Chapter 8: Gun

“Come on… Uh, hello!”

“Hello.”

As always, it starts with a greeting.

The interior, as expected indoors, was filled with cool air, but amidst it, there was a faint smell of gunpowder…

There was no need to get lost in contemplation, but it definitely felt different from shooting ranges in the United States in various ways.

Though the basic framework wasn’t vastly different.

I glanced around. The first thing I noticed was the neatly arranged interior.

If there was something peculiar, it might have been the several targets of those who achieved excellent shooting records stuck on the walls.

While admiring them for a moment, personnel rushed from the desk overly kindly to guide me.

“May I see your identification?”

“Here.”

I touched my phone a few times and accessed the dedicated app, displaying a QR code on the screen.

I had said such things, but it was an identification app that only about a thousand people in Korea could install.

Of course, I also brought a wallet just in case, and inside it, there was a separate identification card in the form of a card, so there wasn’t much of a problem.

Having completed the initial procedures briefly, I found myself standing in front of a kiosk before I knew it.

The device itself wasn’t much different from what I saw at the cafe earlier, but here, instead of beverages, there were pictures of various firearms hung on the wall.

“Is this your first visit here by any chance?”

“I’m here for the first time.”

It was shot badly in other places.

Even while lost in memories for a moment, the staff beside me was introducing the various types of pistols and rifles displayed on the kiosk screen.

I suddenly became curious about the price of the ammunition, so I turned and asked.

“How much does it cost per bullet here?”

“For firearms like handguns, we charge a flat rate of 10,000 won for 10 rounds, excluding .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50AE rounds. What I mentioned just now was 15,000 won for 10 rounds.”

Is this the usual price?

I’ve never tried shooting live rounds in Korea, so I can’t say anything.

While pondering how many rounds I should shoot in my head,

“Do you know about Dark Zone? Because of that game, this industry has flourished, and many gun regulations related to this area have been relaxed, and there are many firearms that can be imported. The price of ammunition has also become cheaper.”

“…Because of a game?”

“Oh, it’s about this field. I’m sorry, I wasted your time for no reason.”

…a game?

If I recall, it’s a shooting game like Call of… uh, I can’t remember the name. It’s the one where 64 people enter the battlefield and fight, in a battle royale format.

Or maybe Rainbow Six, or those survival games where you farm items and escape.

Now that I think about it, I remember quite a lot.

But I’ve never heard of Dark Zone before?

“Have you decided?”

“…Could I see what other firearms are available?”

…I almost got caught up in other thoughts.

Since it didn’t seem appropriate to engage in other thoughts while someone was assisting me, I focused on the list scrolling beside me again.

There were quite a variety more than I thought.

“We have MPX, KAC SR15, AK47, SCAR-L, MP5, and various other firearms.

Here, regardless of the ammunition, it’s 15,000 won for 10 rounds, and only single-shot firing is possible.”

“It seems there are no designated marksman rifles.”

“We’re planning to import the M14 DMR, but I don’t know when it’ll arrive.”

I wasn’t expecting much… I almost asked if they had an MK18 Mjolnir. Let’s shoot that myself when I go to the safe house later.

It’s not like they would have it here, considering it uses quite expensive ammunition.

Anyway, the decisions were almost finalized during that time. Fingers fidgeted around.

Glock 17, 30 rounds.

I’ll try shooting .50AE with only 10 rounds, and the rest with MPX and KAC SR-15. Each with 10 rounds.

$63.45 expense confirmed.

Total: $102.1

…Am I being too reckless?

Still, when I left home today, I had already adjusted the algorithm to cancel the lump sum payment and receive the salary in installments. If I can just hold out for another 3 days, it should be fine.

Even with a movement of a few million won, I should be able to manage somehow with a 96% similar electronic signature.

…It would be best to handle the aftermath as quickly as possible.

I’ll figure it out somehow in the future.

