Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Unit Assignment
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Paper without backing tears easily under the pen.
"Sit......"
That was why he was about to suggest sitting down somewhere else to fill out the survey.
"I'm already sitting."
By the time he came to his senses, he was seated, and a round parasol table had been set up in front of him.
"Thank you."
The pen gripped in his right hand was a given. First, he scanned the questions on the survey handed to him.
[1. Did you get along well with your seniors during your service?]
[2. Did you get along well with your juniors during your service?]
[3. When you were discharged, did the officers say something like, 'Ah, he was finally getting useful, and now he's leaving!' (or similar sentiment)?]
[4. When you were discharged, did your juniors express regret or throw you a party?]
[5. When you were discharged, did your juniors roll up your blanket for you?]
[6. After discharge, have you been in contact at least once in civilian life with any juniors or seniors?]
[7. When you contacted them after discharge, did your juniors or seniors respond warmly without getting serious or sarcastic?]
[8. During your service, did you ever cause trouble to others due to your own mistakes?]
[9. As a corporal or higher, did you receive reprimands five or more times from other soldiers or officers due to frequent mistakes in your duties?]
It was exactly like the game. The very survey where you answered ten questions and got kidnapped into a special space based on the results.
'I guess I have to answer honestly?'
Even if he didn't want to, an obsession compelled him to be truthful. Probably the entity's peculiarity.
'Relationship with seniors? Good, we talked a lot.'
Juniors were moot since he was a private discharge with none under him, and he hadn't met the officers at discharge because they were all busy.
'Looking now, so many questions can't be answered without a full term of service.'
With no choice, he skipped to the end with "Unable to respond due to lack of experience."
[10. Are you trash-grade?]
The incomprehensible question made him raise his hand.
"Does 'trash-grade' refer to the type commonly called on the internet as 'the airheaded screw-up who constantly messes up and can't adapt to military life'?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The man answered curtly.
"I need clear criteria to judge if I am trash-grade or not. People tend to be lenient with themselves, so without a benchmark, fair judgment is difficult."
"......Please wait a moment."
After pondering briefly, the man stated the criteria for trash-grade.
"If more than 50% of those around you have directly called you trash-grade, then you definitely are."
50 percent, huh.
He quietly recalled his military life.
[You crazy bastard!!!]
[Don't do it!!!]
[Get down right now!!!]
[You fucking asshole!!!]
[Seung-hoon, please just stay still until discharge, okay? Please, even the admin sergeant is begging you.]
"Not trash-grade, then."
The moment he marked "No" on the tenth question, the world distorted.
『Aren't you trash-grade? My eyes say otherwise. And trash-grade soldiers always claim they're not.』
Soon after, a familiar yet long-dormant scene from buried memories unfolded before his eyes.
『Then prove it. By recreating your military life once more.』
The shaking back seat of the military Retona, and the Ironwon's mountains speeding past the window.
'It's the day heading to the unit.'
A shame.
'Starting from basic training.'
That was where the real fun was.
"Rookie, your name's Lee Seung-hoon, right?"
"Private Lee Seung-hoon."
With no time to adjust, the officer in the passenger seat spoke up. If it were current him, he'd respond differently, but since this entity's escape method was fixed, he followed his past self.
"Yeah, Seung-hoon, wow, you're gonna be loved by the seniors, huh? Our unit's an independent company, so it's small-scale? TO's low, so manpower's precious."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, you probably heard outside that seniors bully you in the army, hit you, all that crap? Not in our unit, so don't worry."
The captain's insignia on the officer's collar shook as he turned to look back on the mountain road.
"Come on, Admin Sergeant, assault in this day and age? It's not 2008 army anymore."
"Hey, that was said back in my day too. No beatings in the army. No barracks abuses. Everyone says that crap, how am I supposed to believe you guys?"
The officer playfully smacked the driver's headrest.
"Anyway, if anyone's pulling weird shit, come straight to the admin office, got it?"
"Yes, sir."
The bumpy ride cut the conversation short. Meanwhile, he thought about the entity.
'Entity Name: "Reserve Forces Survey." Approaches those who've finished reserves, administers survey. If deemed trash-grade but answers "No" to the last question, kidnaps into a sub-space recreating their military life.'
As mentioned earlier, you had to recreate your own military life 90% or higher to escape.
'In the game, a few choices got you out easy, but in reality, having to act it out yourself skyrockets the difficulty.'
Fortunately, he'd jotted down his entire military life in his mental notebook beforehand, so it wasn't hard for him.
"Alright, we're here. Let's go, Seung-hoon."
"Private Lee Seung-hoon, yes, sir."
He followed the admin sergeant with his duffel bag. Right away, there was an interview in the admin office.
"Okay, let's see, what'd you do in basic?"
While preparing, he scanned the surroundings like his past self.
[Higher Unit: 6th Division Commander - Major General Kwak Yun-seon]
[Higher Unit: 15th Infantry Regiment Commander - Colonel Lee Deok-gu]
[Baekseokbong Company Commander - Captain Ryu Se-hyun]
The unit's organization chart on the wall matched his memory perfectly.
'32 officers, 114 enlisted.'
Unit name: Baekseokbong Company. He'd never been there, but heard it was a GOP border unit.
"Hmm...... Seung-hoon?"
The admin sergeant looking at the monitor asked.
"Y-Your parents both passed in an accident?"
"Yes. Car accident."
"High school?"
"Precisely, I didn't attend high school, so they passed when I was 18."
