M 177

Even though he hadn’t particularly given them a look, his aides and subordinate soldiers were all stiff with tension as they saluted. Their hands were held so rigidly that the tips of their fingers were bent at a slight angle. In a way, it was only natural. It was rare enough for a Lieutenant General to board a fighter jet himself, but for that Lieutenant General to be Ki Tae-jeong…

In any case, this marked the end of the training.His uncharacteristic avoidance and wandering would also end today. Ki Tae-jeong deactivated the training mode on his wristwatch and gazed at the hologram of Sehwa and Hae-rim that shimmered to life on the screen. His family, who had become his everything, were diligently building a sandcastle on that same beach in 5-Star where he had once bid Sehwa farewell and later proposed.

Ki Tae-jeong watched the brightly smiling Sehwa and his young son, who wore an identical expression, for a long time before finally dropping the hand wearing the watch, as if he had belatedly made up his mind. Right, for now… he had to say something to Sehwa. He couldn’t keep glossing over it like this forever. They had to reach a conclusion together.

“Lieutenant General.”

Captain Park approached and handed him a tablet.

“This is a summary of the simulated combat training results from earlier.”

Ki Tae-jeong knew what it would say without looking, but he decided to at least glance at it, considering Captain Park, who had been having a hard time lately because of his own recent sharpness.

“The points to note are—”

Captain Park, moved by his superior’s slightly more lenient attitude, began to speak, but an emergency alert rang on Ki Tae-jeong’s wristwatch. It was a message from Warrant Officer Choi, who was in charge of Sehwa’s security. Captain Park’s face also hardened, as if he had received the same alert.

An emergency message from the man entrusted with Lee Sehwa’s safety? Moreover, the message was empty. Ki Tae-jeong narrowed his brow menacingly and clicked the button on his watch. As if waiting for that moment, the sweet chirping of a bird rang out melodically. It was the custom notification sound that played whenever Sehwa used his credit card.

Ki Tae-jeong’s brow furrowed even more sharply. An emergency alert from the security detail, and at the same time, a notification of Lee Sehwa’s card usage? With just those two facts, Ki Tae-jeong imagined all sorts of scenarios. In the worst possible direction.

“Captain Park. Track Sehwa and Hae-rim’s location, and connect me to Warrant Officer Choi immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

BOUK (5411) Credit Approval

Lee*hwa

3,287,500 won

03/22 16:11

Cumulative this month 49,983,980 won

Strawberry Banana Kingdom Co., Ltd.

Strawberry Banana Kingdom? It sounded highly suspicious at a glance. And it was even incorporated? Ki Tae-jeong clicked his tongue and accessed the military portal. The amount spent was a bit ambiguous to be a scam. And it wasn’t happening repeatedly… Could Sehwa have been tricked into buying something through high pressure sales? He would almost prefer that.

“Madam is currently located on the border between the 5 and 4 Stars, and the young master’s location is confirmed to be the training center within the Ministry of National Defense building.”

While listening to Captain Park’s report, Ki Tae-jeong’s gaze, which had been scanning the suspicious company’s information on the portal, stopped abruptly at a certain point on the tablet.

Strawberry Banana Kingdom Co., Ltd.

Located on the outskirts near the 5-Star checkpoint.

And the items sold were…

“…Captain Park. Lee Sehwa is between the 5 and 4 Stars?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Ki Tae-jeong blinked slowly, unable to believe whether he was reading correctly, whether the letters he saw had the meaning he knew.

“Warrant Officer Choi and the other security personnel are all in the same location, and the business name is Strawberry Banana Kingdom Co., Ltd. The store’s name is ‘Love Love Love,’ which differs from the business name registered on the portal…”

Captain Park’s voice, which had been reciting the quickly received information, gradually slowed down. Ki Tae-jeong also moved his frozen hand and looked again at the details of Sehwa’s card notification from earlier.

So, right now.

“That, the establishment…”

Lee Sehwa.

“…is confirmed to be selling various adult products.”

He spent over three million won on adult toys?

***

“Hello, are you looking for anything in particular?”

“Yes? Ah, no… I’m just, not really looking for anything…”

“We just got a shipment of some excellent wines, would you like to take a look?”

“Wine…”

Sehwa hesitated, fiddling with his earlobe. He had only come to buy some alcohol, but he felt like he was committing some terrible misdeed. Well, since he had come to a liquor store without Ki Tae-jeong knowing, it could be considered a misdeed.

