The incident occurred when Taeui was briefly away from his post.

In truth, it was hard to consider Taeui a proper member of UNHRDO. Above all, it was a matter of mindset. While he dutifully carried out the tasks assigned to him, a part of him always viewed the organization as an outsider. This detachment was also why he felt no particular difference between the Asia branch and the Europe branch—they were all the same to him in that sense.

Because of this, Taeui could observe the subtle undercurrents within the organization from a step removed. Even when power struggles unfolded among the Vice Directors, he didn’t find himself emotionally inclined toward any particular side. When Asia and Europe clashed in a battle of influence, he fought on behalf of the Asia branch but remained emotionally neutral. After all, he hadn’t joined the organization by choice, nor did he have any long-term commitment from the outset—his tenure was always meant to be temporary.

Nevertheless, Taeui fully understood the sentiments of his colleagues. He could sympathize with the deep hatred they felt toward Ilay Riegrow. A man who had killed one of their own. A man devoid of any sense of guilt. A man who could harm them at any moment. And yet, a man who sat above them as their superior.

It was unreasonable to expect them not to hate him. If Taeui had felt a stronger sense of belonging to the Asia branch, he would have hated that man too. Taeui had experienced the loss of a colleague before. It had been an accident. The colleague was a fresh-faced kid, a couple of years younger than him.

Every year, countless young lives are lost to accidents in the military. One of them had come from the unit Taeui had belonged to. He hadn’t been particularly close to the young soldier. They’d merely exchanged greetings when passing each other every day in the same unit. Occasionally, Taeui would toss the guy snacks or soda while he was on guard duty. Still, when that young man died in an accident, Taeui vividly remembered the atmosphere in the unit and the emotions he himself had felt. Here, in the Asia branch, Ilay Riegrow had killed multiple members of the team. He’d even done so before Taeui had joined, or so he’d heard. Regardless of whether it was deemed self-defense under the rules or not, that man had taken lives of his own volition. If he had truly wished to avoid killing, he probably could have—but he hadn’t.

“I’d hate it too. Having a guy like that as my superior—sitting up there. It’s bad enough when there’s no grudge involved, but having someone you despise with every fiber of your being in charge? That’s just disgusting, no doubt about it.”

Taeui muttered under his breath, just low enough that the man walking a few steps ahead wouldn’t hear. This morning’s shift had been no different—yet another one was hauled off to the medical unit. Though it was obvious they stood no chance, those guys kept throwing themselves at him. Honestly, Taeui couldn’t even blame them. He understood how they felt all too well.

“What’s the matter? Feeling like stretching your muscles yourself?”

As Taeui grumbled to himself, Ilay was walking ahead, glanced back and casually tossed the comment over his shoulder. Taeui shut his mouth. That monster had sharp ears; he couldn’t just say anything without thinking.

“Not at all. I’m just grateful you’ve taken care of it personally, Instructor!” – He replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Except for the constant nagging from the medical unit’s Kyoho, Ilay always personally dealt with anyone who came at him. Whenever Taeui even thought about stepping in, Ilay would shoot him a blatant glare—one that made it clear he’d knock Taeui out first if he dared interfere. Because of that, Taeui decided it was far better to help carry someone to the medical unit than to end up there as a patient himself, even if it meant enduring Kyoho’s scolding. So, he never got involved.

…..Still, come to think of it, he had been unusually calm when Xinlu tried to challenge him the other day. Normally, it wouldn’t have been surprising for him to bare his fangs, claiming someone was meddling in his affairs. “Such a moody guy…..” – Taeui grumbled internally as he came to a stop. Ilay had stopped walking a few steps ahead, prompting Taeui to do the same and look at him blankly. Ilay gestured with a nod, as if to tell him to come closer.

