Horgan clicked his tongue softly. The code wasn’t working. For the third time now, the alert beep sounded repeatedly.

If he entered the code incorrectly five times in a row, access would be blocked. Only two more chances remained. However, during the previous three attempts, Horgan had entered the exact code he knew.

“Why isn’t it right?”

Horgan muttered anxiously. This was the code he’d just received last night. Could it have been changed in just one day? Possibly. Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered one of the instructors mentioning that today was a day associated with some kind of change. Maybe this was it.

Horgan clicked his tongue again.

The system document management room wouldn’t stay completely vacant for long. With the overlap of the evening shift change and dinnertime, he only had about ten brief minutes. And now, there was hardly any time left.

Should he give up? Just for today? Or perhaps, it might be time to abandon gathering information here entirely. If he missed today, tomorrow would be his last chance. However, postponing until tomorrow posed an immense risk.

Damn it, he had a bad feeling about this from the beginning. Even the fact that they assigned an assistant instructor to tail him openly, following his every move, was enough to make that clear.

Since that incident, Horgan realized that his superiors here were suspicious of him.

At that time, he had considered giving up. However, the fact that they blatantly assigned an assistant instructor to monitor him meant they didn’t want to escalate the matter publicly. If anything were to happen, the worst he’d face would likely be accountability and resignation.

This job, he could walk away from. After all, he’d been planning to quit. The real incentive here was the substantial reward. It wasn’t anything else but Jeong Jaeui’s research – the researcher who had moved to the Middle East and was now out of reach – which had been placed at a price too tempting to ignore.

Yes, he just needed to get the data. Although he’d sometimes doubted the data’s authenticity, he had prepared an anti-counterfeit verification code in advance.

…….But the code didn’t match. This wasn’t going anywhere.

Horgan grew increasingly anxious. To get here, to obtain this code, to have this opportunity, he’d endured countless hardships.

Moreover, this was likely his last chance to sell this system. A growing sense of danger lingered, and after leaving this place, he planned to lay low and disappear for a while. He wasn’t sure how long, but it would probably be quite some time.

That’s why he couldn’t afford to miss this chance. He simply couldn’t give up now.

With trembling hands, Horgan carefully entered each character of the code. But as he pressed a key, another error beep sounded. Now, he only had one attempt left…….

His anxious fingers froze on the keyboard. What should he do? Should he wait for another chance? Wait—perhaps there was a pattern to how the codes were changed. What could it be?

As Horgan kept glancing at the clock, feeling increasingly uneasy and clicking his tongue softly, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching the document room. The steps were neither fast nor slow; they echoed steadily, one step at a time.

Horgan jolted and turned his head. At that moment, the door to the system management room swung open. A tall muscular figure appeared through the doorway.

Horgan stood frozen by the computer, but quickly regained his composure and faced the newcomer with a calm expression. He had already prepared an excuse in case the shift supervisor unexpectedly walked in.

But the person who entered wasn’t the system room supervisor he had anticipated. No, it was……. ah, right, it was him. Riegrow. Known infamously as the ‘mad killer’.

Yet, Horgan didn’t find him as terrifying or monstrous as the rumors suggested. Even if those rumors were true, every time he encountered Riegrow, the man never displayed any hostility toward him. In fact, he seemed to have a certain respect for Horgan, occasionally offering help when he was in a bind. Not long ago, it was Riegrow who had helped him access the system room, although the plan had failed due to that bothersome assistant instructor.

“…….Riegrow, what brings you here?”

Horgan feigned a cheerful expression. Riegrow appeared momentarily surprised, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to be there, but then he smiled and shrugged.

“The person on shift is Mike, but he had some business to attend to, so he might be about 10 or 20 minutes late. He asked me to cover for him temporarily. And you, Horgan, what brings you here?”

“Oh, I was just looking into some old training records. After returning from this recent training session, I planned to use the experience to adjust the training plans on the other side. But just from this one session, the data isn’t quite sufficient, so…….”

Horgan frowned, showing a look of mild frustration. Riegrow, who had just taken a seat and pretended to pull a random book from the shelf as if to pass the time, glanced at him with a curious expression.

“I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, but it turns out these are restricted files. There’s a security code required when I try to access them.”

“Huh? Old training records aren’t classified……. Ah, right. It’s probably because they’re doing the end-of-month data consolidation soon, so they’ve temporarily locked it.”

Riegrow stood up and walked over to Horgan. Horgan tensed slightly, but tried to keep his expression neutral.

Reaching over Horgan’s shoulder, Riegrow’s gloved fingers – covered in deep blue gloves – tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and the encrypted screen unlocked instantly. The word [PERMIT] flashed twice and then disappeared.

“Let’s see……. perhaps this is the file.”

