Chapter 456: My Future
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 456: My Future
Recently, there’s one thing I’ve been doing more than anything else.
I’ve been staring at the calendar.
I just sit there, blankly watching the calendar and the clock.
It’s not like I’m a prisoner serving a sentence, but strangely, I feel like a death row inmate just waiting for his execution date.
“What’s this?”
Choi I-seo, who was casting Neutube to the TV, asked in a bewildered voice. Since her phone was paired with mine, my algorithm was showing up on the screen.
“Why is it all military-related content? Just how much of this stuff are you watching?”
“What did that jerk say last time? Didn’t he say he’d just go and get it over with? Didn’t he tell us not to worry?”
At Yoo Ah-rin’s words, I slowly turned my head and stared at her.
Does she not remember how she clung to me crying, begging me not to go?
“What are you glaring at?”
“Bitch.”
Yoo Ah-rin flipped me the bird while sipping on chocolate milk.
As I grumbled, Seo Ye-rin laughed and pointed at the TV screen.
“I-seo, what’s that?”
“Black Tape Contest?”
“Whoa, what the hell is that?”
The thumbnail showed naked women walking a runway wearing nothing but underwear made of black tape.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on me, but I just nodded confidently.
“What?”
“...How can he be so shameless?”
“Woo-jini! That looks like it would hurt so much when you peel it off!”
“You’re getting awfully bold just because you’re heading to the military.”
I remember watching that quite a while ago; I’m not sure why the algorithm decided to cough it up now of all times.
Anyway, this is how I’ve been spending my days lately.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
Click!
As soon as the sound of the front door opening rang out, Seo Ye-rin dashed over.
“Oh yeah! Bibibik! Bi-bi-bi-bik! Bi-bi-bi-bi-bik!”
She greeted the newcomer with a bizarre dance. Oh Yun-ji let out a hollow laugh as she handed over the ice cream.
“Why is your taste so old-fashioned?”
Seo Ye-rin took the ice cream with excitement and replied with a bright smile.
“I don’t even like it that much. It just feels like Woo-jini’s dick, so I’m gonna use it for practice.”
“...”
“Bi-bi-bi-bi-bik!”
“I’m telling you, she needs to see a psychiatrist.”
Yoo Ah-rin sighed as she took an ice cream. Oh Yun-ji had gone to buy them after losing at rock-paper-scissors. For the record, I didn’t ask for one.
“Who eats ice cream in this cold weather?”
“Eating something cold in a warm room is the best feeling in the world.”
Watching the girls eat their ice cream one by one, I stared back up at the ceiling.
“Ah, what should I do?”
I felt like I should be doing something, but I didn’t know what.
I had made a bucket list to spend my time meaningfully, but I finished it way too quickly.
I even had sex with all seven of them at once, so technically, haven’t I done everything there is to do?
As I lay still on the sofa, Oh Yun-ji gently lifted my head and placed it on her lap.
Embarrassed, I tried to turn away, but she just smiled and stroked my hair.
“Aww, look at our cutie.”
“What’s this? You weren’t this type of character.”
“Just stay still. I need to enjoy this while I still have time.”
When she put it like that, I couldn’t really say anything. I just stayed still, even though I felt the other girls' eyes on me.
“But when are you going to shave your head?”
“Ah, right.”
I have to shave my head.
It’s mid-January now, so I still have some time, but the reality of having to shave it off weighed heavily on me again.
“Hwaaaa-am.”
I yawned groatily and checked my phone. Life felt a bit bitter, so I opened a delivery app, but there was nothing I particularly wanted to eat.
“Should I order some ice cream?”
I just muttered it because I saw them eating, but the reactions were sharp.
“What is wrong with this guy? I told you we should just order Baskin Robbins earlier!”
“You said you weren’t going to eat, so I went to the convenience store because of the rock-paper-scissors!”
Yoo Ah-rin pointed her half-eaten ice cream at me in annoyance, and Oh Yun-ji straight up smacked me on the forehead.
“No, I was just saying.”
I was a bit surprised by the aggressive reactions, but there were some surprisingly supportive answers too.
“If you want it, eat it!”
“...Yeah, it’s better to eat what you want while you still can.”
Seo Ye-rin and Choi I-seo took my side. I didn’t actually intend to order ice cream, but now that they said that, I kind of craved it.
I jumped up and headed toward the gym room.
When I opened the door, Senior Ju-hee and Choi Jin-ah were drenched in sweat, mid-workout.
“Sa... save... meee...”
To be precise, Choi Jin-ah was the one drenched in sweat and working out, while Senior Ju-hee was just assisting, but still.
“Anyone want ice cream?”
When I poked my head in and asked, Choi Jin-ah, who was in the middle of a squat, glared at me.
“What... flavor?”