Taeui approached cautiously, eyeing Ilay with suspicion. When he got close enough, Ilay let out a small laugh and, as if nothing had happened, started walking again. Now trailing only a single step behind, Taeui tilted his head in confusion but followed. Lately, there hadn’t been a single bright day for his mood, and today felt even worse. From the moment he woke up, a heavy gloom had settled over him. It wasn’t just because of last night’s antics, though that played a significant part. Of course, the main culprit was that damned man. For some reason, as if he’d consumed some sort of aphrodisiac, Ilay had shown up well past midnight – despite complaining about having too much work to do – woken him from a sound sleep, and climbed on top of him. Today was a weekday. Tomorrow was a weekday. You just finished your mountain of work past midnight. Tomorrow morning, you’ll have to wake up at dawn to work again. Not only you but me too. Taeui had rattled off these complaints one after another, but it had been utterly useless.

“Just sitting at my desk all day makes my body stiff, you know. Come to think of it, I didn’t get much exercise today. A person’s got to move their body a bit, don’t you think? Missing a night of sleep once in a while isn’t a big deal anyway.”

Sleep clung to his eyelids, and he couldn’t fully open his eyes, his body shifting sluggishly in a drowsy haze. But Ilay didn’t budge. “If you’re sleepy, keep sleeping———if you can, that is.” – He muttered, casually stripping off Taeui’s pajamas and spreading his legs. Following his words, Taeui resolved to ignore whatever Ilay was doing and stubbornly focus on sleeping. But, of course, that was impossible. As the relentless stimulation continued, he kept trying to convince himself: ‘If I don’t get proper sleep, I’m going to crash from exhaustion’. That resolve shattered the moment Ilay pinched his chest hard. Startled, Taeui shot up, only to be pushed back down again, his half-raised upper body collapsing onto the bed once more.

“Hey, that hurts! If you’re that desperate, just rub yourself on something and get it over with! Don’t wake people up for this!”

“There’s a meeting for instructors at six, isn’t there? About five hours left. It’s fine—you can sleep. I’ll just….. loosen up a bit in the meantime.”

Ilay said this with a completely nonchalant expression as he grabbed Taeui’s limp member. Though it didn’t hurt, the strength of his grip was firm enough to make Taeui flinch and shrink back. His sleep was slipping further and further away.

Damn it.

Muttering curses under his breath, Taeui let out a long sigh. Then, with his resistance waning, he murmured softly.

“You swore just the other day with your own mouth that you wouldn’t mess with me or Xinlu.” – Taeui muttered, almost to himself.

Ilay responded exactly as expected—that this hardly counted as messing with him. He likely meant it sincerely in his own way, but Taeui, feeling a headache coming on, pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a groan.

“Don’t tell me you’ve pulled this kind of thing with Xinlu too…..”

“Xinlu? Hmm, I feel like if I tried this with him, he’d bite something off at some point. Besides, I’m not really inclined to.”

Ilay let out a chuckle. Even as he spoke, he was slowly stroking, his hand wrapped around both Taeui and his own member. Taeui glared at him with a deeply displeased expression before sighing again. Finally, he lay back on the bed and shut his eyes. It seemed clear that getting any sleep was out of the question, but at this point, he figured he might as well conserve what little energy he had left.

He held back from exploding in anger for two reasons: First, it felt pointless, as he wouldn’t gain anything even if he did; and Second, he was somewhat relieved by Ilay’s comment about not being interested in Xinlu. It seemed this guy had finally changed his mind and decided to spare that sweet kid from his twisted intentions.

‘Fine, go ahead and play your stupid little games to your heart’s content.’

Taeui sighed, resigned to indulging the man who was clearly enjoying himself, his vigorous movements shaking the bed sheets beneath them. ‘There’s nothing people can’t get used to’ – He thought grimly. A fleeting worry crossed his mind—what if he became so accustomed to these situations that he ended up as someone just as devoid of basic morals? The thought left him feeling utterly miserable. The man continued his relentless motions, so intense that Taeui thought his skin might peel off. Even after climaxing for the first time on Taeui’s stomach, he didn’t stop. He went again between Taeui’s thighs, and then once more as he rubbed against the curve of his backside, his movements brimming with almost cheerful enthusiasm, as if he were truly enjoying a sport.

