M 71

“Ah…”

Sehwa realized he had been biting his lower lip without knowing it, and gently released his upper teeth from the soft flesh. Then he casually turned his eyes beyond the bar.

“Then what is it?”

Ki Tae-jeong, who had suddenly come close, kept asking. His high nose bridge pressed against Sehwa’s soft cheek. His moist breath and alcohol-soaked lips tickled various parts of his face.

“I’m asking what it is, then?”

“It’s fine… really, it’s fine.”

Of course, it was a lie. Even now, he desperately wanted cherries. Just a moment ago, he thought he could substitute them with other fruits, but now he only wanted cherries. Despite having tasted them just once, merely recalling that memory made his swallow hard. However…

“It’s late anyway… and I don’t think I’ll be able to digest it, so I’ll eat it tomorrow.”

Sehwa pretended to be nonchalant. He maintained a calm expression as if it really was fine, as if it wasn’t that urgent.

As Ki Tae-jeong repeatedly asked if there was something he wanted to eat, his expectations kept growing. Like cotton candy expanding as it spins in the machine. That fluffy emotion was only sweet, and only harmful. Yes, just like cotton candy.

If Sehwa honestly confessed the various things he was craving right now, Ki Tae-jeong might somehow get them for him… such vain imaginings kept occurring to him. It was enough that he said he’d assign someone to his tomorrow so he could go out and choose whatever he wanted to eat. He thought it was fortunate enough that he could now go out without having to wrap patches around embarrassing places.

Even if his relationship with Ki Tae-jeong had become a bit softer than before, he didn’t think his attitude towards him would change dramatically in the future.

Ki Tae-jeong is Ki Tae-jeong.

Moreover, he was an Air Force Brigadier General living in a 5-Star residence. Regardless of the man’s usual character, the difference in their social status was too great. This kind of relationship couldn’t last long. Once the matters related to Lieutenant Kim were over and the House was settled, the frequency of his visits would gradually decrease. With the 5-Star residence full of people who sparkled like jewels from birth, why would Ki Tae-jeong bother with a lower-class person like him?

He liked him. Ki Tae-jeong. He liked him even while resenting him, liked him even while not trusting him. Though it was a dim emotion mixed with impurities, it was true. So Sehwa decided to honestly acknowledge his feelings, but not to dream of even the tiniest thing with him.

He wasn’t immune to this level of kindness yet. If Ki Tae-jeong’s feelings cooled after everything was over and he started treating him casually like before… Just imagining it made his heart ache already. So Sehwa wouldn’t wish for anything, and just like him like this. Waiting for his feelings to wear out at some point. That way, even when the end came, he wouldn’t be hurt too much. He had to prepare for the time when he would be left alone again.

“It’s okay, really. I’ll go buy it tomorrow.”

As he added a quiet thank you, Ki Tae-jeong gently kissed him. Before he knew it, his head was tilted and their lips were deeply interlocked. Sehwa closed his eyes. It seemed that from now on, whenever he randomly craved food like this, he could just recall the indifferent Ki Tae-jeong from some time ago.

Sehwa firmly suppressed the pleas of the immature baby singing “cherry, cherry”. When he thought about how he never wanted to go back to the past, it really became bearable.

***

“Let’s consider this apart from Lieutenant Kim’s family background. He’s an officer. If he had been just an ordinary soldier, there would have been no problem. We could have just executed him and be done with it.”

“What does being an officer matter? Is that some kind of all-purpose shield? Is an officer above military law? You’re saying something that could cause big trouble!”

“No, what I mean is…!”

The main conference room was in chaos. Ki Tae-jeong observed the farce unfolding before him with a bored expression. It was a meeting hastily arranged by the elders, who insisted that they should at least roughly settle things before the court-martial for the sake of appearances.

Of course, Ki Tae-jeong had no intention of compromising regardless of what they were arguing about. From the beginning, his conditions were clear:

Permanently revoke Lieutenant Kim’s position, and have his family, who had been fully supporting the project, withdraw from the military-controlled medical business.

Furthermore, he demanded recognition for his contributions in uncovering an incident that could have escalated into an international dispute, and he wanted to be promoted by at least one rank, along with recognition for the military achievements of his subordinate officers, including Lieutenant Park.

Lastly, allow soldiers from internment camps to exercise voting rights in military trials as elders even after discharge, just like ordinary soldiers.

If even one of these demands was not accepted, he planned to push forward strictly according to military law. In that case, Lieutenant Kim would face execution at best. The family members who had recklessly provided confidential documents and unauthorized medical substances just to boost their stupid son’s spirits wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility either.

So today’s meeting held little significance for Ki Tae-jeong. He had anticipated that he would gain nothing and only hear nonsense from old men wasting food. Yet he still showed his face without making excuses because there was something he wanted to confirm with Major General Oh Seon-ran.

The day he was checking Sehwa’s constitution at the official residence, there was something suspicious about the documents Lieutenant Na had handed him to read.

