“Team Leader, isn’t Colonel Sun Woosung coming in today?”
The team members, their faces visibly refreshed from the long holiday, looked up with wide eyes. I nodded.
“He left for a mission, so he’s probably still on the surface.”
The day I got drunk and hurt my ankle, Sun Woosung had contacted me to let me know he’d be departing for a mission the following day.
I think he mentioned returning tomorrow. Since he left at the start of the holiday, it’s been about a week. He’ll likely need rest once he’s back, so there’s a chance I won’t see him until next week.
Since I’d been gone for quite a while, I ended the morning meeting early to go over everything I needed to check before seeing Cat, who was no doubt waiting for me. I glanced at the retreating figures of Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun, who scattered off to their tasks, then started walking toward the observation room. Without realizing, my pace gradually quickened.
By the time I reached the observation room, I was slightly out of breath.
“Cat?”
He had his massive back turned to me, not moving an inch.
He had to have noticed my presence.
As expected, he completely ignored me, and a bitter taste rose in my mouth.
“I was too late, wasn’t I?”
I slowly approached the barrier and placed my hand on the wall.
“I was at home the whole time, too. I couldn’t come in here.”
—……
“…Cat.”
Cat still didn’t move a muscle. His black back rose and fell gently with each breath.
Wondering if he might be unwell, I stepped over to the monitor measuring his physical signals.
The data showed nothing unusual, yet anxiety prickled at me as I tapped the edge of the machine with my fingertip.
—Nnngh……
A faint, weary sound reached me, and I lifted my gaze. Cat had turned his head slightly to glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I stared at his glossy pupils, the whiskers splayed out on either side of his face, the rounded tip of his nose—then froze.
He didn’t seem hurt or angry. He just looked… dejected.
Completely different from his usual attitude whenever I came back after a break.
—Prrr……
I stepped closer to the barrier, watching him intently.
He stared at the speaker for a moment, then looked at me. Without lifting his body, he buried his face into his front paws.
Ah.
A sudden realization flashed through my mind.
Maybe he’d been confused or startled—hearing my voice periodically but never seeing me, completely unable to communicate. It had been a method meant to help him feel secure during the holidays, so he wouldn’t feel completely abandoned in that silent space. But maybe my one-sided talking had actually unsettled him.
Seeing him so downcast, I felt a pang of guilt. I could vividly imagine him crying into the air, responding to my voice with no way to reach me.
Starting this afternoon, I was supposed to go through a week’s worth of Cat’s video footage.
But all at once, I lost the will to do it.
“……?”
While I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how to lift his spirits, I noticed something on the floor past the barrier—some uneaten food.
…That gluttonous beast didn’t eat?
My eyes darted over the chunks of meat. It wasn’t much—maybe a couple of the more recent ones he’d left untouched. Still, it was the first time this had ever happened, and I couldn’t help but feel alarmed.
Thud. Cat flicked the food toward me with his tail.
The chunk slid over and stopped near the barrier, lying there plainly in sight, as if he wanted me to see it.
That’s when I snapped out of it.
—Nnngh.
I looked at him, baffled. With an ambiguous expression, Cat slowly withdrew his tail and slumped back down, acting like he hadn’t done anything.
Seeing him express his gloom with his entire body, I resigned myself to spending the rest of the day locked away in the observation room.
***
By the next day, Cat’s condition had improved significantly. Staying by his side all day had paid off.
If I went into the barrier area, he’d probably perk up even faster—but doing that would mean dealing with a host of other complications.
There were procedures to follow to be in the same space as a monster.
I was in my lab, reviewing footage of Cat.
“Team Leader!”
Knock knock—along with the knock came Lee Seo-rim’s voice. The urgency in her tone made me look up immediately.
What’s going on?
“Come in.”
As soon as I answered, Lee Seo-rim threw open the door and rushed in. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be bad news—her face was full of excitement.
“Team Leader, Colonel Sun Woosung just arrived at the research facility.”
“……What?”
The Reconnaissance Unit was scheduled to return to the ship today—but why would they come to the research facility? I blinked in confusion as a single possibility came to mind.
