GB 130

When filming a reality variety show, cameras follow  almost 24 hours a day. However, humans are far better at adapting than they think, and they say that after just two hours, people forget the camera’s presence.

The base where Yoon Moo-hwa and Haero stayed before coming to the Arctic Ocean wasn’t Sector 1, but Sector 3, which oversees the Mediterranean and Atlantic. It was quite a coincidence that they had quarters in Mallorca, which had been jokingly mentioned when rescuing Haero.

Naturally, the quarters for Yoon Moo-hwa, a flag officer, and Haero, a commissioned officer, were different. However, Yoon Moo-hwa brought Haero into his quarters and wouldn’t let him go. When Haero asked if this would cause security issues, Yoon Moo-hwa retorted that he was already passed over for promotion and could be discharged if necessary, so what did it matter if he got into more trouble? It was hard to believe such a response from the typically rigid Yoon Moo-hwa.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s words were half joke, half truth.

He was confident the military wouldn’t easily discard someone of his value, but simultaneously, he didn’t care if they did. He had already provided all the information he knew. If they deemed him useful beyond that information, the military wouldn’t let him go. Since he could live without being a soldier, and military life was no longer the best option for Yoon Moo-hwa, he was prepared to follow whatever decision came.

That’s why Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t mind when the navy assigned people to guard him in Mallorca.

How much more trivial was it to bring Haero, whom he had already moved into his quarters, everywhere with him? At first, Haero was very uncomfortable with the security detail following them, but he adapted in less than a day. As mentioned, humans are far better at adapting than they think.

The surveillance and security detail, consisting of two people per team, followed them even when they went to the supermarket or market.

Of course, Haero and Yoon Moo-hwa, deeply immersed in their relationship that had finally, truly, genuinely, at last begun, didn’t care.

“Are we buying this?” Haero asked, looking back while crouching down.

Yoon Moo-hwa, holding the shopping basket, quietly smiled. Not “are we buying this” but “would you like to buy this,” right? But he found it cute how Haero always asked for his opinion like this.

“Let’s buy it.” 

Excited by those words, Haero piled in a bunch of flat peaches. As Haero loaded them mindlessly, Yoon Moo-hwa counted them and quietly removed the extras once they exceeded a certain number, putting them back without Haero noticing. When his eyes met the merchant’s, they exchanged glances like conspirators. As if understanding, the merchant with his elegant mustache nodded.

“Let’s buy cucumbers, cheese, and olives.” Haero, who had recently become obsessed with salads, led the way. 

It all started with the olive oil Yoon Moo-hwa had received. They had made pasta and roasted vegetables with it, but the salad they made last had particularly captured Haero’s heart.

Yoon Moo-hwa followed Haero at a leisurely pace. Haero was impatient by nature, very curious, and enjoyed talking to people everywhere without being shy, keeping himself quite busy. Yoon Moo-hwa quietly picked up things Haero might like from behind, either setting them down or adding them to the basket.

By the time they left the market, not only Yoon Moo-hwa but also Haero was carrying a basket. Both their hands were heavy with goods.

“This should last us a month.” 

“We won’t be deployed for a month, right?” 

“We don’t get sudden orders and sudden deployments like that.”

Besides, no matter where they went, they would need to relocate bases. Sector 3 had more civilian ports than military ports, so there weren’t enough military vessels of the size that Yoon Moo-hwa would command coming in.

“What should I make for you today?” Yoon Moo-hwa asked, pulling Haero close and pressing his lips to his head. He really enjoyed the way the curly hair tickled his face.

“Today…” Haero began in a voice full of anticipation.

“Today I will make gamjatang (pork spine soup).” The Arctic chef announced solemnly.

Haero’s eyes lit up. At the Korean chef’s words, others tilted their heads in confusion. The translation app interpreted “gamja” as “potato,” and everyone seemed to understand it as potato soup.

“He’s making something I like.” Haero said excitedly, while Yoon Moo-hwa merely glanced up from his tablet where he was working.

The two were sitting some distance apart. Yet Yoon Moo-hwa could easily hear Haero’s voice. No, he only heard that child’s voice.

“I’ll make beef bourguignon.” The Narwhal’s chef, a culinary sergeant, said confidently.

It seemed they had already agreed to match themes with meat stews. Haero muttered that it sounded like galbi-jjim (Korean braised short ribs), and the sailors from Sector 1 quietly nodded in agreement.

The cooking proceeded. The very outgoing deck officer, who had quickly befriended everyone at the base with his lively personality, served as the MC. Since there wasn’t much other entertainment, there was a large audience. Among them were researchers and sailors who were clearly flirting with each other.

Watching people giving off pink vibes, Haero wondered if everyone had noticed about him and Yoon Moo-hwa too. He felt embarrassed thinking that people in love can’t hide it no matter what they do. Looking back, he realized that behaviors he thought he had hidden well probably weren’t hidden at all.

