Chapter 463: Those Who Left, Those Who Stayed(5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 463: Those Who Left, Those Who Stayed(5)
"Woo-jin! Hang in there! I’m really, really rooting for you! You got that?!"
"Yeah, thanks, Ye-rin."
— Be really, really careful during the night march. I keep reading the letters you send, and they almost make me cry.
"I feel the same way when I see the ones you guys sent."
— There are two weeks left until the completion ceremony, right? I’ll definitely be there! I heard you can come out for a bit then?!
"I can go out for six hours before heading back in."
— Is there anything you want to eat? If you can't remember right now, write down the whole menu in a letter! I’ll have everything packed and ready!
"Ye-rin...!"
I replied, my voice thick with emotion.
"You. I want to eat you so bad!"
— Oh my!
Seo Ye-rin replied with a giddy giggle.
— Six hours might be a little short, then.
"I’ll have to make every second count. I’ve been practicing abstinence ever since I got here."
— Oh my goodness!
To be honest, it wasn't like I was practicing abstinence on purpose. It was just that I was exhausted, and with nothing particularly arousing around, my libido had naturally taken a backseat.
— Ah, I guess I should hold back too, then.
Seo Ye-rin decided to join me in my hardship.
"Ten minutes left."
At the words of the assistant instructor, who had just returned from a smoke break, I hurriedly spoke to Ye-rin.
"Ye—Ye-rin. I think I need to call the others now. I'm sorry."
— Hmph.
She sounded disappointed, but she clearly understood the situation.
— I love you. Dream of me!
"Yeah, I love you too."
After hanging up with Seo Ye-rin, I immediately dialed Choi I-seo.
Ring—!
— Hello?! Woo-jin?!
Choi I-seo picked up almost before the first ring finished.
— What?! Kim Woo-jin?!
I could hear Yoo Ah-rin’s voice in the distance; they must have been together.
"It’s me! Hey, girls! It’s me!"
— Are you okay? How are you doing? You’re not sick or anything, right?
— Sniff! Ah, fuck! Hearing your voice makes me want to cry! You bastard, Kim Woo-jin! Write more letters!
"There’s a limit on how many I can send, Ah-rin! I got all the letters you sent, though!"
— Woo-jin, is there anything specific you want to eat at the completion ceremony? I’ll bring it.
Look at her, saying the exact same thing as Seo Ye-rin.
"You! I-seo! I want to eat you! I wish you’d do the bunny girl cosplay again!"
— ...You haven't changed a bit. That’s a relief.
— Don't you worry, you bastard! Choi I-seo will be there to greet you like a little bunny that day!
— Why are you the one deciding that?!
"Ah-rin! You do the cat one! With black panties!"
— Meow! Fuck, hurry up and get back here, meow!
— I’m starting to regret being part of this conversation.
My balls were going to explode for the first time in a while. I was worried I might actually have a wet dream since I hadn't released in so long.
"I’m doing really well. So don't worry too much, girls. For the record, I’m currently abstaining."
— Why do you always have to add a weird footnote after saying something touching?
— At times like this, I guess it’s a relief there are other girls around.
I couldn't help but laugh as I listened to the two of them muttering. Just talking like this made me feel so much better. I wanted to call the other three as well, but time was running out.
— Uh, Woo-jin. I’m telling you this now because I think you might be mistaken.
As it was almost time to hang up, Choi I-seo cut me off and spoke clearly.
— You know your parents are coming that day too, right?
"……They are?"
I had intentionally avoided mentioning it. I’d told them back then that since they’d already sent one son to the military, there was no need to make a fuss over the second time. Honestly, I’d just brushed it off because I wouldn't have enough time to spend with the girls.
As if reading my mind, Choi I-seo scolded me.
— Of course they’re going. Do you know how worried they’ve been?
— She’s right. Even I feel this way after sending you off. I think it would be heartbreaking to send away a son.
"Let’s have a daughter, Ah-rin."
— Like that’s something you can just decide, you idiot.
— Oh, please. Stop trying to change the subject.
It sounded like she pushed the laughing Yoo Ah-rin away, as her voice grew more distant. I could practically see Choi I-seo holding her phone and pressing a hand to her aching head.
— Anyway, Woo-jin. Since your parents are coming on the day of the ceremony...
"……."
— That kind of stuff is going to be difficult.
"……."
— Woo-jin?
"I shouldn't be an undutiful son, right?"
Choi I-seo let out a long sigh and answered coolly.
— You’re already plenty undutiful.
"……."
— You know they’re worried. That’s why we decided to hold back a bit too.
"Ye-rin didn't seem to know that."
— I definitely told her.
She probably got excited during the call and forgot.
"Yeah, I guess it can't be helped."
They were my parents, after all. Even though I wanted to spend every moment with my girlfriends, there was a different kind of lump in my throat knowing they were coming because they cared about me.
"I’ll try to be a good son."
When I answered with a smile, I could hear a faint smile in Choi I-seo’s voice as well.
— That’s my man.
— Fuck, this bitch Choi I-seo pushed me away just so she could film a K-drama by herself?
Thump, thump.
The assistant instructor knocked on the phone booth. It was a sign that time was up, so I sadly said my final goodbyes to the two of them. I’d have one more chance to call and tell my family about the ceremony anyway.
Vowing to contact my parents then, I headed back to the barracks.
"Sigh."
I trudged inside, already feeling complicated. But there, among the trainees getting ready for bed, was a group of men gathered around my spot.
"Whoa, holy shit."
