Chapter 316

“Ahhhh-. Fresh air. Feels so good.”

Hong Ki-jun stretched as he plopped his butt onto a tiny fishing chair, his face naturally breaking into a happy expression. Whenever he missed his friends, he could just hop on a quadcopter and fly over anytime. How great is that?

“Great my ass, you idiot,” Son Kwang-yeon muttered under his breath, but Hong Ki-jun didn’t care.

Son Kwang-yeon smirked at his grinning friend and teased, “Hey, Soo-jung’s dad. You’ve been coming around a lot lately, huh?”

“Why, you don’t like it?”

“Like it? What’s there to dislike…”

Son Kwang-yeon trailed off, his eyes fixed on the fishing float.

Hong Ki-jun also stared at the water, not bothering to press his grumbling friend. He already knew what was on his mind.

‘He’s probably upset about the internship thing. This guy, who used to love fairness and was willing to take losses for it, now wants his kid to get special treatment just because he’s a parent now. Funny, isn’t it?’

That’s just how parents are, he thought.

As a father himself, Hong Ki-jun could guess what Son Kwang-yeon was feeling. When Son Jin-hyeok said he wouldn’t go to college, Hong Ki-jun was secretly pleased.

Was it because he expected help with the business? That was a different matter.

It was purely for his daughter, Hong Soo-jung. With Son Jin-hyeok’s reputation and charm, if any girl got close to him, Hong Soo-jung would be boiling with jealousy. Considering her taste since her past life, she might even go crazy and end up like her mother. He wanted his daughter to grow into a woman who wasn’t eccentric.

If Son Jin-hyeok got involved with the wrong person, it would be even more of a headache. He’s a smart kid with a decisive personality, but matters of the heart are unpredictable. Plus, he’s got a conservative streak despite being soft-hearted. He might even fall head over heels for someone after one night’s mistake.

Men understand men, and the father’s blood doesn’t lie.

Son Kwang-yeon almost had to take responsibility for a girl who cut her wrist chasing him in college. A girl he never even held hands with. If Hong Ki-jun hadn’t stopped him, Son Jin-hyeok wouldn’t have been born.

‘Those were the times. Somewhere between intellect and decadence, romance and barbarism.’

Anyway.

‘What’s with the fuss about the internship? This punk’s really underestimating me.’

Hong Ki-jun felt a bit hurt by his friend’s grumbling. Couldn’t he just play along?

“Kwang-yeon, don’t worry. I’ll talk to Jin-hyeok properly. You think I’d ignore your son?”

“Sure, sure. The great chairman will handle it, won’t he?”

Hong Ki-jun gritted his teeth as he watched his friend continue to act up.

Ugh, this guy’s really something.

I should’ve kicked him into the water when I had the chance.

Is anyone watching…?

He often found himself looking around when he came to the countryside.

He locked eyes with Jang Gun-i, who was staring at him with sleepy eyes, three large dogs trailing behind him. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to carry out his plan. But where did the third dog go?

*

A carp as thick as an arm swam in the clear water, but the fishing float showed no sign of moving. Son Kwang-yeon’s heart was probably in a similar state. His son, already a successful athlete, had a bright future ahead, but it was hard to tell when and how much success would come.

Son Kwang-yeon broke the silence, still staring at the float. “What are you gonna talk to him about? You think my son will listen to you? He’s already feeling indebted and said he’d do whatever you ask. A kid who can’t even complain needs someone to reach out first. Isn’t that what consideration is? Helping someone who’s struggling to speak up. It’s only natural for those who have more—whether it’s age, money…”

Or power.

“Alright. I’ll be considerate.”

Ugh, this old fox.

He’s basically saying, “Give me a good position,” but wrapping it up as consideration. That’s why educated people who speak calmly and shamelessly are scarier than loudmouths.

“Is my sister-in-law upset with me too?”

“Don’t misunderstand. Our eldest son has so much pride. A gem is still a gem even if it’s buried in mud. He said even if you put him in the CEO seat right now, he’d do it more skillfully than his dad. He said there’s fun in climbing step by step. He even said it’s a good thing he aimed for the best company from the start. Do you know why I agreed when he said he wouldn’t go to college? He said he was worried he’d be too nice and end up shaking his own life by helping everyone. Our kids’ mom isn’t an ordinary woman. She’s not the type to sacrifice her own life for her kids’ success. In that way, she’s much more mature than me.”

“Yeah. She’s that kind of person.”

Hong Ki-jun nodded solemnly.

It was obvious, but without Han Yu-young, there would be no Jin-hyeok.

