Chapter 442: Real Military Life
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 442: Real Military Life
“…….”
“…….”
The variety show on TV had long since ended. Yoo Ah-rin and I were now mirroring her phone to the TV, watching Neutube.
I’d heard that her channel, ‘Cheer Up Team,’ had finally landed an ad deal.
Because of that, Ah-rin was busy studying other Neutubers’ sponsored content to figure out how to handle her own.
“Don’t people usually skip the video once an ad starts?” I asked.
I was definitely that type.
Whenever I see a video with a blatant ad, it feels like they’re forcing a product down my throat. The moment I sense that, I lose all interest in watching.
Ah-rin nodded, seemingly agreeing with me.
“Well, it does feel like they’re making a huge fuss just to sell you something. Most people probably feel the same way.”
“True.”
“That’s why the trend these days is to make ads that don’t feel like ads. Our advertiser even asked if we could pull off that kind of vibe.”
“Like a backdoor ad?”
“Absolutely not. That’s a one-way ticket to getting canceled.”
Ah-rin chuckled and shook her head.
Knowing her loyalty and integrity, she wouldn’t just snap up any random sponsorship. She truly appreciated the people who subscribed to her.
Just then, the door to the clothes room creaked open, and Seo Ye-rin poked her head out.
“I’ve done ad shoots before! Want some pro tips?”
“You brat!”
I lunged toward her, but Ye-rin slammed the door shut before I could reach her.
Bang!
“Hey! Seo Ye-rin! Are you really going to be like this?! I’m still naked!”
“But Woo-jini loves being naked!”
“Wow, Kim Woo-jin must have really been working out. I can actually see some back muscles.”
“…….”
Shockingly enough.
I was still completely nude.
I had asked Choi Jin-ah for the master key, and she said she’d give it to me.
The problem was that she currently had it on her person.
— I took it with me when I lent you the place because I didn’t know what kind of trouble you’d get into, Woo-jin.
— James just called me, so I’m on my way to meet him. I’ll give it to you next time.
— Please! I’m begging you, do NOT touch my clothes or underwear!
— If you do, it’s war!
She had been so adamant about it.
Did she really think I’d resort to wearing a grown woman’s clothes and panties?
I mean, sure, I might have threatened her a bit when I was heated earlier.
But logically speaking, that was crossing a line, wasn’t it?
“Sigh, this is driving me crazy.”
I turned around to head back to the sofa, only to find the gazes of two women pinned on me.
Yoo Ah-rin, sitting on the sofa, and Choi I-seo, who was studying at the dining table, were both staring intently.
“What? What are you looking at?”
When I asked while covering my nipples with both hands, their expressions immediately contorted.
“Don’t people usually cover the bottom half?”
“Why… why are you covering that part?”
I answered their questions with pure confidence.
“My hands aren’t big enough to cover the bottom.”
My lower half, having flared up again because they were staring, gave a slight, rhythmic twitch. Both of them immediately looked away as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t have.
“Ugh, for fuck’s sake….”
“Sigh. Yeah, there’s definitely something wrong with his head.”
I sat back down on the sofa.
As I draped the blanket over my shoulders, a sudden curiosity struck me.
“Ah-rin, what kind of ad did you get?”
“Huh? Oh, a game.”
A game?
“Wait, hmm. No. Is it really a game? It’s kind of hard to call it that.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Seeing her get confused by her own words made me wonder if it was really okay to leave an ad in her hands.
Ah-rin tilted her head, murmuring that it was ambiguous, and then turned on my laptop which was sitting on the coffee table.
“What was the password again?”
“1234.”
“Ha! You’re still using that password!”
Seo Ye-rin poked her head out again.
I seriously considered if there was a way to legally get rid of her. I grabbed a sofa cushion and chucked it, but she just stuck her tongue out and kept peeking.
“Ye-rin, can you actually handle the consequences of this?”
“Woo-jina, you look kind of sexy with just the blanket on, showing off your collarbones.”
“Is she insane?”
“It feels good seeing the marks I made yesterday so clearly.”
Wait.
“Are you seriously doing this just for that?! To check if the marks you left are still there?!”
As I shouted in disbelief, Seo Ye-rin grinned, baring her teeth.
