Even though he'd said everything from the office to the dormitory was underground, as soon as they entered the building, instead of heading downstairs, his uncle walked towards a worn-out door at the end of a wooden corridor with several missing floorboards. What was behind that door was unknown.
However, he paused, noticing Jeong Tae-ui following him. When Jungtaeyi tilted his head in confusion, a door right beside him opened quietly. And a young man emerged from that room.
“Tou!”
Pausing as he emerged from the open door and saw Jeong Tae-ui standing right there, the young man turned to his uncle when he heard him call out in relief. Upon seeing his uncle, he straightened his posture and bowed slightly.
“Are you busy?”
“I’m not busy. I was about to go out for a smoke.”
Nodding as he realized one difference from the military, Jeong Tae-ui inwardly sighed at the thought of having to use English, the common language within the branch that he could use but didn't really want to. But he swallowed his sigh when his uncle's index finger suddenly pointed at him.
“Take this kid downstairs. Show him to Kiyomi's old room and help him get acquainted with his new colleagues.”
“Ah, yes.”
The young man scratched behind his ear, seemingly annoyed, but nodded without further complaint.
Without even glancing at Jeong Tae-ui after finishing his sentence, the uncle waved his hand casually and entered the worn-out door. Only the young man and Jeong Tae-ui were left in the corridor.
The young man scanned Jeong Tae-ui from head to toe, then re-entered the room he had just come from. He beckoned with his finger. Jeong Tae-ui, after returning the scrutiny, followed him into the room. The young man chuckled.
The young man found an elevator behind the wooden door. It had looked like a sliding door in a crumbling old school, but it opened and closed silently, giving him a fresh shock. Once inside, he found that the elevator functioned perfectly.
“They're spending all their money trying to make this place appear older…….”
As Jeong Tae-ui looked around the interior and mumbled to himself, he noticed the young man still staring at him.
Although he had the appearance of a Han Chinese person, judging by his pale skin and slightly narrow bone structure, he didn't seem to be pure Han Chinese. It seemed that he had some mixed blood from a minority ethnic group.
Looking at Jeong Tae-ui with interest, but with a gaze that was not overly curious, the young man tapped his chest a couple of times with his index finger and spoke.
“Tou. Tou Ching-In.”
“……Jeong Tae-ui. You can call me Tae-ui.”
“Tay……, ok.”
Although the pronunciation was slightly different, Jeong Tae-ui remained silent, thinking it would be useless to correct it.
“Did you transfer from another branch? Or are you new here?”
“I’m new. Is it common for members to go back and forth with other branches?”
“It’s not that common, but not that rare either. For a newcomer, you seem pretty put together. What were you doing before you came here? You weren't working at a corporation or something, were you?”
“I’m unemployed.”
Jeong Tae-ui answered seriously without smiling, but the young man named Tou seemed to take it as a joke and laughed out loud.
“Well, you probably didn't come from the European branch, but it doesn't matter. Welcome.”
Jeong Tae-ui lightly shook the hand that Tou extended and glanced at him furtively.
“It seems like the relationship with the European branch is quite bad.”
I heard about it from my uncle, but the fact that the first thing he said was 'probably didn't come from the European branch' is getting old. I wonder if the relationship is as bad as it was with our old squad and that damned Lieutenant Kim's squad.
“Quite bad, huh? Ha, you'll find out early next month. Because we have joint training with the European branch starting next month, those guys are coming here. Let me tell you, if there's someone who's exceptionally unlucky, it's okay to secretly bury a couple of them. All of us in this branch will help you.”
It's too serious to be a joke. It seems like their relationship is even worse than with our squad and Lieutenant Kim's squad.
“That comradeship is very much appreciated.”
“Well, we should help each other out.”
Tou, who was smiling brightly, stepped out of the elevator that had just stopped. As Jeong Tae-ui followed behind, he was a little surprised.
Fifth basement level. A long, white corridor stretched out before his eyes. The carpet muffled almost all sound, making this place a stark contrast to the dilapidated building above. I never would have thought that such a clean and tidy space could exist in the basement of this crumbling old building.
“Are you surprised?”
Tou smiled brightly, as if it wasn't the first time he'd seen such a reaction.
“Did you think it was a damp basement, teeming with rats and cockroaches, and covered in cobwebs?”
I didn't imagine it would be that bad, but I can't say I didn’t think that.
