Chapter 114
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Epilogue - Ryu Jin-ah
The blaring wake-up bugle echoed through the hall, and Ryu Jin-ah lifted her heavy eyelids.
"Ugh..."
It was 6 a.m., and the day had begun for the TS Victims housed in the Dedication Hall under the Ministry of National Defense.
-
After a quick wash-up, she stepped into the corridor where the others were shuffling out one by one, dragging their feet toward the doors. Not a single face among them was free of exhaustion.
It was only natural. The soldiers returning from their four-day, three-night training had been in and out of the Dedication Hall nonstop, giving them no rest.
'Of course, I'm just as tired.'
Ryu Jin-ah let out a long yawn she couldn't hold back. It must have been contagious because the woman facing her across the hall yawned hugely too. Their eyes met, and they exchanged awkward smiles.
"Looks like you didn't sleep well either."
"Yeah, well..."
Ryu Jin-ah scratched her cheek awkwardly in response, trailing off.
The woman lived in the room directly across from hers, but they still weren't close. The other woman was shy, and Ryu Jin-ah hadn't had the luxury of time to bond anyway.
It had already been nearly five months since she'd been sold back to her old unit—where she'd served right up until becoming a TS Victim—and started living in the Dedication Hall. And it wasn't just her; she wasn't close with anyone else there either.
Lost in thought, she heard the clack of shoes approaching, and a woman with a sharp, irritable expression appeared. She wore an armband emblazoned with "Hall Manager."
It was Oh Shin-hye, the Dedication Hall manager.
"Damn it, that fucking company commander. Full of energy first thing in the morning."
She'd clearly just come from a rough session. Her face was flushed, and a faint smell of semen lingered.
Oh Shin-hye pulled out a hand mirror, ran her fingers through her hair to tidy it, let out a sigh, and spoke.
"Alright, did everyone sleep well last night?"
"Yeees~"
"Judging by those weak voices, sounds like no one got much rest."
"We got plenty of dick, though."
Laughter rippled through the group at the quip. Oh Shin-hye smirked too.
"If you have the energy to joke, you must not be that worn out yet."
"Nooo~"
"Then you can all tackle the laundry with gusto today, right?"
"Ahh~"
Groans erupted here and there. They'd all anticipated a mountain of laundry after the training ended, but hearing it confirmed made it all the more dreadful.
Ryu Jin-ah felt the same. The unit's total strength was nearly 200 soldiers. And excluding Oh Shin-hye, the eight TS Victims handled it all.
Back in the day, soldiers did their own laundry, but ever since the Dedication Hall opened, TS Victims under the Ministry of National Defense had taken it over.
And not just the laundry—their pent-up sexual desires too. That was the whole point of the Dedication Hall. As Ryu Jin-ah mulled this over, Oh Shin-hye spoke again.
"Anyone get hurt last night?"
"Someone says her back hurts from being handled rough..."
Another voice piped up. Oh Shin-hye turned toward it.
"Broken?"
"If it was broken, she couldn't stand here."
"Then you're fine."
"Tch."
A grumbled protest followed her curt dismissal, but no one pushed further. It wasn't like she was truly suffering; unless it was a serious injury, they'd heal quickly anyway.
It was just a half-hearted attempt to dodge laundry duty. Having silenced her, Oh Shin-hye scanned the group.
"Everyone else okay? No weird pains or anything?"
"Someone's sleepy from not getting enough shut-eye..."
"The company commander said you can lock the doors and nap after laundry. Anything else?"
"Nooo~"
Oh Shin-hye clicked her tongue at the listless reply.
"Look at you all, no energy. How about we order some fried chicken later? We can charge it to the company commander's card."
"Last time we did that, we couldn't leave his office for days~"
"It's fine. Wasn't that bad anyway."
Not that bad, my ass, Ryu Jin-ah thought, eyeing Oh Shin-hye.
She hadn't eaten properly for days after. And everyone in the hall knew it.
But Oh Shin-hye ignored the stares and pressed on.
"Anyway, chicken it is. Nothing else? Alright, let's go eat."
"Yeees~"
Oh Shin-hye led the way, and the residents trailed slowly behind to the soldiers' mess hall, a short walk from the Dedication Hall. The buzz-cut soldiers already eating there shot glances their way.
