PTT - 3

“Stop.”

A metallic taste rose on the tip of my tongue. It seemed like blood was forming on my lower lip. Had I been biting it that hard without realizing?

Raon, whose eyes were now empty and staring into the distance, interrupted Siheon’s words.

“I don’t particularly want to hear it.”

“Yoo Raon.”

“...At least not now.”

Siheon, looking down at her bloodless face, closed his mouth. He looked exhausted from the unexpected reunion.

It was natural for her to resent and be disappointed. He had no intention of denying her feelings.

“Alright. Shall we go meet the team members? They’re all waiting.”

Siheon started walking first. Following him, Raon gently pressed her eyes.

When she finally reached the truth that had been hidden for several years, she felt like she would be tormented by an unbearably large wound. The ambivalence of being curious about the reason yet not wanting to know pressed on Yoo Raon’s heart.

‘What if he never actually liked me, not even for a single moment?’

Her stomach churned the entire way to the 8th floor. Walking without a word, they soon reached their destination.

Baek Siheon, who was walking ahead, spoke in a low voice.

“Only agents who have achieved the best results in each field are gathered here. That means the missions we’ll be given are that much more important.”

“......Is that so.”

Her chest felt incredibly tight. But an agent had to be able to clearly distinguish between public and private matters more than anyone else.

She couldn’t ruin a mission involving many people because of personal feelings. Raon, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling, muttered inwardly.

‘Get a grip, Yoo Raon.’

The conference room had blackout blinds drawn so that the inside couldn’t be seen from the hallway.

Three people were reflected in Raon’s eyes as she entered with Siheon. Two men and one woman were sitting at a rectangular table. They were the ones she would be working with in Special Team 4 from today.

‘Everyone... is full of individuality.’

In fact, ordinary appearance was one of the best qualities for an agent. It was because they had to blend in naturally without standing out to others as much as possible.

In that sense, the team members in front of her seemed to not fit the conditions of an ‘agent’ at all.

“I was really waiting so long I thought my neck would fall off. Is everyone here?”

The first to speak was a woman with bright brown hair. She turned her neck in a circle and looked around.

Siheon, who closed the door, looked down at the watch on his left wrist. As it was late, he didn’t intend to keep them for long.

“Yes. There are five of us. Let’s start with brief self-introductions today.”

Siheon, lightly tightening his loosened necktie, opened his mouth.

“Shall I start first? I’m Nox, the team leader of Special Team 4. Team leader, Nox. Feel free to call me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Nox? That’s very much like our company. Working in the shadows and aiming for the light, something like that?”

NOX. A name derived from the Latin word for night. At the same time as he finished his introduction, the woman on his left asked as if to herself. She was the one who had spoken first a moment ago.

As everyone’s attention naturally focused on her, she curled her eyes and rested her chin on her right arm.

“No, it’s too cliché. I don’t have a hobby of commenting on other people’s code names, but couldn’t there have been something more innovative?”

“For example?”

“Something like my name. Mabel. Pretty, right?”

Mabel, who naturally took her turn, introduced herself with a bright smile. You could infer her personality from the suit she was wearing, which was coordinated top and bottom.

Unlike the agents who preferred monochromatic fashion, Mabel’s suit was a distinctive deep pink that caught everyone’s attention.

From her long drop earrings to her clothes and high heels, there wasn’t a single element that wasn’t extravagant. The fortunate thing was that she pulled all of it off perfectly.

Mabel, opening the cap of the bottled water next to the file, added,

“In French, Ma belle. I speak a little French. If you’re curious, look up the meaning yourself.”

“Yes. I was going to introduce her anyway. This is Mabel. I heard she’s fluent in seven languages. Is that true?”

“Eight if you include the ones I’m so-so at. Korean and English are basic, of course. Japanese, Chinese, Russian, German... Ah, what was the other one?”

It wasn’t just one or two. She smiled nonchalantly and snapped her thumb and forefinger. She looked as if she had just remembered.

“Spanish. Croatian is at a level where I can manage daily life? Give me half a year, and I’ll master that too.”

“Did you just eat and study languages all day...? That’s totally awesome.”

“Totally...? What? How old are you? You look like a high school student. Can our company even hire minors?”

