GB 30

Upon returning home, Seon Ikhyeon had already left, as expected.

Haero, who had just seen off Yoon Moo-hwa and Seon Ikhyeon with enough provisions until their next sailing, placed a large paper bag on the dining table and took a breather.

Normally, Yoon Moo-hwa would have carried everything, but today he was occupied with a phone call. Frowning, Yoon Moo-hwa, while talking to his father, set down the large box he had been carrying next to Haero.

Although Yoon Moo-hwa never ate greedily and didn’t have much of an appetite, he was still a big eater. It was natural given his build. Haero, too, ate well for his size. The amount of groceries the two consumed in a month was considerable.

As Haero meticulously arranged each item, Yoon Moo-hwa continued his call while helping with the organization. His tidying skills were impressive, befitting a military man.

“The period just won’t work that way. I’ll only be gone for a short while.”

Haero silently listened as Yoon Moo-hwa snapped at his father, sounding exasperated.

“…I remember the promise. I do, I do. But isn’t that too one-sided?”

The tone of the call seemed unusually tense today. Though the two were never particularly affectionate in their conversations, there was an extra sharp edge to it today.

Noticing Haero watching him, Yoon Moo-hwa took out one of the packaged drinks he had just put in the fridge, inserted a straw, and handed it to him. Haero frowned. It was as if Yoon Moo-hwa was telling him to drink this and mind his own business. Treating him like a child.

“I’ll handle it myself. It’s my responsibility.” Growling, Yoon Moo-hwa ended the call by almost throwing down his phone.

Running his hand through his hair tiredly, he caught Haero’s eye and gave a brief smile. No, he smiled for Haero’s sake.

“What is it? What were you talking about?”

It was about Haero’s admission to the naval academy. As graduation approached, many people were showing annoying interest. 

Since when did they start caring?

However, Yoon Moo-hwa lied smoothly. He had taken the call in front of Haero because he was confident in his ability to deceive skillfully, “Marriage talk.”

Of course, Haero couldn’t help but be visibly surprised. Although Yoon Moo-hwa often made these not-quite-lies, Haero always reacted sensitively.

Was it because this reaction was amusing that he kept telling the same lie? Yoon Moo-hwa casually said as he took out a large pack of lab-grown meat from the box, “I am quite late in getting married compared to my peers.”

“Are you getting married?” Haero asked urgently.

“Why? Should I not?”

“Yeah. Don’t.” The small head nodded vigorously up and down.

On the island where he came from, there was no such thing as marriage. If people wanted to be together, they slept together, and if they grew tired of each other, they separated. As long as they weren’t siblings, anyone could form such relationships in the island’s society.

However, what was certain was that even on the island, if two adults wanted to stay together, they were given a private room.

To Haero, Yoon Moo-hwa’s marriage meant something like that. It meant going to a different house even when returning from sea. It meant the creation of a room that he couldn’t enter, a room just for Yoon Moo-hwa and someone else.

“Why are you deciding that? If I find someone I want to marry, I should. It could be good for you too, Haero. It means your family will grow, right?”

“What are you talking about? We’re not family.” Haero lunged at him fiercely.

He looked just like a small, brave wild animal.

Haero clearly wasn’t saddened by the fact that he would never be fully included in the Yoon family. While this was admirable, Yoon Moo-hwa was often taken aback when Haero wielded this fact so casually as a weapon. Haero was unpredictable, especially within the society Yoon Moo-hwa had grown up in.

“Because we’re not family, if you marry someone else, it means I’ll lose you completely. That can’t happen.”

Especially at times like this… it reminded him of when they first met.

In a dense forest where even sunlight could barely penetrate, with giant mangrove roots like mythical serpents, Haero was a being bundled with untamed vitality amidst the overwhelming, writhing nature, and it was that vitality that saved him. From the moment he was found, Haero had claimed Yoon Moo-hwa as his possession. It seems this core concept couldn’t be erased even now that he was socialized. It didn’t disappear even after becoming Haero at 8.

“I don’t like it. I already hate not seeing you for a month when you sail, but thinking of you going somewhere else when you return is even more terrible.” Haero boldly asserted his rights over Yoon Moo-hwa.

Yoon Moo-hwa, both amazed and slightly dumbfounded by this attitude, muttered, “I guess for me to get married, Haero would have to find someone he likes first.”

“Someone I like?” Haero mumbled blankly, as if hearing those words for the first time, like an unfamiliar foreign language. 

Yoon Moo-hwa nodded while dividing the butter. Artificial butter processed from plants with added flavor. The world had changed to where nature was threatening and processed was more practical.

“Yeah. Someone you like. Why? Don’t you have anyone you like because you don’t have friends, Haero?” Yoon Moo-hwa turned to Haero and smiled silently.

Haero didn’t care about Yoon Moo-hwa’s playful jab about not having friends. Instead, he stared at the fake butter that looked so real and pondered.

Someone you like…

To Haero, who grew up in a world of threatening natural things and seemingly real processed ones, the emotion of “liking” someone, which was still “real,” was completely unfamiliar.

