“I figured as much, but word of that thing must have gotten around. I’ve only ever touched a gun once, yet here I am, branded a vicious terrorist. It’s maddeningly unfair. But those who know will know, and those who don’t will doubt no matter what I say.“Aah, that got cleared up, though. I checked not long ago—it turns out I was pardoned. No idea how that happened.”“When did you even check that, Jeong-pil?”I’d love to ask that too. The pardon wouldn’t have been in the news. Does that mean he personally looked it up?I didn’t hear Kim Jeong-pil’s answer—just a bored snort. Soon Yoon Chang-o sighed.“You’re something else. You looked it up even after you knew you’d never see him again? Well, you two never got along.”“It’s hardly a case of ‘never see again.’ We ran right into each other. Ugh, how unlucky.”Unlucky is me! That’s what I would’ve said!I tossed the paper cup into the trash and sprang to my feet. Staying put felt like eavesdropping, plus I wanted to slip down to basement level one to avoid them—or maybe go further down and grab that bastard by the collar.I stomped down the stairs without trying to muffle my footsteps. If one more word came out of their mouths, I’d be in a collar-yanking mood. Yeah, say one more thing. Just one more…“But why’s that foreigner staring at us so much? He’s got daggers in his eyes.”“He must’ve come out for water. See? He’s drinking.”“I thought I saw him on the boat coming in. Doesn’t look like someone in this line of work, so he stuck out.”“He’s probably desk work. Look at those pale hands—no scars. Never held anything rough. Bet he’s never even held a gun.”Right, just a desk job, they nodded. Not even insults—just casual chatter in Korean, where hardly any outsiders could understand.And toward them—I even wavered, thinking of slipping into level B1 instead—Taeui stomped down the steps. Their chatter continued.“But that foreigner keeps staring. Shouldn’t we at least say something?”When they muttered that foreigners could be friendly, a new voice drifted down.“Hmm… Korean?”The friendly foreigner—probably the one who’d sat on the landing beside them sipping water—finally spoke. I faintly caught curious English.“Ah… yes.” The two classmates switched to English, blending smoothly. “You’re not regular staff here. You must be an external participant for this training.” “Yes, that’s right.” “You looked familiar from the boat, too—looking forward to the next fortnight together.” They exchanged the polite small talk one would among new acquaintances.And hearing that polite chatter, I froze on the stairs.…What?Like seeing a ghost, I stood rigid as the conversation drifted in.“First time to Hong Kong? But you’ve got friends here, so you won’t be bored.”“Haha, yeah. You came alone?”“Well… I did come alone, but I know someone here. How about you? Anyone you know here?”“Uh… I heard there’s a former classmate here.”“Ah.” Chang-o’s voice trailed off ambiguously. The foreigner hummed thoughtfully.“A classmate. What kind?”“Oh, a classmate from school. We lost touch for a while.”“Haha, well then—it must be nice to see him again.”“Not at all.”Ah. That’s that damn Kim Jeong-pil. No one else would flat-out deny it in front of a stranger.“He’s never been good company. Thoughtless, quick to anger, foul mouth—just awful.”As he grumbled insults, at least Kim Jeong-pil refrained from the usual homophobic slurs—perhaps out of basic courtesy to the stranger. Then, deciding to change the subject, he said:“So this person you know—is he your friend?”“Friend… friend might be too strong a word…”The other man drew out the last word in a slow, teasing voice. Then he spoke crisply:“We know each part of each other inside and out—down to counting every wrinkle in our holes when bored.”“…? Haha, you two must be really close.”Guess he didn’t catch the post-“bored” bit. That homophobe laughed along innocently. Chang-o chimed in, “Must be nice seeing an old friend.”And I—Frozen on the stairs, I—…Damn it.I nearly burst out cursing. Then I thought: I don’t belong here at this landing. Before they see me, I need to slip down to B1. I can’t face those two voices plus that all-too-familiar one.“But… I think someone’s coming down from upstairs?”But my attempt to tiptoe away to B1 was foiled by the foreigner looking up and muttering. My step froze again. Damn—should’ve gone back up to level 1.“Meeting here at a landing hardly anyone uses, even before training starts, is quite a coincidence. Sir up there, why not come down for introductions?”Just two more steps would’ve landed me at the B1 door—when I heard a faintly amused voice above and below me. I braced myself.He knew. That bastard knew it was me, frozen there. He had to know—ten to one he was sure.Where does he get that freakish intuition?