Chapter 1: The Eye of Awakening

Thud, thud.

The corridor leading to the TF office where my team works.

My footsteps echo the whole way.

Along the way, I ran into employees from other TF offices.

They weren’t people I knew well.

At most, we exchanged greetings in passing.

That was true until recently.

We used to talk about the weather, or how the national soccer team played yesterday.

We traded light jokes.

Even when we didn’t speak, we smiled and nodded.

But now.

Everyone avoids my eyes.

Some pretend not to see me.

Some pass with their heads down, staring at the floor.

When did it become like this?

It feels like it’s been a while.

Is this really… unavoidable?

“Hello, Manager.”

“Hello!”

The office of the Next-Generation Composite Armor TF, where I work.

When I arrived, my team members greeted me.

Assistant Manager Kim So-yeon, and Assistant Manager Jung Yoon-ho.

They were the ones who worked with me on the internal structure design for the composite armor.

“Yeah. Good morning.”

I gave them a light wave and sat down.

Then I swallowed the sigh that tried to escape.

In their eyes, I saw pity.

When did that start?

I think it’s been about a week…

The story must be going around.

A story everyone knows except me.

Until yesterday, there had been nothing.

I swallowed hard and logged into the intranet.

Please.

Please let it not be there.

Please.

I opened the intranet with that prayer.

Then I saw the notice posted this morning, and could only grit my teeth.

[Guidance on the Voluntary Retirement System According to the Mid- and Long-Term Manpower Operation Plan]

Voluntary retirement notice.

The text itself was plain.

It listed the compensation for applicants, when applications would be accepted, and so on.

But my heart pounded as I read it.

The looks from other teams on my way to work.

The strange looks from my own team.

Everything kept rising and fading in my head.

Then.

“Good morning.”

A low, deep voice came from behind.

Song Young-hoon, Department Head.

He had worked at ADD, the Agency for Defense Development, for over ten years before transferring to our company, Hanseo Defense.

A parachute hire.

“You’re in, Department Head.”

“Yeah.”

Song returned my greeting and went to his seat.

He turned on his computer and checked something for a moment.

Then he let out a small sigh and came over.

He tapped my shoulder.

He gestured for me to step out and talk.

“I’m going to grab coffee with Manager Baek. Keep an eye on things.”

“Yes. Go ahead, Department Head.”

I followed him.

“Hello, Department Head.”

“Good morning, Department Head.”

“Yeah. Good morning.”

It was completely different from how people treated me.

People greeted him as we passed, and he answered lightly while walking ahead.

We reached the cafeteria.

Song ordered two coffees and spoke.

“Manager Baek. Did you see the notice?”

“…Yes.”

“There has been talk for a while about folding the composite armor TF. Looks like they’re finally winding it down. We poured over twenty billion won into it for three years, and there’s no sign of a solution.”

Song let out a sigh from deep in his chest, as if the situation was truly frustrating, then continued.

“There are plenty of projects that swallowed money and never got resolved. Even so, we argued that the composite armor TF had potential, that it just needed a little more time. But that’s not working at all…”

“Is that why the voluntary retirement notice came out?”

Song smiled bitterly and nodded.

Seeing that, I let out a sigh from deep in my chest, just like he had.

I knew the company wasn’t doing well.

But we were a major company, so I had thought we only needed to produce results.

No need to panic over every swing…

“Lately, people from other departments have been avoiding my eyes. Am I on the list?”

“……”

Song said nothing.

Then he took the coffees that had just come out and set one in front of me.

His face was full of complicated feelings.

“There was nothing I could do. Even if we let the new hires go, HR wouldn’t blink. They’ll keep demanding manager-level and above.”

“…So you’re telling me to leave? I worked like a dog for this company for fifteen years. I vomited blood and ground down my body. And now you want me to leave?”

I forced down the surge of emotion.

“I don’t think I did my job badly. I did my share, and more. So why is this happening to me?”