“Meow!”
“Good grief.”
It looked like she was going to keep this up unless I physically went over there.
While I was vowing to snatch her up the moment I got the chance—
— Ahn! Ahhh-ahn!
A woman’s moan suddenly erupted from the laptop. Startled, I whipped my head around.
Ah-rin, her cheeks slightly puffed, pointed at the screen.
“What is this? Why does this pop up the moment I turn it on?”
“Oh, I was watching it yesterday and forgot to close it.”
“It’s because we started doing it in the middle of the video!”
I had been watching an adult video during a short break while playing with Seo Ye-rin, and I’d forgotten to close the tab.
Ah-rin let out a sigh, her face slightly flushed, and closed the video.
“I hate that I’m not even fazed by this anymore.”
Watching her brush it off as if it were nothing, I slid back into my spot next to her.
“So, what’s the ad?”
“It’s a game. A simulation game. You know those things where an AI responds to you?”
“Aha?”
I think I knew what she was talking about.
I remembered seeing ads like that while browsing Neutube.
“They asked me to show myself playing it. Want to try?”
“Looks interesting.”
“Right? Actually, there was one thing I really wanted you to do!”
What was with this build-up?
Regardless, AI was a pretty interesting field. I recalled hearing something on the news about Uju Group pushing for the commercialization of AI.
Besides, didn’t everyone use AI for assignments and research these days?
Thinking this might be a good chance to hop on the trend, I leaned in.
“What is it?”
I checked the title on the laptop screen: ‘Real Military Life.’
“Son of a—!”
I was about to let out a string of curses, but Ah-rin cut me off with a laugh.
“Hey! You should practice so you don’t get beaten up when you actually go. I heard this one is really well-made. Look at the comments.”
“No, why would I do this here when I’m going to do it for real soon?!”
“Listen, if you do this, you might do better over there. I’m just worried about you.”
“…….”
With a sigh, I pulled the laptop toward me.
Before I knew it, Choi I-seo had grabbed a coffee and sat on the sofa behind us. It looked like she was taking a break from her studies.
“What are you guys doing?”
“Making Kim Woo-jin into an elite soldier.”
“Huh?”
“…….”
I-seo looked confused, and Ye-rin watched us from the doorway with an envious look.
To get her to come out, I figured we needed to look like we were having a blast without her. So, I started the game.
[You have completed basic training and have been assigned to your unit. You are currently in the barracks, unpacking your gear into your locker. Since the senior soldiers are out on duty, you are waiting silently in a proper seated posture.]
“Whoa, this is surprisingly detailed.”
“I told you, it was made by someone who actually served.”
Slurp.
As I expressed my surprise, Ah-rin grinned proudly beside me, and I-seo watched the screen while sipping her coffee.
[Just then, you hear footsteps outside. You tense up, straightening your back and bracing yourself.]
[A group of senior soldiers swaggers in. They look at you, appearing slightly surprised at first, before breaking into smirks.]
[Corporal Choi: A new recruit?]
“Do I just answer now?”
A chat box appeared on the screen.
Apparently, I could type whatever I wanted here.
Tap, tap, tap.
[Kim Woo-jin: I am Kim Woo-jin, and I have defected from the North.]
“What are you doing?”
“Pfft!”
“Ah, damn it! My head!”
I-seo had spat out her coffee from behind me, soaking the top of my head.
“S-sorry. But what kind of answer is that…?”
I-seo looked bewildered even as she wiped my head with a tissue.
While Ah-rin let out a heavy sigh, the AI responded.
[Corporal Choi: Holy shit! This guy’s a spy! A commie bastard! Get him!]
[Sergeant Han: Reward leave! I need that reward leave!]
[You have been mistaken for a spy. Although the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly, your military life has become extremely difficult.]
[GAME OVER.]
“What? You can actually lose this?”
“It’s a game, of course you can.”
“Ho-oh.”
This was interesting.
I’d played the first round just to test it out, but the AI’s response was surprisingly vivid.
“Try again. Do it properly this time.”
“I’m worried you’ll actually act like this in the real army.”
At Ah-rin and I-seo’s urging, I restarted the game.
