The day’s work was finally complete. The third basement level, primarily housing educational facilities, was nearly empty; the crowds had receded like an ebbing tide, leaving not a single figure in the endless stretch of hallway.

As he walked along the rather long corridor leading to the martial arts room, there was no hint of human presence, giving him the eerie impression that this place was a realm inhabited by ghostly shadows. Those faint, intangible figures evoked only an ominous, lurking sense of foreboding.

“………….”

Taeui frowned. From the moment he received the summons, he had sensed something odd, but at this hour, there was no reason he should be called to the martial arts room at all.

If someone truly had their sights on Ilay and was now shifting their target here…… Thinking this, Taeui paused in front of the martial arts room door.

The room was pitch-dark, with the door left half-open. There was no sense that anyone was waiting for Taeui inside. He stood alone, seemingly lost in thought within the empty space.

“…………. Who called me on the pager?”

Taeui spoke. His voice was soft, yet in the unnervingly silent hallway, the low tone echoed faintly throughout. But there was no reply.

For a moment, Taeui stood in silence, enveloped in the stillness.

He felt uneasy. It was as if the darkness within the martial arts room was watching him with some malevolent intent. He had no intention of opening the door to check inside.

No need to wait any longer, he muttered to himself, then turned and walked away. He glanced at his watch. Just enough time to grab a can of beer and head over to Horgan’s. Turning his back on the shadows, Taeui began to walk.

Just then.

The light in the martial arts room flicked on. A blinding brightness spilled through the door crack, illuminating the space behind him.

“……―!”

Taeui instinctively ducked low and turned, preparing to defend himself in case someone burst out of the martial arts room to attack him.

But the assault didn’t come from there as he had anticipated. Instead, from the small training room across the hallway, where the door was barely ajar in the shadows and almost invisible, a sudden lightning-fast strike launched from the darkness. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, spreading throughout his body, accompanied by a tingling numbness.

A sedative!

His vision began to blur, swaying in and out.

Damn it!

Taeui muttered a curse under his breath. In front of him, he could see his own hands braced against the wall, struggling to keep his balance. But though he was clearly moving, it no longer felt as if he were in full control of his own body.

“Ugh……who……”

The short phrase couldn’t even leave his lips completely. It wasn’t that he couldn’t speak, but his tongue felt strangely stiff.

It didn’t seem like this was a particularly dangerous drug. Just a mild muscle relaxant and numbing agent. He hadn’t lost consciousness and could still move to some extent, but controlling his body freely was almost impossible.

“It’ll be over soon. This drug isn’t all that strong. So first, let’s get you tied up,”

A low, distorted voice from the small training room reached Taeui’s ears. He glared furiously at the man holding a rope, now standing just a few steps away.

“You bastard…… thought you’d finally sit quietly for once.”

Right in front of Taeui, Jeongpil smirked, his lips twisting into a sinister sneer, while Taeui, gritting his teeth, muttered curses under his breath.

No, it wasn’t just the smile. His eyes held a deranged glint, as though his mind was intact but completely unrestrained.

Jeongpil stepped forward and gave Taeui a light slap on the chin. The blow aimed directly at his jaw, making his head sway slightly. His vision, already blurred from dizziness, wavered even more.

“You filthy coward. If you’re going to go through with this, you better be ready to face your own death! I’ll make sure you truly regret this……!”

Though his vision was still swimming, Taeui continued to hurl bitter curses, but in this state, it was difficult to fend off someone as physically strong as him. Just as the man had said, the drug might wear off quickly, as Taeui could feel his vision gradually clearing bit by bit. Just a little more time, yes, just a few minutes of rest, and he’d surely recover soon.

But Jeongpil understood this all too well. He gave Taeui no chance, twisting his arm behind him and binding it securely. The thick rough rope bit into his wrists, tightening mercilessly around them.

Being stripped of control over any part of his body was extremely, extremely aggravating, especially something as essential as his hands—the part we unconsciously rely on constantly. When running or making sudden movements, even keeping balance became harder, demanding more focus.

“LIEUTENANT KIM – NO, CALLING YOU CAPTAIN WOULD BE A WASTE OF BREATH – YOU MANIAC, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SUDDENLY LOSING IT FOR?! WHAT KIND OF TWISTED GAME IS THIS? I THOUGHT YOU’D GONE QUIET FOR ONCE, AND THIS IS WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO? YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD!”

