"Fail, how was your vacation? You went to Calum, right?"
Fail’s colleague, a senior member of the administrative division, rummaged through the various treats spread out on the common table with curious hands. All of them were specialty goods Fail had brought back from his trip.
"It was great. The atmosphere is definitely different from the capital."
"I bet. Calum’s known for its fresh air and as a famous retreat. But wasn’t it a long vacation? Places like that usually have pretty steep lodging costs, don’t they?"
"Uh..."
Fail hesitated, caught off guard as his colleague popped one of the exclusive Calum cookies into their mouth.
"Surely you didn’t blow all the money you’ve been saving up? Was the lodging expensive?"
"Oh, well... it wasn’t bad. I got lucky and found a cheap place..." Fail scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh.
The truth was, he hadn’t spent any money on lodging during this vacation. He’d stayed at Luke’s house the entire time. Although it had felt wrong to stay for free, even offering to pay had been flatly rejected by Luke.
"I don’t take scraps like that. If you’re so insistent, just make sure I eat well while you’re here."
Fail had no choice but to comply. Despite Luke’s brusque tone, the sincerity behind his words was evident, and Fail had diligently taken charge of all their meals during his stay.
"I wonder how the Captain’s doing right now."
Even as he chatted with his colleague, Fail’s mind drifted to Luke, who was likely attending the commander-level meeting by now. Knowing how much Luke had endured in this military and how much he’d held back, Fail couldn’t help but feel concerned.
"Hey, breaking news!"
Another member of the administrative division burst into the room, the door slamming open. His face was flushed, and his breathing was labored, suggesting he’d run all the way there.
"What’s going on? Did something happen?"
Fail’s cookie-eating colleague furrowed their brows. In the military, certain phrases were considered taboo. Words like urgent or emergency often signaled trouble and were used sparingly due to the high-stakes nature of the work.
But Fail had a feeling he already knew what was coming.
"You know how the base has been abuzz since this morning?"
"Well, yeah, that’s because the Commander returned today."
"Right, but do you know who he brought back with him? None other than former Captain Luke."
"What?"
The entire administrative division erupted into murmurs. Fail glanced around, pretending to be just as surprised, though his mind was racing.
"Apparently, according to some soldiers from the 1st Division who were training earlier, Luke is attending the commander-level meeting today."
"Does that mean he’s re-enlisting?"
"Probably not. On my way back, I got a message from the Commander’s aide asking us to prepare documents for a military advisor. I think it’s related to that."
The mention of an advisor allowed Fail to relax slightly, nodding to himself in relief. It seemed Luke was managing just fine.
"Still, what’s his deal? Leaving so dramatically, only to come back like this?"
"Yeah, if it were me, I’d be too ashamed to show my face again," another chimed in, the conversation naturally veering into criticism.
Fail clenched his fists under the table, his gaze darting nervously as his colleagues’ words took a sour turn.
"But if what they’re saying is true, Fail, are you okay with this?"
"Huh?" Fail blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
"Seeing him again must be uncomfortable for you, right?"
Fail froze. On the surface, he was still considered the victim in the supply theft incident where Luke had allegedly used him. The truth, however, was far from that. The real thief was Fail himself, and it had been Captain Mile’s meddling that escalated the situation. Luke was the only one who knew the full story.
"I..."
"Don’t worry. If he comes here to process any documents, we’ll handle it. You can avoid dealing with him."
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
"Yeah. Just thinking about that whole incident still makes me mad. How can he come back here without an ounce of guilt? If it were me, I’d feel too bad to even show up."
If anyone should’ve felt guilty, it was Fail. After all, Luke had taken the fall and been disciplined for that incident.
"No, that’s not—"
Fail’s voice rose unexpectedly, startling his colleagues. They exchanged glances, shocked by his uncharacteristic outburst.
"What? What’s not true?"
"Captain Luke... isn’t a bad person. Back then, he was actually trying to help—"
Knock, knock.
Just as Fail was about to finish his sentence, a loud knock came on the already wide-open door, thanks to the earlier commotion caused by the breaking news.
