While I’d been spending time in the observation room with Sun Woosung lately, the rest of the team hadn’t exactly been idle. They kept monitoring the situation in the observation room, handled other essential tasks, and even made time to go to Building A, where they steadily built up their knowledge and technical skills regarding the monsters. They didn’t forget the team rotation rounds I had recommended, either.
Since we all lived and worked organically within one facility, having a basic grasp of each other’s fields—not just our own areas of expertise—was beneficial for daily life in the research center. For instance, it was better to be able to install or fix a simple device on our own without needing to call the Equipment Team every time.
“Team Leader!”
“It’s been a while, Team Leader… and lunch with the Colonel!”
The busy team members appeared with trays in hand, calling out cheerfully for various reasons. Spotting Sun Woosung seated across from me, they hastily added their greetings, which made me chuckle. Sun Woosung returned the greeting with a nod as the two of them joined us at the table.
Seol Young-jun looked back and forth between Sun Woosung and me, then suddenly fixed his gaze on me.
“Team Leader, you’ve been wearing long sleeves a lot lately. Doesn’t it get hot wearing that under your lab coat?”
“Ah.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly, as if to acknowledge the remark. It was because of the marks Min Yugeon had left—but there was no way I could say that out loud.
“Not really. It’s fine.”
I brushed it off. The team didn’t seem to notice anything strange and just nodded. I could feel Sun Woosung’s gaze prickling at me subtly.
Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun chatted brightly with Sun Woosung as they ate. The two of them, who thought that despite his demeanor he seemed to have a good personality, often approached him with cheerful familiarity. Though his responses were curt, Sun Woosung still made the effort to respond properly to their questions.
“Colonel, how do you handle meals on the surface? I’m guessing you take military rations with you?”
“Yes. They come in capsule form, so I carry them in my pocket.”
“What?! Don’t tell me… one capsule per meal?”
“One per day. I have to keep my body as light as possible.”
“Whaaat?”
“That’s insane…!”
“…There are components in them that create a sense of fullness, so it’s bearable.”
The moment the two of us weren’t alone, the atmosphere shifted from quiet concentration to full-on chatter. I could almost see Sun Woosung’s energy slowly being drained.
After the meal, once we parted ways with the others, Sun Woosung finally regained his composure. I found us seats in the spacious lounge in the lobby and handed him a drink.
“Before Seo-rim and Young-jun arrived, Building B was usually pretty quiet. Thanks to them, it’s become much livelier.”
I generally preferred a calm atmosphere, but once in a while, being immersed in someone else’s energy wasn’t so bad.
“Is the headquarters where you’re stationed usually quiet?”
“…”
Sun Woosung silently shook his head.
“It’s quite loud. We argue a lot.”
“…I see.”
“But I can shut them up pretty quickly, if necessary.”
His words, spoken while staring down at his own hands, made me flinch involuntarily. I must have imagined it, but it sounded like he was saying it was a shame he couldn’t do the same when the team was simply being loud without actually fighting, like mine.
“By the way.”
Sun Woosung lifted his gaze.
“When is the next demonstration?”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to attend next time.”
“Ah…”
Was he still regretful about missing the last one? Or had he started feeling more invested now that he had an active role in the project? Either way, the interest he showed felt like a green light, and I nodded with a sense of relief.
“You couldn’t come last time because of your mission, right?”
“Correct. I had to leave just before it started.”
The Reconnaissance Unit didn’t always operate blindly, risking their lives on uncertain information. Sometimes, unmanned drones sent from the ship would detect valuable resources on the surface or calculate the possibility of harvesting them. When that happened, urgent missions were assigned based on the findings. I hadn’t known that before, but I learned thanks to Sun Woosung.
After a short pause, I spoke.
“It’s still too early to say exactly when, but whenever it does happen, you’ll definitely be there.”
A hint of confusion flickered across Sun Woosung’s face, as if he couldn’t understand why I was so certain. I added the reason willingly.
“Because that’ll be the first time we truly present the military beast. Not me handling Cat—but a soldier.”
“…!”
“And that soldier who’ll be partnered with Cat… is you, Colonel.”
It wouldn’t make sense for the star of the demonstration to be absent. So unless the safety of the ship was truly at risk, the Captain likely wouldn’t assign the Reconnaissance Unit any missions during that time.