And the whole world might not have gotten a second chance.

‘No point in upsetting someone like that.’

Anyway, he had something in mind.

He just hadn’t said it yet.

Back at the company, it’s just employees who are scared of the chairman. It’s boring, so why not have some fun messing with his friend?

Plop- plop-.

Ripples spread around the fishing float.

“Huh? A bite?”

“Nah, it’s just the rain.”

Ugh, this guy’s still grumbling.

I should’ve pushed him into the water when I had the chance.

If only Jang Gun-i hadn’t been there.

***

If it had poured rain, they might’ve skipped a few drills, but thanks to the clear weather, they went through every single one.

After individual combat training, grenade training was next.

It’s a life-or-death drill. Trainees who were too clumsy or too scared were exempted from grenade training.

[Grenade throw.]

“Remove the safety clip! Pull the pin! Throw!”

Whoa. I messed up the strength and threw it too far.

After throwing the grenade and crouching, an assistant instructor in a bulletproof vest covered Jin-hyeok’s body with an extra vest.

Boom-!

The protective wall and the ground shook.

Instead of a water column, a pile of dirt flew up and fell with a splatter.

[Trainee number one, deduct five points.]

Oh my god, points deducted.

The shame of Son Jin-hyeok’s life.

Next was a one-day guerrilla training.

It’s called guerrilla training, but it was more like group punishment exercises you’d see in a POW camp.

“Fifteen push-ups!”

“Ugh!”

“Do it properly!”

“Ugh!”

“Close formation!”

“Shoulder hug! Execute!”

“Forward sleep!”

“Backward sleep!”

“Think of your mother who raised you and sing!”

Why didn’t they just skip this?

“Sing your mother’s heart! Start singing! One! Two! Three four!”

“Mother, forget all your sorrows-oooh- and the heart that worked day and night-.”

The trainees, lying down shoulder to shoulder, started singing “Mother’s Heart,” some already choking up.

“Switching between dry and wet places-oooh- until your hands and feet are worn out-.”

This is the dangerous part.

Jin-hyeok snapped to attention and raised his voice.

“Under the sky-.”

But he was outnumbered.

“Ahhh- thank you- teacher’s love-. Ahhh- I will repay-iiiiiiiiiiit- teacher’s graaaaace-.”

“Stop messing around! Head down!”

Ugh, these torture-loving bastards.

He cursed inwardly as he pressed his head to the ground.

Bad comrades mean suffering, whether you’re in special forces or regular army.

Yang Gang-wook’s words about choosing special forces to allow only the best warriors by his side weren’t for nothing. Combat skills aside, if your comrades are good, you get less punishment.

‘Damn it. I’ve been getting more punishment in four weeks than I ever did in my life.’

At this rate, the whole platoon feels like Dugu Elil.

After doing the Wonsan bombing punishment drill—bending over with hands behind your back and head to the ground—so many times, I feel like I’ve shrunk by 3 cm.

My neck’s stiff too.

***

“Wow. Is he really not tired at all?”

The instructors were amazed.

“Athletes are scary. No matter how many PT exercises you make them do, they don’t even flinch. I handled a pro baseball player last year, and he was better than the instructors.”

Another instructor nodded in agreement.

It’s not for nothing that athletes are treated like superhumans.

That track athlete is better than the instructors too.

Among thugs and nobles, his physique stands out.

Honor guard? Army? Marines? You won’t find a physique like that anywhere. It’s impossible not to notice.

But the instructors couldn’t help but stare because he was so good.

There was another reason Son Jin-hyeok stood out.

“He eats an insane amount…”

“Where does all that food go?”

“His waist is less than 28 inches. Yet he eats more than tattooed pigs.”

“During meals, he looked upset, so I asked why. He said he was sad because they gave him too little food.”

“Don’t athletes get as much food as they ask for to manage their bodies?”

“Is military food the same as civilian food…”

“True that.”

Steamed military rice disappears with one burp.

“Sing a military song during the march!”

It’s hard to tell if this is the army or a choir with all the singing.

Maybe that’s why the food disappears faster.

By the time the march was over, the final week was already in sight.

“Dear Mom,

I think a trainee can be seen as a kind of intern.

Through education and training, we shed our student and civilian selves to be reborn as soldiers, a kind of middle ground.

But why do I sigh dozens of times a day?

Is it because I’m an intern? Or is it because I’m sighing as an intern?

Even when I try not to, I end up sighing without realizing it.

They say not to hate people, but sometimes I hate my comrades.

I realize now how smart Seul-chan and Byung-taek, who I used to scold for not studying, really are.