During that time, surprisingly, Ilay’s movements weren’t rough or suffocating. The steady, almost pleasant rhythm left Taeui feeling drowsy. In a hazy half-dreaming state, as if lulled by a wet dream, he eventually drifted off to sleep. He slept for an hour or two—not deeply, but enough that he wasn’t easily disturbed. When he finally woke and glanced at the clock pointing to 7 AM, an overwhelming wave of gloom washed over him.

At 6 AM, there had been a dawn meeting for the Instructors, scheduled ahead of the joint training with the South America branch. Whenever there was an Instructors’ meeting, the Assistants were, of course, expected to be present as well. He was officially and completely late.

It wasn’t as if Ilay would scold Taeui for being late—Ilay might lack common sense, but he wasn’t entirely devoid of conscience. Still, Taeui would likely earn a few judgmental stares from other Instructors or Assistant Instructors later. Naturally, Ilay was nowhere to be found. Of course, waking up side by side in the same bed would have been its own kind of misery, but there was something equally unpleasant about Ilay indulging in his game solo and then disappearing without a trace. What made it worse was how neatly everything had been cleaned up—there wasn’t a single mark left on Taeui’s body. Ilay had even taken care to cover him with a blanket before leaving. The stark realization of ‘I actually did that with him again’ hit Taeui hard, leaving him in an even darker mood.

But that wasn’t all. On this particular day, an added layer of gloom weighed on him. The moment he glanced at the clock, let out a long sigh, and sank back into the bed, Taeui realized something else. It must be pouring rain today.

His knee and side ached. He tried to convince himself that the pain in his side was just nerves, but his knee throbbed so much it made him reluctant to leave the bed. If he mentioned this to anyone, they’d probably laugh and call him an old man, but this always happened when it rained. It might improve in time, but for now, any shift in the weather to something damp or gloomy still made his knee hurt. Counting on his fingers, he realized it hadn’t even been a year since the surgery.

Back in the military, after a massive fight with that damned Lieutenant Kim, his knee had been wrecked so badly that he couldn’t move properly for a while. Fortunately, his recovery had been remarkably fast—so much so that even the doctor had been impressed. Before long, he could walk again, and eventually, he was able to move and run like anyone else. Most of the time, his knee felt completely normal, no different from anyone else’s. But whenever the weather turns bad, it always aches without fail.

“If I’m going to be stuck underground all day anyway, it doesn’t really matter whether it’s sunny or pouring rain. But still, it’s about the mood, you know….. Rain just has this way of dragging your spirits down.”

From the early hours of the morning, Taeui found himself applying a warm towel to his aching knee, letting out a heavy melancholic sigh. The warmth, combined with a knee brace, offered some relief. His life wasn’t relaxed enough to allow him to rest just because his body felt sore and stiff, so he forced himself to start the day before it got any later. As expected, every Instructor and Assistant Instructor he encountered before the official schedule began sent him less-than-friendly looks.

However, Taeui met their sharp looks head-on with a fierce expression, one that practically dared them to say something. If anyone was planning to scold him for not properly serving his Instructor, they might as well just fire him. If someone told him to quit being Ilay’s assistant, Taeui was ready to throw his arms up in celebration and walk away without a second thought. Unfortunately, no one ever told him to stop being Ilay’s Assistant Instructor.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this perhaps the classic image of a pitiable subordinate? One silently suffering harassment from their superior, powerless to speak out, crushed under the weight of authority.

Taeui stopped in his tracks. He had never thought about it that way before, but when he fit it into the framework, it was undeniable. If he formally reported this to the higher-ups and lodged an official complaint…..

“…..Hey, Taei.” – A voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lost in thought, Taeui stood frozen, staring blankly. Before he realized it, Ilay was right in front of him, peering at him with a curious expression. Their eyes met. Taeui raised an eyebrow and grumbled: “What?” Ilay shrugged lightly.