“Yes, Glock 17. Desert Eagle, MPX, KAC SR15. All confirmed, I’ll take 5 shots each with the Desert Eagle and 10 shots each with the rest.”

“Understood.”

“Oh, and about the target sheet. It’s a system where points are scored per shot and then totaled for special benefits for high scores, so please keep that in mind.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Haha, I’ll cheer you on.”

…While I could have considered aiming for a full refund with my custom-ported firearms, I honestly can’t guarantee with guns that have passed through many hands other than mine.

I’m also slightly concerned about iron sights.

And then, the conversation continued.

“…Oh, and. This is something you have to talk to the CEO directly about, but for customers like you… if you take a commemorative photo after shooting and promote it, there might be corresponding benefits.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. And if you happen to have any social media platforms, promoting through those would be even better. You can discuss this with the CEO as well.”

Sorry, I don’t use social media…

Anyway, with that settled, the preparation for entry began.

“You’ve been assigned to Range 1, and when the Range Officer arrives, put on the bulletproof vest and enter according to the control. Have a great shooting experience!”

My body moved automatically.

Without even trying to recall, the recoil during shooting was now clearer in my body than anything else.

The explosion of gunpowder, the slide recoiling, and the bullet racing out of the barrel at a speed surpassing the speed of sound.

The falling brass casings hitting the ground, creating noise.

All those memories woke up the old me.

Now, the recoil during shooting was controlled naturally without conscious effort. The familiar scent seeping through the open range.

Despite hiding behind an air purifier and a diffuser, I couldn’t hide the pungent smell that seeped through.

As I put on the bulletproof vest and felt the familiar weight, the range opened.

“I’m entering.”

Everything froze like winter, and the smell of death, which pervaded the city day and night along with the sound of gunfire, came out.

***

“…There’s something different about them.”

“Oh, these are all sensors. When aiming outside the range, infrared lasers come out, and if you aim at it, the trigger locks to prevent accidental shots and potential accidents.”

“I see.”

“…The partition seems a bit small, does the tail bother you?”

“It’s okay.”

She’s an unusual guest.

Having served as a range control officer within the shooting range for three years now, former shooting athlete Han Jinhyuk continued to suppress the lingering glances directed towards him.

A transparent, 3cm-thick bulletproof plastic door sealed the entrance, leaving only the control officer and her inside.

Today was one of those rare days when many thoughts crossed his mind. However, as always, he resolved to fulfill his duties as a control officer.

Regardless of whether the guest visiting this place was the prettiest or not, whether they had a hidden agenda or not…

Just in case, if the guest were to scream in pain after being shot, that would be the end of it.

“Have you ever tried shooting before?”

“Many times.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

She was a female guest.

Without resorting to gender biases at this point,

In reality, except for a tiny minority, many women lived lives largely unrelated to firearms.

Unlike Korean men who are at least forced to handle guns twice during mandatory military service.

Her sharp gaze scanned the woman who had received the gun. It wasn’t the kind of scrutiny to assess her body’s curves, but rather to gauge how familiar she was with firearms.

In that regard…

“What kind of guns have you mostly shot? .22 LR?”

“9mm, .45 ACP, FN 5.7x28mm… It’s quite a lot to mention all.”

“Oh, so you’ve worked at shooting ranges in the United States?”

“…Maybe.”

An ambiguous response that neither confirmed nor denied everything.

Nevertheless, from the perspective of a former shooting athlete like him, she… certainly seemed proficient in handling firearms.

Unlike troublesome individuals who put their fingers on the trigger as soon as they receive the gun or aim directly at someone’s face, she checked the slide, conducted a brief inspection, then immediately pointed the gun towards the range.

A familiarity as if she had done it thousands, even tens of thousands of times before.

Respect for firearms, an almost obsessive commitment to safety borne out of understanding their dangers.

Just that alone made Han Jinhyuk feel a sense of relief.

And accordingly,

“Let me insert the magazine. It’s already loaded with ten rounds… What kind of target would you like?”