But it was too late now. The fortunate thing was that as long as Haero was in the medical division, he wouldn’t overlap much with Captain Yoon Moo-hwa, making people less uncomfortable. Even if it was obvious, they shouldn’t make others feel awkward. Having become quite shameless after his near-death experience, Haero decided to adopt this attitude.

“I choose beef bourguignon.” 

Several people had already made up their minds without even tasting the food.

“Korean food is too spicy.” 

These were generally people from cultures unaccustomed to spicy flavors from ingredients like chili and garlic.

“I choose gamjatang. I hope they make it really spicy without holding back.” 

People from cultures with strong spicy food traditions, like Thailand and India, folded their arms and licked their lips in anticipation.

Living on a ship naturally causes one’s palate to adapt to stronger flavors. Navy cooking is characterized by occasional heavy seasoning for sailors whose appetites and taste buds have dulled due to constant seasickness.

Haero glanced over at Yoon Moo-hwa.

What are Yoon Moo-hwa’s tastes? Come to think of it, Haero is not sure. He ate everything well and did whatever Haero asked him to do. It was as if he’d stepped out of Haero’s imagination, perfectly matching his palate. Especially since he ate everything Haero passed to him without being picky, Haero couldn’t tell what he liked or disliked.

‘Am I being too thoughtless toward him?’ 

Haero’s expression grew serious. Because of this, he didn’t even hear the question from beside him asking which dish Lieutenant Haero would vote for.

The competition began. Equal time was given to both, and two large panels connected within the base were allocated for the cooking contest. The remaining three panels displayed the panoramic view of the base, the naval port, and the North Sea management area.

After dinner, everyone would go to watch the aurora. The meteorological staff observed the competition with interest while keeping weather conditions displayed on their laptops.

While everyone focused on the panels, only Haero’s expression remained serious. ‘I think I’m being too thoughtless toward him.’ Compared to how Yoon Moo-hwa knew everything about him, Haero seemed to know almost nothing about Yoon Moo-hwa.

This was not only unfair but, above all, Haero couldn’t shake the feeling that he was neglecting his duty as the person who had Yoon Moo-hwa.

Yoon Moo-hwa, secretly observing Haero’s appearance, wondered what he was thinking about now. He was very skilled at quickly raising and lowering his gaze without being noticed.

Yoon Moo-hwa knew he was proficient in everything, to the extent that he recognized how this might make him appear unpleasant. He was also good at hiding his relationship with Haero. Though there might be room for suspicion, he quickly detected when someone was approaching and adeptly changed his demeanor. His naturally somewhat blunt facial expressions also helped.

Yoon Moo-hwa used everything he had to protect Haero, to such an extent that the doctor and engineer who performed his eye surgery would have lamented that their technology was being used merely for a secret shipboard romance.

Unfortunately, Yoon Moo-hwa couldn’t stay there the entire time. Though nominally a judge, everyone at the base knew how busy he was.

Even now, he had to leave the dining hall due to a call from the Arctic Ocean headquarters.

Outside the base, communication eavesdropping was almost impossible due to jamming signals and the magnetic field coming down from the sky. To utilize this, Yoon Moo-hwa prepared to go to an external base. Wearing a thick jacket that covered him nearly to his nose, he went outside where a biting wind was blowing. The cold was harsh for humans, but far from enough to revive the Arctic. Moreover, since this cold was artificial, it would take a long time to restore it to a permanent state.

Yoon Moo-hwa stared at the dark Arctic sea as he connected his communication device. “Communications Security Rear Admiral Yoon Moo-hwa.” The mother computer, having verified his identity by analyzing his voice, completed the connection to headquarters.

In a dry tone, headquarters reported that a meeting between ocean mafia and pirates had taken place. Yoon Moo-hwa exhaled white breath as he looked at the marine creatures circling like a hungry wolf pack in the pitch-black sea beyond the bulkhead.

These were small marine creatures. It was actually fortunate that those were there. If creatures like ghost sharks, oarfish, or monkfish appeared in marine animal form, military vessels would need to be deployed. The top three species, in particular, were quite high in the food chain as predators and could scratch even steel bulkheads.

“Understood,” Yoon Moo-hwa replied, lowering his gaze. “Please report immediately if any unusual signs are observed.”

He was sick of it all, the new predators born from human foolishness beyond the bulkhead, and the humans who, even in the midst of this, were busy fighting and dumping waste into the sea for their own gain.

With a click, the lighter sparked. Here, the e-cigarette liquid didn’t heat well, forcing the use of tobacco. He shielded the flame from the wind with his hand and lit it.

Shortly after, the door opened with a creak. Emerging through the heavy steel door, similarly heavily armed as Yoon Moo-hwa, was Haero. 

“What are you doing here, sir?” Haero asked awkwardly.

Yoon Moo-hwa exhaled smoke away from Haero and pulled him closer. Then, pushing the door to completely isolate them from the interior, he calmly said, “I was thinking about you.”