"―That person, right? The one who just arrived?"
"...!"
The sound of conversation from the employees who hadn't gotten on the elevator with her brought Seoryeong out of her daze.
"Yes, I heard he lived in Africa for a long time. It's also chaotic there now because of the intervention of America, China, and Russia. They say he used to train soldiers and police in Africa."
"But that person is only 31 years old, right? How does he have so much experience… I heard he used to work with a PMC from South Africa, and went back and forth between government soldiers and rebels. The only place he hasn't been to is the South Pole."
"They say he joined the military as a child and then kept working in special forces…―"
Only then did Seoryeong realize that the man was the head of the special security team that the employees had been talking about so much in recent weeks.
_Oh… everything suddenly made sense._
---
"Wash it again one more time."
But in this world, there were still things that didn't make sense.
_Sizz―_
The yellowish liquid that was starting to heat up from the iron dripped onto the back of her dry hand.
A week had passed.
She had lost count of how many times she had to wash the training uniforms dirtied with food scraps.
Today was the same; the man had brought back a soaking wet training uniform full of food scraps for her to wash.
The trouble started when the man referred to as "human trash" discovered Seoryeong's existence.
Because she was one of the youngest female employees among the women staff, with a tall, slender figure and a graceful demeanor, Seoryeong stood out.
As soon as he met her, the man stared at her with a wild look. At first, he yelled loudly at her, then started bothering her in every way, big and small.
Sometimes, the washed training clothes would be thrown into the trash or mixed up so that the name tags became illegible. Sometimes there were also problems with the training uniforms that caused training delays, making many soldiers annoyed.
Seoryeong chose not to resist the mistreatment because she felt that the head of the logistics department wanted her to quit.
_I have to endure as long as possible._
_Until the right opportunity came to kidnap a hostage._
So, even when she was treated like a dog in training, Seoryeong persevered and accepted all tasks without showing any displeasure.
Today, Seoryeong received the musty-smelling training clothes without any expression, but that only made the man even more annoyed.
"You're quite resilient, aren't you? You realize that, right?"
"I will rewash the training clothes and deliver them before 4 PM."
"Besides that, is there nothing else you want to say to me?"
"..."
"You know my name?"
"It's written on the training uniform. I can read Korean."
"How annoying."
Seoryeong looked at the man coldly as he showed his displeasure.
"What are you looking at? Your eyes… are really annoying…"
"I heard the woman who fell that time had to be hospitalized because of back pain."
"So what?"
"If that's all you wanted to say, I have nothing else to talk about."
"..."
"If you're done, please move aside. You're blocking the way."
"You've been this cold from the beginning, haven't you?"
His gaze traced from her forehead down to the bridge of her delicate nose.
If he were just a mischievous young man, it might not have been a big deal. But the gaze that traced Seoryeong's slender body was filled with a disgusting curiosity.
It wasn't just childish mischief, but also implied a perverse desire.
Seoryeong put down the iron and then asked in a flat voice without any inflection, a low voice that women rarely had.
"Do you want to sleep with me?"
"...!"
"If I misunderstood, then never mind. But it seems like you do want to."
"...What kind of person are you? Too blunt, no manners?"
"You asked because you wanted to have a relationship with me, didn't you?"
The man swallowed silently, then licked his lips in an annoying way.
"If I say yes, then what?"
"Sorry, but I don't sleep with just anyone."
"Then what kind of person do you sleep with?"
"Must be at least 188 centimeters tall, weigh under 80 kilograms, smell like wood, and…"
She said it as if reading news from a newspaper, in a flat tone.
"...and must have a curved upwards vital part."
"..."
"Don't feel guilty. Because if it doesn't meet those conditions, I don't feel anything."
Seoryeong looked down at the man's lower body, then back up at his eyes.
The younger man's face turned red up to his neck.
"What? Curved upwards?"
"Yes. It has to be curved upwards."
"...Why are you setting such conditions? Do you think it's easy to find someone like that?"
