With an expressionless face sitting under the shade, and cold eyes gazing in this direction, only locking eyes with Taeui, making Taeui let out a sigh.

Well, it’s probably better for me to move into the shade too. Just as Taeui was about to step out of the water, Jeongpil blocked his way. He took a few steps, standing right in front of Taeui, and with a dissatisfied look, he stared at the towel Taeui had wrapped around himself before suddenly speaking.

“Everywhere you go, you stir up trouble. It wasn’t normal with Rick either, and now you’re arguing with that guy? You gays probably can’t do anything right, so you just end up picking fights, isn’t that it?”

His heart was already heavy from the situation with Ilay, and the heat only made his mood worse. Yet Jeongpil kept poking his nose into others’ business as if pouring oil onto the fire. That mouth of his was truly the source of all problems.

“You……..”

In the end, Taeui decided to face him head-on, ready to retaliate in this confrontation.

“What?”

“So, you…….. you seem quite close with Ilay, don’t you? You talk about all sorts of things, huh? Stupid rumors from the academy, complicated stuff ever since I got assigned. Why do you have to talk about those things? Got too much free time, huh? Or maybe your mouth would grow thorns if you didn’t mention me for even a day?”

Taeui snapped, hurling harsh words directly at Jeongpil. The more he spoke, the more his anger flared. Now he felt that all of Ilay’s frustration was Jeongpil’s fault. Yes, it was all Jeongpil’s fault.

“Why did you tell him about me? If you have nothing to say, talk about yourself, or even talk about your dog for all I care. Why do you have to talk about me to him? Don’t mention me! Especially to him!”

In his rage, Taeui kicked the water forcefully. Jeongpil winced as water splashed onto him, and he muttered, as if in disbelief: “Is this guy crazy or what” glaring at Taeui.

“What the hell’s wrong with you all of a sudden, you bastard? Are you taking it out on me because you had a fight with him? You think I’m stupid?! Yeah, I talked! I told him about all your stupid stunts at school, about you being a gay, about you getting pushed around in the army—I told him everything. So what? Are you worried I might’ve spilled some secret to the guy you hate? Whether I tell him or not, the fact that you’re like this isn’t going to change, and here you are, getting all worked up! Or is it that you’ve finally realized you actually like him, you damn f**cking gay?!”

“Ah, ……..—.”

In response to Jeongpil’s mocking words, Taeui found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

‘Yeah, I like him!’…….. But that wasn’t the right answer. ‘Who would like him?!’…….. That didn’t seem quite right either.

Although he could think of many ways to give a roundabout or evasive response, perhaps because his mind was already tangled up over Ilay, this unexpected attack caught him off guard, leaving him momentarily speechless.

One second at most, maybe not even two. Just within that short span, Taeui was at a loss, and his expression stiffened.

However, upon seeing Jeongpil’s expression immediately after, Taeui cursed inwardly: ‘Damn it.’

Jeongpil, who had been shouting in anger, froze when Taeui paused for a moment instead of responding immediately as he usually did. At the same time, he seemed surprised, noticing the brief moment of hesitation in Taeui’s eyes. That expression quickly shifted into a puzzled look.

“…………….”

“……..What is this, do you actually like him?”

Jeongpil asked, smirking as if he couldn’t believe it. But his eyes remained sharp, continuing to scrutinize Taeui’s expression.

‘Damn it. Anyone else would be fine, but I really don’t want him to know.’

Taeui glared back without saying a word. The expression on Jeongpil’s face grew increasingly strange as he stared directly at him, as if he had just heard something completely unexpected or incomprehensible. He blinked a few times, then furrowed his brows.

“Is that really true?”

Taeui simply clicked his tongue instead of answering. Denying it now would only make the situation more ridiculous. He knew that his attitude could be interpreted as implicit agreement, but he still avoided Jeongpil’s gaze. At the same time, a strange realization crept into his mind as if he was acknowledging a truth: ‘Maybe I really do like him.’ This thought made his face flush slightly.

