Wherever You Go, It's All the Same
Wherever people live, it's all the same, Captain Na Se-hyeong. You fucking bastard.
"Mmm! Delicious." Thanks to that prick, I even got to eat sea urchins. I hiked up my pants and sat on a rock by the crashing waves along the coast, digging into the sea urchins. The orange flesh was nutty, sweet, and subtly salty, whetting my appetite. The creamy texture went without saying.
"@#$%^&?" The lady next to me, wearing what looked like square-cut panties for bottoms, said something. I couldn't make out the local Tsushima dialect properly, but from the knife in her hand and the sea urchin, I could guess the gist.
"Yes! One more, please!"
"#$%^&*!" The lady nodded heartily and got to work prepping another sea urchin. She'd already removed the tricky spines. With deft, swift movements, she pried off the lid, rinsed the guts in the ankle-deep seawater, and handed it over. The hollowed-out urchin shell held only bright yellow flesh inside.
"Hold on a sec. Let me finish this one first. Slurp!" I scooped out the remaining sea urchin with my fingers and polished it off. The haenyeo divers sitting around us burst into giggles at the sight—who knows what was so funny. Naturally, I hadn't come out alone from our foreign posting. The five soldiers and one officer with me were chowing down on sea squirts, spoon worms, sea cucumbers, and the like.
If I had to pick a difference, it was that we Joseon folk were all clustered together eating. I scooped up more sea urchin while watching my men.
"Slurp, smack! Mmm!" The rich flavor still drew exclamations of delight. Eori would've loved this. A pang of homesickness hit me too. Ah, I wanna go home.
It had been nearly a month since I'd been reassigned to Tsushima, then to Omonpo Fortress. No—only a month had passed. The thought that I had at least eleven more months before leaving Tsushima filled my head with despair. Homesickness soured the sea urchin with a faint bitterness as I thought of home. Life here wasn't all bad, though. Like the saying goes, wherever people live, it's all the same—once you adapted, it was livable. It was just the occasional longing for home that got to me.
I gazed at the Joseon mainland across the waves, amid the crashing surf. Though beyond the sea, I could see Izuhara harbor. Where was that again?
"C-Captain."
A young girl's voice piped up. It was Mino, who was fourteen this year. Calling me in her clumsy Joseon tongue, she was dressed differently from the other haenyeo. Short shorts that bared her thighs, sleeveless shirt exposing her arms—not much different from modern clothes back home. But fresh from diving, her whole body was soaked, her skin glistening faintly.
"H-Here..." Her trembling hand offered a perfectly cleaned, pale pink spoon worm.
"This for me?" Even without shared language, pointing between me and the worm made her intent clear.
"...!" She nodded brightly with an innocent smile, confirming it.
"Thanks, Mino."
"E, ehehehe." I was the one grateful, but why was she beaming? Still, the spoon worm was delicious.
"Here? Here? H-Here?" Mino watched me eat contentedly, then pointed to other seafood. Sea squirts, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, abalone—all freshly dived.
Wasn't she catching these to sell?
"No, it's fine. I've had plenty. I'm full." My belly really was stuffed, and it was about time to head back, so I refused. I waved off the seafood she offered and stood.
One of the soldiers noticed and called out. "Deputy Platoon Leader! Heading back now, sir?"
"Yeah! Time to go! Everyone, prep to return!" I told the soldiers and officer, then bowed slightly to the haenyeo.
"Gotta go! Bye! See you!"
"#%^&&^!"
"@#$%^&*!" The haenyeo hurried to stand and bowed deeply in return.
"No, no need to stand! It's fine! Bye! Mino! See ya! Bye!" I bowed and waved to them before leaving. Lowering my rolled-up pant legs to my calves, I approached my men, who were also getting up to go.
"Everyone eat well?"
"Yes, sir! Hehehe! Thanks to you, Deputy Platoon Leader!"
"This is why patrol duty rocks!"
As one soldier had just said, we weren't out for a picnic. At Platoon Leader Captain Na Se-hyeong's orders, we were scouting potential enemy infiltration routes. Not that it was necessary.
"Where's my combat boots?"
"Here, sir." I took the cowhide boots from the soldier and squatted to put them on. Pulling socks—no, footcloths—from my combat pants pocket, I glanced up at the cliff. Not quite vertical, but dozens of meters of steep rockface stretched ahead. Atop it sat our post, Omonpo.