With remarkable ease, Riegrow pulled a folder from among the many on the screen – likely including several empty ones – then stepped back behind Horgan.

Horgan stared at the screen for a few seconds, stunned. The internal network was now open, exposing most of the classified data within. He had only intended to give an excuse, but he hadn’t expected Riegrow to assist him in this way. Maybe Riegrow assumed that, since Horgan was overseeing the area, he wouldn’t do anything suspicious. But even Horgan hadn’t anticipated that Riegrow would be so willing to unlock the system. Everything was going so smoothly that it almost made him suspicious.

“Ah……. um, yes. Thank you. But how did you know the code?”

Horgan smiled naturally and asked as Riegrow, now seated again on the other side of the screen, picked up his book once more. Meanwhile, Horgan quickly navigated to a different folder. Which one? Where was the data he needed?

It didn’t seem like he’d find it immediately. Perhaps it would be better to download anything that looked even slightly suspicious.

“I used to work here as an instructor” – Riegrow explained: “Back then, I was in charge of information management, so whenever I’m around, I still lend a hand.”

“I see. Haha, but are you even allowed to open the internal network like this?”

“That’s why I’m supervising you, isn’t it?”

Horgan joked, and Riegrow responded with a teasing smile. As he chuckled and nodded, saying: “I understand.” Horgan quickly selected a few folders that Riegrow couldn’t see from where he was sitting. Maintaining a casual conversation, Horgan initiated the download of four or five chosen folders. Not long after, as his fingers continued to work, a new window appeared, allowing him to start the data transfer.

Horgan simultaneously started running his anti-counterfeit verification code. …….One file…….Two files. Nothing suspicious. All were original files.

His hands trembled slightly with excitement.

Good. Now, he just needed to wait until everything finished downloading. All that was left was to stall for time. This data seemed quite large, so it would take a few minutes.

“But where is your assistant instructor? Leaving his superior to work alone isn’t exactly responsible. Perhaps he deserves to be dismissed” – Riegrow joked, flashing a playful smile.

Horgan almost joined in, saying: ‘Yeah, yes, he’s useless’, but then remembered the rumors and kept silent.

Speaking of which, he recalled hearing that the young assistant instructor had some ambiguous relationship with Reigrow. The thought of same-sex relationships disgusted Horgan, but now was not the time to offend this man.

“Are you talking about Jeong Tay? He probably needs the rest—must be exhausted. Lately, it seems he hasn’t been getting much sleep either.”

Horgan shrugged, feigning concern, while Riegrow slowly nodded, a smirk appearing on his face.

“True enough. Maybe I should get him some sleeping pills. Something strong, so he won’t wake up halfway through.”

Suddenly, Horgan froze. His hand, which had been tapping lightly on the edge of the keyboard as he watched the download progress near completion, came to an abrupt stop. For a moment, the smile vanished from his face.

There was something unsettlingly slow and chilling in Riegrow’s tone, as if each word seeped with a hidden menace. A memory from a few days ago surfaced in Horgan’s mind, sending a cold shiver through him.

A few days back, he had drugged that troublesome assistant instructor who constantly watched or guarded him. Since he couldn’t find the right drug, he had to settle for a weaker one, which caused the assistant instructor to wake up sooner than expected and ruin his plan. He’d briefly considered taking the risk of side effects that might impair the assistant instructor’s mind and giving him a stronger dose instead.

Horgan clicked his tongue softly. Yet, even as he thought this, the cold sensation clung to him, compelling him to glance slowly toward Riegrow. Perhaps it was just his imagination. Riegrow continued turning pages, his face calm, showing no signs of suspicion.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be fine” – Horgan replied, doing his best to sound natural.

At that moment, a soft beep sounded, accompanied by a completion message. The download window closed automatically. It was done.

Horgan forced himself to control the rapid beating of his heart as he brought his hand back to the keyboard. Just as he started typing, Riegrow, still looking down at his book, spoke up with a seemingly casual question.

“Mike should be here soon, but he seems to be running a bit later than expected. By the way, Horgan, have you finished downloading the data?”

“Oh, just about. Almost there” – Horgan replied, pressing the disconnect button.

“Is that so?” – Riegrow murmured, closing his book with a quiet thud.

“Good job, Horgan.”

Riegrow stood up, placing the book back on the shelf and giving a faint smile. His white teeth flashed between his curved lips.

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

“Huh…….?”

Just as Taeui burst into the room, Horgan was standing in a daze, staring blankly as Ilay approached him quickly.

*BANG* The door swung open with a loud crash, as if it had been forced. Ilay clicked his tongue in irritation, casting an annoyed smirk at Taeui, who stood behind Horgan, looking alarmed. But just as Ilay raised his hand, now only a step away from Horgan, Taeui shouted in panic.

“HORGAN! MOVE!”

