Who I've Been Searching For | Sungjoy

Chapter 17: I Waited For You

Three Years Ago

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After the incident with Captain Kim, Sooyoung had expected to have been recalled to the teams as soon as possible.

Instead, she was still with Sungjae, assisting him with his experiments.

Not that she minded that much. They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm with each other after the incident. Except after Sungjae knew that she had been sexually harassed, he had become more careful around her. Multiple times, she saw him extend his hands for a high five, only for him to quickly retract them.

Sometimes she was touched that he cared so much about her, sometimes she wanted him to stop treating her so delicately.

Today, they were working on one of Sungjae's pet projects, improving the K2 assault rifle, the standard issue weapon for Korea's special forces.

One of the major issues that Sungjae had decided to tackle was the fact that the Korean Government was so insistent on having a bayonet attachment, an outdated sentiment in his opinion. When he asked Sooyoung if she had ever used a bayonet, she had snorted outwardly and said that she had never used her bayonet on her rifle since basic training.

"The world of unconventional warfare is constantly changing," she had told him. "I'd rather have a weapon that can be modified for each individual mission."

Taking her advice, Sungjae had carefully machined a vertical foregrip to prevent overheating, one of the main problems that many soldiers had complained about. To appease Sooyoung's suggestion for a weapon of easy modification, he had machined a lower receiver that was able to make use of a modernized, lightweight, and space saving rail system.

Sooyoung looked at the prototype with delight in her eyes, happy to hear that Sungjae had actually taken her suggestions to heart. Sungjae had told her excitedly that they needed to test them as soon as possible.

Hence the reason they were going to the range together. Sooyoung was surprised that he had thought ahead and booked time at the range without consulting her.

"What would you have done if I didn't want to test the prototype?" she asked him as they walked to the outdoor range.

Sungjae shrugged. "I wouldn't have gone."

Sooyoung felt secretly touched. "Couldn't you ask anyone else to test it with you?"

Sungjae shook his head. "This prototype is meant for you."

"For me?" Sooyoung was surprised. "What do you mean?"

Sungjae instantly became flustered. "I mean, these were your suggestions, and you helped me get the materiel I needed for to create this rifle."

Sooyoung reached out and placed a hand on Sungjae's arm, who looked down in surprise. "Thank you Sungjae," she said earnestly.

"You're welcome..."

Sooyoung frowned. "Did you forget my name?"

"No!" Sungjae shook his head furiously. "It's Park Sooyoung! It's just... I heard from my uncle that most special forces personnel don't use their first names while they're still active. They use a code name.

"But I've never heard you use a code name."

Sooyoung stopped walking as she looked down. It was true. Special forces personnel were supposed to use a code name while they were active to protect their identity. Their team commanders were supposed to assign them a codename, but Sooyoung had never received a proper one from Captain Kim, who had called her a range of patronizing names.