to, long before he e1170302f4 entered the Esper Officer 26daafbb07 Academy at nineteen.fa57b93308af9bf4

Ever since his 56ed0c21a2 earliest memories around 5758d28b79 the age of 07f20bb87b three or four, 7d797ab5dc Kang Yu-han had cc70cbc869 been without parents, 6a6abfdffe raised in a 2af40c580a state-run childcare facility. From those df6df0dc74 early years, 059ced7538 he had 2aa305bf9d eaten alone. Sitting across from 8116bbf2aa someone to exchange 72e73d8d0b trivial or warm 56c2eeec3c conversations during a 8dfa05a784 meal? That kind 0e8e2b9d7c of interaction ab1ce881c8 simply didn’t 6a08eb5cc3 exist in 1835e648d7 his world.bb19b5bb17a35070

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His childhood e8a25a6e8d at the 3fb7d6efa4 facility had 53732a1a58 been far ae0c80c218 from easy. In the 70fdf754f1 early years, a93948e989 all the 1261abb9ae children were cddd499189 preoccupied with 2f635df640 surviving hunger 7bf71573f0 and cold. But as they 1709746a94 grew older, a a409d2161a social hierarchy emerged d92c1a9cac within the facility—a 0eec3a41a6 division between those 06e69cdc27 who played leader 99a79b7309 and those who 76f5030771 chose to follow.9369c375d5957f8c

Kang Yu-han had 6ec94f6625 no desire to 6ccc6ecd67 belong to either c655a80a14 group. That refusal earned 839d25b0fc him several beatings, 8834a7fbc2 and eventually, he 39ebed5d9f was transferred to 7285d4867a another facility after c504754142 things escalated.e1a3f53ce4c77462

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As he 9a9eec0c24 grew older, 7bd0cbbe06 his pale cd941604d2 skin, delicate 85951c9b1e neck, and 2e7556d033 slim ankles 79fe44fb95 began to d368a9a5a7 attract unwanted 5578642e62 attention from 86aed9a2b2 some of 107846e9e6 the other 371f434f82 boys.2150fdf413bc0047

Whenever he was cac0ae232c subjected to crude c319588a88 taunts, Kang Yu-han c03565efdf never held back—his 06e80e55ee fists landed squarely 2ec4e178e0 on their faces. When another 40120d5b56 boy tried 22f5e1ce38 to provoke 25ef933715 him, he f61e265355 responded the 4174007a77 same way, 95b763afd2 retaliating fiercely 878f5527d6 and refusing f5a571d935 to back 3d4870abe0 down. As a 78bc9a4e00 result, Kang 805f676d3b Yu-han was 41dbfd88e1 always alone.ebca4cb24bd4a260

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That remained the dfce32043b case until he bff71b0eb8 discovered his talent ba0e0d9788 for fencing at 9d5f4e4ec3 sixteen.f8d5862500bac92f

Those were the good bcd6fb82fa times.3a2ba1779ad43a01

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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.ace4ea0d5436847f

The days of 3d49736d70 holding a fencing 3f63f4a533 saber taller than ae7820e776 most people were f52445d378 long gone.9354376732deb778

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After Variants emerged and 2cbbc5c88b turned the world upside 0d5c6dad65 down, the sports industry 3e1b491b81 collapsed. Sports requiring large crowds, f61d66c9ef like baseball and soccer, 6b7fab2fbd were the first to 02a8a97bd5 go. With international exchanges ceasing, 5c16355e95 disciplines like ice skating, c9a85df9f3 fencing, and track and abf5ac533c field also disappeared.c81e72d9acac5990

Korea no c5a38956b2 longer had 56d34f6b66 a fencing 1e7d8af55d federation, nor 0837f62b3d did it a4893eac67 host any a17d5f95ee competitions. As for eca1d904bc the teammates 6073faeab0 who had 9edf06a07f once sweat b072637590 alongside Kang 4011fb0ee4 Yu-han… his db9512d6a0 last memories b2aa3ccdfd of them 19bef56a22 were of ff5502f39c their transformation 9d2f9d75f3 into Variants.70a7671a2e38945d

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‘Enough. Stop thinking about f6e73e92a8 it.’0c70cb18fd66d721

Why was his 8f76e57293 mind so cluttered e8eea5c21f today? Perhaps keeping d50a4b5942 busy would 45933f02e9 banish these 945a8e06d2 thoughts, but b93c20428a ever since ec3bc72524 teaming up 9892ecd453 with Seo ff358223a8 Ji-hyuk, he f3d5fe67b5 found himself 047f117641 reflecting more a7378c4a71 often, revisiting 0f3db17cd4 the past.dcdeb7defdf5147a

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After mechanically dbb143c5d8 shoveling the 58fb9089d1 distributed meal 1b63d402a6 into his 408ec29d8d mouth, Kang cd07632a50 Yu-han wove f3f2ccbf7d his way 8f69330e73 through the 61bd9612d8 crowded cafeteria 6e50b25199 tables and 55fab0047c headed toward f989ac5c8b the dish 2dda8c6ba4 return area.894400da425f0b2b

