Yeo Wonjin rested his chin on his hand as he looked at Sun Woosung.
“Something you want to see for yourself?”
“…….”
Sun Woosung transferred a video record from the research lab to Yeo Wonjin via his watch. Yeo Wonjin glanced down at his wrist as it vibrated.
“It’s about Seo Suho.”
As Yeo Wonjin checked the transmitted file, Sun Woosung continued. It was a rare incident aboard the ship—one that naturally warranted the Captain’s attention. But because it involved Seo Suho, Sun Woosung was convinced Yeo Wonjin would pay even closer attention.
“I reviewed the footage because I suspected someone tipped off the kidnappers about when Seo Suho was leaving the lab.”
Yeo Wonjin focused on the clip showing Min Sanghan standing behind Seo Suho, seemingly in contact with someone.
“But I…”
Sun Woosung’s gaze gradually sharpened.
“I don’t believe for a second that you didn’t already know about this, Captain.”
There was no way someone in the Security Force wouldn’t consider that possibility. What puzzled Sun Woosung was why Yeo Wonjin had stayed silent despite presumably having reviewed the Security Force’s investigation report.
When Yeo Wonjin finally looked up, his eyes met Sun Woosung’s.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
Sun Woosung asked quietly.
“And if I did?”
Yeo Wonjin let out a soft laugh—one that held no warmth whatsoever.
“Are you accusing me of trying to bury this?”
Sun Woosung didn’t answer. His silence confirmed it.
Regardless of any personal feelings Yeo Wonjin might have toward Seo Suho, he was the Captain. No one could know for sure what kind of arrangement he had with the lab director. And if Min Sanghan had indeed tried to kill Seo Suho, Yeo Wonjin might have decided to keep the incident under wraps to avoid triggering chaos.
If it came to light that a research lab director had attempted to murder one of his own researchers, it would shatter the delicate trust among the ship’s residents, possibly plunging the vessel into turmoil.
Yeo Wonjin’s lips curved downward as he frowned slightly at Sun Woosung’s reaction.
“Unfortunately, no. Sorry to disappoint.”
He pointed a straight finger at the floating display. The footage showed Min Sanghan moving through the lobby.
“By this time, Min Sanghan’s watch history had already been wiped. The guy’s annoyingly good at deleting evidence of his own crimes.”
Right after he’d heard about Seo Suho’s abduction, Yeo Wonjin had immediately ordered the data center shut down. But it seemed he’d been a step too late—Min Sanghan’s watch records had already been erased under the pretense of a system error.
Even after replacing the data center manager and beefing up security to ensure Min Sanghan couldn’t pull any more tricks, his influence had somehow still reached the new manager.
It was likely something he’d prepared in advance—possibly from the very moment he started planning Seo Suho’s kidnapping.
“Honestly, I regret it. I didn’t think he’d go so far as to try to eliminate the researcher outright. I should’ve had a Security Force officer assigned to watch over him.”
“…Ahead of time?”
“Min Sanghan…”
Yeo Wonjin trailed off, then quietly stared at Sun Woosung’s face.
Since it was Sun Woosung, there was no need to question whether he was friend or foe. From the start, he’d always been a soldier who simply followed orders, completely indifferent to the political games of the higher-ups.
More importantly, Sun Woosung clearly had feelings for Seo Suho. Naturally, that meant he would show no mercy to Suho’s enemies.
Right now, the more people who were protective of Seo Suho, the better. And since it was now obvious that Min Sanghan was targeting him, it was time to lay everything out.
In the end, Yeo Wonjin slowly opened his mouth to speak.
***
I kept it as brief as I could for Sun Woosung, but his reaction was even worse than I’d expected. The strangely subdued look on his face—so quiet it felt out of place—still lingered in my mind.
“Team Leader!”
“Gasp—Team Leader!”
Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun, whom I hadn’t seen for over a week, greeted me with open enthusiasm. I didn’t want to worry anyone, and yet, for some reason, I always seemed to end up in situations where my team ended up worrying about me.
“Your face…! What happened to you?”
“A-Are you okay?”
Seeing their jaws drop as they looked at me, I offered an awkward smile. The only thing really visible was the bruise on my face, but since it was healing slowly, the bluish tint still clung to my skin, making it look much worse than it actually was to those seeing it for the first time. The dark mark creeping up near my eye annoyed even me.
“Did you get into an accident or something?”
Seol Young-jun winced, as if he were the one in pain, and asked.
