PAHO 65

Na Taebeom stared intently at the training ground through the glass window.

In the training ground, which seemed to reek of sweat just from looking at it, members in uniforms were busy flipping and throwing each other.

“The basic training differs slightly for each unit. For the time being, member Nam Gyeonhwa will be training with the teams from the Special Operations Department.”

Despite Gil Useong’s explanation beside him, Na Taebeom was busy, or rather, frantically, observing the inside. His gaze, which had been scanning through the dark figures, suddenly caught the left edge.

Just then, Nam Gyeonhwa had tripped his opponent and knocked him down. With both hands on his hips, Nam Gyeonhwa took a deep breath and extended a hand to help his sparring partner up. He said something to his opponent, who was scratching the back of his head, and shook his head, then grabbed the collar of his uniform and fanned it as if he were hot.

Each time his sweaty bare chest was exposed through the fluttering collar, the light reflected off it, making it stand out white. Na Taebeom, who was staring at the scene, twitched his brow as if displeased.

“Have the uniforms always been cut that low?”

“The uniforms?”

When Gil Useong asked back, Na Taebeom pointed at the training ground and grumpily raised the issue.

“Look at that. It’s so loose. Is he doing that on purpose, or what?”

Where he was pointing with his eyes, Nam Gyeonhwa stood in his uniform. It was loose-fitting, but not to the extent of being described as “so loose.”

“It’s probably not on purpose. Since martial arts like Jiu-Jitsu or Judo involve a lot of collar-grabbing moves, the collars of the uniforms are usually like that.”

Gil Useong, who had answered calmly, glanced at Na Taebeom out of the corner of his eye. Despite the reasonable explanation, Na Taebeom still looked unconvinced. It wasn’t just the collar that bothered him; he didn’t like the distance between them either. Does it make sense to be that close when it’s martial arts training? As he was grumbling to himself, Nam Gyeonhwa was pushed to the side by his opponent and fell onto the mattress with a thud. At the same time, the opponent who had grabbed his collar also leaned forward. Na Taebeom, who had been watching with an intensity that seemed like he would break through the glass, stood up.

“Mr. Director.”

Even as Gil Useong called out to him, he recklessly opened the door to the training ground. The members, who spotted Na Taebeom and Gil Useong suddenly barging in, all stood up and saluted. Half of them had fearful eyes, and the other half had curious expressions.

“Commander-in-Chief, what brings you here?”

The instructor, who had been standing at a distance, rushed forward. Gil Useong, who turned his eyes to glance at Na Taebeom, shook his head.

“The Director just stopped by to check if the training is going smoothly. So don’t mind us and continue.”

At the command, the instructor immediately turned around and blew the whistle. The hesitant members resumed their training. As if to respond to the visit from their superior, their shouts grew louder and their movements became more flamboyant, but Na Taebeom’s gaze remained fixed on one spot.

Nam Gyeonhwa, who had saluted like the other members, seemed unfazed by Na Taebeom’s presence. Na Taebeom, who had been staring at him with his arms crossed, slowly walked toward the inside.

The closer he got to Nam Gyeonhwa, the more the small details that he hadn’t noticed when looking through the glass window came into view. The reddened area under his eyes and his cheeks, his wet sideburns, the nape of his neck with faint handprints from massaging it, and the beads of sweat forming in the hollow of his chest, fully revealed through the open front of his uniform.

Ma Jaewan, who was about to grab his shoulder and get into a hold-down position, felt a presence and straightened his back. Nam Gyeonhwa, in turn, also straightened up and saluted in the same way as Ma Jaewan. Na Taebeom, who was staring at the eyes that were clearly feigning ignorance, chuckled.

“I saw from outside, your skills are quite good.”

“Ah, th-thank you.”

Ma Jaewan, who received the compliment without knowing why, answered hastily. Na Taebeom said.

“Fight me, too.”

“Pardon…?”

At Na Taebeom’s words, Ma Jaewan’s expression hardened. For any resident of Nakdo, the rumors about the director of Wuiyeonggwan were a matter of unavoidable interest. An omnipotent madman, a lunatic who treated beating people as a mere amusement. And the sponsor of the Special Guard.

“No, not you. The one next to you.”

His indifferent, averted gaze pointed to Nam Gyeonhwa. Na Taebeom pushed Ma Jaewan aside as if clearing an obstacle and stood opposite him.

“Let’s have a match.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who was looking at Na Taebeom as he flexed his hands, opened his mouth.

“…I’m in the middle of training.”

“I know. That you’re training. That’s why I’m asking you to let me join for a match.”

It seemed that gentle persuasion would not work. Nam Gyeonhwa glanced toward where Gil Useong was standing. Seeing that neither the instructor nor Gil Useong showed any signs of stopping Na Taebeom despite the unexpected situation, it seemed he had no choice but to face him.

“Will one match be enough?”

“If I ask for more, will you do it?”

Ignoring the provocative reply completely, Nam Gyeonhwa took a step back. At the nod to get into a ready stance, Na Taebeom, standing at the edge of the mattress, clenched his fists and lowered his body. The moment their eyes met, Nam Gyeonhwa charged in surprisingly, turned his body, and at the same time, grabbed Na Taebeom’s right arm and pulled it hard. The large body fell onto the mattress with a heavy thud. No one could make a sound at the situation that had unfolded in an instant, and the training ground was enveloped in a suffocating silence.

“Ah, fuck.”

