do not repost or share on ANY social media. Do not make epubs of my translations.
Editor: Badman
I sat in the shade of a tree as I watched the recruits’ training process. I had already completed all my paperwork in the morning, wasn’t allowed to play games during work hours, and, thanks to Jung Haekyung, wasn’t allowed to do any individual training for the time being. This was the only task I had left, but the instructors seemed uncomfortable with it, as though I were supervising them. I took out a cigarette, placed it in my mouth, and thought that I’d only stay for ten minutes before taking my leave.
The only thing I could do as I wished here was smoke, but these past few days of lying sick in bed robbed me of even that. What Jung Haekyung had done to me during that time was so damn shitty that I didn’t even want to think about it. I swore to myself to never fall sick around Jung Haekyung ever again and took a long drag of cigarette smoke.
The nicotine that coursed through my body after so long made my head spin in circles. It didn’t matter if the white smoke, laden with four thousand types of chemical substances, filled my lungs. Even if my lungs were to rot, Director Baek would replace them with fresh, new ones anyway. It was Director Baek’s shining pride that, as long as they had their heads and hearts intact, no one would die within the grounds of S.E. I also couldn’t express enough gratitude for that gleaming medical technology that was being actively used on me. Well, I did play a significant role in the advancement of S.E.’s technology for nearly two years now by offering up my body.
Sitting there brought back memories of the first time I brought a cigarette to my lips. I first learned to smoke from Jung Haekyung. Back then, the sight of him smoking looked cool, but now I felt the urge to seize the younger version of myself by the collar and shake him. No, it’d all be pointless. As long as I entered S.E., only the process would slightly differ, but the outcome would remain the same anyway.
As I brought the second cigarette to my lips, someone took a seat beside me. There was only one person who could naturally sit beside me in S.E. However, that person was currently on a mission outside Korea. He had embarked on a long-term mission to Dandong, China, two days ago. I reflexively jumped up. It was a move made for both my sake and that of the person seated next to me. After putting some distance between us, I checked who it was. It was Lee Junggeon. Lee Junggeon was still crouched down, looking up at me as he said, “I wanted to borrow a lighter…”
He then lifted the cigarette held between his fingers. I searched through my pocket and tossed him a lighter. Despite it veering slightly off-target, Lee Junggeon extended his hand and caught it with a tak. As I watched him light the end of the cigarette, a sudden anxiety overcame me. He wouldn’t make a fuss just because I lent him a lighter, right? Besides, Lee Junggeon was the bodyguard assigned to me by Jung Haekyung.
I didn’t know. Anyway, there was no way of knowing what Jung Haekyung’s criteria were. Therefore, I decided not to take any actions that might burden my conscience, even if just a little bit. I gave up on getting the lighter back and headed towards my office. Just how pathetic did I look? Regardless of whether he was by my side or not, he always made me feel watched. From the moment I opened my eyes to when I fell asleep, he occupied my thoughts. He had mentioned that he, too, only thought of me throughout the day. Let’s just think about each other, even if we’re briefly apart. The situation unfolded exactly as he had whispered in my ear the day before he left for his mission, right after we had just had sex. He called this kind of thing romantic.
Lee Junggeon followed behind me. It was his job, so I didn’t say anything, but complications might arise for me if he continued following me all the way into the office.
“What is it?”
When I looked at him, Lee Junggeon stopped and didn’t come any closer. He extended the lighter towards me, but I didn’t take it. Then, he lightly tossed it. Not catching it, the orange plastic lighter fell to the floor.
“I believe things might get even more complicated if you give me this.” Lee Junggeon amiably laughed. I couldn’t discern if this was some sort of new test. I quickly grew tired of the 700 won lighter. Without responding, I walked over to a chair and took a seat. I continued to stare at the empty monitor for a while, but Lee Junggeon remained standing by the door.
“Go and do your work.”
It was not my place to order him around. My promotions were relatively quick thanks to Jung Haekyung, but I was still of a lower ranking than Lee Junggeon. So, if he insisted on guarding me even inside my office, there was nothing I could do about it. Because that was what Jung Haekyung would’ve intended as well. Nevertheless, I wanted to be able to breathe in my office, so I tried telling him again, “Didn’t you hear me?”
Talking this rudely to one’s superior was enough to warrant military imprisonment, but I wasn’t going to be imprisoned for such a thing. Rather, the kinder I spoke, the more dangerous it’d be. However, Lee Junggeon didn’t seem to take any offence and even went on to inquire about my well-being. “Are you feeling alright now?”
“…Yes.”
“First Lieutenant Kim, you’re as fascinating as the rumours say.”
The word “fascinating” bothered me quite a bit. Because that was what Jung Haekyung had told me. At that moment, a slight whirlwind emerged beneath the fallen lighter on the floor. The lighter lifted into the air, dancing in the wind, and landed with a thud on my desk.
“I’m a wind-type user. I made the wind blow earlier, but your hair didn’t even flutter, First Lieutenant Kim.”
