"Hey, you homo bastard!"
As soon as Jeong Taeui heard the rough voice filled with mockery, he instinctively halted in his tracks. The phrase spoken by the unfamiliar voice was all too familiar. Homo bastard—it was a phrase that that damned Lieutenant Kim would always smirk and utter whenever he saw Jeong Taeui.
But that voice wasn't Lieutenant Kim's, nor was it directed at Jeong Taeui. The voice came from beyond a corner of the barracks building, from a place that was not yet in Jeong Taeui's line of sight.
Jeong Taeui didn't need to wonder if there was another person in the unit with the same
preference as him. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly turned the corner.
"Hey, hey. Freeze."
As soon as Jeong Taeui casually spoke, the snickering voices and the bustling sounds came to an abrupt halt. Jeong Taeui glanced at the faces and ranks of the three or four men standing there. They were all privates or corporals, and their faces were somewhat familiar. Three of them were under Lieutenant Kim, and one was a soldier from Jeong Taeui's platoon.
As Jeong Taeui approached, they immediately straightened up and stood at attention, a sign that they were somewhat accustomed to military life. Jeong Taeui slowly walked past them and turned his gaze to his platoon member.
Although he was in the same platoon, Jeong Taeui had never personally spoken to the young-looking soldier before. Jeong Taeui asked indifferently, "Do you like men?"
"Private Choi Chang-sik! No, sir!"
Jeong Taeui, who had likely been called a homo bastard by the private just a moment ago, muttered "Really?" under his breath. Then, he nonchalantly directed his gaze at the other three who were standing stiffly in attention.
"Bow down."
The three, who had momentarily looked confused, quickly bowed their heads to the ground and lay flat as soon as they saw the stern look in Jeong Taeui's eyes.
"Why are you picking a fight with someone who says they're not? Hey, Jeong Taeui."
"Lieutenant Jeong Taeui!"
"Why is someone who isn't even from our platoon messing with one of our guys? If you have any grudges, spill them now. I'll listen."
The one on the right, who had the highest rank among the three lying on the ground,
responded in a strained voice, "No, sir," his face red either from bowing his head or from
nervousness.
"Why are you fostering a bad atmosphere in the unit? Are you comfortable with your military life? Bored?"
Hearing the strained replies of "No, sir" again, Jeong Taeui turned to the private who was standing awkwardly by. The private, who had been glancing around nervously, flinched and hunched his shoulders as soon as Jeong Taeui's gaze landed on him. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue at the sight.
Jeong Taeui wasn't the type to enjoy tormenting his subordinates and usually let minor issues slide with ease. However, today, he was in a bad mood. He didn't intend to take out his frustration on others, but it just so happened that one of Lieutenant Kim's men was bullying
his subordinate, and of all things, calling him a homo bastard. Moreover, this foolish
subordinate, whom Jeong Taeui was trying to help, was nervously watching him for any sign of discontent.
"I don't even want you, even if you all gang up on me. I just don't like it!"
Jeong Taeui felt like shouting this through a loudspeaker for the whole unit to hear.
Everyone in the unit was already aware of Jeong Taeui's sexual orientation, thanks to
Lieutenant Kim, who contributed greatly to spreading the word. Every time they quarreled, Kim would always call him a homo bastard.
But Jeong Taeui could swear on his honor that he had never looked at any of his comrades in that way. There wasn't even anyone worth looking at like that in the first place. And if there was someone who vaguely fit his taste, as rare as a bean sprout in a drought, he would quickly shut down any thoughts and never look back. They were all just "people," regardless of their gender.
Despite this, everyone in the unit knew about Jeong Taeui's orientation, and what twisted his insides even more was that even the comrades who had spent considerable time with him would sometimes look at him awkwardly. Occasionally, senior officers would joke, saying things like, "Tired from today's training? Want me to give you a boost tonight?" while laughing. Though he would play along with a smile due to the rank hierarchy, it always left him feeling utterly disgusted.
Both the subordinates and the superiors. I don't even want you, no matter what!
Jeong Taeui had shouted this into his mental loudspeaker countless times.
Maybe I should just quit this military life.
Lately, he had been seriously rethinking the career he once thought he would dedicate his life to. And today, more so than ever.
He had just come back from a meeting with the company commander. Although the
commander hadn't directly asked about it, he had subtly alluded to the "disturbing rumors" circulating in the unit. As Jeong Taeui walked out, he cursed Lieutenant Kim under his breath.
"You young bastards, learning all the bad habits first. How do you plan to survive in this harsh world?—Stay down. If you collapse, your time will be extended."