All my comrades here are torturers.

I feel a bit sorry to say this, but it’s such a relief for the country and its people that these guys aren’t active duty.

Please pray that no enemies invade…”

Jin-hyeok wrote letters every day without fail.

To his parents, his siblings, his friends, and to the future Hong Soo-jung.

What he did today, how much he missed them, how much he loved them.

‘I understand why guys who served short stints in the army always talked about it so happily.’

In his past life, Jin-hyeok never once talked about the army. Even though military life suited him, what fun stories could he possibly tell? Especially to people who couldn’t relate. Telling stories about jumping out of planes with a parachute and a backpack strapped to your thigh to someone who’s never experienced it? No way.

But oddly, his coworkers who’d only done short stints couldn’t stop talking about the army. They’d go on and on about playing soccer in the army like it was the best thing ever.

Maybe because the memories were so intense in such a short time, he tried to understand their psychology.

‘I’ll have to tell my siblings army stories when I get out.’

Hehe.

*

“Trainee number one seems like he was born for the army.”

The company commander made small talk as Jin-hyeok wrote his final reflection in the barracks.

“Trainee! Son! Jin! Hyeok! Thank you!”

“At ease, at ease.”

Everyone else acts like reservists, but why are you so disciplined? The company commander smiled kindly.

Jin-hyeok wanted to relax too.

After four weeks, every time he had to say his rank and name, he felt like a turtle shrinking into its shell. What about the others? This isn’t even the reserves; it’s just plain savage.

“Can you sign a few things for me?”

Oh, was that why he told me to relax?

The company commander probably only asked now because of his position.

The other trainees and instructors had already gotten theirs in the first week.

“Let’s swap pens too. My sister-in-law is taking the college entrance exam this year…”

Sure, take some of the top scorer’s energy too.

*

After overcoming all the minor incidents, the discharge ceremony was held without a hitch.

“Salute the flag!”

“Salute!”

Ugh, you torturers!

Finally, this is the last sigh.

*

As he packed his belongings and left the barracks, he looked around the space he’d lived in for four weeks.

‘Now I get why they do military camps.’

Moderate exercise, moderate tension, moderate meals, moderate sleep.

Is there any program more beneficial for the mind and body?

Jin-hyeok actually exercised less and slept more than he did at home.

The army was more comfortable. That part was similar to his past life. The rank was different, though.

In his past life, he started as a sergeant candidate and ended as a staff sergeant, but this time he’s forever a private.

Experiences he never had before, this was also a small adventure.

Still, the rank is a bit disappointing.

‘Feels like I’ll be an intern forever.’

Surely I won’t just be an intern in my career, right?

They might rotate me around the group to get experience, like Hong Soo-jung did in her past life.

The current Hong Ki-jun is more than capable of that.

Hong Ki-jun gave Jin-hyeok a choice.

“I’ll give you the position you want—important, desired, or comfortable.”

-“I’ll leave it to you.”

It was humility born from suspicion that this was Hong Ki-jun’s test.

He thought Hong Ki-jun would ask again what he really wanted to do.

“Then let’s start with a test. It’s designed to evaluate your understanding of social systems and personal maturity. It’s said to be groundbreaking but difficult. You know that Son Jin-hyeok taking the recruitment test is just an external excuse. I’ll personally conduct the Son Jin-hyeok test.”

Tsk.

He’s become much more rigid than in his past life.

Whoosh-.

A quadcopter descended onto the parade ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Whoa! That’s the thing!”

“First time seeing it in person!”

Faster than a helicopter, with superior passenger capacity and safety, it’s the latest model.

“Are they using those in the army now?”

As his comrades and instructors marveled, Jin-hyeok shook his head.

‘That’s from Chairman Hong.’

The paint isn’t even military; it’s white.

He already knew from the company commander.

If Saein sends a vehicle, take it.

Everyone knows how immense Hong Ki-jun’s power is.

He’s probably the only person who can notify the military and fly a civilian aircraft onto a base.

‘I need that power.’

A civilian aircraft landing on a military base. It was a clear scene showing where Jin-hyeok, with much to do, needed to line up to gain power.

After exchanging glances with his comrades and instructors, he headed to the quadcopter.

“Where to-.”

Jin-hyeok closed his mouth as he was about to ask the destination.

A neatly dressed employee, likely Hong Ki-jun’s secretary, stood next to the pilot with hands clasped.

“I’d like to stop by a bathhouse first.”

Gotta get rid of this trainee smell.

Sniff sniff.

Ugh, smells like dog food.

He sighed again.