They called that Saturday morning: ‘Crocodile Tears.’

Throughout the entire week, day and night, they were pushed into non-stop tasks, and even outside official training hours, they had to remain on high alert. They didn’t even get a break during the weekend. Typically, they were free to go out from Friday evening to Sunday evening, but now, not only were they forbidden to leave, but they also couldn’t step out of the designated area without permission. On top of that, there was another training session scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

At the very least, on Saturday mornings, they were allowed to rest and recharge, but after being drained of energy on Friday night, their instructor said: “Rest in the morning, regroup in the afternoon”, and they could only grit their teeth and accept their fate.

“If the Instructors really make us train this afternoon, should we pretend to mess up during training and strangle them to death?”

“To strangle an Instructor, you’d have to face the Assistant Instructor behind them too……. and handling just one of the two is hard enough. Are you confident you can take on both at once?”

“True enough. How about we team up? I’ll handle the Instructor, you take the Assistant Instructor.”

“Sounds fair. But which Instructor should we target first?”

“Of course, the European one!”

The men lying on the mats in the gym, instead of exercising, started chatting nonsense to pass the time. There were still two hours left until the gathering.

“Two hours until we have to gather, one hour until we have to gather.” – They groaned each time they checked their watches, and amid that atmosphere, Jeong Taeui sat curled up, hugging his knees.

Rather than sitting there, he wished he could lie in his room comfortably reading a book or solving puzzles – a habit he’d picked up from living with Maurer – but since Tou had dragged him here, he had no choice but to sit there.

Taeui glanced at the European branch members sitting a little further away, wondering if they were talking about the same sort of things. As he sighed, Yuan Ho, lying beside him, inquired. Jeong Taeui thought for a moment and answered seriously.

“I just suddenly thought of this. When people mention UNHRDO, outsiders still think of it as an organization gathering outstanding talents, but looking at these men as members of UNHRDO……. For example, Carlo scratching his crotch over there, or Tou jittery like a drug addict because he ran out of cigarettes this morning, and Qing, who still keeps a photo of Anita Mui Yim-fong* beside him every night and cries, asking why she left him all alone – In Korea, people call this kind of person a ‘crazy fan’ – if outsiders knew what it’s really like inside, they’d die heartbroken.”

(*Anita Mui Yim-fong: was a Hong Kong singer and actress who made major contributions to the Cantopop music scene and received numerous awards and honours.)

“Yeah……. hearing you say that, it seems like our branch is in pretty bad shape.”

“But I also feel somewhat relieved that the other side isn’t much better.”

Taeui jerked his head toward the group of European members gathered on the other side of the wall. They, too, were showing off just as poorly. One person was playing a ‘show-off’ game, another had just woken up after being kicked by another ‘show-off’ and hit an unrelated person, and in some corner, someone was fiddling with a floral-patterned deck of cards—not even regular playing cards.

Taeui suddenly recalled what his uncle had said, that after leaving here, he wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job. Instead, he’d have to think about which company to choose. What a scam of an organization……. Taeui looked at them with blank eyes and turned his head away.

However, thinking about it carefully, those people were still okay. Even though they were a bit annoying, from an employer’s perspective, as long as they got the job done without causing any trouble, it was a success. The real problem was those who couldn’t be controlled and had terrible personalities.

For example…….

Taeui was about to think of someone but immediately shook his head. Thinking about someone like that never leads to anything good. Dwelling on such people only makes a person gloomier.

“Ah──The break is almost over. It’s almost time to head out and start running again. Ugh, at times like this, a cigarette before we go would make life so much better.”

Tou sat down next to Jeong Taeui, feeling anxious, chewing on a matchstick in his mouth in place of a cigarette. Taeui pitied Tou.

“Does chewing on a matchstick taste like a cigarette?”

“What do you think? Oh God……. just one cigarette, I’m not asking for much, even a leftover butt would do. Just one puff would be enough.”

Taeui remembered the cigarette he had taken from Tou last time but didn’t smoke, and instead had thrown it away. He felt that if he said that now, he would surely be beaten to death. Guilt welled up.

“Do any of those Europeans over there have cigarettes? Hey, if you catch the smell of cigarettes on any of them during training, let me know. I’ll grab them and blackmail them for the smoke.”

It seems you’ve witnessed Tou’s method of blackmailing and intimidating someone within this facility. Jeong Taeui looked at Tou with wide eyes before turning away. Perhaps, later on, he would buy him some cigarettes.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head and checked his watch. It was almost 1 PM – time for them to gather. He rolled his neck back and forth to loosen it up and asked:

“So, what about pretending to mess up during training and then hitting the instructor? Is that okay?”

