I wondered who had received the 10 Eunrok pistols. However, just like before, the same warning message appeared. Haah. Seoyoung sighed and lowered her head. It felt like there was a huge wall in front of her with no exit.
How could she access information more quickly? To get even a B-level security clearance, she would have to wait at least two years. Even if the time were shortened and she obtained B-level clearance, she couldn’t be confident she would find what she wanted.
“If you want to hear my story, you should at least have spent a night with me in the same bed.”
Suddenly, she remembered what Kangjun had said in the car.
“Do you want to get out?”
The reason those words, dismissed as a joke, came back like bitter water was because they were beginning to sound like an opportunity in this completely blocked situation. And what naturally came to mind was the image of herself lying in Sa Kangjun’s bed.
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly, Yoo Seoyoung.”
Seoyoung quickly shook her head. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she unconsciously pulled out her cosmetic pouch and opened it. She examined her face in the small mirror, patted on some powder, and applied more lipstick. It seemed fine, but also not.
At that moment, she faintly heard the elevator door opening. Seoyoung hastily closed her cosmetics and turned her head.
“You’re here early, Secretary Yoo?”
“You’ve arrived, Secretary Shin.”
Seoyoung smiled at Shin Jihoon, pretending to be pleased to see him. Belatedly realizing this was unlike her usual behavior, she felt flustered.
“With the Office Director not here, my shoulders feel heavy, ugh. It’s overwhelmingly stressful.”
Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, as Shin Jihoon put down his bag and let out an exaggerated sigh. She could see the tension in his shoulders, but Seoyoung casually played along.
“I know. It would be nice if we could have a meal together or something.”
“What meal? In the five years I’ve been here, I’ve never eaten outside with the Office Director. Even company dinners are just among the secretaries.”
“I see.”
Seoyoung nodded briefly in response. Somehow, she felt that So Yujung might not be coming back.
“Oh, Secretary Shin. Yesterday I submitted the revised speech to the CEO and got his approval.”
“Oh, really?”
A slightly flustered look crossed Shin Jihoon’s face. Despite handing off his mistake to Seoyoung, he had apparently assumed that any report to the CEO would naturally go through him.
“Yesterday the CEO returned to the office late at night. He saw me working and asked me to bring it to him, so I couldn’t get your review. I’m sorry.”
Seoyoung deliberately conveyed the message carefully. Since he was now her only superior, there was no need to provoke his pride.
“Ah, I see. So the CEO came to the company after the meeting yesterday?”
Shin Jihoon’s expression brightened again. As if that matter was already beyond his concern, he leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.
“Guess who I saw yesterday?”
“Who?”
“Yesterday was my first time accompanying the CEO. It was an unscheduled meeting, so even I didn’t know who the CEO was meeting when I went.”
“That’s…”
Seoyoung quickly interrupted Shin Jihoon. The CEO’s unscheduled meetings were important information known only to insiders and had to be kept strictly confidential. She was shocked that the CEO’s secretary would speak so casually about it. He should know better than anyone that this could be grounds for dismissal. He wasn’t bright in character but rather careless. Seoyoung, who was about to redirect the conversation tactfully, suddenly paused. Was there really a need to stop Shin Jihoon? If she just played along a little, high-value information would naturally flow from his mouth, inflated with bravado. Seoyoung changed her mind.
“Who was it? I’m curious.”
“I’m only telling this to Secretary Yoo. Don’t talk about this anywhere else.”
“Where would I go to talk about it?”
Seoyoung laughed and responded wittily.
“I saw the Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration yesterday.”
“Really?”
“Somehow the atmosphere was very strict. At the end, some senior person came out, and it was a face I’d seen many times before. I wondered who it was, and wow, it was the Commissioner of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.”
“Wow. Secretary Shin, it looks like you’re really becoming a core member of Bantech now.”
