GB 31

How long had they been standing in silent confrontation? 

Yoon Moo-hwa turned back to the stove and placed the meat on the butter, which had melted and started to brown slightly. The strong smell of protein cooking filled the air.

“You don’t really mean that, do you?”

Instead of answering Haero’s trembling voice, Yoon Moo-hwa gave advice that sounded more like an order, “Think about it again. I’m against you going out to sea. If you want to ride a ship, I’ll take you. I was actually thinking of taking you to the mainland.”

“Hyung!” Haero pleaded desperately, stomping his foot, “I can do it. Why don’t you trust me? My grades are good and I always get top ratings in physical exams…”

“If that’s the case, then there are many more things you could do besides joining the navy.” Yoon Moo-hwa, unyielding as ever.

Even the Major sister and Seon Ikhyeon, whom they saw less and less often, would shake their heads about Yoon Moo-hwa and describe him this way. Whenever that happened, Haero would think of how Yoon Moo-hwa was softer with him and feel proud, thinking, ‘He’s weak to me.’

But now he understood. It was stubbornness that made one shake their head involuntarily.

“I’m not your subordinate,” Haero said through gritted teeth.

Yoon Moo-hwa replied without missing a beat, “Right. That’s why I’m saying this. If I let you into the naval academy, you’ll become my subordinate. Is that what you want?”

“…”

Yoon Moo-hwa turned to look at Haero quietly. “Is that what you’d like?”

A very low, handsome voice.

It sounded like the deep sea that Haero loved, but it felt unfamiliar. Today, he hated it.

“…Then you’ll oppose it till the end?”

“Yes.”

This was exactly why he had been fighting with his father until just now.

Yoon Sang-won, who had entered politics after retiring from the military, cared for Haero in his own way. He probably wanted to use Haero as a sort of item by getting him into the naval academy. If he didn’t like Haero, he would have treated him as if he didn’t exist from the start.

Yoon Moo-hwa found that even unpleasant. Haero wasn’t a political tool for Yoon Sang-won. And the reason he kept him at the base was so that he could return and take responsibility for the boy, not to make him think this place was the whole world.

“Then why did you name me Haero?”

“Because it suits you well.”

“You know what the word ‘Haero’ means, don’t you?”

“…”

“You said you chose Haero because it suits me well. I’ll find my way well. I haven’t changed for a long time. Hyung, this is my path.”

“No. You’re thinking wrong because you’re still young. The sea isn’t such a romantic place.”

The conversation grew increasingly pointed.

Yoon Moo-hwa turned his head first.

If this continued, he might end up treating Haero as sternly as he treated his subordinates. He didn’t want that. Haero wasn’t just a path on the sea. To Yoon Moo-hwa, Haero was the path back home.

“Losing an eye is painful and the implant surgery is even more painful. What I’ve been through isn’t something everyone can endure. Especially not you.”

“Hyung…”

“Sit down or help me prepare the meal.”

“Hyuuung….”

“Haero, do I have to get angry with you?”

“Go ahead and do it!”

Yoon Moo-hwa stared at him intently. Then, making full eye contact, he asked slowly, as if engraving each word, “Can something that displeases me really end up being good for you?”

“…”

“You’re not… the kind of kid who’d worry me that much. Right, Haero?”

How mean.

Haero pressed his lips tightly together.

How could he be so mean?

Still upset, Haero bit his lip and headed to the table with utensils. Even as he set out plates and side dishes to go with the meat, his sorrowful feelings didn’t easily subside.

But Yoon Moo-hwa felt the same way. His mind was complicated. He knew his method of persuasion was wrong. But of course it was because Yoon Moo-hwa never intended to persuade in the first place. He was forcing his will under the guise of persuasion. Even his last few words were indefensible if called out as the worst. He had seized on Haero’s weakness and asked an undeniable question. It was clearly beyond coercion and into the realm of threats.

What took his eye wasn’t a giant cephalopod sea monster. It was pirates. A fragment from their illegally modified small bomb damaged his eye. The doctor said it was divine luck that it didn’t reach his brain. But to Haero, he said it was because of a sea monster.

Whether sea monsters or pirates, danger is always lurking everywhere. He didn’t bring Haero here to expose him to danger again.

Originally, he planned to let Haero enter the naval academy and then let him quit if he wanted to. It wasn’t a welcome idea from the start, so he was willing to compromise to that extent.

But his heart is gradually changing. He’s worried about Haero’s determination, and the fact that they’ve grown closer than before is also an issue.

Maybe he’s being overprotective. But that’s okay. Overprotection is better than neglect. He meant it when he said he wished Haero could stay young forever if possible. Haero doesn’t know how much he worries about him. He probably never will.

Haero needs to be perfectly safe and that domain must be under his control. Only then he can focus without distraction and fulfill his duty.

Would Haero understand if he explained that doing this for him ultimately serves himself?

Perhaps such an explanation would help Haero give up, but this method won’t do. What he wants isn’t Haero’s resignation. Even while knowing how selfish it is to wish that the growing, developing Haero wouldn’t change, Yoon Moo-hwa believed he could achieve it.

“Hah…”

Swallowing a sigh, Yoon Moo-hwa bit down hard enough to make his jaw muscles bulge. Finally, he discarded one ruined piece of meat and put on a new one.

When he turned back after perfectly grilling it, Haero was sitting at the table with his mouth tightly shut, traces of tears on his cheeks betraying his sadness.