Na Taebeom, who had suddenly ended up in the pathetic state of lying on the mattress, cursed, breathing heavily. He saw Nam Gyeonhwa’s face looking down at him with narrowed eyes. For a moment, his eyes seemed relieved, but then Nam Gyeonhwa bent down and extended his hand.

“Thank you for the match.”

Na Taebeom, with a frown, looked at the impassive face and took the hand. Nam Gyeonhwa held his breath for a moment at the strength of the grip that held him tightly, as if to crush him. Nam Gyeonhwa, who barely managed to pull Na Taebeom up, tried to withdraw his hand, but instead of letting go, he squeezed it even tighter.

“You should have given a starting signal.”

It was a complaint mixed with annoyance, as stubborn as his grip. Nam Gyeonhwa, suppressing a sigh, looked up at him.

“We’re in the middle of a two-person training, so more than one match is difficult.”

“…”

“Do you have anything else to say?”

At the businesslike attitude that matched his impassive face, Na Taebeom puckered his lips in displeasure and finally flung the hand he was holding away as if shaking it off. As he was shrugging his shoulders and about to turn around, he suddenly grabbed the collar of Nam Gyeonhwa’s uniform. He had expected him to swing a fist in a fit of anger, but contrary to his expectation, Na Taebeom pulled the collar of the uniform inward and fastened it tightly.

“Demeanor. Keep it neat.”

“…”

“I could see it every time you bent over. Your nipple.”

Nam Gyeonhwa, who frowned slightly at the words whispered in his ear, glared at him. Na Taebeom chuckled and lightly patted the chest he had just tidied with his own hand. The instructor blew the whistle. It was the signal to end the training and for breakfast time, but no one could move. Only after Na Taebeom had completely left with Gil Useong was the training ground filled with belated sighs of relief.

“Wow, fuck, I thought my heart was going to drop.”

“Did you see his build? I’d only heard rumors, but fuck, if you got hit by him for real, you’d be dead.”

“Hey, hey, if he hears you talking like that, you’ll be a punching bag. Be careful.”

“I know, man. But that guy is amazing too. He wasn’t scared at all.”

“They say he’s a guard, right? The Director’s direct subordinate.”

While the relaxed Special Guard members were whispering here and there, Ma Jaewan cautiously approached Nam Gyeonhwa, who was flexing his hands.

“Are you okay?”

He glanced up to see his face and nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“No, I mean, that was amazing. I didn’t know you could pull off such a clean shoulder throw against the Director, even if it was a surprise attack.”

“…”

“You’re coming to training tomorrow, too, right? Um, I didn’t get to introduce myself earlier. I’m Ma Jaewan. I look forward to working with you.”

His comrades, who had gathered around Ma Jaewan as he spoke awkwardly, patted him on the back. To all the joking questions about whether he was okay inside and if his liver was still in place, Ma Jaewan just mumbled vaguely and watched Nam Gyeonhwa, who was tidying his collar and walking toward the right exit. Even after his figure had completely disappeared through the door, he couldn’t easily turn his gaze away, as if disappointed.

While most of the Special Guard members went to the cafeteria, Nam Gyeonhwa headed to the locker room. Since he had to join Na Taebeom right after training, he judged that it would be better to shower first rather than eat.

Tossing off his wet uniform, he massaged his stiff right arm and entered the shower room connected right next to the locker room. The shower room was a communal facility designed to be long and vertical so that several people could use it at once.

“…”

It was a structure that was not very appealing, though it was to be expected. After hesitating for a moment, Nam Gyeonhwa took a spot at a shower not too far from the entrance and turned on the water. As hot water poured from the shelf-style shower head and soaked him from head to toe, the tension slowly eased.

Nam Gyeonhwa, who was rubbing his body with the soap that was provided, slowly massaged his aching right arm. Since it was his first training session, he had pushed himself a bit too hard under the pressure of having to make a good first impression, and his right arm was numb. He had more or less recovered from the fracture, but with all the recent exertion, the feeling of stiffness was increasing. If he kept this up, painkillers alone wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t know about other things, but Yeo Eunjae, who was meticulous when it came to illnesses, would not readily give him steroids.

I’ll have to use as little strength as possible for the time being. Having come to a reasonable conclusion, Nam Gyeonhwa poured the provided shampoo into his palm and rubbed his wet hair. Amidst the pouring water, a faint sound vaguely registered in his ear. He thought it was external noise coming through the wall, but Nam Gyeonhwa’s body stiffened when he soon realized it was a human presence.

This isn’t a prison shower room. This is the Special Guard headquarters’ shower room. While he was repeating that to himself, the footsteps had already drawn near. An opaque figure was reflected in the glass door reflected in the mirror. At the same time, the glass door swung open with a thud, and Nam Gyeonhwa lowered his head at the cool air that came in. Did someone already finish breakfast and come to wash up? Splash, the sound of a foot stepping on the water pooled on the floor and then lifting was heavy. Of the many available spots, the person who took the one to Nam Gyeonhwa’s right did not turn on the water for some reason.

Swoosh, even through the pouring stream of water, he could feel the gaze on him starkly. Nam Gyeonhwa, who had been concentrating on just standing under the water, swallowed dryly and glanced at the person next to him. Large feet, firm calves, and thick thighs. The moment he saw the penis, which was ridiculously large and thick even before it was erect, a face flashed quickly through Nam Gyeonhwa’s mind.