Did I Hear That Wrong? (1)

I stared endlessly at the outside of the guard post.

While this place is the calm before the storm, the outside is disgustingly peaceful. With the sky so clear, my grief was doubled.

My legs feel so heavy, as if transparent slave shackles are chained to my ankles.

“Those entering for basic military training as non-commissioned officer candidates, please gather in front of the review stand.”

I walked across the parade ground with heavy steps.

Seeing me, the drill instructor picked up a wired microphone and said:

“…Move a little more quickly.”

“Yes, yes!”

Though the voice sounds gentle at first, there’s a knife hidden in the words.

As they say, only those who’ve chewed meat know its taste – memories of those nightmarish times crept up on me.

“S-sorry…”

I looked up carefully at the instructor, hunching my body.

Under the brim of his hat, cold eyes and tightly closed lips were revealed.

…But wait a minute.

Why should I be sorry?

Looking at the instructor’s insignia, he was a Sergeant First Class.

…This low-ranking punk!

I’ve thrown away more seniority than you’ve eaten! Hey!

Daring to order around a senior like the sky, I ought to…!

Inwardly scolding the insignificant sergeant, I awkwardly stood on the parade ground.

The other cast members of “I Am a Soldier” started arriving one by one.

“Oh, HaYoo! You came early?!”

A familiar voice of Lilme.

When I turned my head, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Lilme, whose bright platinum blonde color had faded, now with neat black hair, came running while breathing out steam.

It was completely different from Lilme’s image I’d seen so far.

Maybe because she was wearing thick clothes, her tattoos and scars weren’t visible, giving an illusion of innocence at first glance.

…The black hair looks better.

“Lilme unn…”

Ah, right.

This is the military, so I should call her Hong Jihye, not Lilme.

“Ms. Hong Jihye.”

“Hey! Don’t call me Ms. Hong Jihye! It’s cringy! Too formal!”

“Then Jihye unni.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

She had packed so much luggage that thick bags were filling both her hands.

In the end, all of that will be sent back by parcel anyway. Fool.

“Are you emigrating somewhere?”

“Yeah. I’m going to elope with you. Where should we go? Guam? Kota Kinabalu?”

“This person is always flirting at every opportunity.”

“Hehehe. What can I do if I like you?”

Lilme patted my shoulder.

“Hey, hey. It’s Choi Haru, Choi Haru.”

“…Choi Haru?”

When I turned around, a small-bodied girl was walking over languidly.

The bag she was carrying was bigger than her body, making her look pitiable at first glance.

As she came close, Choi Haru bowed her head and greeted:

“…Hello.”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

Choi Haru.

She was a member of I-Kiss, currently the highest-valued 5-member girl group in Korea. Known for their Y2K style and kitsch sensibility, they were said to be the wannabe of teenage and 20-something girls.

Seeing her in person, she’s even more dainty and cute. Her skin is like yogurt and her eyes are big like marbles. Her delicate body even stimulated protective instincts.

Hmm. A very stable flavor.

Definitely idol material…

The only problem is…

“…will do my best.”

She’s too introverted. Unlike an idol.

Due to her extremely shy personality, Choi Haru had been firmly marked by entertainment reporters and antis, caught up in unintended controversies about insincere attitudes and such.

I heard she’s the #1 anti target in the idol world, with sub-accounts on Instagram and alt accounts on Twitter showering her with malicious comments…

Seeing her actually looking so dispirited in person makes me feel sorry for her.

“By the way, how old are you?”

Lilme asked gently with a smile.

Choi Haru answered quietly as if secretly sharing a precious secret.

“…years old.”

“Pardon? I can’t hear you well.”

Tall Lilme bent down to her waist and put her ear to Choi Haru’s small mouth.

“…enty.”

“Excuse me?”

Lilme touched her ear hole and looked at me.

“My hearing must be bad these days.”

“That’s because you go to clubs every day, your ears are broken.”

“This girl, really!”

Just then, Choi Haru held up two fingers.

“Ah. Twenty years old. Same age as HaYoo.”

Choi Haru nodded silently.

The drill instructor glanced at his wristwatch and asked us:

“Has Cha Jaehee not arrived yet?”

“It seems not.”

…Damn.

Coming to the military makes me automatically speak in formal language.

I looked up at the digital clock hanging on the review stand roof.

The entry time was 8 AM.

[07:59:58]

[07:59:59]

[08:00:00]

Only after a little past eight did Cha Jaehee come running lightly.

“Ah, what a relief. I’m only 1 minute late.”

“…’Only’ 1 minute?”

The Sergeant First Class’s eyes glinted like a wildcat’s.

“Ms. Cha Jaehee, you’ve delayed your entry by a whole 1 minute.”

“Come on, why be so strict over just 1 minute…”

“In a wartime situation, 1 minute could determine a comrade’s life or death.”

“But this isn’t a wartime situation.”

“…Pardon?”

P-please…

Please stop!

We’ll all die at this rate!

My image of Cha Jaehee is crumbling.

She was an actress I personally liked, good at acting, fiery in interviews, and with a cool personality. But now she looked like a troublemaker who was late and talking back poorly.

It’s quite difficult to be marked as a person of concern by the instructor right after arriving.

