GB 43

“We’ve been informed that due to personal circumstances, you’ll be entering three days before the entrance ceremony.”

Hearing the businesslike voice, Haero couldn’t help but ask, “Um … Is it normal for admission to be this flexible? I mean, it’s still a military academy, so this level of flexibility….”

Haero thought a military academy would surely have strict rules, but maybe it was different before official enrollment.

After Yoon Moo-hwa left, Haero stood dazed for a while with the refrigerator door open. When he finally came to his senses, the first thing he did was frantically search for the news.

But there was no detailed information. It was full of reports about all ships being prohibited from sailing due to expected 5-meter waves.

‘However, it couldn’t really be just 5 meters, could it? Surely there must be another reason. Something else must have happened.’

This unease itches all over Haero’s body like an allergy, and as he was absent-mindedly rubbing his face and arms, he received the phone call.

The caller, introducing themselves from the Naval Academy’s admissions office, informed him briskly and very mechanically that his entry date had been adjusted.

This was news to him.

When Haero asked for clarification, there was a long pause before the response came. He wasn’t sure what had caused the delay. Maybe the connection was bad. Something was definitely happening at sea.

“It happens occasionally. Sometimes, for new cadets whose family members serve in the Navy, if their duty station changes and their journey is extended, they may not be able to arrive by the expected entry date.”

Although nothing sounded strange about the explanation, Haero felt an odd sense of déjà vu and rubbed the back of his neck.

That night, Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t return.

Haero read the email he had received over and over, “I had to depart urgently. It’s not too dangerous, so don’t worry. That house is close to the academy, I got it for you to use while you’re in school. Use it comfortably and enter the academy well.”

Did Yoon Moo-hwa think he was entering today? Or did he mean he wouldn’t be back until Haero entered?

Haero rested his chin on his hand, scrolling up and down repeatedly. It didn’t change the content of the email, nor did it make new emails from Yoon Moo-hwa appear. 

Haero let out a long sigh, “I wish I could install cameras on the ship.”

Then he could know if Yoon Moo-hwa was in danger, what he was doing now, what he was eating.

This was why Haero had longed for the officer route through the Naval Academy rather than enlisting. Haero wanted to get as close as possible to Yoon Moo-hwa’s confidential information as quickly as possible.

* * *

After entering, Haero realized the source of his déjà vu.

There really were very few people who entered late like him. And the identity of those few had already become a rumor among the new students.

The common thread among those few, identified like dog tags, was one thing: they all had family members who were high-ranking military officials or officers.

Haero stood out even among them. He had no high-ranking naval officers in his family, nor anyone who could grant him such privileges. Even if Haero was a celebrity, not everyone in the world knew him. Haero became a conspicuous presence, like a dot on a blank canvas, and rumors about him swelled endlessly.

Haero didn’t care about others’ curiosity, sneers, or rumors about him. None of that mattered. With a deeply flushed face, Haero scrawled out a letter. The recipient was Yoon Moo-hwa.

“Why did you give me special treatment? I never asked for it. The reason I came here was partly because it’s what I wanted, but also because I wanted to restore the honor I ruined for you. So how can I start by receiving your help? Why did you give me special treatment? I should be grateful but I’m not…” Gritting his teeth, Haero crumpled up the hastily written letter. Then he buried his face in his arms.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s kindness had become an unintended stigma. Not just for himself, but Yoon Moo-hwa’s name circulated among people as someone who used his position for personal favors, for the conveniences that inevitably follows Haero’s name.

He wasn’t happy at all. Rather, he felt ashamed. He hated the fact that even though Yoon Moo-hwa had gone out of his way to help him during such a busy time, he couldn’t be grateful and instead got angry.

Haero tore the letter into tiny pieces and threw them in the trash. Even if he sent it, it would take at least three weeks for his letter to reach Yoon Moo-hwa in the middle of the ocean. If the waves were high, it might never be delivered at all.

A heart that would inevitably be late and a message that might fail to be delivered were meaningless. He would only end up regretting it.

Haero lifted his head. He couldn’t just sit still like this. When he went out into the hallway, he felt eyes on him. Knowing this attention would fade before long, it didn’t matter to him.

