—If not, there might be pressure coming toward the Chief. We can't interfere. Therefore, the Chief's position could be threatened. It's not impossible that the Chief will have to cooperate with Seoryeong again...
_St. Petersburg, Russia, huh..._
Lee Wooshin rubbed his stiff cheek.
"Why does he have to go to Russia?"
—Don't know. There's only a record of the trip at the airport, but the travel details aren't recorded in the documents.
"...But at least it's good enough."
Despite trying not to care, his thoughts became chaotic again. The already low voice felt like it was sinking into a swamp.
He almost ended the communication, but—
—Uh, Chief...! Then what about Seoryeong? She's safe, right? Not injured during training, is she?
The voice full of unwarranted anxiety made him swallow hard a few times.
_Not injured? Safe, huh?_
Lee Wooshin took a deep breath before answering calmly.
"No one is without injury, but more importantly, she is still safe."
—Didn't expect Seoryeong to last this far.
A sad voice came from the other end.
—I guess the involvement of the special security team is because of Kim Hyeon, right? The fees are incredibly high, and the special team doesn't accept contracts below 300,000 dollars. So they must have intervened themselves. What do you think they're really planning?
"......"
—But doesn't Seoryeong really know who the Chief is? Even though they've been so close?
He suppressed the rising irritation again.
_Foolish. Stubborn._
He completely composed himself, closing his eyes to calm his mind, while Wonchang—unaware of the Chief's situation—was still lost in his own thoughts.
—Or maybe because of the big difference between the Chief's face and Kim Hyeon's, she doesn't realize it at all? But as the Chief said, she must feel that everything is different...! Especially since the Chief has recently gained muscle mass, right? And this is just my opinion...
"......"
—Actually, Seoryeong might just like people like Kim Hyeon, right?
Immediately after hearing this, Lee Wooshin took off his earphones without saying a word.
---
## — Underwater Training —
"It's not a shameful thing."
Seoryeong's voice barely showed any change in tone, unable to convey her feelings.
Land training and water training—which was better?
Of course, both were bad in their own ways. But one thing was clear: if your physical condition on land wasn't good, at most you'd feel nauseous and vomit.
However, underwater...
"Damn it, somehow I still managed to... excrete."
"No one saw."
"You saw, didn't you? You..."
"When I worked at the nursing home, I saw that every day."
"..."
"Everyone does it. Some defecate on themselves, some smear it on the walls. It's not a special thing."
"Please stop..."
The underwater evaluation this time required them to dive **seven meters**, retrieve a rope, tie a knot, and then swim back up. During the evaluation, many people fainted or temporarily lost consciousness.
But today, there was one person who returned with a little **feces** in their pants, causing a slight pause.
Seoryeong was the first to notice this incident—and the one who took the shocked instructor to the shower room. She became both a witness and an emergency helper for him.
Currently, she was calming down a demoralized teammate with a flat attitude.
"It happened because of the sudden pressure change."
If he stopped training because he was embarrassed, it would be a big problem. This exhausted and stressed person was a teammate who was always competing with Seoryeong for the **bottom spot**.
If he quit, no one would support Seoryeong anymore.
So he couldn't quit.
Even if she had to use mental programming...
"All that excrement is valuable."
"Please stop talking..."
"Health is very important. And why be ashamed if your digestive system is working well? Of course, proper disposal is best. Usually, feces should be in the bathroom..."
"Shut your mouth!"
"Come on, you just peed because of the pressure, so why run away?"
The man moved his dry hands to cover his face in a gesture as if he were going to crush his own face, while tears began to flow.
"You need to choose your words carefully..."
"Excrement came out."
"Damn it..."
"You're not going to quit, are you?"
"I won't quit...!"
Finally, Seoryeong nodded in relief and closed her mouth after hearing the answer she wanted.
The uninterested face looked like it had never been a friend.
As soon as she heard the whistle from the instructor, her body rose automatically. Everyone who had been separated stood waiting to regroup at the pool within seconds.
Seoryeong had spent the last **four weeks** training in various things: holding her breath, swimming fifty meters underwater, and diving to retrieve objects at a depth of fifteen meters.
Lee Wooshin still bothered her every time he saw her—especially when she was in the water barrel for breath-holding practice. He often pressed down on the back of her head until it felt like **torture**.
When the pressure was released as she was almost out of breath, she raised her head and found her gaze meeting Lee Wooshin's relaxed smile.
Her anger immediately flared.
