Episode 16

Vice-Captain Naseoyu spoke to Captain Seolpung.

“Now, look me straight in the eyes.”

But despite those words, Captain Seolpung couldn’t bring himself to meet Vice-Captain Na’s gaze. He kept shifting his eyes nervously, unable to hold still.

The men in our squad watched this with amused smiles.

I chuckled and said, “Judging by how he can’t look me in the eye, it’s clear the captain hasn’t been ‘subjugated’ yet.”

Bisa Young chimed in, “Exactly. He’s just his usual self. Captain, shouldn’t you have been ‘subjugated’ by now? You do need to get married, after all.”

At that, Bae Jonggwan laughed and jumped in, “Young, you’re no better at talking in front of women. So does that mean you need to be ‘subjugated’ before you can get married?”

Bisa Young bristled, “What? That’s not true! I’m not bad at talking—I just didn’t bother because there was no need!”

I smirked and teased, “Oh, really?”

“Of course!”

Then Vice-Captain Naseoyu turned to Bisa Young.

“Well then, next up is Young. Come here and look me in the eyes.”

“Hmph! You think I can’t do it?!”

We were currently at the dorm, investigating whether any of the male squad members had been ‘subjugated.’

A notice had come down from the Biryong Tenth Division, instructing us to check all former Biryong members for signs of subjugation.

On the front lines, it wasn’t uncommon for some to fall victim to the Blood Sect’s subjugation.

And that was far worse than encountering demons or dark sorcerers.

Because it meant losing a trusted comrade—and having to kill that comrade with your own hands.

No method had yet been discovered to break the Blood Sect’s subjugation.

“Now, look me straight in the eyes.”

“I’m looking.”

“Hey, that’s not enough. Don’t just glance—keep looking.”

“Yeah, Young. Keep your eyes on me. Where’s that confidence from earlier?”

“Right? You teased me so much before, but now you look just like me.”

“No, no! Honestly, if this is the case, doesn’t it prove you haven’t been subjugated? Isn’t that right, Vice-Captain?”

“Yes, well, since he can’t meet my eyes, it seems Young is fine.”

“What? I did meet your eyes!”

“Well, just for a moment.”

Whether someone was subjugated was usually judged by their eyes.

The spark of life would vanish from the eyes of those under subjugation.

And it was usually the women who were better at noticing these subtle changes in their comrades. That was one reason why all front-line squads were mixed-gender.

“Alright, now it’s your turn, Sunwoo.”

I swallowed hard and stepped forward.

So, I had to look Vice-Captain Na in the eyes?

My heart was pounding nonstop.

Honestly, I thought I could hold his gaze for at least a moment.

Beside me, Bisa Young and Bae Jonggwan said,

“Hmph! Jin, let’s see how confident you really are!”

“Come on, Jin!”

Their words made me smile.

Why would I need to psych myself up?

This was my chance to look at Vice-Captain Na’s face freely.

But the moment she smiled gently and looked at me with soft eyes, all those thoughts vanished.

Her smile pierced straight through me, right to my heart.

Her eyes, gentle and downturned like a puppy’s, seemed to understand and accept everything in the world.

She might not be an ultra-beauty like Sojeo Dangyeoeun, but her kind, pretty face made anyone feel good.

Bang!

Something inside me exploded.

The comrades watching me with interest burst out laughing.

“Ha ha ha! What’s that?! How can someone’s face get that red?”

“Jin, how can you blush that much before even seeing her face properly?”

“Sorry, Jin. I should’ve told you to try harder.”

Only then did I realize what was happening and touched my face.

It was burning hot, like the sun.

Vice-Captain Na, trying to hold back a laugh, said,

“No need to look me in the eyes after all. I never imagined there’d be a man worse than the captain.”

W-What?! Wait! No, I have to look!

I hurriedly tried to stop her.

“N-No, I mean…”

But she smiled softly and said,

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Sunwoo. Sorry for teasing you when you must be tired.”

“No, I mean…”

And just like that, my chance to look at Vice-Captain Na properly flew out the window.

I felt like the world was collapsing.

What kind of ridiculous situation was this…

While I was sulking, Bisa Young suddenly asked,

“By the way, Vice-Captain, have you checked Sojeo Cheongyeon’s eyes?”

Her question made me lift my head and look at Vice-Captain Na. I was curious too.

Though Sojeo Cheongyeon had grown close to the female squad members, I was probably the closest to her. She always followed me around.

But even I had never seen above her nose. When I asked why she kept her bangs down, she just said she had a scar and couldn’t show it.

A scar…

If that was true, there was nothing to be done.

But somehow, I doubted it.

When she introduced herself to the squad, she said,

“My name is Cheongyeon. Cheong is my family name, Yeon my given name.”

Even though she must have a different family name, she introduced herself like that. And considering she was friends with Jegal Seoyul Sojeo, daughter of the Wulin Alliance’s Commander Jegal Jigang, she was clearly from a prestigious family but hiding her origins.

That made me think she might be deliberately hiding her face.

So I was very curious whether Sojeo Cheongyeon had shown her eyes to Vice-Captain Na.

At the question, Vice-Captain Na seemed to recall something.

She nodded absentmindedly and murmured,

“Yes, I have seen them. They’re really…”

“Really?”

We all stared at her, eager to know more, but she suddenly snapped out of it, smiled awkwardly, and shook her head.

“No, no. I saw them with Jueun, but Yeon had to cover her face.”

“Why?”

“Well… if she didn’t, it would cause a big commotion.”

“…”

We frowned at her cryptic answer, but she didn’t seem willing to say more.

“Well, that’s that. Anyway, thanks for your hard work. Captain, are you heading out now?”

At her question, Captain Seolpung smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

Vice-Captain Na looked worried.

