GB 74

The Australian continent began to come into view.

It was the first port of call. A naval port had been built at Shell Beach, at the end of the Nanga region in Western Australia. Originally, it was connected to Cape Peron like a thin strip, but as sea levels rose, it became disconnected once at Shell Beach.

Cape Peron, which repeatedly revealed and hid itself according to the tides, was showing its shy appearance today. The crew members were very excited about stepping on land for the first time in almost a month.

The escorting merchant ships had to unload and reload cargo over three days and four nights, and during that time, Yoon Moo-hwa’s ship was also scheduled to be busy replenishing limited supplies such as vegetables and fruits, and removing barnacles attached to the ship’s surface.

Meanwhile, crew members were given alternating shore leave time. Officers had one day each in turns, while regular sailors had 12 hours.

Although it wasn’t a very long time, it was land they were stepping on after a long while. All crew members were spraying deodorant and ironing sharp creases into their dress uniforms, putting a lot of effort into their shore leave attire. An excited mood filled the ship.

However, there was one exception: Haero.

Haero was using all his mental energy trying to interpret Yoon Moo-hwa’s words and changed attitude. Yoon Moo-hwa’s behavior in those brief moments was far more ambiguous and difficult than any knowledge he had studied so far.

‘Did he start taking some kind of drug in the meantime? I really can’t tell. Was four years that long? I’ve never felt this unfamiliar with him before. Is it because it’s been a while since I’ve seen him, or has Yoon Moo-hwa changed, or… is this Yoon Moo-hwa‘s true self?’

A tablet PC suddenly entered Haero’s confused field of vision.

“We’re deciding on shore leave dates.”

It was So Eunpa.

Haero stared at him blankly before picking up a pen. Any time was fine, really. It’s not like he missed land that much.

As Haero was pondering, So Eunpa hesitantly suggested, “How about… this date?”

The date he pointed to was the second day. 

‘Any time was fine, but…’

“It’s not impossible, but due to limited time, it might change.”

It could be pushed back or moved up depending on the senior officers’ schedules.

“Ah, that’s okay. The second day… is good.”

Haero registered for that day, thinking So Eunpa was purely recommending a good date for shore leave. He thought the first day might be too exciting, and the third day might be too gloomy being right before departure. As he nodded and wrote down his name, So Eunpa’s expression brightened.

“But isn’t a lieutenant like you above running around getting signatures for this kind of thing?”

At Haero’s innocent question, So Eunpa’s ears turned even redder. Being just ear cartilage, it was difficult for the somewhat insensitive Haero to notice.

“I wanted to do it myself. For you, Lieutenant.” So Eunpa hesitated, then said, “I know a good restaurant for the second day,” before quickly disappearing.

Haero’s insensitive eyes showed a moment of puzzlement before returning to normal.

The first night in port passed in a very excited state. Drinking wasn’t completely prohibited. Since for some people from certain countries, alcohol wasn’t just a preference but a daily necessity, moderate drinking was allowed as long as one didn’t get drunk.

Once outside the naval port, there were all kinds of bars. People brought out bottles of alcohol they had bought there, introducing them like prized possessions.

“Now, this bourbon, it’s not only reasonably priced, but it’s got history and tastes amazing.”

Pointing at a label with a buffalo picture on it in the common language, the person rambled on about how it couldn’t be produced for 20 years due to melting glaciers and locust plagues, but now a similar taste had been recreated through artificial crops. He ended up shedding tears. Everyone looked bewildered at this unexpected turn, but the soldier argued that he had never tasted real Buffalo Bourbon so it was sad, but because of that, he had no choice but to say this was the best since he didn’t know the taste of real bourbon. In the end, he made everyone laugh by saying that if anyone disagreed, all their words would be wrong.

Haero wasn’t fond of drinking due to a bad experience at the military academy. However, with everyone introducing their hometown’s special alcohol with such full stories, he couldn’t help but be curious. As he tasted small amounts of these second-generation drinks that mimicked the original flavors, even if they couldn’t recreate them 100%, Haero slowly began to feel tipsy.

“It’s Scotch.”