Nine striking women entering a space overflowing with men? It was inevitable. But Oh Shin-hye and the others ignored them, grabbed their trays, and sat at a table far from the rest.
The stares used to make it hard to tell if food was going in her mouth or up her nose, but now Ryu Jin-ah had adapted enough to eat decently.
Not that it sparked any appetite. She mixed her rice sloppily into the watery soup and wolfed down the side dishes.
Trained at the Hope Education Academy never to leave scraps, she felt uneasy if she did. She polished off her tray clean and was heading out when an arm grabbed her.
Glancing back, she recognized the face.
"...Sergeant Kang."
"You free today?"
Ryu Jin-ah nodded at the soldier called Sergeant Kang.
"I'll save it for you."
"See you then."
She watched him pat her ass playfully as he left, then turned and headed back to the Dedication Hall.
Back in her room, she changed into work clothes for laundry and slumped to the floor with a deep sigh.
"I wanna die..."
Five months ago, she'd followed Sergeant Kim—who came to fetch her—back to the very unit she'd served in right before becoming a TS Victim.
And word of her arrival at the Dedication Hall spread fast. Her old squadmates started showing up nonstop, every few days, shoving their dicks at her.
She'd been sent back right after transforming anyway, so it wasn't new, but facing familiar faces constantly was mentally draining. Especially Sergeant Kang, who'd been her junior back then.
'If only I'd gone to a different unit... why here of all places...'
A long sigh changed nothing. Hugging her knees and burying her face, she dragged herself up when work time came and shuffled outside.
-
Handling 200 soldiers' laundry with just eight people was grueling. Washers couldn't handle it all in a day, so they machine-washed the privates' and privates first class's stuff—the ones that could take a rough spin—and hand-washed the rest.
Scrub scrub on the washboard, smack smack with the paddle. Repeating that dozens, hundreds of times made her arms feel like they'd fall off.
"If this isn't modern slavery, what is?"
Someone grumbled, and nods and complaints rippled through. But their hands kept moving steadily—they had to finish on time.
With occasional arm rubs and short breaks, they wrapped up just before lunch. Months of nonstop laundry had made them feel like pros.
Ryu Jin-ah wiped sweat from her face and stood. Lunch, then finishing touches, and today's load would be done.
And it went off without a hitch. The residents, having finished 200 loads on time, waddled to the showers. It was the soldiers' facility, but training and duties had it empty now.
After showering and returning to the Dedication Hall, Oh Shin-hye did a quick headcount, then everyone retreated to their rooms for naps.
Sure, they could stay up and do other things, but after that brutal laundry? No one would.
Ryu Jin-ah changed into her hall uniform, hit the bed, and passed out instantly.
'Oh right, I need to change the sheets.'
They'd get soaked again by night anyway—tomorrow would do. She thought that as consciousness faded.
-
The sweet nap flew by. She opened her eyes to dusk outside.
"Anyone still sleeping, get up and get ready. Time to dedicate yourselves to the nation and its soldiers."
Oh Shin-hye's voice echoed down the corridor, knocking on doors to rouse them. Ryu Jin-ah forced her eyes open, got up, and headed to the bathroom.
Quick wash and brush done, she sat on the bed when Oh Shin-hye poked her head in.
"Any reservations today?"
"Third Platoon Sergeant Kang."
"Sergeant Kangs are a dime a dozen. Eh, I know the one."
Oh Shin-hye replied casually to Ryu Jin-ah's answer. Meaning he'd been a regular.
Officially, reservations weren't allowed—the Dedication Hall was first-come, first-served. But in the army, rank bent rules easily.
As she waited lost in thought, the door opened again. Not Oh Shin-hye this time—Sergeant Kang. He'd embraced her dozens of times already, yet his eyes always gleamed with lust upon entering.
Ryu Jin-ah didn't push away as he lunged and pulled her in. Her body heated against her will as his lips slobbered on her nape, sweet breaths escaping her mouth.
Suddenly, she missed her six months at the academy. No good memories there, but at least there'd been an end in sight—time limits before moving on.
Not here. No clue when or how she'd leave.
No promise, no end in sight.
Ryu Jin-ah felt despair amid the pleasure as he thrust into her spread folds.
Ah, aaah—moans of ecstasy echoed through the Dedication Hall rooms.
The involuntary cries of those offering their bodies for the nation and its soldiers.