Whether I'll treat the other children the way I treat Sihyeok? What does she mean by that?
I ran back through, in my head, how I'd treated Sihyeok in the time since we came to Jeju.
When Kim Sunja had attacked me at our first meeting.
And when Yeon Ari had come charging at me hurling pinecones.
Every dangerous moment, Sihyeok had been the one to protect me.
And I'd been the one hiding behind that small child's back.
...From the teacher's point of view, I must have looked like utter trash. A lowlife using a small child as a shield.
The original Chae Junhyeok would, of course, have been exactly that.
He wouldn't have thought of the children as anything more than tools for his own safety.
Swallowing back the bitterness of what she must think of me, I nodded.
"Of course."
At that answer, Kim Sunja sank back into a deep silence.
How much time went by, I couldn't say.
Finally, she opened her mouth.
Hwang Dushik might have had the temper of a stray dog, but when it came to his own specialty — virtual data implementation — no one in the institute could match him.
Unlike what the other researchers put out, the virtual data he built — physical-force effects and all — was nearly indistinguishable from reality.
Even Han Soeun, the genius of the junior researchers, was slightly outdone by Hwang Dushik when it came to that fine detail of making the "real" thing feel real.
After being publicly humiliated in front of the Director the other day, Hwang Dushik had been keeping very quiet.
He already knew that if he made himself any more conspicuous after getting on the Director's bad side, it would only get in the way of his real mission.
He thought back to the conversation he'd had in the Deputy Director's office the day Park Wonjin had handed him that recruitment notice.
"So what exactly is it you'd like me to do?"
"Ha. That's our Researcher Hwang for you. Quick on the uptake — I like that."
He hadn't given a clear answer.
Instead, he'd tapped Hwang Dushik on the shoulder — pat, pat.
"For someone like you... do I really need to say what I want? Just do what you'd do."
There was no way Hwang Dushik didn't know what that meant.
Sink the project.
To that end, from the moment he'd joined the project he had begun playing the part of a perfectly diligent researcher.
He bowed at a full ninety degrees to the three Chiefs and treated them with punctilious respect; he swallowed his temper and quickly got in with the other researchers.
On the work side too, he turned in the most flawless virtual training data anyone had ever seen from him.
Even Han Soeun, who at first had had no time for him, couldn't find anything to pick at in the face of his perfect output.
And so, gradually, the Chiefs' and the other researchers' guard began to come down.
Hwang Dushik gave a nasty inward smirk.
Yeah. Falling for it, one and all.
Everything was going according to his plan.
On top of that, with the Director — the biggest obstacle of all — away from the institute, this was the perfect chance.
He observed the test subjects carefully, pretending to work.
Because the best way to sink the project was for those test subjects to break.
For two weeks he combed all of it — not just raw ability data, but the children's individual likes and dislikes, the subtle relationships and personalities among them, and... traumas that couldn't be spotted without close observation.
And at last, he figured out one thing.
The weakest link in this team.
Namely — Test Subject 04, Park Suho.
Park Suho was the only test subject in the whole institute forbidden from using his ability.
He was being taught medical knowledge instead, but Hwang Dushik had caught him more than once watching the other children with a look that was part envy, part impatience.
Weak spots are easy to worm into.
Hwang Dushik began, slowly, to work his way toward Suho.
Every one of the children had a dedicated researcher attached to them, so approaching Suho openly would have raised suspicion.
Which was where Park Suho's virtual data medical practice sessions became his perfect excuse.
He walked into the training room using the pretext of "checking on the injured-patient data implementation."
"Well, Suho. Learning the hard stuff again today. Isn't it tough?"
"...Hello."
But Park Suho's walls were higher than he'd expected.
The child was on full guard against this unfamiliar adult, kept his head down, and answered only in single words.
Little brat's more finicky than I figured.
Hwang Dushik clicked his tongue, but he wasn't giving up.
"How's the training? Fun?"
"...Yes."
Hwang Dushik didn't miss the opening, and steered the conversation toward his own work.
