The two men started brawling.
The sound of punches hitting flesh and bone sent chills down one's spine.
"Ah...!"
At that moment, a woman walking by carrying a tray of stacked food was hit by their elbows and fell.
Several trays flew to the floor with a sound as if they would break, while others overturned and spilled their contents onto the woman's body.
Despite the loud noise, the two angry and out-of-control soldiers still wouldn't stop fighting.
The woman held her waist and tried to get up, but failed.
Seoryeong quickly took off her rubber gloves and approached to help.
But suddenly—**thwack!**—something heavy fell and hit her head and shoulders before finally falling to the floor.
"...!"
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as the food tray flew and hit her without warning.
Thick red sauce from the _tong suyuk_ flowed down her face, while kimchi and steamed vegetables fell from her head. Her forehead, where the tray had hit, throbbed with pain.
Even though the chaos was this great, the two men still hadn't stopped fighting.
Now they were even starting to break things.
_They were clearly not normal people._
_So this is what they meant by 'patients with excess testosterone,'_ Seoryeong thought, nodding, recalling the interviewer's words, before finally helping to support the woman.
"I'll clean the floor today."
"What?"
After that, she walked over to lift the trash can filled with food scraps.
The woman's face immediately turned pale as she said, "It's better not to get involved...!"
Seoryeong poured the food scraps onto the two soldiers who were still beating each other up.
"Lunch break is over."
Instantly, all sound disappeared.
Silence replaced the previous chaos.
---
Seoryeong roughly wiped the food scraps off her body and then took the elevator without having a proper shower.
The dirty white clothes and the foul smell of food scraps made many people turn their heads towards her, especially those who rode the elevator with her.
They pinched their noses and looked away.
"I heard there was trouble with the soldiers..."
Seoryeong received a call, and now she met the interviewer again after a long time.
The man still looked tired, muttering softly while sighing. He was the Head of the Logistics Division.
Seoryeong suppressed her annoyance and bowed deeply.
_What did I say at the end of the interview, again..._
The awkward feeling hadn't gone away.
The commotion in the dining hall spread quickly. The story of a woman pouring food scraps on two fighting soldiers immediately became gossip. The gossip spread faster than the job posting for the Special Security Team.
"We know you, Han Seoryeong, aren't afraid of anything and have no reservations, but..."
"..."
"I asked you to cook well, not to cause trouble like this."
Seoryeong bowed deeper, not because she wanted to apologize, but because she knew from experience that if they didn't make eye contact, problems usually resolved faster.
People were like that.
When they saw Seoryeong's cold and emotionless gaze, they actually became more angry and annoyed.
She stared at the tips of her shoes, which were dirty with food scraps.
"But well... actually, the two who were fighting were the ones at fault. They broke chairs and stomped on food trays until they were destroyed. I understand your feelings, but..."
"..."
"One of them has had excessive emotions from the start. He has a bad attitude and is now furious with you. This is making our situation a bit difficult. His face is bruised, and he's now rampaging around looking for Han Seoryeong."
_Oh... so it's that jerk._
The look in Seoryeong's eyes changed slightly.
There was one person with the roughest mouth and punches, full of arrogance. When the two soldiers froze after Seoryeong poured food on them, one of them quickly regained his senses and instead turned to grab her collar.
His eyes blinked rapidly, stinging from the food that had gotten into them, making his expression even fiercer.
Fortunately, another soldier passing by separated them, but the angry glare thrown at Seoryeong was still clearly etched in her memory.
"You went too far, Han Seoryeong."
"..."
"In a situation like that, no one would act like you did. They are soldiers. This Blast Company revolves around those soldiers. We are here to support and help them. Don't you have any common sense?"
_Ah..._
It was then that Seoryeong, who had been bowing all this time, finally looked up.
"I think we should also pay attention to that woman's back."
"...Why are you bringing that up now?"
"The soldiers only have bruises and split lips. But that woman's back might not heal so quickly."
"You really don't know what's important..."
The Head of the Logistics Division's face looked tense. He ruffled his already messy hair even more.
Here, there were soldiers who had left the military honorably and those who had been discharged due to problems. Perhaps because this place was filled with people who were used to using their bodies as their primary tool, physical fights were common.
They were people who lived according to a system of hierarchy and rules.
So when they got angry, things became complicated.
"We hired you to take care of the behind-the-scenes work..."
The Head of Logistics sighed heavily, sounding annoyed.
"Don't contact or meet those soldiers directly. Wear your mask properly..."
"..."
"I'll forgive you this time out of consideration for the Head of the Intelligence Division, Jung Pilgyu. If it weren't for him, you might have already been fired."
"About that woman's back—"
"Get out now!"
He waved his hand as if he didn't want to hear any more.
Seoryeong didn't understand why he was so angry.
She tilted her head slightly in confusion, then turned and left the room with a feeling still full of question marks.
Suddenly, a growling voice was heard from inside the room.
"Bring a towel too...!"
"What?"
"Please fix your appearance a little."
He crumpled the paper cup in his hand and threw it into the trash can.
But the cup hit the rim and fell to the floor.
"Damn it..." a soft curse was heard.
Before leaving the office, Seoryeong took the towel hanging on the chair.
Luckily, it didn't smell musty yet.
She covered her head with the towel and stood waiting for the elevator.
_Once she got downstairs, she planned to just wipe her hair, change her clothes, and then go back to clean up the food scraps..._
She calmed herself down and made a plan in her mind.
_Ding—_
The elevator doors opened.
Because a towel was covering her head, she could only see the feet of the people inside the elevator.
The elevator was full of black military boots and men's shoes that looked very neat and flawless.
_It seemed she couldn't get into that elevator._
She didn't intend to force her way in in this state anyway.
As she was about to step back—
"Just get in."
A low and slow voice reached her ears.
Seoryeong was stunned, but instead of answering, she took another step back.
"Really don't want to get in?"
Even though she heard it again, the voice actually made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
As the elevator doors were about to close, the man slowly pressed the open button.
In the view obstructed by the towel, she could only see a rough hand and an expensive-looking watch.
At that moment, Seoryeong felt as if the man was carefully observing her.
The thought made her uncomfortable.
The skin around her chin, neck, and upper arms began to itch for no apparent reason.
Seoryeong tried to shake off the feeling by shaking her head.
And as if the man had never offered her a ride, he lightly released his hand from the button.
"..."
"..."
_Why weren't the doors closing yet..._
He had only released his hand from the button, but hadn't pressed the close button at all.
Seoryeong felt thirsty for no reason.
She looked down at the elevator floor.
As the man stood still, he suddenly began to tap the heel of his shoe hard against the floor.
As if he were stepping on something.
A sound like a sarcastic breeze was heard above her head.
Finally, just as the elevator doors were about to close, Seoryeong lifted the towel slightly to see.
Inside the elevator were soldiers in black uniforms and a man in a suit who were talking.
She could only see the side of the man's face, but his facial features immediately convinced her that he must be handsome.
_Someone who looks attractive..._
Seoryeong thought so and then turned around.
She decided to use the emergency stairs instead, walking casually without rushing.
But suddenly, she felt a pain in the back of her neck, making her turn her head back quickly.
At the same time, the man who had been talking made eye contact with her.
_Am I just imagining things?_
_Or did we actually make eye contact?_
"..."
But before she could be sure, the elevator doors closed tightly.
Seoryeong felt a little confused.
She just stood in front of the emergency exit door.
Although it was only for a moment, the man's sharp gaze, which seemed to penetrate her, made her feel strangely cold—a stark contrast to the man's slow and calm voice.