M 172

Lee Sehwa’s gaze flickered towards the window, where the lights of clustered aircraft shimmered faintly. Ki Tae-jeong clicked his tongue briefly and adjusted the controller without hesitation. If the expression ‘to dash’ could be used in the sky, then Ki Tae-jeong had been dashing fiercely through the sky for hours.

He ignored the holograms displaying various indicators and sending warning signals, twisting and turning as if performing acrobatics. The nose of the fighter jet flipped sharply, as if about to cut through the sky vertically.

As technology advanced, the fine line that distinguished skill became the responsibility of humans. Just as people valued handmade items more and considered recording on paper safer than using servers, the same was true for combat skills. Only the unexpected, capable of outsmarting artificial intelligence, determined victory or defeat. In the sky, Ki Tae-jeong was more confident in this than anyone else in the world.

Ki Tae-jeong closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. The moment when he defied human limits and even gravity with his own will. The feeling of being alive, as every muscle in his body screamed and his bones twisted. Counting the dwindling fuel bars, he drove the enemy to the brink until the moment he seized victory without a single deviation from his expectations, a time when he could look down on the world and act aloof.

If there was one regret about having more stars on his rank insignia, it was that he had stepped away from actual combat and was now sitting in the command center, only seeing and hearing. He missed the feeling of recklessly dashing through the clear blue sky more than killing someone or destroying something.

He didn’t have much of a choice when he was commissioned, but if he had, he would have applied to the Air Force. He preferred the unreachable sky to the relatively easy-to-find ground or water. Well, he would have done well in either the Army or the Navy, wherever he was assigned.

Lost in thought for a moment, Ki Tae-jeong manipulated the controller and flipped the aircraft once more. At the same time, he showered flares, calculating the angle at which the fighter jets behind him could launch an attack through the exploding light.

As a fighter jet designed to secure air superiority, its response speed was fast. But that was all. If the sole purpose was to disrupt the enemy’s vision, this would be sufficient, but it was severely lacking if the goal was to achieve an overwhelming preemptive strike. Considering the budget poured into producing the new fighter jets, this result was absurd.

The gravity acceleration device and the holograms, of course, and this damn controller all needed to be fixed. He could bet the nutritional supplements Hae-rim would eat today that the guy who designed the cockpit had never even done a mock battle. Even he, who was so experienced in flying, found it awkward to quickly press and pull the buttons and sticks. How could others handle it comfortably? They would be lucky if they didn’t cause a major accident.

Of course, the skills and mental fortitude of the allies protecting the rear also needed to be overhauled. At this rate, they would be quickly devoured even if he cleared the way ahead.

“VK9157, code number 3001, code name TJ, announcing planned return.”

-VK9157, code number 3001, code name TJ, planned return confirmed. Victory!

“Victory.”

Ki Tae-jeong had ordered a major overhaul of training from the moment he became a Major General. And the process was becoming more rigorous day by day. He knew that the subordinates and soldiers had improved immeasurably compared to the past, but it still wasn’t enough.

This time, he hadn’t even asked for anything particularly difficult. He told them not to use fancy techniques, just to follow the path he had cleared, but they couldn’t even endure that and were faltering.

As he engraved the requests for the research institute in his mind, Ki Tae-jeong slowly reduced his speed. Of course, it was ‘slow’ only by his standards. As Ki Tae-jeong, who had been maneuvering the aircraft like an acrobat, looked at the hazy, sparkling lights here and there, he couldn’t help but think of Lee Sehwa.

Like a flower, like a small animal, like a jewel… anyway, his spouse, who deserved to be described with all the beautiful things in the world.

In Ki Tae-jeong’s world, the desolate radiance emitted by the fighter jets and the control tower was the most beautiful and the most brilliant, so he thought of Sehwa throughout the combat flight training amidst the explosive roar.

His heart, which had been indifferent even when falling from the end of the sky, felt heavy just by Sehwa’s name flashing through his mind. He knew very well that he had been acting distant towards Sehwa lately, that Sehwa was only watching him, and that Sehwa was a little disappointed.