“I remember you saying you already had someone. But you still like Rick?”

The sarcasm in Jeongpil’s tone faded, realizing this wasn’t a joke. Instead, his voice took on a deeper, more serious tone.

It seemed he had misunderstood something. He thought that even though Taeui had a lover, he was still attracted to Ilay.

Not sure whether to consider this a blessing or a nuisance……..

Jeongpil’s face gradually twisted. He stared at Taeui in utter disbelief, his expression becoming more and more grim, until he finally let out a heavy sigh.

“Are you crazy?”

After a long pause, that was the first thing he said, accompanied by a sigh and a bitter smile.

If anyone else had said this, like Carlo, Qing, or Tou – people who understood Ilay’s nature – Taeui might have easily admitted, ‘Yeah, maybe.’ But because it was Jeongpil, he didn’t want to confirm anything and responded instead with a deeply annoyed and quiet voice: “What the hell are you talking about, you bastard?!”

“You can’t even differentiate between who you’re interested in anymore, and now you’ve got bad intentions towards your own teammates? I used to think, at the very least, you wouldn’t go after your comrades, but now? Are you out of your mind? How can you work like that? You already have someone, but you still can’t uphold any morals? Is that how gays are—just flirting with anyone, huh?”

Hearing Jeongpil growling and snarling in front of him, Taeui thought the guy must have been driven mad by the heat. At the same time, he could somewhat understand why men might get so enraged by the sun that they’d want to kill someone.

“What’s wrong with you that you’re losing your mind over who I like? You’re the crazy one! Whether I’m gay or not, what the hell does it have to do with you for you to go all nuts, you bastard!”

Already irritated by the heat, Jeongpil’s behavior only made Taeui angrier. He snatched the towel from his neck and whipped it at Jeongpil. Although it was just a towel and wouldn’t hurt much with just the edge of the fabric, Jeongpil seemed genuinely enraged.

Suddenly, Jeongpil turned back with a sharp, furious glare, his eyes lingering on Taeui’s neck for a moment. He gritted his teeth and then, unexpectedly, shouted: “You damn f**cking gay!” before throwing a punch.

The distance between them was just enough that the punch didn’t land too hard, but as Taeui stepped back, his foot caught on a rock beneath the water, causing him to lose his balance.

“Damn it” – He muttered in alarm as he realized he was falling to the side. No wonder he had hesitated earlier about whether to take off all his clothes. But he had no intention of falling alone.

Taeui fell into the water, his whole body slapping the surface as he kicked the back of Jeongpil’s knee. As Jeongpil lost his balance and staggered, Taeui kicked his knee again. Immediately after, a loud splash echoed as water sprayed everywhere.

“Ah, you bastard, you really are――.”

“Yeah, come at me. Why don’t you try drinking some seawater today.”

At this point, the two began to wrestle, shoving each other back and forth in the water, both swallowing a few gulps of the salty water. When people nearby, thinking a fight had broken out, started cheering excitedly and gathering to watch, Jeong Changin, who had been relaxing under the shade, checked his watch and walked toward the beach. Standing before the crowd that had formed, he spoke calmly.

“Break time’s over. Dry off and get your gear ready in 5 minutes. ――Hey, Carlo, Derrick. Separate those two.”

Yeah, the fight had just begun. When the two named trainers stepped in to pull Taeui and Jeongpil apart, the crowd dispersed with a hint of disappointment that the brawl had been interrupted. Even after being separated and standing far enough apart that they couldn’t reach each other, both of them kept splashing water, causing even Carlo and Derrick, who were trying to intervene, to end up swallowing some seawater themselves.

With a calm expression, Jeong Changin approached, delivering a fair punch to the back of Jeongpil’s head before immediately hitting the back of Taeui’s head just as hard. The blow was so strong it left both of them seeing stars. “Ugh”  Taeui groaned, doubling over, and then was dragged ashore by Carlo.

