After causing chaos at the Azure Dragon Division, my next destination was naturally my quarters.
It was late, and I wasn’t in the best condition physically.
Plus, I had things to discuss with Song Hojung, so I began heading back with my n following behind.
"What’s this?"
As I walked, sothing caught my attention—it felt off.
Looking around, I heightened my senses.
But there was nothing.
The dimly lit lanterns illuminated the night, and the faint rustle of insects in the area was the only thing breaking the silence.
So what felt wrong?
It was the quiet.
"Why is there no one here?"
Just a while ago, I’d seen n stationed at various checkpoints along the paths. This was the ti when patrols should’ve been visible, yet there wasn’t a soul to be seen.
Frowning at the peculiarity, I turned and called out.
"Hey."
The n behind flinched as if startled. All I did was call out, so why were they so on edge?
Scanning the group, I focused on Song Hojung, who stood closest.
"Where is everyone?"
"I-I’m not sure… I’ll check imdiately!"
Song Hojung looked genuinely perplexed. To be fair, he had been with at the Azure Dragon Division, so there was no way he could know.
As he moved to investigate, I stopped him with a raised hand.
"What the hell is going on? Where did they all disappear to?"
I walked forward, frowning at the absurdity of the situation. My n were supposed to be working—so where were they?
As we neared my quarters, I finally sensed sothing.
The faint presences I had been searching for appeared.
"They’re all gathered there."
The scattered presences I couldn’t feel earlier were now concentrated at one place.
And not just anywhere—my quarters.
"What the hell are they doing at my quarters?"
The sheer absurdity of the situation made wary. I didn’t know what they were planning, but I hoped it wasn’t sothing trivial.
If it was, I feared my temper might flare. That scared more than anything else.
Taking deep breaths to calm myself, I finally arrived at the entrance of my quarters.
Carefully, I peeked inside.
"Huh…?"
The scene that greeted made my eyes widen.
It wasn’t just unexpected—it was baffling.
"What the hell is this?"
My irritation was temporarily replaced by surprise. The scene before was so absurd it froze in place.
Behind , Song Hojung, curious about my reaction, ca closer.
"Captain, what’s—what the…?"
Like , he trailed off mid-sentence, unable to process what he was seeing. The others reacted no differently, staring blankly at the bizarre sight.
It was no wonder.
"Why are they like that?"
"I… I don’t know, sir."
The n who were supposed to be on patrol were instead kneeling before my quarters, their foreheads pressed firmly to the ground.
They trembled visibly, yet their posture remained firm and unwavering.
The bizarre scene left sighing incredulously as I stepped closer.
"Ugh..."
"Nngh..."
They must’ve been there for a while—the sweat soaking their clothes and the faint groans they let out were proof enough.
"What’s going on with you lot?"
At my words, the man kneeling at the front shot up like a spring.
"Reporting for duty, sir!"
"I don’t care about that. What the hell is this?"
"As per your orders, sir, we gathered here and waited as instructed!"
Wait, what?
"Orders? What orders?"
I cut myself off mid-sentence, looking closely at the soldier’s face. I recognized him—he was one of my n, after all. But then it clicked.
"This guy."
He was the one who had inford about Song Hojung being sent to the Azure Dragon Division.
And with that, mories of a certain command surfaced.
"Did I tell him to gather everyone in front of my quarters?"
It hit like a bolt of lightning. I rembered issuing the command when I’d been irritated by their lack of discipline.
Sothing like:
"If you keep slacking off like this, the next ti I say ‘gather,’ plant your faces on the ground and wait there. I’m not joking, so rember it."
It had been a warning, one I’d growled out in frustration.
"Goddamn it. They actually listened to that?"
I’d completely forgotten about it until now, but looking at this scene, it was undeniably my fault.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a heavy breath, I decided to put an end to the madness.
"Alright, get up."
At the command, the n sprang to their feet as one. Soaked in sweat, they looked utterly drained.
"Uh…"
Originally, I’d intended to assert so authority over them, but seeing their pitiful state, I lost the will.
"Forget it. You’re dismissed. Go back to your posts."
"But what about—"
"What? You’re eager to stay and hear more? Then get back down on the ground."
"N-No, sir! Understood!"
At my words, they scurried away, leaving behind a lingering stench of sweat and dampened ground.
"Next ti, I’ll choose my words more carefully."
