Jeong Taeui continued to climb to the first floor without resting, using his unsteady legs. After a while, he had to stop and let out a sigh. Now he couldn't even breathe after climbing just a few floors. The exhaustion was overwhelming, and he had to take deep breaths to regain his strength.
Suddenly, he exclaimed to himself, "Ah."
Now he knows. Now he knew the name of this feeling. Although it was uncomfortable and intense, it had no strength, and he just wanted to cry or scream out loud, but he didn't have the energy to do so. He just wanted to hide in a place where there was no one and never leave.
He was tired.
He was truly exhausted and worn out.
It would be better if someone blamed him for being weak in these situations so that he could grab that damn bastard by the collar and fight back with punches. Because he could endure physical fatigue, but he couldn't bear the mental torment.
Even now, if he returned home in exhaustion, his older brother wouldn't be there to welcome him and sit down to drink with him, even though his older brother couldn't drink.
Now, he had nowhere to lean, nowhere to vomit, and no one to sit huddled next to.
After holding his breath for a while, Jeong Taeui took a step forward and wiped his dry and cold eyes with the back of his hand.
Alright, no matter what his uncle said, whoever the next governor would be, or which branch he would be transferred to, Jeong Taeui didn't care anymore.
Everyone's life and work tend to go the way they want. So if his uncle had that intention from the beginning, it would be done in the way he wanted, regardless of whether anyone helped or hindered.
"If it were you, even if you were demoted somewhere, you would still survive... So why do you need me?"
No one heard, but Jeong Taeui whispered to himself after thinking about it for a while.
Whether someone helped or not, his life would not be disrupted. Because he was someone who would do anything to achieve his goals.
As he dragged his painful ankles along the corridor, the governor's office appeared in front of him. Taeui had only been there once before during the appointment ceremony for llay's officer position. This was not a place where any branch member could come recklessly, but now Taeui no longer cared about that.
The promise with his uncle had ended. The remaining days here were no longer important. And even if he left now, it wouldn't be a problem for his uncle. If he needed permission from the governor to leave this place, then he would go and personally speak to him. He would leave UNHRDO and escape from here. Originally, Taeui couldn't directly meet the governor because when a member had a request, they had to report to their superior officer, and only when the officer approved could they receive the governor's permission. But now he
disregarded all of that and didn't bother with those cumbersome procedures.
In front of the governor's office, Taeui stood still for a moment and knocked on the door. The thick and heavy wooden door made a low and heavy sound that suppressed his exhausted gasps. He listened and waited for a response from inside, but even after standing there for a while, there was still silence. He knocked on the door again.
Still no sign of a response. Maybe there was no one inside because it wasn't working hours yet. It was just morning, so obviously there wouldn't be anyone, but he didn't think about that and just ran here in anger.
Jeong Taeui let out a sigh of relief. He was selfish and foolish. Taeui stared at the doorknob of the governor's office for a while, then gently pushed it, thinking it would be locked, but the door opened easily.
"...I'm sorry... I'm the Second Lieutenant - Jeong Taeui."
He thought there would be no one here, but he still spoke softly outside the door as a
precaution. The door opened, so if there was someone here, they would have heard, but once again, there was no answer. And it seemed like there really was no one inside.
Taeui hesitated and then entered the room. Anyway, he had prepared himself to meet the governor and be happily kicked out of this place, even being grabbed by the collar.
But this place looked more like the governor's bedroom than his office. Could it be that the governor's office and bedroom were in the same place?
No one was in the governor's room, but it seemed like he had been here a while ago as the lamp on the desk was still on. Thinking about it, he had heard that the governor was obsessed with work day and night, to the point of being called workaholic, so maybe he hadn't left but was nearby. Taeui paused for a moment, and at that moment, he saw two adjoining doors in the office. One was the bathroom door, and the other was the entrance to the governor's private room.
It has been a month since that day and he has not seen this governor again. Taeui sighed and knocked on the door again, knowing t here would be no answer.
