Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Juni
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“As someone who’s been in team service for so long and has exceptional mission performance, I thought you’d be fine, but it looks like you’ll need to complete the Luas adaptation program after all.”
Do-young rolled his eyes as if pleading for some understanding.
“I’m not trying to pull rank, but I’m a major. Don’t you think it’s too much to make me go through the program with the recruits?”
But the officer maintained his businesslike demeanor.
“There are no plans to open an officer-exclusive adaptation program at the moment. Almost no active-duty officers have become Luas, you see.”
If the TASIL Project had only succeeded earlier, there would have been dedicated programs for training soldiers who became Luas while still on active duty.
But as everyone knew, up until now, Do-young was the only success case for TASIL.
Do-young rubbed his forehead as his head began to ache, then spoke up.
“Please. I’ll attend the therapy sessions diligently…”
But the officer, neither in bed nor shaking, replied.
“Make sure to bring your completion certificate.”
***
Do-young sighed upon seeing the placard with the classroom number. Soldiers were such a pitiful breed—they had to shit when ordered from above.
As he approached the door, it slid open automatically. Then, the five or so people scattered around the classroom turned to look.
He could tell they were sizing him up.
They were all Luas, so mostly men, but there was one woman. Well, more testosterone seemed to emanate from her, so he’d been momentarily confused, but she had breasts.
Do-young sat in an empty seat. He suppressed a sigh that threatened to escape.
“Which one are you?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke up. Turning around, he saw a man with a crew cut, looking like a thug who’d just washed his hands, sitting two seats away.
His name tag read ‘Thompson.’
He’d been told to remove his rank insignia considering the classroom atmosphere, so Do-young’s uniform currently had no insignia attached.
“Which one?”
Do-young couldn’t comprehend the out-of-the-blue question. Thompson then counted on his fingers with a look as if staring at a pathetic fool.
“The idiot who fell for the recruiter’s sweet talk, the ex-con who enlisted instead of going to prison, or the street punk with nowhere else to go. Which one? I’ll bet on the first.”
Recruits were always one of those three, by nature.
Do-young had no desire to engage, so he turned his head without responding.
“I enlisted just now, but I’m a bit older, you see.”
Thompson unfolded his arms and propped one elbow on the desk.
“Judging by that fresh infection glow still on your skin, you must’ve become Luas maybe a few weeks ago at most? Shouldn’t you at least pretend to respect your elders?”
If he was older as a Luas and enlisting now, it was likely he’d been caught after dodging enlistment on the run.
Recruiters weren’t called ‘Hunters from Hell’ for nothing these days. They chased down Luas dodging military service relentlessly.
Do-young snorted derisively and ignored him, finding the guy’s brazenness absurd. Thompson bristled, but just then, the officer entered.
“Looks like everyone’s here.”
His gaze paused briefly on Do-young. The officer knew who he was, after all.
“Then let’s begin.”
One trainee tilted his head and whispered to the guy next to him.
“Why’s he suddenly using polite speech with that bastard?”
The officer, also a Luas, immediately responded.
“I can hear everything. Five demerit points for disrespect toward a superior.”
The trainee clicked his tongue and straightened his head.
***
Thompson kept picking fights. But Do-young consistently ignored him. Guys like this only escalated if you gave them an inch.
“Are your ears blocked, newbie?”
Thompson smirked mockingly. It seemed he’d singled out Do-young for the day.
In a normal military setting, a soldier and a field-grade officer like a major, lieutenant colonel, or colonel wouldn’t be taking the same program. They wouldn’t even sit in the same room unless it was an official event.
But MCTC was a military with the unique trait of humans and Luas working together, leading to this absurd scene.
Do-young swallowed a sigh and asked.
“What do you want?”
“What do you want~?”
Thompson exaggeratedly mimicked Do-young’s polite tone with a sneer. The refined speech must have sounded ridiculous to him. But Do-young wasn’t the type to bark orders in informal speech even to his team members.
Ignoring him was still best. Do-young turned his head away. But suddenly, he sensed movement.
Do-young swiftly grabbed the hand flying toward his head.
“Not bad?”
Thompson, who’d reached out as if to grab his hair, laughed in disbelief.
“You’ve accounted for what happens next, right?”
Then he dropped the smile and threw a punch. He must’ve had some street brawling experience; it was a sharp jab.
But the next moment, it was caught in Do-young’s hand.
“Oh? You blocked it?”
That should have been the end of it.
But strangely, Do-young was angry.
He’d grown up under a soldier father and enlisted young himself, spending nearly his whole life in this world.
He’d seen plenty of guys like this over the years, so there was no reason to get mad now. He’d never even been in a bar fight, yet for some reason, he couldn’t hold back his temper this time.
In an instant, Do-young seized Thompson’s collar and slammed him onto the desk.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed.
Do-young felt a twisted grin creep onto his face unbidden.
“I’m not interested in dudes, so quit yapping and find someone else to cuddle with.”
Thompson’s face turned feral.
“You son of a bitch…!”
As he shot up, he swung a fist at Do-young’s face. A smack rang out.
