While training, Ire stared at the back of the trainee in front of him, recalling the events in Area C. He had a nightmare that night, a dream where people with shattered heads and missing limbs were chasing him.
He quietly looked down at the hand that had planted the bomb. This hand had killed people. They were bastards who deserved to die, and even as he tried to comfort himself that he had only done what was necessary, the events of that day kept resurfacing. Lost in thought for a moment, he heard the Instructor’s command.
They were to enter their assigned rooms, put on black glasses, and be given a rifle. Ire was last in line. Soon, a virtual reality space unfolded before his eyes. Ire found himself standing in the middle of a slum.
The sight of Area C, perfectly recreated, made him freeze. Get a grip. This isn’t real. He shouldered his rifle and slowly surveyed his surroundings. The faces of the people passing by all seemed happy. It was quite different from what he had seen.
Then, a scream came from the opposite side. As he turned, an Infected lunged out. He aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger. He aimed precisely at the head, and it was instantly crushed like a watermelon, rolling before his eyes.
The vividness of the scene brought back the events of that day, and he felt a churning sensation from his stomach. This isn’t real. It’s training. Repeating this to himself, he quickly subdued the enemies. This training was a mock shooting exercise to test agility and judgment, and Ire eliminated all the Infected without harming any civilians. And he did it by targeting only their heads.
Returning to the real world after the training, he saw the empty room. Ire quietly looked down at the hand holding the rifle, bit his lip, and walked out. As Ire walked back to his seat, the Instructor approached and patted him on the shoulder.
“Good job.”
After greeting him, he sat down, and Seo Young-jun sat next to him. Outside, they could watch the trainees’ real-time performance on a screen.
“What’s this? You used to only shoot civilians. Did you get some practice somewhere?”
“Did I?”
“Yeah. I even prayed. If we ever go on a mission, please don’t let me be on the same team as him, please. Like that.”
Ire burst out laughing at the half-joking confession. Seo Young-jun wasn’t the only one who had thought that. It was his first time, and he just wanted to get kicked out quickly and go home. But not anymore. Thinking of the faces of his smiling younger siblings, he began to understand what he had to do.
Of course, Matteo might think differently.
After the training, it was lunchtime, and Ire headed to the cafeteria with his comrades.
“By the way, is Han-gyeol sick? Why hasn’t he come back?”
“I heard he’s in the hospital.”
“Hospital? Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s a hush-hush atmosphere.”
“Well, he was always weak. It was too much for him to even come here.”
Ire listened to the conversation between Seo Young-jun and Oh Nam-gi. He had planned to ask Han-gyeol about what had happened that day if he saw him, but he didn’t come. Instead, Park Mu-jin and his gang were watching Ire from nearby.
“Be careful. That bastard’s been staring at you since earlier.”
“I know.”
He calmly took his food and sat down. Just as he was about to pick up his spoon, something hit him on the back and fell to the floor. He turned to see Park Mu-jin’s gang snickering. A small tomato, presumably thrown by them, was rolling on the floor.
“I heard fruit is rare in District B. Eat your fill.”
This time, it hit him in the chest and fell. The rolling tomato was crushed under someone’s foot. “Ugh, damn it. What is this?” Ire noticed Park Mu-jin propping his chin up and watching with amusement behind the complaining trainee.
Ire bent down, picked up the tomato from the floor, and put it straight into his mouth without wiping it. He slowly moved his jaw up and down, and Park Mu-jin glared at him with a look of amusement.
Seo Young-jun, sitting in front of him, stopped Ire, looking worried.
“Ignore them. They’re always like that.”
That’s right. They’re always like that. Still, locking him in the freezer was too much. They couldn’t have done that unless they intended to kill him. Ire slowly stood up and walked towards Park Mu-jin and his gang. One of them jumped up and blocked his path.
“You little punk, where do you think you’re going?”
Without hesitation, he kicked the guy in the stomach. The guy fell back onto a chair, collapsing with a loud crash, drawing everyone’s attention. “You son of a bitch!” Park Mu-jin stood up, and his gang surrounded Ire.
