Acting (2)
She was bound to be furious.
If she was the Commander Yerin knew, then without a doubt.
She would come out vicious and venomous, just as she always had.
Just like when she'd called her a piece of trash.
It was the first time in her life she'd ever heard words like that.
She'd been so flustered, so angry, that the tears simply refused to be held back.
And so the Commander would...
Tap. Tap.
The Commander studied Yerin's face, the mask pulled up and the cap pressed low.
Yerin did her best to look away.
If her identity was discovered now, she honestly had no idea what she was supposed to say.
*Should I apologize...?*
The Commander would say something like this:
Why did you come all the way here?
Have you been following me?
What exactly do you think you're doing right now?
She would spit out every vicious curse she'd been hoarding in her heart, without hesitation.
That was what Yerin didn't want to hear.
So she squeezed her eyes shut, but.
"..."
The Commander.
Was different today.
Not lashing out or snapping like she did at the Security Bureau.
But with a truly, *truly* gentle face and soft eyes.
[Sorry for startling you. Are you hurt anywhere? I'll pay for this.]
She wrote it on her smartphone and held it out for her to see.
"...Huh?"
Yerin couldn't hide her bewilderment.
Why?
How come?
This couldn't be right.
The Commander that Yerin knew was.
Vile, savage, irritable, and utterly consumed by inferiority.
Always snapping at her Units, every single day.
An arrogant tyrant whose only redeeming feature was her face.
...That was who she was. Surely.
*Why...*
No words would come.
Yerin didn't understand what she was feeling right now.
Emptiness?
*If she's capable of treating people this kindly...*
Then why, to her, and to the other girls...?
Why had she said all those things to them until now?
Anger clouded Yerin's eyes.
The Commander didn't actually have a broken personality.
She was just.
Petty and mean only toward the people inside the Security Bureau.
She was angry.
Furiously, unbearably angry.
And at the same time.
*Could she... have her reasons?*
Why would someone so thoughtful outside the Bureau turn into... that, inside it.
"Haah..."
Yerin let out a sigh before she even realized it, and.
The Commander just stared at her, blankly.
She flinched.
The moment their eyes met.
Yerin's face burned hot.
She had never seen the Commander wear such a cute expression before.
*...What am I even thinking!*
Yerin bowed at the waist in apology.
Then bolted out of the convenience store.
And ran for the main road.
The Commander opened and closed her mouth, trying to call her back, but.
"...Ah, er."
No sound came out.
Grrrrr.
Her stomach growled.
But she only had to hold out a little longer.
There were about thirty minutes left until the expired lunchboxes were set out.
"..."
If I were paid my salary properly, I wouldn't have to do this sort of thing.
*I never imagined I'd end up worrying about money this far into things.*
I couldn't live at the Security Bureau without a care in the world, the way I had inside the game.
One of the conditions my powerful politician father attached to putting me in this position was the "support" of his political funds.
To put it simply: hand over my entire paycheck — hardly a small sum — on the dot, every month.
Still, it was worth it to me.
Because I got to see Lee Sera and the other girls up close, in the flesh.
It made me want to laugh just thinking about it, honestly.
That was when something drifted into my field of vision.
A burst bag of snacks.
Crumbled fragments everywhere.
It had felt too wasteful to throw away, so I'd left it on the counter.
And now I was nibbling on a little of it whenever no customers were around.
...But who was that kid, anyway?
A girl in nothing but a dress shirt, her face bundled up completely out of sight.
At a glance she looked like a runaway teen, and she clearly had no money.
There was probably exactly one reason she'd come to the convenience store.
Shoplifting.
*Well, it only ended as an attempt.*
If my voice had worked properly, I could have called out to her, pressed something into her hands, sent her off fed.
"..."
I guess I should try not to think about it.
If she came by again, I could take care of it then.
Hoo.
I glanced down at my smartphone.
A battered old thing in a grimy translucent case.
My only means of communication — and my sanctuary.
Browsing the fansites and galleries the Units kept, I could lose all track of time.
But today, a post made my brow furrow.
...What now?
A post claiming she'd run into Yerin on the subway and gotten treated with shocking rudeness.
It had gone out alongside a video containing roughly seven seconds of conversation, and was spreading like wildfire across every community.
The video itself was nothing much.
Yerin's face flashed by for a moment, and she gave a curt answer to the question of whether it was really her.
My eyebrow twitched.
This video was doctored.
Around the three-second mark, the ambient noise shifts slightly. The camera angle does too.
The person filming must have peppered Yerin with the same sticky, obnoxious question over and over.
And when Yerin finally lost patience and answered curtly, they recorded that, spliced it together, and uploaded it.
*Son of a bitch.*
Gnash.
I ground my teeth.
How dare they do this to that sweet girl.
Unforgivable.
I attached the link to the post and left a lengthy message.
The numbers disappeared. No one replied.
...It'll sort itself out by tomorrow, anyway.