“You know you’re excellent in ground combat systems R&D. But can you do more than your share in guided weapons systems? In aviation? In mass production?”

“…I can.”

“Maybe you can. But if you move over there, there are plenty of people better than you, Manager Baek. The company is talking about shrinking its organization. There’s no reason to keep someone who’s barely second-string, maybe second-and-a-half.”

Bullshit.

The answer was already decided.

All that was left was guiding me to say it myself.

Do they think I’ll do as they want?

Even out of spite, I will not leave like this.

The company will use every trick it has.

I can use every trick to hold out.

I knew the cases of employees who refused voluntary retirement and held out to the end.

As I was thinking that, Song spoke in a low voice.

“Manager Baek.”

“Yes.”

“This is not something to discuss right now. We can talk more about this later. For now, stand up. This isn’t something to hold onto for a long time anyway. Work is urgent.”

Talk about work in this situation?

Anger rose again, but when I saw Song’s face, which looked genuinely sorry, I held it in.

Today wasn’t the only day, and refusing a work order would only hurt me when I was already trying to hold out against leaving the company.

“Yes. I understand.”

“…Thank you. When you get to the office, take Assistant Manager Jung and go support Department Head Park’s team. They’re running a test today and are short on people.”

“Yes. I’ll head over.”

From Pangyo headquarters to the Pocheon driving test site was a little over two hours by car.

Assistant Manager Jung held the wheel the whole way and said nothing.

I also sat in the passenger seat and silently stared out the window.

This was right after I heard about the voluntary retirement.

I didn’t want to talk.

Especially not in front of this guy, who knew I was on the list and had looked at me with pity.

The scenery changed little by little.

From a concrete jungle full of huge, grand buildings to a truly desolate stretch of mountain foothills with dust blowing through the air and shabby four- and five-story buildings.

The change in scenery felt like looking at my own situation.

“We’re here, Manager.”

After a long while, Assistant Manager Jung spoke.

“Good work, Assistant Manager Jung.”

When I stepped out, a cold mountain wind rushed past.

The air here at the Pocheon firing test site felt different from Seoul or Pangyo, even in its weight.

For the military, it was just a place for live-fire training and other drills.

But for engineers like me, working for a defense company, it was a kind of examination hall.

The results of months and years of research were revealed here.

Soon, I might not be able to come to a place like this again.

I took in the view with a complicated heart.

A huge basin surrounded by mountains.

Tire tracks tangled on the unpaved dirt.

Safety fences here and there.

Beyond them, people in yellow safety vests moved busily.

They were Department Head Park’s team members and safety controllers dispatched from the military.

“Let’s go, Assistant Manager Jung.”

I adjusted my work gloves and started walking.

Assistant Manager Jung followed with the equipment bag.

As we headed toward the headquarters container along the dusty dirt road, Jung hesitated.

“Manager, over there…”

“Hm?”

“Isn’t that the Division Head?”

Where Jung pointed.

A familiar silhouette stood in front of the field container.

Choi Ki-cheol, head of the Ground Equipment Division.

Why was a man who should be in a headquarters executive meeting out here in this dust pit?

“Hello, Division Head.”

When I approached and bowed, Choi flinched and turned.

For a moment, I was startled.

His face was awful.

He had always had some wrinkles, but today his face was dark and lifeless.

His eyes were sunken, like a man who had stayed up several nights.

“Oh. Manager Baek. You came to support?”

“Yes. Department Head Song told me to help with setup. But… are you unwell? You don’t look well at all.”

I asked without thinking.

When I first joined the company, Choi had been our team’s manager.

He was a superior who had taken good care of me personally.

Seeing someone like that look so bad made me worried, even in my current situation.

“Ha, haha… I’m fine. Just a little tired. Don’t worry about it. Get to work.”

Choi smiled awkwardly and went into the container.

Watching his slumped back, I suddenly remembered what Song had said that morning.

‘They’re looking to reduce the size of the Ground Equipment Division.’

Ah.

So he was on the chopping block too.

The whole division might be cut.

