I already knew that those two got scared every time they faced S8A152—and that in Seol Young-jun’s case, it was particularly severe. They always tried not to show it, so I’d quietly pretended not to notice, but I hadn’t realized it was bad enough to give him nightmares.
Still, it was completely understandable. No matter how tightly you lock them up, a monster is still a monster. Their very presence is bound to feel threatening to humans. When any normal living creature comes face-to-face with something bigger and more violent, it’s only natural to feel instinctive fear. Especially ones like Cat, the strong ones—the intensity of killing intent they gave off was on a whole other level.
“It’s completely natural to be afraid.”
I said it to Seol Young-jun, to make it clear this wasn’t something to be ashamed of or hide.
He flinched and lowered his head.
“To be honest… I volunteered to come here, but I keep getting scared, and I was worried you’d think I was pathetic, Team Leader.”
In the end, he confessed it all, sounding deflated. Lee Seo-rim went quiet at the sight of her friend suddenly shrinking back like that.
“…Not even a little.”
I replied bluntly, still a little incredulous.
“It would’ve been weirder if you weren’t affected at all.”
They were fresh recruits, just starting out at the lab. Most of what they knew about monsters would’ve come from textbooks or secondhand stories from their seniors. Fainting on the spot the first time they saw one in person was a natural response.
“Really…?”
Some of the gloom lifted from Seol Young-jun’s face.
When I nodded, there was a bit more light in his eyes than before.
“Thank you. I’ll try to get used to it.”
“You’re already doing well.”
“Um, but Team Leader… Are you really okay?”
Lee Seo-rim asked gently, worry flickering in her eyes.
“It’s a relief you weren’t hurt, but… you went through a lot during the demonstration. If it were me, I probably would’ve come down with something.”
“I’m fine.”
I wouldn’t be standing if I weren’t. At my answer, both Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun looked relieved.
“You were so busy that day, I didn’t get a chance to say anything, but you were incredible. Honestly, I almost screamed. You were that cool. Anyway, you’re the best, Team Leader.”
Lee Seo-rim gave a firm thumbs-up. She was always honest with her emotions, never holding back when it came to praise or criticism.
Min Yugeon’s words suddenly came to mind—how he’d told me I should express myself more. Maybe I needed to learn from Lee Seo-rim.
“I feel kind of silly saying this since we didn’t do much to help, but I couldn’t help feeling proud.”
Seol Young-jun nodded earnestly. I was about to offer a light response, thank them for feeling that way, and move on when—
“Ah.”
Lee Seo-rim suddenly hesitated, like something just came to her.
“Um… Team Leader.”
She seemed unsure whether she should bring it up.
“After the demonstration wrap-up, we got a request from one of the senior members of the Dissection Team…”
“…A request?”
“Yes. They asked if we could help set up a separate meeting with you. Even just over lunch.”
“Oh.”
Seol Young-jun’s expression lit up in recognition.
“Right, Team Leader. It was the first time we ever talked to that person, so we didn’t expect them to ask something like that.”
The two of them glanced at me, looking unsure. It seemed they hadn’t been able to turn down a senior colleague’s request, unfamiliar and intimidating as it must’ve been for them as rookies.
“I see.”
I looked at them, and without thinking too long about it, gave my answer.
“But I’m not really in the mood to meet anyone right now.”
It’s perfectly natural for people to feel drawn to each other, but when those feelings are directed at me, it’s never really made sense. I’m not especially good-looking, not built like Min Yugeon, and I’m not particularly sociable either. So I’ve never understood what people saw in me.
Not that I’ve ever wanted to figure it out. I’d probably just end up hurting them. I find emotional exchanges with others exhausting.
Lee Seo-rim gave a quick nod.
“Got it! I’ll pass that along.”
“Well then, should we head in?”
I nodded toward the entrance of Building B and turned around. Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun quickly followed at my heels.
Walking with my team, we soon found ourselves inside Building B. Unlike Building A, where most of the researchers worked, B was quiet.
