Chapter 92

I barely managed to hide my mixed feelings.

“Director.”

I made a show of trying to sit up, but Jang Seokyun stopped me with practiced ease.

“Stay seated. You’re still recovering, aren’t you?”

I didn’t argue and settled right back onto the bed.

Leaning against the raised backrest, I looked at him.

‘It should’ve been Samra.’

I needed to see Samra before being left alone with Jang Seokyun.

If I’d heard the current situation from Samra first and gathered even a little information, I’d have had the advantage.

But Jang Seokyun had probably thought the exact same thing and deliberately came before giving me that chance.

Hiding my tension, I forced a relaxed smile.

Pretending to be weak wouldn’t work on Jang Seokyun. If anything, he’d press even harder.

Against someone like him, it was better to put up a strong front, even if it was just bluffing.

As if he’d simply come for a routine hospital visit, Jang Seokyun pulled over a chair and sat beside my bed.

“You regained consciousness after three days. How are you feeling?”

Three days…

Still, I felt much better now. When I answered that I was fine, he picked up a bottle of water.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Thank you.”

As I drank, I tried to guess how he planned to persuade me.

He already knew ordinary terms wouldn’t be enough to keep me.

But the Trial Response Agency was a government organization. It couldn’t possibly match the kind of offers Paseong, a private corporation, could make.

Just the conditions Director Seo Moonchan had rattled off with that insane contract were beyond what even major corporations could normally offer.

Most likely, Jang Seokyun would appeal to things only the Agency could provide—people like Samra or Ham Jiwol.

Ham Jiwol…

She was terrifying, but undeniably capable.

Developing vaccines and treatments for Trials… there were many things only she could do.

“Trainee Han.”

Jang Seokyun began with praise.

“You really did close those Trials. Three of them in a single month. As Director of the Trial Response Agency—and as a citizen of the Republic of Korea—I sincerely thank you.”

Considering his position, it was surprisingly humble.

He held the military rank of General, and in government terms, he was effectively a cabinet minister.

Yet hearing someone like him express gratitude so honestly didn’t move me.

It scared me.

It only reinforced the certainty that he had absolutely no intention of letting me go.

I answered carefully.

“It would’ve been impossible without the Trial Response Agency. You trusted me and gave me your support, so I’d like to thank you as well.”

After I responded with proper courtesy, Jang Seokyun let out a hearty laugh.

“Trainee Han.”

“Yes, Director.”

“I like you very much. Not because you’re someone capable of closing Trials.”

He smiled warmly.

“I like you as a person.”

While I searched for an appropriate response, he continued on his own.

“You’ve got the instincts of a gambler, don’t you? Even when you know it’s reckless, if there’s even the slightest chance of success, you’ll take the bet.”

“…”

“Even if the odds are only one percent.”

“…”

“I imagine that’s one of the reasons you’ve managed to close Trials. That unusual willingness to gamble.”

His gaze said he knew everything about me.

He wasn’t even part of the Special Mission Team.

How much had he really seen of me?

Even adding together every conversation we’d ever had face-to-face, it didn’t total an hour.

He’d undoubtedly received reports from the task force, but he was speaking as though he’d personally watched me.

I understood.

This wasn’t directed at “Trainee Han of the Trial Response Agency.”

It was aimed at…

‘Goyo the professional gamer.’

Naturally.

If I were Jang Seokyun, that would’ve been the first thing I’d investigated.

If he wanted, there was no shortage of information about my past.

Slowly, I clenched my trembling hand into a fist.

Whenever my old life came up, things always felt awkward.

Even after all this time.

There weren’t many people left who remembered or searched for “Goyo.”

New star players appeared every year.

Who would remember someone whose career had barely lasted a year?

At best, I was little more than old gossip.

Everything that remained about “Goyo” was only ever used to dig me up and tear me apart—just like now.

I slowly steadied myself.

Fortunately, the trembling in my hand subsided.

I could tell exactly why Jang Seokyun was acting this way.

He wanted to shake me from the very beginning and seize the upper hand.

I reminded myself not to fall for such an obvious tactic and forced another smile.

“…Thank you.”

It seemed like I’d answered well enough.

My voice hadn’t even trembled.

Jang Seokyun smiled back.

“I was the same when I was young. If there was even the slightest possibility, I’d never give up. I believed I had to keep pushing forward. Sometimes that youthful recklessness paid off. I’m older now, so I can’t do things the way I used to.”

His eyes rested on me.

“That’s why it’s enjoyable watching you.”

After finishing a story I hadn’t been interested in hearing, he finally got to the point.

“Trainee Han. How would you feel about officially joining the Trial Response Agency?”

“I’m honored that you think so highly of me, Director. But I’d appreciate some time to think. It’s not a decision I can make lightly…”

“Of course.”

His immediate acceptance caught me off guard.

I’d been expecting threats or pressure.

As I wondered why he was backing off so easily, he made another proposal.

“Goyo.”

“Would you like to visit Captain Mo?”

I looked at him in confusion.

He explained casually.

“Captain Mo has been hospitalized since clearing Sla2Plate. After the Agency building was damaged, her room was moved closer to yours. I thought the two of you might like to visit.”

A bad feeling settled over me.