Moreover, if a card payment notification went off, he would find out what he bought, so he had carefully brought out the emergency funds he had been saving little by little. It was called an emergency fund, but it was really just pocket money he had squirreled away, so it wasn’t nearly enough to buy the kind of alcohol he usually enjoyed…

In any case, Sehwa absolutely had to buy alcohol today. The point of the operation was to set the table with alcohol that he had bought himself, not with Ki Tae-jeong’s collectibles.

“As you can see, these products are also perfect for decorative purposes. Do you have a preferred brand?”

Well, even if he did, it wasn’t like he knew of any stores, so he had just come to a nearby shopping center he had seen while passing by, forgetting that this was the middle of the 5-Star, even near the officers’ quarters. The entrance didn’t seem that big, but the interior was long and endless, and the flashy interior was blinding, and the staff’s service was as good as a high-end boutique.

Sehwa, who felt a little intimidated because he seemed to have come to a place that was too grand for the money he had, soon regained his composure. There was no problem asking them to show him the cheapest thing here, right? After all, he wasn’t trying to give him a fancy gift, so any kind of strong alcohol that fit his budget would do.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry, but besides wine or champagne, do you have any… high proof alcohol?”

“High proof alcohol?”

“Yes, I don’t care about the type. But I hope the price range isn’t too high…”

“Ah, I see. Um… then should I show you the whiskeys first?”

Sehwa, roughly estimating the price of the whiskey sold at the House in the past, nodded with a brightened expression. Considering that Boss Son usually priced it about ten times higher than the selling price, he should be able to buy at least the cheapest product.

“This way.”

The manager’s gesture of stretching out his arm and pointing to the whiskey section was a bit excessive. His other arm was behind his back, and he was slightly bowing at the waist, so what should he say? It was like a servant serving a nobleman in the old days…

“I’ll be waiting in the back, so please take your time and call me anytime. The price range increases from left to right, and the products displayed on the middle shelf are generally popular because they are the most accessible.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Perhaps noticing that he was feeling uncomfortable, the manager readily left after a brief introduction. Even that was an extremely polite gesture.

Of course, Sehwa knew very well that the employee’s extreme politeness was not directed at him. He was probably watching Warrant Officer Choi, who was standing behind him, and the soldiers loitering outside the store.

It was something that happened every time he went out since he had become involved with Ki Tae-jeong, but Sehwa still couldn’t get used to strangers being polite to him. He knew that it was kindness directed at the rank of the people behind him, not at him, but that made him even more uncomfortable.

“Madam. Should we take you to the department store now?”

Warrant Officer Choi, who knew Sehwa’s tendencies, asked cautiously.

“No, I’ll just buy it here.”

“If you go to the officers only lounge, there won’t be anyone there, and the staff there are used to you now. It would be more comfortable to look around than here.”

“But if I go to the department store, the staff will probably contact the Lieutenant General right away.”

“Yes? I was about to report Madam’s movements to the Lieutenant General anyway…?”

“My movements? To the Lieutenant General?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Every time?”

“Of course!”

Warrant Officer Choi’s voice cracked slightly at the end, as if he was surprised.

“Y-You didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t know… I…”

In the past, Sehwa had actively cooperated, thinking he was putting on a surprise event, which caused a huge mess at the Ministry of National Defense, so Warrant Officer Choi had been cursed to death by his heinous superior. Since then, he had been diligently reporting Madam’s movements every time, no matter what. And he had assumed that the young Madam, who knew Ki Tae-jeong better than anyone, would know all of this.

“So you’ve been reporting everything…”

Sehwa sighed deeply with a look of dismay, and Warrant Officer Choi twitched his dark eyebrows, trying to pretend to be calm.

“Madam, I… I’m sorry. But the situation is what it is.”

Warrant Officer Choi’s lips, which he forced into a good-natured smile, trembled. He was sorry to the surprised Madam, but he couldn’t help it. These days, the Lieutenant General had been acting so terribly that everyone’s mind and body were exhausted. Of course, Ki Tae-jeong’s tantrums weren’t anything new, but this time, everyone was confused because they couldn’t figure out the reason at all.

In the meantime, if the kind hearted Madam complained to her husband that he had been monitoring him, and if that led to a marital fight today… Ugh, how much more would the terrible superior abuse his subordinates? He could only hope that the kind and gentle Madam would show mercy this time as well.