"Why was this prick keeping the good stuff all to himself?"
It was Number 21, the gangster, and his cronies. What they were holding in their hands were the photos of the girls I had received.
"What do you think you're doing?"
My fists clenched involuntarily. Number 21 smiled and held out a photo of Seo Ye-rin.
"Hey, I told you to share if you had photos of celebrities. Why were you hiding them?"
"This is that Taekwondo Neutuber, right? I’ve seen her in the algorithm. Whoa, do you get photos like this if you donate?"
It was a relief, in a way. I kept the photos of us together separately, and since the girls were so famous, they seemed to think I’d just printed out celebrity photos.
"Put them down and get lost, you pieces of shit. You think it’s okay to rummage through someone else’s locker?"
As my language turned foul, the people around us began to steal glances. Number 21 glared at me as if he’d been waiting for this, his temper flaring.
"What’s the big deal about looking? We’re already stuck in here with nothing but bald dudes, so fap material should be share—"
I had already thrown the punch.
It was a certain feeling. How should I put it?
‘When you’re going to strike first, make sure you do it right.’
You know that cliché in manga where the master’s voice echoes in your ear?
‘Weight classes are tough, but the first strike is tougher.’
It was the self-defense lecture I’d received from Senior Ju-hee before coming here.
‘Especially you—in terms of strength and weight, you’re not light at all. As long as they aren't ridiculously huge, you'll be fine.’
Thud!
The gangster collapsed. He curled up, trembling; because I’d hit him squarely in a vital spot, he couldn't even think about getting up. As the guy who’d been bragging about being a gangster went down, the other trainees stood there dumbfounded, watching the situation.
I had the experience of dealing with Senior Ju-hee and the Bald Man, after all.
"Give them here."
In times like this, you have to act like you’ve got something. If you act tough, everyone gets intimidated and follows suit. The guys who were holding the photos handed them over.
The moment I snatched them away in annoyance—
"What’s going on in here?!"
Because of the commotion, the assistant instructor burst in and shouted at us.
* * *
‘……Thank god.’
Truly, thank god.
The moment I got caught by the instructor, I imagined all sorts of things. Being kicked out of the training center, having my leave canceled, not being able to go out during the completion ceremony, and so on.
All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind, but perhaps it was because the instructor was also just a soldier. He handled it so we could move on quietly. The gangster I hit didn't want to make a big deal out of it either, saying it would hurt his pride and be embarrassing.
However, seeing the murderous look in his eyes whenever he glanced at me afterward, it seemed like he might try something.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
Anyway.
It felt like I’d seen a side of the military where small incidents are blown out of proportion, but major ones are quietly hushed up. Though not everything is like this, the incident ended up fizzling out.
"Getting all worked up over some celebrity photos—"
"Ha, guys like that are the stalkers."
"Fuck, keep an eye on him and see if he takes those photos to the bathroom."
"Who does he think he is, her boyfriend?"
However, I often heard Number 21’s gang whispering things like that about me. Every time I did, I just responded by holding up my middle finger. We both realized that fighting more would only hurt us both.
Like fighting dogs trapped in a cage, we just growled and barked at each other without actually showing our teeth.
But then.
After the third week ended.
On the weekend heading into the fourth week, at the church.
You could say an incident occurred.
"Alright, this video message is for Trainee Kim Woo-jin. Trainee Kim Woo-jin?"
The clerical soldier called out to me while I was busy eating snacks and drinking soda.
"Hey, he’s calling you."
Trainee 28, Kim Young-ho, nudged me with his elbow, grinning.
I was flustered, wondering what was going on, but then the giant screen that had been showing other people's video messages suddenly displayed people I knew.
"Pfft!"
"What is that?"
"That’s hilarious."
Laughter erupted from all over. Three people wearing tribal chief masks appeared side-by-side on the screen.
I stared at the screen with a blank expression. I couldn't even hear the snickering around me anymore.
Just seeing them in the video. Even though they were wearing those masks.
My heart swelled, and a wave of longing rushed over me.
— Trainee Number 29, Kim Woo-jin! You’re doing well, right?! It’s so boring without you!
It was Seo Ye-rin. Look at her talking like a close friend rather than a lover.
— I really miss the times we ate gukbap together. When you come out this time—!
— Hey, there’s a time limit.
When Yoo Ah-rin snapped at her, Seo Ye-rin grumbled and started talking faster.
— See you on the day of the ceremony! I’ll have everything you want to eat ready!
Next was Choi I-seo.
— Ahem. Woo-jin, you’re doing well, right? You might seem clumsy, but I trust you because you always handle things on your own.
— It would be a lie to say I’m not worried. But I know you’ll do great. See you on the day of the ceremony.
Immediately, Yoo Ah-rin stepped forward.
— You bastard! Send letters more often! And don't ask me to send you the news, or you're dead.
— You never even watched the news, and now you’re wasting letter space with that stuff.
I thought it was going to end with the three of them waving goodbye, but—
— Done. I got it all.
It was Jung Min-ji’s voice, the one filming. But the video kept rolling.
— Phew, I thought I was going to suffocate.
"Whoa?!"
As the girls in the video began to take off their masks one by one—
— Ugh, Ye-rin. This isn't a prop, is it?
"WAAAAAH?!"
The voices in the church began to grow louder and louder.
— Pwah! You guys take them! They’re souvenirs!
"OOOOOH!"
At the very end, a roar of cheers erupted. The video ended right there with Jung Min-ji giving a 'thumbs up' to the camera.