First, there were traces of multiple edits to the records of the people presumed to be Sehwa’s parents. It didn’t seem like an attempt to delete existing content, but rather an effort to restore information that had been erased. Although it wasn’t particularly remarkable content and mostly consisted of trivial personal matters, that’s why Ki Tae-jeong found the document even more suspicious.

Why did they resurrect something like this? Unless there was an urgent matter equivalent to wartime, it was too crudely finished to be explained. Even without digital analysis, just a cursory glance revealed that this document had been rather messily rifled through. And only for one person’s data.

Moreover, only that test subject who seemed connected to Lee Sehwa was classified with Major General Oh Seon-ran (Brigadier General Oh at the time) as the person in charge. Though difficult to explain, Ki Tae-jeong trusted his instincts in moments like these. There was clearly something more. A hidden story that shouldn’t be overlooked.

So he had instructed Lieutenant Park to look into this matter in detail, and separately, he was trying to arrange an opportunity to meet privately with Major General Oh Seon-ran today. But the key person was absent, and for over an hour he’d been forced to watch useless idiots spout nonsense.

Damn it, if he’d known it would be like this, he should have taken Lee Sehwa shopping. How amazed he would be seeing a dazzling 5-Star department store. If he teased him asking what was so great about it, he’d say “No, it’s nothing…” trailing off, but with rounded cheeks and big blinking eyes.

Somehow it felt like Warrant Officer Choi always got the good jobs. Even when they moved from the 4-Hwan to official residence last time, that bastard was the only one who saw what kind of expression Lee Sehwa had and how he marveled.

Ki Tae-jeong craned his neck, looked up at the ceiling once, then abruptly stood up. Because Lee Sehwa had gotten up late, he’d only just received a report that he’d gone out. If he moved by helicopter now, he might be able to go shopping with him.

“Hey? Ki Tae-jeong, where are you going!”

The old monkeys who had been clamoring amongst themselves finally turned to look his way.

“I have a lot to do, so I think I need to leave now.”

They were just men who had achieved nothing on their own, receiving elder treatment solely based on their family backgrounds. Most of them even had lower ranks than Ki Tae-jeong, so by the book, there would be no problem with him, their superior, leaving first.

“Hey, Ki Tae-jeong. Putting everything else aside, what good will come from acting so rudely? I know you have bad feelings towards Lieutenant Kim, but you should act more intelligently at times like this.”

“General Lee is right about that. Before blowing up like this, you should have first thought to visit Lieutenant Kim’s family to negotiate. If you don’t have parents to help, at least seek advice from other elders. What kind of situation is this, with the whole military turned upside down just because your feelings were hurt, huh?”

“Sigh. I still don’t understand what Lieutenant Kim did wrong. That thing called Harvest or Produce or whatever, it’s not even actually in use yet, so why…”

Ki Tae-jeong’s military boots, which had been striding resolutely towards the door, came to an abrupt halt.

“…Intelligently?”

The sound of his soles scraping the floor as he turned around was chilling. As if they had never raised their voices, the elders cleared their throats and avoided Ki Tae-jeong’s eyes.

“Did you just tell me to act intelligently?”

The unsettled atmosphere instantly became taut. The aides standing by the door to guard the elders looked ready to radio for help at any moment. Weapons were technically prohibited in the conference room, but Ki Tae-jeong was a monster who could kill with his bare hands.

“When I first engaged in a mock battle after being dragged to the camp,” said Ki Tae-jeong, coldly sweeping his expressionless gaze over the rigid faces of those present.

“Ah, of course it wasn’t really a mock. Even if they called it that, you’d actually die if you lost.”

The rules were simple. Enter the combat simulation program, defeat the enemy as instructed, and that was it. They said you’d be shot if you didn’t escape within the time limit, but this was considered not bad as far as these things went. They weren’t depriving you of sleep or throwing you off a thousand-foot cliff. It was a game that ended once you broke through the traps and planted a flag in the designated spot.

“Looking back, I came up with a pretty good strategy, and as a result, I was able to safely bring out even the kids playing the enemy roles. But the instructor said it didn’t meet the criteria and told me to do it again.”

The same thing was repeated two, three times. They kept mentioning efficiency, so he tried to shorten the time. He took the lead and dealt with all the difficult and tricky tasks. Thanks to that, he escaped 2 minutes faster than before, but the instructor still shook his head. He only gave cryptic advice to think carefully about ‘efficiency as a soldier’.

“So this time, I changed tactics to kill all the enemies and save only our allies.”

But the instructor, with a stern face, pushed Ki Tae-jeong and the children back into the program. Even if it wasn’t much different from the previous attempt, it was strange that the ten-year-old kids weren’t getting tired from the repeated grueling battles.

Anyway, they kept singing about efficiency, efficiency, so he gritted his teeth and tried to come up with an even more outlandish strategy. Somehow he managed to escape again, soothing the kids who were trembling saying it was impossible. In the process, a couple of them collapsed from lack of stamina, but he was able to complete the mission 10 minutes faster than before. This time, he hardly wasted any of the given resources. Still, the instructor said it was wrong.

