Snowflakes began to fall one by one outside the window. Kim Ha-yoon, who had been looking up at the dark sky, lowered his gaze. Ire was talking to someone on a bench next to the playground. He was bringing the coffee he held in his hand to his mouth when footsteps were heard, and soon a large man came and stood beside him.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“You could at least pretend to knock.”
“Knock, knock, happy now?”
Then the man crossed his arms and looked down ahead. His name was Kim Do-cheol, and he was in charge of training the trainees. He was Ha-yoon’s cousin and three years older.
“Is that him? The kid you picked up from District B.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Do-cheol took a small telescope out of his pocket and brought it to his eyes.
“Wow, he’s handsome. Is he a Hybrid? Who’s the person next to him? He’s quite young to be his father.”
“Foster father.”
“Ah, the one who’s sick? I heard he refused treatment?”
Kim Ha-yoon pressed his lips into a straight line. He had brought Matteo, Ire’s guardian, and offered him treatment, but he had flatly refused. Matteo wanted to take Ire to District B. He also stated that if he was held here for no reason, he would formally file a complaint. He wondered who the kid took after to be so fearless, but it seemed he resembled his foster father.
“You’re not really thinking of putting him in the unit, are you?”
“Have you ever seen me make empty promises?”
“Are you sure it’ll be okay? The kids are going to be out for blood.”
“Why?”
“Why? Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Despite Kim Do-cheol’s worries, Kim Ha-yoon wore a meaningful smile.
“Just watch. The most outstanding guy among the trainees will emerge.”
“What on earth caught our Captain’s eye about that little brat?”
Instead of answering, Kim Ha-yoon shifted his gaze outside. The two were still talking. The man named Matteo, sitting on the bench, covered his face as if in pain, and Ire, uncharacteristically, hugged him and patted his back. The snow was falling even harder, and Matteo and Ire couldn’t leave the place for a long time.
Ire sat on the chair, looking down at his fingertips with a tense expression. Next to him, the clothes that Matteo had brought were packed in a bag. Matteo had promised to come back and returned home. When he said he would enlist in the military, he had opposed it and later became furious. It hurt to see his expression change to despair, but he did not reverse his decision.
Ire sighed and looked down at his arm. There was a small needle mark there.
“Come this way.”
Guided inside, he saw a doctor in a white coat sitting there. The atmosphere was completely different from the Quack Doctor where he used to live. As he bit his lower lip without realizing it due to nervousness, the doctor glanced at him and smiled.
“Why are you so nervous? Are you afraid you might have a serious illness?”
“……”
“I only did a simple test, but you have anemia. I’ll prescribe some medicine, so take it regularly. There’s nothing else wrong, so don’t worry.”
What is anemia? He was curious, but he just nodded. As he got up and left, a sigh of relief flowed out on its own. As he came outside, he was taken to another place this time. The man in military uniform didn’t say a word to him the whole way. He received clothes there, and the man handed him a key.
“Here, take it. These are your training uniform and casual wear. From now on, you’ll be staying in Room 9 on the 3rd floor. It’s mealtime, so change and come down right away.”
“Now…?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
He thought he would have time to go home… Ire shook his head, saying it was nothing. He took the clothes he was given and walked down the hallway. His mind was still complicated with thoughts about Matteo. Will Kim Ha-yoon keep his promise? If he doesn’t, what should I do then? In the meantime, he bumped into someone and came to his senses.
He raised his head and saw a man standing in front of him.
Before he could apologize, the man’s face contorted.
“What the fuck?”
Ire also frowned. He wasn’t happy to see him either. The man with the burn-like scar on his cheek was the soldier he had encountered a few days ago at the border between District B and Area C. When he belatedly avoided his gaze, he heard a sound of laughter, as if he was dumbfounded.
“Who is this? Enemies meet in the military, they say.”
The man behind him chimed in.
“Do you know each other?”
“Oh, very well.”
The man strode closer and grabbed Ire’s shoulder tightly. The considerable grip caused pain, and as he frowned and stepped back, he was poked with a fist, thump, thump.
“Hey, what did I say? I said I’d kill you if you caught my eye, right? But you came here?”
“Park Woo-jin, stop it. I think he’s a trainee who just came in.”
“Trainee? Haha. So you’re the one who came from District B?”
When he remained silent with his mouth shut, Park Woo-jin grabbed Ire’s chin tightly.
“Make sure you pass the training. I’m going to give you special treatment. Got it, you little shit.”
Seeing the murderous intent in his eyes and the way he gritted his teeth, it seemed that the words “special treatment” were genuine. Was grabbing the buttstock of the gun that day worth doing this much? He wondered, but there was no time to worry about such things.
