There were several issues I had to deal with, and while I couldn’t prioritize which was more important, there were things I had to focus on each day.
After lying in the spaceship for two weeks and waking up at dawn, I met Luche, and about three weeks had passed since then. A lot had happened in the past week, making it feel like a long time had passed, but it had only been a week since I returned to Seoul.
I had received the address of the new headquarters in advance, and while pondering who would be the easiest person to meet when I got there, I contacted Theo.
He said he’d be smoking outside in the designated area, so I headed to the new headquarters on a Monday morning, the start of the workweek.
My shoulders felt heavy on the way to the headquarters. On the day of the terrorist incident, I was already feeling quite fatigued. I reported to Luche, the team leader, that I was meeting with everyone from the HunterKiller Team.
Contrary to my expectation that she might scold me or check on my condition, Luche looked at me with icy eyes, her tone cold and detached.
It was true that I had been optimistic, and Luche’s reaction was justified.
The problem was that the day after I woke up on the spaceship, Luche had already returned with new team members. Although we saw each other, we hadn’t discussed my situation, and I kept wondering what to say as I made my way to her.
During the two weeks I was bedridden, I thought Luche had greeted me warmly upon my awakening merely because she was relieved I had woken up, given that some team members had died.
At that moment, I hadn’t even thought of telling Luche that I was now dating my girlfriends, and it seemed Luche hadn’t planned to bring it up either.
Time slipped by without us having a conversation, and I kept worrying about what to say to Luche.
“Theo.”
I checked the address and arrived at the new headquarters. The previous headquarters had been hidden among countless corporate buildings in the bustling streets of Seoul.
However, its location had been exposed, forcing a move, and the new headquarters was now in a somewhat remote area.
Since it was quite a distance from my home, I knew I’d need to consider the commute moving forward. I approached Theo, who was smoking in the designated area outside the headquarters.
“You here?”
“Still smoking?”
It had taken me over 30 minutes to get there, and Theo, who had mentioned he’d be smoking when I left, was still smoking when I arrived.
“Would I? Just lighting another one now.”
“Get to it.”
I left Theo smoking on the bench and admired the scenery beyond the smoking area. Being in a remote area, there were no tall buildings around, and I could see mountains in the distance behind the office buildings.
“Nice view. But why did they move to such a remote place?”
The scenery was good, and unlike Seoul, the air was fresh, but I didn’t understand why they’d moved to a place with poor transportation. I even thought that a company in such a place might stand out if something happened.
“How would I know? I just came because the headquarters is here now.”
“Commuting is going to be a pain.”
Today, I was ordered to rest, so I just came to check out the new headquarters, but in the future, traveling back and forth would definitely take more time than before. I sighed in worry.
“I’m already used to it.”
Theo, who had been steadily commuting since arriving in Seoul, said it wasn’t a problem, as the cigarette in his mouth burned down.
“Is the construction finished?”
“Not yet. It’ll probably take a few more days.”
They were still working on the interior to set up the new unit, and the construction was being handled by everyone affiliated with the headquarters.
Since the location had been exposed, they couldn’t outsource the work to private companies, so everything that could be handled internally was done there. For tasks requiring more specialized knowledge, they contacted the spaceship for additional manpower.
“Is it manageable?”
“What’s there to be difficult about? We’ve got plenty of experience.”
One might question whether soldiers could handle the construction as well as professionals, but among Spacystro soldiers, there were plenty who had traveled across numerous planets, and the Seoul branch had many seasoned personnel.
Their ability to set up facilities had already surpassed that of experts on any single planet. Theo, in particular, had been involved in maintenance and facility work since his time as an engineer on the spaceship long ago.
He had been stationed on the spaceship since coming to Earth, assigned to maintenance rather than combat, which excluded him from certain personnel changes.
Kruger, who switched to a combat role, was added to the list when the third team was reorganized at the time, and I, who was merely on duty then, was also reassigned to Seoul due to the team leaders’ decisions.
Theo’s transfer to the third team upon switching to a combat role was likely influenced by Kruger and me collapsing.
“How’s your body?”
Theo had always mediated and resolved conflicts between Kruger and me.
Having served together for a long time, we had built camaraderie, and Theo likely felt the anger I had upon seeing Kruger collapse when he heard we were both unconscious.
“I’m fine. Honestly, I didn’t even need the rest period. You know Esmeralda and Angelique—they worry a lot if something happens.”
“I don’t know much about Angelique, but Siera seems to worry a lot too. Hey, but our team leader—”
“A!”
As we were discussing the team leaders, Theo was about to talk about Luche when I heard a familiar voice calling me from a distance. I turned and saw Angelique standing at the headquarters entrance in a suit. I saluted as soon as I saw her.
“Angelique. Hello.”
Angelique approached with a smile and cheerfully acknowledged my salute, looking at me warmly.
“Is something wrong?”
“No. I’m glad you look healthy. And salutes are forbidden outside, right?”
I had unconsciously saluted as there was no one else around. Though in front of the headquarters, it was strictly prohibited, so Angelique admonished me, but her gentle tone carried no pressure.
“Sorry. I’m feeling better now. I’ve had enough rehabilitation.”