Jeong Taeui glanced at his watch, considering whether it was time to wrap things up.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
A thundering voice boomed from behind.
This time, it was a familiar voice.
Without fully turning around, Jeong Taeui tilted his head and saw Lieutenant Kim, his face livid, striding towards them.
As soon as he arrived, Lieutenant Kim glared at Jeong Taeui, the awkwardly standing private, and the subordinates who were still bowing on the ground, his expression growing harsher.
"Stand up right now!"
"If you stand up, you're dead."
Jeong Taeui had been planning to let them stand, but since this guy was off.
"Did you hear me? Get up, you bastards!"
had shown up, that plan was off.
The three unfortunate subordinates looked helplessly between the two men, uncertain
whether they should stand or remain prone. Seeing this, Lieutenant Kim turned his fierce
gaze to Jeong Taeui.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"These guys were bullying one of my men, so I'm giving them a little lesson. Why?"
"What?!"
Lieutenant Kim glared at the private who had been hiding behind Jeong Taeui and then glared at the men still awkwardly bowing on the ground.
"What are you doing, you bastards? Get up!"
"I told them not to. Are you trying to undermine discipline, Kim Jeong-pil? I outrank these guys, even if they're in your platoon."
When Jeong Taeui glared at him, Lieutenant Kim sneered. Then, he kicked the men on the ground in the sides. One of them let out a yelp and rolled over, causing the other two to topple like dominoes.
After kicking them a few more times in frustration, Lieutenant Kim turned his bloodshot eyes back to Jeong Taeui. He seemed to be in an even fouler mood than usual. Whatever the company commander had said to him, it had clearly riled him up.
But you're not the only one in a bad mood, bastard.
"Hey, Jeong Taeui, who do you think you are, disciplining my men? Do you want to die, you homo bastard?!"
"Yeah, I was wondering when you'd say that. Everyone knows by now, so why don't you give it a rest? Even the company commander knows."
As soon as Jeong Taeui retorted, a surge of anger flared up inside him. Yeah, it seemed
inevitable that they would have to settle things once and for all.
"You think you're the only one who got called in by the commander?! Is that why you were
taking it out on my men?"
"These guys were bullying my subordinate, calling him a homo, so I was just trying to
straighten them out. What, did you teach your men to speak like that? Nice job, Kim Jeong-pil."
Lieutenant Kim let out a scoffing laugh. As he seemed to grasp the situation, he gave the men still lying on the ground a dismissive kick and then turned his gaze to the private awkwardly standing behind Jeong Taeui, finally fixing his eyes back on Jeong Taeui.
"He does look like a homo. Or how else would you know? Considering how much you're defending him, you must be one too. Isn't that right? Hey, Private, why don't you tell us? Have you slept with him? Is your platoon taking turns sleeping with him? How's the technique with a homo? Is it killer?"
This bastard never apologizes; he only runs his mouth.
On any other day, Jeong Taeui would have laughed off such mockery, but today, his mood was beyond foul. He felt as disgusted as Lieutenant Kim's expression looked. Maybe that's why. The next moment, he heard a ticking sound in his head, as if a screw had just come loose.
"Why are you so curious about my technique? Want to learn if it's good? Oh, I heard you got dumped by Yoon Mi recently. Why, weren't you as good with your technique as you are with your mouth? Or are you premature? Impotent? Ha, being a homo is a hundred times better than being premature or impotent."
"What, you bastard?!"
Lieutenant Kim's eyes widened in anger. He shoved Jeong Taeui roughly on the shoulder.
Normally, this would have been the start of a full-blown brawl, with Jeong Taeui shouting
back, "Why the fuck are you hitting me?" and punching him in the forearm. But before he could retract his arm, he was knocked back a step or two as he said, "This bastard...." and lost his balance as he tripped over the legs of the men still lying on the ground.
"Ugh..."
The hand that was flailing reflexively grabbed Lieutenant Kim by the collar.
However, it seemed that even Lieutenant Kim didn't expect this, and he couldn't support Jeong Taeui, causing them both to tumble down together.
"Hey, you bastard, let go of me...?!"
Although his voice rang out loudly in shock, it was in vain. Jeong Taeui, who had fallen to
the ground using the men below him as a cushion, did not let go of Lieutenant Kim's collar. If he had fallen alone, it would have been humiliating. If you're going to fall, you might as well fall together.
...But he didn't expect it to be this heavy. Now that he thought about it, this guy, despite appearing slim, actually had a fair amount of muscle.
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
Most of the screams came from the three guys crushed at the bottom, but perhaps a few groans from Jeong Taeui or Lieutenant Kim were mixed in there as well. Lieutenant Kim's cries were probably the fewest.
