episode_0247

“Seonghan. How about refraining from going outside for a while?” “??” “Everyone is worried. Even if it’s just for a while, we hope you take a rest and spend some leisurely time.” “Uh…” “You haven’t rested properly and have been working continuously. The two elders are also very worried.” “……” It was an opinion indirectly conveyed by Representative Choi on behalf of everyone.

Food meets both quantity and quality, and the residence is safe. Daily necessities and medicine are also sufficient. We even have weapons. In addition to food, clothing, and shelter, we are prepared with self-help measures for safety. There’s no rush for us. For these reasons, I, forbidden from going out, didn’t argue. I didn’t refuse the forced rest without a word. To respond to everyone’s wishes, I rested with all my might. Powerlessly and weakly, I sprawled and rolled around on the bed.

“…This is the best.” It’s so good right now, like being possessed by a sloth hanging from a shaded tree. When I’m on the bed, I’m a sloth. The feeling of being wrapped in a clean, fluffy blanket is simply pure happiness. Tossing— Turning— It would have been perfect if I could have gotten lost in the internet, but that’s a shame. Instead, it’s good to surrender to the pleasant feeling of languor, close my eyes, and fall asleep. There are no zombie groans or bone-chilling wind sounds. There’s no cold that gives me goosebumps. Nor is it a cold floor where a chill rises continuously. I had no intention of getting off this product born of science.

“Oppa. You should eat.” “Han. Eat first, then sleep. Get up.” Except when Shia and Heize woke me up to eat, I kept sprawled on the bed. But even that didn’t last more than two days. Rolling around was nice, but the problem was it got too boring. An unbearable boredom. I couldn’t handle this.

“…*Tsk*.” In the end, I had no choice but to crawl out of the room on my own. And then, I subtly blended into my family’s routine. After organizing the items taken from Taesong’s base, the family members kept moving. Not busily, but leisurely and casually, they continued doing something. 『There’s no work today, so take it easy. Easy does it.』 It felt like splitting up non-existent tasks and saving them to pass the work hours? If I had to put it precisely, that’s what it felt like. But tasks always come to an end. Organizing supplies quickly finished, and the cleaning was done so much that the place was gleaming. Miri even walked on tiptoes, gingerly, seeing the shiny living room floor. Eventually, when the work ran out and everyone was fidgeting idly.

“Training!” Heize confidently stepped forward. Sohee and Incheol boosted the atmosphere by lending their support. Especially Heize and Sohee, as if they had discussed it beforehand, worked together perfectly. And then, the firearms class followed. It was something I had requested, but it was also a time everyone found interesting. Everyone was silently enthusiastic. First, regarding firearm training, everyone except Grandma and Miri participated. What was surprising was that the participating women showed deep interest and engaged enthusiastically. Even if the physical aspect was secondary, they displayed extraordinary concentration to somehow cram the firearm usage into their minds. In particular, Shia’s and Bomi’s concentration was so great it seemed to burn. Not to be outdone, the men also fiercely threw themselves into it, making the class atmosphere intense.

“As for this gun…” The two women, as if possessed by instructors, responded to the fervent atmosphere. Yet, they didn’t rush. They kept repeating the process of disassembling, cleaning, and reassembling the firearms. They trained everyone to remember the sequence and become familiar with the guns. In addition, they taught how to deal with problems like jammed bullets. Heize and Sohee poured out all their know-how without reserve. ‘…Is this what military life is like?’ It strongly felt like being in the military, just without the bullying instructors.

“You can take your time. Accuracy is important. Be careful with your hands! It hurts if you pinch your hand!” “Good. You’re doing well. Jihyeok, concentrate. That part is wrong.” …Maybe it’s because the instructors are beautiful, but it seems like concentration is also easier. Click— Clack— Clatter— Swish— Rustle— Inside the gym on the second floor, used for training, only the sounds of tinkering with parts could be heard. My Hyuk hyung, who had completed his military service, and Young-cheol learned diligently like new recruits. In this space, there were only beginners learning. If they didn’t know, they didn’t know; if they were clumsy, they were clumsy. There were no complaints at all, only overflowing enthusiasm. The existence of a gun, a means to protect oneself and guarantee military power, seems to have a good meaning for each of them. And that applied to me as well. Learning about new weapons is an enjoyable thing. Encouraged by the enthusiastic instructors (?), I learned diligently. ‘I can’t repeat those foolish mistakes.’ Those shameful, indelible past days. I diligently moved my hands while chiding myself. Disassembling, assembling, and pulling the trigger of an empty gun several times. When I felt somewhat familiar with it, Heize and Sohee gently suggested.