“You’ve been quietly listening. You understand perfectly well, huh?”Shit. It wasn’t intuition, it was deduction. Of course he would’ve realized silence meant I’d heard every word.I glared at the B1 door, hesitated, sighed, and stomped downstairs anyway. I passed the doorway and plodded down to the lower landing.Turning one corner, then another, I finally saw the faces of those talking below.Of course it was them.Three faces looked up at me from the half-landing below. One dazed, one with eyebrows raised oddly, one with a faint smile.“…It’s been a while.”I skipped the “…everyone.” Silence settled until Yoon Chang-o broke it, warm as ever.“Taeui! Hey, it’s been a while! I heard you were here and wondered how you were doing. How’ve you been?”“Eventful. You’ve put on some weight—did you get married?”“Uh, yeah, last year. Haha, we mentioned you when friends got together back then. You made the news a few years ago.”“…”Right, I remember. Yoon Chang-o. He never seemed to notice taboos or prejudice—he’d blurt out sensitive topics with a peaceful smile.“Hmph, newsworthy to drop a bomb in another country, huh?”Then one more snort of derision—the one with the foul mouth opened his lips.Fair enough, but coming from him, it stung. I lifted my chin and met his gaze coldly.He hadn’t changed at all.Kim Jeong-pil. The feud stretching from our academy days to his discharge. The last memory: Captain Kim.Now hearing he was a major rank made me choke on disgust. I clicked my tongue and Kim Jeong-pil’s eyes sharpened.“You got famous, Lieutenant Jeong? Ah, no longer a lieutenant but a civilian? Well, not just a civilian—you’re an international ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) wanted man. Must be proud, Taeui.”“Yeah, it wasn’t easy. You took the easy path and barely made captain? I thought by now you’d be a field officer, but you’re as incompetent as ever, right, Captain Kim?”“You bastard! I’ve been in rank for years—how dare you!” Kim Jeong-pil snapped that if he’d stayed, he’d still be stuck at two diamonds and not have the gall to call me incompetent.I just snorted at his anger. I counted on my fingers and realized he still needed more time for promotion requirements—but I kept my mocking grin.Then, unwittingly holding that expression, I locked eyes with the man standing behind them with folded arms.“….”“….”The intrigued man beckoned me on with a lazy gesture. At that, I lost all desire to continue. I clicked my tongue bitterly.Even after a few days apart, his face hadn’t changed—yet he looked resplendent, almost happy.…Ah. Right. “Entertainment.”He’d called what was to come here “entertainment.” How delightful.I felt my mood darken. Kim Jeong-pil glanced curiously at the man beside him, then shot me a savage look. He matched my mockery face for face.“You bombed a foreign capital, didn’t you? Shame on you, criminal. I hear you’re working with foreigners here—aren’t you embarrassed?”Was he referring to the foreigner next to him…?I glanced at the man behind them. That slight lift at the corner of his mouth was definitely a smile. In that moment I was certain: no matter his Korean comprehension, he understood everything we’d said.With my head held high and no shame, I was speechless with indignation.The one who actually dropped bombs was standing over there grinning, without a shred of guilt—yet I, unlucky beyond reason, was being lectured by that miserable species.Kim Jeong-pil, reading my silence, looked triumphant.“Hmph, looks like you’ve got nothing to say. We all thought you were holed up dead somewhere—no word of you until now—and look at you. At least you managed to get a pardon, huh?”“How did you even know I was pardoned? That wasn’t in the news. Were you googling me every single day?”This time Kim Jeong-pil fell silent. His eyes grew bleak as he glared. Then he roared:“I was ashamed that one of my classmates was a terrorist! After the gay rumors, now bombs—what won’t you do? I looked it up out of embarrassment! How’s that feel, you homo?”“I got discharged and never wanted to see you again—why do I have to listen to this crap? I’m not coming back to Korea any time soon, so stay where you are! Don’t you dare type my name on your keyboard again!”I raised my voice in retaliation.“Why are grown adults arguing with words? Why not fists?” Chang-o murmured calmly, and both Kim Jeong-pil and I glared at him. He blinked innocently and asked, “Huh? Why are you looking at me?” switching between us.Kim Jeong-pil ground his teeth in a moment of silence, then snorted and mocked:“Going to live abroad forever, huh? Lucky you—there are more gays overseas, so you’ll have a wild time. Where would you want to settle…?”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.