Chapter 3: The Fitness Test [R-18]

The air on the training ground was hot. The sun beat down on the crown of her head, searing her skin, but Seojin walked forward with a blank expression.

“We will now begin the physical fitness test.”

The drill instructor’s voice echoed across the training ground. It was a typical first day of basic training in the military.

The TS soldiers stood off to one side of the assembled recruits. An announcement was made that they would be conducting a basic fitness test, including a long-distance run, push-ups, and sit-ups.

The drill instructor in charge of them had explained on their first day that their performance, starting with this fitness test, would determine their future unit assignments. Seojin listened with a placid face as she stretched her limbs.

Since I’ve enlisted anyway, I might as well prove myself.

I’ve been consistently working out this body, so the muscle memory must still be there.

She knew that physical strength alone couldn’t change everything, but she figured that gaining an edge with overwhelming skill would be helpful.

“Long-distance run, begin.”

The moment the whistle blew, Seojin shot forward. Her body felt light.

Perhaps because she weighed less than before her transformation, she could run much faster than she used to.

The other soldiers gradually slowed their pace and fell behind, but Seojin maintained a steady speed. The sound of footsteps running around her grew more and more distant.

After crossing the finish line, she took a moment to catch her breath. Her body still didn’t feel fully adapted, but among the men, her record was undeniable.

“Next, push-ups.”

Seojin placed her hands on the ground, straightened her back, and lowered her body.

The other TS soldiers did their push-ups with ragged breaths. Hyun Iseo couldn’t even manage a single proper one, and the others were clearly struggling after just five.

But Seojin was at ease. If only it weren’t for her large breasts, which swayed with the pull of gravity.

It was the discomfort of an unfamiliar body. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore her chest and continued to lower and raise herself.

The body she had once trained relentlessly with the goal of joining the special forces had changed, but the memory of building strength and the habit of proper form remained.

Thirty-two. She could have done more, but she stopped when the drill instructor nodded while jotting down her record.

The last event for the TS soldiers was sit-ups.

Lacing her fingers behind her head, Seojin shot up at a rapid pace as soon as the whistle blew. Even though it was the last event, it felt even easier than the push-ups.

The test was over. Among the TS soldiers, she was the overwhelming first place.

But the drill instructors’ reactions were calmer than expected. Her score was recorded fairly, but their gazes were strangely meaningful.

Seojin rolled her shoulders and looked around the training ground. The other three TS soldiers were sprawled on the ground.

“Fuck, this is so fucked up…!”

Yoon Taeyoung’s mouth ran nonstop, just quiet enough for the drill instructor not to hear. But besides Seojin, Woo Hyunjin and Hyun Iseo—who had struggled the most throughout the test—were completely spent.

They had to be thankful they could rest while the other soldiers were still going through their fitness test.

“TS soldiers, to the front.”

As the sun began to set, the fitness test concluded and their names were called. The four of them walked forward.

The other soldiers, waiting for their own results, began to murmur amongst themselves.

The drill instructor spoke with a smile.

“Good, we have a lot of TS soldiers in this class. The regular soldiers who place first through fourth will get to choose whichever one they want.”

For a moment, Seojin couldn’t believe her ears.

…What?

What did he just say?

Seojin’s gaze shot toward the drill instructor. Beside her, Yoon Taeyoung scoffed in disbelief, as if asking if this was some kind of group date, while Woo Hyunjin frowned. Hyun Iseo’s face was already pale.

The drill instructor tapped the microphone and brought it to his lips, making a general announcement.

“For the next five weeks of training, the soldiers who achieve the highest scores each week will be able to choose one of the TS soldiers you see here.”

Hearing this, the murmuring soldiers grew even louder.

At first, the atmosphere was one of confusion, but as they were left to infer the unspoken details, they quickly caught on.

“You’ll get one hour after duty every Sunday.”

After a long moment of hushed whispers, one of the soldiers suddenly let out a cheer. He had understood the meaning the drill instructor hadn’t spelled out.

“Then I guess we just have to train our asses off from now on!”

That remark completely flipped the mood. The soldiers, who had initially been awkward, erupted into cheers all at once.

The training center had a way to properly work its soldiers, and the soldiers now had a reason to train hard.

Down on the training ground, they clapped each other on the shoulder, their expressions showing that the real competition had just begun.

“Fucking hell, the army’s running a project to get us laid.”

“Crazy. Legal sex!”

“Is this heaven?”

“But… they still look like guys, no matter how you look at it. Aren’t they men on the inside?”

A brief silence fell around them. While a few wore troubled expressions, someone else scoffed and shrugged.

“Then you can sit it out. We’ll take care of it.”

At that, most of the soldiers laughed and agreed.

“You see these goddesses in this jizz-stinking shithole and you’re still hung up on them being men?”

“You go to an all-boys school or something?”

“Hey, if you get first place, fuck, that’d be awesome, right?”

