A Captain's Reckoning
“Kghhh……! Ugh……!”
When Captain Lee regained consciousness amid groans of pain, two men stood before him.
One bore a long vertical scar above his left eye. The other had a long horizontal scar stretching across the bridge of his nose and both cheeks. Though still dazed from the shock, those distinctive, unnatural marks registered instantly.
“Kgh…… Hack! Hack!”
Captain Lee tried to speak but choked, coughing violently as he lowered his head. The blood-tinged saliva pooled in his mouth slid down his throat, leaving a sharp metallic taste.
“Ugh! Ptui—! Ptui!”
Only after spitting several times did his tongue regain some mobility. The blood-mixed saliva he failed to aim properly dripped onto his uniform. With his nose already bleeding profusely, it hardly showed.
“……How disappointing, Captain Lee.”
The man with the vertical scar spoke in a stern, reproachful tone.
“First, I’m deeply disappointed that you couldn’t even remember the faces of the platoon members you operated with for half a day yesterday. If you’d recognized the soldiers of the 3rd Platoon, you wouldn’t have fallen into this trap.”
‘Where am I?’
Captain Lee slowly scanned his surroundings. This was probably the same office he had entered just before being struck with a rifle butt.
“Haa…… My…… direct subordinates…… weren’t here. But…… who…… who are you?”
Captain Lee forced his sluggish tongue to form the words. Dried blood clots stuffed his swollen nostrils, creating an unpleasant sensation with every breath.
“Ugh!”
When he pinched his nose to clear the clots, a jolt of pain shot through him like an electric shock. He yanked his hand away.
“Does it matter who I am?”
The vertical-scarred man answered a question with a question.
“I think what you were trying to do is far more important, don’t you?”
He tossed two Polaroid cameras in front of Captain Lee.
‘Shit……’
Captain Lee muttered a curse in his mind. He still didn’t understand the full situation, but the fact that they had deliberately shown him the cameras meant they already knew his intentions.
“You planned to kill the double and wrap things up? They didn’t even look that similar. Your complacency, thinking those photos would fool anyone, disappoints me as well.”
‘Who the hell are these bastards? Why are they here?’
While enduring the vertical-scarred man’s scolding, Captain Lee struggled to piece the situation together.
He had definitely contacted Second Lieutenant Seong and come to the children’s center as instructed. Yet he had walked straight into a trap set by soldiers disguised in friendly uniforms…… Second Lieutenant Seong must have been turned and sold him out.
‘I knew it…… Yeah, there’s no way those incompetent bastards could have survived in a place like this……’
Having constructed his own scenario, Captain Lee gave a small nod.
‘Then…… these men must be General Kim’s forces. Makes sense…… It would’ve been impossible to pull off that deal with just a handful of men. They’ve had a fairly large force stationed in Seoul. They must have subdued the 3rd Platoon yesterday and squeezed the information out of Second Lieutenant Seong……’
Now he understood why Second Lieutenant Seong had been babbling about Hwang Nayeon. These men had fed him the information…… Which meant they were either holding Hwang Nayeon or at least had secured her body.
“Kgh……!”
Captain Lee pushed himself up from the floor and pressed his back against the wall before speaking.
“Haa……! You seem to be under General Kim…… Are you really of a rank that allows you to speak so informally to a captain?”
Breathing through his mouth because of his blocked nose made long sentences difficult.
“Hah! You’ve got some nerve, you little shit.”
The vertical-scarred man chuckled and approached, grabbing Captain Lee’s nose and twisting it left and right.
“Aaaagh! Aagh! Aaaagh!”
Agony unlike anything he had ever felt coursed through his entire body as the broken nose was crushed and shaken. Captain Lee thrashed wildly, but the man held on without so much as blinking before finally releasing his grip.
“Address me as ‘Major,’ Captain.”
The vertical-scarred man issued the arrogant command. He offered neither name nor affiliation, but his demeanor alone was enough to force submission.
“Haa……! Haa……! Major……”
Captain Lee wiped the tears welling in his eyes and steadied himself before speaking again.
“I…… am from the same hometown and high school as the Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Park…… I’m also a direct junior of Lieutenant Colonel Jeong…… Both of them have been…… haa……! very protective of me…… Even if I’m a prisoner now, treating me like this…… won’t it cause trouble for General Kim as well, Major?”
“Is that a threat?”
“I’m merely suggesting there’s no need to escalate this further, Major. There’s no bad blood between Lieutenant General Park and General Kim. There’s no reason to create unnecessary conflict, is there? If you release me, I’ll…… definitely repay the favor when I return……”
“So what you’re saying is that Lieutenant General Park was the final decision-maker for this operation?”