No way a human climbs that. Even a mountain goat would slip. Na Se-hyeong, you insane fuck.
The rocky coast made docking ships impossible. The cliff had loose soil—climb a bit and you'd slide. No way armed soldiers could manage. That's why the fortress was built here to block rear approaches in the first place. Yet Captain Na Se-hyeong sent us to patrol it.
If he knew a damn thing about combat, I'd respect him a little. But this war-mongering idiot ignored basic common sense, so just thinking about it made me sigh.
"Haaaah...!" Like that.
Anyway, boots on, helmet donned, matchlock musket slung over my shoulder. By the time I checked my holstered pistol, everyone was ready.
"Alright. Let's move."
"Yes, sir!"
I led the way, the soldiers following in two neat ranks.
"..." Upper Sergeant I Cheol-dong silently fell in beside my left. I'd figured he'd oppose slacking off most. But no. When I suggested killing time instead of pointless patrolling, he nodded first. Seemed he liked seafood. Or hated Na Se-hyeong's bullshit orders as much as I did.
We trudged along the jagged, rocky coast.
"Sergeant! What happened with that girl? Taking her as a concubine?"
"The prick who just spoke—keep walking forward! Don't look back or I can't aim!"
"Oops! My bad! This mouth of mine!"
We traded half-serious jokes as we rounded the cliff.
"Ah, shit."
A curse slipped out at the sight of the hill where the fortress stood. Not because it was lighthouse-tall. The slope was gentle enough to walk, but the weeds covering it were the problem.
"We should probably weed soon."
"Aw, do we have to?"
"We came all the way to Tsushima. Can't it just be weeding every day?"
That's the army for you. I humored the newbies' gripes as we climbed.
Our home at Omonpo was about half a school playground in size. Inside: two barracks, a cramped mess hall, small armory, three watchtowers, little stable. A proper fortress with everything. The 4-meter walls had firing slits for covered shooting. Watchtowers and lighthouse made spotting approaching foes easy.
But we couldn't station heavy weapons here, near Tsushima's capital-like Izuhara. Our arsenal: dozens of matchlocks and one signal cannon.
"Halt! Halt! Halt!"
We were nearly there when a rifle barrel poked from a wall slit, followed by a shout.
"Hands up! Move and I shoot!"
Ah, for real. Gotta do this every time? I got why the officers ignored sentries on their commutes. But Na Se-hyeong was right on this, so no choice. Hands up, I followed orders.
"Who goes there!"
"Sergeant Kim Si-jin."
"State your business!"
"Returning from patrol."
"Step forward three paces for ID check!"
Why not just speak Joseon if you know who I am?
"Yeah. There. Good?" Hands raised, I advanced. Soon, a helmeted head popped up over the wall.
"Victory! On duty! All clear!"
"All clear? Open the damn gate then."
"Yes, sir! Opening gate!"
The wooden gate swung open, revealing the interior. A drill yard big enough for formations, command building. Single-story structures on either side evoked an old rural elementary school. We entered through the central doors and halted before the platoon leader's office.
A month under Captain Na Se-hyeong, and I knew how to handle him.
"Everyone, check your uniforms. Even if you did already, once more."
Messy clothes? Discipline issue.
"Check weapons too."
Matchlock powder missing? Weapon lost.
"Shoulders back."
Slouch? Real soldier?
After the checks, I knocked lightly.
"Sir? Sergeant Kim Si-jin here."
"...Yeah. Enter."
The reply came late—meaning he was in a mood. Handle right, it'd end quick. I opened the door fast.
"Sir! Sergeant Kim Si-jin and six men! Patrol of suspected enemy routes complete—returning!"
"Mm."
Captain Na Se-hyeong sat at the central desk, shuffling papers. Best to wrap this up quick when distracted.
"Any incidents?"
"Spotted three locals on the coast! IDs checked—mere fishermen. Released."
"Hmm. Right. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir! Sir!"
"Yeah."
He never glanced up during my report. That fucking prick. Really. I muttered a curse inwardly and left.
After all that bullshit, at least pretend to care. What a joke. Then again, that's military life.
"Report done. Dismissed—rest up."
Lucky it ended without hassle. I sent them off. Sergeant I Cheol-dong and the soldiers saluted and dispersed. Watching them, I smirked faintly. At least till evening roll call, we could relax without grief.