“We’re not eating.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Senior Ju-hee cut her off cleanly.
I quickly backed out.
“Wa-wait! I want ‘Puss in Boots’—!”
I heard something being shouted from inside, but I just pretended not to hear.
“Tell me what flavors you want, one by one.”
I went back to the living room, took their orders, and was about to place the request when my phone buzzed.
— Kang Han-gang -
“Huh?”
Who was this?
A man I had almost forgotten about.
I heard he enlisted in November, finished training, and got assigned to his unit.
He had contacted me a few times, but since he only talked nonsense about wanting me to introduce him to girls, I usually ignored him.
“Hello?”
— Woo-jin! Long time no see!
His voice was bright.
I always felt uneasy whenever this guy sounded happy.
“What’s up, Hyung? Wait, how are you using a phone right now? It’s still lunch break.”
— I’m out on leave.
“...Excuse me?”
What did he just say?
— I used my leave. Jin-ho’s out with me too. You free tonight? Let’s grab a drink with the guys.
“Wait, you just got to your unit. How are you already on leave? Aren’t you a Private Second Class?”
— That’s right. I used my 100-day leave. Let’s drink! We have so much we want to tell you guys.
“...”
— Chan-woo and Hyun-ho said they’re coming. You’re coming too, right?
“They’re going too?”
It would be the first time in a while that all the idiots were gathering. But why did the thought of seeing them feel so weird?
— They said they already shaved their heads because they’re enlisting soon.
“Ah, it’s already that time.”
They did say they were enlisting earlier than me.
I’m going at the end of January, but they were mid-January.
Right, it really is right around the corner.
I switched to speakerphone and checked the group chat on my phone.
What? Only two days left?
I was shocked to realize there were only two days left until those two enlisted.
I’d been so distracted lately with the seven girls practically living with me.
I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been paying attention to my friends.
Come to think of it, the last time we met, everything got ruined because of that weird criminal guy.
We were in the same boat.
Thinking that they must be feeling the same way I was, I suddenly really wanted to see them.
Plus, Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho had fresh experience from the training center just a few days ago.
“Okay, let’s meet.”
Thinking it might help ease my fears a bit, I readily agreed.
— Okay, then we’re picking the place, got it? We’ve been craving gopchang so bad.
“Why gopchang?”
— You can’t eat that in the military. We were debating between pork rinds and gopchang, but we settled on gopchang.
“Sure, whatever.”
— You’re paying, right?
“Are you insane?”
— Woo-jin, I’m your elder.
“Hold on. Let me find a sponsor.”
— Bong-geun? Ah, I should’ve called Bong-geun too! I forgot! I’ll call him!
The moment I mentioned a sponsor, he immediately thought of Bong-geun.
I guess we all think alike.
— And you. Don’t bring that Bald Man. I’m warning you.
“Come to think of it, did that Uncle ever serve in the military?”
...Good question.
I was curious, but I wasn’t going to call him.
He had just been heartbroken and wounded by Chan-woo; I couldn’t go rubbing salt in the wound.
“If I bring the Bald Man, there’ll be five baldies at the table, so I won’t call him.”
— You little shit.
Since I was the only one who hadn’t shaved my head yet.
He seemed a bit triggered by my words, but Han-gang soon replied with a sneer.
— Yeah, yeah, you little noob.
“...”
Click.
After hanging up, I looked at the living room.
All eyes were already on me.
“Um, so that happened. Is it okay if I go out?”
The atmosphere definitely wasn’t one where they’d say no.
“Of course, go ahead.”
Choi I-seo smiled and told me not to worry. Her being so unusually kind lately actually made my heart ache more.
In fact, once I said I was going out tonight, they started chatting among themselves about what they should do while I was gone.
...They’re getting along way too well.
It was almost bewildering how well they were all clicking.
“Heff! Heff!”
“Jin-ah, you have to maintain your stamina consistently.”
Just then, Choi Jin-ah and Senior Ju-hee walked out from the back.
“I’m going out for drinks tonight.”
For some reason, I found myself reporting my plans to them, and Senior Ju-hee and Choi Jin-ah naturally nodded as they received the report.
“With who?”
“What are you eating?”
“Senior Han-gang. He’s out on leave. We’re having gopchang.”
“They’re out on leave already? I heard people usually save it.”
“Gopchang?!”
Choi Jin-ah’s eyes sparkled, but as soon as Senior Ju-hee glanced at her, she immediately lowered her head and scurried off to the shower.
“Call if anything happens. Or should we standby nearby?”
“No, it’s not that serious.”
* * *
That evening.
The moment I stepped into the gopchang house.
The moment I saw the four baldies sitting together at a round table.
Ah, fuck.
I didn’t find it funny. I realized I was absolutely screwed.