Objective (1)
The cafeteria, which had been rowdy from the fierce outburst, suddenly fell into complete silence. It wasn’t the icy quiet that precedes a storm. No, this was a silence born from sheer disbelief—that all this anger stemmed from nothing more than a single menu item: jeyuk-deopbap.
“…….”
I remained silent, unable to find any suitable response. That was when the man spoke again.
“Hey.”
His voice was rough, thick with rage.
“Yes?”
“Just how much do you eat by yourself? I haven’t even caught a whiff of jeyuk-deopbap for two whole days now.”
His powerful build towered over me by a full head. Gripping the edge of his tray so tightly his knuckles paled, he glared at me with a voice sharp enough to cut. That distinct Ricon Kingdom accent. He wasn’t built like me, but we clearly came from the same homeland. Only then did I understand the source of his fury.
“I’m sorry.”
I stood up immediately and bowed at the waist.
“Huh?”
A startled voice passed over my lowered head, sounding momentarily flustered.
I straightened up and continued.
“It looked like almost no one was eating the jeyuk-deopbap. That’s why I took all the leftovers. I’m sorry for not thinking about the people behind me.”
“Uh, um. Y-yeah. Ahem.”
My apology must have landed. The man scratched his head awkwardly and cleared his throat. He clearly had a hot temper; the face that had been twisted in rage moments ago smoothed out in an instant.
“Jeez. Look at this guy and his damn temper.”
“Ease up, man. Getting all worked up over rice?”
“It’s not like it’s only been a day or two.”
The hostile atmosphere in the cafeteria eased as quickly as it had formed. Those around them either offered light scolding or burst into chuckles.
“Khm, khm.”
He looked embarrassed too. Stress from the subjugation missions had already piled up, and having his favorite food stolen had soured his mood. The other soldiers in the outpost seemed to brush off his temperament without much fuss.
Is he a well-known guy around here?
As if to clear the air that had turned into a spectacle, Kalant and another soldier stepped in at the perfect moment.
“Alright, alright. An apology’s been made and it looks like it’s accepted. Shall we wrap this up?”
“That’s enough. It’s unsightly.”
“Vice-captain Serdin!”
Hearing the Ricon soldier address the other as vice-captain, I took a closer look at his face. He appeared to be the superior of the Ricon soldier. So he was a squad vice-captain like Kalant.
The man called Serdin approached me.
“Sorry about this. My subordinate loves his food more than anything. He’s a strange one who counts eating at the mess hall as one of his few joys in this place. I’m Serdin. Serdin Creb.”
“I’m Han Jungwoo.”
“I see. So you’re from the Ricon Kingdom too, just like Sunho.”
“Sunho?”
“That’s the name of the guy puffing up over there because you took all his jeyuk-deopbap.”
When pointed out, the man tried to hide his embarrassed expression.
“Ah, who’s puffing up…? Ahem. N-nice to meet you. I’m Lee Sunho.”
Lee Sunho extended his hand. Considering he had just been yelling curses at the top of his lungs a few minutes ago, this was a surprisingly polite introduction.
For a moment I thought, What’s with this guy? But after my apology, the way he quickly cooled off and offered a handshake wasn’t unpleasant at all.
“I’m Han Jungwoo.”
I took the hand he offered.
“Since things have turned out this way, how about we sit together and eat?”
“Sounds good.”
While Han Jungwoo and Lee Sunho exchanged greetings, Kalant and Serdin claimed their seats at the table. Having always eaten alone or only with my own squad members, the situation felt strangely new.
“You’re heading out on a mission soon, right?”
“Scheduled for next week.”
The conversation between the two seated men flowed naturally. As I watched them chat while eating, Lee Sunho—who had gone to get his own food—sat down beside Serdin.
“Hey, maknae. What are you staring at? Get over here.”
“Yes.”
I picked up my tray and moved to the seat beside Kalant.
“Are you two already acquainted?”
“Hm? Yeah, we are.”
“We enlisted at the same time. Old buddies.”
“Ah.”
I nodded in immediate understanding. Even though they belonged to different units, the natural flow from sharing a table to easy conversation now made sense.
Kalant noticed my reaction and offered more explanation.
“These guys are from the 2nd Subjugation Unit. You know about the organized units, right?”
“Yes. I understand.”
The current 9th Defense Division consisted of various units. Four subjugation units. Four search units. One supply unit. One communications unit. Ten units in total. From what I’d heard, they operated the defense division flexibly—supporting other units on request or reorganizing as the situation demanded.
While every unit’s role was crucial, the relationship between subjugation units and search units held far more weight than any other.
“If our search unit’s job is forward reconnaissance and information gathering, the subjugation units handle the dangerous demonic beasts on the front lines.”
Among the beasts the subjugation units faced were many unidentified ones that had yet to be discovered.
Like that kobold shaman we encountered before.
