The day of confrontation had arrived, and Yellow was in high spirits.
Though she couldn’t quite call it love, her unease that had been budding within her had been resolved as they crossed certain lines with each other. Not long ago, she hadn’t understood what made members so excited when talking about relationships, but now that she was advancing her relationship with A and thinking about telling the team, she couldn’t contain her excitement.
Despite this, Yellow, who usually kept her feelings to herself, didn’t suddenly become someone who could openly share everything in her heart. Understanding herself well, she tried not to show any signs before naturally bringing up the topic. However, her unusual tension during the confrontation revealed something to the team members.
“!!!”
A Spacystro soldier approached Red, startled by Yellow’s charge, and Yellow’s mid-air kick sent him crashing to the ground. Normally, with support from other members, Yellow could have attacked more cautiously, but she couldn’t resist her momentum and charged towards the Spacystro soldiers.
If someone unfamiliar with the dynamics between Spacystro Seoul Division Team 3 and the Earth Defense Union HunterKiller Team saw this, they might think Yellow was charging blindly. But HunterKiller members felt reassured by her spirit, while the Spacystro soldiers were overwhelmed by her approach.
Spacystro soldiers from all sides rushed at Yellow, but she moved like she was the only one experiencing rapid regeneration in a normal world, attacking and sending each soldier flying.
“Today, you’re moving a lot.”
Being a member of HunterKiller’s front line, Yellow relied heavily on her physical movements, especially during confrontations. She showcased various movements, using up an unusually large amount of energy compared to usual.
Even if some members were positive or negative about it, they could tell something had happened to Yellow. Since the current team formation, HunterKiller had never lost to Spacystro in three years of numerous confrontations. Despite the diminishing sense of achievement after many victories, the team always felt a sense of accomplishment and maintained their tension in every confrontation.
Although communication among members wasn’t smooth until recently, they didn’t rest on their repeated victories and remained vigilant.
“Well done, everyone.”
After winning the confrontation and returning to the headquarters’ underground parking lot, HunterKiller members dismounted their bikes. Red had just removed her helmet when members started casually discussing today’s confrontation.
“It seemed like they were particularly spirited today.”
“There are days like that sometimes. But I think Yellow was the reason today.”
Blue, relieved and smiling, responded to Red, whose gaze shifted to Yellow walking alongside Pink from behind. Red thought Yellow’s unusual spirit explained the strong presence of Spacystro.
“Wow?! Really?!”
Pink’s loud exclamation startled the members who were watching Yellow.
“Hey! Your voice is too loud!”
Pink, who had shown the most interest in Yellow’s and Green’s conversation and offered advice, quickly told Yellow about recent events. Pink’s surprised expression caught everyone’s attention.
“What happened?”
Reading the light-hearted atmosphere, Red stopped heading to the elevator and smiled at Yellow, observing her closely.
Yellow realized too late that the timing wasn’t right, but she had already spoken about her relationship with A.
“She had sex with her boyfriend!”
“Not her boyfriend!”
While the fact that the partner wasn’t a boyfriend didn’t seem to matter much, Yellow corrected herself immediately.
“Really?! When?”
Red’s eyes widened with curiosity, unable to hide her interest in Yellow’s sexual experience. Blue’s reaction was less noticeable, but his focus on Yellow indicated his interest as well.
“Let’s go up and talk. Let’s go up.”
Deciding to avoid discussions in the underground parking lot, they waited for the elevator. Just then, a van entered the parking lot.
The van’s door opened violently, and the first man out cursed loudly.
“F*ck!”
HunterKiller members, who were waiting for the elevator, turned their attention to the man from the van. Their brows furrowed simultaneously.
“What’s going on? Did HunterKiller also finish their confrontation?”
Indigo, who had been venting frustration towards the void, noticed the HunterKiller team’s gaze and looked back. The team’s contemptuous looks made Indigo respond sarcastically.
“Looks like it. Always picking on weaker teams for achievements.”
Just as the elevator arrived, Indigo ignored the comment and boarded. Yellow, who had been watching Indigo, raised her middle finger before getting in.
“That damn woman.”
Alone, Indigo cursed at the HunterKiller members’ location and soon, team members from the van began to exit.
“What’s going on? Who was there?”
“HunterKiller.”
Indigo answered in a still angry tone, clenching her teeth.
“I’ll keep testing them. If given the chance, I’ll snatch them all.”
“Stop. You might really get killed.”