Seoyoung was surprised inside but reacted calmly on the outside. Saying he saw him coming out meant he couldn’t enter and had no access to the conversation content. Unnecessarily probing further would only make him wary. Now, it was better to pretend to elevate Shin Jihoon’s position and create a foundation for waiting for the next piece of information.
“No, no. I’m telling you I have no ambitions.”
Shin Jihoon waved his hands dismissively and smiled with false modesty. Just as he was about to say more, shoulders tensed, the elevator door opened. Both of them immediately straightened up and stood simultaneously.
“Welcome, CEO.”
Shin Jihoon stepped forward first, and Seoyoung bowed her head.
“Good morning.”
Kangjun, making his appearance, walked past the two.
***
Sa Kangjun visited the laboratory at least once a day without fail. Sometimes he took Shin Jihoon with him, but when confidential experiments were involved, especially when going down to Development Team 3, he went alone. He usually stayed for more than an hour, and sometimes returned with the smell of gunpowder. Seoyoung thought that on the day of her interview, he must have come from the laboratory. Was Jung Yongjin from Development Team 3, who died that day, there?
On such days, Kangjun would look for a refreshing drink, as if trying to wash away the gunpowder scent that clung to his neck.
“Just a cup of mint tea.”
Today too, Kangjun, who had returned from the laboratory, ordered tea as he walked past. The smell of gunpowder wafted in more strongly than on other days.
Knock, knock. After knocking, Seoyoung carefully opened the door. There was no one in the office. Instead, water sounds could be heard from the private bathroom attached to the space. Kangjun, who always washed his hands upon returning, seemed to be inside. Seoyoung approached his desk with the tray holding the teacup.
Just as she was about to place the mint tea on the desk, she noticed the monitor was on. It wasn’t even in screen saver mode. A single character floating on the working screen captured Seoyoung’s attention.
α
Alpha. Was it a document title? Or a codename? A project name?
The moment she read that letter, a thirst-like curiosity washed over her. She wanted to see it. She wanted to check it. She wanted to know what was behind that character.
Seoyoung turned her eyes back toward the bathroom. The sound of water was still flowing steadily, but time suddenly felt accelerated. It suddenly occurred to her that there was no CCTV in Sa Kangjun’s room.
Seoyoung slowly lowered the tray and reached for the mouse. Her trembling fingertips cut through the heavy air as she advanced. With a chilling sensation, Seoyoung grabbed the mouse and gently scrolled the wheel. The document, which looked like a research report, was filled with incomprehensible numbers, tables, and unfamiliar technical terms. In her haste, she couldn’t properly grasp everything, but one line caught her eye.
Adaptive AI Combat Module – Experimental Phase 3
What is this? Just as she was committing these ominous-looking words to memory.
Brrrr. Brrrr.
Kangjun’s mobile phone, placed on the desk, began to vibrate. At the same time, the water sound from the bathroom abruptly stopped.
‘No!’
Her heart sank. Seoyoung reflexively moved the mouse back to the initial screen with the floating ‘α’. Just as she picked up the tray she had set down, the bathroom door opened. Seoyoung placed the cup on the desk with a natural smile.
“CEO, your mint tea…”
Seoyoung tried to stand up casually but froze. Kangjun was approaching with his upper body undressed, holding a new shirt. It was such a shocking scene that her earlier anxiety completely vanished. While she was speechless, Kangjun walked over and stood in front of the desk as if nothing was unusual. He picked up his mobile phone with a casual hand and checked the screen, then answered the call affectionately as if it was someone he knew.
“It’s been a while.”
Seoyoung, who had been staring at him blankly, found her gaze unconsciously lingering on his upper body. It was an overwhelmingly impressive physique that she couldn’t take her eyes off. Broad shoulders and a firm ribcage topped a solid chest. There wasn’t a trace of excess on his distinct abdominal muscles and smooth body lines. Turning her gaze away from his incongruously vivid nipples, she noticed old scars on his back and shoulders. Where had he been injured?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
