Chapter 76: Joining the Military (1)

Chapter 76: Joining the Military (1)

“I'm home,” said Kang Jin-Ho as he stepped through the front door.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong welcomed him. “You are late today, son.”

“I'm sorry...”

She made a somewhat uncomfortable expression and rebuked him. "Son!"

“Yes, Mother?”

"I'd like you to stop saying sorry in response to everything I say. Can you do that for me "

"I see. I'm sorry that I..." Kang Jin-Ho quickly caught himself apologizing again and clamped his mouth shut. Baek Hyeon-Jeong narrowed her eyes and stared at him for a bit, so he tried to smile brightly back at her. "I'm about to join the military, so I guess I'm a bit nervous, Mother."

“I see.” She pouted a little, then walked up to her son to pat his shoulder. “By the way, my son?”

“Yes, Mother?”

"Next time, when you want to make a big decision, I'd like to be a part of it. For instance, like enlisting."

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut again and silently listened.

"I trust you since you are smart and resourceful enough to deal with most things yourself. However, sometimes it feels like I'm being left behind, and that makes me sad, son."

“That wasn't my intention, Mother.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong ruefully smiled. "I know that. I know very well that my child isn't like that. I'm just saying, that's what it feels like sometimes."

Kang Jin-Ho wasn't sure what to say to her. He still found it challenging to empathize with someone else's feelings. It was not like he had lived his life all alone, and he certainly had interacted with other people before, yet Kang Jin-Ho still had a hard time figuring out other people's hearts.

'Is it because of my time in the demon cult '

Kang Jin-Ho believed he was different from other demon cult members with broken personalities since he joined the cult as a boy with an already-matured adult's mind. However, that experience still left some marks on him, it seemed. Then again, Kang Jin-Ho wasn't living a 'normal' life during his first life, anyway.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong continued. “I still think you should've at least told me, your mother. Or you think I'm wrong?”

Kang Jin-Ho briefly pondered deeply, then nodded in acceptance. “I was being thoughtless, Mother.”

If the true meaning of 'being a family' extended beyond simply living under one roof, then perhaps Baek Hyeon-Jeong was right. A family should butt heads and decide on big, life-changing decisions together. Kang Jin-Ho readily accepted his lack of consideration on this one.

“Yes, son. Please come over here for a second.”

Kang Jin-Ho quietly approached his mother. She gently hugged him and patted his back.

“You used to be so small, yet you're already old enough to join the army... I feel a little rueful about you leaving, even though other boys all have to go there...” Baek Hyeon-Jeong sighed, the end of her sentence blurring from teary emotions.

“It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow, Mother.”

“Yes, that is true.” She released him and lightly dabbed the corners of her eyes. “Anyway. Did you have supper?”

“Yes, I did.”

"Okay. Get some rest, son. Your dad is asleep now, so be careful not to make too much noise."

“Of course.” Kang Jin-Ho bowed deeply, then headed to his room. He closed the door behind him, put his bag on the desk, then laid down on the bed without changing out of his street clothes. He briefly pondered washing up first, but his thoughts were still too messy, and they didn’t permit him to do anything else.

- Did you really think you were the only one who managed to return from the past

The fedora-wearing stranger said those words, leaving Kang Jin-Ho's mind in a whirlpool of confusion.

So he wasn't the only one who went through... that His thoughts were chaotic. How could it not be when he had always believed his experience to be unique, something that no one could possibly understand. That was why he never once entertained the idea of confessing the truth to another person. If he did, others might see it as a drunken rant or a whimsical fantasy... Or maybe, they might even label him as a nutcase.

"This matter also has implications on my personal well-being. No matter what, I need that young man. Honestly speaking, I want to keep him by my side and monitor him 24 hours a day to ensure nothing happens, but..."

"... " Jo Gyu-Min couldn't understand that sentiment. Then again, he didn't know the true relationship between Hwang Jeong-Hu and Kang Jin-Ho, so his confusion wasn't all that surprising.

Hwang Jeong-Hu groaned even deeper. "Of course, I know I'm being unreasonable. What I'm really worried about here, though, is whether Kang Jin-Ho can adapt to the institution called 'military' or not."

“Ah!” Jo Gyu-Min gasped after finally realizing the worry in Chairman Hwang's heart.

In a certain sense, Kang Jin-Ho was a very unrestrained person. And in another sense, he was basically a troublemaker. He hated illogical things and didn't take kindly to others trying to pressure him through violence. However, the institution called the South Korean military deserved the label of the most insane illogical place on Earth. Would someone like Kang Jin-Ho be able to adapt to life in such a place? Even a blind could see how that might end.

“This is a big problem, sir.”

“Yes, it is...” Hwang Jeong-Hu sighed while pulling out a cigarette. He lit it up and took a deep puff. “A difficult problem, indeed. Yes, a tough headache...”

What could happen when the existence called Kang Jin-Ho encountered the South Korean military? This was a problem that had to be stopped from happening, regardless of what it would cost.

Jo Gyu-Min spoke, hoping to sound optimistic, "But, sir. He has been doing okay in his social life so far."

“That's because nobody has tried to suppress him through power until now.”

"M—mmhm..."

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly shook his head. “I also haven't fully analyzed the person named Kang Jin-Ho.”

“Sir...”

"Still... After seeing it for yourself, you must have some idea. People like Kang Jin-Ho will bounce back harder the more you try to suppress them."

Jo Gyu-Min's expression became grave. “You're right, sir.”

"Unfortunately, there are far too many idiots in our military who would try to deal with everything through force."

Jo Gyu-Min nodded with a pained look on his face. After all, he did experience the Korean military's 'quirks' before, too.

Hwang Jeong-Hu spoke in a grave voice, "It'll be too late to deal with an incident after it has already happened. So one must strive to ensure that no incident would happen in the first place."

“Yes, sir. Absolutely correct.”

“As such, Gyu-Min. You'll have to roll your sleeves up this time.”

“I'm sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min tilted his head in confusion.

Hwang Jeong-Hu took another deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke. “Find a way. Come up with an alternative. At the very least, we need to create some kind of a safety net so that Kang Jin-Ho can go through his military life without any serious trouble.”

“Sir, I'll get on it.”

“I'll give you permission to use whatever resources at our disposal.”

"Thank you for your consideration, sir." Jo Gyu-Min bowed deeply. Hwang Jeong-Hu silently waved his hand, indicating that it was fine for him to leave.

Once Jo Gyu-Min exited the chairman's office, Hwang Jeong-Hu spat out a lengthy groan. “It would've been nice if only that man was more opportunistic...”

If Kang Jin-Ho had called and expressed his unwillingness to join the army, Hwang Jeong-Hu would have done anything to make that happen. As long as it wasn't illegal, he would have found a method to get the exemption. There were methods like acquiring American citizenship or finding an alternative way to serve the country. Considering Kang Jin-Ho's personality, though... Hwang Jeong-Hu knew full well that it was just a pipe dream.

“What should I do...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu was supposed to go to Kang Jin-Ho once a month to receive his treatment. That didn't seem like much of an issue since he could just pay him a visit every month. However, that wasn't the only problem he could foresee.

“Hmm... If only I had someone helping me from the inside...” Just as Hwang Jeong-Hu muttered, his eyes flickered brightly, “Aha. So, there was that way. Fufufu...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu's expression brightened as he leaned against the chair. Almost at the same time, Jo Gyu-Min heading to the Office of Secretaries felt an unexplainable chill and began to shudder.