“Is there a BOQ on this floor?”
As Jeong Tae-ui followed Tou, who was striding down the long corridor, he spoke. Turning around, Tou smiled as if he knew it, saying, ‘Aha’.
“So you were a military officer. Which branch of the military were you in?”
“…….”
“No comment? Okay, fine. Everyone has things they don't want to talk about. Here, we don't call it a BOQ, we call it a dorms(私內室). It's three people per room. But the dorms are one floor below. This floor has a workout room, a library, and a multimedia room. You can think of this floor as having everything you need for your free time, whether you want to play games, read books, or watch movies.”
“I want to put my luggage down first.”
Finding it amusing that Jeongtae said that while only carrying a small Boston bag, Tou snatched the bag from Jeongtae's hand with a full smile on his face.
“Alright then, let me help you with that. First, let's build some solid relationships with the people here, okay? After all, we're going to be going through thick and thin together, so you should say hi to them first, right?”
“…….”
“It’s free time starting at 5 p.m., so everyone is doing their own thing right now, but everyone usually will be in the workout room.”
Though he wanted to put his things down and find his room first, Jeong Tae-ui quietly followed Tou, who was walking ahead with his bag. Perhaps this was the natural order of things here.
But there's one good thing about it: except for the nine superiors, everyone else is an equal colleague.
Maybe they'll give me a hard time as a newbie, but as long as we're technically equals, it'll be easier to get around. And of course, it's probably a joke, but it seems like it's okay to secretly get rid of one or two people.
……Though it's more likely that I'll be the one killed rather than doing the killing. I'll just have to be careful.
Even during my time at the military academy, my scores in basic weapons training and practical application were just average, neither particularly good nor bad.
If I don't have absolute confidence in being able to repel all incoming enemies, the best strategy is to simply stay out of sight, keep a low profile, and just survive the next six months.
While walking around the corner of the corridor a couple of times, he was able to locate the multimedia room and the library. He also spotted a vending machine in one corner. Although he passed by a few people, they didn't seem to pay much attention to him. They seemed to notice that he was a stranger, glancing at me briefly, but it was nothing more than a casual observation."
“I thought the Asia branch would be full of Asians, but I guess that's not the case.”
After a Westerner walked past them, Jeong Tae-ui muttered something, causing Tou to turn his head.
“It's the same everywhere. No matter which branch you go to, there's a mix of different races. Just because it's the Asia branch doesn't mean it only accepts Asians. Although, proportionally, there are more Asians here compared to other branches or the headquarters. About half of the people here are Asian.”
While saying that, we arrived at the workout room we were aiming for.
Pushing open a massive iron door, easily twice the size of a normal door, a spacious area, almost the size of a gym, unfolded before us. In fact, the facilities were not so different from a regular gym, except for a few more rugged-looking exercise machines.
Inside the workout room, there were about 40 or 50 people, each engaged in their own workout. Some were gathered in small groups, chatting, and a few others seemed to be asleep, lying down. However, most of them were hanging onto exercise equipment, trying to build up their basic physical strength.
“So many people are here even though it's free time. They're really dedicated.”
“If you don't want to die, you better try to build up even a little more strength before next month. Even though there's only about half a month left. If you end up in the hands of those from the European branch, you'll be dead before I get to you.”
Feigning a fist, Tou scanned the workout room before walking towards a group of about seven men. Although they were a certain distance apart, each doing their own thing, the distance between them was close enough to indicate that they were a group with a common identity.
Jeong Tae-ui nodded inwardly. They probably belong to the same team. And judging from appearances, Tou was likely a member of that same team.
The group, noticing Tou and Jeong Tae-ui approaching, began to stop their exercises or conversations one by one and turn their attention to them. More specifically, their eyes were fixed on Jeong Tae-ui, the unfamiliar face.
“Tou, why are you back so early after a smoke, did you leave his pack of cigarettes behind?”
“I know, right? That guy always smokes at least three cigarettes in a row once he starts. I wonder why he came back so soon.”
The eyes of the men who were chuckling at each other also fell on Jeong Tae-ui. Not only them, but other men nearby were also casting curious glances at him.
“I was told to take the new guy under my wing and help him settle in. That's why I brought him here. This is Jeong Tae-ui and he's the new addition to our team.”
While Tou was exchanging a few words with them, Jeong Tae-ui pretended to be indifferent and looked around.
