Chapter 3 : IF-017 ‘Dragon’ (3)

Classified Area of FPL’s 4th Research Lab

New researcher Kang Hana’s bright, wide eyes were completely round with shock.

Her lost fingers hovered aimlessly in the air, and her slightly open mouth showed no intention of closing.

Had a hostile IF, one capable of folding a person in half with ease, escaped?

No.

The IF assigned to her department, IF-017, was famously docile and safe, earning it endless admiration from researchers.

In fact, it was even cute.

A human-shaped anomaly that did nothing but sleep peacefully among true monsters that did monstrous things—just looking at it was a feast for the eyes.

The only problem?

It woke up yesterday.

And the first recorded incident wasn’t an unexpected stabbing… but unexpected cuteness.

That said it all.

Being assigned to IF-017’s research department was undoubtedly a stroke of luck for a newbie like Kang Hana.

She felt a brief sense of pride—before quickly snapping back to reality.

Because the person standing before her was far scarier than any IF.

Kang Hana’s feet refused to move.

And because of that, her opponent had no choice but to stay put as well.

A strange standoff lasted for about 30 seconds.

Before long, the other person frowned.

“How long are you going to stand there?”

Only then did Kang Hana wipe the drool off her slightly parted lips.

The person she had been staring at with a blank expression was—

A researcher? The lead researcher for IF-017?

“Uh, um, s-sunbae? What is that…?”

A senior researcher who had been with FPL far longer than Kang Hana, who was still new to the organization.

She took in the woman’s appearance:

Unkempt black hair, jet-black pupils, dark circles under her eyes, and an overall gloomy expression.

She looked just like the senior researcher Kang Hana knew—except for one thing.

Kang Hana was utterly confused.

It was the first time she had ever seen her senior wearing anything other than the standard white lab coat.

“…That outfit?”

If it had been just normal casual clothes, she might have been surprised but not this shocked.

For someone’s attire to be so bizarre that it rendered an observer speechless…

Yeah.

It had to be something like bright red thermal underwear, perfectly matching from top to bottom.

The senior, who had been meeting Kang Hana’s gaze, glanced away slightly before answering.

“It just happened.”

“No, wait, sunbae? You can’t just brush this off with ‘it just happened’…!”

But the senior reacted as if nothing was wrong, leaving Kang Hana feeling like she was the only one who found this absurd.

She had always been like this—hard to deal with.

“What happened to your clothes?”

When Kang Hana pressed for an answer, the senior scratched her head.

“Didn’t they explain this when you joined? Alpha ranks wear gray, Beta ranks wear white, and Gamma ranks wear red…”

Kang Hana had indeed been told that.

Even if she had a bad habit of ignoring explanations and getting scolded later, she couldn’t afford to while working at FPL—not when her life was at stake.

Everyone knew the classifications:

Alpha – Gray coats

Beta – White lab coats

Gamma – Red uniforms

So Kang Hana shook her head.

That wasn’t what she was asking.

“Yeah, I know that! But you’re a Beta! And you’re the one who always says you’d kill anyone slacking off during work hours… but it’s work hours, so why are you wearing a Gamma uniform…?”

She trailed off.

Because her senior—the sternest person she knew—was now avoiding her gaze.

Silence.

Then, in a barely audible voice, she finally answered.

“…It just happened.”

Kang Hana turned her gaze away slightly as well.

She rubbed her chin with her fingers.

“Oh-ho…”

Kang Hana loved cute things.

Whether it was objects, animals, or people—if something was small and cute, she couldn’t resist it.

“What are you doing? You should be busy. Get back to work…”

Looking at her senior now, seeing the usual intimidating aura replaced by sheer awkwardness…

She really wanted to tease her.

“A Gamma-rank… giving orders?”

“…It’s work hours, so I should… wait, what?”

For the first time ever, her senior looked flustered.

Kang Hana grinned.

She straightened her shoulders, placed a proud hand on her chest, and spoke with confidence.