Though his tongue was still slightly numb, at least he could still speak, thank goodness. His body felt uncomfortable enough, and if he couldn’t even shout, he might have burst from sheer frustration. And truthfully, he was almost at that breaking point.

Jeongpil shoved Taeui roughly into the martial arts room, following him in and locking the door behind them. Ignoring Taeui’s furious curses, he let out a contemptuous sneer.

“I’ve thought it over, you miserable excuse for a lieutenant. When I get back after this training is done, maybe I won’t get another chance to see you again. So where am I supposed to dump all this pent-up frustration?”

“YOUR OWN MISERABLE TEMPER IS YOUR PROBLEM, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TAKING IT OUT ON ME, YOU PSYCHOPATH!”

“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU I’M EVEN FEELING THIS WAY, YOU SICK FREAK!”

Jeongpil suddenly erupted in fury, shouting. His eyes gleamed with an unnatural intensity, and his mouth stretched into a sinister grin reaching his ears before he let out a crazed yell, as if his mind had slipped out of its usual state. Yet he wasn’t entirely unhinged—he still retained some awareness…… though his behavior made no sense.

‘No, this guy was awful from the start, a scumbag through and through’ – Taeui thought bitterly, glaring at him with utter loathing.

“What does it matter to you whether I’m gay or not, you worthless idiot—even the gay community wouldn’t give you a second glance!”

“THAT’S RIGHT, I’VE KNOWN SOMETHING WAS OFF FOR A LONG TIME! I SAW THE SIGNS BACK THEN! GOING TO CLUBS AND BARELY TOUCHING ANY GIRLS, JUST HANGING AROUND WITH THE MALE STAFF! YOU’RE GAY BUT PUTTING ON THIS ACT AT SCHOOL LIKE YOU’RE SOME REAL MAN WITH HONOR?!”

Taeui’s throat went dry, caught off guard by the absurdities Jeongpil was suddenly shouting. It wasn’t the lingering effects of the sedative. It was the sheer nonsense of Jeongpil’s accusations that left him bewildered, unsure where to even start refuting.

What on earth was this about clubs? Playing around with male staff? Since when was he putting on some act of being a ‘real man’ with ‘honor’? And who said a gay couldn’t act however they wanted?

“IS THIS GUY SO DESPERATE HE’S LOST HIS MIND? WHAT’S WITH THIS RANTING? ARE YOU DERANGED?!”

*Thud* As Taeui yelled, Jeongpil swung his fist. The punch landed on his lower abdomen—not terribly hard but enough to knock the wind out of him. If he could just get these ropes off, if his body could fully move, he swore he’d wring this bastard’s neck, gritting his teeth with the thought.

Fortunately, since the binding had been done in haste, the ropes weren’t too tight around his wrists. As he kept twisting his wrists, he felt the rope gradually loosening a bit. Even so, his hands still weren’t free, and the rough rope chafed his wrists, causing a hot stinging sensation. If this kept up, he’d start bleeding.

“Hey, Jeong Taeui. Be honest. You’re a freak, aren’t you?”

While his wrists were on the verge of bleeding, the bastard in front of him kept spewing nonsense.

“So now I’m not just gay; I’m a freak too? Right, in your twisted head, gay must mean freak, doesn’t it? What exactly do you want me to be honest about?! No matter what I say, you’ll still just keep calling me gay, gay, and more gay.”

*Thwack!*—Suddenly, a light slap to the head struck Taeui, making him even angrier than the punch had.

“YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!”

“You, admit it—you’re interested in your own brother, aren’t you? You’re a sick pervert, infatuated with your own flesh and blood! Not some distant relative—your actual brother! Disgusting!”

The words were so utterly bizarre that Taeui stopped everything.

He completely forgot his efforts to loosen the ropes, no longer caring about the pain or strain on his wrists, as he stared blankly at Jeongpil. The man looked down at him with an expression of utter contempt.

“What’s wrong? Struck a nerve, so now you’re speechless? Hah, I knew it. Hehehaha, a guy who’s always laughing and joking suddenly goes pale when a few questions about his brother come up—something’s definitely off. You incestuous perverted freak!”

“What……? Wait a second, what the hell are you talking about?”

