M 178

“As you well know, there are many people who are jealous of our successful Lieutenant General, so it’s necessary to keep track of the movements of the madam and young master for their safety.”

“That’s… true.”

At Sehwa’s affirmation, Warrant Officer Choi’s bear like face, which had been full of worry, brightened up in an instant. That’s right. Madam, bravo.

“Come to think of it, I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s known where I’ve been or what I’ve done. I didn’t think the Lieutenant General wouldn’t know anyway… And you wouldn’t tell him every little detail, like what I picked up and put down, or what I seemed interested in, right?”

Unfortunately, Warrant Officer Choi’s bright expression didn’t last even a second.

“D-did you tell him everything, down to the smallest detail? Until now?”

“Well, that’s…”

Warrant Officer Choi was speechless, blinking his eyes. For someone who had been through thick and thin, Lee Sehwa could be innocent… no, more than innocent, sometimes even a bit clueless, and this was one of those times.

The adjutants were reporting every detail to their cruel superior, such as which stall the young madam went into when he went to the bathroom during an outing, how many minutes it took him to come out, and even how many times he smelled the hand wash on the back of his hand to see if he liked it.

Well, it’s Lieutenant General Ki Tae-jeong, no less. What other reason would he have for tracking the madam’s location with his watch every day and telling his lackeys to report everything diligently, if not to know the more detailed circumstances that he couldn’t find out with a tracker?

“So, you’re still reporting everything now? Did you tell him that I said any strong liquor would do? In real time?”

“Y-yes. That’s… right? It’s the principle.”

“Ugh. This is a disaster.”

Sehwa couldn’t bear the embarrassment and covered his forehead. Warrant Officer Choi scratched his temple awkwardly, then cautiously leaned in and asked Sehwa. He knew it. Suddenly deciding to stop by a shopping mall he never went to before… he must have been hiding something from the Lieutenant General, right?

“Um, Madam. If you go home… are you going to be angry?”

He always felt sorry for Sehwa, but… what could he do? He wanted to live too.

“Huh? At you, Warrant Officer?”

“No, at the Lieutenant General.”

“Me? Get angry at the Lieutenant General? Why… would I?”

“If you were uncomfortable with the detailed reports on your movements, I’m really sorry, but you know. With the young master attending the training center, the Lieutenant General is especially concerned these days. And of course, General Oh Seon-ran too.”

“Ah…”

At times like this, the usually perceptive and angelic madam looked a little gloomy and nodded.

“Yes, I understand what you mean. I won’t say anything to the Lieutenant General.”

“Thank you for always understanding.”

Warrant Officer Choi breathed a sigh of relief. No, he should told the madam to ask him anything he’s curious about. That’s what he should say… but unfortunately, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words to the madam.

And he slipped in General Oh Seon-ran’s name out of desperation, but it wasn’t a complete lie. The security level for the madam and young master had been raised with General Oh Seon-ran’s permission, after all.

“But Madam, why are you suddenly buying liquor?”

“Oh, well… just… just because.”

“I won’t report this. I’ll even write a confidentiality agreement if you want, so please tell me comfortably.”

“Really… nothing’s going on.”

“Is today an anniversary, perhaps?”

“Huh? It’s really not that.”

“I won’t share it with the other adjutants either. If the Lieutenant General has forgotten an anniversary, or a promise with you… I’m just trying to prepare myself mentally.”

Sehwa chuckled at Warrant Officer Choi’s solemn demeanor. But Warrant Officer Choi was more than sincere. He was already going crazy enough, and the thought of Ki Tae-jeong losing his temper and going berserk over something he forgot made him want to die already.

“It’s really not any special day. You know the Lieutenant General is better at remembering anniversaries than I am.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Warrant Officer Choi unconsciously agreed, then belatedly realized what he had said and jumped. Sehwa looked even gloomier than before and weakly said it was okay.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that you weren’t doing a good job or anything…”

“Yes, I know. It’s just… the Lieutenant General is suddenly very busy. That’s why.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Warrant Officer Choi replied with an awkward expression without realizing it.

