TG Ch 10(1) Part 3

Sijin headed to the director’s office, his heart heavy.

Whenever the director summoned an examiner after a berserk episode, it was always to reprimand them. Sijin braced himself for a scolding.

Still, he hoped it would be easier to handle since it had only been a pre-berserk episode.

“The director is in a long meeting. Could you wait for a moment?”

“Okay.”

The secretary guided him to the sofa and asked him to wait. Sijin sat down and waited. The luxurious director’s office was right next to him. Sijin fidgeted nervously, his hands clasped in his lap.

Then, he heard an angry shout from the director’s office.

“Why the hell not!?”

Sijin was startled and looked towards the office.

A middle-aged man’s voice followed, “Are you taking this lightly!? If this information gets out, Dr. Baek will be in even more danger!”

Clang! At the same time, he heard the sound of something shattering, like a ceramic vase. Even the secretary’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘Me?’

A deep sense of unease washed over Sijin. He hadn’t expected them to be talking about him.

Then, the door to the director’s office burst open. Sijin tried to pretend he wasn’t paying attention, but he couldn’t help but stare.

‘Jeong Taeyul…?’

The person who stormed out of the director’s office was Jeong Taeyul, his jaw clenched in anger.

Then, another harsh, almost authoritative command echoed from the doorway, “You idiot, you’ve aged for nothing! A captain who can’t even carry out a single mission properly!”

Jeong Taeyul ignored him and walked out of the office. His face was filled with an unusual rage. His jaw was clenched so tight that the muscles in his cheeks stood out, and his breathing was ragged.

Sijin’s eyes met Jeong Taeyul’s as he ran a hand roughly through his brown hair. Sijin looked at him with concern, unsure what to do. He didn’t know the details of the situation, so it didn’t seem like the right time to comfort him or acknowledge him.

Meanwhile, the secretary entered the director’s office, seemingly to clean up the mess.

“I’ll take care of it. I apologize for the disturbance.”

He heard a middle-aged man’s voice from inside. Sijin was curious about what had happened, but he couldn’t ask.

Then, Jeong Taeyul stood in front of Sijin.

Sijin hesitated, then looked up. He saw Jeong Taeyul, his eyes red with anger.

“The director called you?”

“…Yes.”

He didn’t even use the honorific title when referring to the director. It seemed like they were on very bad terms. Sijin was surprised to see him arguing with the director like that, even though he was the Alpha Team captain.

Feeling awkward in the ensuing silence, Sijin cleared his throat and stood before Jeong Taeyul, who was still panting in anger.

“Are you… okay?”

“……”

“Why are you so angry…?”

Sijin asked hesitantly, trying to soothe him. Jeong Taeyul had initiated the conversation but had fallen silent, so Sijin had no choice but to continue.

But Jeong Taeyul didn’t answer. He just stared at Sijin, who looked at a loss for words. Sijin, wanting to comfort him further, gently took his hand and squeezed it. Seeing the hurt and anger in his expression made Sijin’s heart ache.

After a moment, Jeong Taeyul let out a hollow laugh and said, “If the director gives you a hard time, tell me.”

“Yes?”

“Tell me.”

“That’s…”

“If he asks you something you don’t want to answer, just ignore him and leave.”

What if he got fired for that…? Sijin knew that the director was a much higher authority than the Alpha Team captain.

“Dr. Baek? Would you like to come in now?”

The secretary called out to Sijin. Sijin looked at Jeong Taeyul apologetically, nodded goodbye, and walked past him. He could see Jeong Taeyul’s silhouette standing there through the glass wall next to the door.

Sijin glanced back worriedly before entering the director’s office. Why was he so angry? He couldn’t stop thinking about Jeong Taeyul.

***

The director was looking out the window, rubbing his tired brow.

When Sijin awkwardly entered the office, the director turned around, his face etched with fatigue.

“It was a bit noisy, wasn’t it?”

The director sighed but greeted Sijin. Sijin bowed awkwardly. 

The director spoke to him kindly, “Have a seat.”

“Okay.”

Sijin sat down awkwardly on the leather sofa, his mind racing.

‘What did they talk about… me…? Was it because of my escort?’

Sijin knew he was under protection. But was there something more dangerous going on…? His hands, clasped in his lap, tightened nervously.

“You’ve been working hard with the promotion tests.”

The director asked as he approached Sijin and sat down on the leather sofa opposite him. He still had a slight limp, but he never used a cane.

“Ah, no. It’s my responsibility to manage them.”