“Of course, it depends on your cooperation. I was originally planning to bring it up later… but when the time comes, will you help us?”
I asked politely, and it must have caught him completely off guard because Sun Woosung went silent. Just as I was waiting for his hesitant reply—
“Researcher?”
A sudden voice called out to me—it seemed abrupt in this quiet place. When I turned around, I saw Yeo Wonjin. The attendants who had been by his mother’s side were now gathered around him.
I rose from my seat, concealing my surprise, and gave a slight bow in greeting.
“Vice Captain. What brings you here…?”
“Ah, I came to donate blood today.”
I blinked at the unexpected response. The vice captain himself donating blood—it was unusual. If this made its way into internal reports or updates, it would undoubtedly trigger a surge of volunteers hoping to follow his example. Yeo Wonjin surely understood that as well.
It couldn’t have come at a better time, either—the stock of blood packs used as monster feed was nearly depleted. His offer was timely and much appreciated.
I felt the tension in my face ease. Meeting my gaze with a smile, Yeo Wonjin then looked over at Sun Woosung, who was standing across from me.
“Colonel Sun Woosung.”
It was only natural that Yeo Wonjin, as second-in-command, would know the leader of the Reconnaissance Unit. Sun Woosung gave a silent nod without any noticeable change in expression.
“I see the two of you are together for the project. Have you started to adjust?”
“…Yes.”
“If the opportunity arises, I’d really like to see how it’s progressing. I’m genuinely curious.”
It wasn’t just a polite remark—his interest felt sincere. I took note of that. Once there was any measurable interaction between Sun Woosung and Cat, it would be necessary to invite Yeo Wonjin to observe it firsthand.
Yeo Wonjin looked back and forth between the two of us.
“Am I interrupting your break time?”
“…”
“Not at all. We were just about to wrap up anyway.”
I responded with a glance toward Sun Woosung, who hadn’t said anything. Just as the moment seemed to signal our parting, an attendant approached from the direction of Building A.
“Vice Captain.”
He looked troubled.
“The blood donation unit won’t be operating today. Something came up with the staff in charge. It seems there was a miscommunication during our earlier contact… It was my mistake. I apologize.”
I wasn’t the only one in the research center who needed blood. Since blood packs were also used in Building A, there was an entire logistics team responsible for collecting donations from residents. Upon hearing that the necessary personnel weren’t available at the site, Yeo Wonjin shrugged as if there was nothing to be done.
“Hmm… I guess that means today’s a no-go.”
I frowned subtly. He would surely return another day, but timing-wise, it was a real shame to lose this chance.
“I can help.”
I stepped forward and spoke up. All eyes turned toward me with curious expressions.
“You mean you, Researcher?”
“Yes. I’m certified to draw blood as well.”
A handful of researchers had training in the medical field. Since it was mandatory to learn about injuries caused by monsters, some researchers had taken the opportunity to study treatment methods as well—everything from basic exams to surgery.
However, most avoided the advanced course since it required going to an actual hospital, receiving feedback from licensed doctors, and completing a challenging curriculum. But since joining the research center, I had made it a point to learn everything I could, so drawing blood was no problem for me.
The attendant, visibly disheartened for having caused a wasted trip, suddenly perked up. His eyes sparkled with renewed hope as he looked at me—almost excessively so.
Yeo Wonjin’s face brightened as if this turn of events couldn’t have worked out better.
“Then I’ll gladly take you up on that.”
“Of course.”
I glanced at Sun Woosung, who had been quietly watching Yeo Wonjin’s expression. He turned his gaze to me.
“Would it be alright if we started the experiment a little later this afternoon?”
“I’ll be in your lab, Seo Suho.”
Understanding the situation, Sun Woosung gave a nod. Since he’d been spending most of his time either in the observation room or my lab, the latter was the more practical option. Having received my confirmation, he offered a brief farewell to Yeo Wonjin and turned to leave.
I activated my watch screen to contact Min Sanghan.
“I’ll need to get access to the blood donation unit, so I’ll head over there for a bit, Vice Captain.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
Pulling his gaze away from Sun Woosung’s retreating figure, Yeo Wonjin gave me a warm smile.
