Chapter 594: Reserve Forces
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 594: Reserve Forces
“Ah, damn it…”
There’s a certain restless, unsettling feeling that hits the moment you put on a combat uniform.
I don’t quite know how to describe it.
Should I call it a uniquely stifling sensation?
Even though the uniform is clearly well-maintained, I can’t help but wonder how it can feel this way.
Anyway, I was now inside the base for my reserve forces training.
The reason most people here looked miserable wasn't because they were trying to act tough; they were literally just in a foul mood.
No one wanted to make eye contact, and everyone just wanted to be left alone.
It was a strange sense of coexistence.
Sure, we were here to defend the country, but this wasn't some communist state—it was a liberal democracy.
To be perfectly honest…
‘Ah, I want to go home so fucking bad.’
The moment I arrived, I already wanted to leave.
‘Ah, these pieces of shit.’
They knew exactly where I was, yet they kept sending these messages just to tease me.
I was so annoyed I considered turning off my phone, but then I realized I’d have nothing to do and would die of boredom.
‘This sucks.’
Ignoring the guys' chat, I checked the family group chat.
The replies came almost instantly.
“Huh?”
The photo Choi Jin-ah sent showed a charger and a power bank.
‘Ah, you’ve got to be kidding me.’
I would have loved for her to bring it, but it was impossible. The enlistment ceremony had already begun.
“Reserve members, please put away your phones. Please refrain from using your phones during the ceremony.”
At the officer's command, I sent a brief reply to Choi Jin-ah and turned off the screen.
* * *
“Hmm.”
Seeing that there were no further replies, Choi Jin-ah licked her lips in disappointment and stood up. The charger and power bank, left behind by their owner, looked somewhat pitiful sitting there.
‘Well, it shouldn’t be a big deal.’
He said he’d borrow one from the people there, so it would probably be fine.
Stepping outside, Choi Jin-ah caught the savory scent of oil.
She wondered what was going on so early in the morning, only to find Choi I-seo in the kitchen frying jeon.
“What’s with all the pancakes?”
“Look at how her voice just went up an octave.”
Yoo Ah-rin, who was stirring egg wash next to Choi I-seo, made a comment, but Choi Jin-ah’s eyes were already fixed on the zucchini jeon sizzling on the large electric grill.
“I heard his father likes them, so I’m going to take some over.”
Choi I-seo was busy flipping the pancakes with a spatula. She hadn't replied to Kim Woo-jin’s text earlier, and it seemed this was why.
“Zucchini jeon, potato jeon, kimchi jeon… Mmm, do we have any meat patties or perilla leaf jeon?”
When Choi Jin-ah immediately demanded meat, Yoo Ah-rin let out a sigh.
“We’re not making these to feed you.”
“…….”
“Jin-ah, come and help. Let’s do it together. It’s okay to sneak a few bites.”
“Yay!”
Choi Jin-ah quickly took a seat opposite her. She flipped them with a spatula and ate them one by one; since they were fresh off the grill, they were hot and delicious.
“But why the sudden pancakes?”
“They’re potatoes his father grew. He gave them to us to eat, but I felt bad just taking them without giving anything back.”
“Ooh….”
Choi Jin-ah looked around and tilted her head when she noticed someone was missing.
“Where’s Ye-rin?”
“She’s watching the kids.”
“Wryaaaaa!”
Right on cue, Seo Ye-rin’s shout echoed from the kids' room.
It was a mystery exactly how she was playing with them, but judging by the kids' giggles and cheers, she seemed to be doing a good job.
“Oh, by the way, did you see? Woo-jin didn't take his charger or power bank.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
The two startled women looked at Choi Jin-ah simultaneously. As if they had just heard news of an unexpected accident, they both hurriedly checked their phones.
“Ah, she’s right?!”
“Sigh… I told him to make sure he packed everything.”
Both were trying to act cool, but they were clearly disappointed. They were worried they wouldn't be able to contact Kim Woo-jin for the next three days.
