Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Unit Assignment
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Kate and I both freeze solid.
Things are going in all the wrong direction. If we had to get caught, it should've been by some other instructors.
"..."
Standing before our eyes is a girl we never could've anticipated.
I can't even begin to describe Yujin's expression. It's the first one like this I've ever seen in my life.
Her eyes are locked in place, unblinking, the once-vibrant blue sparkle in them utterly extinguished.
Is she even breathing? Or has she really just frozen up like that?
Now even I'm starting to struggle with my own breath. Right beside me, Kate is too busy glancing back and forth between me and Yujin to breathe properly herself.
Only faint, ragged breaths barely fill the space between the three of us.
It's the kind of moment where any one of us could collapse without it being strange at all.
Silence reigns here. The suffocating tension wrings cold sweat from my forehead and down my back.
Gulp—
I gather a mouthful of saliva and force it down. I need to moisten my parched throat just to open my mouth and start talking.
I have to somehow break this horrific atmosphere. Steel myself for it.
But...
Swish—
Yujin quietly pushes through the gap between me and Kate.
We have no choice but to watch her. Captain Yujin starts scanning the interior, her fingers tracing over everything one by one.
"...How long have you been standing at the door?"
Still, I squeeze out every last bit of strength to ask her.
My body and mind won't listen, like I've encountered a feral, starving beast, but I have to cling to my senses somehow.
I need to resolve what I can through talk. Even if it's a problem I can't fix myself, I have to stop Yujin from completely tearing Kate apart.
"From the beginning."
Yujin's cold voice echoes quietly through the infirmary.
The chill in the air sharpens even more. It feels like the entire space is freezing over from the bizarre icy aura radiating from her.
From the beginning?
Which beginning? The moment Kate and I were kissing? Or when we were stacking towels one by one on the bed inside the infirmary?
No, that doesn't matter.
What really matters is that Yujin unwittingly witnessed every bit of our fun sex time together.
"Yujin. Let's talk for a sec."
I drag my heavy feet toward her. I gently grab her wrist, preparing to pull her somewhere quiet for a private word.
But Yujin doesn't budge. Even as she registers my hand on her wrist, she continues etching every trace of the heated tryst left by the man and woman into her eyes.
Not satisfied with just looking, she even picks up the towels we've soaked through with her own hands.
Towels reeking of sticky, lewd scents.
The damp remnants left after our steamy lovemaking came to an end.
"..."
Yujin lifts one towel and inspects it closely with her own eyes.
Down to the last thread and crude detail.
Only after staring at it all for a long while does she finally turn her head to look at me.
"No one was coming to find you on graduation day. That's why I came."
That's when she finally speaks.
How can every single word feel so weighty?
"I figured showing up right on graduation would draw too much attention. So I came a little late."
But even those words cut off abruptly at the most crucial part.
"..."
Yujin says nothing more.
Instead, she just stares right at me.
"Drill Sergeant Kate."
Now the conversation shifts targets.
Yujin bores into me like that, but calls out to Kate with those pretty lips.
"Is it permitted for soldiers and instructors at the training center to have this kind of improper relationship?"
Kate can't even give her rank and name, can't muster any response at all.
By military law, it wouldn't be odd if Kate were dragged to the stockade right this instant. Depending on the circumstances, it might even be prison instead.
"My fault. I pushed for it."
That's why I have to answer in her place.
No matter what Kate says, it won't get through to Yujin.
"...Jeong-woo, I didn't ask you, did I?"
But my words don't seem to land with Yujin either.
Her eyes are terrifying. A formal smile hangs on her lips, but there's not a shred of life left in those eyes above it.
"Drill Sergeant Kate!"
"Y-Yes...!"
Yujin raises her voice at last. Kate jumps, her tail and ears trembling as she fears an officer from another unit.
"You need to answer yourself."
"Yes, sir...! I-I'm sorry...!"
Different units or not, she can't treat her like some random auntie. Reporting up the chain means her head rolls—it's a done deal.
No matter who reports it.
Kate becomes trash in the military: sleeping with a man and abusing her position to prey on a trainee.
"Yujin, I said I pushed for it!"
So I have to shield her somehow.
"Kate kept saying we should stop right up to the end. But I kept pressing, and...!"
"Enough."
But Yujin doesn't blink, dismissing my clumsy excuse outright.
The childhood friend I knew isn't here.
This isn't Yujin—
It's an officer who made captain in just a few years in this world.
"This isn't a conversation for you to butt into."
It's a sharpness I've never seen before.
That short sentence freezes my body, leaving me unable to act.
PTSD hits.
No, something even worse.
"Know your place, Private Han Jeong-woo."
She's a soldier. I can feel it in my bones—the essence of a soldier.
"This incident must be reported immediately upon discovery. Your relationship doesn't matter."
Her piercing gaze shifts between me and Kate.
Each time, my heart feels like it stops.
