Late in the evening, when it should have been bedtime, a drinking party in the name of welcoming new employees was raging on with no end. The tables were crowded with drunks, but in the midst of it all, Ryung stood silently while staring at the door. Watching him from across the room, his teammate Kihyun refilled his glass and clicked his tongue.

“Still waiting for the team leader? If she’s not here by this time, she’s not coming.”

Ryung impatiently chewed on his nails, bouncing his legs up and down.

“Sh*t, I hope she didn’t fall down on the way here and wasn’t picked up by some assh*le… There are a few horny bastards in this unit… F*ck, I’ll have to go look for her…”

“What the f*ck? It’s all in your f*cking head. What kind of bastard would be horny for that Yuyeon?”

Ryung’s gaze, which had been glued to the door, turned deadly as he faced Kihyun. Kihyun shook his head in annoyance and then grunted.

“Yeah, only an assh*le like you would be horny.”

“You’re crazy. Aren’t your eyes bad? She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Not that I want you to like her, but her looks…!”

Recalling her flawless face, Ryung beamed with pride. She was beautiful enough for anyone to stare at her during their first meeting. No wonder there were dirty rumors about her having some sort of relationship with the higher-ups. It was all inevitable gossip that came with her beauty. Kyhyun patted him on the shoulder to calm him down.

“She’s beautiful, but she’s not someone you would normally see as a partner. At least, I’m scared of her.”

Scary. It was the emotion that attracted Ryung to her in the first place. It had been Yuyeon who broke the bridge of his nose with force when he was twenty years old and was far superior in skill.

“You starry-eyed, pretentious bastard. I’m letting you live this once, but next time, I’ll kill you as a zombie, do you understand?”

He fell in love with her good graces. His heart was pounding from the gunshot that burst his eardrums, the tinge of color on his cheeks, and the impassive eyes staring down at him.

“That scary thing is a good thing…”

Ryung trailed off, his heart pumping and toes tingling. He brushed the back of his neck as his hair stood up.

“Besides, she’s actually quite cute. She’s small and slender, and I want to protect her…”

“Protect? Cute? With that cold-bloodedness?”

“She has a warm side you don’t know about.”

“Warm, yet frozen to death. Don’t you see she is a team leader at her age? She doesn’t even show a hint of emotion while killing. Isn’t that enough to make her a robot, not a human? Anyway, you’re the only one who can love that hunk of iron, so you can rest assured…”

“Huh? Sunbae!”

Ryung waved his hand toward the other side. Kihyun, who was holding the sake, jerked his head around and scowled as if he’d seen a ghost.

Raising an eyebrow at Kihyun, Yuyeon turned away without another word, but her face had already turned sour. Ryung, who had heartlessly abandoned Kihyun, followed after her.

“You’re late, so I thought you weren’t coming. Did you come because I said I’d wait for you?”

“I’m just here to show my face to the new recruits for a bit. No welcome party would be complete without the team leader, so you… Go finish what you were talking about.”

She waved her hand, not even looking at him. Despite the gesture to brush him off, Ryung smirked and followed closely behind.

“Talk about what? That I like you?”

Ryung’s shameless question made Yuyeon glance around. The newcomers’ gazes indicated that they heard him, so Yuyeon looked back at him and rolled her eyes.

“You…”

“You should already know since I’ve never hidden my feelings.”

True to his words, there was no one in the unit who didn’t know about his unrequited love. It was impossible not to notice when the nominally unruffled man grinned and wagged his tail like a dog when his master, Yuyeon, came around. For a crew living a monotone and dry life, a love story between a man and woman was quite an interesting spectacle. Yuyeon, who felt like a monkey in a zoo, brushed him off in annoyance.

“Go away, you’re driving me crazy. I’m going to finish my drink in peace.”

“Then why don’t you come over here in the corner with me and drink alone? It’s quiet.”

She didn’t respond to his obvious ploy, but instead walked over to the table of newcomers. Already watching her movements, they quickly pulled away and made room for her to sit. There was no room for Ryung at such a tightly packed table. She used the situation to make him stay away in the first place, but he was a man who was stubborn in the face of his goal.

“Kang Taejoon.”

At his call, the newcomer sitting across from Yuyeon looked up at him, wide-eyed.

“Yes…? Me?”

“You look pretty drunk, don’t you think you should head back?”

The newcomer groped at his red cheeks, unsure of what to say. When he clenched his teeth and raised his eyes, the newcomer seemed defeated and shuffled away. After removing the obstacle, Ryung took a seat across from Yuyeon as if it were a matter of course. Yuyeon sighed, glancing at him as he followed her.

“Are you going to keep abusing your power? You’re a senior so you can’t just bully a rookie…”

“What did I do? I was just worried about him because he seemed drunk. If he drinks too much, he’ll have a headache tomorrow.”

Ryung’s eyebrows arched in exasperation and he blinked. Throwing both hands up in the air in defeat, Yuyeon reached for her drink, the corners of her mouth curling up in a smirk. Once she had her fill, the newcomer sitting next to her quickly refilled her glass.

“Thanks.”

Kofi