Ch.54Chapter 54. Voyeurism (1)

“What the hell is this.”

Unbelievable.

Fuck.

“What do you think it is, you bastard? It’s the safety verification approvals that have piled up.”

“Why am I doing this?”

“Don’t you know your own job? We need your verification before we can assemble the parts!”

“But why is there so much backlog?”

“Because you haven’t been doing your job, that’s whAAAAH!”

The section chief suddenly let out a scream.

Hmm. Why is he so furious?

I don’t understand…

I sighed as I opened the files and blueprints one by one.

There’s a shit ton of them.

Even if I just signed without reading, it would take forever.

“YAAH! If you just sign carelessly without reading, you’re dead! Read everything properly even if you have to work overtime today!”

“……”

I flinched at the section chief’s voice echoing from across the room.

Come on, seriously…

How am I supposed to find safety defects in components made by genius engineers of the century?

I’ve signed off on hundreds of approvals and never once rejected anything.

“Good luck, Jinsoo.”

“I’m heading out.”

It was about time for my colleagues to leave work.

Normally, I would have snuck out by now.

Damn, I was starting to feel sick of this.

“Take it easy. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Section chief. Have you ever been hit by a subordinate?”

Soon, only the section chief and I remained in the office.

Though I always considered him my role model and respected him, today he felt like my worst enemy.

Expecting me to finish all this today…

“You can go now. Actually, it doesn’t have to be completed today, just finish by noon tomorrow. The test is the day after tomorrow.”

“What company does safety verification after preparing all the parts for assembly?”

“That’s why it’s just a formality. Just a formality.”

“If it’s just a formality, shouldn’t I be allowed to slack off too?”

“I gave you this formal task because I couldn’t stand watching you do nothing, you bastard. Are you coming to work just to play around?”

“……”

I was about to say “Yes, I am” but stopped myself.

If I had, I might have actually gotten smacked.

“By the way, section chief. I found something questionable in this supposedly formal verification…”

“What is it?”

“Of course, how could someone as lowly as me understand the thinking of engineers from prestigious universities, but…”

“Don’t be intimidated, just tell me.”

“Yes. About this fuel tank support here. Isn’t it too thin?”

“Those all passed individual testing, didn’t they?”

“Did they test the load during rotation?”

“What?”

“If one of the spacecraft’s thrust vectoring nozzles malfunctions, the hull will spin uncontrollably, which happens quite often. That would create lateral stress, and based on my amateur undergraduate-level calculations, I don’t think it can withstand it.”

“……”

The section chief stared at the notes I handed him for a long time.

His expression soon turned serious before he handed the notes back.

“Why don’t you use the program?”

“I don’t know how to use it.”

“Haa… Your calculations are correct. They are, but we can’t change this.”

“Why not?”

“We had no choice to meet specifications. The moment we reinforce the support, we’d have to increase the size of all the other parts too.”

“So you’re going to proceed like this? Then what’s the point of safety verification?”

“The spacecraft won’t rotate in the first place. It’s fine. There are many ways to stop rotation besides the thrust vectoring nozzles.”

“You don’t know that. All sorts of things happen in space. Do you think spacecraft designers consider the possibility of alien monsters appearing on board?”

“We can’t delay the test. Sign it.”

“I can’t.”

“Do it. That’s an order.”

“……”

“Look, I don’t want to do this either. But upper management is demanding that the first test be successful.”

“The test will pass without issues. The problem is that it will explode once it’s in space. Are you asking me to sign knowing that?”

“Yes. Sign it.”

“……”

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.

But I couldn’t blame the section chief for being unethical either.

After all, the decision to push through this unreasonable project came from higher up.

“Just… just be careful about rotation. That’s all.”

“I’ve given my warning.”

Fuming with anger, I scrawled my signature on the tablet.

That concluded the formal safety verification.

I didn’t realize it was truly just a formality.

In my opinion, this damn company wouldn’t be surprising if it went bankrupt tomorrow.

“Jinsoo.”

“Yes, section chief.”

“This project is all my responsibility. If it fails, it’s on me. If it succeeds, goes to space, and explodes, it’s still on me. But I have no choice. I’ve asked management to reconsider many times, but nothing changed.”

“……”

“What am I supposed to do? The engineers warned me every day that this would lead to disaster. I ignored all that and pushed through to the test stage. And now another defect has been found? What am I supposed to do?”

“Section chief.”

“Ah shit… I’m sorry. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

I really don’t know anymore.

I left the section chief behind and walked out of the dark office.

It was already late at night.

Thinking of Juliane who would still be taking care of Cuss at home, I needed to get back quickly.