It’s similar to his face when he’s been crying a lot.

That face that cried all the way upon hearing he was injured and then cried to the point of exhaustion from the moment he saw him until he came out of surgery. That face that looked like it would cry every time it saw him throughout the recovery period, even when told he was fine.

All this over just one eye.

Haero’s crying face is truly pitiful. It’s heartbreaking and really upsets him to see it. But it’s better for him to cry because of Yoon Moo-hwa than to even imagine a situation where Haero is lying hurt. No matter how he thinks about it, he’s right. Between not being able to cry and crying, which is better? There’s no need to even consider it.

And it’s okay if Haero doesn’t understand this. He understands Haero’s lack of understanding. He can be irritated or throw tantrums anytime, at least with him.

“Eat. Eat and grow up a lot.”

Though it’s meant as a blessing, somehow it leaves a bitter feeling that weighs on the listener’s heart.

Yoon Moo-hwa only left his usual mealtime greeting, without offering a single word of comfort to Haero.

Only silence filled the table.

* * *

Haero stayed up all night. No matter how much he listened to the sound of waves, he couldn’t fall asleep. After watching the sun rise with wide-open eyes and hearing Yoon Moo-hwa leave the house, he left home despite the early hour.

Entering the empty classroom, Haero took out his pad before even setting down his bag. The screen had been on for weeks. He could recite its contents with his eyes closed by now.

While chewing his lip, Haero glared at it with narrow eyes before moving his finger towards it.

All he had to do was press the submit button. He wanted approval, but only got opposition. But in truth, Haero didn’t need anyone’s consent.

It was a simple matter. People only asked because it was common knowledge that Haero was under Colonel Yoon Moo-hwa’s protection, but legally, Haero was an orphan. As someone who had to protect himself without a guardian, he didn’t need to entrust his enrollment consent form to anyone.

Haero felt sad for a moment but quickly steeled his resolve.

It doesn’t matter. I’m the one enrolling. I’m not a Yoon anyway, I’m just Haero.

How fortunate it was that he was born and raised as Number 8.

Haero blushed at the thought of his old name, which he hadn’t recalled in a long time. He felt embarrassed that there was a time when he firmly believed babies were born on ships. No kids at age 10 were that ignorant of basic facts. That’s how little he knew, living in such a narrow world.

But not anymore. He knew well that he was an orphan on his own, and because of that, he needed no one’s consent.

Yoon Moo-hwa still treats him like a child, as when they first met and that could happen. He’d heard that many people still see their pets as babies even when they’re grown.

So he doesn’t resent or feel hurt about last night’s events. There was never enough time with Yoon Moo-hwa for such emotional conflicts.

From the start, Haero wasn’t applying out of youthful impulse to prove himself. He was applying because it had become his dream to board a ship with Yoon Moo-hwa. No proof was needed. Only determination.

Even the time spent hesitating whether to press or not was a waste.

His finger twitched.

It was a very easy thing. Everything ended with just one small movement, without needing to move much.

His finger felt both ticklish and prickly. Haero clenched and unclenched his fist several times.

The first secret he’d ever kept from Yoon Moo-hwa was kneaded repeatedly inside. Would he get angry? Very angry or just a little before quickly smiling and moving on?

His heart was racing. Tension and excitement were very similar.

* * *

In the early dawn, Haero left his room while rubbing his eyes.

In his hand was the handle of a small carrier. Yoon Moo-hwa was already out. He handed Haero a tumbler while holding a suitcase containing his uniform. Opening the lid released a fragrant coffee aroma.

“Will this luggage be enough?”

“Yeah…” Haero nodded, still half-asleep.

Yoon Moo-hwa loaded Haero’s luggage into his car. Meanwhile, Haero sipped coffee in the passenger seat, trying to shake off sleep with repeated yawns.

The base’s center was very dark, but morning rushed in quickly as they approached the outskirts of Sector City where the ports were concentrated.

As sunlight spread rapidly, cutting through the massive body of water, Yoon Moo-hwa took out sunglasses and handed them over.

Haero let out a chuckle, seeing how Yoon Moo-hwa gave off a completely different vibe despite wearing the same design as his. 

Yoon Moo-hwa mouthed, “Why?”

“Does it suit me well?”

Haero asked, meaning ‘Isn’t it funny?’, but Yoon Moo-hwa immediately said, “Yeah. It suits you well.” 

The answer came so quickly that Haero couldn’t even grumble about lying. Haero felt awkward, unintentionally ending up acting cute asking for compliments. 

Yoon Moo-hwa tilted his head to check Haero’s face. “It really suits you well. You’re cute.”

Haero hadn’t asked him to say it again, nor had he asked to be called cute…

Nevermind. What did it matter? He said it suited him well.

Haero, with a round smile, trailed after Yoon Moo-hwa.

They parked the car in long-term parking and boarded a helicopter. Though the ticket was much more expensive than a cruise, Haero had never been on a cruise and had only used helicopters, so he had no idea how much the prices differed.

Receiving the handed headphones, after a short while, Sector Town began to shrink like a Lego island.

Most passengers in the helicopter, which could carry up to twenty people, were high-ranking officers. Yoon Moo-hwa greeted them all and exchanged small talk. Some even acknowledged Haero.

“Hello, Haero. We’re acquainted, aren’t we?”