Xinlu silently nodded in response to Taeui’s words. In Taeui’s heart, he cheered as if he had won: “Hooray!”, and from that moment on, he eagerly awaited that day.

Xinlu looked at the Instructor’s office that Taeui had just left, feeling a bit confused.

“But why did you suddenly go to the Instructor’s office……. Ah–.”

Suddenly, his face turned gloomy.

“Actually, something big happened this morning, right? Hyung, are you okay? Is it because of that incident that you were called?”

The entire branch knew about the incident, so there was no reason why Xinlu wouldn’t know in this small building.

With a worried tone, Xinlu approached, looking even more affectionate and endearing, causing Taeui to be momentarily dazed by him.

Looking at this radiant and beautiful face, Taeui felt greatly comforted. His chest warmed up entirely.

“Well, just a little bit. It’s nothing serious. How about you, are you okay?”

Come to think of it, Kyoho lived and worked in different areas separate from the other members, except for the dining hall. Usually, if there was no need to go to the office, they wouldn’t meet, but it wasn’t uncommon to see each other in the dining hall during mealtimes.

Taeui’s heart suddenly tightened.

What if Xinlu had been in the dining hall at that time? What if he had been caught up in that terrible fight? What if he had been injured by flying stones or wood shards?

Taeui unconsciously grasped Xinlu’s shoulders tightly. Xinlu looked up at Taeui with a puzzled face and tilted his head.

“Hyung…….?”

“The thing is, you don’t usually meet other members except in the dining hall, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, that’s right. I usually eat early to avoid the crowds. Whether lunch or dinner, I eat before the other members finish their work, so……. I rarely meet them in the dining hall.”

Hearing this, Taeui realized he had never seen Xinlu in the dining hall.

Though he didn’t fully understand what was happening, Xinlu still answered obediently, causing Taeui to breathe a sigh of relief and seriously advise him.

“The thing is, there are some members from the European branch here. Among them are some very dangerous people, you understand? So──.”

Taeui explained in detail but concisely enough for Xinlu to understand. Xinlu nodded as he grasped Taeui’s meaning.

“Anyway, I don’t have much chance to meet them, but I’ll be careful. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Xinlu smiled brightly. Seeing that flower-like smile, Taeui suddenly felt shy and quietly released Xinlu’s shoulders. The soft feeling lingered, leaving him with a bit of regret.

“It’s nothing. It’s natural to worry. You…….”

Taeui started to speak but fell silent. He couldn’t finish his sentence. Anything he said next would make him blush with embarrassment.

A moment of silence passed. It was an awkward and slightly uncomfortable silence, but now Taeui didn’t mind it.

Xinlu looked down at his feet and then suddenly looked up at Taeui. He quietly reached out and took Taeui’s hand. Taeui was startled and instinctively pulled his hand back. The smooth fingers slipped into his palm.

“………….. E ehehe…….”

Xinlu lowered his head, his face turning red, and laughed awkwardly. Taeui also laughed with a similar expression. The warmth from those white fingers felt comforting. If those fingers were cold, he might feel comfortable in a different way.

They stood facing each other, blushing, holding hands awkwardly. They stood like that in silence, just holding hands, until Taeui felt a gaze and looked up.

Their uncle had just opened the door to the Instructor’s office and was staring at them.

Taeui looked over Xinlu’s shoulder, his eyes meeting his uncle’s without saying a word.

“…………..”

“…………..”

When their eyes met, their uncle blinked slowly several times. A subtle smile appeared on his usually expressionless face. Was it just Taeui’s imagination, or did it seem like his uncle was watching them with an expression of ‘This is interesting’?

Taeui wanted to hold Xinlu’s hand longer, but he knew that soon his uncle would say:  “Aren’t you going to work this morning?”, and before long, the Vice Director would also come out. So, he reluctantly let go of Xinlu’s hand.

Fortunately, Xinlu hadn’t noticed the subtle smile behind him. He hesitated and mumbled with a red face.

“Then, if the weather is nice……..”

“Yeah. This weekend, if the rain stops and the weather clears up, let’s meet. We’ll take a leisurely walk.”

When Taeui said that, Xinlu had a slightly strange expression on his face. He tilted his head and muttered to himself: “Did I misunderstand?”, then smiled brightly.

“Yes, hyung. See you this weekend.”

“Yeah. Okay. …….If we can meet before then, let’s do that too. Anyway, take care.”

“You don’t need to worry about me; I’m fine. You should also be careful not to get hurt.”

Xinlu said his goodbyes lovingly and turned away. Their uncle sneaked back into the Instructor’s office.

Once Xinlu had gone into the office, their uncle came out again. Seeing Taeui standing there dazed in the hallway, he waved.

“Why are you still here? If you skip work this time, you’ll have to stay in the Instructor’s office all afternoon. And don’t you have a weapons technique class? If McKinn finds out, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Hearing his uncle add: “Riegrow will leave in two weeks, so don’t worry”, Taeui thought to himself: ‘Will I live to see that day?’ But he still wanted to live until the weekend to take a walk with Xinlu.