The vertical-scarred man interrupted and asked. One corner of his mouth curled upward, as if mocking, ‘You’re confessing that easily?’
‘Shit……’
Realizing his mistake too late, Captain Lee swallowed another curse.
‘Fuck…… I should’ve said I didn’t know anything. That I was only ordered to take those women, kill them, and take photos…… I should’ve stuck to that……’
But the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back. Captain Lee decided he had to lie in a different direction.
“……Eight Black Hawks with a large follow-up force will arrive soon. I don’t know how many troops or how much firepower you have, Major, but can you handle that kind of air power?”
“Why?”
The vertical-scarred man asked shortly. Meeting his single eye, Captain Lee realized his bluff had failed. Still, he couldn’t back down now.
“To…… completely wrap up the situation……”
“You only needed to take photos and return. Why would you need that many troops? Is your unit so incompetent that it requires eight Black Hawks just to kill two women?”
“There was also the objective of rescuing the 3rd Platoon we stationed here yesterday……”
“I’ve already spoken with the helicopter pilots you flew in with today. They didn’t even know the 3rd Platoon was stationed here, and after Second Lieutenant Seong started the engagement, they said you stubbornly insisted on landing. So who exactly were you planning to rescue?”
Before Captain Lee could finish, the vertical-scarred man rattled off the facts in a mocking tone. Yet Captain Lee still refused to give up.
“I was desperate to rescue them as well, but as a soldier who lives and dies by orders, I had no choice but to secure the target. That was my top priority, Major.”
“And who gave you that order?”
“Haa…… I shouldn’t say this, but given the situation, I’ll answer honestly, Major. It was Major Oh, my direct superior.”
Captain Lee sold out Major Oh without changing his expression. He figured throwing that man under the bus wouldn’t cause any real problems.
“So this Major Oh ordered you to abandon the entire 3rd Platoon, kill the double instead, and bring back photos?”
“That’s…… correct.”
“Did it not occur to you that this was an unlawful order? That you were committing an unforgivable taboo as a soldier? Abandoning your own men?”
Shit…… This bastard talks way too smoothly……
Captain Lee shot the vertical-scarred man a sidelong glare. The more he spoke, the deeper the trap seemed to become. Yet his nature urged him to keep spinning excuses, to just get through this moment.
“I did think it was wrong, but they only gave me…… one helicopter. What…… could I have done?”
After Captain Lee finished, the vertical-scarred man stared at him for a moment before suddenly flicking his broken nose with a thunderous snap.
Thwack—!
The thick, hardened middle finger struck the fractured bone, and unbearable pain engulfed his entire body in an instant.
“Kghhh! Aaaagh!”
Captain Lee clutched his nose and collapsed forward.
Drip—! Drip, drip—!
Blood poured from his nose again, forming a cluster of red dots on the floor. Only after he had thrashed to his heart’s content did the vertical-scarred man speak.
“I told you to use proper honorifics.”
“Yes, Major…… I understand……! Haa……! Haa……!”
Captain Lee wiped the blood with trembling hands and nodded.
Click—!
The vertical-scarred man lit a cigarette with a Zippo and resumed his questioning.
“You said you were close with both the battalion commander and the corps commander. You should’ve had plenty of chances to report this to them, that you received an unlawful order from Major Oh.”
“Haa……”
Unable to come up with a quick rebuttal, Captain Lee sighed. The vertical-scarred man, watching him with contempt, exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“Admit the truth, Captain. You never intended to return with the 3rd Platoon from the start. If you hadn’t planned to abandon them, you would’ve brought at least two Black Hawks. If that wasn’t possible, you should’ve at least brought another Kamov. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s not true…… Major.”
Captain Lee weakly shook his head, but the vertical-scarred man paid no attention and continued.
“Not only did you abandon your soldiers to die, you never even considered rescuing them. I’ve already expressed my disappointment multiple times, but this is the part I can’t forgive, Captain. Why do you think this insignia is on your rank?”
The vertical-scarred man grabbed Captain Lee’s collar and shook it as he asked. Then, before Captain Lee could answer, he provided his own response.
“Because the Ministry of National Defense expected you to make better decisions than soldiers who haven’t received specialized tactical training. Yet you behaved worse than an irresponsible child. Even little kids wouldn’t throw their comrades away like this!”
“Major……”
With nothing left to say, Captain Lee decided to change the subject.
“I…… will reflect on what you’ve said and repent deeply. But right now…… rather than dwelling on past mistakes…… I’d like to have a constructive discussion about how to resolve this incident. What do you want me to do, Major?”
“A constructive discussion, huh…… Hah, well……”
The vertical-scarred man snorted as if he had heard something amusing and blew cigarette smoke into Captain Lee’s face.