"Yeah? How do you like this virtual injured patient? I made this, you know."
But Park Suho didn't answer, and only bowed his head.
Undeterred, Hwang Dushik carried on.
"Still... over there does look more fun, doesn't it? Cha Yul and Lee Sea-ah are really something. The Director seems pretty pleased with them too."
That was the moment.
Suho's shoulders — which hadn't so much as twitched up to now — flinched, very slightly.
Oh?
Hwang Dushik's eyes narrowed.
What was that? What did he just react to?
To make sure, he slyly cast the bait a second time.
"That Cha Yul kid, his energy's no joke. And Lee Sea-ah using the barrier — it's an art form."
No reaction. The child was still stone-still, like a stone Buddha.
"Well, no wonder the Director dotes on them like that."
Flinch.
This time it was clear.
A kid who'd been indifferent to the other children's names was reacting like a reflex every time the words the Director came up.
Ho... does he hate the Director? Or does he like him?
He ran back through the rumors that had been going around the institute lately, and the sight of the Director looking after the children.
Their relationship hadn't been bad. Actually — thinking about it, it had been quite good.
In that case... he'd be on the liking side.
He switched his tactics on the spot.
If you like what someone else likes, their opinion of you shoots through the roof.
A shared interest.
Nothing broke down someone's guard and got you close to them faster.
Especially if the target was a lonely little kid with no one else to share it with.
"Now that I think about it, the Director's been away for a while, hasn't he?"
He glanced sideways at the child and drove the nail in.
"You know what, actually — I'm a huge fan of the Director myself."
At that, Suho's eyes — until then locked on his book — rolled around and landed on Hwang Dushik.
Hwang Dushik didn't miss the reaction, and — practically spraying spit — launched into an enthusiastic speech.
"Think about it. The Director is a really incredible person. I mean, how does a non-Awakened even come up with the idea of throwing his own body in front of a horrifying overload like that? Really... man to man, I respect him."
As he listened, Suho's shoulders trembled in small flinches.
The child's lips worked, then, as if he couldn't hold it in, he blurted:
"Y-yeah. He was really cool."
Hooked, Hwang Dushik thought — cheering to himself inside — and gave a smooth, feigned-surprise laugh.
"Oh? What's this, Suho — you like the Director too? Everyone's scared of him, but not you?"
At that, the child fidgeted, and answered shyly in a very small voice.
"Yes... I... like the Director too."
"Yeah? Really?! Man, this is great! Truth is, I'm totally a fan of the Director myself. But all my colleagues are either scared of him or don't like him, so I've had nowhere to say any of it — been driving me crazy for a while now."
He crouched down to Suho's eye level and whispered, as if they were secret friends.
"So then... how about we spend training time from now on just talking about the Director?"
Like meeting a fan of the same idol, the child's guard came down in an instant.
"Yes! Yes!"
From that day on, Hwang Dushik focused on building his rapport with Park Suho.
Suho's own dedicated teacher, Researcher Kim, was in the training room too, but he didn't pick up on Hwang Dushik's scheme at all.
If anything, seeing Suho — who was usually silent and hunched in on himself — brighten every time he talked with Hwang Dushik, he only concluded, mistakenly, "Suho really does seem to like Senior Hwang."
On top of that, Hwang Dushik didn't even have to force himself to say nice things about the Director to hold a conversation with Suho.
He just had to nod along with what Park Suho said.
"There was this time... the Director... when Hayun almost got crushed under a bookcase... he saved her. He was really cool that time."
"Oh, wow — that's the Director for you! Amazing~"
"And there's more, too... at night, he'd read us picture books, too."
"Picture books?"
"Yes. Even though he must have been tired and it must have been a hassle... he kept going, without stopping, until we were all asleep."
The lengths he goes to. Really, every last thing.
Hwang Dushik snorted inwardly.
But he didn't so much as change his expression, and pulled the corners of his mouth up as far as they'd go.