“Nothing. You just seem to be in an even better mood than usual today. Did something good happen?”

‘Quite the opposite’ – Taeui thought, his face twisting further into a frown. Ilay smirked and turned away, continuing on his way. Taeui felt like he’d hit the trifecta of misery: Barely any rest, a gnawing unease in his mind, and an aching body. All the elements for a gloomy day were perfectly aligned. Whether Ilay was aware of Taeui’s mood or not, the sounds of laughter, chatter, and the occasional argument drifted down from the dining hall above, where colleagues were enjoying lunch on the mezzanine floor behind a railing. Having sharp hearing wasn’t always a blessing. Among the cheerful noise, Taeui caught snippets of muttered curses and sarcastic remarks from those who spotted him and Ilay passing below. It wasn’t anything unusual—just another daily occurrence. There was no point in getting angry, and truthfully, he never had.

But his poor physical condition made him a bit more irritable than usual.

“…..Tsk…..”

Taeui slowed his pace. Despite fastening the brace securely earlier, moving around all morning had loosened it. Maybe it was just his imagination, but his knee seemed to ache even more now.

Taeui let out a long sigh, bending over slightly and resting his hands on his knees. ‘Anyone watching might think I’d just finished an all-out sprint’ – He thought, feeling oddly pathetic. Another sigh escaped him.

“What’s wrong? …..Your knee?” 

As Taeui silently waited for the pain in his knee to subside, Ilay, who had gone ahead, returned. It was the third time he’d come back, and Taeui might have snapped at him in annoyance, demanding to know why, but Ilay merely tilted his head as if puzzled. After observing him for a moment, Ilay finally asked, his sharp instincts clearly at work.

“Well….. whatever. Go eat. I’m not really in the mood. Honestly, I’d rather head back to the room and rest. …..You don’t need me tagging along while you eat, do you, Instructor?”

“Come to think of it, you mentioned you had surgery. Let’s see.”

Taeui motioned for Ilay to go on ahead, gesturing dismissively. However, Ilay ignored him completely, stepping closer and crouching down with a casual: “Alright then”, before kneeling on one knee. Before Taeui could stop him, Ilay grabbed the hem of his pants and rolled it up. Clicking his tongue at the sight of the loosely wrapped brace around Taeui’s knee, he pulled it off without hesitation.

“Tsk, tsk. Was it really necessary to sacrifice your body out of loyalty to the military? Soldiers are just disposable tools anyway.”

Ilay muttered this indifferently as he pressed firmly on Taeui’s knee. Depending on where he applied pressure, the pain flared up, causing Taeui to wince and furrow his brows. Grabbing Ilay’s hand to push it away, Taeui grumbled irritably under his breath.

“I joined of my own free will, so it’s not like I could slack off once I was there. Besides, this didn’t happen because of some military accident.”

“Then where did you get hurt?”

“Before I was discharged, with Lieutenant Kim….. He’s probably still nursing some sore ribs and maybe an aching elbow around now.”

“Ah————yeah.”

Now that it was mentioned, Taeui realized he had talked about it before. He nodded in acknowledgment.

“Hmm….. Still carrying around an injury like that? Turns out you’re more of a weakling than I thought.” – Ilay remarked with a hint of teasing.

Taeui felt a surge of irritation and wanted to retort, but then he remembered—this man had suffered far worse injuries, and more recently too. The shoulder that had once been riddled with cluster wounds now appeared perfectly fine, at least on the surface, regardless of the reality.

“I’m not the weakling here; you’re just unnaturally inhuman.” – Taeui shot back.

“Well, maybe. Who knows? Anyway, shall we get going? Feels like there might be more than just your knee that needs some attention.”

