Lee Wooshin opened his eyes once more. His sharp gaze immediately locked onto Seoryeong's right arm, lingering there for a beat too long. Then his attention shifted to a man seated not far from her—still chewing candy as if the world around him didn't exist.
"Anyone who completes basic training will earn the right to participate in the company's **special security team**," Lee Wooshin said, his voice cutting cleanly through the hall. "After passing the final exam, of course."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"Those with the highest scores will be prioritized."
A ripple of reaction spread through the recruits. Several faces brightened with interest. Everyone knew the special security team came with **significantly higher salaries** and benefits than the standard units.
"And…"
Lee Wooshin gripped the edges of the podium tightly, his knuckles whitening as he twisted his shoulders in visible irritation. The veins in his hands stood out like cords beneath his skin. His sharp gaze returned to Seoryeong.
"Those who are **useless** will be eliminated without mercy."
The wide smile that stretched across his face made his pale complexion all the more unsettling, intensifying the already tense atmosphere in the room.
---
## — Outside the Building —
When the group filed outside, three large buses were already waiting at the gate. Seoryeong, the smallest person among them by far, felt the walls closing in as she was surrounded by towering men. Everything around her felt like a trap. A threat. In this environment filled with enemies, the only thing she could do was **survive**. No matter how low or dirty it got, she had to endure.
But she knew it wouldn't be easy.
Even so, she had made her decision the moment she left home. She had to hold on. Tightly.
She clutched the strap of her bag and walked forward slowly, shoulders tense.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over her head. A foreign scent drifted toward her—sharp, clean, and unmistakable. She knew who it was before he spoke.
"Han Seoryeong."
Lee Wooshin's voice was quiet but heavy with exhaustion.
"You don't understand what I'm saying, do you?"
She stopped. His gaze was full of irritation.
"I told you—**don't appear before me again.**"
"Yes. You already kicked me out, right?"
"And yet you're deliberately showing up again because you want to be squeezed dry, aren't you?"
He looked at her the way a doctor might look at a terminal patient—one he'd already given up on.
"No." Seoryeong met his eyes. "I'm just choosing the right side."
"Choosing sides?"
He raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. **Chairman Kang Taegon**, CEO of Blast Company."
"……!"
"Someone kicked me out," she continued evenly. "But someone else rewarded me. I always side with profit. And it's clear which side is more profitable."
His expression shifted—something strange and calculating, the same look he'd given her back in Thailand. Like he was assessing her. Like she was a misplaced item.
"I don't know if you're serious or not."
He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his lips with his fingertips.
Suddenly, an old taxi pulled up to the gate. At the same moment, Lee Wooshin's phone rang. He answered with a single word.
"Yes."
Then, without warning, he grabbed Seoryeong's arm and pulled her toward the taxi.
"……!"
Seoryeong jerked back, trying to break free, but he leaned in close and threatened in a low voice.
"If you don't want your **other arm** injured too, you'd better go home. I'm not kidding."
The other recruits had already begun boarding the large buses. But only an old taxi was waiting for her.
Seoryeong frowned, anger flashing in her eyes. Her dislike for Lee Wooshin surged instantly. He clenched his jaw, making it clear he wouldn't back down.
"Han Seoryeong, you'd better get in that taxi."
"Let go of me. I'll talk to the Chairman directly—"
"What did you say?"
"I don't care if you're the team leader or the instructor. If I'm being treated like this just because of my status, I'll **fight back** too."
Seoryeong stared at him firmly. Lee Wooshin let out a low, cynical laugh.
"I told you—I'm here because of **Chairman Kang Taegon's help**. If you want to kick me out again, tell him first."
"Even if you only got in through connections, you seem quite proud, huh?"
Lee Wooshin's tone was mocking.
"If there are no connections to rely on, who knows if I'll fall safely or not, right?"
Their gazes locked, neither yielding.
"Han Seoryeong, do you think I have **no authority** at all?" His tone turned cold. "Even if the company Chairman brought you in, if you get kicked out during training, that's **my business**."
"……!"