"Sir...." He said softly, muttering his name even though he did not receive a response, but suddenly a button next to the door caught his attention. Perhaps his brain was slow to react due to the blood rushing, so he did not have time to look around. Initially, he thought it was a ' doorbell so he pressed the button, but no sound came out even though it really looked like a normal doorbell. He tilted his head, before Taeui could think of anything else, the door quietly opened.
The elevator behind the door appeared.
He paused and blinked, why is there an elevator here?
But then again, this is the governor's room, so it's not surprising if there is an elevator in the room. Moreover, it is not certain whether it leads directly to his private room or not. As he leaned over, the door quietly closed.
Jeong Taeui frowned.
Something is going to happen.
He didn't know what it was, but something was going to happen, anyway, it wasn't a good feeling.
Taeui wanted to turn back, for some reason, the elevator and this wooden door seemed like a sign of something. Like a smoldering fire in a haystack.
"..."
But even thinking that way, his hands still pressed the button, like before, the door opened again to reveal the elevator.
The space was extremely quiet. There was no one in the room, only Taeui was here. The wooden door slid and tried to close again. He suddenly raised his hand to stop it. The door got stuck on an obstacle so it opened again.
Jeong Taeui stepped inside. The door closed as if it had been waiting for a long time.
This elevator is like any other elevator. If there is a difference, it is perhaps that this elevator only has a button to the destination floor, no other buttons. It can only go to one place and cannot go to any other floor in the branch outside the governor's office.
He pondered for a moment and then pressed the blank button with no numbers or anything written on it. After a while, his body felt weightless, the elevator began to move down.
There were no numbers on the button but there were numbers appearing on the fluorescent board indicating the floor numbers. As the elevator descended, the numbers gradually increased.
Start with the letter G - ground floor, then 1, 2, 3, and basement. And the number stops at number 4.
The elevator stops, the heavy feeling under his feet comes closer and then disappears. Jeong Taeui stares at the number on the board.
Floor 4. It is a place that is blocked and has no entrance, even the staircase has a prohibition sign and the regular elevator cannot stop at this floor.
The door opens.
It's difficult, he thinks. By instinct, Jeong Taeui feels that he should not "get off the car" here. There are some things in the world that are best left unknown. And his intuition at this moment also speaks up. This place is one of those "should not know" things.
In front of the elevator, there is a wall blocking the way, so if he doesn't leave here, he won't pbe able to see anything beyond that wall.
Yeah, he can't see anything. So if he goes back now, everything will be as if it never
happened. Taeui waits for the automatic door to close, but time quietly passes, and when he is about to press the button, a faint voice whispers in his head, "Don't go."
After a while, the door still doesn't close, even after he counts from 1 to 20. Jeong Taeui sighs softly. It seems that on this floor, the door will only close when the button is pressed.
His finger rests on the button for a moment, then he looks up at the ceiling where the white fluorescent light of the elevator is shining. When he lowers his head, there is still a wall in front of the elevator blocking his view like a barrier.
"It's really unfortunate to know these things."
Taeui mutters.
Perhaps the entire 4th floor is designed like a large house where the governor can
comfortably live. Nearly a hundred personnel here all believe that the 6 basement floors are common property, but once they become governors, no one dares to say anything even if they occupy an entire floor for themselves.
Taeui sighs when he thinks about that. He didn't think he would do this, after all, it is clear that no member here is allowed to come here. And there must be a reason for that. Looking back later, Taeui completely doesn't understand why he didn't just turn back immediately while not knowing what was waiting for him ahead, at least he would be safe if he went back. He bet his life on something he wasn't even sure of, but that was probably because his instinct
awakened at the right moment.
A few seconds later, when Taeui steps out, the elevator door slowly closes. He thinks it's a waste to use an elevator like this just to move between 2 floors. But this thought doesn't last.
The scene unfolding in front of Taeui's eyes makes his feet suddenly stop.
An entire floor of about 600 square meters opens up before him. In the distance, a wall can be seen, a large space containing large and small containers arranged in a neat row.
This is a very large warehouse.
"What is this.... this smell.... what should I do now."