Taeui found Ilay’s steps, as if intending to accompany him, somewhat irritating, but what bothered him more were his words. Still leaning against the wall, he made no move to straighten up, instead eyeing Ilay with suspicion. “Needs more attention.” Huh? Taeui thought. Aside from his knee, there wasn’t anything else bothering him physically. And even his knee was just aching a bit more than usual—hardly something to make a fuss about. If Ilay meant ‘attention’ as in ‘I’m going to deal with you today.’ then….. well, that was another story entirely. But as far as Taeui could recall, he hadn’t done anything lately that might provoke this man. While Taeui scrutinized him suspiciously, Ilay chuckled lightly, tilting his head. Then he tapped the side of his neck, just below his ear.

“I might have slipped up, but you could’ve at least put a bandage on it.”

“Bandage? …..What? …..!”

Frowning in confusion at Ilay’s cryptic remark, Taeui tilted his head in puzzlement. But a moment later, his eyes widened in realization as his hand shot up to his neck. Then, he glared daggers at Ilay, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through him.

“…..Did you leave a mark?”

“Looks like it.”

“…..In a really noticeable spot?”

“Right where your middle finger’s third knuckle is touching.”

Damn it. It was in a spot clearly visible even from the front. If it were outside, having a mark or two wouldn’t be much of an issue. But in this place, packed with nothing but men, showing up one morning with something like that was….. absolutely not ideal. And, more importantly, there was one person who absolutely couldn’t hear about this under any circumstances.

“I didn’t run into Xinlu today….. right?”

Taeui racked his brain, his face turning pale. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he resembled a cheating husband——though, come to think of it, that wasn’t too far from the truth. Still, the thought of Xinlu seeing this mark filled him with an inexplicable sense of impending doom, as if something terrifying and incomprehensible would happen. Ilay watched him silently, his expression unreadable, somewhere between amusement and contemplation, as Taeui’s face shifted between red and pale. Finally, Ilay spoke casually.

“Are you really that scared of him finding out?”

“Of course I am!”

Muttering under his breath: “If my uncle hears about this, I’ll want to dig a hole and crawl into it.” Taeui ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Given the mark’s location, anyone with half-decent eyesight would have already noticed it by now. ‘This is driving me crazy’ – He thought, his face turning bright red as he glared at the floor. Then, with a fierce look, he shifted his fiery gaze directly to Ilay.

“When did you see this?”

“This morning, when you came to the Instructor’s office.”

Ilay answered casually, which meant he’d noticed it before the official schedule had even started.

“Hey, then you should’ve told me right then and there…..!” – Taeui exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration.

“You didn’t seem to care, so I figured it wasn’t a big deal.”

It seemed like today had been set on being an unlucky day from the very start. If only his uncle had been around, he would’ve at least pointed it out. But his uncle had left the Instructor’s office earlier due to other commitments.

Taeui let out a groan, tugging at his hair hard enough to pull some strands loose, before hastily moving. He shoved Ilay aside roughly, as the man was practically blocking his path. He needed to get back to his room as quickly as possible…..

And then it happened.

*Swish———*

“…..Huh…..?”

It happened before he could even take a couple of steps. Taeui froze, blinking in confusion for a few seconds. Water droplets trickled down his lashes, some seeping into his eyes. He wiped at his face with the back of his hand, only to find it wet as well. Not just his hand—his hair, face, and clothes were completely soaked. Taeui slowly looked up. Above, on the railing, a man clicked his tongue in annoyance before tossing an empty bucket at Ilay. Ilay calmly stepped back, letting the bucket fall harmlessly to the ground, and glanced up at the man as well.

Taeui wiped at the water streaming down from his soaked hair multiple times before glaring up at the man.

“Must be nice for you, Instructor. Having an Assistant Instructor to take a soaking in your place.” 

‘Damn it. Two incidents in one day?’

It really was one of those cursed days where nothing went right from the start. No matter the excuse, he should’ve just stayed under the covers and refused to leave his room. To make matters worse, Taeui hadn’t even been trying to shield Ilay on purpose. He’d only shoved him aside because he was blocking the way—but of course, that was exactly when the water came pouring down.

“Do you really have to pick a fight using such an outdated and unproductive method…..?” – Taeui muttered irritably.

