‘I never thought there would be a day in my life when I would have to share a hospital bed with this guy.’

Taeui thought to himself as he looked up at the ceiling.

He slowly turned his eyes to the side. Upon checking again, the person lying in the bed next to him with eyes tightly closed was still Kim Jeongpil. There was a bandage on his forehead – wrapped by Taeui himself – and his shoulder was also bandaged. Although it couldn’t be seen under the covers, Jeongpil’s body was surely wrapped in bandages in many other places.

Taeui glanced at the clock. But he wasn’t sure if the clock showing eight o’clock was eight in the morning or eight in the evening. While clocks in other places had am/pm indicators, the clock on the wall in the medical room did not.

“This branch is good in every way, except for that… No windows, so if you don’t go up to the ground floor, you can’t tell if it’s day or night.”

The entire building, except for the ground floor, was underground. The lighting and air conditioning system worked perfectly, so it didn’t feel inconvenient being down here, but sometimes, at moments like this, a sense of suffocation still appeared.

That’s why people like Tou, even though there was a separate smoking room, often went up to the ground floor and outside to smoke. Taeui also used to walk around this area to change the atmosphere.

…….But at least for the next few days, he probably wouldn’t be going anywhere.

He sighed, clearly feeling that his body ached all over, especially his shoulder, which was burning and throbbing with pain, even though the painkillers had taken effect.

‘I wonder how Horgan is doing.’

Taeui turned his head to search around the medical room, but there was no sign of Horgan. If Ilay was right and didn’t kill him, then he shouldn’t be in a coffin. But where did he disappear to?

“More importantly, what time is it now? And where did Luther run off to?”

Taeui grumbled in frustration. He glanced at Jeongpil again, but there was still no sign of him waking up. Well, with the amount of painkillers he had been injected with, it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t wake up immediately.

Taeui sighed and lay back on the bed. He stared intently at the ceiling.

“…….”

Ceilings seem to be the same everywhere.

Suddenly, he recalled the old days when he was still in the military hospital. Back then, the situation was just like now; he would also stare blankly at the stark white and monotonous ceiling covered with wallpaper.

Even though there was a gentle breeze coming in through the open window and the young branches swayed by the window frame, this feeling still made Taeui feel as if he had just returned to that time. It was as if nothing had changed from before, including Jeongpil lying right next to him.

Just like then, now he still felt that there was a long, endless road ahead, and life would continue like that.

“…….But, there is one thing different.”

Taeui mumbled as he realized something he never had before—something he couldn’t even imagine.

If back then someone had told him: ‘In the future, there will be someone like this who will intrude into your life, and you will have to be with that person for the rest of your life.’ Taeui would have surely reacted violently and shouted in protest, or perhaps he would have run to the ends of the earth to escape that fate.

Yet…….

Now, looking back at himself, smiling gently and mumbling: “Not bad, not too bad…….” Taeui clearly felt that he had changed a lot from before.

No matter what, the prayer he once whispered to himself in the military hospital, that there would be someone to go through all the storms of life with him, had now come true. Yes, in the most genuine way.

“…….But why did he disappear when I’m lying here in pain like this.”

Taeui unconsciously complained to himself, knowing well that the words meant nothing and no one would hear them. But strangely, it was as if just saying it would make him appear out of nowhere.

“Just went to wash my hands.”

Exactly, like this.

Taeui gently closed his mouth and fell silent like a little bird, watching Ilay step into the medical room, opening the slightly ajar door a bit more. It made Taeui ponder: ‘Every time, he has overly sensitive ears…….’

Ilay stepped in while holding a towel, wiping the remaining water off his fair hands. Taeui absentmindedly gazed at those hands. Look, these are truly exquisite hands. Truly beautiful hands, except for the scars left from once gripping a blade.

While wiping his hands, seemingly noticing Taeui’s gloomy gaze fixed on his hand – and the reason behind it – Ilay gently opened his palm, as if wanting to show him more clearly.

“It will heal soon. It won’t leave any scars.”

“With such a deep cut, how can it not leave a scar?”

“Because I’ve been injured much more severely than this many times, but still have no scars. My body recovers very quickly.”

Indeed, thinking back, Ilay was someone who had overcome countless Sura paths*, yet had almost no significant scars on his body. Something that made Taeui silently marvel.

(*수라도를 헤쳐 온: Overcoming the Sura path, meaning a path full of hardships and challenges.)