Ignoring the flood of stares, Haero went out to the field. He began running aimlessly across the bleak space that might as well have been a parade ground.

A few cadets watching Haero from the dormitory windows snickered as they exhaled electronic cigarette smoke into empty plastic bottles.

“I heard that guy has the best grades among the new cadets. Don’t you think he got extra points because of his special treatment?”

Someone’s casual remark was met with snickers all around. The laughter was so loud that even cadets who had been flipping through magazines disinterestedly looked up to ask what was going on.

“What is it? Who are you talking about?”

“Oh, don’t you know him? The guy who entered late.”

“There’s more than one. It happens every year.”

These cadets, from the same region and school, already seemed very close.

One of them, with a rather unpleasant expression, spat smoke and saliva into an empty plastic bottle and shook his head at his friends’ indifferent attitudes.

“No, it’s different. Those others barely scraped by in grades, and there were all sorts of rumors about their family members being officers or whatever. But this guy is different.”

No matter how regularly the dorms are remodeled, there are always cadets who are reluctant to enter due to communal living. Among those who make all sorts of excuses to delay their entry, there are usually some whose grades are borderline or whose abilities are so questionable you wonder how they passed the physical. It was a familiar situation. But if a new cadet with excellent grades – not just excellent, but top of the class – delayed entry, it was strange without any excuse.

The gossip-mongers in the group led the conversation. They lowered their voices and whispered, their tones dripping with malicious interest.

“His connection isn’t family, you know. There’s an age gap, but not a huge one.”

“And that connection… it’s said to be Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa. You know him, right?”

At the mention of that name, even those who had been uninterested perked up. One cadet took out a compact telescope and aimed it out the window. It looked just like aiming a gun.

Next to the cadet observing Haero through the telescope, someone whispered, “They say he’s top of the new cadets.”

“How is that possible? He looks so scrawny.”

Someone whistled. “He is pretty good-looking. But he’s quite tall. Not my type.”

“Who cares if he’s your type or not? Is that really him?”

“I’m telling you, it is.”

“Well, in my opinion, it’s like this.”

The cadet who had put out his cigarette leaned forward, his eyes gleaming as he spoke. His pinky finger, held straight out, waved slightly. “He’s Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa’s… you know.”

Even if it was an unfounded speculation, it was enough to add spice to their closed dormitory life – a titillating piece of gossip. That was Haero.

The cadets lightly held the telescope, tilting it while grinning.

“Come on. That’s a bit … Doesn’t it seem unlikely? There weren’t even any rumors about Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa, were there?”

“Idiot. He’s just pretending to know things.” Someone shook their head with a hearty laugh. 

The defending voices came from cadets who admired and were interested in Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa. “Why is it unlikely? You said he’s good-looking.”

“Does being good-looking make everyone ‘that’? Don’t you have any friends?”

“That’s right. He could just be a younger brother. More than anything, I just … can’t imagine it.” The cadet who was almost a weak fan of Yoon Moo-hwa scratched his head.

The Yoon Moo-hwa he had in mind wasn’t much different from his public image. In short, he was like … a soldier who carried out missions like a machine?

The cadets took turns looking at Haero through the telescope lens again.

His long arms and legs were well-balanced and aesthetically pleasing. He’s still running? The kids have been mocking him for quite a while now. He must have impressive stamina. Or is it stubbornness? The cadet who had been supporting Yoon Moo-hwa tilted his head.

Curiosity grew, and the already sensational rumors became even more spiced up. The new cadets, afraid of revealing their own insecurities in their first gathering, competed to throw Haero under the bus to avoid being looked down upon.

Unaware of the gazes directed at him, Haero kept running persistently, until he was completely exhausted.

Haero’s dormitory room was one of the few single rooms in the building. After showering in his exhausted state, Haero returned and looked at the single room with unfamiliarity.

A new house, a new room. He suddenly realized that everything was clearly preferential treatment, far from ordinary. And while there was no warmth in anything, he could feel Yoon Moo-hwa’s presence.

Haero dropped his towel and collapsed onto the bed.