Taeui sighed and muttered to himself, all the while thinking: ‘That guy was obviously trying to pick a fight with Ilay, but I’m the one who ended up taking the hit. So, who’s supposed to respond to his antics now? Me, I guess? Ugh, what a hassle.’

Still, he figured he couldn’t let that sneering face go unpunished. 

‘Yeah, I should at least give him a good smack.’

The man had a face Taeui recognized from a few previous encounters. They weren’t on the same team, but since Taeui often accompanied Ilay to lectures, he had gotten to know most of the faces in the branch. Standing on a railing higher than the average adult’s height, the man suddenly leapt down with ease. Like most people who picked fights in this place, his gaze was fierce and filled with hostility as he locked eyes with Ilay.

“Hey, shouldn’t the person you’re glaring at be me first, not him? You just dumped a bucket of water on me, so why are you acting like nothing happened?” – Taeui snapped, his tone sharp as he brushed the water off his clothes.

Taeui shook his arms briskly to fling off the water droplets and took a step toward the man. He was already feeling miserable, so this only added to his frustration. But in a way, he was oddly relieved. At least now he had a clear excuse to step in before Ilay turned the guy into a pulp. The thought of standing idly by and watching someone get knocked out right in front of him, without so much as lifting a finger, left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You, stay out of the way. If you want to fight, I’ll deal with you later. For now, I’ve got business with this guy.”

The man snarled, glaring fiercely at Taeui before motioning toward Ilay with a jerk of his head. This is getting troublesome, Taeui thought with a sigh. Why do they all seem so eager to cut their own lifeline? It’s like they’re determined to dig their own graves…..,

Taeui briefly debated whether it was worth trying to save someone so eager to throw themselves into harm’s way. But, for the sake of humanity – or maybe just out of habit – he decided to intervene. By the time he finally got out of this place, he figured he’d be carrying a lifetime’s worth of frustration.

And then, it happened.

“Taei. Go change your clothes and tend to your knee. I was going to come with you, but it seems I’ve got some business to handle now.” – Ilay said casually, as if commenting on the weather.

A voice stopped Taeui in his tracks. It was Ilay.

Taeui knew all too well that Ilay couldn’t stand him meddling in matters directed at him. But this time, Taeui had every right to speak up. Pointing at his soaking wet self, he scowled and retorted.

“I’m the one who got randomly soaked here. Don’t you think you’re the one butting into my business in this situation?”

“Shut up and go.”

But Ilay didn’t seem even remotely interested in Taeui’s argument. With a curt gesture, he dismissed him without hesitation.

Taeui clicked his tongue in irritation. So, after sending someone to the medical unit this morning, this guy is planning to take down another one before the afternoon even begins? Taeui shot a glance at the man, sizing him up briefly.

The man was staring at Taeui, his rough expression unchanging, as if he were witnessing something completely unexpected. His gaze slowly swept from the top of Taeui’s head to the tips of his toes, scrutinizing him as if taking in every detail. When the gaze that had gone downward began to crawl back up, slower this time, Taeui felt an odd wave of discomfort. The man’s stare clung to him as damply as the water dripping from his clothes. ‘You’re the one who dumped water on me, so what’s so amusing about staring at someone you soaked?’ – Taeui thought irritably.

“Jeong Taei. Not going? Or are you planning to walk around looking like that all afternoon once lunch is over?”

“Still, this guy———” 

Taeui began to protest. He, clinging to some faint sense of responsibility, tried to argue further, but the sharp click of Ilay’s tongue shut him up instantly. Dangerous! ‘If he kept pushing, this lunatic would undoubtedly knock Taeui out first, then pile the other guy’s broken body right on top of his.

‘Damn it. You crazy bastard. Fine, have it your way. Go ahead and ruin someone else today. I’ve done what I can.’

With that bitter thought, Taeui resigned himself to stepping back. Taeui clicked his tongue, his displeasure plain as day, and turned away. Before leaving, he cast one last glance at the man who was soon to be carted off to the medical unit.

