Chapter 116.2

Chapter 116.2

The cheek he grabbed burned with heat. Her trembling eyes betrayed her emotions as she continued.

“It feels like you see me as nothing more than a keychain, not as a contributing team member.”

“A rookie isn’t hired to do anything specific. They’re just supposed to follow orders.”

“…!”

“You’re seated here to keep quiet and stay out of the way. So why,” he said, narrowing one eye as he looked at her, “do you keep trying to do something?”

Her temper flared, but she took a deep breath, keeping her composure. This had been an ongoing issue since they arrived in Sakhalin. Sit here. Stay out of it.

Even after hearing him single her out twice during missions, telling her to stand aside or stay close, Seoryeong had complied. She’d endured the uncomfortable stares from her seniors, swallowing her frustration over and over.

“Do I need to explain every single decision to a rookie?”

“…”

“Straighten your seatbelt and sit properly.”

Lee Wooshin pointed out her posture as if she might bolt at any moment. Their eyes met, tension sparking between them like live wires.

Seoryeong undid her seatbelt entirely, opened the passenger-side door, and stepped out.

“Just go ahead and discipline me.”

“…!”

Without looking back, she walked to the trailer and swapped places with Jin Hojae.

Her heart pounded, half expecting Lee Wooshin to storm after her. But the truck, which had been motionless, suddenly roared to life with an aggressive, grating engine noise as it started moving. His driving was as tense as his mood.

Seoryeong pressed her throbbing eyelids with trembling fingers, her breaths heavy with frustration. Since arriving here, nothing had gone smoothly.

Though she had lashed out at him, blaming everything on his actions, she was just as unsettled herself.

Every word he spoke only made her want to push back harder, burying her stubborn frustration deeper. It wasn’t as if she were going through puberty again, but her responses seemed to twist out bitterly.

Inside the jostling vehicle rattling over the unpaved road, Seoryeong approached the children reeking of urine, her expression hardened. Mechanically, she changed their diapers, replacing soiled ones with fresh ones as necessary.

The children’s unwashed bodies, neglected for days, had left their skin raw and irritated. As she adjusted the unsteady children, she swallowed a sigh, her mood sinking further into despair. The darkening pall on her face mirrored her growing hopelessness.

Boom! Bang!

“—!”

A deafening explosion shattered the air, lifting her body as if weightless. Her head slammed into the ceiling, and her vision flashed white for an instant. There was no time to comprehend what had just happened.

What just happened? That noise was an explosion.

The trailer, struck hard by something, separated violently from the truck. It spun wildly, screeching and clanging as it flipped. Seoryeong’s body slammed repeatedly against the metal interior, but even amidst the chaos, she reached out desperately to grab hold of the children.

“Ugh!”

Her scalp burned, and she could feel the warmth of blood trickling down her head. Fighting nausea, she forced her eyes open. One side of the trailer was completely crushed. She bit her lip, struggling to stay conscious.

“Hah! Ugh!”

Every slight movement sent sharp, twisting pain through her bones, but she gritted her teeth and pushed herself upright. Checking the children one by one, she felt for their pulses.

They’re alive. It’s okay. They’ve just fainted. Her eyelashes trembled as she confirmed their condition. Then her head shot up abruptly.

What about the truck ahead? What about the others?

“Ah!”

Her face turned pale as she swallowed her fear. She dragged herself to the twisted metal door, pushing at it with her body. When it wouldn’t budge, she began kicking it furiously.

The door finally gave way with a loud clang, and as it opened, a wave of ominous heat brushed against her skin.

“—!”

Stepping outside, she saw crimson flames licking the air violently. A long, arrow-like rocket was embedded in the ground nearby.

It had flown in from a distance, severing the trailer’s metal coupling and splitting it in two. Now, the mangled remnants of the trailer and truck lay scattered in plain sight.

The truck’s front section was still skidding across the ground, flipped over and throwing off sparks as it scraped along the dirt.

“Instructor!”

She screamed until her voice cracked, but the ringing in her ears drowned out everything else. She didn’t even notice someone approaching her from behind.

The sound of rustling crops—susu-suk, susu-suk—finally reached her. Seoryeong turned too late, and a powerful blow sent her sprawling to the ground.

“—”

Her world flipped upside down, her blurred vision capturing glimpses of a sharp chin, a wide grin, and unnervingly contracted pupils.

A familiar face loomed above her, holding an RPG launcher slung over their shoulder like a fishing rod. Their expression wavered between eerie cheerfulness and cold detachment, their smile twisted.

Her limp body was immediately dragged across the uneven ground, her legs scraping against the dirt like reeds swept by the wind.

She tried to resist, clawing at the soil, but all she achieved was embedding dirt under her nails.

Instructor…

Her vision faded into darkness.