Taeui couldn’t keep up with the bizarre turn the conversation had taken. He had no idea what this guy was even saying. Out of nowhere, he started talking about him and his older brother? Was he implying incest? How had things taken this twisted direction? No matter what, was he seriously suggesting that he looked at his own brother in some distorted way?

“Why the hell are you dragging my brother into this?!”

Taeui’s eyes flared with anger. He was used to being called “gay” by this guy – though every time he heard it, he wanted to punch him – but why suddenly drag his kind and innocent brother into this to twist it into such absurd offensive accusations?

“Yes, from the start, I felt something was off. I didn’t understand it at first. Why did the guy who used to laugh and joke suddenly put on that indifferent face and keep people at a distance? But once I found out you were gay, it all started to make sense. ——You’re the one who put up that wall between us because you secretly liked your perfect older brother, and you were afraid I’d start noticing him too, isn’t that right?!”

“CUT THE CRAP, YOU MANIAC!”

Taeui yelled, so shocked he could barely breathe. If you live long enough, you really do end up hearing every kind of nonsense. He’d always known Jeongpil was shameless, but now he was taking things to a whole new level, painting Taeui as some deranged pervert(?) with incestuous fantasies.

“You damn gay bastard, every Golden Saturday you’re itching to go out to the clubs, huh? You don’t even look at the girls at the tables we join, do you? Fine, I won’t mention that. But why the hell do you go sit with other guys and fool around with them?! Why do you go there just to hang out with those men, huh?!”

“When are you even talking about? Untie me right now, you asshole!!”

It seemed the effects of the sedative were finally wearing off. His tongue was working smoothly again, and the haze over his vision was beginning to clear. He might still feel a bit dizzy if he tried to stand up or make a run for it, but he was certain he could take this guy on—as soon as he got his hands free from the ropes around his wrists.

“You bastard, does everything have to be about being gay? If you were going to act like this, then back when I was a rookie, when I was so exhausted that I said I couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to quit the academy, why did you stop me? Why did you say we should get through it together? Damn it, when all those scumbag seniors were looking for ways to push rookies around, why did you step in and help me like that?! And now you turn around and call me gay? Just to make me feel worse?!”

As Jeongpil kept spouting his incoherent rambling, he seemed to grow more agitated. Suddenly, he let out a furious curse and swung his fist at Taeui’s head. This time, it wasn’t a light tap but a real punch.

Better than the little tap from before……… LIKE HELL IT WAS!

“What the hell are you flipping out for by yourself?!”

Without holding back, Taeui slammed his heel into Jeongpil’s shin, aiming to break the bone as easily as snapping a twig. Even if it didn’t break, it would definitely hurt like hell. Jeongpil let out a scream of pain, collapsing onto the floor and clutching his shin tightly.

“You think I helped you because it was you? I barely even remember saying those things to you! Don’t you ever get sick of thinking I’m some depraved gay guy scheming to flirt with you? Damned Lieutenant Kim, stop with the delusions. I didn’t help you because you’re anything special!”

“If we weren’t in the same class, do you think I’d even bother knowing someone like you?” – Taeui gritted his teeth as he spoke, his breathing becoming ragged. The surge of anger took his breath away.

It seemed Taeui wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Jeongpil, clutching his shin, was hunched over, starting to breathe heavily as well. His trembling breaths sounded almost frightening.

“What…… you bastard……?”

At that moment, Jeongpil’s rough agitated voice rang out. He grabbed Taeui by the collar, then began swinging his fists wildly. His eyes had a crazed look, as though he could no longer see anything clearly.

“I’ve been—what? I’ve been losing sleep for ages because of you, did you know that?! Just the thought of having to live under the same roof as a gay guy like you keeps me up at night! To what extent, huh? You even show up in my dreams every night, doing sick things to me! Who gave you the right to just appear in my dreams like that?!”

As Jeongpil raged, baring his teeth and wildly throwing punches without caring if they landed or missed, Taeui took two or three blows to the face. Then, he let out a scoffing, angry laugh. Before that smirk could fade, he aimed another kick right into the same spot on Jeongpil’s shin that he’d struck earlier.

“AAARRGH!” – Jeongpil screamed, his bloodshot eyes widening as he lunged forward to attack. Though Taeui was at a disadvantage, he fought back relentlessly, headbutting and kicking whenever he could, refusing to back down.

