Chapter 54.1

Chapter 54.1

Startled, she opened her eyes to see a smooth, extended arm. A clenched fist resting on her desk.

Lee Wooshin had struck the desk as a warning, causing the loosely stacked booklets to fall with a clatter. Despite the cold gaze meeting hers, he said nothing.

Instead, he picked up the fallen booklets, and his eyes paused on a corner of a page. His expression, already blank, now turned as cold as ice.

As Seoryeong tried to snatch back the book under his ominous demeanor, he tore a page out.

“――!”

Why is he tearing someone else’s book…! She flinched at his overbearing action, but Lee Wooshin crumpled it into a ball in an instant.

The paper, crushed into a small ball in his large hand, was soon shoved into his pocket like trash. Seoryeong could only stare at him, feeling dumbfounded.

“You don’t sunbathe in front of the instructor.”

His firm chest heaved once and then settled.

“Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts and focus. When a crisis hits, people scrape the bottom of their minds to survive. Even the trivial stories you hear while dozing off can become valuable in desperate moments.”

When did I ever… Oh…! Seoryeong frowned. Did he see the doodles? Something about a husband candidate, if she remembered correctly…

“How can Cadet Han Seoryeong be so carefree as to sleep while the instructor is giving a lecture, not knowing when and how things might go wrong? You said you’d go to the gates of hell—do you plan to sleep there too?”

Subtly mocking, Lee Wooshin paused between desks and resumed his interrupted conversation.

He talked about the geography and climate of Central and Southeast Asia, and even discussed ways to create shelters. The discussion led to security and protection tasks recently handled by Blast Agency.

“In the recent armed robbery hostage incident in the Philippines…”

At the mention of “hostage,” her head snapped up.

In short, it was a story about a local holding Korean tourists hostage and extorting over 100 million won from them.

An armed robber. Seoryeong raised her hand abruptly. Unexpectedly, Lee Wooshin only raised an eyebrow as if to ignore her persistently, but she stubbornly kept her arm up. Then a colleague sitting next to her, sensing the atmosphere, reached out to pull her arm down.

Immediately, Lee Wooshin spoke up.

“What is it?”

“I have a question.”

“Then put your arm down and move your chair away.”

“What?”

“Otherwise, I won’t answer.”

Why is he so difficult… Seoryeong lightly furrowed her brow but obediently lowered her arm and subtly shifted her chair. She asked about something she had been curious about even before joining Blast Agency, something she was determined to learn.

“Do hostages fear the gun or the person holding it?”

In response to her question, Lee Wooshin stared at her as if trying to decipher her intentions before speaking.

“Obviously, it’s the former.”

“Isn’t the gun all-powerful? She further validated her point, “”If you give guns to children, they become soldiers; if you give it to a desperate parent, they become bank robbers. So why isn’t it all-powerful?”

“….”

“Even someone who has never held a gun before can handle it well when necessary.”

Despite his meaningful words and raised eyebrows, Seoryeong remained unfazed and continued her questioning. Her eyes gleamed with determination, as if she had fallen into her own world.

“What if the opponent isn’t an ordinary person? Do people familiar with guns still get scared?”

To her persistent inquiry, he chuckled and tilted his head.

“Why, Agent Seoryeong? Have you recently wanted to brandish a gun?”

“I haven’t done anything like that.”

Her thoughtful answer was quite clear.

Torture training had been helpful, and there hadn’t been any symptoms of suspected post-traumatic stress disorder when she saw the instructor, except for the occasional itchiness. But Lee Wooshin seemed to find her indifferent response even more unpleasant as he intermittently furrowed and relaxed his eyebrows.

“Let’s answer it this way. People familiar with guns respond more quickly. They understand how powerful and frightening a gun can be, so they either comply immediately or try to suppress immediately.”

In Korea, civilians couldn’t carry firearms, but some security personnel or employees of security companies could. They had to adhere to strict conditions, but joining Blast Agency definitely made things easier in many ways.

“So…”

Seoryeong hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to go one step further or stop.

After all, this was why Channa had introduced her to Blast Agency in the first place. To make allies and learn skills.

If that was the case, then this was the perfect time. Despite his human flaws, in front of her was a living textbook who might become the greatest teacher ever.