“We’d like to try target practice, would that be alright?” “If possible, it must be done.” I agreed with the two, who emphasized the importance of training. Our location, fortunately, is in the middle of a mountain. I think the probability of attracting aggro from gunshots is extremely low. “…Wouldn’t it be okay?” “We will conserve ammunition as much as possible.” ‘Ah.’ They had something else in mind. I chuckled softly and reassured the two of them. “Unlike before, we have plenty of bullets, so don’t feel burdened.” “Understood.” “Good.” …The two instructors smiled genuinely brightly. I wondered if it was alright, but in the ensuing training, everyone smiled brightly.

“This is fun!” “Wow~ The feel of this in my hands…” “Hmm… It’s good. Very good.” “……” ‘Don’t people usually fear guns?’ I might have misunderstood something. Everyone who shot at the roughly made targets was very pleased. Just before live firing. Incheol had a stern expression only when he was instilling shooting posture and precautions. But as if that was never the case, they enjoyed shooting after pulling the trigger. Just looking at their eyes, they felt like skilled marksmen. In particular, after making fine adjustments, the grandfather boasted a high accuracy rate.

“Haha~ This reminds me of the old days.” “Elder-nim. Your skill is amazing.” “Representative Choi, your posture is also quite excellent.” “Is that so? Hahahaha~” “Ohhohoho~” In this way, the two elders were relaxed. Even their accuracy rate was decent. On the contrary, the younger generation who had used guns simply shot in silence.

“…Grandpa seems to shoot better than me…” “Hyung-nim. I didn’t even know our grandpa could shoot a gun…” “……” “…Fighting…” Hyuk hyung, Dong-woo, and Young-cheol tensed up and raised their concentration. In contrast, an unexpected individual shone brightly.

“Oh. Hyunwoo. You did very well. No, you’re excellent.” “Really?” “Your posture is good, and your accuracy is decent.” “Ung. Good job.” “Hehe~ Thank you. Thank you.” Hyunwoo, whom I had simply dismissed as a big kid, displayed exceptional skill. His posture was even so good it was similar to Incheol’s. It’s true when I see the two women patting his shoulder and showering him with praise. It was hard to believe even after seeing it myself, so I discreetly approached Hyuk hyung.

“Hyuk hyung. Did he go to the military?” My question was a valid curiosity. “No. He’s the same age as Dong-woo. He couldn’t go right away because of his artistic activities.” “…What? Looking at how he shoots, he looks like a veteran.” “Curious?” Hyuk hyung glanced sideways, a playful smile on his face. “Of course. Looking at his personality, I thought he wouldn’t even be able to shoot a gun.” “*Heh*. You’re right about that.” Hyuk hyung, who let out a small chuckle, soon told me the reason. “He’s imitating.” “Huh?” For a moment, I suspected Hyuk hyung was teasing me. “Looks like he’s imitating what Incheol does.” “…That’s imitation? No, wait.” Hearing Hyuk hyung’s words, I racked my brain. I closed my eyes and tried to match Hyunwoo’s actions with Incheol’s demonstration from earlier. “…Oh?” “How is it? Do you get it?” Hyuk hyung watched Hyunwoo, a smile playing on his lips. His posture and such were surprisingly similar. His accuracy rate couldn’t be compared immediately, but his posture… “…That’s possible?” That’s not something you can just do because you’re told to. I was truly surprised and bewildered.

“Didn’t I tell you? He’s a genius. Hyung-nim and I were really surprised when we first saw him.” “No, even so…” “Even when you first met him, he imitated someone else to try and be brave in his own way.” “What do you mean?” “‘I will survive!’ Didn’t he say that?” “Ah. He did.” Hyuk hyung scratched the back of his head. “That’s a line from a disaster movie protagonist. The protagonist is a firefighter, so it’s like a feeling of not being daunted even in adversity?” Hearing Hyuk hyung’s explanation, I understood. The impression I had of Hyunwoo was exactly like that. “Huh…” “Doesn’t he seem like a completely different person?” “He does.” “That’s Hyunwoo’s talent.” I couldn’t close my mouth. Listening to Hyuk hyung’s words, Hyunwoo’s proactive attitude at the time was explained. There are many people in the world who are good at imitating. There are also people who are good at method acting. Even I am confident in partial vocal mimicry. But from using his body, it looks like he’s transformed into another person. How many people are truly capable of something like that?