"Is that so! Wow, the Director really is the best! Woohoo!"
A shell of a reaction, without a scrap of soul in it.
But the innocent child took it as sincere and, all worked up, poured out more and more stories.
The way he was working himself up over it was almost laughable — but the more he did, the deeper Hwang Dushik's smile got.
The more disarmed the child became, the better for the plan.
And so Hwang Dushik established himself perfectly, in Park Suho's mind, as an unquestionably kind adult.
Having built the rapport with Suho successfully, Hwang Dushik's next step was obstacle removal.
Namely, Suho's dedicated researcher — Researcher Kim — who was there for every training session without fail.
The next day, during Park Suho's virtual injured-patient treatment training.
Hwang Dushik headed to the training room with his usual kind senior face, carrying a coffee for Researcher Kim.
"Ah, Researcher Kim! Working hard again today! Here — drink this while you work."
"Oh, Senior! Thank you, as always!"
Researcher Kim took the coffee with a face that trusted Hwang Dushik completely.
Maybe ten minutes went by like that.
"Hm?"
Beside Hwang Dushik, Researcher Kim, checking data, began to look, subtly, off-color.
"Grrrrrgh..."
"S-senior... I need the bathroom for a second... urgh!"
Researcher Kim groaned — almost a scream — and bolted out of the training room.
Screeeek — bang!
That dose really works. He won't be off the toilet for at least thirty minutes.
The obstacle was gone.
Now, in this space, it was just him and that dumb, innocent little brat, the two of them alone.
He wiped the expression off his face, put on the kindest smile in the world, and walked over to Park Suho, who was left alone in the training room.
"Suho. You know how I make virtual data for a living — well, I put together some of the Director. Want to see?"
At the words, Park Suho's eyes went round.
"Yes! Yes! I want to see!"
"I made it based on watching the Director evaluate your training a while back. Top-level classified data."
Hwang Dushik stepped out of the training room and, working the control console up in the second-floor control room, spoke to Suho over the speakers.
[All right. I'll show you now.]
Wooong—
The air in the training room shifted.
It wasn't just video. Light, sound — even the flow of air.
The version of Director Chae Junhyeok rendered there was so perfect — down to the fine sound of his breathing, down to the rustle of his clothes — that you couldn't tell it from the real thing.
Inside that vivid virtual reality, the Director, arms folded, stood watching the children's training in his usual, slightly slouched posture.
Cha Yul's explosive flames, Lee Sea-ah and the twins' perfect defensive combo, and Sihyeok's shadow spear driving into the openings between them.
Arms still folded as he watched them, the virtual Director twisted the corner of his mouth and muttered:
[Hmph. Still a long way to go. Timing's a mess, no finesse. What am I supposed to do with them like that.]
The Director's mouth was grumbling grouchily, but his eyes were curving with an unmistakable, deep contentment.
Park Suho couldn't take his eyes off the scene.
That expression — it was exactly the look in the real Director's eyes when he watched over them.
Words that sounded harsh, but a gaze that was warm and gentle.
But.
Tik.
Until the video ended and the screen went dark, Park Suho's name never came up. Not once.
The child stared down at his fidgeting fingers, then asked, carefully:
"...Um... why... aren't I in it?"
[Ah... well, virtual data is based on 'actual behavior data,' so if there's no real behavior, it's hard to render.]
"..."
[I built it based on the Director praising the kids' training... but Suho, you don't use your ability, so there's no training data for you. That's why your data isn't in it.]
It was a flat-out lie.
In fact, among the data Hwang Dushik had collected, there absolutely existed footage of the Director watching Suho learn first aid in the training room, smiling contentedly.
But he had deliberately cut out only that data and built this illusion.
When Suho visibly sagged, Hwang Dushik went back into the training room and stepped up to him.
"Aigoo, Suho, I shouldn't have shown you. Sorry, sorry. I won't show it to you again."
Park Suho grabbed at his sleeve in a rush.
"N-no. It's okay... could you show me more next time too?"
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