“Well, he said he’d borrow one from the people there.”
Choi Jin-ah offered the words as consolation, but neither seemed particularly convinced.
“Usually, with Kim Woo-jin…”
“That’s exactly when he becomes unreachable.”
The two knew Kim Woo-jin all too well. It wasn't necessarily a problem with him as a person, but rather that the situation often ended up that way.
“……That’s surprisingly persuasive.”
Convinced, Choi Jin-ah nodded and popped another pancake into her mouth.
* * *
I had been assigned to the barracks where I’d be staying for the next three days.
One notable thing was that it had started to drizzle outside, and everyone seemed a bit excited. Usually, if it rains, reserve training is canceled and replaced with indoor lectures.
‘Please rain. Please.’
Praying fervently in my head, I pulled out my phone to check the weather forecast.
‘Eh? What? Why is the battery dead?’
My phone was already out of juice.
I wondered what I’d done to drain it so fast, then remembered I’d played a game while waiting earlier and forgot to close the app.
‘Son of a…’
I looked around and cautiously asked the person next to me.
“Excuse me, do you happen to have a phone charger?”
“Huh? Oh, I only brought a power bank.”
“Then, could I possibly borrow that for a bit?”
“What?”
“……No, never mind.”
Embarrassed, I pulled back. Asking to borrow a power bank, not just a charger, felt like I was crossing a line. In a place like this, battery life was like a traveler’s canteen in the middle of a desert.
Just as I was about to head toward a wall outlet…
“Seniors, please get ready to head to the firing range immediately.”
A Private First Class entered and spoke politely.
Immediately, a wave of protest erupted.
“What? It’s raining outside.”
“Don’t they usually cancel shooting when it rains?”
“The forecast says it’s going to keep raining.”
The reservists grumbled. I didn't even need to step up; everyone else was speaking for me. I just watched.
“That is why poncho raincoats will be issued.”
The unit began handing out ponchos immediately. Seeing our despairing faces, the Private looked awkward and embarrassed.
“Well, it’s only a drizzle right now… The Battalion Commander wants to get the shooting over with as quickly as possible.”
So that’s why they were moving so fast.
“He wants to get as much done as possible before the rain gets worse.”
I see.
A sigh escaped me, but I nodded.
‘Fine, nothing I can do.’
This is the South Korean soldier. A tenacious spirit that tries to carry out the mission no matter what.
I have to protect my girls if a real war ever breaks out, after all….
I tried to think that way as I moved, but sighs were breaking out all around me.
“Haaa.”
Like a yawn, the mood was contagious, and I let out a long sigh of my own.
* * *
On the way back after delivering the pancakes.
Min Ju-hee, who was driving, glanced over and asked.
“Still no word from Woo-jin?”
“Nope! I guess he’s still in the middle of training!”
“The forecast says it’s raining over there.”
“Don’t they still do what they have to do even if it rains?”
Well, they needed someone who actually knew to give a clear answer. Since no one knew the details, they could only speculate.
It was a shame they couldn't get a reply, but they knew Kim Woo-jin was the one suffering. Instead, they were all cheering him on and debating what to do for him when he returned in two days.
“Uh…?”
Seo Ye-rin, sitting in the back seat, let out a bewildered sound while looking at her phone. Choi I-seo and Yoo Ah-rin checked to see if a reply had come from Kim Woo-jin, but that wasn't it.
“What is it, Ye-rin?”
“Ugh, why are you baiting us? I thought Woo-jin texted.”
“No, no! Look at this!”
What Seo Ye-rin showed them was the now-familiar Bamboo Forest forum. And on it…
It was a scene of people venting their real-life frustrations onto the board. Even though there were supposed to be other managers, for some reason, they weren't taking action either.
“Isn't this… the situation Ah-rin mentioned last time?”
The moment it was left unattended.
The Bamboo Forest had turned into an apocalypse.