“There’s no such thing as someone you like.” After a moment’s thought, Haero said decisively, “That doesn’t exist. Like you said, I don’t even have friends.”

Unable to hold back any longer, laughter erupted. Yoon Moo-hwa let out a soft chuckle. It was a rare sound, so Haero listened intently.

While Haero’s immune system worked differently from children born on bases or the mainland, his vision and hearing were much more developed. Even without tattoos, there were traces of the island that couldn’t be completely erased from Haero.

“Sorry. I teased you too much.”

“You didn’t tease me. It’s just the truth.” But Haero’s tone was a bit sulky.

Yoon Moo-hwa found Haero the cutest at times like this. His friends who had younger siblings since childhood all said that siblings were nothing but annoying, but maybe because Yoon Moo-hwa met Haero when he was already grown, he found Haero endlessly cute, and often at that.

“You’ll make friends gradually. Sometimes you’re close with someone for a while and then drift apart later. That’s how it goes. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I told you I’m not worried. You, you’re the one who’s worried, aren’t you? Ugh, I can’t breathe.”

Before Haero could finish speaking, Yoon Moo-hwa pulled him into his arms and ruffled his hair. Just like petting a dog.

Haero reached out to push Yoon Moo-hwa away. But his hand landed somewhere else. On a very firm chest. It was much bigger and firmer than he had thought, and Haero was inwardly surprised.

In the end, Haero was able to break free not because he pushed, but because Yoon Moo-hwa let him go. But Haero was still so dumbfounded that he brought his hand to his own chest.

Compared to Yoon Moo-hwa’s, his cheat was quite flat. It hurt his pride a little. Yoon Moo-hwa chuckled as he watched the wounded pride evident in Haero’s touch.

His laughter comes easily. It leaks out so readily that even he can notice it. At sea, he hardly ever smiled, to the point where his facial muscles felt stiff, but just a day with Haero was enough to melt it all away. Maybe this is why everyone looked forward to vacations and returning to port so much.

“It’s okay to take things slow. Take your time, but choose carefully for safety. So you can find the best option.” Yoon Moo-hwa advised his cherished younger brother.

He handed the portioned butter to Haero, who neatly stacked it in the freezer with his deft hands.

As he organized each item, Haero mulled over his choice.

Indeed, he should enroll in the naval academy.

That was Haero’s best option.

Since he was going to bring it up anyway, he wanted to say it when the mood was best. If he conveyed his intentions well, Yoon Moo-hwa would eventually agree. He always had, at least as far as Haero could remember.

Mustering his courage and trust in Yoon Moo-hwa, Haero began, “You know, I…”

But Yoon Moo-hwa, who was portioning the meat, immediately shook his head. “No.”

“What! You didn’t even hear me out!”

“If it’s about the naval academy, no. I’m against your enrollment.”

“You told me to make the best choice! This is what I want to do!”

Yoon Moo-hwa gently pushed away Haero, whose voice had quickly risen, and put the meat in the freezer.

Holding just enough for today’s meal, he took out a pan and reverted to his usual self – the Yoon Moo-hwa that wouldn’t let even a needle through. This was Yoon Moo-hwa, unfamiliar to Haero but familiar to others.

“What you want and what’s best can be different. You might regret it later. At least in my eyes, that’s not a good path for you.”

Haero was frustrated. Yoon Moo-hwa was treating him as if he couldn’t distinguish between mere stubbornness and genuine desire. He was treating him just like that day in the past when he got vaccinated and went to the playground.

Just like when he told him to be careful not to fall, to spit out sand if it got in his mouth, and not to touch rusty joints.

“You go out on missions every day. Why don’t you say it’s not safe when you go out to sea?”

“I know because I go out to sea every time. There’s still 25 percent of land left. You have many places to stay, Haero.”

Yoon Moo-hwa recalled the area that was once a Blue Zone, where serious grades of sea monsters rarely appeared in shallow waters. Now that a giant cephalopod had appeared, it would be designated as a semi-Red Zone.

As his rank increased, the depth of the sea Yoon Moo-hwa saw grew deeper. It wouldn’t be so bad if there were only sea monsters, but there were also people there.

Humans were still Earth’s apex predators. Monsters among monsters. And it was the navy’s job to deal with these monsters. Moreover, as he watched Haero grow, Yoon Moo-hwa increasingly felt that he wouldn’t fit well in a closed group.

The sea is dangerous. It has never not been. Humans have yet to understand even 10 percent of the entire ocean.

“I…!”

Haero, on the verge of tears, stood close to Yoon Moo-hwa.

When Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t look at him, Haero grabbed his arm and turned him forcefully. 

Yoon Moo-hwa frowned and scolded him sternly, “Haero, the stove is on. What are you doing that’s so dangerous?”

“I want to go out to sea with you. I’ve grown up thinking only about that.”

“That’s because you’re still young.”

“Until when am I going to be young!” Haero shouted.

It wasn’t particularly loud, but it was enough to instantly freeze the atmosphere in the kitchen.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s eyes, as cold as the atmosphere, stared at Haero. Haero stared back, refusing to back down.

“Forever.”

“…”

“Should I tell you that I wish you could just stay young forever, if possible?”