The guy who had fallen on top of Jeong Taeui, using the three men as a cushion, let out a reflexive and short yelp. As the guy fell, his elbow jabbed into Jeong Taeui's side, causing Jeong Taeui to stifle a groan with a "Ugh."
Lieutenant Kim, who had fallen on top of Jeong Taeui almost in layers, seemed to be out of it for a few seconds before finally coming to his senses. He immediately looked down at Jeong Taeui, who was just a hand's breadth away.
"You bastard, why the hell did you push me?! Get off me, now!"
Jeong Taeui, still clutching Lieutenant Kim's collar, shouted. Demanding him to move while still grabbing and shaking his collar was contradictory, but Jeong Taeui, who was so furious he could scream his head off, didn't seem to care. On top of him, Lieutenant Kim remained silent and motionless for a moment.
Jeong Taeui, suspicious, wondered if Lieutenant Kim had hurt himself during the fall. It was only then that Lieutenant Kim, annoyed, muttered, "You're going to burst my eardrums, you bastard," and moved to the side. From the way he moved, it didn't seem like he was injured.
Jeong Taeui also moved his limbs around, but everything seemed fine.
However, the fact that this guy didn't even apologize after pushing someone down annoyed him. Not that he expected one anyway. If he apologized, he wouldn't be Lieutenant Kim.
As he stood up, following Lieutenant Kim, who had gotten up with an irritated expression and was brushing off his wrist, Jeong Taeui frowned and muttered, "You bastard, do you secretly like me? Is that why you keep hanging around, saying all those
stupid things to get my attention? Pushing people down and lying on top of them like this...."
It was just something he said, but the more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got―especially since Jeong Taeui wasn't the type to be submissive, especially not to this guy.
Muttering to himself, "Ugh, what a mood killer," he moved his joints around as well.
"What the hell did you say, you bastard...?!"
Suddenly, a furious voice, filled with rage, came right at him. Before he could even turn
around, he felt a hard fist slam into his stomach.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe. And in the next moment, all he could think was, "Fine, let's settle this today."
Lieutenant Kim must have had a similar thought. His eyes rolled back as he let out
unintelligible curses and charged at him, swinging his fists wildly. He didn't look sane. But then again, Jeong Taeui wasn't in his right mind either.
Let's end this once and for all. Today, you're going down.
What followed was chaos.
Blood splattered, flesh was torn, and the sound of bones cracking mixed with the shouts of people trying to pull them apart, but none of it reached Jeong Taeui's ears. After more than five years of pent-up frustration, he had finally snapped. All that was left in his mind was the thought of killing this damn bastard today.
When he came to his senses, he was lying in a military hospital.
Unluckily, that damn bastard was lying in the bed right next to him. Although he was asleep and his mouth was shut, just seeing his profile made Jeong Taeui click his tongue.
"Happy now that you've busted my knee?"
A military doctor, whom he had met a few times before, clicked his tongue as he tapped Jeong Taeui's head with the edge of a file.
Jeong Taeui grumbled, "It hurts," rubbing his head.
"Great job. One guy busted his knee, and the other busted his arm."
Only then did Jeong Taeui look down at his leg, which was wrapped in a white cast.
Although the painkillers hadn't worn off yet, he could feel a dull ache. Once the painkillers wore off, it would hurt like hell.
But the guy lying next to him with his arm in a cast probably wasn't much better off.
Serves him right. Jeong Taeui thought to himself spitefully, but then sighed. This really was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
"How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"
When Jeong Taeui asked, the file came flying at him again. Even if it was just a plastic file, getting hit right in the middle of his forehead hurt quite a bit.
"A guy with a shattered knee asking how long it'll take...Didn't I tell you to take care of
your body when you're young? Do you think your bone will just heal up in a month or two
and you'll be back to normal? Now you'll be whining like an old man about your joints
aching whenever the weather's bad. Great job, really. Both of you must be geniuses. Didn't I tell you the last time you were brought in?"
"...."
He had never really been friendly with him, but this time the military doctor looked
particularly exasperated as he clicked his tongue and left. Jeong Taeui, despite the throbbing pain, raised his still-movable arm and scratched his head.
"You bastard, look at the mess you've made."
A grumbling voice came from beside him. So, this guy wasn't asleep after all, just pretending to while letting the doctor's scolding fall entirely on him.
"You asshole, whose fault do you think it is that we're in this mess?"
With no energy to shout, he replied in a low voice. More cursing followed from beside him, but he pretended not to hear it.