“Please be careful. I heard there might be more than one Zhu Gui appearing this time.”

“Thanks for your concern, Sojeo. I’ll be careful not to let my guard down.”

Captain Seolpung and the other top experts of the Thirteenth Division were about to depart immediately.

They were going to search for the most dangerous demon in the jungle—the Zhu Gui.

The Zhu Gui, a demon that grows stronger by absorbing human blood, originally had first-class top-tier abilities. But when it absorbed the blood of three or more people, it was said to grow to the level of an apex expert.

“Of course, it doesn’t use spiritual energy, but its physical abilities surpass even those at the early apex level.”

As it grew stronger, it also became smarter, making it harder to detect. It was truly the worst kind of demon.

This time, information came in that the Zhu Gui had absorbed the blood of at least five people in the Fourteenth Division, east of the Thirteenth, and was moving toward our side.

We couldn’t afford to ignore this.

“All the apex experts are going out?”

“Yes. Only apex experts can handle a Zhu Gui that’s absorbed five or more bloods.”

“Please be careful, Captain.”

“Thank you.”

We watched Captain Seolpung leave with heavy eyes.

Just like in our past lives, after the Gan Gui swarm attack, the frequency and danger of demons had increased significantly.

Where once Zhu Gui appeared once every few months, now one or two showed up every month.

Not to mention the Gan Gui and Hyo Gui.

I suddenly asked Vice-Captain Na,

“Sojeo Cheon Jueun… or rather, what are the Sojeos planning to do?”

“We? With this atmosphere, we don’t want to enter the forest. We’ll train near the dorm.”

“I see.”

Her answer made me breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

From memories of my past life, I recalled that Cheon Jueun, who wasn’t in our squad then, died around this time.

I didn’t remember the details clearly, as I was too distracted, but I did remember that she was found torn apart by Gan Gui in the forest, which terrified me even more.

But this time, since she was in our squad and always with Vice-Captain Na and Sojeo Cheongyeon, I thought such a thing wouldn’t happen.

Still, I warned them just in case.

“Don’t go into the forest or dangerous places alone, Sojeos. If you get hurt when the captain’s not around, how could we face him?”

Vice-Captain Na smiled gently.

“Don’t worry. We have no plans to do that. And thank you for your concern, Sunwoo.”

Until then, I thought that would be enough.

But it wasn’t until some time later that I remembered the person who died back then wasn’t just Cheon Ju-eun Sojeo, and that there must have been another reason why she, still a rookie at the time, had ventured into the forest during such a dangerous period.

It was in the afternoon, while I was training external martial arts with Bi Sa-young and Bae Jong-gwan.

Suddenly, Mae Yeo-gyeong Sojeo, the deputy leader of the Sa group, hurried past us, glancing around as if searching for something.

I spotted her and couldn’t take my eyes off her.

She was one of the people that Dang Yeoeun, Ma Yu-gyeom, and I had been keeping an eye on.

She was the very person who, in the not-so-distant future, would be killed by Ju-gwi, an event that would shatter Ma Yu-gyeom, the Sa group leader, leaving him a broken man.

Of course, that would happen after the Jeonghyeol meeting, not now, but still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Dressed casually, I approached her and asked, “Mae Sojeo, who are you looking for so urgently?”

Her pretty face, somewhat shadowed by a gloomy expression, startled slightly before she answered cautiously.

“Oh, I’m looking for one of our members, Son Ha-rang. She’s been having a really hard time lately, so I’ve been worried about her, but I haven’t seen her since a little while ago.”

“I see. Son Ha-rang Sojeo, right? If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”

“Thank you.”

After she passed, Bae Jong-gwan suddenly spoke up.

“Son Ha-rang Sojeo? Isn’t she the lover of Jeong Gongja who was killed by the Ssangsak Chil-hyung last time?”

At that, Bi Sa-young replied with a bitter expression.

“That’s right. I heard she’s been struggling a lot since then, unable to forget her lover.”

It was the first time I’d heard about this, and the name was new to me.

I quickly asked them, “What do you mean? She lost her lover?”

“Ah, Jin, you probably don’t know. It happened just before you arrived. The Ssangsak Chil-hyung—those demon heads—killed Son Sojeo’s lover. They were known for their deep affection for each other. Since then, Son Sojeo has been having a really hard time.”

It was a tragic story.

But such things weren’t uncommon on the front lines.

Those stationed there lost lovers countless times, moved on to others, and lived that way.

No wonder one of the unspoken rules about dating on the front lines was to never ask about past lovers—whether they were dead or alive.

“I see. That’s really sad.”

I nodded and was about to turn away when a thought suddenly struck me, and I stopped dead in my tracks.

‘Wait a minute. Which group was Cheon Sojeo in during her past life?’

I couldn’t quite recall.

But somewhere in the hazy memories, I was sure I’d heard that she had gone into the forest to comfort a struggling comrade and met with misfortune there.

Could this be…?

Standing still with a serious expression, lost in thought, Bi Sa-young asked me, “What’s wrong, Jin? Why the sudden mood? You look uneasy.”

“Yeah. Did the Seonin tell you something in a dream again, even though you didn’t ask?”

Since the last time, when the Seonin appeared in my dream to warn me about the Gangui gang’s attack, they had come to trust my words implicitly.

So convincing them wasn’t difficult.

“I have a bad feeling. I think we need to find that Son Sojeo.”

Bi Sa-young and Bae Jong-gwan exchanged glances before asking me, “Jin, we trust your instincts, but… where exactly are you planning to look for Son Sojeo?”

I pointed toward the western forest.

“Let’s check out that forest.”

It was the opposite direction from where the leaders had gone to search for Ju-gwi.