The Division Head’s Gambit
Under Department Head Maeng’s orders, my work on the project looked smooth from the outside.
But my eyes were busier than ever.
This was a matter of re-optimizing the machine’s brain to match its changed hardware.
There was far too much to see.
“Now.”
The moment I spoke, the operator manipulated the power pack.
Buuuuung—
Clack!
The massive power pack’s engine note shifted almost imperceptibly.
Then, just as the gear shifted from second to third, the torque graph on the monitor climbed in a smooth arc.
The researchers, sensing success, began to brighten.
But then—
“This won’t do. Let’s do it again.”
My firm voice made them freeze.
“Huh? You saw the graph just now. It was perfect, no torque loss at all.”
“It only looked perfect. The logic’s wrong.”
I stared through the glass at the power pack.
I had seen it a moment ago: the instant the gears meshed, the oil film between the clutch plates tore apart and a blood-red flash of friction heat burst to life.
“The logic is wrong? But the data’s within normal range—”
“The hardware’s had its flow channels shaved down, so the response got faster. But the software is still issuing commands on the old timing.”
I turned back to the monitor and pointed out the data that could explain the shape I’d just seen.
“Zoom in on the clutch temperature sensor graph.”
“Temperature? Why would—”
“During the 0.2 seconds of the shift, the temperature spiked by 0.5 degrees, right? If hydraulic pressure were truly locked in, there’s no reason for the temperature to jump that sharply.”
The researchers murmured among themselves and crowded around the monitor.
“Uh…? It really did.”
“Torque’s fine, but the temperature alone jumps?”
I explained with conviction.
“The software is telling it to lock right away, but the hydraulic pressure hasn’t fully built yet. It’s forcing the lock while it’s still short, so the metal’s grinding against metal and generating heat. If you run durability testing, that clutch will burn out in under a hundred hours.”
Senior Engineer Jo interpreted my words perfectly.
“So it wasn’t torque interrupt control—it was insufficient hydraulic pressure. Adjust the line pressure command value! Increase it by three bar and pre-inject!”
“I’ll make the correction!”
Clatter, clatter—keys rattled furiously.
The physical machine remained untouched while only a few lines of code, nothing more than zeros and ones, were modified.
After a moment, the test started again.
Buuuuung—
This time, even I couldn’t see any red.
The solenoid valve, receiving the revised command, opened at exactly the right moment, and blue fluid wrapped the clutch without leaving a single gap.
Thanks to that, the temperature graph stayed stable as well.
“Wow…”
Someone let out an involuntary gasp.
Whether they did or not, I stayed focused on optimization.
We were short on time.
If we were going to finish within the time we’d been given, we had to move like mad.
“Next. The four-speed shift section.”
“Yes! Standing by!”
“The tail on the solenoid duty graph is stretching too long. Cut it by three percent.”
“What? Then won’t there be shift shock?”
“No, it won’t. The software’s being too overprotective. You haven’t reflected the faster flow rate from the orifice expansion in the logic yet, have you? If the tail is too long, residual pressure actually delays the valve closing.”
“Ah…! Right, the flow rate’s faster now!”
There was nothing especially dramatic about it.
I gave clear instructions and simply translated what I could see into data.
And in the process, the minute flaws no one else had noticed were being corrected, little by little.
＊
At the same time.
The outdoor firing-control bunker beside the driving test range.
A taut tension hung inside the thick concrete shelter.
That was because the composite armor TP-C from Design Team 1, where Baek Gunwoo belonged, and the prototype from the automatic loading-device task force, which he had briefly been dispatched to as a relief hitter, were both about to be tested.
Maybe that was why?
Section Head Song and Section Head Kang stood with their team members, faces rigid with nerves, staring toward the target lane a kilometer away.
In the middle of it, Section Head Kang said, “This… this’ll be okay, right?”
Section Head Song snorted and replied, “At least our side looks solid. I have no idea about theirs.”
“Ours should be fine. We built it exactly the way Manager Baek told us to.”
“Well, if that’s the standard, then ours is the same.”
“Then it all comes down to whether Manager Baek really saw it right…?”
“You took another team’s precious talent for your research, and now you’re complaining? If you don’t trust what that guy can do, don’t take him with you next time. I’m never lending him out again.”
“Hey now, why are you suddenly acting like this?”
Section Head Kang stared at Section Head Song in disbelief.
Section Head Song let out a rough laugh all by himself before saying, “For now, let’s zero the sights with single shots on your side and check whether the loading cycle is normal.”
“Fine by me.”
Normally, the test would have proceeded without a single deviation under a prearranged plan.