They seem to be mostly in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s. The youngest guy in that corner must have just turned twenty, and the guy doing sit-ups over there looks like he's about to turn forty. I'd say most of them are in their late 20s.
While thirty-year-olds might not be as physically strong as twenty-year-olds, combat technique isn't solely determined by physical strength. So, age doesn't really matter.
Just as Tou said, half of them seemed to be Asians, and the rest were a mix of Caucasians and African Americans. Although I can't say for sure about the entire group, judging by the people in this room, there seems to be slightly more African Americans than Caucasians. However, it's difficult to make a clear distinction because there were quite a few people who seemed to be of mixed race.
Everyone here seems to be so focused on building their strength that they're all pretty fit, regardless of their height······ Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be anyone who particularly catches Jeong Tae-ui's eye. Unfortunately, that might be a bad thing.
Forget it. Since I'll only be here for half a year, it would be troublesome to get involved with someone I like. It's better to just stay low and leave without any trouble.
“Hm, Tay? Around twenty······ five, I’m guessing?”
One of the men who was sitting on a mattress propped against the wall jumped down and approached them. The others chuckled from behind, and after briefly introducing Jeong Tae-ui, Tou took a couple of steps back.
Jeong Tae-ui looked at the man approaching him head-on, and at the same time, he listened to the surrounding sounds and atmosphere.
Not bad. The laughter, the curious glances, they weren't filled with hostility or mockery. It was just the sound of people enjoying a little event. I can't say it was entirely unpleasant.
The man who was looking at Jeong Tae-ui with a playful smile was tall, even for an Asian. Come to think of it, he might be mixed race. ……So he seems to be the leader.
Jeong Tae-ui smiled wryly. Whether it was here or anywhere else, wherever men gathered, there was always that same person. One of them was always trying to establish themselves as the leader.
They didn't openly proclaim a leader. Perhaps their fragile egos couldn't handle it, so outwardly, there was no hierarchy.
However, if you delve deeper, you'll always find a hierarchy. It's evident in the fact that some people, when saying the exact same thing, are easily followed, while others are constantly criticized without any support.
Perhaps it's not just men, but human nature in general. But Jeong Tae-ui had no way of knowing what women's societies were like. And he didn't particularly want to know.
“What about you?”
Jeong Tae-ui smirked and nodded towards the man. The man shrugged, gesturing at himself.
“Me? It's Carlo Sagisawa. I'll be turning thirty in seven months. Anything else you want to know?”
“Unn. Are you warming up your hands and ankles because of me?”
Carlo burst out laughing. As he approached Jeong Tae-ui, a habit or perhaps a threat, he cracked his knuckles and stood in front of him, slowly loosening his ankle and neck joints. With a grin, he spread his hands.
“No, no, I was just about to do some exercise. Why? Are you scared? You don't seem very scared.”
“Because I’m not a person who wears his emotions on the outside.”
Carlo laughed again at Jeong Tae-ui's murmur. Though it was meant as a joke, it was partly true. I had been called two-faced before, and right now, I wasn't feeling very comfortable. With exaggerated movements, he shook his wrists, his hands were as big as a cauldron. His arms, connected to his shoulders, were also incredibly muscular. The same went for his legs below his boxer shorts. It was no wonder I felt uneasy with such a large figure approaching him.
“Hey, Mr. I don’t wear my emotions on the outside. Help me warm up a bit, wanna to join me?”
While his muscular build and strong physique didn't tell the whole story, Jeong Tae-ui had no desire to test himself against him. I was a hundred percent sure I would lose. I’ve never been strong, and I’ve no interest in resorting to brute force to prove my superiority over others.
But before I could refuse, he already cut me off.
As soon as Carlo finished speaking, he lunged at Jeong Tae-ui. Grabbing one wrist and the opposite shoulder with the other, he swept Jeong Tae-ui's legs out from under him.
It was in an instant.
His vision spun as the ceiling seemed to loom over me before disappearing. A hard hit jolted his back. Instinctively, I rolled to break his fall, but a sharp pain shot through his chest and lingered for a moment.
Right in front of him, Carlo was looming overhead, grinning exaggeratedly and furrowing his brow.
“What? I heard you were a soldier, but you're so sloppy. How am I going to get any use out of you like this? Get up.”
