“Joint training starts tomorrow. The few short days I’d spent here feeling at ease end today. Well, more precisely, they’ll end this afternoon.Late this afternoon—closer to evening—external personnel are scheduled to arrive here. Among those who will train alongside us for the next fortnight will be Ilrey. And one more face I really don’t want to see.“…….”‘Kim Jeong-pil? Ah, right. He’s on the list for this exercise. He belongs to the Republic of Korea Army. Let’s see… he’s a captain. Thirty years old… same age as you, Taeui.’My uncle’s offhand words as he flipped through the roster echoed in my ears.A thirty-year-old Army captain, Kim Jeong-pil, exactly my age. There might be more than one person who fits those conditions, but then again, there probably aren’t many. At least I’d never heard of anyone by that name before.“Ah—seriously, what the hell.”I slammed my forehead down on the table with a thud.I was already fretting over how I’d protect myself (plus the supervising instructor) from that madman, and now I have to deal with one more unwanted face? Could my uncle have arranged this plot too? I glared at him suspiciously, but he just blinked and asked, “Why?” as if clueless. He did glance at me slyly and mutter, “Do you know this Kim Jeong-pil fellow?” but offered no real answer.The ‘future full of unimaginable surprises’ I’d hoped for certainly didn’t include this. Granted, I couldn’t have dreamed up something like this even in my wildest dreams, but still—not this.I sighed, sat back up, and thought: since it’s come to this, agonizing further won’t change a thing. The fortnight is looming, and as Tou said, it’s best to rest for the next few hours before things get grueling. The boat carrying the outsiders won’t arrive for a few more hours.With the schedule of ships coming and going in mind, I left the mess hall. There was one place I’d known long ago where I could forget everything for a while and rest undisturbed: the rooftop on the ground floor, where you could bask in natural sunlight—just as unchanged today as it had been years before.I’d slept poorly last night. Ever since waking from that damned dream filled with the past, I hadn’t been able to settle, so I was running short on sleep. And today the weather was perfect: brilliant sunlight poured across every corner of the rooftop.Under those conditions, it was only natural to drift off—but I never expected to sleep until the sun had begun its descent toward the west.Even when my pager buzzed, I just kept sleeping; the log showed four missed calls. When I finally checked, it was from the office. With a cluck of my tongue, I went down from the roof and straight to the office, where I got a thorough scolding from the administrative assistant, Gyo-ho, for ignoring his calls. He said if he tried one more time without a response, he’d trigger the emergency contact. ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) He scowled and demanded to know where I’d been—so I smacked my lips and said I’d just taken a nap on the roof, earning twice the scolding.Judging by the way he kept fussing, it didn’t seem like any real emergency, so that was a relief.“So what’s going on?”I glanced around. The office was busier than usual; the atmosphere felt… off. Before I could figure out why, the door behind me slid open and a man entered, telling the life-support clerk, “I lost the dormitory rules sheet.”I blinked at him. There was nothing particularly unusual about him—just unfamiliar. In this isolated island where only a limited number of people lived, you simply didn’t see strangers popping up.“…….”I checked the wall clock: just before five. My wristwatch agreed. The regular arrival window for the boat was between five and five-thirty, give or take.“Who’s that guy? I’ve never seen him before.”When I asked, the clerk glanced over and mumbled dismissively, “Beats me. I can’t be expected to know every outsider. …He’s not answering his calls. Maybe he’s not in his room.”He clicked his tongue and made another call, but whatever he was doing, I couldn’t take my eyes off the man as he left with the rules sheet in hand.“An outsider…? What do you mean, outsider?”“It’s the group here for joint training—they arrive today, remember?”The clerk gave me a look that said “aren’t you aware?” but I was even more incredulous on the inside.“But the boat’s not due until later?”“They ran an extra trip because there are so many people. They arrived a little while ago; by now they’re probably unpacking in the dorm. More importantly, you’re the staff officer; an instructor is coming in, and you haven’t contacted him… You need to meet him in person, introduce yourself. …And now I can’t reach the instructor either.”He frowned—apparently they hadn’t handed out pagers yet—and clicked his tongue. I could only stare and nod dumbly.Unbelievable… No, more like infuriating. Despite a crowd of arrivals, I was so laid-back I slept through it all.Come to think of it, outside footsteps and voices were louder than usual. Not just the clerks in the office but hushed conversations and footsteps echoing down the halls.