“No, I’m telling you it’s whiskey.”

The sight of them seriously debating without even knowing the difference reminded Haero of his college classmates who used to fiercely argue over sweet and sour pork. He hadn’t realized that even preferences like whether to pour or dip the sauce could be so divisive. It seemed he had been making all these minor choices on his own in front of Yoon Moo-hwa all this time.

‘I might seem rude and ill-mannered to some people. But when it came to important and really big issues in my life, you didn’t give me any choice,’ Haero thought.

Haero sighed deeply while chewing on a salty snack of small fried crabs. He felt stuffy. His head might be getting noisy. He finished the last of his drink and quietly slipped out of the bustling officers’ mess.

It had been a long time since he’d seen lights after sunset. That made him realize he was on land. The sea not only mirrored the sky on its surface but also borrowed the light from the land, blurring the boundaries between land, sky, and sea.

Haero leaned on the deck railing. The gentle waves made a rhythmic sound as they lapped against the ship.

It sounds nice…

As he blankly listened to the noise of the water splashing, his eyes closed involuntarily. Haero blinked slowly, gazing down at the water’s surface for a long time.

They say you have to be careful when flying over the sea at night. If you fly endlessly, you might soar towards what you think is the sky and end up dead. What you firmly believed was the sky turns out to be the sea, and you crash and shatter into pieces.

Haero, peacefully pondering these eerie thoughts, leaned forward.

The night sky stretching out its arms towards him seemed to want to embrace him.

“Are you crazy?”

Haero’s shoulder was grabbed and pulled up by a strong hand.

Haero could only blink his large eyes blankly, shocked by the tremendous strength and the realization that he had almost done something incredibly stupid.

“You won’t die if you fall from here. If you want to die, you should choose the time and place carefully.”

Was it the night sky or the night sea?

Was the person angrily standing before him Yoon Moo-hwa or his hallucination?

On ships, hallucinations float around as abundantly as salt. People see ghosts and hear phantom sounds.

Night sky or night sea? Yoon Moo-hwa or hallucination?

There’s a simple way to solve this curiosity. Just collide with it. Even if it means shattering into pieces.

Haero firmly cupped Yoon Moo-hwa’s cheeks and crashed his lips against his.

He charged boldly. The moment they collided, it felt like his body was shattering into pieces. It felt like he was being crushed and broken, but there was no response as if this shock was happening only to him. It was hard and dry, like kissing a statue.

Haero pulled away and asked sulkily, “Why don’t you react at all? Am I dreaming again? Again?”

“You must have dreamed about me a lot. Doing things like this in your dreams.”

“You think we just kissed?”

Yoon Moo-hwa laughed softly. “I’m curious about what else you did.”

“We had sex. Every time we met. So messy and intense it left us raw.”

Yoon Moo-hwa’s eyebrows twitched. He asked in a low voice, “Very promiscuously?”

“Yeah. The proper Yoon Moo-hwa you know couldn’t even imagine it.”

Haero’s words were more amusing than provocative. It sounded like he was imitating something he’d heard somewhere, trying to rile someone up. Still childlike.

Yoon Moo-hwa stroked Haero’s hair. The curly hair easily tangled in the sea breeze. “Didn’t you do it with anyone else besides the proper Yoon Moo-hwa?”

“I don’t understand why you keep asking things like that.”

“You’re right. Why am I acting so childishly? I thought it would be fine as long as you didn’t harm your body, no matter what you did.”

“So everything’s okay as long as it’s not dangerous? Are you joking?” The drunk Haero expressed his irritation. He looked more like a petulant child than an annoying drunk.

But he’s no longer a child. Haero knows it, and so does Yoon Moo-hwa. 

“How nice. You’re so broad-minded. I can’t be like that. I… I’m dying to know how you’ve been living. If you smell of another unfamiliar shampoo again, I… I might end up putting you in danger.”

Yoon Moo-hwa’s eyes, looking at Haero making threats, were like the surface of the night sea. They seemed calm, but if you looked deep enough, you could see them rippling. And by the time you realize it, it’s already too late. You’re either sinking or entranced.