I can clearly see my hard times ahead, really.

I looked at the other cast members while holding back a sigh.

One is mentally unstable, one is timid, and the last one is arrogant.

Come to think of it, this lineup… is kind of funny.

The four women with the most antis in Korea right now are gathered in one place.

This is really frustrating!

There are too many holes. And they’re even as big as sinkholes.

At this rate, it seems like even a platoon of excavators would have trouble filling them.

An image of my future self formed in my mind.

My pitiful figure playing the mother role here for a week.

How should I take care of these three troublemaking idiots?

“Non-commissioned officer candidates, quickly follow the squad leader in two lines. Match your steps.”

From 8 AM, we were called non-commissioned officer candidates.

We moved our bodies according to the basic entry procedures.

First, a simple physical examination.

I put my arm into the electronic blood pressure monitor. However, it couldn’t measure.

Because my arm was too thin.

“Um, sorry, my arm is too thin.”

“Crazy.”

The medic was amazed, saying he’d never seen this before.

Only after tying the pressure cuff around my arm could they finally measure my blood pressure.

Next, they measured my height and weight.

“166 cm and 48 kg.”

Lilme, watching from behind, covered her mouth.

“Wow, really shameless. How can you weigh so little with breasts that big?”

After the physical exam, we had a formal interview with the platoon leader.

“Hello…”

“Oh. Come in and sit down, everyone.”

As soon as I saw the platoon leader’s face, all traces of laughter disappeared.

Master Sergeant Kang Dahee.

Thick eyebrows extending in straight lines. A plain face without a trace of makeup. Skin tanned by the sun like a far-infrared baked egg.

An ominous aura could be felt.

Meeting her blazing eyes, I felt like I knew what Kang Dahee’s nickname was.

“What do you all think my nickname is?”

I slowly raised my hand.

“Oh, Candidate Han Yujin. Go ahead.”

“…Flame Witch?”

Kang Dahee tilted her head and looked at me curiously.

“Is that the image of the platoon leader? How did you know?”

“Just… somehow I felt that kind of vibe.”

“What?”

“Ah, it’s nothing!”

Kang Dahee looked back and forth between a white paper and me.

“According to the personnel record, Candidate Han Yujin’s measurement for the three major lifts is zero…”

Again, again!

That damn zero in the three major lifts pops up like a street performer whenever I start to forget about it.

It feels like a scarlet letter is branded on my face just because of one bad measurement.

“Do you think you can do it?”

“Yes! With a fully armed mentality…”

“Pfft!”

Cha Jaehee’s laughter was heard from behind.

“You’re laughing in front of the platoon leader right now?”

Kang Dahee’s gaze turned cold.

If the Sergeant First Class from earlier was a wildcat, this one is a tiger.

Cha Jaehee seemed to sense the atmosphere and, unlike before, quickly tucked her tail.

“…N-no, I’m not.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, I’m not, ma’am.”

“Candidate Cha Jaehee, I’m watching you. How dare you laugh like a woman when your comrade is answering with spirit?”

Hearing those words, I laughed quietly inside.

Serves her right. Absolutely serves her right.

We were assigned to living quarters and took our seats.

Oh right, we were also given our student numbers.

I was number 1. Lilme was 2. Choi Haru was 3. Cha Jaehee was 4.

As soon as we sat down, the personal items we brought were inspected. Of course, most of the items in the bags the other three brought were sent back.

Kang Dahee, wearing a navy blue instructor’s hat, put her hand on her side and said:

“Now, from here on, the platoon leader will tell you her rank and name. When I call on you, you answer ‘Candidate number so-and-so, such-and-such name’.”

Kang Dahee stared at Cha Jaehee like an arrow.

“Understood, Number 4?”

“Yes.”

“…Yes?”

The surroundings turned chilly as if powdered with eternal snow.

“Hey. I just told you.”

“Ah, right.”

“How did the platoon leader say to give your rank and name?”

Cha Jaehee scratched her head and answered again.

“…Number 4 Cha Jaehee.”

“Why can’t Number 4 concentrate? Again.”

“…Zero-zero-four Cha Jaehee?”

“Are you playing games with the platoon leader right now?!”

Finally, Kang Dahee’s pent-up shout burst out.

Cha Jaehee flinched, her shoulders jumping in surprise.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Candidate Han Yujin!”

“Candidate Number 1 Han Yujin!”

I answered correctly right away.

Kang Dahee nodded with a satisfied expression.

“See, this is how you do it. Let’s do it again. Number 4.”

“Candidate Number 4 Cha Jaehee…”

I clenched my fist inwardly.

Yes, Cha Jaehee!

That’s right, improve little by little…

“…I am.”

“‘I am’? ‘I am’? When did I tell you to add ‘I am’?”

“Ah.”

…This idiot, really!

Do I really have to stay with these people for a week? Am I going to be okay?

At this rate, I feel like I’ll grow a sarira in my body and reach enlightenment.

Kang Dahee pointed her finger and harshly scolded Cha Jaehee.

“Do you have a personality problem?”

“…No, ma’am.”

“From what I see, Number 4 is an individualist.”

Cha Jaehee’s lips turned pale blue.