But today, thanks to an unexpected visitor, things were proceeding in something of a slapdash manner.
The controller, who had been watching the two men directing the test, approached them.
“Shall we proceed as discussed? Preparation’s complete.”
“All right. Let’s begin.”
“Yes, sir. Then I’ll start!”
The controller shouted and grabbed the radio.
Then, while issuing orders, he gave the signal.
BOOM—!
The heavy report shook the bunker.
Dust billowed up over the composite armor target 1 kilometer ahead.
At the same time, the robot arm of the automatic loader moved smoothly, ejecting the spent shell casing and returning to the next-round position.
“Loading device normal! Hydraulic fluctuation zero!”
“Composite armor impact confirmed! Damage rate minimal! It blocked the shot perfectly!”
At the analysts’ reports, Section Head Song and Section Head Kang both let out breaths of relief.
“Phew…”
“We lived. At least the basics held.”
The first gate had been passed.
Now the composite armor would compile the data and submit its report, and the automatic loader would move on to a second test to verify the machine’s stability and speed.
Step by step, just as they had hurriedly planned.
At least, that was what those on-site believed.
But in the VIP room at the rear of the range, the mood was entirely different.
“Hmm.”
The woman watching the test from the window set down her teacup with a soft clink.
Executive Director Yoon Taejin of the Finance Division.
She had just entered her early forties, yet through an extraordinary promotion had risen to the position of executive director, a genuinely remarkable figure.
She possessed a beauty that seemed untouched by time, but it was a beauty closer to chill than warmth.
A sharply tailored suit, a neat bob that never slipped out of place, and cold eyes gleaming behind her glasses.
Within the company, she went by nicknames like witch, butcher, and grim reaper.
“Executive Director Choi.”
“……Yes?”
Section Head Choi Kichul, standing beside her, answered with a stiff face.
He was one rank below her, even though his own title was also executive director in the company hierarchy, and she was the real power holding the group’s money in her hands.
Still, his expression made his discomfort obvious.
Like a homeowner confronted by a guest who never should have come.
Executive Director Yoon seemed not to care in the slightest, resting her chin on her hand with a bored look as she gestured toward the window.
“The Finance Division delayed the German team’s arrival just to make room for this. And this was all there was?”
The voice was gentle enough, but the content was sharp as a dagger.
Thanks to that, the crease between Section Head Choi’s brows deepened.
This demonstration hadn’t been arranged because he wanted it.
It had been forced into existence by a unilateral notice from the Finance Division, which wanted one last confirmation that domestic production was possible before finalizing the contract with Germany’s Kank Company.
“One shot, check it, then another shot. How long do you plan to keep this up? Is the money and time the Land Systems Business Division burned through for five years still not enough for you?”
“Executive Director. These are safety regulations. Don’t talk like someone who doesn’t know the field.”
“Regulations?”
Yoon gave a faint smile.
“People like us, who only look at numbers, don’t care about process or regulations. We only trust results—very definite, overwhelming numbers.”
“……”
“If all you’re going to show us today is that much… I suppose I’ll have to do my job too. You know exactly what I mean, Section Head. Group-level efficiency.”
Efficiency.
To wrap a word like restructuring in such elegant packaging and call it a threat.
Section Head Choi bit down on his lip, trying to suppress the irritation boiling up in him.
If they couldn’t prove hard numbers here today, the Land Systems Business Division would truly be torn apart.
And he would rather die than watch the engineers who had sweat blood in the field be cut down by that damned number game.
Fine. So numbers are what you want?
Baek Gunwoo’s face flashed through Section Head Choi’s mind.
The one Song and Kang had praised until they were blue in the face, the man with the ability to face a problem and not merely solve it, but seem to see through to the answer itself.
Right. He designed it. He said it was perfect, too.
At this rate, he’d be pushed out as well, and the Land Systems Business Division would be shredded right alongside him.
If that was how it was going to be, then he might as well bet on the side with the bigger payoff if the gamble succeeded.
Fine. Let’s see whether you win or I do.
Section Head Choi grabbed the intercom microphone roughly.
“Control room, do you read? This is the section head.”
— Yes, sir. Control room here.
“Switch the test. End single-shot fire and go straight to rapid fire.”
— ……What?
Song’s flustered voice came through the radio.
— S-Section Head, the heat from the last hit hasn’t even cooled yet! You need to give the ceramic time to stabilize—
“My man, do enemies in the real world wait until things cool down?”
— But a three-round burst will put a strain on the loading device because of the vibration—
“Song!”
Section Head Choi shouted, glaring at Executive Director Yoon as if trying to pin her with the look alone.
It was words meant for Song, yes, but also a declaration for the unwanted guest sitting beside him to hear.
“Didn’t you say it yourself? That Manager Baek was perfect. Then trust him. Executive Director Yoon says she’s bored and can’t be bothered to watch. Fire three rounds, four and a half seconds apart. Same spot.”
Thwack—the microphone hit the table as Section Head Choi slapped it down, the veins standing out on his hand.
Watching that rough display, Executive Director Yoon curved her lips with interest.
“You sound confident. The risk could be fairly high if you fail.”
Section Head Choi yanked his tie loose and snapped back, “Keep your eyes open and watch. The results will speak for themselves.”
Instead of answering, Executive Director Yoon gave a strange little eye-smile and turned back toward the window.
She seemed to be enjoying the situation itself.
And a little while later.
BOOM—!
The second shot thundered out.
The massive steel test rig holding the cannon barrel fixed could not absorb the recoil and lurched violently.
The shock was strong enough to make the firmly anchored concrete floor shudder.
Dust and debris blurred the view.
Hold. Hold like you mean it.
Section Head Choi clenched the hand lowered beneath the table.
His grip was so strong his nails bit into his palm.
Four and a half seconds.
The instant in which the automatic loader loaded the next round.
The shockwave and vibration from the impact still hadn’t settled.
Clack, whirr.
Not long after the faint mechanical sound rang out—
BOOM—!
The third shell spat fire.
There was no error.
Inside the steel frame shaking like it had lost its mind, the loading device was still feeding the round into the chamber with almost insulting precision.
One more shot.
Section Head Choi stared at the target lane without so much as blinking.
Executive Director Yoon held her teacup and studied his profile.
The sight of him glaring at the battlefield with eyes full of venom.
Her gaze lingered briefly on his tightly sealed lips.
And then—
BOOOOM—!
With the final fourth blast, the target lane disappeared completely beneath a cloud of smoke.
Silence, thick enough to choke on.
Section Head Choi breathed hard and crushed the radio in his fist.
Penetrated? Stopped?
Had the machine held?
As all kinds of thoughts flickered through his mind and vanished, an analyst’s voice came through.
— Firing complete! Checking sensor data… just a moment.
Section Head Choi waited without moving a muscle.
Slowly, Executive Director Yoon crossed her legs and looked over at him.
In that brief instant, the taut tension pressed down on the air inside the VIP room.
— All rounds fired successfully! No jam! Impact area… no penetration! Zero rear deformation! The shot group is within twenty centimeters, and the surrounding tile cracks didn’t propagate! It was blocked perfectly!
Only then did Section Head Choi exhale the breath he’d been holding in a rough rush.
Under the table, he clenched his fist and drew his arm in slightly.
That’s it! Those bastards pulled it off!
Executive Director Yoon did not miss the tiny but fierce gesture of victory.
She let out a short, amused laugh.
“The composite armor was a success, and so was the automatic loader with a 4.5-second loading time. You definitely won the gamble. So how does it feel? You must have been quite on edge.”
There was ease in Executive Director Yoon’s voice.
Section Head Choi composed his expression and answered calmly. “What nonsense is that? A gamble? This was a matter of rigorous data and technical capability.”
“Well, I’m sure that’s how you’ll see it.”
Yoon gave a light shrug as if she didn’t believe him.
Her gaze moved out the window to the target lane, where the smoke was clearing, and then toward Song in the control room.
Interest was blooming in her face.
“Anyway… Manager Baek Gunwoo.”
The unfamiliar name slipped from Executive Director Yoon’s red lips.
“He’s interesting. I had no idea there was a character like that hiding in our company.”
Her eyes changed little by little.
Section Head Choi’s eyebrows twitched.
“Don’t go licking your lips over him, Executive Director Yoon. He’s ours.”
“He’s a Hanseo Defense employee, too.”
Executive Director Yoon smiled seductively in return.
“At the end of the day, if we’re all drawing the same paycheck, does it really matter whose man he is? You know as well as I do that the Finance Team likes people who can produce numbers.”
“Hah. You people act like that and think he’d even be interested? You’re the ones who put him on the voluntary retirement list, remember?”
“That’s….”
Executive Director Yoon rose from her seat.
As she passed Section Head Choi, she leaned in and whispered softly by his ear.
“Depends on the terms, doesn’t it? There isn’t anyone who hates money.”
Click, click.
The sound of her heels receded down the hall.
Section Head Choi frowned at the closed door.
Looks like they’d cleared one hurdle.
But they’d also created a deeply irritating situation.
“That bastard Baek Gunwoo… too good at his job is a problem, too.”
—