For some reason, he felt that this world was unfair in many different ways, Taeui thought to himself, and his gaze suddenly stopped on Ilay.

Even though he didn’t want to believe it, he carefully observed Ilay from head to toe, still worried that while he was unconscious, Ilay might have been injured. But as expected, Ilay was intact. From head to toe, there were quite a few bloodstains scattered here and there on him, but it was definitely not his blood.

‘It seems like he even took off his gloves earlier’ – Taeui thought to himself, nodding instinctively. But then he suddenly raised an eyebrow in curiosity: “Hmm?

“But why are you only washing your hands now?”

“Because I was dragged everywhere, so there was no free moment to wash them.” – Ilay replied nonchalantly.

‘Everywhere…….?’ – Taeui repeated those words in his mind and looked at the clock again.

“Is it morning or evening now?”

“Evening. You just got stabbed and fell today.”

“Oh, then not too much time has passed.” – Taeui mumbled. He thought he had been asleep – actually unconscious – for an entire day, but it turned out only a few hours had passed.

Raising his uninjured hand to scratch his cheek, he glanced at Ilay, who was approaching with a can of beer from the fridge. Taeui extended his hand and asked a concerned question:

“How’s Horgan?”

“Still fine. Just like before you passed out.”

“…….Before that, I remember hearing screams and some pretty terrifying sounds…….”

Taeui smacked his lips and mumbled, feeling that those sounds didn’t evoke the image of ‘okay’ at all. And it seemed like Ilay didn’t have any further contact with Horgan after that. But wait, why…….

“Why are you drinking beer alone?”

Taeui pouted when he saw Ilay casually open a can of beer and drink it alone without offering him any, despite his hand reaching out to ask. He glared at Ilay with a disgruntled look, but Ilay just silently looked down at him with cold eyes, his lips curling up mockingly:

“Stabbed into a coma and still asking for alcohol?”

“Beer isn’t alcohol!”

“It’s alcohol!”

The answer didn’t come from Ilay, but from a voice that rang out as the infirmary door was pushed open forcefully. It was Luther. The person who entered with a voice full of reproach:

“According to the special consumption tax law, beverages with an alcohol content of 1 degree or more are classified as alcohol (※According to Korean regulations). And the average alcohol content of beer is 5%.”

“A beer addict like you doesn’t know that?” – Under Luther’s icy gaze and continuous reproach, Taeui could only remain silent. As long as he was in the infirmary, he didn’t want to upset Luther – the person with absolute authority here.

Luther was considered the ‘king’ in the infirmary; after scolding Taeui, he turned to glare fiercely at Ilay holding the beer can:

“Where do you think you are, drinking beer here?”

“There was one left in the fridge, so I took it.”

“That was for me! I only drink it when it’s really necessary!”

Luther angrily opened the fridge to check. Seeing this, Taeui looked at him with curiosity. As far as he knew, Luther hardly drank alcohol, because just a few sips of beer would make his face turn bright red.

“Luther, don’t you hardly drink alcohol?”

“I do drink! But only occasionally! Only when I see things I can’t stand dealing with here! Do you think I can do this job and always stay sober?”

Hearing Luther start to grumble and recount a series of horrifying scenes he had to witness in the infirmary: organs protruding from the abdomen, skull bones exposed under torn skin, and even more severe wounds on hot days causing pus to flow like a river. Taeui could do nothing but silently express his deep sympathy for him.

“Even today! Today is the day I really need a drink! Some bloody, mangled piece of meat rolled in here as a patient, and while I was away, it managed to injure two more people and drag them in here!”

“Bloody mess…….?”

Is this talking about Horgan?

“But where is he?”

Taeui glanced around the medical room once more. Still the same, Horgan was nowhere to be seen. He even tried to look more carefully, wondering if he couldn’t recognize him due to his ‘mangled’ state, but still couldn’t find him.

“Because the injuries were too severe, fearing serious infection, he was placed in a separate room with a special air conditioning system…” – Luther replied in a not-so-pleasant tone.

Hearing that, it seemed Horgan was still alive. Taeui sighed softly, bent down, and rested his head back on the pillow. Then glanced at Ilay.

“…….You’re good at not killing him, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I also hope he doesn’t die.” – Taeui muttered, and Ilay raised an eyebrow indifferently as if it was no big deal:

“Um, ah. More than that, when I laid you down and turned back, there were already a lot of people there. Your uncle, McKinn, and even Talban were present. It was decided to bring the matter to trial, so there was no need to cause more trouble in front of them, right?”