“Oh, you’ve been dreaming about me doing ‘gay things’ huh? Sounds fascinating. Must be a nightmare for you, isn’t it? Hey, Lieutenant Kim?! With nothing but gay guys in your dreams, I wonder if you even have anywhere left to look!”

“In my dream, it’s just you and me, you bastard!!”

“……―.”

Taeui opened his mouth to fire back but found himself speechless. Even his leg, which was aimed to kick Jeongpil’s thigh, paused for a moment.

If, in his dreams, it was just the two of them doing “gay things”…… that would mean…… No, stop thinking about it. Those were his dreams, not Taeui’s. There was no reason to get tangled up in Jeongpil’s twisted nightmares.

Regaining his composure, Taeui swung his leg with force, landing a kick. “Must be pretty damn unlucky for me to show up in your dreams, you miserable jerk” – He muttered, shifting his tone and launching back into the fight, kicking, headbutting—doing whatever he could to counter.

But no matter what, being tied up put him at a clear disadvantage compared to someone with full mobility. Jeongpil was too agitated, so his clumsy punches were easy enough to dodge, yet Taeui still felt like he was taking twice as many hits as he was able to land.

Damn it, if only he could get free……

Physically, he’d almost fully recovered, and the rope around his wrists had loosened slightly. However, as the slack increased, the knot tightened, preventing the opening from widening any further. Worse, his wrists had been rubbed raw by the coarse rope; the skin felt as though it was peeling off. Even the softest touch, something as light as silk, would likely sting painfully now.

If the rope was loose enough, he could theoretically dislocate his thumb to slip his hand out…… but he quickly dismissed that idea.

It was easy to suggest, but dislocating and then resetting a joint hurt almost as much as a broken bone. Maybe an exaggeration, but it would still mean bandaging and careful treatment for a few days afterward—something he’d rather avoid if possible.

“Aaa!! Damn it, stop punching my arm! My wrists are already raw from the rope!”

Jeongpil’s punch slid across his arm, twisting his wrist and making the rope burn even worse against his raw skin. The pain at his wrist was even sharper than the punch itself. A tear almost escaped his eye…….Yes, he wanted to avoid dislocating anything, but getting beaten like this was no picnic either.

If he could just get free from the ropes, he’d crush this bastard. Taeui gritted his teeth and kicked Jeongpil square in the jaw. Hearing the man’s pained yell brought him a flicker of satisfaction.

Jeongpil, apparently stung by the blow, rubbed his chin and fell silent for a moment. His gaze turned icy, as if he’d just pieced something together, and he stared at Taeui with an intensity that felt unsettling. His muttering was so low it almost sounded like he was talking to himself.

“……Since we’re on the topic, after you were discharged and disappeared without a trace, I thought you’d finally rotted away somewhere, but here you are, hiding out and playing around with some Westerner, getting along just fine, huh? Filthy gay……”

Accompanying the slur “filthy gay” was a punch that landed squarely in Taeui’s eye. “URGH”—a short grunt escaped him.

That one hurt. Bright spots flickered in his vision. This was definitely going to swell up and bruise badly.

“Enjoying yourself, huh? All because of a big dick? Even with clothes on, it’s ridiculously obvious. Yeah, maybe as long as it’s big, you don’t care who it is, even if it’s a killer, right, you promiscuous gay?”

That bastard. Taeui gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath. Clutching his bruised eye, he glared furiously at Jeongpil with his one good eye.

“——That’s right! His hip control skills are practically otherworldly! What’s wrong, you premature ejaculation?!”

As soon as he finished, another punch came flying—this time landing on his other eye. AHH, this guy…… he was ready to strangle him on the spot!

“Who are you calling a quick-shooter, you bastard?! Have you even seen it? Have you tried it, huh?! Try it before you talk, you idiot!”

Jeongpil, who had been shouting with his eyes bulging, suddenly fell silent. Taeui, who had just mockingly accused him of premature issues with baseless insults, also paused, noticing Jeongpil’s abrupt silence and the knife-sharp glare he was now giving him. Taeui frowned, irritated by that piercing stare.

“What are you staring at, you bastard.”

“――Fine, then try it.”

When those brief words came out of Jeongpil’s mouth, Taeui didn’t immediately understand what he meant.