"Isn't that right, Drill Sergeant Kate?"
No kicks to the shin with her boots, no slaps—just her presence alone radiates pure charisma.
No wasted movements. Now I get a glimpse of the mindset officers in this world's military must have.
It's different from the training center. The women here were just NCOs at best—sergeants and such.
But Yujin commands a company. Sure, there are higher officers above her, but...
"I'll give this matter more thought. It'd be a problem if a soldier I'm taking to our unit tomorrow was tangled up in something like this. But Drill Sergeant Kate, I can't help but be deeply disappointed in you."
The gentle warmth she once showed me with that blooming smile is gone. All that's left in Yujin is ironclad military discipline.
"Does the military not suit you?"
Her back, as she steps away from me toward Kate, looks utterly menacing.
Even her long, beautiful white hair and stunning figure can't shine through. This space is filled only with the overwhelming presence Yujin exudes.
"Answer me."
This could cause problems. Talking like that to an NCO from another unit...
But Yujin doesn't care. Does she have solid backing, or did her bold, razor-sharp nature earn her that support?
Kate can't even manage a short reply in front of her. Her face alone shows the depth of her panic.
"I said answer."
But Yujin never backs down.
She doesn't hit or touch Kate, but her words and aura alone half-kill her.
"Answer me!"
The last day at the training center ended in utter disaster like that.
I barely remember what attitude I took, stuck between Yujin and Kate. Probably because I sweated buckets.
700 Days Remaining
I stare only at the tattoo engraved on my wrist. That unreal number turns my mind blank.
The 30 days of training center life are over, and now a new chapter begins.
I know it too. The training center is just the basics, and my remaining military life will be defined by my assigned unit.
"Board slowly. This transport's expensive as hell, so don't scratch it. Break it, and you'll be paying off debt till you die."
I spot Kate up ahead.
She shows up looking haggard after just one night, personally herding trainees into their transports one by one.
It looks like a bus. Huge size, similar shape.
But this world's buses emit strange waves from the rear instead of exhaust fumes. Probably powered by mana engines or whatever they call those artifacts.
Impressive tech, but I don't dwell on it anymore. I just watch Kate.
"You all did great. Keep it up at your units too."
What punishment will she get? Of all people, caught by Yujin...
"Fill from the back. Yeah."
As Kate shoves trainees aboard one by one, her eyes meet mine.
Her lips are full of smiles. Even after the hell we went through together...
"...Work hard out there."
Pat pat—
Kate gives me alone that pretty smile and pats my shoulder.
But I can't shake the lingering sadness. Kate knows full well her punishment won't be light.
I know it too.
Still, I have no choice but to walk past the bus toward the back.
There, unlike the massive, brutal bus, sits a sleek transport. It looks like a luxury sedan.
The woman leaning against it lifts her sunglasses slightly, scanning me up and down.
Then she smiles warmly, as if nothing happened.
Which makes her even scarier.
How many more hours do I have to spend with that girl?
What kind of shit hole am I headed to?
"Liv, the kids are trickling in one by one. Get ready."
Yujin knocks on the car door—tap tap. Someone's inside.
The door opens, and someone steps out from near the driver's seat.
"Heard it was two, but it's three?"
"Yeah. One's going to a nearby unit, so we're giving him a lift. Take care of the kids. I'm gonna rest inside."
"Not sure three can fit in the back seat."
Even in uniform, he looks extraordinary. That ugly outfit can't hide his looks or vibe.
"Hey, everyone. Nice to meet you. Long ride to the unit, so let's load the bags in the back?"
Hayes, arriving late behind me, startles at the sight of him too. Only Mino stays unfazed.
"Whoa... uh..."
Hayes can't close her mouth. Stunned by the unfamiliar sight.
I'm just as shocked, staring dumbly at the face suddenly right in front of me. I know it's rude, but I can't help it.
I've seen plenty of pretty girls,
but a guy this perfectly handsome all around? First time.
He's a man.
Unlike my assumption that this world's men would be scrawny weaklings...
Out comes a guy even rarer than back on Earth.
"Ah, you're that new recruit everyone's talking about. Us few guys in the unit should get close..."
He extends his hand first.
I prepare to give my rank and name, make a good first impression.
"...Huh?"
But he tilts his head instead, peering at me intently.
Did I screw up?
"Hold on."
The hand offering a shake shifts targets. For some reason, it lands—chin—on my shoulder...
And he flashes a bright smile.
"Jeong-woo hyung, we've met before, right?!"
...Pardon?
No.
First time seeing you?
"Why're you here, hyung? Seeing you like this, I'm seriously thrilled."
He introduces himself as Liv and acts all friendly, like we're old pals.
"Why here—huh?"
But his smile starts to stiffen bit by bit.
"Why are you really here?"
His voice sinks lower.
As if realizing something upon our first meeting...
"...Why here?"
He turns in shock, staring at Captain Yujin behind him and the car.
"Oh my god."