“Ah, I’m not a high schooler. A fresh twenty-year-old.”

The man sitting across from Mabel shrugged his shoulders and replied. His hair was jet black as if it had never been dyed, and he had a youthful face. Even though he was sitting, he didn’t seem very tall.

He snapped the laptop cover shut on the table and tilted his head.

“Well, it hasn’t been long since I finished my entry training. Seeing how they put me in the field right away, the higher-ups must recognize my skills.”

“Twenty years old... Huh. So, what’s your code name?”

“My instructor gave me one, but it’s super embarrassing... I’m thinking of getting a new one. How about Code Name Legend? It’s cool, right?”

Everyone wore questioning expressions at the way he spoke, which contrasted with his boyish face. It was ridiculous how he used internet slang, and weren’t they old slang terms that no one knew when they were popular?

It felt like time was going backward. But the person in question was acting brazen as if he didn’t know what was wrong.

Siheon, letting out a low, dumbfounded chuckle, looked at the boy.

“You think that name is cool?”

“Yes. It’s the ultimate cool. And you, you’re not going through middle school syndrome, but what’s with Nox?”

“Not ‘you,’ but ‘Team Leader.’ Well, if you like it, it’s fine... But it’s too long to call you. Let’s shorten it to Ray.”

“Ah, come on! What’s that? I totally don’t like it...”

“Alright, alright. From now on, we’ll call you Ray. This kid is in charge of hacking and information gathering. He was recruited by Director Jeong. He’s still young, so treat him well.”

As Siheon patted him on the shoulder, Ray pulled his hoodie over his head as if he was in a bad mood. Perhaps because of his cute face, even that action didn’t feel unpleasant.

However, Raon didn’t have the余裕to find Ray cute.

‘This is driving me crazy...’

Her heart beat faster as her turn approached. It wasn’t the problem of working with new colleagues. Now she would have to say her code name out loud, and that meant...

She bit her lower lip and glanced at Baek Siheon. Fortunately, his gaze was directed at the large man sitting at the far end, not at Raon. He was the one who had been listening to the conversation without saying a word since it started.

“...I’m Rock. I don’t talk much. Please take care of me.”

“Rock? Simple and good. Rock as in ‘enjoy’ or Rock as in rock music?”

“No. ...Rock. In English. The pronunciation is Rock so it’s easy to call in the field.”

He was a man of solid build, so much so that the name Rock suited him perfectly.

He was easily over 190cm tall, with nicely tanned skin and short hair. Even though he was covered by a shirt and suit jacket, his solid upper body couldn’t be hidden.

The hand extending from his wrist below his sleeve exuded masculinity, and it was covered with calluses and veins. Ray, who was admiring Rock, leaned his upper body against the back of his chair.

“How many hours do you work out a day, man? Your body is seriously awesome.”

“I do about six hours on average.”

“Wow... I think I’ll just live as a weakling. I hate moving.”

“You need to exercise a bit, kid. You’re so skinny... Do you even see the sun?”

“Okay, enough with the small talk. Rock here is a former special forces officer, and he will be in charge of physical tasks. He’s a capable colleague who even ranked first in training evaluations, so let’s all get along.”

It was Baek Siheon, the team leader, who was in charge of starting and ending casual conversations. Although he had a gentle image, he was able to control the room when necessary.

There were even some directors who coveted Siheon, who distributed carrots and sticks appropriately and exuded a soft charisma. There was a clear reason why Director Kwon Jeong-ah appointed him as the team leader of Special Team 4.

Ray, who was pouting, and Mabel sighed as if they had agreed. Rock, as always, was silently keeping his place.

After the team members’ introductions were over, Siheon turned his head to Raon, who was standing next to him. It was her turn last.

‘Should I just make one up...?’

Raon’s head throbbed from the excessive pressure. It was a code name she had used without any problems before she noticed Baek Siheon’s presence.

But why, at this very moment, did she have to say the name in front of him? Although she usually maintained a poker face, she couldn’t manage her expression easily.

“......”

Eight pairs of eyes were focused on one place. After maintaining silence for a while, Raon finally parted her dry lips.

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart was beating rapidly, beyond control.