Gae, who followed Indigo out, tried to lighten the mood, but Indigo was too consumed by anger from the defeat and the HunterKiller team’s unsettling gazes.
Arriving at the HunterKiller office on the third floor, the members encountered Indigo but quickly forgot about it, as Indigo wasn’t significant enough to concern them.
Entering the changing room to change clothes, Pink’s lewd gaze landed on Yellow, making Yellow instinctively avoid Pink’s stare.
“So, how did it happen?”
“…We had sex.”
“Did you say you had sex?!”
Struggling to find the right words, Yellow found herself recounting the details once she started talking. The most exciting part for the team was learning that Yellow had sex with her boyfriend on the day he waited for her at her house, without even having lunch together.
“Does that mean you were already having sex when we were discussing our future?”
“How’s your boyfriend? Is he good at sex?”
Recalling the day they discussed their progress over lunch, Red was followed by Pink’s direct question.
Though the question was blunt, Yellow, who wasn’t bothered by such conversations, clarified again that it wasn’t her boyfriend.
“He’s not my boyfriend… We had sex…”
Unable to discuss the intensity of their encounters or her defeat the next day, Yellow cleared her throat and continued.
“We did it moderately. Even if it’s a hyper-human, it’s hard to keep up.”
“Really? My older brother, who isn’t a hyper-human, doesn’t fall behind in stamina during sex.”
“Isn’t that typical for men? My boyfriend goes all out after drinking.”
Avoiding mentioning her own experiences, Pink slowly shifted her gaze to Blue. Realizing what Pink wanted, Blue smiled lightly.
“My partner seems to be better in bed than me.”
“Right? That’s usually how it is.”
Though Pink, like the others, had limited experience, she pretended to be experienced to impress others.
Even though she said this, Pink knew she wouldn’t stand a chance against her partner if they had sex after her weekend work.
Meanwhile, Yellow’s conversation about relationships seemed more focused on sex. Regardless, Yellow found herself struggling to participate in the discussion as much as the others.
“……”
Green, unable to follow the conversation about her partner’s sexual prowess, had to listen to the ongoing exchanges.
Blue, noticing Green quietly changing clothes, asked softly.
“How’s Green? Did you meet the person who helped you?”
A week had passed since the trip, but Green hadn’t met A since returning. Their chance meeting in the park evolved into planned meetings after exchanging contact information.
“No. I haven’t met yet…”
Even though Green tried to muster courage to message A, she hesitated, fearing it would waste his time. Without any messages from A, Green fell deeper into contemplation.
“You haven’t met? Why?”
“I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
Not wanting to worry the team further, Green didn’t reveal her inner struggles.
“Is it because of the move?”
“Yes. There’s a lot to check.”
Her father was in prison, and she was preparing for a move to prevent meeting him post-release. The team knew about her move plans, and Blue, who had recent moving experience, understood Green’s rush.
“Can’t we help with the move?”
Surprised by Pink’s curiosity, Green waved her hands frantically.
“No. I’ve received a lot of help already. This is something I need to do alone. And I haven’t even told anyone about the move…”
“You haven’t told anyone?”
“Yes.”
Red, surprised by Green’s delay in sharing the news, confirmed again, and Green nodded silently.
“Green, I hope you won’t misunderstand my words, but you like someone, right?”
Though the lack of communication didn’t clarify her feelings, Red believed it was natural to want to share her experiences and hear about others’.
Since Red hadn’t disclosed her identity as a hyper-human to A, she hesitated to ask trivial questions. Still, this situation made Green wish for a pure romance.
Compared to her, who had to hide her identity, the person who helped her knew about her identity and still offered help, which seemed better.
Hearing Red’s question, Green hesitated and pondered.
“Do I really like someone?”
In the end, she couldn’t answer and left for her way home.
On her way back, Green wondered if she truly liked A.
She liked him, but was it a romantic feeling?
When she heard the team members talking about their partners, she didn’t immediately feel the urge to engage in a physical relationship with A.
If it happened, she wouldn’t mind, but she was more concerned about whether it was good or bad and couldn’t make a decision.
“Am I just grateful for the help?”
She knew she liked him, but she couldn’t determine the direction of her feelings.
She had always thought she liked A, but not meeting him after the trip made her thoughts deeper.
“Will we meet today?”
She took out her smartphone and considered texting A to see if they could meet briefly, but lacking clarity about her feelings, she put her phone away and headed home with a deep sigh.