‘I wonder what’ll break this time. An arm? A leg? Maybe a rib or two? If he’s really unlucky, a broken bone might even puncture something vital. But, hey, at least I was the one who got hit with the water. That’s about as merciful as this situation gets.’

With that grim thought, Taeui walked off, resigned to the chaos behind him. Taeui grabbed the hem of his damp shirt, which clung uncomfortably to his body, and shook it out with irritation. The man’s gaze, slithering unpleasantly over his face, neck, chest, and waist, made his skin crawl, as if something was crawling across him.

“…..?”

Taeui frowned, unsure of what to make of the unsettling attention.

Taeui tilted his head and puzzled. ‘Maybe he’s got some kind of grudge against me too.’ – He thought before turning away.

When his eyes met Ilay’s, the latter silently gestured down the hallway, clearly signaling for him to get lost.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” 

Taeui muttered under his breath as he started walking. Behind him, the wet footprints marked his path down the corridor. ‘Wherever they got that dirty water from’ – He thought, the pungent musty smell lingering in the air, only adding to his growing irritation.

“Damn it. I think a few drops got into my mouth. Ugh, gross—…..”

Taeui grimaced, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, though it was just as wet as the rest of him. ‘At least I have a strong stomach’ – He thought, relieved in a small way, as he made his way down to the 6th floor. By now, that guy was probably writhing on the floor in a pitiful state—or maybe Ilay had been merciful and only broken an arm or two, leaving him to arrive at the medical unit with some semblance of dignity intact.

‘At this hour, they’re probably right in the middle of lunch.’ – Taeui thought, sighing at the thought of the medical unit’s Kyoho. ‘Poor guy. Even if he’s in the middle of a meal, he’ll have to rush over as soon as something happens. No wonder he scolds me every time he sees me…..,’ Dragging his legs with a gloomy air, Taeui muttered to himself. The icy water had only made his knee ache more—or so it seemed. Then again, it might have been because that damn guy earlier had pressed down on his knee carelessly. What a pain, Taeui grumbled irritably, his mood souring further.

Still, it was surprising. He hadn’t made it that obvious, so noticing that his knee was bad shouldn’t have been easy. Granted, Ilay was unnervingly perceptive, so that part made sense. But what Taeui hadn’t expected was for him to so casually drop to the floor, put a knee down, and examine his leg. He’d always thought Ilay was the type who would never kneel to anyone, let alone bow his head—not even halfway. (In fact, Taeui had never once seen Ilay bow to anyone.)

“Maybe he does have some sense of concern for a colleague’s health….. No….. no way.”

Taeui muttered the faint glimmer of hope aloud, only to shake his head immediately after. Saying it out loud just made it feel even more absurd. If Ilay were truly someone with any sense of consideration, the medical unit’s Kyoho wouldn’t have that ghostly, exasperated look every time he glanced at Taeui. 

Dragging his aching rain-soaked knee, Taeui finally made it back to his room and let out a groaning sigh: “My god.” As expected, the room he used alone was empty—of course, no one else would be there. The moment he stepped inside, he kicked off his shoes. At least they hadn’t been completely soaked, but his damp socks clung unpleasantly to his feet, leaving him feeling far from refreshed.

“An elite organization, my ass. Can’t trust any of it—it’s all nonsense. You’ve got petty jerks, murderers, and reckless idiots. Not a single one of them is any better than the rest…..” 

Taeui muttered complaints aloud as he yanked off his socks and tossed them into the laundry basket.

‘I should document this mess and submit it to an investigative news program—at least to save future innocent victims from being tricked into coming here.’

Even as he headed to the communal bathroom, his grumbling didn’t stop. When he opened the door to the empty bathroom – unsurprising, given the time – a musty odor wafted out, hitting his nose sharply as the air stirred. Taeui grimaced, waving his hand to clear it. Then, his gaze fell on the large, half-body mirror directly opposite the door. Reflected in it was a man soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat. His scalp and skin were mostly dry now, but the collar and cuffs of his clothes were still waterlogged, droplets clinging stubbornly to the fabric.