Behind him, a cacophony of laughter, jeers, and whistles swept past. Jeong Tae-ui stared up at the man, whose Western name belied his face—a blend of Eastern and Western features, far from the typical mixed-race beauty.
Even as he told me to get up, Carlo didn't move. He still had a firm grip on Jeong Tae-ui’s shoulders and arms, and his knee was pressed against his thigh. His center of gravity was perfectly balanced.
Unless one has mastered the skill to a high level or possesses the strength of King Kong, there's no way to get up. ㅡby normal means.
“Get up, huh?”
“Yeah, as long as it can happen.”
“Great. I guess I don’t have to hold back.”
Jeong Tae-ui's action was almost as quick as his words. With the only part of his body that could move—his right leg—he lifted his knee and struck Carlo squarely in the groin.
“Gasp.”
It wasn't only Carlo who screamed. The men who had been laughing and joking, watching the scene, were instantly struck dumb, their faces pale as he let out a single cry.
The brief silence that followed was shattered in less than a few seconds by a roar akin to a howl.
“That’s such a cheap trick!!”
“Cowardㅡ.”
While the victim cowered on the ground, unable to move, Jeong Tae-ui quickly got up from underneath him. The men behind him yelled and shouted in fury as he stood up. Jeong Tae-ui scoffed.
“I need to take care of myself first. Who cares about being cowardly? If we're talking about being unfair, then the fact that this guy and I are in completely different weight classes is the real unfairness.”
He was about to retort when the man who had been lazily lounging beside Carlo a moment ago jumped off the mattress. Rolling up his sleeves with a menacing air, he approached Jeong Tae-ui. Though shorter than Jeong Tae-ui, the man was solidly built, like a dense rock.
So there's more than one mountain to climb. Is this guy some kind of direct subordinate to the boss? Looks like I'm going to have to prepare for a beating as a sort of initiation today. But I wonder if there's any decent medical equipment on this island.
Jeong Tae-ui sighed inwardly and slipped one hand into his jacket pocket. As he did so, the man who had been striding towards him slowed down slightly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“So you're going to use a weapon now that you've already resorted to such a cowardly tactic?!”
The man roared like thunder. Unfazed, Jeong Tae-ui approached him calmly. For a brief moment, the man hesitated.
There was no other opportunity but that moment.
Jeong Tae-ui grabbed the man by the collar. The man instinctively swung his fist. Almost simultaneously with the man's punch, Jeong Tae-ui, still with his hand in his jacket pocket, struck the man's chin, lifting his head. And then, just as Carlo had done to him, he tripped the man's legs and struck him in the solar plexus, knocking him down.
When he mounted the man, straddling his chest, the surroundings fell silent. He could feel a sea of hostile gazes, completely different from the ones just a moment ago.
Oh dear, I guess I'm in for it.
Whether or not he knew the heart of Tae-ui, who sighed inwardly, the man looked at Jeong Tae-ui with puzzled eyes as if he had received no harm.
“If you hadn't cowardly distracted me with that weapon and made me lose my focus, things would be completely different right now.”
“I know but you see.”
I suppose it could be seen as the whining of a defeated man, Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a sigh. And the fact that this guy wasn't actually prepared for a real fight also helped Jeong Tae-ui. With a soft heart, thinking of just threatening and letting him off, he was easily caught.
The man grabbed Jeong Tae-ui's wrist, which was pressing down on his shoulder, and began to twist it with all his might, intending to break it.
I knew I couldn't win a strength contest against this guy. Even if I fight with all my might, can I last even a minute? I figured the situation would completely reverse in no time.
Damn it, I've never been beaten up like this my whole life. It's probably going to hurt like hell. I just hope they take me to a hospital in time.
Feeling the increasingly hostile gazes around him, Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue and muttered to the man who was barely a foot away.
“But hey, given that I'm such a coward and a cheat as you say, why would I just lie here and let you grab me like this? You must have a neck made of iron, huh?”
Keeping his hand still inside his pocket, he placed it right below the man's neck.
Jeong Tae-ui's expressionless face met the man's gaze as he indifferently muttered. The sharp tip of something, probably a blade, pressed against the man's neck, just a sheet of paper away. The man's eyes widened in surprise. Seeing the man's reaction, Jeong Tae-ui smirked.
“But the problem is…… you can't slit someone's throat with a pen.”