…Wait. If the outsiders have arrived, that means…“…Uh, then the instructors—”“He’s still not answering. Fine. Taeui, go down to your room. I told the instructor that once he reached you, he should send you down. Go meet him, introduce yourself, and go over the schedule.”He cut me off before I could finish, eyes shining. “Don’t wander off—go straight there this time and be sure to introduce yourself.” I could only say, “Yes,” and turn away.As I walked toward the elevator, I passed two unfamiliar men stepping off on the first floor. Their uniforms marked them as outsiders; they offered me a casual nod and spoke in an unfamiliar language as they passed. Probably heading out for a smoke.So they’ve arrived.I sighed. “They arrive in droves and I don’t even wake up—Taeui, are you laid-back or just out of it?” I tapped my forehead lightly.Just as I was about to step into the elevator, I paused. My destination wasn’t the sixth basement dormitory level but the floor below, where instructors stayed. No need for an elevator—I headed for the stairs.“……All right, then.”Somewhere in this building—or on this island—they’re here. A face I don’t want to see at all, and another I’d much rather avoid given the circumstances. (In truth, I still can’t define my relationship with Ilrey Regrow. There’s a word that almost fits, but I can’t bring myself to say it. He sometimes says it without a second thought.)Though it was unpleasant to know two unwelcome faces were somewhere in this closed space, I sighed and shook my head.Still, it won’t be that easy to run into them. The UNHRDO Asia branch building is vast—eight floors totaling two thousand pyeong each, housing just over a hundred people. The population density is so low that if it weren’t for training, I might not cross paths with anyone in the next fourteen days.And I was discharged years ago—maybe one of those unwelcome faces has already forgotten me. (I fervently hoped so.) Even if we train together, we might only brush past each other from a distance and go the full fortnight without recognition.Anyway, the immediate problem isn’t Captain Kim or whatever—first I need to worry about the man who might stage a slaughter show at any moment.Avoid encounters if possible. With Ilrey, that’s impossible—our work is intertwined. But with Captain Kim, it might be doable.Yes, yes—there are only so many places people kill time. As long as I steer clear of those spots—“What? Taeui?!”However.Regrettably.My hopes were already showing signs of being dashed.A couple of floors below, half a flight down the staircase where I’d paused.“Why the hell is that bastard here?”“I asked because there was said to be a Korean here, and he said his name was Taeui. The pronunciation was weird, so I might have misheard.”A harsh voice and a casual one contrasted as they spoke. They seemed to be drinking water from the dispenser at the landing and shifting in their chairs.Two floors above, I froze on the stairs, recognizing the sound of Koreans speaking. How long had it been since I’d heard that? My mind drifted in surprise.“It’s just someone whose name is similar, right?”“I checked: he joined right the same year that guy was discharged. And he was a former officer. With those two matches, it’s hard to think otherwise…”Their conversation trailed off doubtfully. I flopped down in the chair by the dispenser. Why did those voices I wanted to forget spring so vividly to mind? Yet it wasn’t just because they were voices I despised; the calmer one was also familiar. A classmate from the academy who’d been posted not far away. We’d seen each other often at cohort reunions. He was easygoing, and we’d gotten along. What was his name… right: Yoon Chang-o.So he’s here too. I vaguely recalled seeing his name on the roster now that I thought about it—Kim Jeong-pil had made a bigger impression at the time.I drew water from the dispenser and drank. I thought the resentment would have mellowed over the years, but no. Hearing Captain Kim’s voice revived the grudges I’d buried. I’d rarely felt that way in years; I might be more spiteful than I realized.…Hmph. If I’d forgotten that grudge after all this time, I’d be Buddha himself.My eyes narrowed at the memory, and I muttered to myself. Below, their voices drifted upward again.“I was curious how he’s been doing, but I never expected to run into him here.”“What’s there to be curious about? He’s probably still doing his homo bullshit.”With a crack, a paper cup crushed in my hand.Does he never change? My elbow and ribs, shattered back then, are fully healed now.I scowled like a crushed paper cup when a door opened below. The two stopped talking. I heard Chang-o’s brief “Hello.”A few seconds of awkward silence, then that damned voice spoke.“So, what’s that bastard doing here?”“Huh? Oh, I didn’t ask that far. I only heard there was someone like that here.”“Guess the rumor about him being gay didn’t make it around here.”“Hey, Jeong-pil…”“What? He’s a foreigner. It’s Korean anyway—who would get it? And if they did, so what?”Judging by Chang-o’s warning, but Captain Kim was unmoved.All right, shout to the ends of the earth that I’m gay. Like you said, out of six billion people, how many will even understand?I clicked my tongue.But really, their gossip here would do little damage. Everyone already knew about my orientation. Old colleagues knew back then; they even used Shin-ru as bait to tease me mercilessly.“But thinking back, it’s strange… Taeui, you were on the international wanted list for terrorism, right? So how are you working here?”Hearing my classmate’s words—he’d been shocked and couldn’t believe a terrorist was me—I dropped my shoulders.

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