"Anyway, I suppose it’s a relief that nothing happened," Jin Hoje said brightly.

Just then, he strolled over with a tumbler in hand and immediately claimed the seat beside her.

He chugged his protein shake, leaving a white mustache-like streak around his mouth. When she smiled vaguely at the sight, one side of her cheek started to sting for some reason.

As she began to turn her head toward the source of the staring she felt, Yu Dawit suddenly groaned and collapsed forward onto the table. Even in the chilly morning air, his sleeveless top clung to him, his muscles prominently flexed from who knows how much training he’d already ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ done.

Seoryeong’s eyes drifted to the cross-shaped earring hooked on the rim of his ear, and she suddenly opened her mouth.

“By the way, didn’t you say you went to seminary?”

“Hm?”

He slowly lifted his upper body.

“I saw a priest yesterday. His outfit was kind of unusual.”

“How so?”

“It was black, but it had a long vertical pattern from the chest down to the knees.”

“......!”

Yu Dawit’s brow furrowed. A cassock? He muttered to himself.

“There were crosses and something like an eagle’s beak mixed in with letters and symbols.”

“Was it this one?”

He pulled out his phone and tapped a few times before showing her an image. The screen displayed a group photo of priests wearing angular square hats. At the center of each hat was a yellow embroidered symbol—unclear whether it was an eagle or something gold.

When she nodded, Dawit tied his shoulder-length hair back with a rubber band and spoke.

“That’s Russian Orthodox. But since it’s the Sakhalin branch, it’s considered a heretical sect.”

“...A heresy?”

“Probably because of their aggressive rhetoric.”

“.......”

“They’ve been openly advocating for war. Historically, the Soviet Union persecuted religion, but this sect quietly survived and gained power through that period. Though by now, it’s said to have dwindled so much that people call it a relic of the past.”

Honestly, the priest she’d seen wasn’t particularly important. But even though it had only been a brief glance, she kept recalling his sharp eyes and oddly clueless manner of speaking. And every time, it left a bitter aftertaste.

“But you saw a Sakhalin priest?”

“Yes. He left a strong impression, in many ways.”

“His outfit?”

“No, the priest was kind of... perverted. And...”

She scratched at her temple, unsure whether she should say it, then spoke bluntly.

“He suddenly licked my cheek.”

A loud thump came from the window side of the room. But before she could check what it was, all the team members abruptly stopped what they were doing and rushed over, blocking her view.

Kim Taemin had been wearing an eye massage mask but stood up straight away, while Jin Hoje started coughing from choking on his drink.

“Wait, is that... Are you talking about the event venue? That perverted bastard in the women’s restroom?”

“Yeah.”

“Then why didn’t you drag him all the way back here?!”

“He left without a fuss.”

Kim Taemin fumed, sounding far more outraged than he had through the in-ear comms, but Seoryeong simply shrugged.

That was all there was to it, she added quietly, sipping her tea.

Yu Dawit, who had been silently pondering something, suddenly interjected.

“If I may add my own interpretation—Daniel chapter 2, verse 44 says: ‘It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.’ Seems like the Sakhalin sect is obsessed with that verse. It’s one of those scriptures that different religious circles interpret in wildly different ways. Now, if I may continue—”

“Agh—! He’s doing it again!”

Jin Hoje waved his hands in protest, frowning.

“That kind of talk makes my head hurt!”

Go do your theology fanboying in your open group chat! he exclaimed, shivering.

As the two bickered, Seoryeong took a step back and glanced around, distancing herself slightly.

Her eyes stopped—almost by coincidence—on Lee Wooshin, who was staring out the window. He radiated a cold air, completely unaffected by the loud chatter of the other team members.

Even though all she could see was his back, somehow she felt as if his emotions were seeping out. Was he in a bad mood? Seoryeong squinted faintly.

“Hyung, seriously, just read us a bomb-making manual instead. That’d be better, sir!”

Jin Hoje leaned back in his chair, fingers interlaced behind his head.

“Man... I don’t know about anything else, but when I hear ‘Russia,’ all I can think of is that prime minister guy. Sol, Sol... some famous family, right? He married a really young Korean girl...! I think she was like over ten years younger—”

“Twelve,” Kim Taemin said promptly, slipping his mask back on.

Just then, Wooshin—who had been still as a statue—suddenly cracked his neck side to side.

Was something bothering him? He inhaled deeply, flexing his shoulders. Each movement made the outlines of his shoulder blades push sharply against the tight training uniform clinging to his back.

Seoryeong couldn’t tear her eyes away from his subtle movements for a long moment before finally looking back at the others. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Then Jin Hoje suddenly pulled his chair closer to her.

“Eh?! Recruit Han Seoryeong, you don’t know this story?”

There was a tone of triumph in his suddenly raised voice.