Sprawled comfortably, he mumbled a mixture of the oath he had to recite as the top student and the letter he had almost sent to Yoon Moo-hwa, like sleep-talking.

“We gather here … our youth blooming like flowers … to those we’re grateful … to you, hyung….” Muttering, Haero soon fell into a sleep-like unconsciousness.

* * *

Haero stared blankly at the fully bloomed cherry blossom tree.

Tiny drones acting as bees were busily moving from flower to flower.

Winter had started late and ended late. And then a long summer occupied its place until the next winter came. As a result, the blooming period had changed, and cherry blossoms had now become early summer flowers.

But for Haero, cherry blossoms have always been early summer flowers. It meant that quite some time had passed since the entrance ceremony.

Yoon Moo-hwa couldn’t attend Haero’s entrance ceremony. He said the emergency operation he had departed for was taking longer than expected. He still didn’t tell Haero exactly what was going on or what the situation was. He only left a promise that Haero shouldn’t worry and that he would definitely return.

When Haero returned to his room after the entrance ceremony, there was a bouquet on his desk. A small card contained a brief letter, very much like Yoon Moo-hwa. Haero looked at Yoon Moo-hwa’s handwriting glowing on the digital card, then tucked it between the pages of his favorite book.

Haero shifted his gaze from the bee drones diligently performing their duties even at night.

As he returned to the dormitory, he slowly recalled what he had learned today. Although Yoon Moo-hwa didn’t tell him about the sea situation, he could now understand a little bit. He could hear disturbing rumors whispered among his classmates or learn through lectures that claimed to reflect the latest trends. Even if it was just knowing things a few days earlier than the news, it was important to Haero.

The sea seemed to be in an unsettling state. The previously quiet marine criminals were actually reorganizing and consolidating their forces into larger organizations, and considering the more frequent sea monster appearances… Even these news reports would have a time lag from the actual occurrences. They could only be released after embargoes were lifted. This meant that Haero would always experience a time difference with Yoon Moo-hwa, not just in age but in current events as well.

He wanted to reduce that gap as much as possible. He wanted to know more, faster. Naturally, Haero started watching the news religiously.

Haero entered the lounge, the only place with a TV in the dormitory lobby.

A few people enjoying their free time inside glanced at Haero. After a moment of silence, the quiet murmur resumed as if time had started flowing again.

The interest in him that had persisted for a few days after the entrance ceremony seemed to have faded as the intense classes began. It probably hadn’t disappeared completely, but whatever it was, Haero didn’t care.

Haero sat in front of the sofa with a serious expression, watching the news. He was so focused that he couldn’t hear the surrounding noise. He chewed on his lips as he watched, and only when the weather forecast for tomorrow came on did his tense shoulders relax.

Someone tapped Haero’s shoulder as he sighed softly. “Cadet Haero.”

Although peer love is said to be as strong as love for the sea in military academies with strict class cultures, Haero had little interest in his peers. So he only realized that the person calling him was his classmate by looking at the color of his uniform.

“We’re having a get-together tonight. Want to join?”

“…”

“It’s been quite a while since we enrolled, but it seems like we haven’t had much interaction.”

The tone was friendly.

After a moment’s consideration, Haero recalled the phone call he had received from Seon Ik-hyeon, “It’s good to get along well with your classmates. We’re already underdogs, outsiders. No need to make ourselves disliked unnecessarily. And it’ll be a great help even after we’re commissioned. The naval officer pool is small, after all.”

Remembering that even Yoon Moo-hwa, who wasn’t fond of socializing, got along well with his classmates, Haero nodded. “Okay. When and where should I go?”

“Today after roll call, in room 301.”

“What about demerit points?”

The cadet grinned. “The dorm supervisor has a date today. I know it well. And since the supervisor’s personal room is on the same floor as the third floor, there’s less surveillance.”

When Haero made an ambiguous expression that was neither a nod nor a shake, the cadet started, “By the way … You don’t know my name, do you?”

“…”

Seeing no response from Haero, the cadet gave a dry laugh. “Right. I thought you wouldn’t. I’m Tan Shui. See you tonight then.”