Still, hearing that Mo Haein was hospitalized immediately made me worry more than anything else.

I wanted to see with my own eyes whether she’d been seriously hurt.

She belonged to the Agency.

If I refused Jang Seokyun’s offer now, I had no idea when I’d get another chance to visit her.

It might be a very long time before I saw her again.

After some hesitation, I followed him.

Since the paralysis in my lower body had finally disappeared, I could walk on my own.

Dragging my IV stand out of the room, I found armed soldiers standing outside.

Jang Seokyun signaled to them before leading me toward the basement.

When we reached the deepest underground level, I looked down the unfamiliar hallway.

“Director Jang Seokyun! Ah… T-Trainee Goyo…!”

The entire floor had been converted into a laboratory packed with scientific equipment.

Researchers from the Research Analysis Division hurried back and forth carrying tablets.

Ham Jiwol came hurrying toward us, then froze the moment she saw me.

“Director Ham. We’ve come to see Captain Mo.”

“Ah… Captain Mo…! Th-this way! I’ll show Goyo where she is…!”

Even while speaking to Jang Seokyun, Ham Jiwol couldn’t take her eyes off me.

And me…

The moment I realized Mo Haein was hospitalized inside a laboratory, a deep sense of dread settled in my chest.

‘Why is Captain Mo in Ham Jiwol’s lab…?’

Since the Agency headquarters had been wrecked, this had to be a temporary research facility in another building.

Unless it was something extremely serious, they never would’ve brought her here.

Whatever the reason, being in Ham Jiwol’s lab couldn’t possibly mean anything good.

Without realizing it, I quickened my pace until I was walking beside Ham Jiwol.

She looked up at me and smiled brightly.

“Goyo-ssi… you don’t need to worry too much. I’m taking very good care of Captain Mo…!”

The fact that she was receiving Ham Jiwol’s attention was already unfortunate enough.

I tried not to let my anxiety show.

Finally, we arrived at the place where Mo Haein was supposedly “recovering.”

Ham Jiwol unlocked the sealed door with her researcher ID.

And then, I saw an enormous glass cylinder.

Mo Haein was suspended inside it, submerged in an unidentified liquid.

Ham Jiwol walked past my frozen body and tapped on a nearby console.

Checking the numbers on the screen, she said,

“Captain Mo… her readings have stabilized quite a bit… but she shouldn’t enter any Trials for a while…!”

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Inside the liquid, dressed in nothing but a tank top and shorts…

Embedded in her abdomen, was a small stone glowing with a faint light.

A Trial meteorite.

“…”

I couldn’t breathe.

A ringing filled my ears as my vision narrowed.

I didn’t even have the presence of mind to process what I was seeing.

My head went completely blank.

Jang Seokyun came to stand beside me.

As casually as if we were discussing the weather, he spoke.

“Pro gamer Goyo was known for having a tremendous sense of responsibility, wasn’t he?”

“…”

“I watched your match recordings. Truly remarkable. Especially your final match before retirement.”

“…”

“Did you know?”

He looked at me.

“Han Goyo is a perfect fit for the Trial Response Agency.”

“As though Heaven itself had sent you to us.”

“…”

“Goyo.”

“Captain Mo’s younger sibling would’ve been twenty-four this year.”

“The same age as you.”

“But Captain Mo’s sibling…”

“…will always remain twenty-four.”

He slowly walked forward.

Resting a hand against the glass, he looked up at the sleeping Mo Haein.

After staring at her for a long moment, he turned back toward me.

“If she’d simply died, Captain Mo wouldn’t be suffering like this.”

“Do you see the meteorite embedded in her abdomen?”

“…Director.”

“Captain Mo’s younger sibling…”

“…is trapped inside it.”

“Goyo.”

“Every time Captain Mo looks at you…”

“…she probably wants to fall to her knees and beg.”

“To beg you to save her sibling.”

“Because you’re the only hope capable of closing Trials.”

“Director Jang Seokyun!”

He looked at me calmly.

I glared back at him.

Without the slightest trace of respect owed to the Director of the Trial Response Agency.

I couldn’t tolerate him exposing Mo Haein’s private tragedy just to keep hold of me.

What if this was something she’d never wanted me to know?

Swallowing the curse rising in my throat, I spoke.

“I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“That’s enough.”

“No!”

Jang Seokyun suddenly shouted.

His sharp eyes locked onto mine as he growled,

“No, you don’t.”

“If you did, you would’ve already enlisted in the Agency instead of weighing us against Paseong.”

“…I—”

“You think Captain Mo is the only one in this situation?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyun-oh, Captain Kwak, Samra…”

“They all need you, Goyo.”

“…”

“Will you abandon every one of the people placing their hopes in you?”

“The Special Mission Team that was created for your sake?”

He slowly approached me.

Then he took an item from his inventory and pressed it against my chest.

Lowering my gaze, I looked at it before slowly accepting it.

An official Trial Response Agency enlistment contract.

Not the ordinary paper agreement I’d signed as a trainee—

But a true contract created from a Trial item, capable of binding an Adaptee.

Looking straight into my eyes, Jang Seokyun whispered,

“I trust you will make a wise decision, Trainee Han.”