After a while, it seemed like the members of the European branch had settled into their assigned rooms, and the suspicious noise in the hallway began to die down. Although they shared rooms on the same floor, the supervisors seemed keen to avoid igniting any futile conflicts and had reasonably divided the area: members of this branch were placed near the eastern staircase, while members of the European branch were placed near the western staircase.

Jeong Taeui thought that with separate bathrooms and showers, the chances of clashes between the two sides would be reduced. However, this thought was perhaps a bit naive. Even if they met at the end of the hallway, they could point fingers and yell before charging at each other like beasts.

Someone would need to intervene, but the animosity between the two sides was so deep that it was hard to find anyone willing to step in. Even if the supervisors and Instructors made an effort to intervene, if a real fight broke out, it would be very difficult to control.

“Just be careful in the fight between whales so that the shrimp’s back doesn’t burst*…….” – Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and muttered to himself. Perhaps Maurer heard him; he glanced at Taeui, nodded vigorously as if in agreement, and returned to his puzzle.

(*When whales fight, the shrimp’s back bursts: Implies that in a conflict between powerful parties, the weaker ones suffer the most.)

Taeui chuckled. He was too familiar with the simple nature and cooperation of men on missions to defeat a common enemy. He didn’t particularly dislike the atmosphere but rarely got involved in such missions. If he did participate, it was usually in light-hearted events like sports competitions. Therefore, it was understandable that he didn’t want to engage in the tense atmosphere now.

Tomorrow, the serious joint training would officially begin, and he was genuinely looking forward to it from the start.

Jeong Taeui recalled his uncle’s informal blessing – “You probably won’t die” – and scratched his head.

In previous joint training sessions, the highest number of casualties was six. Out of ninety participants, six deaths equate to a 1/15, or about 6.7% chance. Even when rounded up, it’s still only around 7%.

It was unpredictable, but would he be among the six or seven unlucky ones? Furthermore, if the highest number of deaths in the past was six, it would likely be fewer this time.

Jeong Taeui patted his gradually heavy stomach and then looked around the room, his eyes stopping at a bookshelf filled to the brim in a corner. Ticnat, who had moved to the South American branch, was known as a bookworm, and indeed, his bookshelf was quite extensive. The portion of the shelf allocated to Ticnat was crammed with books stacked tightly. During his time here, there would certainly be no shortage of reading material.

“…….Ah.”

At that moment, Jeong Taeui frowned and muttered.

How could he forget? Seeing the books reminded him that he had left the book he borrowed from his uncle in his room. The book was valued at $3500 – although his uncle said it wasn’t worth that much, to Jeong Taeui, all the books on his uncle’s shelf were worth $3500.

He had forgotten the book on the desk last night. Despite many other books, that book was the most valuable in the room, and since it wasn’t his, the responsibility was even greater.

“Damn……. I have to go get it back.”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head and shook it.

Last night, after reading, he had left the book on the desk and forgot to take it. Although there were many other books, that book was the most valuable in Jeong Taeui’s room and wasn’t his, so the responsibility for its safekeeping was even heavier.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know who was in his room now, but he hoped no one would cause trouble when he just returned to retrieve his belongings. After all, it was his room from the beginning.

Jeong Taeui recalled Tou’s warning about invading territory and the tense atmosphere transmitted through the wall, making him feel uneasy. However, he decided to stay calm and stood up. If a bad situation occurred, he would grab the book and run immediately. He hoped that no one was foolish enough to follow him all the way to this room to cause trouble, otherwise, there would certainly be a big fight, and he only hoped no one was that foolish.

No. Although he often forgot this fact, all the men in the UNHRDO were senior and polite Instructors.

Jeong Taeui patted his chest a few times to calm himself, then stood up and intended to go back to his room. Just then, he heard the door open. Tou stepped in. Immediately after, the door slammed shut with a bang.

“…….What’s the matter? Did you slip in the bathroom and fall into the toilet?” – Taeui

At Jeong Taeui’s question, Tou looked at him with murderous eyes and didn’t answer.

He entered aggressively as if he had just been brutally beaten and couldn’t vent his anger.

“Why are you looking at me so fiercely……. Did you fight with the European branch?”

Jeong Taeui asked softly, and Tou’s face became even more ferocious. Perhaps he had guessed correctly.

Less than half an hour after the European branch members arrived, the supervisors had warned not to cause trouble, but it seemed that the warning was futile. Or perhaps Tou would deny hearing the warning as he was in the bathroom at the time.

“They deliberately bumped into me. I intended to hold back and teach them a lesson, but at that moment the supervisor arrived. …….I should have hit them before the supervisor got there.”

“Come on, you restrained yourself well. Causing trouble right from the start isn’t good. Anyway, you’ll have many opportunities to hit them without the supervisor seeing.”

Jeong Taeui patted Tou’s shoulder and smiled. Although Tou was still upset, he seemed to have calmed down a bit.

The experience from a bad relationship with Lieutenant Kim finally came in handy. He had to calm down subordinates several times before causing trouble and having to leave the army.

Jeong Taeui sighed and started walking. Tou, who was drinking beer from the fridge, asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Ah……. I’m going to the bathroom too.”

If he said he was going to get something from his room, Tou would surely want to follow or stop him. That was not what he wanted, so he answered nonchalantly. Tou finished his beer and advised.

“If anyone bumps into you, hit him before the supervisor arrives.”

“Yeah, I’ll remember.”

Jeong Taeui didn’t look back, just waved his hand and left the room.

As soon as he stepped into the hallway, he felt the tense atmosphere. Groups of people stood gathered in the corners of the hallway, creating a threatening space. Some were from this branch, others from the European branch. They looked at each other with hostile eyes, and the situation could explode at any moment.