“Hey! What are you doing! Get off him.”
When someone passing by shouted, Park Woo-jin roughly released Ire’s face and answered politely.
“He’s a friend I know, so I was just saying hello. I’m sorry.”
See you again, Hybrid. The man who whispered in his ear made a gesture of slitting his throat. Did that mean he would kill him if they met again? He shoved his shoulder roughly and disappeared in the opposite direction. Ire closed his eyes tightly and sighed. Damn it. Why did I have to meet him here of all places.
But that guy was a regular soldier, and if he didn’t pass the training, he wouldn’t have to run into him. Until then, he had no choice but to avoid him as much as possible.
He moved to the building he was guided to and went to the room assigned to him on the 3rd floor. Knock, knock, he knocked and opened the door, and the murmuring stopped abruptly. The gazes of the three people sitting on the bed were focused on Ire.
One was standing with only his pants on, his body still wet as if he had just come out of the shower, the person sitting on the bunk bed had a book in his hand, and the remaining one was sitting on a chair with an ice pack on his face. In the deathly silent atmosphere, Ire nodded and awkwardly stepped inside. No matter how he looked at it, his place seemed to be on the upper bunk of the guy with the ice pack.
He put the clothes he had received on the 2nd floor and looked around.
“The bathroom is over there. There’s a separate dressing room inside.”
When the man who was icing his face spoke, the man with his upper body bare poked him in the side with his elbow. It became quiet in an instant, and Ire felt that they didn’t like him very much.
“Thank you….”
He went into the bathroom, took off his top, and looked around. It was clean without a single speck of mold. It was properly equipped with ventilation facilities, and the soap and towels were clean. He went to the showerhead and turned on the water, and before he could count to three, it turned into hot water, and then boiling hot water poured out. It was a luxury that was not easily enjoyed in District B, where washing with cold water was common even in winter.
He noticed the soap, so he used it to wash his hair and body, and then changed into his casual wear. The dark navy casual wear was said to be the clothes uniformly provided to the trainees, and the material was much softer and better than any clothes he had ever worn in his life.
Ire stood in front of the mirror, stared blankly at the unit mark on his left chest, sighed, and turned around. When he came outside, the man who had told him about the bathroom earlier pointed to the locker this time.
“You can organize your luggage there.”
Again, the man next to him poked him. He realized that it meant not to talk to him.
“…Thank you.”
He greeted him, opened the locker, and took out his luggage from his bag and organized it. In the meantime, he heard whispering from behind.
“Anyway, I’m going to teach that bastard a lesson someday. Just you wait.”
“Give it up. Isn’t it enough that your eyes are swollen? Have you forgotten who his brother is? The devilish Park Woo-jin.”
“That’s why I’m even more pissed off. Isn’t it ridiculous how he acts cocky, trusting in his brother? He has no skill.”
“He’s not unskilled. Let’s be fair, even if we hate him.”
“Oh Nam-gi. Sometimes I hate you more than that bastard.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Get lost, you bastard. I’m canceling everything I said about introducing you to my sister. Hey, Han-gyeol. You tell me. Do you think Park Mu-jin is skilled too?”
“I don’t know. So both of you stop it. Aren’t you ashamed in front of the new guy?”
“……”
Listening to the conversation of the three, Ire, who was putting his luggage on the top shelf, paused. Because something touched his hand. He grabbed it and took it out, and it was clothes. The outer surface was made of smooth leather, and the condition was very good. This was definitely my locker. He took it out and turned around, and the three of them stopped talking and stared at him as if they had made a promise.
“There’s… this in here….”
The man who was icing his face stood up. Seeing him up close, his eyes were bruised blue.
“I think a friend who used to be here left it behind. Give it to me. I’ll return it.”
“Thank you….”
“Um… wouldn’t it be better to dry your hair thoroughly? The dryer is inside.”
“Dryer?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t look good to walk around with wet hair. You’re not going to wear it down, are you?”
“……”
“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean anything weird. I was just asking because it suits you. But do you use a separate treatment? Your hair is so soft. Which shop do you go to?”
He was dumbfounded by the endless stream of questions. What is a treatment and what is a shop? He blinked his eyes in a flustered expression, and another man appeared from behind.
“Hey Seo Young-joon, stop it. Let’s go eat dinner.”
He put his arm around Seo Young-joon’s neck, dragged him, opened the door, and disappeared in an instant. Do you think there would be a treatment in District B? You’re asking a stupid question. The words were heard from outside the door and gradually faded away.
Ire touched his wet hair with a complicated heart and carefully dried it with a towel. He had a feeling that life here would not be easy.