TCWGRF 2

If Isaac had followed his original plan, he would have blended into the crowd and gone to the employment agency.

He had no intention of getting a job. There was a risk his identity would be exposed during the verification process.

He only sought out the area near the employment agency because it was a place where people of various ages, from young men his age to others, gathered, and where a certain amount of idle chatter and information exchange was permitted.

For Isaac, who was unfamiliar with the city, it was the optimal place to look for anyone who resembled Asel in appearance and attire, to see if there was any news of rebels from other districts, or to spot any familiar faces from the Outside.

“It’s alr—”

However, he couldn’t just tell the old man that he didn’t need a job right now, or that it was alright. A citizen of District 28 was supposed to be desperate for his share of a job. A worry that a rash refusal might expose the fact that he was from the Outside made Isaac close his mouth.

“What you’re looking for will be there. Trust my words.”

But the old man thought the reason the young man before him had cut his words short was because he didn’t trust him. So, to emphasize that it was real, he nodded his head as gravely as possible, and then quickly moved away before the eyes of others could fall on them.

‘What I’m looking for will be there?’

In this place, no one knew what Isaac was trying to find anyway. So he could just ignore the old man’s words and head to his intended destination. But the last sentence he uttered with such conviction made Isaac’s footsteps turn toward the square.

Trudge, trudge. After leaving the old man behind, he walked to the square’s bulletin board, where dozens of people were already gathered in a clamorous crowd. The news posted up ahead had excited these people, who knew nothing but order and submission even in unreasonable situations.

He pushed his way through the people, and when he got closer, he saw a notice posted on the bulletin board.

[Public Security Department Announcement: To all citizens of all districts. We plan to organize a ‘Neighborhood Watch’ by recruiting personnel without district restrictions. Citizens with a will to serve are encouraged to apply. Compensation is generous.]

Gray World (2)

In the center of the city, the ‘City Center’. Among the many buildings that soared there, one of the few skyscrapers from which one could look down on the entire city landscape was the ‘Public Security Department’.

Of course, the brutally square building, plastered haphazardly with cement, was closer to a space meant to serve as an observation deck or a watchtower, rather than a place for leisurely gazing down below. In any case, on its very top floor was the official residence provided to successive Commissioner Generals of Public Security.

The master of that place was now Samuel, who had been appointed as the new Commissioner General.

As soon as that fact was announced, all the luxurious tastes of his predecessors left in the residence were carved away, except for the ceiling mural depicting angels.

Large pieces of furniture that carried the scent of others, like the bed, wardrobe, sofa, and armchair, were removed first, followed by potted plants, sculptures, and picture frames that bore the marks of others’ hands.

The intimate tastes that had proudly occupied every corner of the place were forcibly torn from their spots, destroyed, and carried away somewhere in sacks along with the dust, having lost their original forms just like their owners.

All that filled the emptied space was a spacious old wooden bed with white curtains on its posts, nightstands on either side, a green velvet sofa and coffee table placed opposite each other in front of the fireplace to serve as a dining table, a plain wardrobe, and a full-length mirror. That was all.

Perhaps because of that, the noises generated inside the room were sometimes not filtered out and would echo loudly outside the door.

“Aah, there, that feels good.”

“…”

“Hah, harder.”

Just as all his predecessors had done, the new Commissioner General who had just risen to the top enjoyed his private time to his heart’s content in his own residence. And he did so without regard for day or night.

Because that kind of autonomy and indolence followed power that only a few could possess.

On the bed in the early dawn as the surroundings began to brighten. A blond man covered in scars was aware of the sunlight seeping through the crack in the window, yet he was still powerfully thrusting into a man groaning beneath him from behind.

“Hoo…”

With one hand, he clutched the other’s red hair like horse reins, and with the other, he held the cigarette that had been on his lips between his fingers, compulsively flicking the remaining ash into an ashtray at the edge of the bed.

The blond man was clearly more composed than the red-haired man, or perhaps he just wasn’t immersed in the act. Even so, he was diligently moving his hips, wanting to at least relieve the desire pooled in his core.

“…”

Neither of the two had reached their climax yet. Knock, knock. A sudden knock on the door shattered their concentration.

“Ignore it. You’re with me right now.”

When his partner, who had been pounding against his inner walls as if to crush them, stopped moving and looked at the door, the groaning red-haired man immediately flipped over and began to plead, entwining his arms and legs around him like wisteria vines.

“Samuel…”

“…”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

He succeeded in holding his gaze for a moment with his coquettish gestures and tone of voice, but he failed to change his mind. In the domineering downward glance, there was no sign of regret for the interrupted lovemaking, nor even a small bit of longing for the person pinned beneath him.

Samuel stubbed out the cigarette, which was about a third of the way smoked, and without a trace of reluctance, he got up and immediately headed for the bathroom.

“I’ll take responsibility, so don’t go.”

The red-haired man, who seemed to wield even greater power than the new Commissioner General who had the entire spacious residence to himself, once again tried to hold him back.