“Try what, exactly?” – Taeui mumbled suspiciously, but then he fell silent. As the meaning sank in, he realized that Jeongpil’s gaze held something unsettling—half-mad, stripped of rationality, without a hint of joking or empty threats.

Jeongpil grabbed Taeui by the collar. But this time, no punches followed. Instead, he roughly tore open Taeui’s shirt, sending buttons flying and exposing his chest.

Jeongpil didn’t stop there; he pulled down the zipper of Taeui’s pants. Instinctively, Taeui tried to kick him away, but even though his foot connected with Jeongpil’s stomach, Jeongpil only glared back, pinning Taeui down by spreading his knees and straddling him.

“YOU BASTARD! STOP THIS SICK JOKE RIGHT NOW! GET OFF OF ME, DO YOU HEAR?!”

Taeui shouted in fury, his face flushed with a mixture of confusion and anger. Seeing this, Jeongpil sneered with a twisted smirk at the corner of his mouth.

“Getting a bit scared now, huh? Hmph. What’s the matter? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing you gays love? Isn’t it thrilling to be on the receiving end? Or are you humiliated because it’s coming from the very person you’ve always wanted—me?”

“Jeongpil, you bastard, you’re so dead!”

“Before you can do anything, you might just end up the one begging for it first. Don’t scream yourself hoarse and end up climaxing in ecstasy, you filthy gay.”

“YOU BASTARD, STOP IT RIGHT NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME?!”

Anticipating Taeui’s struggles, Jeongpil pressed down hard on his thighs, pinning him firmly to the floor, then started tugging down his pants. A moment later, his hand without hesitation, reached for the edge of Taeui’s underwear.

Taeui swore to himself that he’d make this bastard pay, his mind clouded with fury. If he could just move freely, the first thing he’d do would be to smash Jeongpil’s head in.

“YOU SON OF A——”

His throat tightened with rage, his shout stopping mid-sentence.

No, that wasn’t it. He was certain he’d finished the sentence, but the last words seemed to vanish into thin air.

Because just as he’d spoken the final words—

*BOOM—*

A deafening explosion erupted right behind them, so loud it felt like it was tearing through his eardrums.

It was only after the hinges clattered to the floor with a *CLANK* that Taeui realized what that terrifying sound had been. The doorknob rolled across the floor before coming to a stop.

The door that Jeongpil had locked earlier was now smashed open, hanging crookedly as it creaked and came to a halt. The bottom hinge had broken off, leaving the door looking like it had been ripped from its frame.

And just behind that door.

Behind the door, the hinges, and the scattered doorknob, a man was standing. He had just lowered his leg from the kick that had sent the door flying.

The man stood with one hand in his pocket, looking lazy and relaxed after the powerful kick. He slowly tilted his head left, then right, with a few small *crack, crack* sounds.

“……―.”

No one said a word.

Taeui, who moments ago had been pinned to the floor, shouting in fury; Jeongpil, who was straddling him, just about to pull down his underwear; and the man in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, his cold gaze fixed indifferently on them from above. All were silent.

The first to break the silence was Taeui, whose thunderous rage had abruptly been doused as if with ice water.

“……Ilay.”

“Hm?”

When Taeui called the man’s name, he responded nonchalantly. Taeui fell silent.

Why was he here? It was as if this man had appeared out of thin air, like some relentless spirit. And that door—wasn’t it solid metal? His leg strength was something else…… Thoughts flitted through Taeui’s mind like a sped-up reel.

In that moment, Ilay’s indifferent gaze shifted from Taeui and settled on Jeongpil. Jeongpil, still sitting on Taeui, stared back at Ilay with a dazed expression, as if in a dream. He blinked, snapping back to reality as he realized Ilay’s piercing eyes were fixed directly on him. Taeui could feel a slight tension in Jeongpil’s body as he sat on top of him.

The atmosphere fell into a brief silence again before Taeui broke it. He didn’t fully understand what was going on, but at least Ilay’s timing couldn’t have been better.

“You showed up at the perfect time. Untie my hands…… Oh, wait, don’t touch this guy.”

Taeui sighed, muttering to himself, then quickly added as a thought struck him. He’d initially meant to say: ‘Don’t kill him’, but changed his mind. Smashing Jeongpil’s face or landing a punch to his jaw—those were things he wanted to handle himself. (He wasn’t planning to kill Jeongpil, but Ilay, on the other hand, just might.)