“Did I mention that Chairman Hwang is very angry?”
“No. I haven’t heard that, Major.”
Captain Lee shook his head slightly and thought. ‘Chairman Hwang’ must refer to Hwang Nayeon. Angry…… That meant she was really alive…… How the hell had that damn woman escaped that hellscape? They had poured countless rounds of ammunition and thousands of zombies had swarmed in……
“I don’t know how well you know that woman’s temper, but after talking to her, she’s no ordinary person. She said she’ll never forgive the executives who rebelled against her or the soldiers directly involved in this incident. If we carry out her revenge, she promised to resume supplying us with military goods and food. It’s an offer we can’t refuse. Do you understand what I’m saying, Captain?”
The vertical-scarred man asked, his eyes gleaming meaningfully.
“I don’t understand, Major……”
Captain Lee shook his head first before answering. He had a rough idea of what the man was implying, but to survive, he had to pretend he didn’t. The vertical-scarred man showed no reaction and continued calmly.
“It means someone has to bleed. And…… Chairman Hwang also knows that a helicopter arrived today. She couldn’t miss it. The sound of the rotor blades was close enough to hear.”
“What do you mean by someone has to bleed……”
“She wants a public execution. By beheading. In front of Chairman Hwang……”
While the vertical-scarred man spoke such outrageous words, the horizontal-scarred man—who had been silently glaring at Captain Lee the entire time—slowly opened a long bag and pulled out an enormous knife, as if it were nothing.
Shiiing—!
The moment Captain Lee heard the blade sliding out of the zipper, a chill ran down his spine.
‘That bastard…… I was wondering what he was……’
Captain Lee’s face twisted grotesquely as he looked at the horizontal-scarred man. He had been bothered since earlier by why a man in a suit was sitting here, but to think he was the swordsman……
‘It was this bastard……! All those decapitated corpses in the tunnel…… they were all his doing!’
The moment he saw the massive, thick blade, the image of the headless zombies in the Ttukseom tunnel flashed through Captain Lee’s mind—the grotesque cross-sections.
‘This…… is going to cut me?’
Captain Lee unconsciously touched his own neck. Seeing this, the horizontal-scarred man grinned.
“I’ll make it two cuts. Wouldn’t want it to feel too impersonal with just one.”
It was nonsense, but the feeling that it wasn’t a joke pierced through his skin. Captain Lee slammed his head against the floor and clasped his hands together.
“Aaaagh! Please! Please! Major! This…… this isn’t right! As fellow soldiers of the Republic of Korea, you must stop this, please! Save me!”
“I have no choice either. Think of it as a sacrifice to save tens of thousands, Captain. It’ll be easier to accept that way.”
“No! No! I know sacrifices are inevitable, Major! But! But…… you can spare at least one person, can’t you? Chairman Hwang doesn’t know who was on the helicopter yet, does she? If you just don’t mention me, Major……!”
“Why should I lie for your sake and give you special treatment, Captain?”
The vertical-scarred man asked in a cold, businesslike tone. The reason poured out of Captain Lee’s mouth immediately.
“Because I’m…… the only one who knows the full story of this incident! I’ll tell you everything! Who gave the order! Who was involved! Who in Taeyang coordinated with us! Why they did it! I’ll tell you all of it! Isn’t that valuable information, Major? Right?”
“Hmm…… Well, that’s true. We have our suspicions, but getting a statement and testimony from someone directly involved is on another level.”
The vertical-scarred man surprisingly showed a receptive reaction.
“Then……?”
When Captain Lee lifted his head in joy, the man shook his head.
“But she said she wants blood. I can’t go back on the first deal.”
“Aaaagh!”
Tears streamed down Captain Lee’s face in despair.
“You can just behead someone else! There are plenty of others to behead! Just me and one pilot……! No, if you already have helicopter pilots under you, Major, then you don’t even need the pilot! Just spare me! I’m begging you! I’ll give you all the information, please!”
Captain Lee clasped his hands together desperately, as if praying to a god. The vertical-scarred man watching him had a radio taped with its transmit button pressed, secured to his tactical vest.
“Did you hear that?”
Yubin, who had relayed the entire conversation between Captain Lee and Cho Cheol-woong through the special forces radio without omission, turned to the helicopter pilot and the combat soldiers and asked.
Nod—!
All four men nodded simultaneously, their faces hardened with fury. They had roughly known what kind of person he was, but hearing him act so despicably in real time made hatred boil up from the depths of their hearts.
“I don’t think we need to show loyalty to a man like this. Cooperate with us.”
Yubin, having turned off the radio, spoke to the four men. Once again, all four answered at the same time.
Nod—!