Her punch flew, but her unstable movement caused her to fall along with the water barrel.
She looked **ridiculous**.
_Unthinkable that there would be such an embarrassing moment in life..._
Thinking about that moment, her face still felt hot.
"Today is a hundred won. If it's only a hundred won, you'll definitely get scolded."
Lee Wooshin said teasingly, while wrapping a scarf and comfortably attaching a heating pad to his cheek. Although he complained about being very cold, he still blew the whistle firmly and mercilessly, ordering them to get into the water.
Everyone went down without hesitation as usual.
They had to dive seven meters to retrieve coins at the bottom of the pool.
Seoryeong was no different from the others. She used both arms to break through the water pressure, continuing downward. Although her body was tired and her swimming skills were average, with her breath-holding ability, she never lagged too far behind.
When she successfully retrieved a **500 won coin** and ascended straight up, Lee Wooshin was also in the pool.
Everyone watched him from outside the water.
"Today we're going to make temporary flotation devices."
He moved his hands around his waist underwater, as if searching for something, while Seoryeong looked on in confusion.
A **snap** sound was heard, and his belt came undone.
Seoryeong blinked in confusion, then he lifted his soaking wet pants.
"Everyone, take off your pants according to the instructor's instructions."
"......!"
Lee Wooshin demonstrated how to blow air into the pants to create a temporary flotation device.
Everyone in the pool hesitated to take off their pants, and many pairs of eyes secretly turned to Seoryeong.
"......"
Seoryeong moved, but stopped.
The sudden wave of **embarrassment** unexpectedly halted her.
"Han Seoryeong."
At that moment, her gaze met Lee Wooshin's as he tilted his head, looking at her.
"Someone who wants to work on my team—do you only intend to rely on your teammates to survive?"
His cold gaze stared at her, who still hadn't made a flotation device.
"Then why should we accept someone who doesn't even have the ability to help themselves?"
"......!"
"But due to the uncomfortable situation, I will skip this step."
He spoke in a flat tone, as if he had never criticized her before. It showed an understanding of the difficulty or embarrassment she felt, but he didn't mock her as usual.
He only spoke in a tone that indicated he had already **seen her limits**—which immediately made Seoryeong feel anxious.
_Am I going to be kicked off the team just because of this...!_
"No...!"
Seoryeong hurriedly took off her pants, despite her previous hesitation.
The cold water that felt like needles pricking her legs woke her up instantly. She followed the others, blowing air into her pants until she succeeded and created a temporary flotation device.
When she hugged the inflated pants like a buoy underwater, it made being in the water **much easier**.
After practicing a few more times, the morning training ended.
"Everyone, disperse."
Lee Wooshin gave a short command to disperse and got out of the pool before the others.
All attention immediately focused on him as he rose from the water, his clothes clinging tightly to his body. His wet clothes stuck to his body, clearly revealing his chest, abdomen, and back muscles.
The tight underwear clung to his body like swimming trunks. Although it looked like swimwear, the clear outline of his body from his hips to his lower thighs gave a **strange feeling**.
Seoryeong immediately turned her head and quickly looked away, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
Soon after, the other teammates began to shiver and get out of the pool.
Seoryeong did the same. She hugged the flotation device and moved toward the edge of the pool.
"Don't look back. Return to your rooms immediately."
He blew a short whistle, giving the order to his team—but then he turned and told her:
"You can't get out yet."
"...What?"
"Stay in the water."
Seoryeong froze, treading water, her heart pounding.
The other recruits filed out of the pool area, dripping and shivering, casting curious glances over their shoulders. Within moments, the space was empty except for the two of them.
Lee Wooshin crouched at the edge of the pool, his wet clothes still clinging to his frame. Steam rose faintly from his skin in the cold air.
"You hesitated."
"I completed the exercise."
"After I gave you an out." His voice was flat, clinical. "That's not completing it. That's being **rescued**."
Seoryeong gritted her teeth, her legs burning from treading water.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Nothing." He tilted his head. "I want you to understand something."
"What?"
"In the field, there are no comfortable situations. There's no instructor who will 'skip this step' for you." He stood, looking down at her with those cold, unreadable eyes. "If you can't push past embarrassment, you'll die. And worse—you'll get your team killed."
Seoryeong's jaw tightened.
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
He stared at her for a long moment.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away—leaving her alone in the freezing water, her muscles screaming, her pride in tatters.
But she didn't get out.
Not until he was completely gone.
Not until she was sure no one could see the tears mixing with the chlorine on her face.