‘Lieutenant General, you know…’

It was the moment when they were about to fall asleep, bodies overlapping as usual, showering together, kissing countless times, and spooning.

‘Hmm?’

‘I want something…’

Lee Sehwa, who only ever bought flour dough, was asking for something first. Ki Tae-jeong chuckled, brushing Sehwa’s bangs back with his bent index finger.

Lee Sehwa, who wasn’t intimidated by him. Lee Sehwa, who didn’t watch his every move. Lee Sehwa, who begged him to buy something…

He thought it was a good change, and he was amazed that such a day would come after living together for several years. And he was ready to buy and offer whatever Sehwa wanted. He wasn’t joking, he could even pluck a star from the night sky. Rather, star fragments were not easy to obtain. It would only take a few days of tormenting the aerospace research institute.

In any case, Ki Tae-jeong eagerly waited for the words that would follow, hoping that Lee Sehwa would test his love in this way, even if only a little.

But…

‘Really? What is it?’

‘A second child… I want a second child.’

What did he just say…? Ki Tae-jeong paused for a moment, stopping his stroking of Sehwa’s hair. What did he want? A second child? No way. He must have misheard.

‘…What did you say you wanted?’

‘Hae-rim’s sibling.’

‘……’

‘I’ve been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have another child… Hae-rim is a little older now, so it seems like the perfect time. What do you think, Lieutenant General?’

Sehwa smiled brightly. Ki Tae-jeong, who had been slightly flustered at first, wondering what he had heard, soon calmed down. It seemed that Sehwa had discovered an interesting psychological test today. Yes, that was certain, considering he was asking for a child so casually, of all things.

Around the time Hae-rim, who had been crawling, began to stand upright, Sehwa began to study hard on various things, determined to be a father who wouldn’t embarrass his child. He was self-conscious about not knowing grammar well, so he wrote in his diary every day to practice writing, and he didn’t neglect reading either.

It was good to have interests in various fields, but the problem was that he sometimes brought home psychological tests that had no basis at all. On days when he read such books, Sehwa would linger around him for a long time before asking a sudden question.

‘Lieutenant General, what if…’

‘What?’

‘What if you had to cross the desert and you had to take a monkey, a snake, and a bird with you? How would you take these three animals with you?’

‘I prefer a fighter jet, and the animals… well. Wouldn’t it be possible to arrange an aircraft to transport the animals? What kind are they? What size?’

‘Huh? No… You’re not really, like, planning an operation, you are just imagining it.’

‘That was my imagination?’

‘Not like that. Just tell me the first method that comes to mind, ignoring all the actual conditions. Don’t think too deeply.’

‘Well. The desert would be hot, so I’d keep the snake around my neck only until my body temperature dropped, then release it. The monkey and the bird… can’t they walk on their own from the beginning? I don’t think I have to take them.’

It was a completely absurd question, but he still answered it as sincerely as possible. He thought it was the most rational answer that could be given in a ridiculous hypothetical situation. He couldn’t possibly take cumbersome animals with him when he had to cross the desert with his bare body. But Sehwa pouted his lips even before Ki Tae-jeong finished speaking.

‘Why?’

‘This is actually a famous psychological test. The snake represents wealth and ostentation, the monkey represents a spouse, and the bird represents a child.’

‘So what?’

‘What do you mean? It means that Lieutenant General is the kind of person who thinks showing off his money is the most important thing.’

‘What are you talking about? I said I’d eventually release the snake too.’

‘Anyway.’

Sehwa sighed deeply, saying that Lieutenant General would practice non-possession as he pleased, and that he and Hae-rim would cross the desert on their own. He just chuckled in disbelief, and after that, Sehwa kept throwing ridiculous psychological tests at him.

It really wasn’t Ki Tae-jeong’s taste at all, but he still answered them as sincerely as possible for Lee Sehwa’s sake. Because he liked the way Sehwa’s eyes sparkled as he waited for his answer.