M 199

Side Story 3 Episode 1

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1. Very Berry Strawberry (1)

The soldiers lined up densely in the hallway quietly saluted. There was no roaring shout that usually accompanied it, nor the sound of matching foot intervals according to formality. Even the rustling of hands raising and lowering in salute. It was so quiet that even the lowliest lackeys were wary of even breathing.

“For now, the figures aren’t bad, so…”

Ki Tae-jeong, who was checking the data given to him by the doctor, suddenly stopped walking. Something was clearly displeasing him. The powerless soldiers were extremely nervous and could only swallow hard. What is it? This time, there wasn’t even a guy mouthing “Loyalty” without any sense… Or was the sound of the clothes wrinkling when lowering the arm too loud?

“L, Lieutenant General. If you’re tired, the report can be later-“

“Enough. So you’re saying you’ll change the medication starting today?”

The reason why those who were considered useful, if not officers, were so intimidated was only one. No, it would be right to say two, because of the Lieutenant General and the Lieutenant General’s wife. It seemed the rumor that he was crazy about his spouse was not false, as everyone was trying to be careful, watching Lee Sehwa’s every move as he visited his wife’s hospital room several times a day.

Everyone understood that he wasn’t in a good mood because his family had been hospitalized for over a month, but still, this was too much.

It had already been over three weeks since his wife, Sehwa, had collapsed. That meant that the period during which Ki Tae-jeong hadn’t eaten or slept properly had also passed.

These days, the man, who was originally called a living weapon, had his terrifying senses flashing fiercely. Ki Tae-jeong caught the wear of a small part that the inspection machine had overlooked, just by listening to the engine sound, and pointed out that the newly introduced training food ingredients were spoiled while walking down the hallway. For reference, the Lieutenant General’s visit to transport the food ingredients occurred about three or four hours before, and only some of the vegetables were very slightly not fresh.

It wasn’t like Ki Tae-jeong was acting out on the guards or subordinates who weren’t even his direct adjutants. It was just that the Lieutenant General’s presence itself, and the glint in his eyes that was briefly visible as he walked steadily down the long hallway to the hospital room where his wife was hospitalized, made the innocent soldiers’ legs tremble. It was only on the first day of being selected that they admired Ki Tae-jeong’s beauty, which was more than just a rumor. Things like the slightly gaunt jawline or the long, drooping eyelashes had now become objects of fear rather than admiration.

The soldiers who had just returned from dispatch were clamoring to be sent back to the battlefield, saying they would rather be anywhere else but here. The hospital room guards were enduring days that were no different from walking on thin ice.

“Yes. His condition has improved significantly since last night, so we’re going to try reducing the dosage of sleeping pills starting today.”

“Haa…”

At the Lieutenant General’s quiet sigh, which was like the sky, the soldiers who had been exchanging signals with their eyes pressed their already closed lips inward and hid them.

“So.”

“Yes?”

“You said you’re changing the medication. Is that all?”

“Ah, ah, yes. The… the ingredients of the medication to be replaced… here, I’ll show you compared to the previous medication.”

Still, the ones in charge of guarding had it relatively easy. Who could be more miserable than the doctor, who had to stick right next to the Lieutenant General and report in detail on his wife’s condition and future plans? While trying to hold back from wanting to get away from Ki Tae-jeong, the doctor tried to ease the atmosphere in his own way.

“By the way, Lieutenant General, you also look tired. While you’re here, how about getting an IV drip-“

“What about Captain Na? Is there nothing from that side?”

“Oh, why Captain Na… Ah! Ah, yes… Well, we are rescheduling the surgery, but it seems best not to bring it forward too much for both the wife and the fetus…”

Ki Tae-jeong didn’t say anything, but the doctor kept shrinking like a deflated balloon. It would be more comfortable if he just cursed at him, but the Lieutenant General only let out a short, sigh-like breath. In normal times, he would have kicked the doctor in the shins for not being able to finish his words clearly. Perhaps he knew that making a face as if he would kill someone right away, but not showing any particular reaction, was driving people even crazier.

“Ha, shit…”

The eyebrows of the superior officer, who was lost in thought, rose sharply. Seeing the slight wrinkles on the bridge of his nose, just like when he sensed the spoiled food ingredients before, it seemed like he smelled something bad… The soldier, who was sniffing along for no reason, froze like ice with a ridiculous expression on his face at Ki Tae-jeong’s frosty glare.

“L, Lieutenant General. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, I’ll correct it immediately.”