"Looks like nobody’s working and just gossiping away. No wonder the administrative division has a reputation for being an easy post," Luke quipped with a grin as he stepped inside, causing Fail to jump to his feet in surprise.
"You got the message from the commander’s office, right? I’m here to finish up the paperwork."
"Oh... yes, you’re here for the documents?"
The colleagues Fail had been chatting with awkwardly returned to their desks, though they couldn’t help but steal glances at Luke.
"Follow me; I’ll show you where to complete the forms," one of them offered.
"Not you."
Luke turned his gaze to Fail, who was staring at him like a lost puppy.
"Fail, you show me. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other—let’s catch up."
The other colleagues visibly stiffened. They all knew why Fail had been transferred to the administrative division, and the mere suggestion of him spending time with Luke clearly didn’t sit well.
"Um, Fail is busy with other tasks. I can handle this for you," one colleague interjected.
"No, it’s fine. I’ll do it," Fail quickly cut in, hurrying out of his seat. He tried to reassure his colleagues with a nervous smile before leading Luke to an adjacent conference room.
"Take a seat here for a moment. Oh, and the documents you received from the commander’s office—can you hand them to me?"
Fail walked over to a massive bookshelf lining one wall of the room, searching through the neatly organized stacks of administrative forms.
"Do you even realize why I covered for you?" Luke’s sharp words froze Fail in place, his shoulders stiffening.
"You overheard that, didn’t you..."
Fail returned to the table with the forms, sitting down across from Luke with a defeated expression.
"I’m sorry. I just... I couldn’t stand them badmouthing you like that..."
"Ha... Look, I get it, but that’s an incident that’s long been resolved. Even if you told them, ‘Actually, Captain Luke was protecting me,’ who’d believe you? You’d just make me look even more ridiculous."
Fail muttered repeated apologies, his head hung low. Luke scratched his cheek awkwardly, wondering if he’d been too harsh.
"...Well, thanks for standing up for me anyway."
"Captain..."
Fail looked up at him, his eyes glistening as though on the verge of tears. Luke let out a small laugh at the sight.
"Fail."
"Yes?"
"Coming back to headquarters reminded me of something."
Luke spoke as he began filling out the blank spaces on the forms.
"Of what?"
"How people here used to treat me."
Luke’s pen paused briefly as memories resurfaced—Mile and Seth’s reactions at the meeting, the soldiers standing guard outside the conference room, and the countless stares he’d received on his way to the administrative division. It all brought back the days when he lived as the villain in everyone’s eyes.
"Captain..."
Fail’s brows furrowed in sympathy, his face clouding with worry. Luke quickly waved a hand in dismissal.
"Hey, don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not upset or anything. I just find it kind of amusing now, looking back on it."
"Still, I wish everyone knew the truth... that you’re actually a good person."
Luke’s pen moved steadily as he shrugged.
"Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Some things are better left unknown."
"But—"
Fail hesitated, his protest cut short by the sight of Luke’s hand stopping mid-motion. Luke’s gaze was no longer on the forms but was fixed somewhere distant, his expression pensive.
"Captain?"
"...You know," Luke began, his tone quieter than before, "I get that most people here think I’m a bad guy. But do you think Theo sees me that way too?"
"What?"
Fail’s eyes widened at the unexpected mention of Theo’s name. Luke’s face, unusually somber, made the question even more surprising.
"After working with him out west, I thought maybe... maybe our relationship had improved. But then he says these weird things and does these strange things around me..."
Weird things? Strange behavior? Fail wanted to ask but decided to stay silent and let Luke continue.
"It’s been driving me crazy, honestly. But walking here and seeing all those familiar faces just reminded me of how people used to look at me. And I started wondering... does Theo see me the same way they do? Does he lump me in with them?"
Unlike before, Theo had been treating him differently—his words were softer, his actions more considerate, even to the point of being uncomfortably affectionate. But Luke couldn’t shake the feeling that, deep down, Theo still remembered him as the villain he used to be.
"Captain."
"What?"
"Are you... afraid that the commander sees you that way?"