“Goodness, you boys are so full of energy. I’m old; even just walking makes me tired. You young ones sure still have your strength.”

Marching under this heat without breaking a sweat, Jeong Changin mumbled like an old man lecturing as he shifted his gaze away from Jeongpil, who was glaring menacingly at Taeui, and turned to Taeui, who was peeling off his soaking wet pants with a face that looked like he might explode if provoked just a bit more. As Taeui roughly rubbed his wet towel over his hair, Jeong Changin suddenly raised an eyebrow.

“――Hey, Taeui.”

Instead of replying, Taeui shot him a sharp look as if to ask why he was being called. Jeong Changin paused for a moment, then lifted his hand to tap lightly on his own neck.

“There’s a bite mark here.”

“Wonder what kind of beast bit you for it to look so much like human teeth?” Jeong Changin muttered as he turned away. Taeui touched his own neck with a puzzled expression and immediately frowned even deeper. He didn’t recall anything, but if there was a bite mark there, then there could only be one culprit. (The truth is always singular.)

‘If you noticed, you could at least throw me a band-aid or something. Why pretend like you didn’t see it?’

Taeui glared at the man who was standing up and walking toward his belongings in the shade. When their eyes met, Ilay briefly furrowed his brow, seemingly confused as to why Taeui was looking at him like that. However, when Taeui pointed to his own neck and mouthed what is this, Ilay seemed to understand and simply looked away.

Taeui thought it would be great if he could just rush over and bite his neck, that guy who always ignored him like that. It was a thought he’d repeated hundreds of times but never acted upon, and now he found himself contemplating that useless idea once again.

****************************

“Taeui, is this enough?”

Hearing Yoon Changoh’s voice, Taeui finally looked up. At the same time, he realized his back was aching, and his eyes felt heavy from being bent over for so long.

In the darkness, with only the light of a single lamp, Taeui had been patiently rummaging through the undergrowth. He closed his eyes and gently rubbed his eyelids before looking over at Yoon Changoh. The guy was also rubbing his eyes, seemingly out of sleepiness or eye strain, and held up a fabric bag for Taeui to see. It was already half-filled with dry branches. Just earlier, he had complained about how impossible it was to find dry branches in this weather, but in the end, they managed to gather quite a bit.

“It’s probably still a bit short, but this should be fine, good enough to meet the standard. Let’s stop here for now.”

Taeui looked into his own bag and saw a similar state; he twisted the bag’s mouth a few times before tying it up. Then, he secured it firmly over his shoulder.

Yoon Changoh also slung his bag over his shoulder, complaining: “Ah, my back……..” as he lightly patted it. It was likely sore from bending over and looking down for so long.

“Ha…….. starting a fire like this, in the middle of nowhere, it’s been a while. Lately, even when we’re marching, we don’t often make campfires like this.”

Being told to gather firewood like this made both of them feel as if they’d gone back a few decades, before civilization had advanced—Yoon Changoh said, laughing carefreely. Taeui chuckled softly along.

“It’s not about civilization; it’s just that the trainers here love torturing people.”

“……..Really?”

“……………..”

There was no joking with this guy. Seeing Yoon Changoh’s serious expression as he asked, Taeui sighed bitterly. But honestly, sometimes when he looked at the training program, he also felt like: Whoever designed this program probably hid cameras somewhere and is sitting back, enjoying the sight of everyone suffering.

And perhaps, among those who are laughing, there’s also my uncle……..

Taeui scanned the dark bushes around him with a suspicious gaze. Then he spotted it. About ten steps away, behind a thick bush, faint smoke was rising.

“Hey, there’s smoke.”

Hearing Taeui’s brief remark, Yoon Changoh was startled: “What, where?!” as he turned to look. Ignoring him, Taeui muttered: “Good”  and quickly moved toward the smoke. Yoon Changoh also saw the smoke and hurriedly followed.

