Midnight Guard Duty in the Erotic Game - (2)
10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
There had been one revision from the original plan.
I had originally figured that two-hour rotations would be ideal under the assumption that each of us would stand watch alone. But after taking in Lee Ha-rin and Jo A-yeong’s concerns that standing watch by themselves felt too burdensome, we decided the two of them would stand watch together. That forced us to stretch each shift from two hours to three. Otherwise someone would end up pulling an extra shift while someone else got off light. Having lived through more than my share of unfair treatment in the past, I knew that particular brand of unfairness better than anyone, so I accepted the change without complaint.
“Any other opinions?”
“Nope!”
“…Yeah.”
And so the three of us glared at one another like cowboys facing off in a western. The moment my command rang out, each of us whipped the vicious weapons we had been hiding behind our backs into the open.
“Rock!”
“Paper!”
“Scissors!”
Bang!
There was no actual gunshot. But there was someone who crumpled to the floor as if she had taken a bullet. Her name was Lee Ha-rin—the fool who had thrown out a solitary fist.
“I… I came in last?”
Ha-rin muttered the words, crushed. I strolled over with a wicked smile curling my lips.
“Heh heh heh…”
She looked up at me, pulling the most pitiful face she could manage.
“Hiiing…”
I didn’t fall for the aegyo. With a cold expression I thrust the laptop toward her.
“Sign it.”
“W-What?!”
“That you are the loser of rock-paper-scissors!”
Ha-rin let out a strangled “Keuk—” and reluctantly typed her name. Naturally the slot she had drawn was the worst of the lot—the first watch and the last. Unlike everyone else, she would have to wake up alone in the middle of the night and stand another shift.
“Ha-rin…”
A-yeong looked at her with genuine sympathy. But the world of competition is merciless. I turned A-yeong around and filled in the remaining slots.
“Still, I’ll put you somewhere you can sleep a little longer, A-yeong.”
“…Thanks.”
With that the simple rotation was set. Using it as a base, I drew up a proper night-watch duty roster listing the hours, the guidelines, and any special notes.
“How’s it look?”
The two of them studied the finished roster with faintly awkward faces.
“…It’s a little too stiff.”
Saying so, they slowly added a few more lines of their own.
“All done!”
“…I-Is this really okay?”
And thus the final version of the roster was complete.
[Duty Hours]
22:00 – 01:00 / Jo A-yeong, Lee Ha-rin
01:00 – 04:00 / Lee Ha-jun, Jo A-yeong
04:00 – 07:00 / Lee Ha-jun, Lee Ha-rin
[Duty Guidelines]
1. Immediately check the screen if the motion-detection alarm sounds.
2. Do not go out into the hallway alone if any anomaly is confirmed.
3. Wake the next watchers ten minutes before shift change.
4. Always hand over any special notes to the next watchers.
↳ And if caught dozing off: severe punishment (Indian burns)!
↳ Clean up thoroughly after late-night snacks!
↳ Keep quiet so you don’t wake the sleepers!
[Special Notes]
※ Want to give Lee Ha-rin one good forehead flick.
※ Hallway lights turned on again with no one present. According to Lee Ha-rin the light sensors sometimes react too sensitively.
“Hey! What’s this about wanting to give me a forehead flick at the bottom?!”
Ha-rin exploded the moment she spotted the special note I had snuck in. I pretended not to hear and turned my back on her.
“A-yeong, what do you think?”
“…Yeah, I like it.”
In a democracy, majority rule is absolute law.
“So it’s decided by majority vote?”
“N-No!”
Ignoring Ha-rin’s protest, I saved the roster on the laptop.
Save completed.
The confirmation message appeared. I yawned, mouth stretching wide.
“Hwaaam… All right, I’m going to bed.”
I rose from the sofa and trudged toward the bedroom.
“Hey, Lee Ha-jun! Don’t drool on the blanket!”
I gave a small wave over my shoulder, shut the door, and flopped face-first onto the bed.
“…Huuuh.”
Was it baby powder? A soft, faintly sweet scent—something like the smell that clings to little kids—seeped into my nose. Lulled by the fragrance, I slowly closed my eyes.
“…Ha-rin.”
“Just a second… yeah. Once Lee Ha-jun’s asleep…”
I drifted under.
.
.
.
.
“…There’s something I wanted to ask.”
“…I don’t really know either.”
“…I see.”
“…Sorry.”
“…No, thank you for being honest.”
“…I’m really sorry.”
“…Then can you promise me one thing?”
“…Uh, what is it?”
“…Later, with Ha-jun…”
“…Ahh, yeah.”
1 a.m. to 4 a.m.
Chzzzzzzt—
Bam-pa-ra-bam~ bam-pa-ra-ra-ppa-ppam
Somewhere a phantom bugle call was blaring, and then—
“Lee Ha-jun… Lee Ha-jun!”