“Speaking of which……. Xinlu…….”

Their uncle muttered as if pondering something, creating a strange feeling that made Taeui frown slightly and tilt his head. Their uncle looked up at the ceiling, thought for a moment, and finally waved his hand dismissively without saying anything further.

“Go on. You stubborn kid, not listening to advice. Among the Instructors, McKinn is the most strict. Even if it’s just two weeks, don’t be lazy; take care of toMaurerw’s apple tree.”

“……….”

When Taeui looked at his uncle with a reproachful expression, his uncle suddenly smiled brightly.

“You’ll go for a walk with Xinlu this weekend, right? I hope the weather will be nice.”

“……….If the weather isn’t nice, we’ll wear raincoats and walk in the rain~”

Taeui mumbled and turned towards the elevator. Hearing his uncle chuckle behind him, he heard his uncle speak affectionately.

“We’ll burn books together, so don’t feel too regretful, okay?”

******************

As soon as Maurer saw Taeui, he grabbed him by the collar and cried.

“You bastard! How are you going to take responsibility for my precious girl!!”

The Colt gun that Taeui had taken from Maurer was now safely stored in his uncle’s evidence room after being confiscated. His uncle had said that one day when Taeui left this branch, he could retrieve it.

It seemed his uncle had guessed who the owner of the Colt was, and with a knowing smile, he had slowly said: “Send my regards to your roommate.” Taeui thought to himself that having an uncle like that as a boss must be tough for someone like Maurer.

“If trading a Colt for saving a life is worth it, then it’s fine.”

“Oh, so that was Maurer’s? I wondered why Tay, who didn’t bring any luggage, had such a thing.”

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. When I go to Hong Kong, I’ll find a new one for you. I know some trustworthy smugglers and finders, so getting a Colt is easy.”

Maurer’s comrades tried to console him, each saying something different. Maurer stared at Taeui with a gloomy look and lamented, and Taeui scratched his head and mumbled.

“I don’t know any smugglers……. Alright, how about a year-long subscription to a puzzle magazine?”

Hearing that, Maurer exploded with anger and rushed to attack, forcing Taeui to hide behind his comrades.

No matter how urgent the situation was, taking and losing someone else’s property without permission had no excuse. This would be another difficult problem for the next two weeks.

Taeui arrived late for the weapons technique class and was harshly scolded by the Instructor after the lesson. By the time he escaped, more than half of the lunch break was over.

Not even half a day had passed, but Taeui felt like it had been thousands of years; his body and mind were exhausted. When he dragged himself to the dining hall, the doors were firmly shut. Seeing the sign – [Closed temporarily due to incident] – he felt apologetic, even though it wasn’t his fault. Below the sign was a small note – [Temporarily use Reading Room 3 as the dining hall until repairs are done] – so he quickly left the area.

Arriving at Reading Room 3, he found his comrades who had finished eating and were chatting. Naturally, the members of the European branch were also present. The atmosphere was still tense like in the morning, but

 no one intended to cause more trouble during lunch.

As soon as he stepped into the reading room, Taeui looked around, fearing he might run into faces he didn’t want to see. Knowing he couldn’t avoid them during training, he still tried his best to avoid them.

Luckily, he didn’t see those intimidating faces; instead, his comrades welcomed him with cheers and compliments.

“Brave, crazy, loyal” – They said all kinds of things. Along with that were mixed complaints: “That bastard stole my precious item.”

Temporarily, the dining hall had little food left. Taeui could only get two pieces of bread and a carton of milk. While chewing on the bread, he listened to his comrades talk.

For the next two weeks, the schedule would consist of regular morning classes and special afternoon training, meaning there would be serious battles every afternoon.

With nearly a hundred people, it was impossible for everyone to train at once.

“So how will they divide the groups for training?” -Taeui asked while chewing on the bread. Qing explained.

“As usual, into 6 groups, each with 10-15 people. Half are our people, half are Europeans. They’ll rotate randomly, and each group will train with the others.”

Taeui recalled the unfamiliar faces in the weapons technique class.

“If it’s random like that, is there a chance I won’t meet a particular person for these two weeks?”

With a faint hope, Taeui asked. Qing shook his head sympathetically, understanding Taeui’s concern.

“If you’re lucky, you might meet them less often. But only ‘less often’, you’ll definitely have to train with them at some point.”

“That’s right. Even if not, by the weekend, everyone will have to participate in survival training together.”

A comrade muttered that and suddenly grabbed Taeui’s hand, saying.

“When it comes to survival training, everyone participates, and that’s the chance to eliminate him for sure.”

“…….You make it sound like my end is near.”

Taeui lost interest in eating and put down the bread. Even trying to swallow food with milk felt like it was stuck in his throat, making it hard to digest.

Suddenly, Taeui mumbled: “Huh?”, staring at the bread in his hand for a long time, then tilted his head and asked.