“Romance is my specialty, ma’am!”

Grinning widely, he tossed his empty tumbler toward Yu Dawit and leaned in, gripping the back of his chair so their eyes were level. As a result, her view of Wooshin was completely blocked.

“Now, he’s dead now, but there used to be this guy—called the brain of Siberia since the Soviet era...”

But despite the grand intro, he scratched his chin awkwardly.

“So apparently when this prime minister was a young man, he suddenly brought home this underage Asian girl. Naturally, his whole family flipped out, it was chaos. But the guy was so headstrong, no matter what warnings or threats came his way... they had a kid and lived pretty well, apparently. But the real problem was—”

“Everyone out.”

A cold voice cut in abruptly.

All eyes turned toward the team leader in the distance. Only then did Wooshin turn toward them, his expression freezing over.

“Everyone leave. Except Recruit Han Seoryeong.”

He gave the order curtly.

“Close the blinds. Lock the door.”

Once the others had cleared out, a suffocating silence settled over the office, leaving only the two of them inside.

He stood across from her, one hand pressing then lifting a file folder against the desk, staring holes into her.

Just standing there like a decoration while he dominated the air with silence felt like torture. She swallowed dryly.

“That priest licked your cheek?”

“...Yes?”

“Left side or right.”

He stepped in close, grabbing her face harshly as he asked.

“Recruit Han Seoryeong, I really hate shit like this.”

“.......”

“So look me in the eyes and state it clearly. Exactly where and how did he lick you?”

“Uh...”

Before she could answer, his broad palm roughly rubbed her face. “Ugh—!” A stifled groan escaped her lips. The way he scrubbed at her skin felt like he was trying to peel it off. She squirmed and pulled away, but he merely scowled, expression rigid.

Finally, unable to take it, she burst out.

“Left side! He yanked some hair too—what does it even matter!”

His violent hands finally stopped.

But then...

“...He tore out your hair?”

The air around them suddenly turned icy cold.

Even though he was wearing his usual flat-colored contact lenses, his eyes visibly shook. Something had rattled him.

A frosty tension settled between them. Seeing his blurred, unfocused gaze up close, Seoryeong tried to clarify.

“I was caught off guard too. I’ve never seen someone act like that in priest robes.”

“That priest...”

He started to say something, then abruptly shut his mouth. Turning his head the other way, Wooshin closed his eyes and exhaled through gritted teeth. His broad, solid chest expanded and contracted near her arm.

When he opened his eyes again, his face was unreadable.

“Did you talk to that bastard?”

“Calling a priest a ‘bastard’ is a bit...”

She instinctively sealed her lips. No way she could bring up Jeonggang now.

“I was about to subdue him, but then he just licked me and left.”

“.......”

“It kind of... deflated everything.”

Suddenly, his grip on her face tightened. No way he was actually going to crush her head—! She winced and smacked his arm, but Wooshin seemed unaware he was even using force.

Then, leaning in, he sank his teeth hard into her cheek—then sucked fiercely, hard enough to leave a round bruise.

“――!”

She reflexively kicked her knee up, but he easily dodged it. The obscene schlk sound that followed made her freeze in shock.

Her cheek burned red, complete with bite marks. Mouth agape, she was momentarily speechless.

“Did you think I was joking?”

“...What?”

“I told you to keep your eyes on what’s in front of you. I never said you could let some other bastard lay a hand on you.”

“......!”

Her lashes quivered. Maybe he’d been acting strange ever since he’d started staring out that window.

Was emotional contagion possible through body heat? Her heart thudded hard in her chest.

“Why do you grind a person’s emotions down like this?”

“.......”

“Recruit Han Seoryeong, do you have any idea how much of my patience you’ve worn away bit by bit? Getting your neck chewed by some mutt, your face licked by some priest bastard. And when I’m not around, getting beaten until your veins burst.”

His eyes flicked to the fading bruise.

“That kind of shit pisses me off.”

“......!”

“Just standing there, pushed aside, like I don’t even count.”

What... is he saying right now? No, no, he shouldn't be... Seoryeong’s expression crumpled.

“You’re supposed to be mine. But I’m the only one who can’t even lay a finger on you like an idiot.”

His fierce gaze abruptly hardened, as if he’d made up his mind.

He returned to his desk, opened the bottom drawer, and pulled out a small pistol. He swiftly loaded the magazine into the empty chamber and cocked it—then thrust it into Seoryeong’s hand.

The cold metal made her flinch.

“I can’t exactly carve up that precious cheek now, can I.”

He closed the distance between them. A soap scent she’d never smelled before reached her nose. Then his large hand cupped her cheek and ear as he yanked her roughly toward him.

“If this is fucked up, just shoot me.”

With a heavy breath, he forced his tongue past her lips.