The Security Bureau here in Korea specializes in exactly this sort of thing.
*I just hope Yerin never sees this post...*
I wanted those girls to keep smiling for the world.
Frowning is something they can save for when they're standing in front of me.
...Although.
There was something bothering me a little.
The subway. The scenery.
Doesn't it look... kind of familiar?
The next day.
I clocked in as always, my face twisted into a scowl.
Badge scanned, then straight up to the top floor.
A suit for attire.
Makeup, just enough to hide the dark circles.
"..."
Vwoooom.
As the doors slid open, the agents greeted me.
As if nothing had ever happened.
"You're here, Commander."
A nod.
I gave the barest dip of my head and took my seat.
The agent I'd spilled coffee on.
...Was gone from her desk.
Not a transfer, surely. I'd heard nothing about it, after all.
That was when it happened.
"Hello, Commander."
Lee Sera, fresh from her morning workout, strode into the command room.
Still in her training clothes, no less.
Sweat beading on her forehead and neck.
"..."
*Beautiful.*
Which was exactly why I couldn't tear my eyes away.
"Commander."
"..."
Lee Sera held up her smartphone.
The post about Yerin.
"What do you think about this?"
What should I... think.
What I wanted was to wipe every trace of it off the internet.
Drag whoever posted it in and feed them prison food.
...But.
What if I answered like that?
What if I gave an answer that, even a little, sounded decent?
What if it sounded like I had even the slightest affection for them?
*Then what happens to Lee Sera...?*
There were roughly six months left before the great calamity that would swallow Seoul whole.
And until that day came, Lee Sera had to keep growing stronger.
Keep growing. And growing. And growing. And growing. Without end.
The worse the relationship, the greater the augmentation of all subordinate Units' stats.
A cursed bond.
We had to remain the only two people in the world bound by nothing but hatred.
In her eyes when she looked at me, there could be nothing but contempt.
Disgust.
Loathing.
Those were the only feelings I could allow her to hold.
Just like now.
*...Though I do feel a little sorry for her.*
I couldn't afford to let even a sliver of sympathy or guilt slip through.
"I'll take care of it right n—"
[Why should I?]
I wrote it on my work tablet and held it up for Lee Sera to see.
And then.
The atmosphere of the command room turned arctic in an instant.
A chill settled into Lee Sera's gaze as she looked down at me.
The agents kept clacking away at their keyboards, pretending nothing was happening.
Lee Sera, slowly.
Raised her hand and placed it on top of my seated head.
"Commander."
"..."
"Hey. You fucking retard."
I flinched.
I looked up at Lee Sera.
"It's your job, isn't it. Managing public opinion. Don't tell me you're not planning to do it?"
"..."
Genuinely.
I could feel genuine fury boiling in Lee Sera's voice.
"Or is it because you're a mute little bastard who can't even manage the work you're given?"
I didn't let it show.
I steeled myself as if it didn't affect me in the slightest...
"You're trembling? Retard."
"Ghhk—!"
Lee Sera seized me by the hair.
And slowly lifted me up.
It hurt.
My scalp felt like it was tearing.
"I told you yesterday, didn't I."
"..."
"Hah."
Lee Sera squeezed her right eye shut.
My body floated up into the air.
I spun around and around like that, and then.
"Guhahk!"
My side slammed into the corner of the desk before I was hurled to the floor.
Silence all around.
My side was screaming.
"Ghh... hkk..."
It hurt. It really did.
It hurt so much I felt like I might cry.
I fought it back desperately.
Tears lead straight to sympathy, after all.
There was only one thing Lee Sera could be allowed to feel for me.
Hatred. Nothing but hatred.
"Forget it. I'll handle it my own way."
Vwoooom.
The doors slid open.
And Lee Sera swept out of the command room, sky-blue hair streaming behind her.
...Thank goodness.
I wiped the blood-flecked drool from my mouth.
I must have bitten my tongue — the pain was too sharp.
...It's not damaged inside, is it.
Still, it's fine.
Just like Sera said, the community problem would all be settled by the end of today.
Every last trace of it.
Lee Sera.
Unable to swallow her fury, she stormed out of the command room.
And boarded the elevator straight away.
Her destination: a different department.
The place where the dispatched administrative officer she was quite close with worked.
*If it's her, she'll know all about the law and that sort of thing.*
Thud. Thud. Lee Sera stomped into Section 6, heels hammering the floor.
Then she closed the distance to Officer Park Haneul — brisk, efficient, and refreshingly straightforward by reputation.
And thrust the post in front of her.
"Oh, that thing?"
But.
Park Haneul's answer was not what Lee Sera expected.
"It'll all be deleted by the end of the day, most likely. The rapid-response team moved fast."
"...Why?"
"You didn't know yet, Sera?"
Officer Park Haneul raised her smartphone.
And held it right up for Lee Sera to see.
The group chat — the one the Commander belonged to.
"..."
Lee Sera's eyes went wide.
"...Huh?"