A passing comnt, thrown out in anger, had spiraled into this ridiculous ss. Clearly, I needed to be more mindful of what I said.
Now that things had cald down, I turned to Song Hojung.
"Send the rest of the n back to their posts."
After dismissing the remaining soldiers, I motioned to Song Hojung and Mun Do-hyuk.
"You two, co inside with ."
I had a lot of questions.
******************
After entering the quarters, I took a seat, leaving the two n standing.
I didn’t bother pouring tea, only keeping a single lantern lit as I began.
"Song Hojung."
"…Yes, Captain."
"Explain the situation."
No need for long introductions. He already knew why I had summoned him. As expected, he began speaking calmly, lips pressed tightly together.
"It started with a ssage from the Azure Dragon Division."
"What was the reason?"
"They proposed sharing information…."
"Sharing?"
"Yes."
I nodded slightly at his words. Sharing information, at first glance, didn’t sound problematic. Considering the Azure Dragon Division was a support unit and we were in the middle of a mission, it seed reasonable.
But still—
"If that’s all it was, why did you go to the Azure Dragon Division in person?"
What I wanted to know wasn’t the content of the ssage. That was fine. What bothered was why he went there on his own. That was far more important.
"..."
Song Hojung didn’t answer imdiately, so I pressed him further.
"You were planning to refuse their proposal, weren’t you? Isn’t that right?"
"…Yes, that’s correct."
He had intended to refuse the Azure Dragon Division’s offer. That much was clear from the brief exchange earlier.
Which only made more curious.
"Then why did you go?"
I asked in a calm voice. Song Hojung hesitated for a long mont before finally answering.
"I went there to refuse them."
He went to the Azure Dragon Division just to turn them down. The absurdity of it made chuckle involuntarily.
"They brought up the idea of sharing information, but you decided to personally go there to refuse it?"
"…Yes."
"Are you a complete idiot?"
"…!"
The sharpness of my words made Song Hojung’s eyes waver. It was a clear insult, but I didn’t stop.
"They didn’t intend to share anything, did they? It was more like they expected you to hand over our information. Am I wrong?"
"..."
His lips trembled, and he swallowed hard. His silence confird my suspicion.
"It wasn’t sharing—it was a demand. You obviously wanted to refuse, didn’t you? Yes or no."
"Yes… but—"
"Shut up. I’m still talking."
He swallowed again, falling silent as I continued.
"Save your excuses for later, if you can even manage to co up with one. Got it?"
"…Understood."
The tension in the room was palpable, his nervousness written all over his face.
"Judging by what I’ve seen, they must have pulled so crap about being superior, having higher authority, and expecting you to follow orders. Is that right?"
It wasn’t hard to deduce. The Azure Dragon Division’s behavior made it clear.
"And on top of that, they ordered you to co to them, didn’t they? I know they disrespected you. Fine. I don’t like how you handled it, but let’s set that aside. Do you know what pisses off the most?"
I leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with him.
"Why am I only hearing about this now? Why didn’t I know any of this until the situation exploded? That’s what pisses off the most. Understand?"
As the captain of this division, I was only learning the full story now. That was the most infuriating part.
"Now, explain. Why didn’t you report this to ?"
I stared him down, but Song Hojung only opened and closed his mouth, struggling to speak.
"I said explain!"
I pressed him again, and he finally managed to stamr a response.
"The request ca yesterday…."
"Speak clearly. It wasn’t a request; it was a demand."
"…They made their demand yesterday, while you were away, Captain."
"And then?"
"So I thought it would be best for to handle it on my own—"
"Wait."
I interrupted him, raising a hand to stop him. There was sothing I needed to clarify.
"Why would you think it was your place to handle it? Why did you make the decision yourself?"
"What?"
"If I wasn’t around, you should have waited and reported to before doing anything. Why did you act on your own? Do you outrank ?"
"…No, sir."
"Then you should have reported to and asked for permission first. Why the hell did you act on your own?"
"I’m sorry… My judgnt was poor at the ti. Please punish ."
"It’s not about punishnt… Hah."
I rubbed my temples, frustration boiling over. His explanation wasn’t cutting it.
"Song Hojung."
"Yes."
"It wasn’t poor judgnt. You knew exactly what you were doing."
"N-No, that’s not true. I-I really—"
"Don’t bother running your mouth. You just didn’t trust , did you?"
"…!"
His eyes widened in shock at my words, as if I had struck a nerve.
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