If someone were crouched in the bushes, puffing on a cigarette, there was only one person Taeui could think of. As he pushed through the bushes and approached with the crunch of footsteps, a man’s head suddenly poked out from the shadows. Just as he expected, it was Tou. He still had a cigarette hanging from his lips.

“Oh, it’s you, Tay.”

“Give me one. I’m in a bad mood, and you’re just in time.”

“Hey, do you have any idea how precious a cigarette is to a nicotine addict when you can’t go out during training?!”

“At least you know you’re an addict. Anyway, I’m sure you stocked up before the training started. Just give me one.”

While Taeui pointed at Yoon Changoh, who had just arrived, and asked for another cigarette for him, Tou grumbled but still reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack. He took out exactly two cigarettes, no more, no less, and handed one to each of them before quickly shoving the pack back into his pocket. When it came to cigarettes, especially in restricted situations like this, he was surprisingly stingy.

“Your team must be camping nearby too, right?”

“Yeah. And what about you? Why aren’t you out gathering firewood instead of being lazy like this?”

“Just taking it slow.”

Taeui lit his cigarette using Tou’s, then sat down heavily beside him. A startled lizard scurried out from under where he sat. Yoon Changoh, seeing the lizard, hesitated a bit but eventually sat down across from them.

The three men sat in a circle, silently taking drags from their cigarettes.

When the cigarette was halfway burned, Tou finished his first, extinguishing the nearly spent cigarette in his portable ashtray before glancing at Yoon Changoh.

“That friend of yours, isn’t he on the same team as that guy you always argue with?”

“Yeah. According to the marching group this time, we’re temporarily on the same team.”

“Rick’s in that team too, I think.”

Taeui remained silent, only puffing on his cigarette, but Tou seemed to understand his feelings and simply nodded. Yoon Changoh, sitting beside him, also turned to look at Taeui.

“Rick seems to be quite the famous guy, huh? Whenever someone mentions they’re on the same team as him, everyone goes ‘Ah, him……..’ and their expression changes.”

“Yeah…….. something like that.”

Taeui muttered uncomfortably, and just then, Tou teased with a playful tone: “You’re really unlucky, huh.” Taeui immediately snapped: “Shut up”  with a displeased look. Tou chuckled darkly.

“But still, if you have to be on the same team with him during a march and outdoor camping, then you probably end up arguing less with that teammate of yours, since there’s a bigger challenge in front of you.”

“When faced with bigger worries, the smaller ones just seem to disappear”  Tou mumbled. Taeui only replied: “We already argued.”

Because of that, he was stuck walking around the forest with soaking wet pants, the uncomfortable dampness almost unbearable. And since the forest was so humid, his pants didn’t dry quickly, making him feel restless and irritated even after several hours had passed.

On the other hand, since Jeongpil had taken his pants off before getting in the water, he still had dry ones to wear. But even so, his mood didn’t seem much different from Taeui’s. Throughout the afternoon, he maintained a stiff expression and barely spoke, except for occasionally barking commands during the march. No, in fact, he looked about ten times more dejected than Taeui.

“Now that you mention it, Jeongpil doesn’t seem to be in a good mood. I wonder if he’s managed to gather much firewood by now” – Yoon Changoh said worriedly before exhaling smoke. “I should’ve poked a hole in the bottom of his bag” – Taeui muttered, making Yoon Changoh chuckle softly.

“Jeongpil and you, even when you argue, usually forget about it quickly and make up, but today neither of you seem happy. Did something happen between you two?”

“Who knows…….. Ugh. In any case, both him and that other guy are like they’ve got thorns in their sides, always so irritated.”

“Jeongpil? Besides him, who else?”

Sensing something odd in Taeui’s words, Yoon Changoh asked again, sounding surprised. Taeui clicked his tongue and didn’t respond immediately. He could feel Tou’s sharp, curious gaze quietly observing him from the side.

