At the end of January, the cold wind weakened slightly, making the weather a bit more pleasant than before. Although winter is always cold, it was noticeably warmer than before.
Klugger, sitting in the hospital room, was killing time by checking various articles online using the laptop in front of him.
He knew he had reported to his superiors based on the information he had gathered and had paused his investigation until he received instructions from above.
While A dives into investigations recklessly and collects all the information, Klugger moves with a solid foundation and reason.
“There’s nothing much.”
Knowing how to avoid stress, he moves within his limits to maintain his condition and achieve maximum efficiency.
Finding Gainseboro-related materials was purely coincidental, but he believes that this was possible because he was in the best condition at that time.
“Now it’s February.”
Looking ahead to the next month, Klugger checked the training schedule.
Although there was only a rough timeframe for the schedule and no specific details were provided, Klugger used the limited information to imagine the possibilities.
As Klugger was looking through the list of participants for the training, he stopped abruptly when he saw A’s name.
Although there weren’t many articles online, reports about embezzlement cases continued to appear frequently.
Now that Klugger knows A uncovered the embezzlement case, though he doesn’t think A is a spy, he finds it hard to shake off the feeling that A is hiding something.
“Ugh. This guy.”
A sigh and a curse towards A escaped, but he swallowed back any further words.
“I wonder if I can be discharged during the training.”
Although he felt he could be discharged, Klugger was still in the hospital.
While he could leave anytime he wanted, unlike before, Klugger chose not to leave voluntarily and remained in the hospital.
Thinking about the team’s atmosphere, he considered leaving during the training when he heard a knock on the door.
“Yes.”
With permission to enter, the sliding door opened silently and smoothly.
“Hello.”
A silver-haired woman entered the room with a smile. She was Silver, the reason Klugger hadn’t been discharged yet.
Even thinking about A made Klugger’s mind complex, but Silver made it even more so.
“Welcome.”
Smiling, Klugger greeted Silver warmly.
Klugger recently learned that Silver was part of the SpecialForce Team in the Seoul Branch of the Earth Defense Union.
Silver visited Klugger’s room daily, saying it was fine to visit, and he heard she was taking care of her sister who was hospitalized. He thought she visited out of boredom.
Of course, he suspected there might be another reason behind her visits.
“It’s quite warm today. It feels like spring rather than winter.”
“I just went for a walk a moment ago. The weather was really nice.”
Though he was suspicious of Silver, Klugger didn’t show it outwardly.
It’s not unusual to be cautious around strangers. If someone unfamiliar approaches you warmly, people naturally become suspicious or even hostile.
But Klugger deliberately hid his suspicion and welcomed Silver with a friendly demeanor.
He found it hard to understand why Silver, who had no apparent reason to be kind to him, kept visiting.
Facing an incomprehensible situation, he decided to meet her daily at the hospital without being discharged to figure out her intentions.
“Have you eaten?”
“Yes. How is your sister?”
“Same as always. Slept yesterday, sleeping today.”
Her sister was in a coma, but they had gotten used to asking about her condition as a routine greeting.
Klugger, who had also been in a coma for a long time, understood why Silver didn’t seem bothered by this.
“What have you been doing?”
“Just surfing the web, reading news, and watching interesting things.”
While Silver sat down beside him, Klugger quickly turned off all the articles related to hyper-humans.
Glancing sideways, he watched Silver closely, wondering if she had any ulterior motives.
She seemed perfectly normal, looking at Klugger with a relaxed face.
“Why?”
“Um! No, nothing.”
Realizing Klugger’s gaze, Silver asked, causing him to cough lightly to feign nonchalance.
“Come to think of it, your friend hasn’t come lately? He used to visit often.”
“He… said his company work is busy. He’ll come when he finishes.”
“Oh.”
Klugger couldn’t tell her the truth about A investigating hyper-humans, so he vaguely described A’s job.
Unaware of the situation, Silver nodded in understanding.
“…I wonder if it’s okay to ask this.”
Seeing Silver cautiously open up, Klugger swallowed nervously.
“What do you do for a living, Mr. Klugger?”
The question wasn’t surprising, but Klugger had to think carefully about his response.
Did she know his identity? Or was she just probing?
For now, it was better to assume she knew.
Even if he thought she knew, he couldn’t answer honestly.
“Worked for a security firm.”
“Wow.”
Silver looked surprised, eyes wide. If she knew his identity, a subtle tension would likely follow.
Though initially surprised, Klugger stayed focused, anticipating her reaction.
The answer came almost reflexively, despite his careful consideration. He couldn’t reveal his true battles, but he could mention his decade-long experience in confrontations.
Tall and strong, Klugger instinctively responded, and Silver seemed to believe him.
“Then, why are you here in the hospital?”
“An accident.”
Hearing “accident,” Silver paused momentarily. Recent major incidents involving hyper-humans included terrorist attacks and embezzlement cases.
Due to a previous terrorist attack, Klugger had been in the hospital for a long time.
He realized he shouldn’t have mentioned the accident, as Silver might connect it to a significant event in her surroundings.
Though she didn’t know his identity, his comment could make the atmosphere chilly.
“It was a big traffic accident!”
To avoid revealing too much, Klugger quickly added.
“Was it a serious accident?”
“Yes. It wasn’t on the news…”
Lying to someone who knew his identity was mentally exhausting. Even as he spoke, he knew the lie wouldn’t hold.
“Still, it’s good you’re awake.”
Seeing Silver fully believing him, Klugger thought she had a great poker face and gave an awkward smile.
“Is it really good to say that?”
Noticing the awkwardness in his smile, Silver’s usually cheerful expression softened slightly.
“No, it’s fine. It is good that you’re awake.”
Some colleagues had died, while others, including himself, were diagnosed as unable to continue their activities.
Thinking about these colleagues, he felt grateful simply to be able to move.
“Isn’t Eunseo doing anything else?”
Eunseo. Silver’s real name, which Klugger learned when she started visiting his room regularly.
He hadn’t fought against the SpecialForce Team directly, so he rarely referred to them by name, but he constantly noticed himself calling her Silver subconsciously.
“I’m just taking care of my sister.”
Silver hadn’t done much besides caring for her sister. Her voice dropped slightly, indicating her frustration.
“Do you want to do anything else?”
Seeing Silver’s voice drop, Klugger felt uneasy.
Before the embezzlement scandal, Klugger knew the treatment of hyper-humans was poor. He had known this before starting the investigation and learned even more after beginning it.
Wanting to help her despite her bleak circumstances, he asked if she had any desires, but her expression didn’t brighten.
“Yeah, I… don’t know what I want.”
Raising her head, Silver shifted her gaze to the window.
Her gaze wasn’t vacant; she had clear dreams she wanted to achieve.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t reach them.
It was the look of someone who had given up.
“I don’t know what I can do properly.”
Rather than focusing on what she wanted, she was searching for what she could do. Under any circumstances, she couldn’t muster a cheerful expression.
Knowing the plight of hyper-humans, Klugger couldn’t pretend ignorance or offer empty advice.
Despite their adversarial relationship and ongoing caution, he couldn’t hurt someone who had given up by offering meaningless words.
Silence filled the room, and their gazes wandered aimlessly as they struggled to continue the conversation.
Outside, the sound of passing cars could be heard, and the door opened silently.
Both Klugger and Silver turned their heads simultaneously, sensing the door opening.
“Huh?”
Entering the room, A froze upon seeing the scene.
Unable to believe what he saw, A stood there, paralyzed.
Klugger sitting on the bed and Silver sitting beside him.
Why are they like this? A wondered, unable to speak and staring blankly at the two.
