"You certainly have enough qualifications. But it seems you still lack trust."
_Trust?_
_Trust in what?_
Seoryeong frowned slightly, then immediately smoothed her expression.
She no longer trusted anyone. Moreover, she didn't believe in things she couldn't see.
"About the kidnapping of the high-ranking official from the intelligence agency..." Kang Taegon's voice remained pleasant, almost apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I can't take this job."
"—!"
"Our special security team is already making enough money." He tilted his head slightly. "Why take risks with intelligence agency matters?"
"..."
"But if you need help, I can still assist—if it concerns the special security team."
_Wasn't that a clear refusal?_
The words sounded like wordplay—something that promised assistance while offering nothing concrete. It left her feeling uneasy, uncertain.
Kang Taegon rose from his chair and walked toward the door.
"When will your arm heal?"
"The nerves aren't damaged." Seoryeong's voice came out flat. "After the stitches are removed, it will fully recover."
"Two months."
"Excuse me?"
"Then recover as best as you can within these two months."
_Wait a minute..._
_That's not the answer I wanted._
_So how will you help me?_
_Was he just trying to pressure me with his words?_
The unmet expectation made her feel like a burst balloon—deflated, hollow.
_If I had known it would be like this, I should have just asked to be rehired by the company..._
She regretted what she should have said.
"Then, take good care of yourself." Kang Taegon paused at the threshold. "I'll send you an orchid as encouragement. Please accept it with pleasure."
A beat of silence.
"Then—you will get everything you want."
Although the sentence felt like it carried a hidden meaning, Seoryeong—enveloped in disappointment—quickly forgot about it.
---
A few days later, an orchid with small buds arrived via express mail.
Alongside it: a strange document.
When Seoryeong opened the gift, she was stunned by the deep meaning hidden behind Kang Taegon's delivery.
> **10-Week Basic Training Program for New Blast Company Employees**
This was a very dangerous invitation.
---
## — Africa, Some Time Later —
The police trainees sat gasping for breath on the dry, cracked ground.
The scorching African sun burned their skin raw. Their sweat-soaked clothes clung tightly to their bodies, the fabric heavy and oppressive. Dust coated their faces like masks.
"We'll meet again after a ten-minute break."
Lee Wooshin gave the order to the Nigerian police officers sprawled across the earth.
The special security team had undergone major changes since Channa's disappearance.
Preparations for ongoing contracts were postponed—some partially canceled—creating an unexpected lull in operations. Coincidentally, Nigeria had submitted a request for counter-terrorism training at that time, and Blast Company sent its idle special security team to fill the gap.
Currently, Nigeria was facing a radical Islamic terrorist group called **Boko Haram**, which had carried out several kidnappings of students. The Nigerian government had appointed Blast Company to train their police in hostage rescue and security operations.
Training like this was one of Blast Company's main lines of business.
The fact that the target was Africa was also strategically important. Lately, the continent had become a real battlefield in the growing conflict between the United States and China. Blast Company believed that wherever a Cold War occurred, that's where money could be found.
Private military companies from other countries were often granted mining rights as compensation for their services. So it was no wonder Blast Company was enthusiastic. Korean private military companies were much cheaper than Western ones, yet still provided high-quality services—making them fiercely competitive.
Lee Wooshin walked into the operational camp, chewing on an ice cube. It had become a habit.
Working abroad in hot, humid climates had made him accustomed to preventing dehydration through small, constant measures. Although there was still plenty of behind-the-scenes work for Blast Company to handle, he was currently stationed in Africa full-time.
The often-mocking voice of Na Wonchang echoed in his mind:
_"Ah... Chief must be suffering so much... sob sob..."_
Lee Wooshin curled up on a small sofa with his long body, looking out the window at the clouds as if chasing something.
But he didn't actually expect to find anything.
Staring at the sky like that was just a form of boredom.
"Ugh! Damn it!"
A loud voice came from inside the camp.
One of the team members' computers made a sharp notification sound, making him stand up immediately. The noise also attracted the attention of other team members who were resting in the shade.
Jin Hoje—one of the team members who had previously served in the Navy UDT forces—unconsciously cursed. He immediately looked toward the team leader who was lying in the shade.