It was time to set up the target.

Without hesitation, she pointed at one. A fairly large target showing both the head and upper torso simultaneously.

Usually, people preferred targets with increasing numbers towards the center, but this guest seemed different.

What was certain was that she was a case he had never seen before in his line of work.

There was no change in her facial expression upon receiving the gun.

Most people would express astonishment, feel the weight, or… well, all those emotions were typically displayed outwardly.

But not this person.

To Han Jinhyuk’s eyes, she had very firm standards.

It wasn’t for leisure, sports, or stress relief that she had come here, but for something even more profound than that.

“…I’ve set up the target. You can see the screen on the right. With that, you can check the bullet group in real-time. If you score 95 points or higher, you’ll get a full refund, or you can shoot ten more rounds.”

“Are there many people who get refunds?”

“Haha, hardly any. It’s not easy even for me to hit the target sometimes.”

“I guess I’ll have to shoot for free today.”

“I’ll cheer you on.”

With that and a faint smile hanging on her lips, she accepted the gun, now a tool for shooting.

With a cheerful sound as the slide unlocked, bullets rushed into the chamber.

The shooting preparation was complete.

Assuming a near-perfect, universally accepted combat stance, she carefully but swiftly adjusted the sights and aligner───

───Bang!

In response to the trigger pulled without hesitation, the first shot precisely pierced the 10-point mark on the chest.

But before any reaction to the result of the first shot, not in a hurry but not leisurely shooting one by one either.

However, even before showing any reaction to the results of the first shot, the shooting continues, not hurriedly but not leisurely either.

The second shot, perfectly compensating for the recoil, hits the chest again, and the third…

“…Wow, impressive.”

Right in the head.

Despite the relatively fast pace of the shooting, the ten bullets neatly find their way into the 10-point zones of the chest and head.

Even those who claim to be skilled in shooting often face a high probability of dispersion in the bullet group due to trigger errors or hand tremors, and seller had seen such scenes many times.

But the person standing in front of him seemed to pay no attention, as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”

Regardless of his surprise or not, she continues to pull the trigger.

Head. Head. Two shots to the heart. And again, a 2+1 drill.

Ten bullets hit the 10-point zones without any error.

It didn’t take long for the neatly perforated paper to be handed to them.

After confirming the empty chamber inside the retracted slide and showing that the bullets were completely spent through the attack, she asked,

“I did it as casually as usual. Sorry for the aggression.”

“Oh, no. Well… since the guest seems to have a lot of experience with firearms, that much is fine.”

Besides, it was not done without reason, it was to reassure the control officer behind that there were no bullets inside for safety.

Anyway, apart from that, Han Jinhyuk, who had removed the target, was looking at the shooting results with wide eyes.

It was a clean 100 points that seemed impossible to achieve even if shot slowly one by one.

If there was enough time, he could have speculated for at least five minutes on how this was possible by just staring at it…

“Oh, sorry. Would you like to shoot next right away?”

“Yes, please.”

Without a break, the next target is set, and a clean target is placed on the empty table as if it would go to the Hall of Fame.

While she is somewhat interested in the taste of shooting, which she hasn’t felt for a relatively long time,

“Would you like to reload yourself from now on?”

“That would be fine.”

Skillfully inserting the magazine and pushing forward the slide, she started shooting with a single hand again, maintaining a steady posture…

The gunfire ringing throughout the shooting range and the spent cartridges falling through the air. But only stable shooting continues without any movement.

She might have shot about half of them.

“…Are you ambidextrous?”

“I can shoot with either hand. Sometimes I can’t help but use my right hand depending on the situation.”

Watching her casually muttering like that, Han Jinhyuk just nodded silently.

It was something that happens, and it was something that happens.

He knew well that there were worlds he didn’t know about, and he had enough self-restraint not to delve into that part.

Of course, it was needless to say that the five shots fired with his left hand also hit the 10-point zones without fail.