“If you’ve argued with someone who turns into a butcher when they lose control, you’d better make up quickly. Don’t let the tension build and end up endangering others.”

Tou mumbled as if he didn’t know anything, and Taeui kicked him in the shin. “Ow!” – Tou rubbed his leg, and despite having said it himself, he didn’t feel comfortable. He clicked his tongue and continued speaking.

“I’ve always wondered, are you being dragged around by a leash he tied around your neck, or did you tie it yourself?”

“I tied it myself. Got a problem with that?”

Taeui suddenly reached into Tou’s pocket and pulled out the pack of cigarettes. “Hey, those are my precious cigarettes!” – Tou frowned, but when Taeui glared at him, Tou just sighed: “Fine, do whatever you want.”

“What’s up? You seemed fine yesterday.”

He said this while extending his hand for another cigarette, even though it was his own. Taeui handed one to him and Yoon Changoh, then muttered: “How would I know.”

The three of them smoked silently, the air thick with the quiet tension. Yoon Changoh, not understanding what was going on, remained silent, while Tou seemed to have grasped part of it but didn’t want to push further. After a while, Taeui exhaled a large puff of smoke and clicked his tongue.

“I want to know too. Why did he suddenly get so upset? No matter how many times I think back on it, I don’t see anything weird that I said. If he’s only now getting bothered by what I say, then that’s strange. We’ve been together for years!”

Without even looking at Changoh, who quietly asked: “Who?” with a puzzled expression, Taeui ignored him. Tou took a drag from his cigarette, then looked up at the dark sky above.

“I don’t know what you said, Tay, but if you said something that upset him, you should have some idea…….. Or maybe you accidentally touched a sore spot or an old wound of his that you didn’t know about?”

“Does he seem like the type to have things like that?”

“Yeah, true.”

Seeing Tou nod in agreement immediately, Taeui blew out a particularly bitter puff of smoke.

He could vaguely guess why Ilay was upset. It was likely because of something Taeui said about their future – when he acted as if he was prepared and calmly accepting – that rubbed Ilay the wrong way.

But even if they talked it out, it wasn’t a matter Taeui could reflect on, apologize for, or change his mind about. It was too clear-cut, and Ilay was just being difficult on purpose.

‘This guy, if you want to live together, that’s the only way. But just so you know, I have no intention of breaking up with you.’

Taeui swallowed his anger and continued smoking. It had been a long time since he’d touched a cigarette, but today he felt like he could smoke enough for ten years.

“……..Fighting with your lover?”

After a moment of thought, Changoh quietly asked, sneaking a glance to gauge Taeui’s reaction. “This person knows your lover too, huh?” Changoh asked, then glanced at Tou.

Feeling that the term ‘lover’ didn’t quite fit Ilay, Taeui, too tired for a long explanation, gave a brief response: “Well, something like that.” Then, for some reason, he stepped hard on Tou’s foot, making him jump.

“Taeui’s lover is…….. um…….. a man, huh…….. what kind of person is he?”

Yoon Changoh, having a more conventional mindset, hesitated a bit before asking but still tried to act casual. Taeui glanced at his friend, who was trying not to give him a strange look, then stubbed out his finished cigarette in the ashtray. He sighed and replied.

“A volatile person, unreliable, treats human lives like dirt, and could strangle me at any moment.”

Perhaps Changoh thought it was a joke, as he laughed at Taeui’s steady recounting. But when he noticed that both Taeui and Tou remained silent, his smile faded, and with a doubtful expression, he asked: “Really?” Taeui, keeping his calm demeanor, answered: “Yeah, really.”

“…………….”

Yoon Changoh looked at Taeui with a confused expression. For someone who was already an adult, he still retained a surprisingly innocent demeanor, Taeui thought to himself. Seeing the worried look in his eyes, Taeui couldn’t help but smile slightly, as if his mood had suddenly softened.