GB 63

The sickbay on the ship isn’t very large. Even on a ship big enough to accommodate around 400 crew members, though not as massive as a Type 1 aircraft carrier, this was no exception.

With technological advancements, the onboard medical systems had also improved. It was no longer just about providing emergency hemostasis or prescribing motion sickness medication; they were now equipped to perform simple suturing surgeries or create plaster casts. Nevertheless, it was still an environment where the medical officer’s quick thinking was far more crucial. The key was keeping patients alive until follow-up treatment could be administered.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s ship was a cruiser with a displacement approaching 20,000 tons, also equipped with helicopters. While the helicopters could be used to locate submarines, they could also transport patients to the nearest naval hospital in emergencies. Haero had also acquired the necessary qualifications for boarding military helicopters.

The reason for enduring all those difficult and grueling studies and training was to serve on this ship. 

This ship. 

Yoon Moo-hwa’s ship.

With an excited heart, Haero introduced himself to the medical chief petty officer and the medical orderly in the sickbay. The medical orderly also doubled as a barber and was currently organizing haircutting tools.

“This is my first official duty after ship boarding training. I look forward to working with you. I’ll do my best for the health of all crew members, including the sailors.”

After finishing his greeting, Haero shook hands with each member of the medical team.

The medical chief was older than Haero. It seemed he had been assigned to the relatively comfortable position in the sickbay due to his seniority.

A ship-wide announcement stated it was one hour before departure. Similar announcements would continue periodically until 15 minutes before departure. The medical orderly who had finished organizing the haircutting tools left for the deck, leaving Haero alone with the medical chief. 

While unpacking his belongings, Haero casually asked, “Isn’t the captain of this ship famous?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. He’s very popular.” The medical chief replied with an easy smile. “He appears in a lot of promotional materials and videos. Though not so much these days.”

“Is he popular as a superior officer as well?”

The medical chief scratched his head and responded, “He’s very strict, but I think that’s why we always complete our missions safely. After all, out at sea, all we can rely on are our comrades and superiors.”

Especially at sea, every decision of a superior, every report sent to them, every moment could determine eternity.

Even with prior planning, natural disasters could change everything. It was vastly different from land.

Haero liked that.

The feeling of finally returning to the sea hit him strongly.

A place where nothing could be planned, and even if planned, could be twisted at any moment. 

This is where he would face Yoon Moo-hwa.

* * *

The wave height was about 1 meter. Relatively calm. Thanks to the size of the ship, even 2-meter waves could be considered smooth sailing. Of course, the ship could withstand waves up to 9 meters. But people couldn’t.

Simulated ship training and the actual sea are different. Many new recruits, not yet accustomed to the endless waves oscillating between 2 to 3 meters, were experiencing seasickness. Several came to Haero for motion sickness medication.

“You’ll get used to it in about a month. After that, well, it takes 3 or 4-meter waves to make you seasick.”

Haero nodded, showing no signs of seasickness himself.

They had set sail early in the morning, and since then, Haero hadn’t encountered Yoon Moo-hwa even once, except for when he first reported in.

When mealtime came, he headed for the officers’ mess. The captain dines separately. As Haero walked through the narrow corridor, he was lost in thought.

Since warship blueprints are top secret, it’s impossible to fully understand the interior layout until you’ve actually been aboard. How long would it take to become familiar with the narrow, winding interior that resembled an ant colony?

Where would Yoon Moo-hwa be?

Deep in thought, Haero heard someone shout, “Make way!”

People started pressing against the walls one by one from the front. It was like riding a wave to his position. As Haero also pressed against the wall, he saw Yoon Moo-hwa approaching, engaged in conversation with the executive officer.

At a glance, he looked serious, but Haero knew. This was Yoon Moo-hwa’s usual expression. When angry, Yoon Moo-hwa’s expression becomes even colder. When even angrier, he sometimes smiles. Yoon Moo-hwa smiling only with his lips, not his eyes, is truly frightening. Even Haero had only seen it a few times. And those weren’t directed at him.

Even when Haero had tied him up and pounced on him, Yoon Moo-hwa had merely worn a coldly composed expression.

“Ah…” Haero touched his stomach.

Remembering that time made his stomach ache. The sensation of his insides tearing apart came back vividly. Even though it was four years ago.