He placed 5cf26fc47e his tray b1fd6af99d on the 5f33cb4b65 conveyor belt 6329a5835b at the b66c7a2e46 return station 9f191a306c and moved 1889fbf262 toward the dcc8768786 coffee corner 2e83983e20 near the 33c4c79654 exit, only 6f9c8350a4 to spot 9a78e42bd5 a familiar 617209a20c figure. It was Lieutenant a87475ceb7 Lee, who managed ac9cc1e069 the T/F team’s 03f3c487b8 administration.2b95daa67185ee2b

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“Lieutenant.”9fbba5fb48b55fe7

“Major.”505b6d8e2b84a589

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Lieutenant Lee turned around 704c34e8b0 quickly. He looked b877fa7679 utterly exhausted, 620fa447ed and the 873fb09756 tray in f8e3be716a his hand 02e6ae957a appeared barely df75013ffd touched, as 88ff1f112d if he 6cb80e148f hadn’t eaten 641fcca8d6 a thing.6278b37e377376fc

“You left that much uneaten?”09dca41b262dc357

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“Ah… I didn’t have much of an appetite.”e154bc131b0959af

Lieutenant Lee 6ff83e01d6 avoided even 78b18990e8 looking at e4ea818a6a his food 004fb8bda0 as he 53ac327d32 lazily placed ad5d7fe887 his tray d8804b67f5 on the d9aae5c458 conveyor belt e471abaff8 and followed 9fbd2d299b Kang Yu-han.7b1ed4f42b3a5b87

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“No appetite? Is it because T/F work has been too exhausting lately?”639207576352d199

“Not really.”3f940e46b022775b

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“Then why?”89b840da2f9e829c

“…If I’d known you’d be here, Major, I would’ve waited. The food might’ve tasted better.”0f604ac04544dd8b

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“What?”49fa37d154ef2d1a

Lieutenant Lee 9a38839bfd muttered softly.e1fb2375f866c12d

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“My appetite is back.”f12e0ae256bfd80b

“What?”e84718899df42f05

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“I’m hungry.”0f93d0d9ebda2007

Lieutenant Lee murmured again, 4cb957d013 not just once but c7046e0f2e two or three times, 5fca5f6177 repeatedly saying he was bd43aa8e10 hungry under his breath. It was a063ac08ae enough to cd9a8ddc37 catch Kang f3ba4a58ea Yu-han’s attention.a6f6f7ab4e9739b7

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“Oh, come on. You should go back and eat now.”3a8cc5d8eb43b3fb

“No, lunch break is over. I need to get back upstairs.”d4f21d83ea942841

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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.d05aac27a987a4d9

Kang Yu-han felt 2d21446b51 a twinge of ee5e6c6e02 sympathy. At the same 2d91f62204 time, he understood 22408acffb that Lieutenant Lee’s 1549ef7c6b work was essential 8abfbf1b39 for relaying missions f5182e023f swiftly to Seo 0023432985 Ji-hyuk and himself. It couldn’t be 19de03827f helped.63494afc22762fb6

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After parting ways with 167e7bad3c Lieutenant Lee near the ad5c28c64a elevator, Kang Yu-han got ba4785eb2e himself a cup of 22d64f4862 black coffee from the 0c0acec75e machine. Though the fb4b397c23 underground location 1c316036de allowed no b4fad4e31e natural sunlight, b704865b14 the artificial df4e4fbb45 lighting created 542f035162 the illusion 128f19bfd7 of daylight b292d67fcc streaming through 5e5daa57c1 the fake 2c6ca528f6 windows, complemented 9de981a8e9 by a f46b4730ad few synthetic 23c973fc51 trees.998cbe20fdaba877

As he stared 9c5a335ece at the artificial 3a91fecd18 greenery, preparing to b9f201752e take a sip bc65b91401 of his now-cooled 8c2cf08f3c coffee, an ear-piercing d7d3c82275 siren suddenly blared. Startled, the paper 8003e99a29 cup slipped from af82e36381 his hand, spilling f515bc1e3c coffee all over a0334d8d22 the floor. He didn’t even have c6022c7df2 time to process his cb907916ec surprise or confusion. His senses 14dde1bfa8 were on a1ee2b130c full alert, c43382e665 with his 96ecc22f5a hearing sharply f154a7618e focused.88cbdf6438182f49

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“Emergency!”42bfab1cb7c81c0f

“It’s Number 9!”4e603703448a54b8

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The Espers and guides f9a3604a6b in the cafeteria sprang a937469743 into action, rushing out e0dec7020b in droves. The hallway was 404385e000 instantly abuzz with 77d814f26d noise and movement.2ac1647264e6c203

“Did the team leader contact you?”e8c1689d888c88af

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“Not yet!”eadedca0b21bfbc0

“They’re telling us to stand by.”f27c96ca2768ff8f

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“Does that mean in the bunker?”465e41a910693b42