"Because my husband is like that."
"Husband…"
He opened his mouth and then quickly closed it again, as if he was too shocked to know what to do.
"You're married?"
"Yes."
"Damn it, why are you telling me this only now!"
"..."
"Bastard!"
He angrily ran his fingers through his hair and then exhaled loudly.
Seoryeong picked up the iron again and began ironing the training clothes.
Although the atmosphere seemed calm, the annoyed man suddenly slammed his hand hard on the ironing board.
"Hey, I lost my necklace."
He wiped his face while showing a serious expression. His face was still flushed with a heat he couldn't suppress—whether from embarrassment or anger.
"It might have fallen in the bathroom. Please look for it."
It was a silver necklace that Blast Company gave to every soldier. The mocking smile on his face showed that he was trying to take advantage of Seoryeong again.
"Yes, Chief."
Seoryeong quickly finished her work and turned around, but the man grabbed her arm.
"Do you really have a husband?"
_Damn…_
Now she was starting to understand why the boss called these soldiers "patients."
_They said some were severely injured, some caused trouble, and some needed frequent injections._
Seoryeong felt like injecting the man directly in the neck.
"..."
She didn't answer, just pulled her arm out of his grip.
The half-hearted interest was truly ridiculous, and the touch of others was still something she disliked.
But what made her most uncomfortable was the answer she couldn't say.
---
The bathrooms were inside each team's locker room.
Seoryeong stopped the cart she was pushing and entered the nearest room. There was no sound, not even the sound of dripping water, but the remaining humidity made her uniform feel sticky and uncomfortable.
She checked every corner for the silver necklace but found nothing.
She went in and out of the empty locker rooms and bathrooms for quite a while, finally arriving at the last bathroom at the end.
As she tirelessly checked every corner, she finally found the necklace lying on the soap dish.
"Haa…"
She sighed softly.
_She should go back immediately now._
As she turned around…
"...!"
Suddenly, the sound of running water was heard from somewhere—a sound that shouldn't have been there.
Her body tensed up instantly.
_Someone… came in, right?_
Even though she stood still with her shoulders tensed, time continued to pass slowly.
Then suddenly, she realized and immediately turned around.
But the direction she looked was…
"...!"
Seoryeong looked into the eyes of the man who was showering.
_Oh my… I should have looked the other way!_
She stood frozen in shock.
The man was standing under the shower, slowly pushing back his wet hair.
As she faced his naked body, her mind went blank.
"..."
"..."
The man's eyes were **gray**.
Seoryeong inadvertently gasped in surprise—luckily, she was wearing a mask.
Even though she knew it was impolite, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Beneath his jet-black hair combed back, his sharp forehead and the bridge of his nose were clearly visible.
_Why did this man feel familiar?_
The man wiped his face with one hand and looked towards her.
"Do you want to shower together?"
He smiled teasingly, as if his face was wet from the rain.
As Seoryeong looked at his broad shoulders and slender collarbone, her fingers twitched slightly—as if she had felt that touch before.
But the thought felt strange.
Since starting work here, she had seen many men, but shoulders shaped like these were truly rare. Most had overly prominent neck muscles, curved shoulders, or even sloping shoulders.
The smooth line of his body from his neck to the tips of his shoulders was very rarely found in this place.
_My husband also had shoulders this beautiful… exactly like this._
But the man in front of her was different from her husband—his face, his voice, his movements.
_Could it be… he's mixed?_
It wasn't just the color of his eyes, but also his sharp facial features, long eyelashes, and beautiful gaze.
Perhaps she was unconsciously comparing this man to Kim Hyeon.
"The kids will be coming in later, you should probably leave now."
The man glanced at Seoryeong's uniform and then nodded towards the door.
Even in a situation that should have been embarrassing, the man showed no reaction. He even smiled faintly.
_Haa…_
Seoryeong sighed and bowed politely.
"――!"
And inadvertently… her eyes glanced at the man's lower body.