Chapter 4

Bo-Ryeong stabbed her spoon into her rice repeatedly, her irritation clear. Se-Ra laughed.

“Judging by her sour expression, it must be true. Hey, come on, tell me. I’m dying of curiosity. How was it? Was it as amazing as the rumors say?”

“Amazing? What are you talking about? Do you think we slept with her or something?”

“No, I mean her appearance. Was she so alluring that even women would get aroused? Didn’t any of you feel that way?”

Bo-Ryeong frowned. Though Se-Ra wasn’t a bad colleague, her crude way of speaking made people uncomfortable. Se-Ra suddenly glanced slyly at Do-Hwi, who was quietly eating his soup.

“I wonder if our innocent Captain Seok Do-Hwi managed to keep his composure.”

Do-Hwi, used to such teasing, simply raised his middle finger while continuing his meal. Se-Ra chuckled but then suddenly became serious.

“But seriously. Seeing that you guys are fine, it disproves the rumors. So how did she manage to brainwash so many people?”

In a serious tone, Juhyung responded.

“Rumors are always exaggerated. It’s been known since Salli’s cult days that they worshipped a god with red eyes, but the fact that this person actually exists with red eyes is quite surprising. But everything else is nonsense. The red eyes and all, it’s just a pretext, a foundation.”

Juhyung stabbed a piece of fish coated in red seasoning with his chopsticks.

“To not suppress unethical impulses, to give in to temptation.”

As he peeled the skin off the fish, revealing the white flesh, he lost his appetite and moved his chopsticks to another dish.

“That’s basically it.”

Se-Ra made a troubled face.

“I’m talking about the moments before they died.”

Everyone’s movements stopped.

“If they worshipped her as a god, wouldn’t they praise her to the end? But every Salli leader we’ve captured cursed her at the end. Even if they didn’t say the exact same words, they all spat out curses. And then…”

Se-Ra pointed to her eyes with her index finger and made a “pop” sound.

“They died with their eyes bursting. Right before they burst, their pupils swelled up like small balloons and turned bright red.”

She shivered as if the memory was disgusting. It wasn’t the best topic for a meal. Despite the cold stares from the others, she continued undeterred.

“Being brainwashed by crazy nonsense is one thing, but this is too bizarre and unreal. It’s beyond human capability. If it’s not true that looking into her eyes does something, then how did they manage it?”

Juhyung started moving his chopsticks again.

“Who knows? Maybe they use some special technique that we haven’t figured out yet.”

Not fully cooked, Bo-Ryeong swallowed the crunchy stir-fried potatoes and spoke.

“It might be the kind that gradually takes over and manifests later.”

Se-Ra exaggeratedly gasped in surprise.

“You guys! Are you saying our eyes might explode later? Let me take a look!”

She grabbed Do-Hwi’s head with both hands and pulled his face close, inspecting his eyes from various angles. Do-Hwi, irritated, snapped.

“Ah, come on!”

The others laughed at the sight.

“Hm, nope. Your eyes are brown. Pure, innocent brown. Pretty, very pretty.”

“Fuck, you crazy…”

Do-Hwi peeled her hands off his head, glaring at her. Se-Ra laughed, finding his reaction endearing despite his threats to kill her.

Just as Se-Ra withdrew her hands and faced forward, her eyes widened in surprise.

“What’s that…?”

Do-Hwi looked up, and his eyes also grew wide. Bo-Ryeong and Juhyung turned their heads curiously.

Clatter.

Bo-Ryeong’s chopsticks fell to the floor. She couldn’t believe her eyes. The cafeteria’s atmosphere had suddenly turned cold and tense. Every soldier’s gaze was fixed on one spot.

It was Wina.

She was making her way across the cafeteria, her long black hair swaying with each step.

Wina carried a tray, receiving her meal in turn, and then looked around for an empty seat. Bo-Ryeong was shocked by how calmly she acted as if she had just come to eat.

But what was more surprising was that Wina had her eyes closed.

“That’s her, right? That’s Wina?”

Se-Ra was buzzing with excitement. The other three watched in stunned silence as Wina finally found an empty seat and sat down, her eyes still shut.

“How can she move so naturally without opening her eyes? Is that another ability? And why is she allowed to roam the cafeteria alone? Isn’t it dangerous to let such a threat move freely?”

“Shut up.”

Do-Hwi growled, cursing as he twisted his body to keep Wina in sight.

The atmosphere around Wina seemed almost tangible, as if an invisible wall had been erected. The intense gazes of the soldiers around her could have pierced through stone.

Wina ate methodically, spooning rice, picking up side dishes, and sipping soup in a precise, almost mechanical manner. It was as if she could see everything clearly despite her closed eyes. Her rapid chewing reminded Bo-Ryeong of a rat stealing food.

“What the hell is going on…?”

At that moment, a chime rang from the speakers, followed by a low voice.

“This is a broadcast from the command office. The female captured from Salli is currently roaming the base. She is wearing a white T-shirt and worn-out shorts, with her eyes closed. Do not engage her if possible. If she exhibits any abnormal behavior or opens her eyes…”

After a moment of silence, the order came through.

“Kill her immediately.”

The atmosphere in the cafeteria grew even heavier. The soldiers’ attention shifted from mere curiosity to vigilant surveillance. The stares directed at Wina were now loaded with lethal intent.

If Wina had heard the broadcast, she showed no sign of it. She continued eating calmly, scraping up the last grains of rice with the dedication of an actor playing a role.

Then, Wina pushed her chair back. The soldiers tensed simultaneously. As she stood, they braced for action.

Bo-Ryeong was ready to choke her at the slightest suspicious move. Or, she thought, to tear apart the lips that Shin Hae-Gon had touched. Missing the chance to kill her with her own hands would be more foolish than Do-Hwi, who was watching with his mouth open.

“……”

As everyone held their breath, Wina picked up her tray. Moving serenely through the tense soldiers, Bo-Ryeong’s eyes followed her every step. The faint rope marks on her pale legs were visible beneath her worn shorts.

Finally, Wina stopped walking.

“More.”

In the deathly quiet of the cafeteria, Wina’s voice was unmistakably clear. Bo-Ryeong’s brows furrowed. When she saw Wina going back to the serving counter for more food, she felt a wave of disbelief wash over her.

“Much more.”

Wina’s brazen demand to the serving staff dissipated the tension that had been building to a breaking point.

“Fuck.”

Bo-Ryeong cursed under her breath as she watched Wina pile her tray high with a mountain of food. She got up, but her disbelief remained.

“…Is she a pig or something?”

Se-Ra muttered in astonishment as she saw Wina’s tray.

Wina took a large spoonful of rice and shoved it into her mouth. Anyone watching would think she hadn’t eaten in days.

The heaping mound of rice rapidly disappeared as she ate methodically.

Her cheeks, puffed out from the food, quickly flattened again as she chewed and swallowed without pause. Despite her voracious pace, there was an inexplicable intensity to her eating rather than mere greed.

Se-Ra found herself oddly mesmerized by Wina’s busy mouth.

“By the way, even with her eyes closed, she’s impressive. I mean, I had high expectations,” Se-Ra said.

It wasn’t just Se-Ra. The soldiers, though wary, were staring at Wina with glistening eyes. The tension in the cafeteria was now tinged with an indescribable, peculiar atmosphere.

Despite the earlier orders to kill if necessary, everyone seemed momentarily captivated by Wina’s unusual presence and the surreal normality of her actions.