Simultaneously with his shout, Taeui prepared to rush toward them. Ilay’s fist swung forward, slamming into the back of Horgan’s head. The blow struck right at the base of his skull, causing Horgan’s eyes to widen as if they were about to pop out. He couldn’t even scream, only managing a faint, gasping sound like the whisper of wind: “Kkh……. KKh…….”

Horgan fell backward, his face hitting the keyboard before collapsing to the floor, knocking over the computer. He lay motionless, only his fingers and shoulders twitching slightly, unable to move.

“You’re a bit early, Taei. You should’ve been five minutes later. I would have had enough time to finish him off by then. Pity.”

“――I should have come five minutes sooner” – Taeui replied bitterly, glaring at Ilay with a sarcastic smile. Ilay’s cold gaze turned to Horgan, sprawled across the floor.

“Stop pretending, Horgan. Get up. I hit you lightly—I didn’t plan to let you off with just one blow.”

“You call that light? I saw you hit him with my own eyes!”

“I told you, I’d beat him to death. Taeui, if you want to kill someone without hitting vital points, it takes longer than you’d think. At least five minutes, to be precise.”

With an air of indifference, Ilay casually lifted his foot and kicked Horgan hard in the side, flipping him onto his back. This time, a cry of pain burst from Horgan’s mouth as he curled up, clawing at the floor.

Taeui quickly rushed forward, positioning himself between Horgan and Ilay. The distance between him and Ilay was now only about 3-4 steps. But he couldn’t think of a way to handle the situation immediately.

Damn it. Searching took too much time. This damn base probably has fewer than a hundred people, yet it’s needlessly sprawling. Taeui was drenched in sweat from running around, though his back felt ice-cold.

Thanks for cooling me down, you jerk, he cursed silently as he stood facing Ilay.

Ilay looked at Taeui, now blocking his way to Horgan, with a thoughtful expression, as if calculating his next move. Then he gave a wry smile.

“What a nuisance. It’s hard to beat him to death with someone interfering……. Maybe I should use a knife?”

“You said you’d beat him to death! So go ahead—beat him to death!”

Taeui shouted urgently. If Ilay drew a weapon, the fight would end immediately. A knife or a gun—if he used either, it would be over in an instant, leaving Taeui no chance to intervene……. Although, even as things were, the situation was far from ideal for him to step in.

Ilay reached into his chest pocket. Not finding what he wanted, he checked his back pocket. But it seemed empty as well, and he clicked his tongue in irritation.

“That’s right. Lately, I’ve been in a foul mood, so I was planning to break each of his joints, slowly crush each of his knuckles, and force him to spit out a confession. I’m confident I could have done it in five minutes, but then you showed up, Taei. How troublesome.”

Ilay smiled bitterly, feigning frustration, though it was clear he wasn’t actually bothered at all. He probably knew full well how much Taeui despised his fake demeanor, yet he still raised his hands in a mock display of helplessness.

“You could attack me without hesitation, but I don’t intend to kill you. That puts me at a bit of a disadvantage——besides, even with your injured hand, you seem determined to keep clinging to this fight.”

Ilay’s gaze flicked toward Taeui’s left hand, his eyes turning cold for a moment.

Taeui’s thumb, hastily wrapped in a handkerchief due to lack of proper bandaging, was now swollen and throbbing with heat. Facing a predator, he instinctively moved his hand behind his back, as if to hide the injury, even though he knew it wouldn’t help. At the same time, Taeui glanced at Ilay’s hand.

The hand that had pressed a blade to his throat just days before was now neatly covered by a glove, though it couldn’t possibly be unscathed. He could almost smell the faint trace of blood lingering in the air, the blood from when that blade had pierced Ilay’s hand.

Taeui grimaced slightly.

Damn it.

Why did he have to face him like this?

He had known from the start that this situation might arise, but seeing it play out made it even harder to bear.

It wasn’t just that he knew he couldn’t match Ilay’s skills. It was that he hated facing him—hated being in this hostile confrontation with him.

At that moment, from behind Taeui, Horgan struggled to control his ragged breaths, spitting out blood and saliva, and trembling as he shouted in a fearful shaky voice.

“You……. you helped me! You’re the one who unlocked the code! I’ll report this to the higher-ups!”

Horgan’s trembling finger pointed directly at Ilay. Ilay raised an eyebrow and let out a soft scoff, a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

“Report me? Go ahead. Worst case, I’ll just get fired. I was planning to leave this place anyway. Isn’t that right, Horgan?”

Ilay’s slow, pointed words hit Horgan like a blow straight to the heart, freezing him in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn’t believe that what he had secretly thought to himself was now being voiced by someone else.

Horgan stared at Ilay, his eyes wide as if struck by lightning, before suddenly turning to Taeui. His pale blue glassy eyes now burned with intense fury.

