Today, like many others before it, you carried a stack of documents that needed their review and signature. You reached the commander’s door and knocked gently, waiting.

No answer.

You waited a few moments more, then carefully pushed the door open—intending only to slip inside, place the papers on the desk, and leave quietly. But what you saw stopped you cold. Hange stood near the far wall, their fist slamming into it again and again. The sharp thud of knuckles on stone echoed through the room.

Their expression was twisted in frustration—anger, exhaustion, and stress etched deep into every line of their face. They didn’t see you at first. They were too caught in the storm raging inside them. In that moment, you realized something. This was the side of Hange no one ever spoke of— the side hidden beneath all the laughter and bright ideas, the side breaking apart quietly under the crushing weight of leadership.