The torn entrance took a long time to heal, and he had to sleep on his stomach for a while. The hastily found place had no bed, and Haero, enduring on the hard floor, dreamt of Yoon Moo-hwa throughout his fitful sleep.

In his dreams, Yoon Moo-hwa now had a dick. It was very vivid, clear, and explicit.

And it felt good. Even without knowing exactly what pleasure was, even though his relationship with Yoon Moo-hwa had only known pain, Haero would wake up with wet underwear.

How long did it take for the nail marks Haero left on Yoon Moo-hwa’s body to disappear? A day? Two days? Had he completely forgotten about that incident? To make it as if nothing had happened when they met again, as he had said?

The footsteps grew closer. Yoon Moo-hwa finally approached within arm’s reach. Haero stood sideways, pretending to look at the wall, then slowly raised his gaze.

‘Our eyes met.’

Whether it was a misunderstanding or an illusion, for a moment, Haero’s eyes met Yoon Moo-hwa’s. His gaze quickly shifted to the executive officer. Even if he had turned his head to look at the executive officer in the first place, the fact that their eyes had met remained unchanged.

Haero wanted to immediately remove the eyepatch covering Yoon Moo-hwa’s left eye. He even missed that left eye of his, which triggered discomfort by touching on human instincts. He wished he had removed the eyepatch and violated him back then. It was Haero’s only regret.

Only after Yoon Moo-hwa had passed did Haero inhale and exhale.

Then, with a more spirited step than before, he headed towards the officers’ mess.

At sea, an isolated space in a confined area.

It’s already an island.

‘We can’t go anywhere now.’

Perhaps the reason he so desperately wanted to be on the same ship was because of such impure desires.

* * *

The officers’ mess and the dining area for the captain and executive officer are separated by a bulkhead. Haero sat close to the wall while eating. When waves hit hard, the ship tilts this way and that to avoid capsizing. The tables and chairs, firmly bolted to the floor to prevent injuries from overturning during such moments, presented a rather bleak scene.

“Wow. The menu is really great, isn’t it?” A young officer who had just been assigned along with Haero murmured excitedly.

He said he had served on a naval vessel before. As the menu depends on the allocated military budget, it largely reflected the size of the ship and the captain’s capabilities. Since they live at sea, the navy’s meals were generally of high quality to ensure good eating, but not all ships were the same.

Considering this, one could tell how well Yoon Moo-hwa managed the military budget.

“Eat a lot while you can. You might have a good lunch but not be able to eat a single bite at dinner because you’re throwing it all up.”

Someone advised seriously.

The navy had a high proportion of officers, so a separate officers’ mess was prepared. When there were no special events between different ranks and everyone came to eat together, the officers’ dining area bustled like any restaurant at lunchtime. Especially when the CPO room used by petty officers happened to be full, they would use the officers’ room together, making it hard to tell who was answering or speaking in the dining area.

“Come on. It’s not like the waves are five or six meters high. If you can’t handle it and just lie down, well, you’ll have to leave the ship. You can’t get ear surgery, can you?” Someone else said, laughing.

There was a method of ear surgery to prevent seasickness, but due to the high risk of permanent damage to hearing and balance organs, hardly anyone opted for it. There were strong seasickness medications, but they tightly closed the esophagus, as if to prevent anything from entering the stomach to avoid vomiting in the first place.

“It’s worse at night than during the day. The sickbay door might never close at night, so Lieutenant, eat heartily.”

“Yes, I’m eating well.” Haero responded warmly to the friendly greeting.

He still had no interest in others, but he was no longer so unsociable as to receive the dishonorable evaluations he had at the naval academy.

“Do you get seasick too, Lieutenant?”

“I’ve experienced it once, but I don’t anymore.” Haero smiled slightly.

That surgery that could cause permanent damage. Haero had undergone it. To completely remove any factor that might hinder his ability to serve on a ship.

“I don’t get seasick anymore. So feel free to come to the sickbay anytime. I can treat you without you collapsing.”

Right after the surgery, he collapsed four or five times a day and vomited several times. Haero had already paid his dues during that period.

Now, there would be no way for Yoon Moo-hwa to make him leave this ship.

Haero took a big spoonful and put it in his mouth. As the new officer had exclaimed, the food was indeed delicious.