The Invisible Wall
The table was littered with empty liquor bottles and glasses in a chaotic mess.
"So, you see, I was saying, back then with that guy... ugh."
Titan's tongue twisted as he recounted stories that could have been tales of heroism or just pure boasting, eventually collapsing his head onto the table.
Doctor, who had already collapsed earlier, lay motionless beside him.
'Was there even a setting for drinking well?'
Yuna, who had downed several bottles of strong liquor, remained perfectly fine without even a flush on her cheek.
She was sipping the remaining alcohol with a smile.
"Laser didn't show up even though I called him."
Titan, head still buried on the table, suddenly lifted it and said.
"Because he's pissed that he lost. Tsk, narrow-minded guy."
He dropped his head back onto the table once more.
Deep down, it seemed he genuinely regretted Laser not being there.
"We're entering first. Since there are no missions for a while, we should rest well."
Titan helped Doctor up and led him out of the lounge.
Now, only the two of us—me and Yuna—remained at the table.
A heavy silence fell.
"Should we head in soon too?"
"Yeah. It was a fun time."
After rising from our seats, we walked side by side.
Yuna, who looked displeased at my unsteady gait from the alcohol, supported me as we crossed the artificial park, the quickest route back to our quarters.
"Eh."
My stumbling foot caught on something, and I nearly lost my balance.
My body tilted forward, about to crash to the ground, when Yuna reached out to catch me.
But she, too, couldn't hold my weight and lost her balance together with me.
"Ouch."
It didn't hurt much, thanks to the soft grass.
There, with me lying beneath her, Yuna seemed barely injured at all.
"Are you okay?"
Because I was drunk and my senses were dulled, I didn't realize for several seconds what was actually touching my face.
I simply had a foolish thought of something soft and warm pressed against my cheek.
"Why is your face so red?"
Yuna's face had flushed a deep crimson all the way to her neck, and I could hear the rustling of insects and her pounding heart.
"Ah, n-nothing. It just suddenly hit me with the alcohol buzz."
'Whoa.'
Only then did my gaze shift to what I was feeling.
I didn't know how deep the cleavage of her uniform was, but I gulped down a swallow on my own.
"Sorry."
I quickly sat up, apologizing without realizing it.
Yuna, who had been frozen above me, hurriedly rose too and straightened her posture.
"H-Hyung... can you go in alone? I'll go first. You be careful too."
She spoke with hesitation and vanished in a hurry.
"Huh?"
I traced my own face once more, recalling that sensation, and headed toward my own quarters.
The moment I stepped inside, I collapsed onto the bed.
--------
The next morning, only heavy silence filled Laser’s private room.
He stared at the damage report floating on the holographic screen with hollow eyes, as if he hadn't slept a wink all night.
The left arm and right leg were completely severed— a tragic sight.
Repairing it would take significant time and cost.
'Who the hell is that guy.'
At first, it had been disbelief.
It was hard to believe he had been defeated by a training model mass-produced mecha, especially from a mercenary with no roots.
Then came anger,
But there were no signs of modification on the training model.
Now only doubt remained. He had replayed his defeated footage all night, but still couldn't find a clear answer.
—Ding!
Lost in deep thought,
A quiet notification chime signaled a visitor.
"From the morning? Who is it?"
He irritably granted permission for the visitor.
The door opened, and an unexpected person appeared.
"Coming all the way yourself, what's the matter? Vance Director."
Laser greeted him with a bewildered expression.
"Your expression isn't good. Because of yesterday's incident?"
"You didn't come for comfort, did you?"
"Actually, I did intend to call you yesterday, but I got busy digging into various things."
Vance entered the room with a relaxed smile.
"That Kang Jinwoo is incredibly arrogant. It seems he doesn't even know the basics of mock combat, so why make the mecha in such a way?"
He prodded Laser’s wounds to gauge his reaction.
"I could handle him in another way."
"I have no intention of doing something so childish."
Vance let out a scoff at the unexpected reply.
"Even your direct subordinate, an ace pilot at that, suffered such humiliation. How could I just sit by and watch?"
He believed Laser was being petty and tried to persuade him to use the grudge against Jinwoo.