Looking at him now, the pleading man’s face had a peculiar radiance. His hair had a sheen not seen on ordinary citizens who ate dry bread, and his skin had a smoothness unattainable by citizens who could only manage a cat wash due to the lack of water. That alone was enough to guess his status.

The blond man, who had been walking purposefully toward his destination without looking back, stopped at the word ‘responsibility’ and let out a scoffing, self-deprecating laugh over his shoulder.

“I have to go when I’m called. I’m a ‘dog’, after all.”

“…Samuel!”

“Besides, if I don’t go, your father will throw a fit.”

Having finished the minimum explanation that would make his clingy partner back off cleanly, Samuel entered the bathroom and turned on the water with a whoosh. The red-haired man had no choice but to accept that today’s tryst was over.

“Ah, damn it. It was just getting good!”

As his annoyed voice rang out sharply throughout the room, the new Commissioner General’s aide-de-camp opened the door and burst in as if on cue. The aide walked briskly to the bedside, then clicked his heels together, bent at the waist, and bowed politely.

“I will see you out, Lord Joas.”

The red-haired man, Joas, was not wearing a single stitch of clothing, but the aide paid it no mind and, under the pretext of seeing him out, urged the guest to leave the space quickly.

“…So cold-hearted.”

There were no exceptions for any guest who visited this room. If one wanted to see Samuel again, if one did not want to get on his bad side, it was better to leave obediently before he came out of the shower.

“No need to see me out. …Keep up the good work.”

With no intention of hiding the traces of their passionate lovemaking, Joas roughly picked up the shirt and pants strewn on the floor, put them on without even buttoning them, and left with a light wave to Samuel’s aide.

As soon as the guest left, workers carrying cleaning supplies rushed in and swiftly restored the room to its original state. The unknown stains splattered on the floor were wiped away, and the damp sheets were replaced with fresh ones in an instant.

After confirming that everything was no different from the first day of the appointment, the aide, this time, brought a perfectly ironed uniform, hung it on the clothes rack in front of the bathroom, and placed the necessary items on the shelf in order before leaving the room.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, a leisurely shower was in full swing, contrary to the busy situation outside.

The blond man stood under the endlessly falling water as if to wash away the sweat, the bodily fluids, the scent and warmth of another person, and even the very fact that they had shared their bodies.

There were not many people in the city who could use warm water to their heart’s content regardless of the season.

Perhaps only in the City Center and Districts 1 through 4 that surrounded it. The rest were only given a differential distribution of fuel to boil water on cold days, depending on the number attached to their district.

He had to admit it, even if he didn’t want to. That this kind of power wasn’t bad. That it was quite nice and worth enjoying.

Even though he had to humor the Party executives first thing in the morning, it was a quantum leap compared to just a few years ago.

He had performed dangerous operations at the forefront day and night and caught more rebels and spies than anyone else, yet his treatment was poor and his circumstances were not good. Blind loyalty and results that surpassed yesterday’s were taken for granted, and failure was a negation of his very existence.

A citizen should always be grateful to the city and the Party for accepting them into a beautiful and safe iron fortress, and for providing them with a home, food, and a job.

Samuel, who was from the Outside and had luckily risen to his current position, was in the same position as someone who had received a favor he could never repay in his lifetime, so it would not be enough even if he unsparingly devoted his life to the peace and prosperity of the city.

Squeak. Samuel turned the brass faucet to shut off the hot water, wrapped a towel around his lower body, and walked out of the bathroom.

He glanced at the scene of the room, which had been tidied up as if nothing had happened, and then took a few steps to stand in front of a mirror as tall as himself.

Because of the rain that had been falling for days, the inside of the Public Security Department building was cool and damp, but the top floor, where firewood was crackling in the fireplace, was dry and warm.

While the water droplets on his skin dried, Samuel gazed silently at his reflection in the mirror.

His straight limbs and torso were densely covered with marks from severe floggings to deep and shallow stab wounds and gunshot wounds. The overlapping scars, so numerous it was impossible to tell which came first, vied to testify to a past that had been anything but smooth.

The terrible past was easily hidden beneath the pure white uniform. A perfectly fitting gray shirt and pants, suspenders that held the two firmly together, a blue tie that resembled the color of his eyes, a pure white jacket with gold buttons, black socks, and stiff dress shoes. As the attire was put on, one piece at a time, the scars disappeared from view.

All that remained were his hands and wrists, the line of his neck peeking out from above his collar, and his delicate face.

His light blond hair, bluish eyes, sharp nose, and bright red lips were reminiscent of a haughty young lady who had never known hardship.

Samuel mocked his own appearance with a full-faced sneer. Then he immediately applied pomade to the hair that fell over his forehead, combed it back, and placed a squared-off hat of the same color as his uniform on top. Beneath the brim, his sharp and indifferent eyes gleamed.

“…Commissioner General. It is time to depart.”