"Oh...... really? No high school?"
"I dropped out because I felt there was no need."
Instantly, the typing of other soldiers in the admin office stopped.
"Why?"
As they talked, he checked his physical condition.
"High school classes are geared toward the college entrance exam, so I saw no value in them."
"Didn't want to go to college?"
"Yes, college knowledge is available in their libraries open to the public, so easily obtainable. Plus, several generous professors allowed auditing without issue, no need for the exam."
The physical prowess from the girl with closed eyes was gone. But his senses remained sharp, letting him perceive things he couldn't before.
"Yeah? I see......"
For example, the text "A-Grade Watch Soldier, Exercise Caution" reflected in the admin sergeant's eyes—he couldn't have seen that before.
"Hey! Corporal Kim! High school dropout's public service, right?"
"Yes, that's what I understand."
"Seung-hoon, didn't you know? If not, even now......"
"I did. But I volunteered for active duty to experience it firsthand."
A faint "he's insane" caught his ear. A new experience back then too.
"Volunteered, volunteered, volun......"
The troubled admin sergeant peered at the monitor and asked.
"Seung-hoon, you really know 100 kinds of grasshoppers?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Forest grasshopper, short-winged bush cricket, green bush cricket, pink-eyed camel cricket, praying mantis, king mole cricket, king katydid, katydid, leaf katydid king, Baekdu short-horned grasshopper, Liocric, black-kneed grasshopper, click beetle, mole cricket, mountain katydid, long-tailed Jerusalem cricket......"
"Whoa, stop, you really do."
His voice was much softer and calmer than at first.
"Wow, impressive. Our Seung-hoon knows so much."
It was like soothing a child.
"Hm."
Silence fell again. The admin office was quiet, only the mouse clicks audible.
'This is fun.'
He sneaked a peek at the monitor reflected in the admin sergeant's eyes.
[Marksmanship Training Excused - Reason: High likelihood of causing unexpected situations]
[Grenade Training Excused - Reason: High likelihood of causing unexpected situations]
"Seung-hoon, sorry to keep asking, but you didn't do marksmanship or grenade training in basic, right?"
"Yes, excused."
"Wanted to?"
"Yes, desperately."
"Why?"
"Basic's the only place in-country to fire rifles and throw grenades."
"That bad, huh?"
"Knowledge yes, but no hands-on experience."
Back then, he was a knowledge-thirsty wanderer, unwilling to miss the army's rare trove.
"Too bad. Instructors wouldn't let you?"
"After consulting the basic company commander, excused."
"Yeah, I see...... Mind if I step out for a smoke?"
The admin sergeant left briefly. Through the window, the smoking room was visible; he smoked while on the phone.
『Why let a kid like this volunteer? Crazy? Clearly mentally off! That's what draft board's for—to screen these! Just 'cause he volunteers, take everyone? Huh!? Then spies, defectors, Kim Jong-un too!? Atmosphere's tense lately, why this!?』
With enhanced vision, he lip-read the conversation.
'Same experience, yet so different.'
It was so touching and fun he could go mad.
'Mentally unstable? My actions are quirky, but not that bad. Rash judgment.'
The admin office remained quiet. Instead, the TV relayed recent news.
[Amid ongoing North Korean defections, some suspect inadequate tracking. Like the 2012 North Korean defection via knock, doubts about surveillance gaps persist. Also, suspicions that defectors' movements are being secretly manipulated.]
Soon, the admin sergeant returned.
"Seung-hoon, you're on HQ duty, got it?"
First day at unit, billet assigned.
"This is your barracks."
A few waiting in the outdated barracks eyed him curiously.
"Come on, new guy's here, treat him well! And Jang Hyun-gu! You, with me."
"Me, sir?"
"Yeah, now!"
The sergeant with squad leader insignia vanished with the admin sergeant.
"Oh, new guy?"
"Private Lee Seung-hoon."
From the bunk corner, a soldier wrapped in blanket emerged.
"Soft voice?"
Seeing the nostalgic face, his acting nearly slipped.
"Newbie, newbie, newbie."
"You called?"
"No rank and name? Hey! Who's senior on duty!"
"Private First Class Min Sung-ho!"
"Bash head."
Private First Class Min Sung-ho forehead-planted, hands behind back. A soldier in running shorts and slippers dragged over, sat on him like a chair.
"Hey, unit's gotten soft lately, huh? But what can you do?"
Even indoors, he lit a cigarette. Hulking, muscular build, tough features—like a noir film scene.
"Not our unit?"
The sticker on his shorts: "Lee Hyung-seok Sergeant's. Touch and Die."
"So, newbie, rank and name?"
He answered just like his past self.
"Sergeant Lee Hyung-seok."
All eyes focused.
"Smoking indoors violates basic rules."
Not a breath.
"And only squad leaders have authority for corporal punishment among enlisted."
Choking gasps, maybe.
"Thus, Sergeant Lee Hyung-seok's actions are not permissible under military law."
"Ha."
He tossed the cigarette on the floor, ground it with his slipper.
"Good?"
"Butt in the trash......"
"You fucking punk!"
Yeah, it was like this back then too. Current him would've dodged lightly and continued, but past him was hot-blooded.
"Ugh!"
He wrapped his arm around the neck in a choke, squeezing the carotid until slack.
He laid the limp Sergeant Lee Hyung-seok on the bunk.
"You seemed agitated, so I knocked you out briefly."
His duffel too.
"Where's my spot?"