Eighty percent of that busyness was self-inflicted by Ki Tae-jeong himself. He suddenly threw a training routine that only he could handle at his subordinates, and then, unable to stand the sight of them whining over something trivial, he, a Lieutenant General no less, personally took charge of the training. He was usually desperate to leave work on time, but not anymore.

Moreover, this crazy superior, even in the midst of his busyness, suddenly started poking around here and there, claiming he would completely wipe out the remnants of the Kim family, who were already all dead.

What was even more frustrating was that, unbelievably, minor figures kept getting caught because Ki Tae-jeong was taking action. He thought he had sent everyone, including the in-laws of his distant relatives, to their doom when he raided the 5-Star restaurant, but he was wrong.

The Lieutenant General, with his mood thoroughly twisted, berated Warrant Officer Choi and the other adjutants for not doing their jobs properly, and Captain Park, who was serving his superior most closely, was even losing hair from the stress.

He would have been fine if he had just nitpicked or acted capriciously over something nonsensical. He could just endure it, thinking that this too shall pass. But Ki Tae-jeong’s increasingly sharp criticisms were not wrong, which made his subordinates feel even more inadequate. How should he describe it? His superior, who had always been good at his job and lived to torment his subordinates, had suddenly become diligent, making things even more difficult?

“I’m just looking forward to seeing the Lieutenant General’s face after a long time today. I want to have a nice meal and a drink with him.”

“Really… is that so?”

Warrant Officer Choi’s face, who had been muttering curses at his superior with every exhale and curses at the madam’s husband with every inhale, finally brightened up.

“That’s a relief then! That’s really a relief!”

“So, you won’t report this time?”

“Oh, I’m afraid that would be difficult… I’m sorry.”

If you’re so sorry, you could keep my outing today a secret… But Sehwa didn’t want someone else to get scolded because of him, so he secretly pouted his lips.

He had avoided the department store in the hope that the news would reach Ki Tae-jeong later, but at this rate, he was going to be interrogated as soon as he saw his face after a long time. If that’s the case, he should have left a message telling him to come as soon as possible because he had something to say. In the video he watched recently, ‘Tips for Maintaining Sexual Tension in a Marriage That Is No Longer Newlywed,’ it said that creating a different atmosphere than usual was the most important thing…

Sehwa, who had been feeling a little deflated, steeled himself again. It wasn’t like he had made a very detailed plan in the first place. Whether for good or bad, he was always in that person’s palm, so it was nothing new.

Since today was the day he had decided to be honest and ask everything, he might as well tell the truth. He bought the liquor at a specialty store that he had deliberately avoided before so that the Lieutenant General would notice as late as possible, and the emergency fund… Ah, what excuse should he make for the emergency fund? He might really get scolded for this…?

“Damn it! Are you not going to do business here anymore?”

While Sehwa was staring at the price tags he had already checked several times and thinking strange thoughts, he heard an unfamiliar voice from afar. It sounded like a troublemaker, which was unexpected. Judging from the staff’s attitude earlier, it didn’t seem like they would let someone cause a scene.

“Are you trying to sell this crap for money?”

What’s going on? As the commotion grew louder, he tilted his head slightly, and then he heard the sound of a bottle shattering. Sehwa, who had been startled and had been clutching the bottle he was looking at tightly, belatedly realized that his reaction was excessive and lowered his eyes sheepishly.

“Madam, please hide behind me. It’s nothing.”

But the person who was showing a truly excessive reaction was someone else.

“Those bastards are slacking off…”

Warrant Officer Choi muttered ominously, pressing the buttons on his watch repeatedly. Warrant Officer Choi, who was usually expressionless but had a gentle impression, looked as fierce as a gatekeeper guarding hell. He seemed to be very angry at his subordinates for letting a stranger approach and even enter the store.

“Warrant Officer Choi, I’m okay.”

Sehwa, who was about to timidly protest that this wasn’t an officer only store and anyone could come in, lowered his head again, shrinking back because Warrant Officer Choi’s face hardened even more menacingly after checking the notification. Did something really happen?