“Oh, I see.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“And I can see that you’re as prickly as the rumours say you are?”
“Pa jqqfjgr sbe’gf delaf ubrrlqs, yea tbk jybea sbe wjxf sbeg fzla cbk?”
“Jbeiv la yf atja la’r cba qglmxilcfrr, yea gjatfg rtscfrr bc sbeg qjga?”
Off Aecuufbc uglccfv jujlc. Llr rwlif kjr gfogfrtlcu, j qifjrjca rluta ab rff, yea P tjv gfqfjafvis rkbgc ab wsrfio cfnfg ab yf vfmflnfv ys j rwlif bg atf ilxf fnfg jujlc. Qtfc P aegcfv ws ujhf yjmx ab atf wbclabg, Off Aecuufbc ylv tlr ojgfkfiir jcv ifoa atf boolmf. Pa kjr bcis atfc atja P mbeiv ifjc yjmx jujlcra atf mtjlg. Snfc joafg rlaalcu obg j ktlif, ws tfjv tega jcv P ofia raloifv, rb P bqfcfv atf klcvbk. Vajcvlcu ys atf klcvbk, atf klcv yifk, wjxlcu ws tjlg oieaafg.
∞
Jung Haekyung’s return had been indefinitely postponed. The momentum of the FEL, a terrorist group opposing the military’s monopoly on ability users, was gaining momentum. I didn’t like any of it, whether it was the FEL group that pretended like they were doing this for the sake of ability users or anything else that happened. Despite their seemingly justifiable cause of opposing the military’s forced recruitment and experimentation on ability users, they were also exploiting ability users to carry out acts of terrorism. Even if they established branches throughout various areas in Liaoning, China, and engaged in guerilla operations in Korea, crying for the independence of ability users, the ones who’d be sacrificed in the process were those same ability users. Whether it was S.E. or the FEL, they were both at the same level. Everything that was happening must’ve seemed great to Jung Haekyung, seriously.
Due to the large amount of manpower S.E. had deployed in order to wipe out the FEL’s base, the S.E. headquarters ended up being busy with internal support tasks as well. However, the busier S.E. became, the laxer I found myself. I revisited documents I had already looked over, read some newspapers and books, slowly ate my food, said hi to the cat I encountered each time I stepped out for a smoke, and even cleaned my office, but the end of the workday had yet to arrive.
Nevertheless, I avoided using the internet. It left traces. It was best to refrain from doing anything that left a record. Jung Haekyung even went as far as to search for my deleted web browsing history. When I gnashed my teeth upon discovering a meticulously organised file filled with printouts of all the web browsing records left on my computer and that were sorted by date, Jung Haekyung had said, “I want to know what you’re interested in these days. You don’t tell me anything.” I felt that the technician who had to recover such a thing and report it back to him was as pitiful as I was. It wasn’t like they studied to do something like this. That was why I completely refrained from using the internet besides handling official documents on the business portal system or checking emails.
Time trickled one way or another, but even when the work day was over, I only had one thing to do: return to the residence. I wanted to go to the shooting range, the fitness centre, or at least take a walk, but I couldn’t do that right now. Jung Haekyung had prohibited it due to my recent illness. Even under normal circumstances, he disapproved of my aimless wandering. If I deviated from the predetermined path, I’d get a phone call from him, and I’d stumble over my words as I tried to explain. If I had no explanation, I had to come up with an excuse. It was better for my mental health to just do as he said instead.
As soon as it turned 6 p.m., I left the office. Even though Lee Junggeon, stationed in front of the office, greeted me with a nod, I ignored him and proceeded to the location I needed to be at this hour. I had to walk a little faster to arrive at the designated time. After walking with determined effort, I finally arrived, but upon reaching the beautiful two-story house, a sigh escaped me. Nevertheless, I didn’t forget to swipe my card on the door lock within ten minutes of leaving work.
The residence that Lieutenant General Jung Kyungwon had supposedly built as a gift for Jung Haekyung’s eleventh birthday had a dull green roof that seemed like a place even Anne Shirley might stay and was complete with an attic. The attic, a secret hideout that Jung Haekyung must’ve loved when he was younger, was now collecting heaps of dust. There was a large cardboard box in one corner of the attic that was filled with books and toys that the young Jung Haekyung used to enjoy. However, I didn’t want to take a closer look since it looked to contain real guns and grenades.
On the living room dresser were framed photos of Jung Haekyung’s childhood. The first time I saw the picture of Jung Haekyung all bundled up in fuzzy earmuffs, a colourful fur hat, and secure gloves with strings attached to them while ice fishing, I thought it was ridiculous. Was it even possible for him to feel cold? He probably just wore those because it was winter and snowing. However, regardless of my opinion, the image of the young Jung Haekyung, with his large almond-shaped eyes and lingering baby fat, made him look like a little angel. I bet that, even back then, only his outer appearance would give that impression.
