GB 24

He seemed to be talking about the Naval Academy.

His father had also told him to send Haero to the Naval Academy. The reason for this condition was clear. It would save face. He probably wanted to be praised for not only taking in a child from a pirate background but also raising him to become a navy officer.

However, Yoon Moo-hwa  hadn’t answered then. His father seemed to have mistaken his silence for agreement, but if so, that was a misunderstanding. Yoon Moo-hwa  hadn’t brought Haero to become a naval officer and boost his reputation. If his father insisted on keeping the promise, well, there was never any mention of graduation.

“We’re on a ship right now,” Yoon Moo-hwa  gently changed the subject. “Let’s ride again next time.”

“Like the ship you came on to get me?”

“If you mean a patrol boat, then yes.”

“What about a big ship?”

“That’s…”

If that’s what you really want, I have nothing to say, but it’s not a path I’d like to recommend.

Yoon Moo-hwa  wanted to respect Haero while also gently steering his path. Even though he was young, Haero’s physique was visibly small, and given the time he had lost, there seemed to be limits to his growth. Moreover, his background wasn’t advantageous. He didn’t see a reason why he had to become a naval officer. 

Wouldn’t his mind change with time?

“There are ships that are big too. Some passenger ships are even bigger, so it would be nice to ride those later.” Yoon Moo-hwa  placated Haero with a compromising kindness.

So far, he didn’t want to force his opinions on Haero. At least for now… Though he wasn’t sure why this precondition kept appearing.

“When?”

“Much later. When I retire.”

“Retire?”

“When I quit being a soldier.”

“Isn’t that very far in the future?” Haero turned his head sharply, looking disappointed. 

By then, I might be even more disappointed. 

Yoon Moo-hwa  smiled evasively as he adjusted his grip on Haero’s unstable waist. “That’s right. It is far in the future.”

But Haero was persistent. 

“True, it is a bit later. By then, Haero might not want to play with me anymore. If Haero gets a lover and maybe even has a child, I might really be a nuisance then.”

Haero’s face was filled with shock at Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s words, which discussed such ordinary possibilities with almost indifference.

“So if you get a lover and a baby, you might not want to play with me anymore?”

Is that how the conversation turned out? It could be interpreted that way.

But Yoon Moo-hwa  couldn’t even imagine himself finding a partner. He was never the type to maintain such long-term relationships. To begin with, he absolutely never engaged in shipboard romances, and unless they shared the same profession, there were hardly any people who could tolerate a partner they’d barely meet once a year.

Unless Yoon Moo-hwa  suddenly went crazy and started a shipboard romance, and unless he was desperate enough to cause such trouble, it meant there would likely never be someone he’d promise forever to.

Forever. It sounded too long, too short, and too cliché all at once.

There might be many reasons why Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s relationships didn’t last long, apart from the condition of only being able to meet very rarely, but the most decisive factor was that he made no effort in relationships. He wasn’t a good partner and never would be. And he was very well aware of this fact himself.

“That won’t happen. Probably. Haero is…”

Having grown up as an only child, when it came to relationships outside of being colleagues, he was colder and more indifferent than even in professional matters. That was who Yoon Moo-hwa  was.

Haero was a new type of existence that couldn’t be categorized within his usual framework. He wasn’t a blood brother or a step-brother, nor was he one of the countless lives he had saved. Rather, it was the opposite.

“Haero is a bit special … to me.” Finally, Yoon Moo-hwa  used a cliché expression.

While it might be cliché by the world’s standards, for Yoon Moo-hwa , it was the first time he had ever uttered such words out loud.

Even without knowing how unusual this was, Haero found the word “special” itself pleasant, like small popping bubbles.

“Really?” Haero, feeling proud, wiggled his feet in the air again. “You’re special to me too. But you like me more than I like you, right?”

Although anyone else would see it the opposite way, Haero asked teasingly. Where did this kid come from? After being around people who found him intimidating, meeting someone like this was quite amusing. 

Yoon Moo-hwa  said, “Yeah,” and gently lowered Haero to the ground.

Yoon Moo-hwa  took Haero on a tour of the ship. He subtly blocked or redirected him from things he was curious about but could be dangerous, and only showed him safe but rather boring things. Still, Haero seemed to develop an attachment to the ship just from being on it with Yoon Moo-hwa .

I should take him on a cruise ship soon, geez. Yoon Moo-hwa  smiled awkwardly.

He had overlooked the fact that Haero’s current enthusiasm wasn’t because he liked ships themselves, but because he had previously been afraid of them.

“I’ll try to take some leave,” he said as they passed through a mock bulkhead door.

Haero looked puzzled for a moment before nodding. It was a bit sudden to mention taking leave, but having Yoon Moo-hwa  by his side was always good.