Jeong Taeui whispers in a gasp. Then he slowly approaches the small cargo container in front of him.
The iron shelf reaches up to the ceiling, equivalent to the second floor of any building. No, this can't be called just a shelf, they are extremely heavy iron poles attached to the floor and ceiling, supporting tightly connected iron mesh panels between them.
And on top of them are a row of cargo containers.
The containers vary in size, some are like a drawer while others are as big as a small
temporary house. The materials are also divided into wood and iron. The only common thing about them is that there are no traces on the outside.
"Not okay at all.... I have to leave here."
Jeong Taeui clicks his tongue. But the moment he steps out of the elevator, it seems that he immediately abandons the intention to go back.
The sound of his footsteps echoes loudly in the silent space while this type of floor is not
easy to leave sound traces. This is a special space, so there is no reason for such a loud sound to appear. It may be because his nerves are tense or because he is alone, Taeui is scared by the sound of his own footsteps.
Jeong Taeui approaches the small cargo container and takes a few steps and taps his finger on the lid of the container. He thinks he might hear something from inside but doesn't detect anything. Taeui tries to push the container but it doesn't budge, even if he uses his whole body strength to push it, it only shakes a little.
The container on the bottom shelf has been nailed shut. But right above it, there is a container of the same size and shape, covered with a lid, it seems not fixed. Jeong Taeui looks at the box for a while and then puts his hand on the lid. And he gently pushes.
The weight of the heavy lid can keep it in place for a moment, but eventually it slowly tilts to one side. The things inside the box also appear.
"...."
What the hell is this?
Jeong Taeui swallowed the curses and insults. He looked at the box for a moment, closed it, and then intended to open the box next to it. It was twice the size of the previous box. But most boxes of the same size were nailed shut and couldn't be opened. Until he looked around the nearby iron racks before discovering a box that was almost open.
This time, Jeong Taeui didn't hesitate to open the box. This was exactly what he expected, although he never wanted it.
"...I am indeed a prophet..."
Jeong Taeui took a step forward. He didn't even bother to close the lid. After all, there were surely surveillance cameras installed throughout this warehouse, so the moment he stepped in would leave a trace. When he thought about it, he even began to feel more at ease.
He walked straight to the innermost part of the warehouse. As he walked, he opened other boxes as if contemplating something and occasionally flipped them open to check inside. A container the size of a room was placed where Jeong Taeui stopped.
It was the deepest part of the warehouse. The cargo box was not closed, whether due to its size or for some other reason. It looked like a torn temporary wall of a building, with one side of the container completely punctured. And inside was a heavy iron block that even if many people rushed in, it would be difficult to lift.
As if in a trance, Jeong Taeui stared at the cargo box for a long time, precisely at the shiny black iron block inside. Like an iron flag, with sharp and graceful curves, it seemed like it could fly in the sky at any moment.< It's a nuclear bomb :DD>
"Ha..."
A sporadic laughter escaped Taeui's mouth. His gaze was fixed on it.
"It truly is... a masterpiece."
Jeong Taeui scratched his head and laughed like a fool. Besides that, he didn't know what else to do. In his mind, thoughts were swirling in a chaotic mess.
"Oh my, you should be excited, uncle. How did you manage to come here?"
A voice came from his shoulder. Taeui turned around without feeling surprised. He had no reason to be surprised because the sound of footsteps had gotten closer. The sound of footsteps quietly stopped not far from Jeong Taeui.
"I thought you would come during lunchtime, but it seems like you arrived earlier than I thought. Did you come by an executive jet?"
"When I called, you were already at the airport. There were some issues with the branch, whatever it was, it happened and you were summoned."
When Jeong Taeui asked a serious question, his uncle also gave a serious answer. His uncle took another step and looked at the box that Taeui had looked at earlier.
As if evaluating a sculpture, his uncle tilted his head and looked at him for a while before
muttering.
"This is not a beautiful piece, is it?"
"Yes, this is the most beautiful bomb I have ever seen."
Jeong Taeui whispered in helplessness and sighed with a tired voice.