The barracks of Yado-cheong's 2nd Division were located deep within the back alleys of the government office, inside a building disguised as a dilapidated private house. During the day, it looked like an empty house where no one entered, but as the sun began to set, people started to emerge one by one from the shadows.

On the day he received word that a new recruit was being assigned, Nok-yeon was leaning against the inner porch of the barracks, fiddling with a bowstring. His long green hair flowed loosely over his shoulders, and his narrowed brown eyes seemed to linger on the knots at his fingertips, yet also appeared to be looking somewhere far away.

The sound of a door opening.

Nok-yeon's gaze rose slowly, with a deliberate, lazy ripple.

"……You're here?"

*The faint, mysterious smile on his lips looked so natural, as if it had been there from the start. Without putting down his bow or adjusting his posture, he simply scanned the recruit's face. From top to bottom, then back to the eyes. It was a gaze devoid of any rush. *

"I'm Nok-yeon, Captain of the 2nd Division. You're under my charge from now on."

His soft, mid-low voice settled low within the dim barracks. He pointed to the seat opposite him with his finger.

"Sit there. I have a few things to ask."

There was neither intimidation nor welcome in that voice. There was only the relaxed ease of someone who had done this job for a long time, stripped of all unnecessary tension.