“…..”

Taeui stared at the mirror in silence, his lips pressed tightly together. Ugh…..A low groan escaped him.

“So I walked around looking like this….. What a day. Really giving it your all, Jeong Taeui.”

Taeui rubbed the back of his reddening neck, letting out a sigh. His uniform shirt, worn directly over bare skin, was completely soaked and clung uncomfortably to his body. Normally, he only wore the patterned uniform shirt for casual purposes, but when dressing formally, he would layer a jacket over it. As such, the shirt itself wasn’t made of particularly thick material—just slightly heavier than a typical dress shirt. 

The soaked shirt clung so tightly to his body that it was almost embarrassing to look at. His collarbones, chest muscles, and abs were all on full display. The thin layer of fabric seemed to accentuate rather than conceal, giving it an almost indecent appearance.

“Good grief….. I look like I just stepped out of some gay porn magazine. I guess it’s lucky this place is full of men, for what that’s worth.”

Taeui quickly unbuttoned his shirt, shaking his head as he did so. For once, he felt a flicker of gratitude toward Ilay for telling him to leave. ‘Maybe, in his own way, he really is considerate—at least in some situations’ – Taeui thought.

Peeling off the shirt that stubbornly clung to his skin, he stepped into the shower area, glancing at his watch as he did so.

‘By the time I’m done showering, I probably won’t have time to eat. Even if I do, I’ll still need to stop by the medical unit as part of my duties as an Assistant.’ – Taeui sighed, already dreading what lay ahead. He’d have to check how badly that guy was injured and report it.

‘And, of course, I’ll get an earful from Kyoho again.’

By this point, Kyoho’s tirades were no longer directed solely at Ilay and Taeui. He had begun lamenting about the endless stream of fools who, knowing they’d lose – or perhaps overestimating their abilities – continued to challenge the monster. ‘Why don’t they learn to take care of themselves? Even after seeing the history: Failing against him with clusters, with groups of six or seven attacking at once, or even coming at him with weapons while he’s barehanded!’ Kyoho would grab Taeui by the collar and shake him furiously, venting his frustrations. While muttering in agreement: ‘I know, right’, Taeui didn’t feel the urge to seriously blame the others. After all, he could understand. Even knowing they’d lose, some grudges burned too deeply to let them simply stand by and do nothing.

In most cases, tracing the cause of the conflict inevitably led back to Ilay being the one at fault—more often than not, a complete scoundrel. Even so, Taeui found himself stepping in to shield Ilay, not only because it was part of his duties but because human emotions rarely operated on purely objective judgment. Sure, he’d often thought that the world might be better off if Ilay just quietly disappeared. Yet, at the same time, Taeui had never seriously wished for Ilay Riegrow to actually die. For the very same reason.

“I guess I don’t really dislike that guy all that much….. Hmm. Well, in his own way, I suppose he’s shown me a lot of tolerance.”

‘I mean, I’ve stuck by his side all this time, and he hasn’t beaten me to death. I’ve never even ended up in the medical unit because of him. That alone is practically a miracle’ – Taeui thought, recalling something his uncle had once said—half-jokingly, half-seriously. Back then, his uncle had patted him on the shoulder, as if trying to console him, and said those very words.

“It seems like Rick steps back a bit when it comes to you. I don’t know what his intentions are, but hey, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Taeui still remembered his uncle’s muttered comment, adding something along the lines of: “The label of being ‘fortunate’ isn’t so bad, is it?”

At the time, Taeui had replied: “Not particularly thrilled about it, though, Uncle.”

Sure, it wasn’t exactly something to be happy about, but it was true that, for whatever reason, Ilay was at least more lenient with him than with that guy who had picked a fight earlier. Considering Ilay wasn’t the type to show even a hint of basic human decency – like being kinder to those closer to him – it was surprisingly unexpected. Taeui let out a long sigh as he rinsed the soapy lather from his body.