“Ah… these fucking bastards.”

The journey home was a mess.

Just because of a little rain, cars were tangled up at the intersection.

I couldn’t tell if this was a road in LA or a market street in Southeast Asia.

Did every person with a license decide to drive today? Why is it like this?

“Damn it all to hell.”

I even saw someone abandoning their car in the middle of the traffic jam and walking away.

After waiting for what felt like forever, the congestion finally cleared.

Still suffering from phantom honking sounds in my ears, I headed home.

Fuck, I need healing.

I desperately need Cuss’s chest.

“I’m home.”

“Jinsooooo!”

“Oof.”

The moment I opened the front door, Cuss flew at me with fierce speed and buried her head in my chest.

At first, I almost instinctively flipped her over thinking it was an attack.

But from the strength with which she hugged my waist, I could tell she was genuinely happy to see me.

“Jinsoo… I want to eat Jinsoo’s food! Juliane keeps bullying me!”

“Huuung…”

Looking toward the kitchen, I saw Juliane in an apron with a tearful expression.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you… angry?”

“Why would I be angry?”

“Because I didn’t listen and cooked again…”

Come to think of it, I am annoyed.

Why did this woman turn my ingredients into garbage again?

“I’ll wash up first, then wait. I have something to talk about.”

“What?”

“Cuss, you get ready for bed.”

“Huh? Whyyy? Why does Cuss have to go to bed already?”

“You have school tomorrow.”

“But, but…”

“Don’t think about running away. If you do, I’ll terminate the contract.”

“Hueeee…!”

I went straight to the bathroom since I was soaking wet.

It was reassuring and comforting to have Juliane at home.

In the past, I’d always return home anxious.

Worried about what Cuss might have destroyed this time.

“Damn it.”

The shampoo bottle was empty.

This shampoo usually lasts me over two months when I use it alone.

But sharing it with Cuss, it was gone in less than a month.

I managed to wash my hair by scraping what was left from the cap.

Looks like I’ll be washing my hair with soap tomorrow morning.

“Huah?!”

“…?”

When I suddenly opened the bathroom door, Juliane was startled and turned her head.

What’s the problem? I’ve covered everything below with a towel.

“Where’s Cuss?”

“She went to bed. I don’t know why she’s going to sleep so early today…”

I wonder about that too.

Usually, she’d fall asleep watching TV, and I’d have to carry her to her room late at night.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Ms. Juliane.”

“Y-yes…”

I pushed the door almost closed and approached the bed.

Perhaps she guessed what I wanted to discuss.

Juliane seemed quite tense.

“I have something to ask you.”

“W-what is it?”

“That acquaintance I met before. What’s her name?”

“……”

Juliane’s expression suddenly hardened.

“Why do you want that person’s name?”

“No reason. I’m just curious. I realized I don’t even know her name. She absolutely wouldn’t tell me. I’d like her phone number too, if possible.”

“Ha. So you’re asking me about this now?”

“Who else can I ask…?”

This is seriously important.

I should at least know the name of that gorgeous woman.

Of course, I won’t look at other women outside as it might appear like infidelity, as Juliane requested.

But couldn’t I at least talk to her on the phone…?

“Jinsoo, are you… doing this on purpose?”

“Huh? What?”

Juliane suddenly got up and sat on my thighs.

Startled, I leaned back, and she straddled me, bringing her face close to mine.

Her face was flushed red.

“Pretending to be lovers? Is that what bothers you? I told you we could do anything. But why… why don’t you do anything? Am I that unattractive?”

“You’d hate it if I actually did something.”

“If I was going to hate it, I wouldn’t be doing this.”

Honestly, I was confused.

Was this also under the Justice Department’s instructions?

Or was it genuine?

But my dictator, which had collected enough data on Juliane, said this was real.

Claiming that Juliane didn’t have the ability to act at this level.

“I don’t really like relationships without love.”

“Then love… we can start from now, can’t we?”

“How?”

“If we started with hugs, there’s a next step, so let’s start with that…”

“……”

My eyes met Juliane’s.

Juliane looking down at me, breathing heavily.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t turned on.

I had just been avoiding it.

Thinking she would dislike me.

That she would secretly despise me.

That a woman in her early twenties wouldn’t like a man in his thirties with a child.

But I never imagined that would hurt Juliane’s self-esteem.

I should let her know she’s plenty attractive.

“You were the one who seduced me first. Stop playing hard to get.”

“I told you I don’t remember that.”

“Shut up…”

Juliane swept her hair back and brought her face closer.

After that, there was no time to think.

I could only surrender to my instincts.