Sijin said nervously. Now the conversation would turn to the berserk episode and his competence would be questioned. Sijin already felt like he was being subjected to mental torture.

But the director chuckled, looking at Sijin. His smiling brown eyes gave him a friendly appearance.

But Sijin couldn’t relax. He hesitated, then asked tentatively, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it seemed like you were talking about… me…”

“Ah, you heard something you shouldn’t have.”

The director sighed heavily, then glared at something behind Sijin. Following his gaze, Sijin saw a tall figure standing outside.

‘Jeong Taeyul…?’

Sijin’s eyes widened. Jeong Taeyul was standing outside, visible through the glass wall, as if deliberately waiting there. 

The director shook his head and clicked his tongue, saying wearily, “Don’t mind him. I assigned him to escort you… He’s hopeless.”

“Ah, that’s… Yes.”

The director looked back and forth between the nervous Sijin and Jeong Taeyul, then asked with a serious frown, “Dr. Baek.”

“Yes.”

“Has Jeong Taeyul ever made any inappropriate advances or physically coerced you?”

Sijin froze, his eyes wide with shock at the unexpected question.

He was so flustered by the question that he didn’t even know how to respond. The very idea of Jeong Taeyul making advances seemed absurd.

Sijin quickly shook his head and said, “Absolutely not. Guide Jeong Taeyul has always been diligent in his escort duties.”

“Well, that’s good…”

The director nodded. But he still couldn’t hide his displeasure with Jeong Taeyul. Sijin felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Still, knowing that Jeong Taeyul was right outside made Sijin feel calmer. It was strange.

The director opened a file on his desk and said, “I actually called you in regarding your escort.”

‘Escort? …Not about Jeong Taeyul’s berserk episode?’

Sijin was puzzled. He had assumed he was being summoned because of Jeong Taeyul’s pre-berserk episode, especially since he was an A-rank Guide… He thought the director would at least ask for a detailed explanation. He hadn’t expected him to bring up his own security first.

“This is a bit difficult to talk about, but I thought it was something we needed to discuss.”

“It’s okay. Please, go ahead.”

The director seemed to be hesitant. Sijin, tense, just wanted to hear it already.

“Tell me if it gets too difficult.”

The director said, operating the pad on his desk.

[Director’s Office Security]

The glass walls suddenly turned opaque. Sijin was startled and looked around. He didn’t feel claustrophobic, but his breathing felt a little constricted.

Then, Sijin saw Jeong Taeyul through the opaque glass. The tinting should have prevented anyone from seeing inside, but Jeong Taeyul was still staring in his direction. Seeing his hazel eyes calmed Sijin’s anxiety slightly.

The director flipped through the documents and spoke, “Dr. Baek.”

“Yes.”

“Ten years ago, during the ability research institute terrorist attack…”

Sijin’s face paled at those words.

But the director’s deep voice continued slowly, “You lost both your parents in the accident.”

“…Yes. That’s correct.”

Just his parents? Sijin had lost so many precious people in that single incident. It was a wound that wouldn’t heal, even after ten years.

The director continued reading from the document in a low voice.

“You were about to study abroad at the time. You were waiting for your parents and got caught in the terrorist attack, but you narrowly survived.”

“…That’s correct.”

Sijin’s breathing quickened slightly, but he managed to answer calmly.

The director quietly closed the file. His eyes were filled with concern.

“Dr. Baek… Did you receive PTSD treatment after the accident?”

“Of course. I’ve also been receiving regular counseling.”

“Then do you remember what happened during the terrorist attack?”

“…I’m sorry. I… don’t know.”

Sijin pretended to be calm, but his palms were sweating. Just recalling the painful memories made his body ache. Each question from the director felt like swallowing a stone.

“So, you don’t even remember where the terrorist attack happened?”

“…No.”

“Or the experiments that were being conducted where the attack happened?”

“…That’s correct.”

Sijin took a small breath. The terror of the attack was as vivid as yesterday, but Sijin had learned to pretend, to act like he was okay, over the past ten years.

Ten years had passed since the rampant terrorist attacks on ability research institutes, but it was still a sensitive topic in society.

“……”

The director quietly observed Sijin’s tense state. Sometimes, expressions and actions spoke louder than words.

He stared at Sijin, who couldn’t even meet his eyes, and asked bluntly, “Dr. Baek.”

“…Yes.”

“Are you hiding something from me about the imprinting experiment your parents were leading?”

“……”

Sijin froze at the question.

Then, his pale hands, resting on his thighs, began to tremble slightly.

To be continued in Volume 4.