Could it be…?
“They brought in a new specimen. The Colonel said he hopes you’ll take a look at it.”
Lee Seo-rim confirmed my suspicion. It had been a long time since the last transport.
There were only two reasons the Reconnaissance Unit would capture a monster from the surface: either the lab had requested a new specimen, or they had encountered one with unusual characteristics. Usually, it was the former. The latter was rare.
But I hadn’t heard anything recently about Building A requesting a capture. And I’d been focused solely on Cat. That meant the reason was obviously the latter.
What kind of monster had they brought back…? My brow creased slightly without realizing. When a new creature arrived, many researchers typically gathered to observe, so even if I went to see it myself, it wouldn’t raise suspicion. Still, it was strange that they had specifically requested me.
“Where is the Colonel now?”
“He went to fill out the transfer paperwork. He said once that’s done, he’ll head over to the Building A.”
Lee Seo-rim’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“Are you going right now, Team Leader?”
She seemed excited at the idea of getting a look at the new monster.
“Yes. You and Young-jun can follow a bit later.”
“Got it!”
If Seol Young-jun was currently working on organizing the paper on Cat, he’d probably freak out when he heard this. He didn’t need to come if he didn’t want to, but… he probably would.
After sending Seo-rim out, I quickly wrapped up what I was doing and left the lab. I was nearing the entrance to Building A when—
“Seo Suho.”
A familiar voice called out to me. I turned to see Sun Woosung standing tall, staring straight at me.
What the… My eyes widened instinctively. He looked far too wrecked for casual greetings.
“Colonel.”
I rushed toward him and examined his condition closely.
An arm in a splint. Thick scabs at the corner of his lips. A purplish bruise spreading across one cheekbone. One eye covered with a bandage.
He was in such a mess, it was surprising that he was still standing.
Don’t tell me… was this because of the monster they just brought in?
“…This barely counts as an injury.”
Maybe I’d been staring too intently—Sun Woosung brushed it off with a flat statement.
“No need to worry.”
“……”
Is that how someone talks after returning with all limbs intact? I mean, sure, it was a relief—but acting this unfazed felt a little off. I hesitated, then met his gaze.
“What happened? Your eye…”
Honestly, it looked less like a monster attack and more like he’d gotten into a fistfight. Maybe there’d been some kind of conflict with the other unit members.
Sun Woosung responded calmly.
“There’s a scratch on the cornea. The eye patch is temporary. As for how it happened… you’ll understand when you see it.”
He nodded toward the Building A. I fell silent and started walking with him.
I kept stealing glances at him without meaning to.
“You’re this badly hurt—shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”
“I already got the necessary treatment. I’m fine. No need to stay in a hospital bed.”
His lips curled faintly. His gaze toward me softened more than expected.
“You’re more of a worrier than I thought.”
…Does he not realize that he’s just grown numb to it all? I swallowed the words rising in my throat.
Just then, a group of researchers passed nearby, grumbling as they went.
“Why won’t they let us in?”
“No idea. Even the people who saw the transport aren’t saying a word.”
Their voices were tinged with both frustration and curiosity. Even just catching fragments, it was clear they were talking about the new specimen the Recon Unit had brought in. I raised an eyebrow at the unexpected complaints.
They’re restricting access?
Sure, the monster containment rooms were always locked—but any authorized researcher had always been allowed to observe the new arrivals. That had never changed.
I glanced at Sun Woosung. He walked on without a hint of reaction.
We arrived at one of the more comfortable observation rooms in Building A—a relatively well-kept space compared to others. A staff member stationed near the entrance recognized me.
“Ah, Team Leader Seo Suho.”
“Hello.”
After exchanging greetings and completing a routine ID check, I entered the room with Sun Woosung. Maybe it was because I hadn’t been here in a while, but the space felt oddly unfamiliar. I turned my head forward—
Boom!
A fist slammed into the barrier.
Our eyes met.
“……!”
I froze, unable to breathe.
It wasn’t a monster.
It was a person.