“Can’t we all do it together? Let’s form a party.”

“Can we rig the rankings?”

“Noona~!”

Even with the drill instructor right in front of them, comments bordering on sexual harassment flowed freely from the soldiers. Seojin felt a chill run down to her fingertips.

The fitness test didn’t matter anymore.

No, perhaps it only mattered to them. Seojin slowly clenched her jaw. Standing at ease, she finally realized that something was terribly wrong.

After the commotion on the training ground died down, the TS soldiers lined up to return to their barracks.

“Forward, march.”

They marched in step at the drill instructor’s command.

As they descended from the platform and crossed the training ground, the gazes of the other soldiers poured over them.

At first, it was simple observation and appraisal, but their attitude grew more and more blatant.

“Oh, look at the one with black hair. She’s fucking huge.”

“Shit, this just makes me want to train harder.”

“I’m gonna pick her. She’s totally my type.”

“I saw her earlier. Her tits were bouncing all over the place. Bet they’d feel fucking amazing to grab, right?”

Some of the soldiers they passed openly scanned their bodies, while others whispered amongst themselves, placing bets.

“Hey, if you get first place, does she really put out?”

“They’re all-natural, too. No time for plastic surgery.”

A few glanced furtively at the TS soldiers, but when they got no reaction, they seemed to assume they were just staying quiet because of military discipline. Seojin bit her lip hard. She forced herself to look straight ahead and keep walking, but the endless stream of lewd comments grated on her nerves.

“Ah, fuck. I gotta train like a maniac. Are there voluntary night drills?”

“I have to get at least first or second place…”

“Buddy… you think a guy like you can even make it to fourth?”

Men whose names and faces she didn’t know were laughing and ranking the TS soldiers among themselves.

It wasn’t just Seojin. Yoon Taeyoung, Woo Hyunjin, and Hyun Iseo were all being evaluated in the same way.

Like products at an auction.

“Enough.”

At the drill instructor’s firm command, the soldiers briefly fell silent. But their stares and whispers could still be felt. The instructor stopped walking and turned to the TS soldiers.

“You heard the explanation earlier.”

He said, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

“Your performance will be determined by who among the top four soldiers chooses you. In other words, if you’re chosen by the most outstanding soldiers, you’ll receive the highest evaluation.”

As he finished, Yoon Taeyoung let out a small, incredulous snort. But she couldn’t say a word while they were in formation. They marched silently toward the living quarters.

As soon as they arrived at the barracks, the drill instructor called the TS soldiers to the front.

“Your training period is five weeks. After that, there are three places you can be assigned to.”

He held up one finger.

“First, a general unit. You’ll live alongside regular soldiers, just as the name implies. You can expect what you’re experiencing now to continue. Whether it’s training, daily duties, or… that ‘performance evaluation.’”

At his words, the TS soldiers’ expressions all hardened. It meant that this system, which had already begun at the training center, would not end for nearly two years.

“Second, a front-line combat unit.”

Hearing this, Seojin reacted subtly. For someone who had originally aimed for the special forces, this was the unit that interested her most. The drill instructor continued.

“This place is a literal battlefield. If you want to survive, you have to prove your skills. In this unit, at least, you’re evaluated on your performance in a ‘different sense.’ This is the real deal.”

Yoon Taeyoung muttered “crazy” under her breath. Woo Hyunjin’s face darkened as well.

Even if it wasn’t the special forces, it was an option available to them because their physical abilities surpassed those of an average woman.

“And finally, the VIP Unit.”

The drill instructor smiled meaningfully.

“This is where you get ‘selected’ by the high-ranking VIPs who visit on the last day.”

“Selected by… VIPs?” Hyun Iseo, who looked ready to collapse from the day’s physical and emotional shock, whispered faintly.

The drill instructor shrugged.

“High-ranking people. Politicians, chaebols, foreign dignitaries. You’ll be tasked with guarding them as soldiers and carrying out important missions.”

“…We’re soldiers, not bodyguards. That’s an abuse of power,” Taeyoung muttered, her face contorted in a deep frown.

“You’ll learn the details after your assignment is decided. But if you think this is the ‘safest place,’ you might be mistaken.”

With that, the drill instructor fell silent.

The expressions of the seated TS soldiers hardened. Even Seojin could no longer manage her composure.

This isn’t just a military.

He had listened silently to the drill instructor’s explanation, but his mind was in turmoil.

In this army, with the exception of the combat units, one’s ‘value’ wasn’t determined by skill or will, but by how ‘selectable’ you were. Whether that was as a woman, or by the special standards of the VIPs.

The drill instructor observed the TS soldiers’ reactions, then clapped his hands lightly.

“Alright, that’s all for today.”

He gave them another meaningful smile.

“If there’s a place you want to go, build up a good record and make a good appeal over the next five weeks.”

After he finished speaking, a chilling silence filled the barracks.

Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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