Haero simply enjoyed Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s return after a long time and this time spent wandering with him. So he enjoyed the festival-like atmosphere, unaware that Yoon Moo-hwa  was subtly directing their steps, showing only what he wanted to show and hiding what he didn’t want him to see.

On the way back, Haero held a fox plushie and cotton candy that Yoon Moo-hwa  had won for him. Although he wanted a navy hat, Yoon Moo-hwa  came in second place at the shooting booth, missing out on the hat, but he wasn’t disappointed.

We’ll come back here again. Haero’s steps on the way back were light as if he could fly.

* * *

Looking out the window had become Haero’s habit.

Due to important times in Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s promotions, they had repeatedly postponed the cruise ship trip. The navy hat remained out of reach as Yoon Moo-hwa  kept mysteriously placing first, third, or sometimes second at the shooting booth, narrowly missing the prize. Moreover, there were no booths here offering fake navy hats as prizes.

Now, Haero was in Yeosu Naval Special City, having left Sector City. This place could maintain its coastal form intact thanks to actively restoring disappearing mudflats, dealing with rising sea levels, and installing bulkheads that could quickly create bays when warnings were issued.

Above all, what made this place special to Haero was that it was “real” land.

Today, the weather was good, and it was winter when the tides weren’t as severe, so the bulkhead levels were lower. Haero couldn’t take his eyes off what lay beyond.

It was the third week since Yoon Moo-hwa  had set sail.

He will return today. If he’s late … he’ll be late again… but somehow, it felt like he would return today.

It had been 9 years since Haero was left here alone, watching Yoon Moo-hwa  abruptly depart and return. More than enough time to get used to it. However, since Yoon Moo-hwa  returned with a serious eye injury four years ago, he had started to feel anxious again.

It was around that time when Haero left the sector and came to Yeosu. It is when Yoon Moo-hwa  was injured.

When Haero recalls his first memory, the smell of the military hospital, its white walls, and Yoon Moo-hwa  lying down come to mind first. It still makes me frown.

Lost in thought, Haero saw his wristband buzzing and grabbed his jumper before heading out.

Outside, it was warm despite it being winter. Snow has become almost nonexistent now. Haero himself had only seen snow in very old movies that Yoon Moo-hwa  used to play occasionally.

Once outside, Seon Ikhyeon waved in greeting. They had agreed to meet since Haero was down in Yeosu.

“Looks like they’ll be coming in today.”

Seon Ikhyeon tipped off information he’d heard from his various sources.

Although the departure and return of warships is military information, there were ways to find out. He said that even now, clubs in the area would announce when warships were returning, saying which ship was coming in. Haero had never been to such clubs and wasn’t curious, so he didn’t know if it was true.

“I get anxious every winter. It was winter when hyung got hurt too.” Haero grumbled. That’s why he hated Yeosu’s winters.

Seon Ikhyeon nodded in agreement. “Ah, that time. I remember it too.”

The former Major Gu, who had moved to the Joint Chiefs of Staff following Yoon Sang-won, was now on land. Seon Ikhyeon, now in a long-distance relationship, had come to visit him and also to see Yoon Moo-hwa  in the hospital.

The surgery to remove one eyeball and implant an artificial one is extremely painful. It takes a very long time as countless nerve bundles need to be connected one by one, and because it’s directly connected to the brain nerves, they said you’d have to suffer for a week after surgery without being able to speak. But Yoon Moo-hwa  greeted them with an unbothered expression.

He truly thought he was a monster.

Seon Ikhyeon shuddered for a different reason than Haero and clicked his tongue. “It was really horrible.”

They both remembered that time unpleasantly for different reasons – Haero for the hospital and Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s injury, Seon Ikhyeon for Yoon Moo-hwa ‘s inhuman aspect.

Seon Ikhyeon put Haero on the back of his bike.

He said he wanted to save money to drive a small merchant ship after being discharged.

“Shall we go and see?”

“You’re coming with me?” Haero’s face lit up brightly.

Seon Ikhyeon hadn’t originally come to see Yoon Moo-hwa , but to congratulate Haero after hearing he had submitted an application to the Naval Academy, so he didn’t expect to go together.

Seon Ikhyeon thought that the expectant eyes and round cheeks puffed up near the cheekbones all contributed to making the grown-up Haero still look as small and precious as when he first saw him.

He wondered if Yoon Moo-hwa  would see him the same way.

Seon Ikhyeon inwardly clicked his tongue. Having grown up in the Pirate Archipelago himself, he had a short period of seeing children as children. Even though he thought they were all grown up by thirteen, even to his eyes, Haero often looked very young.

If it’s like this for him, would Yoon Moo-hwa  really allow Haero to go to the Naval Academy?