“The situation is even more tense than I thought…….”

Jeong Taeui sighed and continued walking.

The distance from Tou’s room to Jeong Taeui’s room was quite far. Although normally it wasn’t far, in this situation the distance seemed longer.

“Hey Taeui, where are you going?”

One of the groups in the hallway greeted him. Normally he wouldn’t greet back, but in this situation, he acted friendly. Jeong Taeui noticed the cold eyes of strangers in the distance and raised his hand in response.

“Going to the bathroom.”

“The bathroom is right there.”

The other person was surprised to see Jeong Taeui walking past the nearby bathroom. Jeong Taeui shrugged.

“I’m just used to the toilet near my room. I’m a bit picky.”

“Ha ha, you’re really strange.”

The other person laughed and said no more.

Jeong Taeui put his hands in his pockets and continued walking. When he passed the group from the European branch, one of them stepped up, but immediately a few people from this branch prepared to approach. If anyone touched Jeong Taeui, a fight would break out immediately.

The European branch member intended to approach Jeong Taeui but hesitated and then returned to stand with his teammates. The group from this branch also stepped back.

This is ridiculous……. It’s dangerous enough to walk around, but with the risk of causing a big conflict, how can one move comfortably?

Jeong Taeui shook his head inwardly. The solidarity of colleagues who weren’t close made him feel awkward and sneer.

After several such encounters, Jeong Taeui finally reached his room.

His room was deep in the hallway. Nearing the room, there was no sign of people. Neither his colleagues nor the European branch members were there. In the distance, there was a European branch member watching him but didn’t seem to want to cause trouble. Instead, he looked at Jeong Taeui with a strange expression.

Jeong Taeui looked back at him with a puzzled look and then opened the door.

“Indeed……. walking on a thorny path* is easier.”

(*The thorny path: understood as a road full of obstacles, challenges, and difficulties to navigate)

He sighed and muttered while opening the door, simultaneously preparing his mind.

Just passing each other in the hallway was enough to cause trouble, so what would happen if they met in the same room? Tou’s warning about invading territory might not be a joke. If anything happened, he would grab the book and run immediately.

Jeong Taeui stepped into the room with a nervous heart, expecting to see a fierce face occupying his room, but he stopped when he saw who was inside.

There was one person in the room.

The man was lying on Jeong Taeui’s bed, flipping through the pages of a book naturally as if he had been there for a long time. When he heard the door open, he only glanced at Jeong Taeui.

‘The book you’re reading is worth $3500. Don’t handle it like that!’ – But those words stuck in Jeong Taeui’s throat when he recognized the man.

Jeong Taeui’s eyes stayed on the man’s face.

The pale, almost transparent face looked like a sick person. The delicate features were hidden by thick-rimmed glasses but still clear. At first glance, he looked like a diligent and kind researcher in some institute, but the sharp eyes when looking straight at Jeong Taeui made his heart cold.

Jeong Taeui recognized the man. The image of the dark red mark was deeply etched in his mind.

Riegrow……. That was Rick.

The man with the faint smile who had stained the screen with blood.

Jeong Taeui stood frozen as he closed the door behind him and immediately regretted it. 

Why did I close the door? It didn’t mean much, but if left open, at least there was a sense of connection to the outside. Or at least easier to escape.

Now he understood the strange look the European had given him earlier. He knew who was in this room.

Damn bastard. Even if he considered the Asian branch enemies, he should have warned when someone’s life was in danger.

Jeong Taeui, who had always ignored Tou and colleagues’ criticism of the European branch, for the first time felt extreme hatred toward the European branch.

“Is this your book?” – Jeong Taeui was silently cursing when Riegrow’s calm voice rang out.

Jeong Taeui froze.

The low, gentle, calm voice. The sound flowed into his ears like water, a voice he never expected or imagined. Moreover, with Riegrow’s voice, he had never thought of a similar feeling.

Riegrow raised the book and asked gently, showing no sign of wanting to charge and tear Jeong Taeui apart or stain him with blood. Even the faint smile on his lips made him look friendly.

“No……. it’s a book I borrowed. It’s a rare book, so I have to keep it carefully and return it, that’s why I came to get it.”

“Are you going to take it right now?”

Riegrow asked again with a regretful look. His face showed clear regret as if he was reading a very interesting part.

“I think it will only take two or three hours to finish. Can you wait?”

“No problem.” – Jeong Taeui replied with a strange feeling.

Things were not as he thought. After a few sentences, he felt like he was talking to a normal person. Perhaps he had remembered the madman’s face wrongly. The video quality wasn’t good, maybe it wasn’t this face……. Impossible.

Looking at Riegrow, who was smiling and thanking, Jeong Taeui questioned his memory, but he had never misremembered anyone. Especially someone with such an impressive face.

“Not everyone is crazy 24/7. Even madmen have normal moments.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

Jeong Taeui muttered in a voice so low even he couldn’t hear clearly, but when Riegrow asked again, he almost jumped.

“Huh? What? Nothing.” Jeong Taeui pretended to be surprised and shrugged. Riegrow looked at him for a moment and then smiled faintly.

“Thinking again, waiting two or three hours is boring……. Here, take it.”

Riegrow closed the book and handed it to Jeong Taeui. He gently waved the book as if to tell him to take it.

“No, it’s okay. I can come back later. Keep reading. It’s uncomfortable to stop midway.”

He waved the book again and said: “I’ve read it before, so I know the content. Just reading it again for fun. It’s okay, take it.”

The gentle, easy-to-hear voice had something fragile about it. Jeong Taeui felt like he was being pulled into deep water with a vague feeling.