“Hmm, basically, it’s a free-for-all. But for you, it’s your first time. The rule is simple. Whoever you catch, just hit them, and if you get caught, you take the beating. If you don’t want to get hit, you’d better run when you can. The time is split into two parts, one group chasing and the other group being chased. The chased group is only allowed to defend. Counter Attacks are only allowed if it’s for the purpose of escaping. That’s it. But because the rules are so simple, accidents happen often. In fact, the permission to fight back to escape also means you can hit the person chasing you. This easily leads to chaos.”

“So what? Can’t I just hide in a corner until time runs out?”

“If you’re caught hiding, you’re definitely getting ganged up on. It’s better to run. If you can escape, go ahead and hide, but there aren’t many places to do so.”

JTaeui looked at Tou in astonishment. He wasn’t sure if this could really be considered training, but Tou and the others seemed quite serious about it.

“Don’t joke around. You’d better be careful. If you take this lightly, you’ll be in big trouble,” muttered Carlo, lying nearby. Jeong Taeui glanced at him.

He seemed to understand what Carlo was saying. The simpler the rules, the more dangerous the game becomes. Moreover, these rules sounded strangely familiar. Taeui frowned, trying to recall where he had heard this before.

However, after thinking for a moment, he decided to give up on figuring it out and lay down.

“In the next six months, I have to get out of here, or else I’ll really go insane.”

Taeui sighed and mumbled to himself. In this situation, that was the scariest thing. No matter how strange an environment might be, humans eventually get used to it over time. It happens even when they don’t realize they are slowly being assimilated into the situation.

Everything has its pros and cons, and this place surely has its own advantages, but the downsides were just too many.

“It seems you’re not quite clear on this, so let me explain.” – Tou said beside him – “Before we start the group training, the video we watched during the live combat analysis session—that was an edited compilation of weekend training sessions.”

Taeui mumbled, asking which video……. and then his face froze.

That’s right, it was that one. The red stains, like blood, left traces everywhere. The vivid, intense colors were something he couldn’t forget.

“So, this training basically means we can kill people easily? Calling that ‘training’ is a joke.”

Taeui clicked his tongue and muttered, while Tou shrugged.

“Not exactly. It’s just because he’s a lunatic that it turned out like that. In reality, no matter how much you hate someone, nobody beats a person to death without a good reason. Sometimes accidents happen and people die, but it’s rare for someone to deliberately kill. Basically, the key is to avoid running into lunatics.”

Hearing Tou’s words, Taeui understood somewhat. In truth, even if someone hates another deeply, not everyone thinks about killing. Human instincts naturally remind them of the grave consequences that come with murder.

…….But thinking about it, what kind of hatred had that man accumulated for so many people to be willing to risk their lives to kill him?

Taeui felt a bitter taste in his mouth. In life, there are occasionally people we’d want to kill, even at the cost of everything. A life without such people would be a happy life.

“Hey, it’s time. We should go.”

“Oh, right. Let’s hope we meet again alive.”

As Carlo stood up first and spoke, the other men also rose, responding to him.

Taeui really didn’t want to get up, thinking of the hell that awaited him once he stepped outside. But Tou grabbed his wrist and pulled him up, leaving him no choice but to stand.

[‘Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me.’]

Jeong Taeui opened the message on his pager once more. It was the message he had received early this morning.

After returning to his room last night, he couldn’t sleep and ended up calling Xinlu past midnight. He had worried that he might wake him up, but thankfully, Xinlu answered the phone in his usual tone.

Truthfully, he had nothing special to say. After the brief but uncomfortable conversation with Ilay, he just felt uneasy. But even so, he couldn’t tell Xinlu everything and say: ‘Even if you meet him, don’t pay any attention to him. You should only focus on me.’

After all, Jeong Taeui had never said anything to Xinlu. He had never told Xinlu that he liked him or anything of the sort.

Tou had once teased him, saying that his actions were so obvious it made others embarrassed just watching him, and Jeong Taeui figured that Xinlu, being as perceptive as she was, had likely realized it too. But he had never said it out loud.

Jeong Taeui hesitated as he held the phone.

Should he say it now? That he liked him. But saying it over the phone didn’t feel right, and confessing right after seeing Ilay made it seem like he was being pressured into it rather than acting on his pure will.

[“But that person……. is he an acquaintance of yours?”]

Jeong Taeui was vaguely muttering something when Xinlu suddenly asked about Ilay from the other end of the line. Jeong Taeui had deliberately avoided mentioning Ilay, so he was a little surprised but quickly responded truthfully.

“No, he’s not. Even though I recognize him, it’s best not to get close—he’s dangerous.”

So, Taeui continued to give a roundabout warning that if Xinlu ever encountered Ilay or saw him nearby, he should avoid being noticed by him. However, it seemed like Xinlu was only half-listening, as if his mind was elsewhere.