I grabbed my coat and logbook from my private room and headed out. My team members were waiting in the hallway, and together we made our way toward the observation room.
The corridor ahead was lined with security shutters spaced evenly apart. I stopped walking and pulled the control device from my coat.
Zzzzzt. All the shutters began rising at once. As the path opened before us, we moved forward without obstruction until we reached a specially reinforced door.
The sensor detected my presence as I approached. A blue light flashed from the security panel in the center of the door and scanned my body.
Clunk. With a heavy mechanical sound, the door unlocked and opened.
“Ssshh… whoo.”
Seol Young-jun, standing beside me, took a deep breath. I turned to him and asked,
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes…!”
I looked at Lee Seo-rim, and she nodded too. They both seemed like they’d braced themselves to a certain extent, so I slowly stepped through the doorway.
A dim corridor stretched ahead. I heard the mechanical sound of the door locking automatically—probably Seol Young-jun had closed it behind us. Unlike just moments ago, no one was talking. We walked in a line, quietly. Monsters were sensitive to light and sound. It would’ve already sensed our presence.
…
As we passed through the corridor in silence, a massive wall came into view.
A transparent wall, through which the interior could be observed.
Beyond it was the monster’s space, laid bare before my eyes.
Curled up near a felled tree, S8A152 was staring straight at me.
“Hey.”
Its ears perked at the sound of my voice. Under the soft indirect lighting—just bright enough to make things out—familiar features of the monster came into view.
Its sharply split twin tails flicked gently. A sign of recognition, maybe even delight.
“Wow…”
Lee Seo-rim looked back and forth between the monster and me, eyes wide with awe. Her voice, of course, was kept to a whisper.
Grrrrrr…
Even that slight sound agitated it.
A moment ago, it had seemed almost calm—like a giant feline beast in a resting state. But in an instant, it revealed its hostility. Exposing its blade-like teeth, each one honed to deadly sharpness, it slowly rose to its feet. The way it fixed its gaze on Lee Seo-rim made it obvious—it saw prey.
Muscles tensed under its long limbs, coiled like springs, ready to pounce at any second. Instinctively, Lee Seo-rim took a step back. So did Seol Young-jun.
“…Cat.”
I stepped calmly up to the wall. S8A152, already worked up and drooling, turned its head toward me. I called its name again, this time with a steady tone.
“Cat.”
Grrrr…!
Its eyes flared wide. Its eyeballs were so large that the dilation and contraction of its pupils were clearly visible. It wasn’t from surprise. It was restraining its predatory instinct by recalling who I was.
The huffing breaths through its nose gradually settled. Watching it slowly relax, I let a faint smile form on my lips. It was a positive sign, as if it understood I was praising it. S8A152 began to amble over to me.
Grrrp.
It rubbed its face against the wall in a show of affection. As its black fur pressed into the wall, I placed my palm gently against the glass. Even without this wall, I was confident it wouldn’t attack me—this was why I’d planned this demonstration to be a bit more daring than usual.
I remembered how, during the event, Cat had been even more protective of me than I’d expected.
…Then, inevitably, came the thought of Rai, trailing in his wake. I shut my eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again.
Grrrp?
Cat looked up at me with a curious gleam in his eye. Monsters were incredibly sensitive to emotional shifts, too.
“You’ve been so good.”
I spoke softly.
“You did really well, Cat.”
Almost like he understood, S8A152 flicked out his tongue and licked his nose, clearly pleased. Then he stretched his whole body out. Even though there was still space around him, his form filled the view so completely that it made the area feel cramped.
We’d widened the enclosure as much as possible to keep him comfortable, but for a monster used to roaming freely outside, it had to feel stifling. And the observation rooms in Building A were even smaller than this one.
The ones that couldn’t adjust in there either went berserk and had to be put down, or they stopped eating altogether and withered away until they died. The barrage of tests and experiments monsters had to undergo as soon as they arrived at the lab only deepened their wariness and stress.
But S8A152 had adapted here with barely any issues.
And for that, I couldn’t help but feel a kind of gratitude.