“Wait, the weekend? What training on the weekend? We’re supposed to rest. Isn’t Friday afternoon to Sunday evening free time?”

The comrade sitting next to him, not understanding what Taeuiui was saying, asked back.

“You didn’t hear that during joint training, you can’t leave the island?”

“What? For these two weeks, there’s no rest at all. Even on weekends, from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, everyone will be dropped into the forest for survival training, risking their lives not to die.”

“What! Then what about my walks!”

Taeui frowned, slammed the table, and shouted. Milk spilled and wet the table.

His comrades looked at Taeui with confused and bewildered expressions.

“Walks? What walks?”

Everyone asked in unison, not understanding, but Taeui just stood there frozen, not intending to answer.

Weekend training was something Taeui had never heard of. It turned out his comrades thought it was so obvious that no one mentioned it to him. Taeui also didn’t hear his uncle say there would be no days off during joint training.

──Hope the weather will be nice.

Remembering his uncle’s recent words, Taeui recalled Xinlu’s muttering when tilting his head.

 ‘Did I misunderstand?’

“Damn it……. So that’s what it is.”

Taeui suddenly felt helpless and slumped on the table. Even though it was less than two weeks, his resolve to survive the weekend was already useless.

“Hey, why are you crying? Anyway, I understand the feeling of not wanting to join survival training.”

“Yeah. If you’re going to die, it’s most likely then. If someone wants to get rid of you, that’s the best opportunity.”

The gloomy words echoed above Taeui as he lay on the table.

Just now, even in despair, there was a glimmer of hope to cling to, but now that hope had vanished. Only absolute despair remained.

Seeing Taeui lying still on the table, not moving, Tou patted his shoulder as if understanding everything.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re here, aren’t we? Do you think we’ll just watch you die in front of us?”

“That’s right. If you’re in danger this time, I’ll steal Maurer’s Colt and shoot for you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” – Maurer shouted, pushing others away. Everyone tried to comfort Taeui with a few encouraging words. However, those words didn’t comfort him; they only made the dark future clearer.

“Hang in there, Tay. If you lose your spirit now, what will happen? This afternoon, the real bloodshed will begin.”

“Yeah, right. Relax your body a bit. It’s been a while since I last punched a live punching bag (meaning a person).”

Suddenly, the voices around him grew louder. Immediately, the European members at the next table also started shouting.

“Those who only know how to talk big will get beaten badly at the start.”

“Is the Asian branch only good at mouth fighting? That’s even worse.”

It started again. While Taeui was sadly slumping on the table, everyone began arguing like packs of wild dogs. The shouting from both sides grew louder and closer.

Taeui looked up with a sorrowful face. Everyone stood up, shouting at the European members, and the other side hurled insults back just as fiercely. Looking through his comrades standing like a wall, Taeui saw Maurer also sitting behind him, tiredly asking.

“So for the next two weeks, every day will be like today…….”

“Today is the least of it. The fire will only burn stronger as time goes on.”

Maurer, still frowning, replied sharply. Taeui murmured sadly.

“And this afternoon, we’ll start training with them officially.”

“Yes. Today is free practice, each individual chooses two out of Boxing, Judo, Hapkido, Kendo……. as long as they follow the rules of those two disciplines, everything else is free and unlimited.”

“What? If all the rules of two martial arts are allowed, then there are no restrictions at all. That’s not training anymore; it’s a real fight.”

“Of course, it’s no different from a dogfight. If it were official training with strict rules, there wouldn’t be so much accumulated hatred.”

“But why, even though training with other branches is similar, is it like this only with the European branch?”

“I don’t know either. This is my first time training jointly with the European branch, so I can’t say. Maybe after we get beaten in the training sessions, we’ll understand more.”

“…….”

Although he had never experienced the chaos between the European and Asian branches, Maurer had experience with other branches, so he understood the situation better than Taeui.

While only the two of them were left behind, the chaotic battle between their comrades and the European members became more intense. They had gotten closer from shouting and cursing to throwing utensils at each other. If they moved a few more centimeters, someone would be grabbed by the collar and the real fight would start.

Wanting to avoid this fight, Taeui couldn’t slip out because they blocked the way to the door. There were no windows big enough to escape through the back.

Even though the battle had just begun, Taeui felt too tired. He sighed and rolled up his sleeves. There was no other way; when the fight started, he would pretend to join and then slip away.

However, just as Taeui made that decision, a saving hand unexpectedly appeared.

“You bastards destroyed the dining hall and now want to destroy this place too?! Don’t want to eat anymore?! If you don’t want to starve, go fight outside, you assholes! You’ll have to compensate for all the damaged tables and furniture, you bastards!”

A staff member, who had been cleaning amidst the battle, got hit by a thrown chopstick and went crazy, banging a ladle against a food barrel, nearly turning the fight into a real brawl within minutes.

Under the threat of the staff member, these people even bowed lower than they would to the Director or President of the organization, and immediately quieted down. They could only glare at each other menacingly.

“Wait till this afternoon’s training session; I’ll make you cry.”