“Huh, you talk a good game! But regardless of whether anyone was there or not, you still held onto Horgan, the one who had almost become a pile of meat, and even sinisterly said: ‘After the trial ends, let’s meet somewhere with no one around, and we’ll leisurely finish it. There are many organs in the human body that can survive without them.’ So Horgan, pale-faced, had to cling to Instructor Joeng’s pants and beg to be taken to Eoryeong instead!”

Luther was tidying up papers on the table, not looking up but still throwing fuel into the conversation:

“…….”

Somehow, Taeui could immediately imagine what happened next.

‘Well, if it were me, being told those words by a guy like Ilay, I’d probably voluntarily go to prison to feel safer.’ – Taeui thought to himself, and Ilay shrugged as if it was nothing special and said calmly:

“He will definitely have to go to prison. But before that, after the trial ends, I’ll have a little private talk with him. And after being discharged, he can freely leave.”

“……Can you stop threatening already……”

“It’s just giving him time to mentally prepare. I should actually be praised for my kindness.”

‘Even if kindness in this world were to freeze over, that statement would never apply to you’ – Taeui thought to himself but didn’t say out loud.

He sighed and muttered:

“Horgan definitely won’t have a chance to sleep peacefully anytime soon…….”

Horgan must feel like he’s living in a horror movie right now.

“Anyway, he won’t be able to sleep peacefully in the near future. Before a verdict is reached, he’ll be called from place to place, and will definitely have to prepare a mountain of paperwork…….”

This time, Luther unexpectedly responded. So what will happen to Jeong Taeui? Taeui turned to Luther, then immediately shifted his attention to Ilay. He was drinking beer nonchalantly. Taeui stared at the beer can with blatant desire.

Ilay must have noticed that look, yet he still had no intention of sharing, even taking another big gulp as if to tease.

“There are cameras recording everything. Thanks to that, all the words Horgan uttered are documented, and it seems this will be beneficial for our side. Moreover, he’ll only have to pay a small compensation and be locked up in jail for a few days. With mitigating factors, it won’t be too severe…….”

Ilay spoke in a calm tone, leaving Taeui dumbfounded.

Ah, the cameras. The ones installed everywhere in the branch.

“The trial is also internal and summary, so it won’t take much time. At most, it will last about a month. Besides, Horgan has a whole bunch of unacceptable past behaviors…….”

Ilay left the sentence unfinished and slightly tilted his head as if he didn’t want to say more.

Taeui still looked at him blankly until then, then suddenly asked:

“What about you? Are you okay?”

“I already told you. At most, just pay a small compensation and stay in jail for a few days.”

“That’s all?”

“…….It seems like you’re not satisfied with that outcome.”

Ilay’s gaze swept over Taeui. Realizing this, Taeui quickly shook his head in denial:

“No, no way!”

Ilay squinted at him but didn’t press further. However, Taeui still felt a vague sense of unease.

How should he put it…

Should he call this ‘a blessing in disguise’?

“…….Getting injured this time was worth it.”

Taeui sighed with relief. He felt somewhat at ease because at least being stabbed and lying here brought some meaning.

That’s good. Ilay wouldn’t fall into too difficult a situation. After all, for someone like him – someone willing to bomb the capital of another country – no matter the outcome of an internal trial, it probably wouldn’t shock him. But anyway, this is good.

Unconsciously, Taeui felt more at ease. And at this moment, he slowly realized something.

So, the final training phase has truly ended.

The long 15 days have passed. Everything has been resolved, only the final steps remain. (Although those in the branch, and especially those directly involved in this incident, still have to face many difficulties ahead.)

That’s great.

Yes. Finally, he could breathe a sigh of relief.

Taeui took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. The heartbeat that had been tense for the past days was now gradually becoming more peaceful. The long, stormy 15 days have finally come to an end…….

‘Yes, that’s good..’ – Taeui thought to himself and sighed softly. But at that moment, he felt as if Ilay’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Ilay’s sharp gaze turned to him as if about to say something.

“You guys can be done, but what about me? What did I do to deserve being buried in this pile of work that fell from the sky?! I should be lying comfortably in my room watching sports channels right now! So why do I have to carry this stack of documents back to the office to work at this moment?!”

Luther suddenly complained while still holding the stack of files tightly placed on the table. Then, as if to affirm his words, he turned and walked straight towards the door, seemingly intending to head to the office immediately.