Taeui felt a vague sense of unease. He knew very well the source of that unease. Although he didn’t want to admit it, it was the fear of loss. He was afraid that Xinlu might leave him.

That faint fear didn’t diminish even after the call ended. Jeong Taeui stared at the phone with a complicated expression before curling up in his blanket.

Later, he fell into a deep sleep, and when he woke up, he found the early morning message: [‘Take care of yourself’]

Just that one short sentence made Taeui feel relieved. It seemed that Xinlu was worried about him, knowing that the training would start this afternoon. Sometimes, knowing that someone cares about you can be a much greater source of comfort than you realize.

[‘Thank you.’] – Taeui sent a short message of thanks and then slipped his pager into his pocket. After that, whenever he had a moment, he would take it out and look at it, feeling reassured, though in reality, it didn’t really help much.

“Damn it, why do they keep charging like mad dogs, making me feel like I’m being hunted down.”

Taeui grumbled as he tightened his loosened shoelaces. Earlier, his shoelaces had kept coming undone, so he had taken them off and re-laced them from the start. But while he was crouching in the hallway to do this, someone from another branch came charging at him, mistaking him for a member of the European branch, shouting: “Ah! Found you!” and attempted to strike him, but Taeui kicked him in the ankle.

After tumbling to the ground, the guy realized his mistake, apologized, and disappeared, but similar incidents had happened a few more times.

“They’re all crazy……. Have I unknowingly landed on a different planet?”

Jeong Taeui muttered in frustration. From a distance, he could hear constant shouts like “Found you!” or “Stop, you bastard!”

Even though they were all on the same team, seeing their behavior made Jeong Taeui genuinely think they were all lunatics. It felt like a manhunt, and he couldn’t understand the purpose of this training.

“This isn’t physical training; it’s more like training to destroy one’s character.”

Jeong Taeui spun the rubber baton in his hand – although made of rubber, getting hit by it hurt like hell – and walked slowly. In any case, the roles would switch in an hour, so he figured it was best to conserve his energy for the next round. Although Jeong Taeui had no intention of attacking anyone with the baton, there was no guarantee that others would ignore him.

“Guess I’ll have to sprint with everything I’ve got in an hour……. Wonder if there’s anywhere to hide.”

Taeui had been walking through the branch building from top to bottom for some time. While the Asian branch was currently in the role of the pursuers, the roles would reverse in an hour, so he was scouting for potential hiding spots.

However, he couldn’t find anywhere suitable. In the branch building, you could go anywhere, but you weren’t allowed to enter the command rooms or enclosed spaces. You could only run endlessly through the hallways. The exception was places with two or more doors – like the large lecture hall or the martial arts training room – which were permitted.

Large spaces with more than two doors were always wide open, making it impossible to hide, and the hallways were no different. The hallways were so complex that newcomers could easily get confused as if they were lost in a maze. Everyone was always on edge while running, because each time you rounded a corner, there was a high chance of running into an enemy or a teammate.

“Damn it. Why does a seven-story, 2,000 square meter building even exist for just a hundred people? Turns out it’s for these insane training sessions.”

“What a waste of budget.”

Taeui grumbled as he checked each floor, from the 6th basement level up to the higher floors, searching for a place to hide. (The 7th basement was off-limits, and no one could enter it, except those who had violated the rules severely and were being punished.)

Even though the building was vast and complex, once the rule was set that no one could enter enclosed rooms, there wasn’t a single suitable hiding spot.

“Maybe I could tear off a ceiling panel and crawl in to hide. But at this rate, I’ll run out of time. Tsk. If I don’t run for my life for the next hour, I’ll get beaten to a pulp. Even if I say I won’t hit them……. it won’t matter.”

Taeui thought that after being chased and beaten for an hour, he might end up wielding a stick, running around looking for payback when the roles were reversed. He continued climbing the stairs.

Starting from the 6th basement, where the staff rooms were, to the 5th basement, which had all the amenities for relaxation during breaks, then to the 4th basement, which had been locked with a sign reading [No Entry, Authorized Personnel Only]. He skipped those floors and went up to the 3rd and 2nd basements, where official activities were usually held, and then to the 1st basement, where the supervisors and managers worked. Finally, he reached the ground floors, under the decaying, crumbling roof.

In truth, instead of being a simple chase, this could be described as a free-for-all in a vast space. The only difference was in the order of attack, whether it was before or after. But in the end, every attack would be met with retaliation, making it feel like a free-for-all brawl.

“Hmm, there’s no real way to handle this, and time is just going to pass without achieving anything……..No choice but to keep running.”