There was no way the division head would be safe.

He probably had more responsibility to bear.

Bitterness rose in my throat.

But I had enough problems of my own.

“…Let’s go, Yoon-ho. We need to set up.”

“Yes, Manager.”

We headed to where Department Head Park’s team was gathered.

There stood today’s main character, a monster of a thing.

The chassis for driving tests.

The dummy.

It was unpainted, still wearing the ugly red anti-rust paint.

Where the gun barrel should have been, a thick steel pipe jutted out to balance the weight.

It looked like an animal with its neck cut off.

Wires connected to various sensors were tangled across the body like veins, running to a laptop.

How much longer would I be able to see this?

As I watched the dummy, a familiar voice called out.

“You’re here, Manager Baek!”

“Oh, Assistant Manager Kim. Let’s start right away. Guide the crane.”

I joined Department Head Park’s team and got to work.

My job today was to fit one of the composite armor versions our TF had developed, the TP-C armor module, onto the side and head of this ugly thing.

“Down! More! Stop!”

With a humming sound, the crane moved the heavy composite armor panel beside the chassis.

Department Head Park’s people moved in to position it, and Jung and I tightened the bolts with impact wrenches.

“Bolt one complete.”

“Two and three confirmed. No gap.”

Ratchet, click.

The familiar mechanical sounds rang out.

We inserted vibration sensors into the gaps between panels and ran wiring to the data logger.

Moving mechanically made the useless thoughts disappear, which was good.

“The side is done. Manager, we’ll need a ladder for the top.”

“Got it. Bring the ladder.”

Last was checking the armor and sensors on top of the turret.

Three meters above the ground.

Jung brought a folding ladder and leaned it against the chassis.

He gripped it with both hands and looked up.

“The wind is cold. Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be down soon.”

I climbed the ladder onto the tank.

With every step, the cold steel passed through the soles of my safety shoes.

I inserted sensors into the gaps in the upper armor plate and tightened bolts.

My fingertips felt cold as I turned the wrench.

Whoosh.

Wind came down from the valley and cut through my collar.

My body swayed slightly.

“Manager! The wind is strong! Be careful!”

Jung shouted from below.

“Yeah, I know. Almost done.”

I lowered my posture and answered.

One last bolt and it would be finished.

I put force into the wrench and leaned slightly.

That was the moment.

Whoom!

A gust came out of nowhere.

It felt as if someone had shoved my body hard.

“Uh, whoa?”

My center collapsed.

I flailed my arms, searching for something to grab, but there was only air.

My vision spun.

“Manager!!”

I thought I heard Jung scream.

But gravity pulled my body down first.

Thud!

My back, or was it my head?

The moment I felt myself hit the ground, I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t breathe.

I tried to inhale, but my vision was blurring.

Beyond it, I saw people running.

Jung, and even Division Head Choi, his face white.

The sounds grew distant.

Looks like… I’m really screwed.

The smell of antiseptic.

The first thing I noticed was smell.

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar white ceiling.

My head throbbed like it was splitting.

What happened?

I remember working at the Pocheon test site.

The sudden wind.

Falling from the dummy chassis.

I couldn’t breathe.

I thought I might be badly hurt, but… my senses seemed fine.

My hands and legs moved properly.

Maybe I passed out from a mild concussion?

I thought that and tried to sit up.

Then.

An annoying sound came from beside me.

Whir… whir… whir…

It was the infusion pump, the machine that fed IV fluid at a fixed rate.

A small motor sound I normally wouldn’t notice.

But maybe because of the concussion, it dug into my ears like metal scraping.

I frowned and turned my head toward the machine.

It was an old model.

No wonder it was noisy.

But something was strange.

The inside of the machine, which should have been covered by a white plastic case, was clearly visible.

I thought I was seeing through it, but that wasn’t it.

The surface looked the same, but a strange afterimage overlapped it.

At the center of the machine, near the axis where the motor turned.

A red light blinked there.

As if it were a warning light.

…What is that?

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