After Luche returned to the headquarters first, I spent most of my time with Siera. I could have met Esmeralda and Angelique if needed, but they were both busy on the spaceship, making it difficult to find time.
I ran into them a couple of times, but there wasn’t enough time for a proper conversation. Esmeralda and Angelique returned to Seoul shortly before Siera and I arrived.
“We were worried. You were badly hurt.”
“Thank you for your concern. I heard you were also deployed to the scene that day. Everything worked out, right?”
“I was fine. I’m quite strong, you know.”
Angelique clenched her fists, emphasizing her strength, which made me feel oddly at ease.
“What brings you to the headquarters? Isn’t this your rest period?”
“That’s right. I’ve been in Seoul a week now, resting. I came to see what the new headquarters is like and how everyone is doing.”
“You’re so kind, worrying about others even on your break. That’s A for you.”
She laughed and reached up to pat my head. I didn’t shy away and slightly lowered my posture so she wouldn’t have to stretch too far.
“But Angelique, where are you going?”
“I came out for a short break. Didn’t expect to see you here. You should’ve told me you were coming.”
“My coming isn’t a big deal. I just wanted to check in briefly.”
As Angelique and I exchanged concerns for each other’s well-being, I momentarily forgot the tension I felt about facing Luche.
“Well, it’s good luck we ran into each other then. I’ll step out briefly, so you meet everyone.”
“Right. Got it.”
After Angelique finished patting my head, we exchanged goodbyes, and she slowly walked out of the headquarters. She turned back once to wave at me, and I waved back in response.
“You’ve always been particularly close to Angelique, haven’t you?”
“She’s been my benefactor. She’s like a mentor to me.”
“That’s why Siera wasn’t too fond of you meeting her back then.”
“Are you bringing that up again?”
I retorted to Theo, who was bringing up the old rumor about Siera and me being lovers, noticed he’d finished his cigarette, and prepared to head inside.
After taking exactly three steps, I spotted a boy in a beanie looking around at the headquarters entrance.
“Huh?”
The familiar sight made me halt. He saw me too and called out.
“Senior!”
Even though I knew he’d be there, running into him made it real that we were now in the same unit again.
Wearing a beanie, but his silver hair poking out. A stature not too tall for a guy.
An aura that made it seem he’d be playful at any moment.
Most of all, the way he called me “Senior” brought back the feeling I had before.
Only three people in my life have called me “Senior”—all Biroids I had trained, and he was one of them.
“Roy.”
Roy, the second Biroid I met, who had been in charge of education in the engineering team I worked with. He was always high-spirited and unpredictable, making him quite tiring.
“What brings you to the headquarters?”
“What do you mean? I belong here, so I came to see it.”
The response was natural, and Roy nodded, saying, “Makes sense.” Then, noticing Theo walking with me to the entrance, he added.
“Senior, they’re looking for you in the underground parking lot.”
“Underground? Why?”
“Something about a short circuit.”
Hearing that, Theo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Knowing roughly what his job entailed, I patted his shoulder in silent support.
“Got it. I can’t guide you around the headquarters.”
“Guide? Just get going.”
Theo let out a curse and headed toward the underground parking lot, leaving just Roy and me. I noticed the beanie Roy was wearing.
“What’s that?”
“Ah, this?”
Roy lifted his beanie slightly, revealing his ears underneath. Biroids are artificial life forms tailored to specific planetary environments, and fully-learned Biroids were called “Mutants.”
Roy, a Mutant, looked human from the outside, but he had wolf ears on his head. He also had a tail near his hips and could extend or retract sharp claws at will during battles.
“Must be tiring hiding those. A lot to take care of. Why were you even deployed to the field?”
“How would I know?”
Although Spacystro branches were spread across Earth with many soldiers, Mutants had been deployed on Earth less than a handful of times in the past 20 years. Most Mutants worked on the Spacystro ships.
Despite having many Mutants, they weren’t deployed because most had characteristics that differed from Earthlings.
For instance, just Roy’s wolf ears and tail would draw attention if seen outside, risking the leak of Spacystro information.
Given that engagements were designed for Earth’s environment, the deployment of Mutants had been strictly limited in the past 20 years. Even though the recent terrorist attack was significant, deploying a Mutant now was difficult to comprehend.
Since Roy couldn’t know the reason for his deployment, I didn’t press further, and we headed into the headquarters.
“So, when’s the last guy coming?”
Roy knew exactly who I was referring to and shrugged his shoulders.
“Not sure. I think he hasn’t arrived in Korea yet. You should ask the team leader for details.”
Mention of the team leader made my shoulders droop thinking about facing Luche again. I had already bared everything to her, so answering truthfully if she asked would be best.
I wondered if I should’ve kept quiet, but what’s done is done, and I quickly shook off regrets about the past.
Unaware, Roy suddenly cracked up laughing, looking up at me.
“Senior, how does it feel to serve under a junior you used to train so long ago?”
Finding something amusing, Roy beamed, but I tilted my head in confusion.
“Huh?”
My completely clueless reaction made Roy pause, which was understandable since I didn’t have the faintest idea what he was talking about.
“Huh?”
Roy couldn’t hide the perplexed expression on his face, and we stood there briefly at a loss for words.