Tossing the pen from his pocket, Jeong Tae-ui slid off the man and collapsed onto the floor. The man glared at the ceiling, his brow furrowed, before suddenly jumping up and yelling at Jeong Tae-ui in a trembling voice.
“Not only is he a coward, but he's also resorting to such petty tricks. This won't do. I'm going to teach him a lesson today.”
“Yeah, that's a great idea, but I'll go first. Alta.”
The person who muttered in a low, eerie voice was Carlo, who had just pulled his hand away from his groin and stood up from the floor.
Jeong Tae-ui looked at him with a gloomy expression. I was planning to quietly survive for half a year, minding my own business, but why do I have to worry about my life so early on? If I had to pinpoint the reason, it was because of the guy who brought me here.
Though it was a natural course of events, and it wasn't really Tou's fault, Jeong Tae-ui resentfully glared at Tou as if seeking someone to blame. Tou, who had been mingling with the crowd, flinched when their eyes met. Feeling increasingly down, Jeong Tae-ui's spirit was completely crushed, and he dejectedly stared at the floor.
“By the way, did you get in here through connections?”
Looking up from the shadow that had fallen over him, he saw Carlo, sleeves rolled up, standing right in front of him. It seemed Carlo wanted to investigate my background before destroying me.
Just as he was about to say, 'Of course not,' Tou quickly shouted out.
“Instructor Jeong. Instructor Jeong Chang-in brought him.”
“Instructor Jeong?”
Carlo glanced at Tou, then turned back to Jeong Tae-ui with a questioning look.
“How do you know Instructor Jeong?”
“……. So if we're close, you're just going to let me get away with this?”
Carlo seemed to ponder for a moment before glancing around.
“Let’s hear you out first.”
With a tone that clearly implied he was still planning to teach him a lesson, Carlo asked him to explain. Sighing, Jeong Tae-ui simply told him the truth.
“He’s my uncle.”
“Instructor Jeong? ……is your uncle?”
As Carlo's voice rose, the surroundings became agitated. Jeong Tae-ui was inwardly quite startled by this unexpected reaction from those around him, though he didn't show it outwardly.
So my uncle is a well-known figure that warrants such a reaction? I guess being an instructor gives you quite a bit of clout.
“Tay……Jeong Tay……. Then, how are you related to Jeong Jay? There were rumors that Jeong Jay was also the nephew of Instructor Jeong?”
Carlo mumbled Jeong Tae-ui's name slightly mispronounced, then asked again with a serious expression. When he heard his brother's name, also slightly mispronounced, Jeong Tae-ui was surprised once more.
I never thought my Hyung's name would come up in this situation. Or rather, I don't even understand why his name is coming up here. I guess it's possible that they worked together at headquarters when my Hyung was temporarily assigned there.
“He’s my Hyung.”
“Your Hyung? Jeong Jay? Your real Hyung? That genius researcher, the one they say turned down huge offers of wealth and power from headquarters and left without a second thought when his contract ended? That incredibly lucky Jeong Jay, who succeeds at everything he touches?”
Jeong Tae-ui grimaced, slightly turning his face away from Carlo, who was shouting excitedly.
This is the first I've heard of it. But we never really cared about each other's work, so it could be true. In fact, it sounds plausible.
It seems my Hyung is even more famous than I thought.
“Unn, that's right. My Hyung. ……So, are you going to cut me some slack?”
I had hoped that some of Hyung's incredible luck might rub off on me.
Carlo, who had been mingling with the men nearby, muttering phrases like 'the one we've only heard about' and 'the legendary one,' turned to look at Jeong Tae-ui. He shrugged and grimaced.
“What are you talking about? That’s a whole other issue.”
Cracking his knuckles again, Carlo leaned in and feigned sympathy as he looked at Jeong Tae-ui.
“Look at you, you're weak, you have no skills. If you can't win fair and square, why resort to such dirty tricks? You're just asking for trouble.”
“You won by dirty means, didn't you?”
“…….”
Carlo shut his mouth. The man from before approached, his face menacing. The others surrounded them, their expressions a mix of amusement and anger. The conversation about his brother had faded, and with it, the tiny hope he'd had that his brother's luck might rub off on him.
Thankfully, the atmosphere wasn't as harsh or dangerous as I had expected. It seemed I wouldn't have to worry about medical facilities.
However, the outcome of being beaten up remained the same.
***
-Manhwa chapters 3,4-
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago
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