“So when I entered the simulation for the seventh time, I couldn’t even think about strategy anymore. Tired, sleepy, hungry, I just tried to escape first, not caring if the others died or not. Only then did they let me pass.”

The instructor, looking satisfied, tossed Ki Tae-jeong his meal for the day and pressed the red button without hesitation. With that light gesture, everything was wiped out entirely. Not just the simulation program, but also the people struggling inside. All of them.

Among them were Ki Tae-jeong’s peers. They were the kids who shared their meager food with him when he was being beaten and starved by instructors who didn’t like his defiant gaze. Even in this mock training, they followed him without complaint. They even thanked him for leading from the front. They used to say meaningless things like, “They said we’d really be made soldiers if we pass this, Ki Tae-jeong, you might really become an officer.” They’d feel proud just saying such things.

Ki Tae-jeong sat down and chewed on the bread he’d barely received. Only after all his peers who had shown him kindness had died did he hurriedly swallow the rubbery bread he was given, and lay his tired body on the cold floor.

As he did so, his insides kept stinging. Those kids died so meaninglessly because they were kind and affectionate. It burned and stung as if a fire had been lit behind his eyes. But even that sensation didn’t last long. He had to sleep. If he didn’t rest now, he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the next training, and then he would be the one to die a dog’s death tomorrow.

“I thought efficiency meant having the maximum number of people survive without much effort, but that wasn’t it. It was the ability for them to play around comfortably in the back, doing nothing, while the human weapons they’d carefully raised fought like dogs alone. That was the efficiency the instructors wanted.”

So after that, Ki Tae-jeong also moved ‘efficiently’. He planned operations with destruction as the top priority, not for the purpose of caring for, governing, or persuading. If it was a situation he could handle alone, he did so. He learned how to quickly resolve situations with minimal resources, and when necessary, he didn’t hesitate to annihilate allies as well. That’s why they had created killing machines like him, so he moved faithfully according to instructions.

“So this time too, I just handled it as the instructors back then taught me. I secured all the evidence by moving directly without bothering many people, didn’t I?”

“K-Ki Tae-jeong! You’re now-!”

“Someone like Lieutenant Kim who becomes an obstacle to the military should have their roots cut off even if they’re an ally. I think this is the efficient and intelligent handling of matters that you superiors emphasized so much.”

Placing the dress cap he had been holding crookedly on his head, Ki Tae-jeong deliberately put on a nice smile. He knew well that those bastards got most upset when he made this kind of face.

“Since my rank is higher, I’ll skip the salute. Well then.”

“Hey! Ki Tae-jeong!”

The unnecessarily heavy door of the conference room opened and closed, and the noise that had been bothering him was cut off as if sucked down a drain.

Ki Tae-jeong squeezed his eyes shut once, then opened them and gestured to Lieutenant Park. He bit into the cigarette handed to him by the waiting man as if snatching it. Though it wasn’t the cigar he usually enjoyed, he felt his airways clear only when the nicotine entered his body.

When he’s with Lee Sehwa, he can’t smoke anymore, and he can’t swear at the kid either. Lieutenant Na had contacted him urgently this morning to advise him to quit as much as possible, saying secondhand smoke is bad for both the pregnant person and the fetus.

Then fuck, what am I supposed to do to endure when I feel this shitty? I can’t even actually do drugs…

Ki Tae-jeong exhaled cigarette smoke irritably, and as if seeking compensation, thought of Lee Sehwa. Of his speaking firmly with his sharp eyes, telling him not to swear at the kid. Of how he had squirmed on his lap yesterday. He has changed a lot though. In the past, he would have refused to accept anything given to her, but now he often talks about going out to buy something tomorrow.

They say pregnant people get unbearable cravings. It seems it wasn’t to that extent yesterday. Well, Sehwa  probably wasn’t feeling well after all that dry heaving during the day.

“Hmm…”

Imagining Lee Sehwa lingering in front of the bedroom late at night, craving something, his mood improved a little. He’d probably whisper, “Brigadier General,” after hesitating for a long time whether to wake him up or not. When will he make such a request?

Ah. Ki Tae-jeong unconsciously touched his lips, which had naturally relaxed into a smile. An unfamiliar smile even to himself had spread across his face. A voice seemed to whisper from deep inside, a part of himself he didn’t know existed, saying that it might be worth enduring giving up cigarettes and swearing if he could see Lee Sehwa like that.

“Um… Brigadier General.”

Lieutenant Park, who had been looking around, called Ki Tae-jeong in a cautious voice.

“I just received a call from Warrant Officer Choi, saying that Major General Oh Seon-ran has appeared.”

“Appeared? Where?”

Ki Tae-jeong, who had responded casually, suddenly realized something and turned sharply to Lieutenant Park.

“Warrant Officer Choi? How does he know Oh Seon-ran appeared?”

“Well… He was going around the department store food court with Lee Sehwa… when Major General Oh Seon-ran suddenly appeared and drove people away, saying he had something to talk about with Lee Sehwa.”

“What?”