Chapter 3 Part 3

Jeong Tae-ui, who could maintain an almost perfect poker face in other matters, uniquely didn’t know how to hide his feelings when it came to Shinru. Seeing his face flush instantly and his hesitant demeanor, it was impossible for anyone not to notice. Thanks to this, everyone in the team knew that Jeong Tae-ui had feelings for Shinru. Shinru himself probably knew too.

Regarding that matter, Jeong Tae-ui felt a sense of gratitude, going beyond mere relief.

At first, his colleagues tilted their heads, puzzled by Jeong Tae-ui’s demeanor in front of Shinru, then hesitantly asked, “Do you happen to have that kind of hobby?” At that moment, Jeong Tae-ui briefly thought about denying it. This was because memories from his time in the military came to mind.

He remembered that having feelings beyond mere liking or engaging in physical relationships with the Same Sex had been a serious handicap. It was also why his relationships with his comrades had not been smooth.

However, he had no intention of deceiving them about such matters, nor did he think he could hide it, so Jeong Tae-ui nodded, facing them with a serious expression.

But his colleagues’ reactions were anticlimactic to the point of being bland. “Oh, is that so?” was all they said.

“How many years have we been rolling around in this harsh environment? That’s nothing to be surprised about. Just don’t make it too obvious. …Ah. And I like women, so don’t like me!”

As if understanding Jeong Tae-ui’s bewildered expression, Carlo muttered as if bored, then advised him with a feigned serious face. Then, he suddenly grinned and drawled playfully.

“So, you like Shinru, huh? Hmm… You know office romances are forbidden, right?”

Starting with his words, all his colleagues were like that afterward. He was truly material for teasing for a hundred years.

Jeong Tae-ui, recalling past memories, felt relieved by his colleagues’ nonchalant attitude.

But of course, even while feeling relieved, he would still get a surge of indignation hearing them teasing him so playfully.

“If you’re jealous, then tear your clothes off and come along. Though I wonder who would want to see those unappealing bodies of yours.”

Jeong Tae-ui looked at his colleagues with a brazen expression and spoke confidently. Just moments ago, they had been grinning and teasing Jeong Tae-ui, but now they simply flared up in anger and raged.

“Unappealing, you say? Unappealing! Look at these magnificent muscles of mine!”

“This wonderfully tanned skin! A V-shaped physique! Women go absolutely crazy for it!”

“Even so, you just look unrefined, and your balance is off. …It’s not like you have cute pink nipples as a charming point, like me.”

Jeong Tae-ui openly scoffed, surveying them with a sneer, then snorted as if to be heard, and walked away.

He heard the shouting voices of his colleagues behind him, but it wasn’t the first or second time he’d heard them; they were no more significant than the buzzing of flies.

Looking back, Jeong Tae-ui had never once been in a romantic relationship.

He had experienced his heart pounding for someone, but that person disappeared before he could properly recognize his feelings, and while he had countless experiences sleeping with others, it was hard to call any of them a relationship.

The young man he had spent time with and slept with for a while—the very protagonist of that knife fight—insisted that they were not dating, which was incomprehensible given his later actions. So, in fact, Jeong Tae-ui had been hurt somewhat in the early stages of associating with that young man, thinking, ‘It seems I’m destined to only have casual relationships with anyone.’

After that, he never met anyone who could strike his heart, and furthermore, military life became so difficult that he had no leisure to think of anything else.

So, these feelings were very unfamiliar to him. But they weren’t bad. On the contrary, he felt good even if it was just unrequited love. The experience of feeling happy just by seeing someone.

“Excuse me—.”

When Jeong Tae-ui entered the office and spoke, there were four men inside: three Support Staff and one Vice Director-General.

Jeong Tae-ui saw the Vice Director-General, with whom he had exchanged formal greetings the day after arriving here, straightened his posture, and gave a slight bow. The Vice Director-General, who seemed to have just finished his patrol, nodded, returning Jeong Tae-ui’s greeting, and then passed by him.

Rudolf Gentil. He was his uncle’s direct superior.

He didn’t know much about him, as they had only exchanged a very brief, formal greeting, but according to those around him, he seemed like a seemingly mild yet formidable person not to be underestimated.

Jeong Tae-ui suspiciously asked if that meant he was a black-hearted fellow, but only an ambiguous answer returned.

It didn’t matter anyway. If a superior would just take good care of his life for six months, he wouldn’t mind if their insides were not just black, but utterly rotten.

“Tae-ui hyung? What brings you here? …What happened to your clothes?”

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been briefly watching the Vice Director-General’s retreating back, turned his head at a soft, familiar voice.

Shinru, sitting closest to the door, looked a little surprised at Jeong Tae-ui’s attire.

“Huh? Oh. Sparring. I came to get new clothes, is it okay?”

Jeong Tae-ui gave an awkward laugh and fiddled with his torn clothes. Shinru replied, “Of course,” then stood up, went into an adjoining room within the office, and brought out new clothes.

“Thanks. What should I do with these clothes? Should I take them off and give them to you, or just throw them away?”

“Hmm… If they’re torn like this, it’d be hard to repair them. You can probably just throw them away. …You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Getting hurt is an everyday occurrence, what’s there to worry about? I’m fine, I’m fine. Thanks for worrying about me.”

When Jeong Tae-ui gave a shy smile, Shinru also smiled slightly and whispered, “Please be careful.”

Shinru, the youngest among the people at this branch, had frozen in surprise upon seeing Jeong Tae-ui again less than an hour after encountering him in the bathroom that day. But that was only for a moment; after meeting and talking a few times, he seemed to have let down his guard, now calling Jeong Tae-ui ‘hyung’ and following him affectionately.

“…”