By the way, Seo Ye-rin was still peeking out, staring intently at us. It was hilarious seeing her fidget, clearly wanting to join in.
I breezed through the initial introductions, and soon, it was night in the game.
I was assigned to night guard duty with Sergeant Han.
“Do I really have to pull guard duty on the first day?”
I grumbled, but the two girls couldn’t answer. They wouldn’t know, after all.
[In the dead of night, Sergeant Han, who is on guard duty with you, calls out.]
[Sergeant Han: Hey, recruit. What did you do before coming here?]
Tap, tap, tap.
[Kim Woo-jin: I went to Gahyeon University. I finished my second year, took a leave of absence, and enlisted.]
[Sergeant Han: Gahyeon University? That’s a total bottom-tier school, isn’t it?]
“This son of a…!”
“Gahyeon is a bottom-tier school?”
The two ladies seemed quite offended.
Gahyeon University definitely wasn’t a bottom-tier school. In fact, it was quite prestigious.
‘It’s just that there are so many weirdos around me.’
Because of all the bizarre incidents that kept happening, it might look like a low-tier school from the outside.
“What should I say? Tell him it’s not a bottom-tier school? Or just start swearing?”
As I prepared my response, Ah-rin and I-seo suppressed their anger.
“Just… just go along with it. You need to know how to do that.”
“She’s right. You might actually meet a senior like this in the army.”
“Are you going to sell your human dignity to a mere AI?! As a Gahyeonite, I am ashamed!”
“You, shut up and stay in there!”
After barking back at Ye-rin, I gave Sergeant Han an agreeable response.
The conversation with Sergeant Han continued.
[Sergeant Han: Got a girlfriend?]
[Sergeant Han: Is she pretty? Any girls you can set me up with? I need to meet someone once I’m discharged.]
[Kim Woo-jin: I have three girlfriends.]
“Hey.”
“Sigh.”
“What? I just wanted to say it out loud for once.”
Where else could I say something like that so openly? I figured I’d use this chance to vent, like posting on a Bamboo Forest page.
[Sergeant Han’s eyes widen in surprise, but he soon chuckles and nods.]
[Sergeant Han: Right, right. There are plenty of guys like you in the army. Claiming they were gangsters, club managers, idols, singers, pro soccer players… man, there are so many posers.]
“He thinks I’m bluffing.”
“Well, that’s a relief, in a way.”
It’s not like I could show him.
While I was feeling a bit annoyed, Sergeant Han continued.
[Sergeant Han: Recruit, remember just one thing during your service.]
[Sergeant Han: You don’t need to gain anything here. Studying? Working out? Forget it, don’t worry about any of that. From what I’ve seen…]
[Sergeant Han: Military life is a success if you just don’t lose anything. If you leave this place exactly as you were when you walked in? Then you’ve succeeded.]
“Oh.”
That actually hit a little deep.
I almost felt like giving Sergeant Han a proper salute.
“Is this really an AI?”
Even I-seo seemed impressed, clicking her tongue in admiration.
[Kim Woo-jin: Thank you.]
[Sergeant Han: Right? Now go wake up the next shift. I’m gonna go grab a smoke.]
“This is eerily realistic.”
I muttered as I selected the option to wake up the next shift.
[Kim Woo-jin: Corporal Seo, it’s time for your shift.]
[Corporal Seo: What the… there’s still 20 minutes left. Why are you waking me up now, you crazy recruit?]
[Kim Woo-jin: Sergeant Han told me to wake you up now, so I came.]
[Corporal Seo: Seriously. That guy’s really acting out just because he’s about to be discharged.]
[Corporal Seo grumbles as he walks out. Seeing that Sergeant Han is gone for a smoke, Corporal Seo calls you over.]
[Corporal Seo: You little shit, who taught you to shine a flashlight in a senior’s face when waking him up? You got no common sense?]
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
[Corporal Seo: Huh? Is this how you were trained? From the very first day, you—!]
I immediately typed in that I was punching him in the face.
Ah-rin and I-seo patted my shoulders from the side and back.
“Hang… hang in there.”
“It’s… it’s probably an exaggeration.”
“…….”
I don’t want to do this anymore.