"Yesterday's spar was clearly a defeat for me. There's no excuse. I'll admit the guy did go too far, though."
He cleanly acknowledged his loss and pointed to other data floating on the screen.
It was the combat record from yesterday's Sector Echo-14 mission, excluding himself and the team.
"At first I thought Yuna was trying to sabotage me with her Sylph, but it turned out not to be that either."
He continued calmly.
"Even though he disobeyed orders and acted on his own."
He pointed a finger at the dark red mecha of Nesis Corporation on the screen.
"What kind of crazy bastard moves like that against an Enhanced Human?"
Laser sighed deeply, finally realizing the reason for his defeat.
A simple difference in pilot skill.
With one sentence, everything made sense.
"That guy is the real deal. I replayed the footage all night and had no choice but to admit it."
Laser turned toward Vance.
"You should stop trying to use me to probe him. In fact, you should put more effort into recruiting him, don't you think?"
Vance was momentarily at a loss for words at Laser’s firm stance.
The unpleasant feeling of his plan failing, combined with Laser’s pride, provided an opportunity to think twice about Kang Jinwoo.
"Why talk so much? I was just trying to help."
"...Then leave me alone."
Vance nodded and left Laser’s room.
Alone again, Laser replayed Kang Jinwoo’s combat videos once more.
"I’ll jump over you."
The moment the door to Laser’s private room closed silently, Vance stopped in the hallway for a moment and let out a deep sigh.
Unexpected variables kept interfering with his plan that had been flowing smoothly.
'It seems something always blocks me at every step.'
Even Laser refused to move as I wished.
I had dismissed it as mere pride and tried to exploit his grudge against Jinwoo, but now I looked ridiculous for admitting his skill.
I found it absurd.
"Kang Jinwoo."
Vance muttered the name quietly.
He had mobilized his entire information network all night to check his identity, but the result was non-existent.
Aside from the recent record of joining Kronos Mercenary Group, no past records could be found.
It was as if he had dropped from the sky.
"Smelling like rotten meat. Could he be one of Gideon’s secret weapons he’s been secretly raising?"
It was a rational suspicion.
Gideon could easily do something like that.
To maintain his power and to counter Vance, who might one day attack him, he might have brought in a powerful outsider.
Vance clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Everything had been under his control, but now Gideon was quietly preparing a counterattack from somewhere unseen, making him irritated.
His wrist terminal vibrated quietly as he walked down the corridor.
A new report had arrived.
He checked the content without much expectation.
And his brows furrowed sharply.
[Report: Kang Jinwoo granted temporary security clearance 'Beta-3' under Commander Gideon's direct authority. Assigned housing and activity permit within the facility as a 'Special Agent' under Commander.]
"What kind of crazy bastard is this!"
He cursed without realizing it.
It was almost as if Gideon had openly declared that he was pulling Jinwoo into his own camp and protecting him.
Even though it was temporary, Beta-3 meant completely open access to information and facilities.
"Does he mean to completely ignore me?"
Vance’s eyes turned icy cold.
If Gideon was acting like this, there was no more reason for him to hesitate.
Before confronting them directly, he needed to divide the two.
'Is there no way to leave a mark on their relationship?'
Vance’s mind began spinning rapidly.
Should he use Jinwoo’s mysterious past?
Or frame him as a dangerous individual using the anomalous energy from his mecha as an excuse.
A calculating smile formed on Vance’s lips.
"Yuna! If it's her, she could be a good bait."
He already knew through reports about Yuna’s abnormal interest in Jinwoo.
Gideon also cherished Yuna deeply.
What if Jinwoo was using Yuna, or if an inappropriate scandal broke out between the two?
Gideon’s trust would shatter in an instant.
Vance manipulated his terminal again.
His fingers moved so quickly they were invisible.
"Scrape all recent movements and communication records between Kang Jinwoo and Yuna, including unofficial contacts. Don't miss even a single minor detail."
[Understood, Director.]
---
[Report: Kang Jinwoo granted temporary security clearance 'Beta-3' under Commander Gideon's direct authority. Assigned housing and activity permit within the facility as a 'Special Agent' under Commander.]