Someone was shaking me. I bolted upright and barked at the top of my lungs.
“P-Private! Lee. Ha. Jun!!”
The person shaking me burst out laughing.
“Aha, ahahaha! What are you even saying?!”
“Uh… huh?”
Only then did I come to my senses and look around.
Phew… just a dream.
One of the classic traumas of every discharged soldier. I dragged a hand down my face and let out a long sigh of relief. Ha-rin, who had been staring at me the whole time, asked,
“You fully awake now?”
I nodded slowly.
“…Yeah. Good work.”
My voice was still rough with sleep.
“…Any special notes?”
“I wrote them on the laptop.”
“…Okay.”
I started straightening the blanket and reaching for the pillow when Ha-rin stopped me.
“I-I’ll do it. Just go.”
She shooed me away and dove onto the bed herself. Was she that exhausted? Scratching my head, I headed for the door and its faint strip of light.
“…Ha-jun.”
A strangely wistful voice came from behind me. I turned.
“What is it?”
No answer came back.
…What was that about?
I tilted my head and slowly opened the door.
Hwaaaah—
The sudden brightness made me flinch for a second.
“…Ha-jun, you awake?”
The voice floated over from the sofa far across the room. I turned toward it.
“Yeah. Hey.”
“…Hey.”
We looked at each other and shared a small smile.
“I’m just gonna wash my face real quick.”
I stepped into the bathroom.
Splash, splash—
“Hoo…”
Cold water chased the last of the sleep from my head. I toweled off and returned to the living room, walking over to A-yeong, who was staring intently at the laptop.
“Anything come up?”
She gave a tiny nod.
“…Yeah. Look at this.”
I followed her finger to the special-notes section on the screen.
※ Want to give Lee Ha-rin one good forehead flick.
※ Hallway lights turned on again with no one present. According to Lee Ha-rin the light sensors sometimes react too sensitively.
※ The uncle next door went out to the stairwell for a smoke.
One new line had been added beneath the notes I had written earlier.
“…If he wants a cigarette, he should go outside.”
A-yeong laughed softly.
“…Right?”
Then she added,
“…I’m glad Ha-jun doesn’t smoke.”
“Random praise?”
Charmed by the cute way she said it, I gently pulled her face closer and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Smack—
A-yeong looked up at me and beamed, all soft and happy.
“Nothing else?”
“…Nope. Just got a little startled by the beep when the uncle came out.”
“That so?”
“Other than that, nothing… Ah—while he was on the stairs the lights stayed on the whole time, and I could see cigarette smoke by the window. That’s about it.”
I nodded and stroked her hair.
“Mind holding the fort for a minute?”
I stood up. First rule of standing night watch: walk the perimeter. Make sure every door is locked, every possible entry point secure. I headed for the front door and checked the lock.
Click—
The digital lock was solid. The secondary safety chain above it was latched as well. I dimly recalled some YouTube video claiming that once the main lock was defeated even those secondary gadgets could be bypassed… but that felt like overthinking. I turned away and methodically checked every window in the apartment before returning to the living room with a clear mind.
“…Ha-jun, good work.”
“Yeah.”
Playing army again after so long was more fun than I expected.
“From this moment, the main night-watch duty will be conducted under the command of Duty Officer Lee Ha-jun!”
“…U-Uh?”
A-yeong looked startled by the sudden declaration, but she still smiled and played along.
“…Okay.”
Seeing how earnestly innocent she was only made my mischievous streak worse.
“Private Jo A-yeong?”
“…M-Me?”
“Ahem! When I call your name you answer ‘Private Jo A-yeong!’”
She hesitated a beat, then replied,
“…Private Jo A-yeong?”
“Good!”
I had meant to keep it as a light joke, but…
“Now then, Private Jo A-yeong.”
“Yes… I mean, Private Jo A-yeong?”
“Who authorized you to write this nonsense on the laptop?”
I pointed at the lines under the guidelines.
↳ And if caught dozing off: severe punishment (Indian burns)!
↳ Clean up thoroughly after late-night snacks!
↳ Keep quiet so you don’t wake the sleepers!
I began the interrogation.
“No… that wasn’t me—”
A-yeong started to protest with an aggrieved look, but I cut her off.
“Is there room for excuses in the military?”
She glanced at my face and quickly apologized.
“…I’m sorry.”
Of course a little of the old military flair still lingered.
“Does ‘sorry’ get you out of service?”
“…Ah.”
A-yeong looked completely dazed by the classic army rhetoric.
“This won’t do, will it?”
I looked at her in her pajamas and swallowed hard.
“…Looks like you need a little discipline.”
Our private midnight watch had only just begun.