The appearance of a magic-using demonic beast was information unknown both now and two years ago, before my death. It was the search unit’s role to deliver such intel to the subjugation units, lowering their mortality rate and raising their operation success rate.
“But is it really true? A kobold that uses magic?”
“Exactly. Does a kobold like that actually exist?”
It seemed they had already received the report. Both men asked with expressions caught between belief and doubt. Since they were scheduled to head out on a subjugation mission soon, information on this new demonic beast called the kobold shaman would have been extremely concerning.
“Haha, I’m telling you it’s true. I nearly died for real because of that thing.”
Kalant joked while eating, but cold sweat beaded on his forehead. It looked like he was remembering the battle. Then he glanced at me and grinned.
“Still, we survived thanks to our maknae’s quick thinking!”
“Hmm. This guy?”
“Mm.”
Serdin and Lee Sunho’s gazes turned toward me.
“…….”
I silently lowered my head and continued eating. The curious attention they directed at me didn’t feel pleasant. Honestly, it was burdensome.
“You strong?”
“Not reall—”
Maybe because we shared the same Ricon Kingdom origin, I started to deny it when he spoke to me.
“Of course he is! This guy’s no joke! Honestly, he might be the strongest in our entire search unit when it comes to pure combat power.”
“No…. I wasn’t asking you, Vice-captain Kalant?”
“Not bragging. Getting pushed back by a rookie—what are you gonna do about it?”
It seemed the other soldiers already knew I hadn’t been in the 9th Defense Division long.
They said they hid the fact that I was a slave soldier, but….
Just from Serdin and Lee Sunho’s eyes, I could tell. These men didn’t know about my past as a slave soldier. Garan, Kalant, and all the search unit members had kept my history hidden. The fact that they did so purely out of goodwill made my heart feel complicated and strangely unsettled.
Is this really okay?
I questioned myself, but soon pushed the thought away. Garan had said he would investigate my past and decide what to do with me afterward. I would have to hear that decision and make my own judgment. If they accepted me, it would be fortunate. If not, he said they would send me back to the forest.
Not handing me over to Central Command is already something.
He had called it the minimum courtesy toward me for helping them. I thought that was enough.
It’s been a while since I’ve had a meal like this.
I often ate with the search unit members rather than alone. But sharing a table with new people felt unfamiliar again. I probably felt the same way the first time I ate with the search unit. The noise was a little burdensome, yet I found it bearable. Maybe because, deep down—
I wanted this too.
This gradual expansion of human connections through small interactions with others. Perhaps I had been wanting it after all.
The wake-up bugle blared.
Bwa~bwa! Bwabwabwa! Bwabwabwabwa! Bwabbarrabwa bwabwabwa! Bwabwabwa!
The barracks soldiers reacted to the sound that announced another morning, just like always.
“Ugh, uwaaaaack!”
They writhed in agony as if listening to some cursed dirge before forcing themselves up. One by one they sluggishly emerged from the barracks, finished morning roll call, and ate.
I finished my jeyuk-deopbap, washed up, and headed straight for the training ground.
“Huh? You’re early.”
Lee Sunho, who had arrived first, spotted me and waved.
“…Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
“I did, but lightly. I adjust on purpose before heading out on a mission.”
“I see.”
I nodded. Everyone had their own way of managing themselves.
I picked up a wooden sword from the storage rack meant for training.
“Since we’ve run into each other like this, it must be fate. How about a light warm-up and a quick spar?”
“What do you mean?”
“A spar. You know, a spar.”
Lee Sunho shrugged and continued.
“I was curious about the skills of the new guy who’s supposedly the top combatant in the 4th Search Unit.”
“…….”
I met Lee Sunho’s eyes. Honestly, getting entangled like this felt burdensome and annoying. I wondered if he was trying to pick a fight, but his eyes told me otherwise. It was pure curiosity and his naturally belligerent personality. A meaningless fight where neither of us would truly gain or lose anything. Yet he wanted to fight simply to satisfy that curiosity and temper.
I gripped the wooden sword and stood before him. Lee Sunho, also holding a wooden sword, grinned and took his stance. He had taken my action as acceptance.
“I’ll give you the first move. Com—”
“Yes.”
Before he could finish speaking, I charged straight into his chest.
“Hup…!?”
Lee Sunho swallowed a breath at my sudden rush and swung his wooden sword. It clashed with mine.
Thwack!
A crisp impact rang throughout the training ground. The shock from the colliding wooden swords surged back like recoil, vibrating through both hands gripping the hilt. My hands trembled, but I didn’t make the foolish mistake of dropping my weapon. On the battlefield, letting go of your weapon meant death. So I endured the recoil and shock, flowing straight into the next attack and defense.
Thwack!
I corrected my bounced stance and swung again. Lee Sunho blocked my attack once more. His brows furrowed deeper, his eyes growing fierce.
“Not bad.”
His impression after receiving my strike was short. The spar wasn’t over yet. It had only just begun.