Beneath the pot-lid-sized fist, Do-young’s eyes flashed.
“That all you got?”
This time, Do-young threw the punch.
Something cracked audibly as Thompson slammed into the desk, shoving the heavy classroom desk sliding back.
“Urk!”
Thompson clutched his face, bowing his head. When he finally pulled his hands away, blood gushed from his nose.
Seeing blood, Thompson went berserk like an enraged bull.
“Forget walking out of here on two legs, you parasite!”
Do-young tilted his head back to dodge the punch.
“Dodge?!”
Thompson, confident in close combat, kicked up with a skilled form. Do-young blocked the knee with his hand.
“Come at me!”
The other Luas seemed to have been waiting for that moment. A full-on brawl erupted.
The officer freaked out and shouted again.
“Major! Major…!”
Some looked around wondering who the major was. But seeing no one who looked like a major nearby, they dove back into the fray, fists flying.
It was chaos.
“Stop this instant!”
Do-young glanced at the insignia on the officer’s uniform.
“Captain. How long have you been in the service?”
More than the rank, the officer faltered under Do-young’s icy gaze.
“St-still, I’m the one in charge of this program…”
Bang.
The door flew open with a shout.
“Dufère! What the hell kind of private are you!”
***
A lieutenant colonel walked past him.
“Think becoming Luas means you’re reborn? Like you’re enlisting all over again?”
Do-young stood at attention, hands behind his back, forehead to the floor. As an officer enlistee, he could count on one hand the times he’d done disciplinary punishment.
“Sitting in the same room with fresh-faced trainees—feeling nostalgic for your recruit days that never even existed?”
What could an officer who rampaged solo on the battlefield and got into a fistfight with trainees in a punishment program say? Do-young kept his mouth shut.
The lieutenant colonel sat in a chair and said.
“Get up.”
Do-young placed one hand on the floor and rose. The lieutenant colonel scanned him up and down with a displeased look.
“Not even a drop of sweat, so no fun in punishing you. The best part is watching you crawl out drenched and trembling.”
A human would’ve struggled to even stand by now. But he only felt a slight stiffness.
The lieutenant colonel grumbled.
“Damn Luas are a pain to punish. Might as well drop ‘em from the sky.”
“Then they’d die.”
The lieutenant colonel suddenly grew calm and asked.
“What happened? That’s not like you.”
Do-young thought for a moment before replying.
“I feel like my temper’s gotten more violent. Back then, I would’ve held back. But the moment that guy picked a fight, I felt thrilled, like ‘I can fight now.’”
“No matter how mild your nature, everyone hides some violence inside. Especially vampires—they’re a predatory species by instinct, so it’s aggressive.”
Though he’d given the punishment, the lieutenant colonel spoke as if he’d known why Do-young snapped from the start.
“It’ll get better with time. It’s just hard to control at first. Find some other outlet. Exercise or…”
The lieutenant colonel eyed Do-young. His workout volume was already overflowing…
“Ikebana or something?”
Do-young stared in disbelief, but the lieutenant colonel added calmly.
“Surprisingly effective, they say.”
***
“I’m home, Gamal.”
As he spoke and set his bag by the door, a food aroma wafted over. Then came the sound of running footsteps.
“Do-young, you’re back?”
Gamal, who appeared, was wearing a floral apron. Her ponytail and apron made her look so cute that he blanked out for a second.
Do-young snapped out of it and asked.
“Cooking?”
“Yeah. Chloe taught me. Oh, hold on. It’s boiling.”
She returned to the kitchen. Do-young followed. Gamal was boiling something in a massive pot on the gas stove, big enough to cook a person.
Do-young approached from behind and asked.
“What is it?”
“Stew. Not sure if I did it right.”
She’d done it properly, but the portion was enough to feed an entire starving Chinese division. Being Luas, her single-serving estimate was way off human scale.
Do-young’s gaze suddenly fell on Gamal. With her hair tied in a single ponytail, a few black strands scattered across her nape.
Flawless, dazzlingly white and clean. If he were a vampire—no, he was one—it was a nape worth asking about.
The kitchen table was covered in newspaper with various flowers scattered about. Noticing Do-young looking, Gamal turned and said.
“We did it at today’s meeting.”
Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked.
“Want to try, Do-young?”
“Me?”
Gamal grabbed Do-young’s hand and led him. He sat at the table almost reflexively, and she handed him a few flowers.
“Here. Make whatever you like.”
Then she resumed her own arrangement. In her apron, doing ikebana, she looked perfectly like a young bride who’d married early.
The kitchen filled with boiling food scents, sunlight shining on the table.
It felt soothing.
No wonder they recommended flower arranging…
Do-young muttered.
“Guess it does work.”
He tilted a flower to sniff it.
Flower scent.
Female scent.
Do-young looked up. Amid the floral aroma, a subtle scent lingered. His eyes met Gamal’s, who’d been watching him. She casually looked away and stood.
“Looks done.”
She went to the stove to check the pot. Do-young rose slowly. He approached Gamal and placed a hand on the sink counter beside her.