Bang—! “Oh yeah!” “Hyunwoo~ You’re really good, aren’t you?” “Oh! Thank you! Hyuk hyung~” “Try it this way this time. Twist like this and align the line with your right eye.” “Like this?” “That’s right.” Hyuk hyung smiled watching Hyunwoo being instructed by Incheol. However, his smile carried a distinct hint of regret.

“He himself dislikes that talent.” “A talent of that magnitude? Why?” Is this a new kind of deception? I didn’t think he was like that… “He says it feels like he’s stealing other people’s efforts.” “……” That’s a mindset I hadn’t considered. For me, I would only be envious and would never have had such a thought. If I had such an ability back then, on the other side…

“Junseong hyung-nim comforted him, and I taught him, which made it a bit less, but he still hesitates himself. As you can see, Hyunwoo’s personality is very gentle. Like a child.” “That’s… true.” “*Khahaha~* Should I say he’s kind or innocent… Perhaps because of that, he wants to learn and work hard on his own.” “Hmm.” “That’s why Representative Choi and I cherish him a lot.” From what I heard, it seems the young man had quite a struggle. Watching Hyunwoo together, I quietly asked. “But is it alright to say something like that?” “I told you because it’s you. I also thought you should know.” “Hmm…” When I showed signs of falling into thought while looking at Hyunwoo, Hyuk hyung narrowed his eyes.

“…Why?” “Does he have any problems, perhaps?” “What? What do you mean? Problems?” Hyuk hyung’s facial muscles slowly stiffened. Since I wasn’t asking with bad intentions, I continued calmly. “No, just… like, does something strange happen after he imitates like that?” It might sound strange, but it’s based on experience. Abilities always require a price. To use magic, mana is needed. To wield a sword, strength and stamina are needed. Even when using skills given by the system, a cost was needed. In other words, a truth that pervades the world. It’s a price to pay, a kind of penalty. Wouldn’t there be a corresponding price for such a significant ability? So I asked just in case, but…

“…How did you know?” Hyuk hyung’s eyes trembled slightly, uncharacteristically. “…There really is?” I, too, was flustered. Seeing me like this, Hyuk hyung was flustered once more. “What should I say… If he imitates properly or for a long time, he gets utterly exhausted and can’t keep going…” “Ohh…” “It’s almost to the point of passing out… No, how did you know?” It seems his stamina consumption is extreme. Seeing that it reaches the level of exhaustion, it might be a bit severe. It doesn’t seem to cause any major problems.

“How would I know? I just guessed.” “Hey…” “Seriously. I’m not some fortune teller.” Hyuk hyung, closing his mouth, made a complex expression. He mumbled, watching Hyunwoo handling the gun mixed with the younger ones. “…I need to work harder so the younger ones don’t overexert themselves.” “…I’ll do it with you.” Hyuk hyung’s eyes glowed fiercely as he said that. It was like a fighting spirit burning brightly. As expected, this Hyuk hyung… is a man worthy of being called Hyuk hyung.

“Shall we make a bet on shooting?” “A bet?” “Let’s compete to see who gets a higher score with one magazine.” “The loser?” “How about washing dishes tonight?” “Deal.” “Deal.” As the training turned into a competition, Hyuk hyung’s momentum changed. While Hyuk hyung was replacing the makeshift target and preparing, I asked him.

“By the way.” “Hm?” “What’s the title of that movie Hyunwoo imitated?” “…Huh?” “And who’s the protagonist?” “…Move aside. Let me start.” “No, but answer me first…” “Move, move. You’ll get hurt?” Hyuk hyung’s gun barrel, as he mumbled and moved on, somehow wobbled a bit. Thanks to that, the match ended in my overwhelming victory, and Hyuk hyung…

“Jihyeok. You need to concentrate properly.” “Hyuk. Lack of concentration. You need to work harder.” “……” He tasted a humiliation that wasn’t quite humiliation, along with dishwashing. Later, I quietly asked Hyunwoo himself. The result was exactly as Hyuk hyung had said. It was true that he had performed method acting at the time to muster courage. The title of the movie Hyunwoo recalled was a disaster film called ‘Like a Flame’. I hadn’t seen it, but it was apparently a well-made film that told the story of firefighters battling a blaze. And the protagonist of that movie was Jihyeok Hyuk hyung.