The terrified doctor mumbled, but Ki Tae-jeong just kept his mouth shut as if enduring something. Even his frowning face was indeed like a painting. However, when people face beauty that exceeds a certain level, they feel chills beyond thrills. Moreover, because the subject was Ki Tae-jeong, the soldiers and the doctor standing guard were on the verge of fainting from fear.

“…In the hallway too.”

“Yes?”

“Install ventilation or air purification systems in the hallway too.”

At Ki Tae-jeong’s low voice, as if he was holding back something rising from within, the doctor turned pale and nodded repeatedly.

“Something that isn’t noisy.”

“Yes. I, I will install it immediately.”

It wasn’t that he wasn’t, Ki Tae-jeong was really enduring terrible curses. Even just slightly moving his lips made him feel nauseous to the point of dizziness. He felt disgusted even by his own breath, so how much worse would other people’s body odors be? But he couldn’t tell them that their very existence was driving him crazy and to stop breathing. No matter how bad his temper was, he didn’t have the hobby of tormenting powerless subordinates without any context. However.

‘It’s morning sickness.’

According to Captain Na’s diagnosis, Ki Tae-jeong was experiencing morning sickness symptoms along with his beloved spouse.

‘What?’

‘I said it’s morning sickness symptoms.’

‘Morning sickness, what the fuck is that?’

Captain Na, who was examining Ki Tae-jeong, who was slightly embarrassed by the condition of his body that he was experiencing for the first time in his life, made another solemn diagnosis. It was definitely morning sickness.

‘You can think of it as a psychological factor. There are often people who experience morning sickness with their spouse, or even instead of their spouse.’

‘……’

‘There are also cases where they experience weight gain or back pain along with feeling nauseous like now, so please tell me if you experience such symptoms in the future.’

When he asked her to prescribe some medicine, Captain Na shook her head.

‘You know, if there was a medicine that could relieve morning sickness, we would have given it to your wife first, not you, Lieutenant General. You can only endure this period passing.’

Therefore, even if the Lieutenant General’s condition worsens here, there is nothing the medical officer can do, but it is a big deal that the pillar of national defense, who is still a Lieutenant General but in charge of the commander, has become weak like a withered weed, so he was so exhausted by Captain Na’s nonsense that he would try to adjust and coordinate the major schedules in the future that he didn’t even have the energy to get angry.

In the meantime, Ki Tae-jeong thought he was quite sensitive. He had a good eye, and he was good at identifying what something was just by smelling it. He wasn’t the type to replace logic with instinct or feeling, but still, there must be a reason why he had survived without dying until now. It is true that his sharp senses and sensitive temper were of great help in combat and survival. However, after his body became like this, he realized that he was not sensitive, but sharp.

Ki Tae-jeong, who didn’t show any particular reaction even when receiving zero-gravity training right before commissioning, felt like he was going to die these days because he felt nauseous just by breathing. It felt like all the smells of the world, finely divided into molecular units, were constantly hitting the olfactory cells in his nose.

This is not just a matter of being sensitive. It was clear that all the senses he had been aware of were completely shattered. He even hated the sight of apples, which he used to enjoy eating, so that says it all. The sweet and sour flesh tasted and smelled completely different from what Ki Tae-jeong remembered.

In this situation, having someone approach him reeking of greasy flesh? From Ki Tae-jeong’s point of view, that was an act no different from an assassination attempt.

“And Lieutenant General.”

“Don’t come closer.”

“Yes?”

“I said don’t come closer.”

“Ah… Yes, then… I’ll submit the rest in writing.”

At the chilling warning that wouldn’t be strange even if he bit him right away, the doctor shrank twice as much as before, then scurried backward and quickly disappeared.

These days, he felt nauseous about everything on Earth. Among them, the most disgusting thing was the smell of people. In particular, the unique smell emitted when humans gathered in groups was the most difficult for Ki Tae-jeong, but unfortunately, his workplace was the military, where humans gathered in groups. It was a place where people who were armed with various weapons and trained their bodies every day, not just sitting and tapping on keyboards. He was in such a fucking situation that even the swear words he used to say didn’t come out.

Passing by the soldiers lined up densely without any gaps on his way to and from work, Ki Tae-jeong vowed to definitely fuck up the health department at the next officer’s meeting.

They were so full of shit, saying that the essence of modern medicine was in the military, but how could it make sense that they couldn’t even solve morning sickness when it was a world where even men could get pregnant?

No, in the first place, the fact that only one side can get pregnant when they are the same gender is a problem. If he was given a choice, he would have gotten pregnant instead of Lee Sehwa. Even he, who was as sturdy as if he was made of iron, was having a hard time because of this fucking morning sickness, so how would Sehwa, who was weaker than him, be feeling now?