“Something like that. Took a pretty nasty tumble.”
The moment I recalled being brutally beaten by the kidnapper, my heart gave an uncomfortable jolt. Shaking my head, I forced a small smile.
“Sorry for being gone so long. Did you all manage okay?”
“Yes, totally!”
“It was just… I kept feeling like I had no one to rely on with you gone, and that made things a little scary. Maybe because of that, I kept myself on edge the whole time, worried I’d miss something. Didn’t even make any mistakes.”
I nodded at Seol Young-jun’s rapid-fire response. He looked at me like he wanted praise, so I gave him a simple “Good job,” and he lit up like he could float away.
“It’s not like you gave us anything too difficult…”
Lee Seo-rim’s tone was casual, but she kept sneaking worried glances at my face. Still, she didn’t press me. She must’ve realized I didn’t want to go into detail about what happened, and decided to respect that.
After finishing an unusually long meeting with the team, I headed over to Cat. Catching up on paperwork would have to wait.
—…Nnng?
“It’s me, Cat.”
Cat tilted his head at the sight of me, and I walked over quickly. He swished his tail low to the ground, staring at me intently. Judging by the sheen on his fur and how healthy he looked, it seemed the team had taken good care of him while I was away.
—Grrr…!
It wasn’t like he didn’t recognize me, nor was he angry. Just like the team, he was reacting to the state of my face.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
—Grmm.
“Sorry I showed up so late without saying anything. I really didn’t have a choice.”
I gently calmed Cat, who was glaring at me with those yellow eyes full of accusation.
I’d come alone, hoping to restore some peace of mind to Cat, who had likely waited for me all this time. Without Sun Woosung around, he seemed a little more forgiving, which gave me a bit of relief. He didn’t even throw a tantrum—good boy.
Thankfully, he let it go pretty quickly. Maybe he was just letting me off the hook because of the state I was in.
After spending some time with Cat, I left the observation room and headed toward where Lee Shin was.
Truthfully, it was Lee Shin I was most worried about.
He started refusing food…
I’d heard he had thrown quite the fit during the meeting. Perhaps because I’d explained that Lee Seo-rim and Seol Young-jun were my teammates, during the first couple of days I was gone, he only bared his teeth and glared at anyone who came to check on him, but didn’t cause any major trouble. But… after that, he’d gone into a rage, consumed by confusion and anger, searching for me frantically.
Normally, the guy loved to eat and never missed a meal, but ever since he’d started looking for me, he barely touched his food.
My pace quickened as I made my way to Building A’s observation room.
BOOM!
The moment I opened the door, a thunderous crash greeted me. It felt like the entire space, including the floor beneath me, was vibrating—an all-too-familiar sensation.
BANG…! BOOM!
There was no mistaking what those sounds were. I immediately moved toward the passage to get behind the barrier.
“Lee Shin!”
I shouted his name as he pounded his fists against the barrier. My brow furrowed—he looked just like he had the first day he’d been trapped in here.
Still shirtless, his breathing ragged, shoulders heaving—he turned to look at me. He must’ve been so intent on breaking out that he hadn’t even noticed me enter.
…For someone usually so sensitive to movement and presence.
“Suho…?”
Lee Shin mumbled as his eyes found mine. I didn’t reply. I just rushed to him.
“What the hell is this?”
My chest tightened when I saw his hands—torn, bleeding, and dripping red. I gently took his wounded hands in mine, lifting them up. He stared straight at me and finally spoke.
“Is it really you, Suho?”
“Who else would it be? You think there’s a fake Suho running around?”
My voice came out stiff. Even though it was my fault for disappearing without a word, I wanted to scold him like I’d been gone for a year, not just a week.
“Look at your hands. You might as well have destroyed them completely.”
I hated seeing someone hurt themselves. Without meaning to, my voice turned sharp with anger. Lee Shin just stood there, letting me hold his hands, staring at my face with a vacant expression.
That fierce, muscular frame that had been furiously smashing the wall—now he looked dazed, like that had all been a lie.
“…Hold on. I’ll get some medicine.”
What was I doing snapping at a kid? The first priority was to treat those wounds that looked painful just to see. With a sigh, I let go of his hands and turned to go grab some ointment and bandages.
“Don’t go.”
His arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
“I waited for you.”
“…!”
“You can’t leave again. Stay here.”
A low voice I’d never heard from him before brushed against my ears.