Next to that was also a childhood photo of mine that Jung Haekyung received from my father’s secretary. It was a portrait photo taken when I had graduated from either kindergarten or elementary school. Even in my childhood, I almost never had my photo taken, so the way I looked as I wore my navy uniform and stared blankly into the camera looked extremely bored. Nevertheless, Jung Haekyung had made a whole commotion, saying I looked pretty even then. His sense of aesthetics, trained from looking at himself in the mirror, was horrid.
In the summer, a mountain breeze would gently blow as I sat on the couch Jung Haekyung had made out of chopped hinoki cypress wood, and in the winter, deep sunlight would stream in the southern-facing window. Each time, it would create an atmosphere cosy and warm enough to evoke old memories that never existed.
The only reason it was referred to as a residence was because it was located within S.E., but it was far too extravagant to be labelled as a residence provided by the military. It was a space belonging solely to Jung Haekyung. So, I hated it here. I hated the fact that I had to stay in his space. However, I no longer had anywhere else to stay in S.E. except for here.
After washing up and changing into casual clothes, I sat on the sofa and instinctively turned on the television. I unintentionally dozed off while watching a scene in which a fishnet with a pollack caught in it was being hauled up. The screen of my phone, which was placed on the table, lit up with a buzz. Despite the fact that a daily drama was currently playing on the open television, I was still able to sense the phone vibrations better than anyone else. I suddenly woke up and hurriedly scanned my surroundings. I shouldn’t be falling asleep on the couch. Soon afterwards, I remembered that Jung Haekyung was currently absent from S.E. I checked my phone and saw that he had sent me a message.
[Euijin-ah, are you sleeping?]
I glanced at the time displayed at the top of the phone, and it wasn’t even nine yet. It was too early to go to sleep. I started typing [No] as a reply, but then deleted it. It was because he may have been watching me. I looked at the F-117 fighter jet model placed next to the television. The smooth cockpit of the Nighthawk was still emitting a circular red light. Not only the F-117, but even the displayed models of warships and armoured vehicles throughout the residence always glowed red, watching over me. So, I wrote [Yes]. However, something felt a little strange. How could I be texting while asleep? Should I reply with [I had a nap]? Since I’m awake now, wouldn’t it be fine to just say I’m not sleeping? I wrote [No] again and pressed the send button. I soon received a call from Jung Haekyung. Maybe it was due to the jamming, but the quality of the call was a mess and it’d frequently cut off in the middle, but Jung Haekyung’s voice always sounded clear to me.
─Where are you?
“Your residence.”
─.…..
“…No, our residence.”
─What are you doing?
“Watching TV.”
─What are you watching?
“Cold Love.”
─Did General Manager Han realise that Sehwi is Seyeon?
“Yeah, yesterday.”
─What did General Manager Han say?
“How could you do this to me… Well, something like that.”
─Was it boring?
“Just so-so.”
─Did you eat dinner?
“Yeah.”
─What did you eat?
“Kimchi fried rice and chilled cucumber soup.”
─Why are you eating cold stuff? You didn’t get, like, sick again, did you?
“No.”
─.…..
“.…..”
─.…..
“…Haekyung-ah?”
─.…..
“Did you hang up?”
─Euijin-ah.
“Yeah.”
─Do you not have anything you want to ask me?
“…I don’t…”
─Then, do you not have anything you want to say to me?
I quickly retraced my steps with my mind, which was groggy after having just woken up. There really hadn’t been anything out of the ordinary lately.
“…I don’t…”
─.…..
I fully woke up after hearing the silence coming from the other end of the receiver, and I sat up straight on the couch. I pondered for a while about what the issue might’ve been when I heard his voice.
─Don’t you miss me?
“.…..”
─.…..
“…I miss you.”
─Really?
“…Yeah.”
─I miss you too, Euijin-ah.
The moment Jung Haekyung pressed his lips to the phone and kissed it, the call was cut off with a crackling sound and a beep. In the movies, people would usually die soon after saying these kinds of things over the phone while in battle, but Jung Haekyung wasn’t going to die.
Although the call with him was short, it still made my lips feel parched. I went to the kitchen to get some water. Several photos and Jung Haekyung and I were stuck on the fridge with cute little magnets. When I opened the fridge, a post-it note Jung Haekyung had left the morning he departed fluttered down to the floor.
[Euijin-ah♡ I’m going to spank you if you starve yourself and carelessly sleep on the couch while I’m away. I’ll be back soon. Even if you miss me, please endure it a little longer♡♡♡]
I didn’t miss Jung Haekyung. I had just woken up from a dream where I was dreaming of him anyway. If I fall asleep, I’ll probably dream of him again. Regardless of whether he was by my side, I’d always see him to a tiring extent, so there was no time for me to miss him.
Hi translator sama, hope you are well. I discovered this novel a few days ago and binged all the episodes. For the past few days, I have constantly been refreshing the site for new update despite the site not working. I created an account just for this novel. I so so love it. Thanks for your wonderful translation 😚