“I thought you’d have frozen to death, but you’re still alive?”
Ire scoffed at Park Mu-jin’s taunt.
“You’re just a coward who resorts to petty tricks. Were you that scared of me? You’d piss your pants if we fought one-on-one.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Park Mu-jin’s face contorted in anger. In the tense situation, someone shouted.
“Hey, you bastards! What do you think you’re doing!”
The Instructor was standing at the door, and as their gazes turned towards him, Ire lunged at Park Mu-jin. He grabbed his collar and punched him directly in the face, catching the unprepared bastard off guard. With a loud thud, the guy staggered back, and Ire seized the opportunity, pinning him down and throwing a series of punches.
After that, it was chaos. The gang members went crazy and swarmed Ire.
The Instructor ran over with a club, but Ire shook off the other guys and desperately beat Park Mu-jin. He hit him again and again until he lost consciousness. Until the Instructors finally pulled him off.
Boom! Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed across the sky. Classical music played as Kim Ha-yoon made coffee and went to the window. Heavy rain poured down, creating puddles in the training ground. As he watched, there was a knock, and Kim Do-cheol entered.
“Those damn weather forecasters. How long are they going to keep pouring down rain?”
“I guess it’ll keep raining for another hour.”
“Looks like I won’t be going home early.”
“Were you already thinking about leaving?”
“It’s my sweetheart’s birthday today. I need to make up for our fight a few days ago. You know how sensitive women are about anniversaries. Well, I guess you wouldn’t really know about women. If you did, you wouldn’t be hanging out with a guy on a precious day off.”
Kim Ha-yoon’s lips twisted. Someone had seen them shopping for clothes, and the story was spreading that he had bought so many clothes for a guy that he couldn’t carry them all.
“That guy, right? The Hybrid?”
“I need to keep everyone quiet. Or burn them.”
Kim Do-cheol’s face became serious at the straightforward admission. Kim Ha-yoon returned to his seat, put down his cup, and picked up a cigar. Kim Do-cheol stared intently as he cut the end with a cutter.
“I’m just asking to be sure… but it’s not, right?”
“What?”
“It’s not like that, is it? You’re not having sex or anything, right? You’re really just keeping him around because you need him, right?”
Kim Ha-yoon lit the end of the cigar and puffed on it until his cheeks were hollow. He exhaled a long breath and leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs. Kim Do-cheol’s face showed a hint of disbelief. He understood his reaction since Kim Ha-yoon had never been seen taking care of anyone. Still, he couldn’t believe he would come and ask if he was openly sleeping with him.
“I told you, I’m not interested in guys’ assholes.”
“Well, there’s an age difference. You wouldn’t even be human if you were taking advantage of him.”
A crease formed between Kim Ha-yoon’s eyebrows, which had been calm until now. Why is the arrow pointing there? And what’s wrong with the age difference? It’s only nine years. How narrow-minded.
“Only? Only? Where did you sell your conscience?”
Kim Ha-yoon scoffed.
“You must be bored if you’re coming to my room and spouting nonsense. Should I make you really busy?”
“I’m worried because you’re doing things you never used to do. Even if it’s true, don’t let it get to my ears. I don’t want to be killed by my uncle.”
Kim Do-cheol’s uncle was Kim Ha-yoon’s father, and also the leader of District A.
A figure of admiration and fear. Someone with absolute power and absolute support.
“You keep saying that, and I’m going to want to cause trouble.”
Kim Do-cheol shuddered and shook his head as he laughed like a villain and left. Even right before leaving, he repeated the same words one more time. Never, never do that. Just go out and pay for it.
The door closed, and Ha-yoon, left alone, looked out the window with a strange smile. But Kim Do-cheol, who had just disappeared, burst back into the room less than five minutes later. He was breathing heavily, as if he had run back.
“Hey, Captain Kim! We’ve got a problem!”
Following him was the non-commissioned officer in charge of training the trainees. He saluted respectfully but couldn’t easily open his mouth. Seeing the expressions on the two men’s faces, Kim Ha-yoon guessed that something had happened.