"Chief, have you seen the new announcement yet?"
"Not interested."
"Ugh... Now's not the time to laze around—take a look!"
"If you bring me another ice cube."
"..."
"If Jin Hoje can be nice first, maybe I'll obey."
"Chief... This concerns our own team. Why do you still need a reward...?"
Lee Wooshin pointed out the window with his chin.
Jin Hoje looked annoyed, seemingly unable to believe that someone who appeared so lazy could move as nimbly as a ghost during a real operation.
"Then let me just read it to you, okay?"
Lee Wooshin had never been interested in things that didn't directly concern his duties. That always surprised others.
Finally, Jin Hoje began to read the newly arrived announcement aloud.
"Request to be a trainer in the Ten-Week Basic Training Program for New Blast Employees..."
"Trainer?"
Lee Wooshin's eyebrows—which had only been looking at the sky—rose slightly.
"Yes. And it was sent directly to our team."
"..."
"After returning from Africa, we have to train new employees again? Do you know how valuable we are?" Jin Hoje's voice pitched higher with indignation. "Why are we being used for such useless things?"
"Because Heo Channa died. So we have to change the work schedule for the next six months."
"Chief... she hasn't died yet."
"Hmm."
"..."
"In that case, she should wake up quickly."
The tone wasn't one of concern—it was cold, purely practical. Merely telling Channa to wake up so she could be useful again.
It made the person who heard it feel strange.
At that moment, another man—face still wet from just finishing washing up—turned quickly toward the computer screen.
"It seems this isn't as useless as we thought."
"Huh! What do you know?"
Jin Hoje, who was usually polite in front of Lee Wooshin, replied in an irritated tone.
"Look at the bottom part." The wet-faced man pointed at the screen. "It says we have to choose the people who will fill the vacant positions in our team ourselves."
"Oh—!"
Two team members of almost the same height began to play around, hitting each other with towels soaked in sweat. They slapped each other's heads, faces, chests, and shoulders—without anyone stopping them. They enjoyed the game while chatting as usual.
"Hopefully this time the new recruits are still young."
"There have been young new recruits before, but they always leave first."
"Aaah— why can't they ever last long?"
After that, they threw the towels aside and started playing judo, vying to grab each other's collars first.
"Gi Taemin, don't you think this is all your fault? You're withdrawn, hard to approach, and have too many rules. The new recruits feel like there's a wall between them and the team—they can't adapt, so they leave."
"You crazy bastard, this isn't my fault—it's yours!" Gi Taemin grabbed Jin Hoje's collar tighter. "They joined one day ago, and you immediately dragged them out for drinks until they were blackout drunk. You left them to sleep in front of your house! And you forced them to go to the sauna too. Who could stand that?"
"Antisocial people. That's called camaraderie among teammates."
"Crazy. That's called violence."
The two of them grabbed each other's collars and stared with fighting spirit—before finally turning to Lee Wooshin simultaneously.
"Chief, what kind of new recruits do you like?"
The man, who was used to the noise around him, yawned while half-closing his eyes. He looked at his watch, then slowly stood up like a shadow.
His calm, swift movements—like a tiger uncurling from rest—caught everyone's attention.
As he bent down and tightly tied the laces of his loose military boots, he said:
"As long as they don't obstruct my view, that's enough."
The ice in his mouth had completely melted.
---
## — Seoul, Blast Company Headquarters —
Ice cubes fell into a whiskey glass, followed by a slow pour of thick, golden-yellow liquid.
In the top-floor office of Blast Company, Kang Taegon stood swirling the glass in his hand while looking out the large window that overlooked the never-sleeping night scene of Seoul.
The man gazed at the view before him without expression.
Then he picked up the phone and called someone.
Besides Seoul, Blast Company also had offices in Hong Kong and Saint Petersburg. Not long ago, Kang Taegon had just returned from a business trip abroad.
Holding the glass in his hand, he rubbed the space between his eyebrows with his fingers—as if tired.
Despite standing amidst the glittering lights and luxury of the city, he still felt thirsty. He took a deep gulp of his drink.
Not long after, a calm voice came from the other end of the phone.
Kang Taegon greeted briefly and immediately got to the point.
"It seems we can find a suitable woman for this job here."