"That's why I'm warning you. Go home before you waste money on the fare. You'll be going home soon anyway."
Seoryeong bit her lip tightly, remaining silent.
"This training is **very tough**. Even strong men fail. So what are you going to do?" He gestured toward the other recruits boarding the bus. "Your body isn't strong. You're not from this world. What can you do with a body like that?"
He pointed at the group filing into the buses.
"Even **half of them** might not survive in the end."
"…"
"Determination is good. But if it's excessive, it becomes **recklessness**." His gaze was full of annoyance and boredom. "Why don't you understand that?"
"I told you—don't show up again. I also said I don't see any value in you. Why don't you have any **self-respect**? And now you're even making me repeat myself. You've given me enough reason to kick you out again."
"…"
"Because this is a place where **I** will choose my own team members."
Lee Wooshin spoke frankly, stating outright that he intended to get rid of her. But Seoryeong was not daunted. She looked into his eyes with unwavering determination. Even though his words were meant to crush her, her heart did not waver.
"Go ahead if you want to kick me out," she said quietly. "But do it on the **training field**."
Lee Wooshin seemed to grind his teeth in frustration, as if his mouth was longing for sweetness.
"I know this training will be difficult, and I've thought about it a lot. But I still chose to try. Whether I fail or survive to the end, that's **my business**. So why do you have to make decisions about responsibilities that belong to me?"
"……"
"All of this is **mine**."
Lee Wooshin's eyes widened slightly in surprise at her firm tone. He sighed deeply and placed both hands on his hips, looking displeased.
"Why are you trying so hard just to stay in this company?"
That question—he'd asked it before, back in Thailand. _Why are you still here?_ His incomprehension was clear in his sharp, annoyed gaze. He truly did not want to see her, and no matter how subtly he framed it, he wouldn't easily give way.
"I need the **special security team**."
Lee Wooshin looked genuinely surprised. His eyebrows rose high.
"You have something to do with the man who ran away with your money, don't you?"
"Yes. I'm chasing him." She paused. "He's my husband."
"……!"
That confession slipped out so easily. Lee Wooshin fell silent and turned his face away. Seoryeong followed his gaze, but found nothing remarkable there.
"So no matter how badly you speak to me, I won't care. Whatever you do won't be able to stop a woman who wants to catch her own husband."
Lee Wooshin took a step back, looking like someone who had suddenly felt dizzy—something impossible for his strong physique.
"I haven't lost my self-respect. If this wasn't about my husband, I wouldn't feel anything. Now you know, so just treat me like everyone else. If I fail, kick me out like the others."
Lee Wooshin clenched his jaw again before asking in a calmer voice.
"So, are you doing all this out of **revenge** or **hope**?"
"Both."
"Both?"
"Basically, all the feelings in this world can be connected to this one thing. Whether it's regret, anger, love… even the desire to kill."
Seoryeong answered immediately when asked about Kim Hyeon. Everything about him was always clear and simple for her. Whether it was good feelings or bad, Kim Hyeon was the only one who had taken **everything** from her.
"Then, may I tell you a little reality?"
Lee Wooshin said softly as he pulled Seoryeong closer.
"When you've been on the battlefield long enough, you'll learn one thing. For example—"
He spoke while the muscles in his jaw tightened, his gaze as cold as frozen steel.
"**Love is just another form of mental control.**"
"……!"
A sharp pain ran through Seoryeong's arm, which he was gripping tightly.
"It's not a difficult thing. You just need to make that person feel that they are **not alone**, accept them for **who they are**, and make them feel that **only you** see them. Those three things alone are enough."
Lee Wooshin raised his fingers one by one to emphasize each point. The gaze he directed at her was even colder than winter itself.
"If you make them feel loved, then they will **believe** it is indeed love. In reality, however, it's just a form of manipulation."
Even as he spoke cruelly about human feelings, a faint smile appeared on his face, making Seoryeong feel like something was churning inside her stomach.
"It might not be a special feeling. It might just be the result of a **control process**. I have learned and practiced it that way." He paused. "All those feelings are just side effects."