Chapter 72.1

Chapter 72.1

“Ah, Team Leader! The meat is burning! Please hand me the tongs!”

Suddenly, Jin Hojae snatched the tongs away from his boss, who was gulping down water.

“Anyway, Ki-Taemin, what would you think if I told you that I didn’t look like this.”

“That’s good, because I didn’t want to see your f*cking face.”

“Hey, you jerk!”

The first to respond to his odd question was Ki Taemin, his so-called best friend. Even in this brief moment, it was clear from their mutual disgust that they were indeed close.

“What does a face matter? I always aim for the head.”

He flicked a soju bottle cap and hit Jin Hojae squarely on the forehead. As expected from the top sniper of the Blaster Agency.

The two wrestled each other in headlocks, causing the table to shake. Unable to take it anymore, Lee Wooshin kicked their shins hard under the table, and the two quickly settled down.

“What about you, Dawit?”

Jin Hojae, his face flushed red, still didn’t stop asking questions. He was determined to get answers from every member.

Instructor Dawit, with his thin lips and glasses, had a reserved appearance, but when he finally spoke, a steady stream of words flowed out.

“Well, I think punishment will come whether I do anything or not. As it says in Psalm 7:14, ‘He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made.’ His misfortune will eventually come crashing down on his own head.”

“And what about you, team leader?”

Jin Hojae abruptly cut him off, waving his hand. Lee Wooshin leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

“Do you have so much free time, Jin Hojae, that you watch videos like that and laugh?”

“Do I look that pathetic? I was researching tactics, and the algorithm suggested it!”

“Pointless…”

“We need to be prepared. We could fall victim to someone like that at any time…!”

“We’ve had enough to drink, let’s wrap it up.”

As Lee Wooshin checked his watch, Jin Hojae, his speech starting to slur, propped his chin up and said,

“If it were a woman, I’d politely strip her. If it were a man, I’d just throw him in the water. I’d let him soak until his skin bloated, then peel it off.”

Jin Hojae, grinning broadly, was a former UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) member, and he was a soldier stronger in water than anyone else.

He grew up in a family with generations of tuna farmers and has been in the ocean since he was a kid. He spent his entire boyhood working 33 metres down, wearing minimal skin gear, trying to cage schools of madly charging tuna. The official name for the job was tuna cowboy.

When Seoryeong heard that, she couldn’t help but chuckle. With a swimmer’s build, he wasn’t a merman, but a tuna cowboy…

Later, he demonstrated exceptional talent in mine detection and coastal obstacle removal and decided to settle in the Marines. He thought wrestling with mines was way cooler than chasing tuna.

But when Ki Taemin was subjected to abuse in the military, he left without hesitation and joined the Blast Agency with him.

“When things get complicated and confusing, diving into the water usually solves most of it. So, if there’s anyone we suspect is wearing a mask, can we toss them into the sea first, team leader?”

“If you can dunk them head-first properly.” Lee Wooshin, who had risen first and picked up his coat, replied sarcastically. “Dipping just their lower half won’t make much of a difference anyway.”

“Oh!”

“Tonight’s gathering ends here. Call everyone else in.”

As he took the lead in wrapping up the atmosphere, it seemed the gathering was drawing to a close.

“Hey, we should hear from the rookie on our team, to be fair!”

Just then, Jin Hojae suddenly stood up, sat down next to Seoryeong, and locked eyes with her. He was so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

Suddenly, Seoryeong’s heart began to race wildly. ‘What the heck!’ Her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably. With his stable physique and features she wanted to touch.

Seoryeong clenched her trembling hand and said, “I actually don’t quite understand.”

From the beginning, she had overheard her seniors talking and thought it didn’t make any sense.

“How can you completely change someone’s face with just a mask?”

“Is our rookie lacking in imagination?”

“There’s that, but no matter how well you disguise it, wouldn’t a fake face still look obvious?”

“That’s why the video title says it’s shocking and a revelation!”

“I think it’s just a script to get more views.” She reasoned out.

Jin Hojae groaned like a big dog in response to her stubborn reply. Despite his size, he was as restless as Kim Hyun. Feeling a bit softened, Seoryeong decided to change her attitude.

“But if it were true.”

A face she trusted being fake. The very thought left her breathless, even for just a moment.

Without warning, she grabbed one of the scattered shot glasses on the table and downed it. Ugh! The sharp burn of the alcohol as it slid down her throat made her frown. But still, if it were true.

“I don’t think I could handle it. I’ve already been deceived too many times.”

Seoryeong tried to halt her thoughts, mentally pressing pause.

She didn’t want to get lost in this overwhelming feeling. So, she decided she should stop drinking now. Everyone seemed pretty drunk, spouting nothing but absurdities.

At that moment, she made eye contact with Lee Wooshin, who was standing rigidly. He stared at her with a strangely dark gaze for a moment before turning and leaving the room.

It wasn’t until the last drink that she finally felt the alcohol really starting to hit her.