“So, the two of you were in cahoots…….! You both set me up to end up like this…….!!”

Taeui merely looked down at Horgan with a frown, then turned away, no longer having the patience for his delusional ramblings.

He hated having to confront Ilay over a despicable person like Horgan, but he knew that if he showed any weakness, Ilay wouldn’t hesitate to crush this man, and Taeui would have to step in. That was the unavoidable reality staring them in the face.

‘This is absurd, uncle. I knew this was coming, but even now, I can’t help but blame you. If I’m forced to fight, at least let it be against someone worthy!’

Taeui muttered inwardly, feeling every nerve on edge, as his body tensed with each small movement. Meanwhile, Ilay stood there, watching them with a relaxed demeanor.

A thin smile lingered on his lips, but his eyes were as cold as ice, looking down at Horgan as if he were nothing more than an insect.

“Horgan, you should have listened to Taei from the start. Taei has always tried his best to follow the ‘protect the instructor’ rule seriously. Even now, he’s doing just that, enough to be a nuisance to me……..So, what are you planning to do now?”

Ilay tilted his head, his eyes fixed directly on Taeui. His gaze suggested he was weighing several options, considering and discarding each, which made tension ripple along Taeui’s shoulders.

“Stop him, Jeong Tay! Isn’t that your duty as an assistant instructor? If this isn’t some plot between the two of you, then stop him!”

Horgan’s trembling voice sounded from behind, as if he were trying to pass the danger onto someone else, even though he didn’t fully trust Ilay’s words.

Taeui pressed his lips together, not turning around. It was bitterly ironic that he had to protect someone like this, but he gave no sign of it.

Horgan scrambled backward, trying to crawl out as quickly as possible. Over Taeui’s shoulder, Ilay watched Horgan’s panicked retreat with focused intensity.

A cold laugh escaped from Ilay. Hearing it, Taeui recognized that the moment had come. He clenched his fists, preparing to confront him.

“Taei, step aside.”

Ilay’s smile remained as he spoke, but Taeui shook his head.

“No.”

“Taei. Look behind you. Look at his pathetic, cowardly state. You don’t need to stand up for someone like him. For Jeong Changin? He thought you’d fail from the start. There’s nothing more foolish than worrying about a schemer like him.”

“――Yes, you’re right. But if I were going to refuse, I should have done it from the very first day I came here. I missed that chance, and now I can’t avoid this anymore.”

Taeui frowned, his expression bitter. He knew that this situation was absurd and unreasonable. However, his duty was still his duty, and he understood clearly that if he backed down here, someone would die. Even though he had chosen to be with Ilay, he didn’t want to become indifferent to the deaths of others. In fact, it was precisely because he’d chosen to be with him that he felt he had to uphold this boundary all the more.

That was the final boundary Taeui had to hold for himself.

Ilay silently observed Taeui for a moment, then his voice suddenly lowered.

“I’ll say it again. Step aside.”

Taeui blinked once, then twice, looking at Ilay before giving a small smile.

This was an unexpectedly generous gesture. Normally, Ilay wouldn’t bother asking him to move out of the way from the start……. Maybe he shouldn’t tell anyone that he felt a hint of kindness from him at this moment. Surely, they’d look at him with pity.

Taeui shook his head once more. Simultaneously, he readied his stance, preparing himself for the incoming attack.

No—he intended to.

But in that precise moment, the exact instant that Taeui shook his head, down to the finest fraction of a second…….

He couldn’t breathe. He hadn’t even registered what had happened; he only knew that he couldn’t draw a breath. It took another moment for Taeui to understand that Ilay’s punch had struck him squarely in the stomach.

He couldn’t dodge. In truth, he hadn’t even realized Ilay had attacked until his entire body felt the shock of the blow. There was no chance to evade, no chance to block, and Taeui took the full force of the strike.

Just hard enough not to be fatal.

Gasping for air, his mouth opened reflexively, but Ilay’s next chop came down like a blade, slicing through the air. His hand struck the nape of Taeui’s neck with such precision that the pain didn’t even have time to register.

His consciousness blurred in an instant. That was Ilay’s intention. In the haze of dizziness, Taeui collapsed to the floor.

It all happened in a flash. From the moment he shook his head to when his strength completely drained and he hit the ground—at most, a few seconds.

Ilay gently caught Taeui’s falling body and lowered him onto the floor. Then, stepping over his legs, he advanced toward Horgan. The sound of his footsteps grew distant, then closer again in Taeui’s foggy consciousness, like a distorted volume knob on a sound system being turned erratically.

He couldn’t lose consciousness. If he blacked out…….

Ilay’s grip hadn’t been overly tight. Perhaps, just before striking, he had unconsciously lessened his force.

Taeui fought with all his might to keep himself from slipping into unconsciousness, but his body had no strength left.