“I, for one, am a proud Beta-rank! And for some reason, your speech is a bit too casual. You should be speaking formally to me now,senior. According to the ‘rules’ you love so much, that’s how it’s supposed to be! Oh, and now that I think about it, you’re not even my ‘senior’ anymore, huh? I’m being extra kind by still speaking politely to you.”

If she had any real-world social experience, she wouldn’t have pushed this far.

But unfortunately for her, FPL was her first-ever job, straight out of high school.

And Gamma rank?

It was a nightmare.

They were the ones sent to do the dirty work.

No salary.

No right to refuse orders.

People even joked that the real reason their uniforms were red was because getting blood on them was inevitable.

Those who entered FPL as Gammas didn’t find that funny—it was their reality.

At least for people who had been demoted to Gamma, their skills were still valued.

And Kang Hana? She wasn’t cruel. She might have a mischievous streak, but she wouldn’t torment someone in a real crisis.

Her teasing was purely in good fun.

The senior, who had been momentarily speechless, nodded to herself and then straightened her posture.

“That’s right. Rules must be followed…”

Her voice was back to its usual calm, composed tone.

Just as Kang Hana started to tilt her head in confusion—

“I was going to hand over my work, but according to the rules, I have no obligation to do so. I shall now go handle Gamma-rank duties. Goodbye, researcher.”

Before Kang Hana could say a word, the senior vanished from her sight.

A chill ran down her spine.

She hadn’t needed to do that.

But for some reason, Kang Hana felt like she had just sealed her own fate.

“…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”

She didn’t know.

She didn’t know that her senior hadn’t caused any major trouble and that, because of her outstanding skills, she’d be reinstated soon.

She didn’t know that the handover had been her senior’s way of helping her, knowing that IF-017 was about to become a handful.

“…Should I not have teased her…?”

She was the only one who didn’t know.

The Passage of Time Felt Heavy

A full day had passed, yet nothing had changed.

Which meant that all my struggles yesterday had been completely meaningless.

And I had spent an entire day feeling that fact sink in.

That was why I forced my eyes open again.

At this point, something had to be different.

I slowly placed my hand on the ground and listened.

As I closed my eyes and focused, the chaotic bundle of noise around me started to separate into distinct sounds.

Change.

There was some.

“……IF-017 is……evacuate……

Bring the armor-piercing rounds!……”

“Rampage mode……

IF-684 alert!

Destroy the insects…… Burn them all……”

There were still both human voices and… whatever those other creatures were, their words chaotic and wild.

And yet—

Compared to yesterday, the noise level had increased by 1.3 times.

Hmm.

Of all the days for my surroundings to become even more inconvenient, it had to be the day after I made a move.

That was definitely on purpose.

I had already mentally complained about it a million times, yet my body still refused to move.

With no other choice, I just rolled my eyes and looked past the glass wall.

It was that face again.

A woman with soft brown hair—she looked like she had a generous heart.

She was nodding off, swaying dangerously, as if she might topple over at any second.

Yesterday, there had been two of them.

But now, the other one was gone.

So… the black-haired one wasn’t the current High Priest?

I stared blankly at the brown-haired woman.

Not that I expected her to read my thoughts—I wasn’t even sure if modern humans could anymore.

And even if she could, yesterday had already proven that she wouldn’t do anything about it.

I didn’t have the energy to express my displeasure in any way beyond a silent glare.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she finally noticed me staring.

Her reaction when our eyes met?

That’s when I became certain—

Modern humans are all insane.

There was no other explanation for what I had just witnessed.

Otherwise, why would she suddenly blink only one eye—as if she had something stuck in it?

Memories from my human days told me that this was called a “wink”—a gesture used to silently convey a message.

But what exactly was she trying to tell me right now?

Because the only message I was receiving was pure, unfiltered discomfort.

She was just messing with me, wasn’t she?

…Damn it.

I closed my eyes.

If I kept watching, I felt like my rage would explode out of me at any second.

And I really, really didn’t want that to happen.

So I shut my eyes instead.

“Ah…!”

From the other side of the glass, the brown-haired woman let out a small, disappointed sound.

But I didn’t have the energy to respond.

…Damn it.

This was exactly a 2-Breath level of irritation.