“No, no such instructions.”445f5ee8852cd69a

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Espers and guides anxiously 6eb158ca24 checked their wrist communicators, f9eb4f5776 some attempting radio calls. However, instructions varied by 803208efc0 team, and in many bac5259910 cases, there were no 8a0de3eaa4 orders at all.f7396e5b204f207e

The lack of eb00d920ad coordinated response wasn’t 0ad57bba73 due to a fc5305427c lack of training. Within the Center, 370b1256f9 there were multiple 8db7eb3670 types of sirens, e2ebee1702 each corresponding to 42b5ff782e different situations—ranging from e65462a7fe routine notifications to 4f551de900 severe incidents. There were a total d93290ff44 of eight types of 7015a74228 alarms.fc4bdbd1b9c93f4b

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But this siren, the a440d8f28b Number 9, was unprecedented. It was the first e72a8c30a7 time Kang Yu-han had b3a6108dca heard it since joining 1d1c4583a5 the Center.0baaedf194b00f8c

Soon, a 2743bfd84a chilling announcement d75cb9128a came through 4817544292 the speakers, a04155a829 accompanied by 34ca88c788 the vibration d8766ab282 of his 77cf3c181a wrist communicator, da1051e4aa which now 22576090a7 displayed bright a1da6fe3ad red text.b872a53c17f09466

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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.3acf5d3bc0638fcb

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It would take 580b1870d7 less than ten 45c5467d19 minutes to reach 7a70591eaf the office by a3c1175513 sprinting up the 3117362086 stairs. Racing up 28a61e48df like a dd96ee3286 sprinter, he d20b1a16e3 panted heavily 18cd73f66a with every 0eeb40444a step.978d7802b95dc8c7

All the d13bf3adc1 while, the 56985c97cc deafening siren 195a2aeb42 blared without 82d1a163ee pause, drilling 74303d69c1 into his 2e8be1ee0e ears.ebd8c0abd32475c5

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Taking two steps 5448dca561 at a time, 9fb7a35605 he reached the a6b4138e7b top of the 63648514d5 stairs and kicked 91259ba27d open the emergency cd0346b0f2 door. What awaited him e6828b97d0 was an unexpected 8ad95858df sight.44bb3406d3b69397

The hallway leading to 6e36dbcc8f the Center Chief’s office 3889236621 was blocked by armed 9efe996c74 personnel. Were they securing 5266176179 the area? He assumed 84db4fadb1 as much c1aedc9f3a at first, cbc153ab44 but he 01591ae259 quickly realized 908a917939 otherwise when 2df05b18fa one of baf0b23571 the guards 0a6377c25f spotted him 34ad0f3422 and immediately 8edf6051f8 stepped forward 9a391cc9c5 to block 3f3f414436 the entrance 77c586e657 with a 3789eaa692 stern expression.7b5e763ac9c03f28

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“Access is restricted.”919af37c5d8a18d1

“What’s going on?”782d27a6fb2ce635

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“I don’t know. We were just ordered to secure this area.”5904ff7114e71a80

Kang Yu-han a4da9bb29e glanced at 091d65d638 the personnel 3d51252956 enforcing the 3d457f761d blockade. They were all rookie e9fc967fe6 Espers, newly recruited. Their young faces ea38d3ae1e were taut with fed920a1d1 fear and tension.4ace964796af5ee7

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“Who gave the order?”d9c5e9962c431b67

“That… it was the Chief Secretary.”94fd78db4bbff72e

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The Chief Secretary referred to Lieutenant Colonel Kim, the Center Chief’s closest aide and right-hand man.256c136084adbac5

“The Chief Secretary, you say. Is he inside?”cc0d46d82117d791

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“Uh… well, it’s a bit… difficult to say.”634dea9c1040a259

“Did he evacuate?”512b7e406780aeeb

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“No, that’s not it.”204684348b3990a9

“Then why are you guarding this area?”5d70cb44c2ab875e

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“Th-that’s… also difficult to explain.”fc0e56c31d07ccb8

The disjointed 804892ffab answers made f76ead0ccf Kang Yu-han 53d1262d1f furrow his 695c46dc88 brows. Judging by the hesitant 80e1050253 replies, it was clear 534d188f14 that the Chief Secretary 3279120c32 wasn’t present. If so, b96af61f4f why were 5cdd62107a armed personnel e157bdd387 stationed here, 0caec2e069 restricting access a76618c3a5 to the 585b62376a area?498488fb47ed2950

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There was only e36b606d6f one answer: something 5490761edd dangerous was inside, 3cc44bf5e1 something that must abccd076fb not be allowed f6cb868b5f to get out.05b992004be520c3

The higher-ups must’ve f030334bd1 lost their minds. Ignoring the Esper 3d2ed5360c in front of eb573e25ef him, Kang Yu-han 715769655b dashed diagonally to 6651aa0001 the side. Spotting a 71ffb341a8 gap, he 8c9fae6149 effortlessly leaped cfea9bdcd5 over the 908f3017bd perimeter line fe270c50e8 blocking access.e05d0a8d1ad0eedf

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