Taeui sighed and walked into the restroom to prepare for the role reversal. Sometimes, foolish people hid in the restroom, and it often turned into the site of bloody fights. The restroom Taeui entered seemed to have just witnessed such a battle, as part of the tiles on the wall had been shattered, though they were intact in the morning. Fixing the building would no doubt cost a lot later.

Inside the restroom, there were two or three men. They were from the Asian branch, not part of Taeui’s group, so he hadn’t spoken to them, but he recognized their faces. When Jeong Taeui opened the door, they shot him a sharp glance, but upon realizing he was from the same branch, they relaxed and continued their conversation.

“…….It has to be done today.”

“I’ll push him in there no matter what, and then finish him off inside.”

Scenes like this were everywhere. He might not be a white crane, but it was rare to come across such a flock of crows. Today, he had seen more than a few who seemed to have gone mad from being unable to catch their prey.

Taeui hated being swept up in the crowd’s atmosphere, leading to losing one’s own reason. He disliked the idea of blindly following those who shouted the loudest in society, without careful thought or consideration.

But then Taeui changed his mind. He couldn’t judge others so lightly. He couldn’t claim that none of their close friends had ever been killed by enemies or left crippled. Taeui didn’t deny that some grudges had valid reasons. And he had no right to act like a righteous man. He recalled the years of pent-up anger that finally exploded when he struck Lieutenant Kim. His mind had gone blank, and he had really hit without mercy. In hindsight, he was just thankful he hadn’t killed anyone.

He wonders how that bastard is doing now. After all, that guy was his colleague. It’s been a long time since he last saw him, so he is a bit curious. Maybe he has felt a hint of pity for that guy……..But if he ever sees him again, he’ll surely hate him even more.”

Taeui sat down in the restroom. He didn’t intend to use it; he just wanted to take a break. He could have sat on the sofa in the 6th basement, but if he sat there, he’d have to deal with the people rushing by, swinging sticks in all directions, and might get dragged into one of those fights.

“If I could see him get hurt, it’d be worth the risk. No, even if I got hurt, it wouldn’t matter. I want to see him scream in pain, to see the expression on his face as he endures it—I really want to witness that.”

“He always keeps that cold, stoic face, never showing anything unusual. I want to see if there’s really any blood flowing beneath that mask. That damn European.”

Taeui could still hear the voices of the men outside. They hadn’t left yet. Even though he wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping, they knew he was there and kept talking, so he didn’t feel like he was spying.

Once again, Taeui could feel the deep-seated tension between the Asian and European branches.

The desire to see someone hurt so badly that one would risk their own life—that kind of feeling could only come from deep hatred. Here, he had witnessed many dark sides of humanity.

Taeui shook his head quietly. He had seen many dirty things in the military, but this place was no less brutal. He wanted peace, but in a place where crows played, what fate was there for white cranes like him…….

But what kind of person inspires such deep hatred from others?

“Did you see? Even when he was covered in blood from head to toe, he didn’t even blink. What a lunatic.”

“Honestly, he terrifies me. If he killed with joy, I’d just think he was a madman, but that’s not the case. He kills with the same expression as any regular person. He’s not human.”

A low, gloomy voice of a man echoed through the air, making the atmosphere even colder. It seemed his fear had spread to the others.

Taeui sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He had sensed it correctly, but he hadn’t expected it to be this accurate. Yes, if two people hated each other to this extent, it truly was a disaster.

Someone who viewed killing as casually as sleeping or breathing.

Ilay Riegrow. A man everyone called a madman.

“But is that really okay? I mean, if you use a Cluster, the whole martial arts room will be destroyed.”

(*Cluster bombs are small bomblets contained within a larger bomb.)

“If we don’t, it’ll be hard to kill him. Besides, there’s nothing in the martial arts room, nowhere for him to hide. That’s the only place to do it. To kill him.”

“No need to worry too much. Destroying one martial arts room isn’t a big deal. Plus, Kipper Han said he’d cover for us.”

The conversation immediately stopped. It seemed the last speaker realized their slip of the tongue and went silent. The others were also quiet, likely glancing at each other warily.

Taeui rested his head against the wall. It seemed like he had overheard something troublesome.

Since they hadn’t dragged him out of the restroom, it was probably not a matter that required absolute secrecy. But still, it wasn’t something good to overhear.

Taeui mumbled softly to himself, not loud enough for those outside to hear. His pale lips felt cold, perhaps because his fingers, still touching his lips, were also cold, making the sensation more pronounced.

Outside, the men seemed like they wanted to continue speaking. Taeui thought it was time to make the best decision in this situation. Before he overheard anything more that he shouldn’t, it was better to leave right now.

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

*Anita Mui Yim-fong: