Chapter 202: Resumed Invasion Activities (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Resumed Invasion Activities (6)
After a hectic night, I dragged my refreshed body out of bed the next morning and headed to the hospital.
I clearly remembered entering the room with just Yura and Eunha, making it three of us, but when I woke up, I was sharing the bed with everyone. I had a faint memory of the others trickling into the room just as I was drifting off to sleep…
When I moved into Su-ah’s place, I bought all new furniture. I’d bought the largest bed size available just in case, and while it might be a bit of a chore to clean, it certainly wasn't a bad choice considering my girlfriends like to drop by.
Recalling last night, I marveled once again at Yura’s vigor and let out a hollow laugh at the fire in Eunha’s eyes, which had been every bit as intense. It might sound like I was just exhausted and worn out, but the time I spend with my girlfriends is never a burden.
In fact, spending those passionate nights with them gives me a great deal of strength. It’s a moment where I can physically prove my love for them, so while I might feel overwhelmed at times, I never feel like I dislike it.
Of course, it’s true that I occasionally feel a sense of dread at their sheer momentum. There are times I wonder if I’ll even be able to get up in the morning, but seeing as I woke up feeling refreshed, it seems I haven't reached an age where it’s a physical strain just yet.
“A.”
Upon arriving at the hospital, I looked for Esmeralda near the entrance. Thinking she might be at the smoking area, I headed that way. Just as I expected, Esmeralda, who was mid-cigarette, spotted me and waved. I gave her a light bow in return.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No. I just got here.”
Her long blonde hair was neatly tied back, and her bangs hung down to cover her right eye as usual.
Dressed in a long black coat and smoking a cigarette, she exuded the aura of a powerful underworld boss lady. She carried an air that would make an ordinary person hesitate to even approach her.
As I watched her, thinking to myself, ‘If I didn’t know her, I wouldn’t have been able to utter a single word to her,’ Esmeralda seemed to feel my gaze. She looked at me and tilted her head.
“What? Is something wrong?”
“No. You just look cool while smoking.”
“Is that so?”
She gave a soft smile, and I returned it. As she slowly finished her cigarette, I found myself looking up at the hospital building for no particular reason.
‘I won’t run into her, will I?’
The memory of bumping into Silver when I came with Yubin flashed through my mind. Surely, lightning wouldn't strike twice. I hoped that today’s visit, just the two of us, would pass peacefully.
“If I’d brought Theo along, you would’ve had someone to smoke with.”
“It’s fine. We came together last time anyway.”
Thinking she might have been bored smoking alone, I brought up Theo as we headed inside, but she simply shook her head.
“Theo is just as uncomfortable around me as anyone else.”
Her features were sharp, but her gentle gaze held no intimidation. The way Esmeralda looked at me hadn't changed since the old days.
“Is it that obvious?”
“I’m not an idiot. I can tell that much.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.”
It was obvious that I found her intimidating and uncomfortable. I figured she’d noticed, but hearing it directly made me feel apologetic.
However, she brushed it off as if she understood my situation and led the way to Kruger’s room.
This was my third visit and Esmeralda’s second, so we had no trouble finding the room.
We headed upstairs and stood before the private room where Kruger was admitted. I scanned the hallway to see if Silver was around before Esmeralda opened the door and we stepped inside.
Fortunately, it seemed Silver wasn't around today.
“…….”
As soon as we entered, Esmeralda stood by Kruger’s bedside. Then, both she and I scanned the surroundings simultaneously.
“Maybe the hospital staff were just in here?”
“I suppose so?”
There was a sense of displacement in the room. In a room with a comatose patient, doctors and nurses come and go every day to check their status.
But the unease Esmeralda and I felt didn't come from those routine traces. It felt as though someone had tidied the room and lingered around Kruger.
Since I hadn't stopped being on guard since the terror incident, I voiced the possibility of it being hospital staff, but neither Esmeralda nor I could shake our anxiety.
“There are no signs of any malicious contact.”
Thinking someone might have approached the room knowing Kruger’s identity, I even checked under the bed, but there was nothing suspicious.
“Maybe we’re just being too sensitive. It could have just been the cleaning staff.”
“You’re probably right.”
Since no harm had been done to Kruger and it was just a lingering feeling that someone had been there, we decided to lower our guard for now.
“This guy… when do you think he’ll wake up?”
“Who knows. I just hope he wakes up eventually, even if it’s late.”
There was nothing wrong with Kruger’s physical condition. He was simply in a persistent coma after losing consciousness, so all we could do was wait for him to wake up.
If there were a way to wake him, I would have slapped him awake right then and there, but unfortunately, the technology to jumpstart a sleeping brain doesn't exist in this world.
Even Spacetro, with its technology far beyond Earth’s, or civilizations even more advanced than Spacetro, have yet to master the technology to fully understand the biological brain.
Since that technology exists nowhere in the universe, the only option for waking the sleeping Kruger was to wait.
“You and Kruger certainly caused a lot of trouble back then.”
“Yeah. And Theo had to clean up after us every single time.”
“I think Seira ended up fixing more of your messes than Theo did.”
“…That’s true.”
Standing before Kruger, Esmeralda and I were lost in thought for a moment.
Setting aside the current awkwardness with Seira, reminiscing about the past brought a smile to my face.
“It felt like there wasn't a single quiet day the entire time we were in the Aviation Corps.”
“Probably. Especially since you three even changed your military specialties.”
“Kruger and Theo only went along with it because I was so stubborn.”
Long ago, when we were directly under Esmeralda’s command—Kruger, Theo, Seira, and I—the four of us in the same year were all in the pilot specialty.
We all started as general combatants and became fighter pilots together, and after that, Kruger, Theo, and I changed our specialty to engineering.
A lot happened during that process, and there were times we nearly lost our lives. Many of those memories are still chilling to think about, but perhaps because so much time has passed, even those precarious moments bring a smile when I recall them now.
“The biggest one was when you were in charge of A.T., wasn't it?”
“Yeah… I only recently found out that my Team Leader was A.T.”
“Yes. I heard.”
As expected, the word had already spread among the Team Leaders. Seeing Esmeralda stifling a laugh as she said she’d heard made a wave of embarrassment wash over me. If there had been a hole to hide in, I would have jumped in immediately, but there was nowhere to hide in the empty private room.
“I never imagined it would take ten years.”
“After I found out, I wondered how it could have possibly taken ten years myself.”
Looking at Luche, who bore no resemblance to her time as A.T., it wasn't strange that I hadn't recognized her. But now that I knew the whole story, every time I saw Luche, I couldn't help but think, ‘How did I not realize it was her?’
“You two seemed quite close.”
“We were. I always thought if I had a younger sister, she’d be exactly like A.T.”
That made the fact that I hadn't recognized Luche even more embarrassing.
How much must Esmeralda, my direct superior at the time, have laughed watching me fail to recognize her?
“…How have things been with Seira lately?”
I faltered at the sudden mention of Seira. When I stopped talking—having been smiling while discussing A.T.—Esmeralda, who had been looking at Kruger, raised her head.
“It’s about the same as before. There’s a certain comfort there, but also a strange sense of distance.”
Since I couldn't tell Esmeralda about my current situation, I told her things were the same as always. Even as I spoke, a part of me felt uneasy, knowing I was lying.
Esmeralda listened to me without a word, then murmured a small “I see,” and lowered her head again.
“I’ve known Seira for a long time, but you and Captain Angelica have been together for a really long time too.”
“That’s true. We’re the only ones left from our class now.”
The moment I heard Esmeralda’s answer, I realized the topic I’d brought up to change the mood had backfired. Since I knew the gist of her past, I realized my words had only made the atmosphere more uncomfortable.
“How is Angelica? She still seems to absolutely adore you.”
“I’m grateful. She looks out for me and takes care of me every time.”
I kept checking Esmeralda’s reaction as I spoke. Esmeralda, who was staring at Kruger’s heart rate monitor, didn't show any particular reaction, but I knew I couldn't let this atmosphere continue.
“I’m always grateful for the way you look out for me too, Esmeralda.”
“……Still, Angelica and I are different.”
It was true. Esmeralda and Angelica were different people.
But I could immediately tell that her intention wasn't just to say they were separate individuals.
Was she lost in the melancholy of the past? Esmeralda’s voice was thick, and my mood sank even lower than hers.
As we recalled our shared history, events from long ago resurfaced.
As time passes and you get older, there are many instances where past hardships become stories to share over a drink. However, no matter how much time passes or how old you get, there are some stories that can never be laughed about.
The atmosphere became far heavier than I’d anticipated, and I couldn't find anything to say.
Esmeralda, who had been lost in her memories, noticed my silence and finally shifted her gaze from the heart rate monitor to me.
Since her bangs covered her right eye, I could only see her left, but our eyes met.
“……I’m actually going to get angry.”
When I forced out the words that were boiling up from deep inside, Esmeralda flinched, and her bangs swayed.
The right eye that had been hidden—not her original red eye, but a green prosthetic eye—was looking at me.
“…Sorry.”
Did she realize she’d misspoken? She apologized in a low voice and stood up from her seat.
“Since he’s in a coma, I suppose there isn't much to do for a visit. Shall we go grab something to eat?”
“Yes.”
I answered briefly. I followed behind Esmeralda as we left the room and closed the door. She didn't say a word as we walked out of the hospital.
There are probably very few people in the Seoul Branch who know the history of the current Team Leaders. Aside from the people involved, only Kruger, Theo, and I knew the full story; it was that old.
So, while many had been with the Seoul Branch for a long time, the colleagues who hadn't been there in the distant past or those who had joined recently didn't know about Esmeralda’s history.
I didn't particularly want to remember it either, so I wouldn't have thought of it if it hadn't been brought up, but today, the past I’d wanted to keep buried came flooding back.