Before going out, Luther kicked the door hard and stopped, his sharp eyes sweeping over both Ilay and Taeui. His eyes, which were already gloomy, now became even more terrifying, so fierce that Taeui instinctively pulled the blanket up to cover his face to avoid that gaze.

At the same time, a dry chuckle echoed as the door slammed shut. Luther’s figure quickly disappeared behind the door, leaving a silence in the medical room.

“…….Luther is gone, now there’s no one else here…….”

After a moment of silence, Taeui murmured softly and peeked through the blanket to look at Ilay. Although the medical room’s fridge was surely out of beer, the can of beer Ilay was holding made him guess there was still at least half left.

‘Just one sip……. just a small sip is enough.’

Even though he didn’t dare to say it out loud, Taeui’s eyes kept darting back and forth between the beer can and Ilay’s face, filled with a pleading earnestness.

Ilay looked down at Taeui with an indifferent gaze. “No one’s watching…….” – He murmured softly, seemingly with a slight smile on his lips.

Surely Ilay knew what was in Taeui’s eyes. However, in the next few seconds, without any hesitation, Ilay coldly lifted the beer can and drank a long gulp until the can was empty.

“Ah…….!!”

Taeui’s hand unconsciously reached out, but all that was left was disappointment. The beer can was empty, not a single drop left.

“Ah……. Ah…….”

‘Just one sip. I wasn’t asking for much, just a small sip.’

Taeui stared at the empty beer can with a heart so heavy it felt like he was about to cry. As if to add fuel to the fire, Ilay threw the empty can into the trash with an annoyingly precise toss, then approached Taeui. He then leaned down, covering Taeui’s eyes with one hand, and gently leaned closer.

“―……..”

Beer flowed into Taeui’s mouth from Ilay’s pressed lips. He froze for a moment, but then quickly opened his mouth to take in the sweet beer. It wasn’t as cold as it was straight from the fridge, but the beer still retained a pleasant coolness.

More……. a little more……. Even though he knew there was no more beer in Ilay’s mouth, Taeui still searched with his tongue. Immediately after, a soft laugh echoed, and instead of beer, Ilay’s tongue slipped in. The faint taste of beer lingered on his tongue.

‘Perhaps, this tongue is even better than beer’ – Taeui thought to himself, while engrossed in sucking Ilay’s tongue, just as he was doing to him. Taeui snapped out of his mesmerized and immersed state with that tongue only after hearing the restless sound from the bed next to them.

That’s right, there was a homophobic person lying in the bed next to them. Although Taeui was no longer sure if that person still held that attitude, he still had to be careful.

Realizing the situation, Taeui hurriedly pushed Ilay away. But instead of yielding, Ilay stubbornly refused to move even an inch. Only when Taeui grabbed his earlobe and gently pulled while lightly shouting: “Ya, ya!”, did Ilay reluctantly move away with a displeased look. His unhappy gaze glanced at Jeongpil, who was still sleeping but slightly turned on the bed next to them.

“That’s right, now that I think about it…….”

Ilay mumbled incomprehensibly while Taeui used his hand to wipe his wet lips, surprised, he asked: “Huh? What?”

Ilay’s gaze was still directed towards Jeongpil.

“Old Horgan can be dealt with later, but what about this guy…….”

“Kim Jeongpil? What’s up with him?”

Taeui asked in astonishment. Ilay’s cold gaze briefly swept over him. A faint smile slowly appeared on that expressionless face as he looked down at Taeui. Yet somehow that smile……., Taeui thought to himself.

“How was it? Kissing this ‘cheerful and excited’ guy, did you enjoy it?”

What?!

…….Ah.

…….He had forgotten about that.

The finger rubbing against Taeui’s lips suddenly stopped. His whole body stiffened.

Taeui could only remain motionless, not even blinking, facing Ilay like a frog facing a snake.

“Ugh……. Cheerful and excited, what……. No way……. What are you talking about……. Clearly, you saw everything that happened…….”

“Of course, I saw everything. Even knowing I was watching, you still comfortably kissed this guy. Didn’t move at all.”

“Hey! It’s not that I didn’t move for that reason, it was because I was too surprised and confused! I didn’t……. it’s not like that! Not at all!”

Taeui shook his head vigorously while waving his hands continuously to try to explain.

‘Kim Jeongpil, you bastard! That’s right, I completely forgot about that. How could I forget? Maybe the shock of being stabbed made me forget. But actually, compared to that stab, this might be even more dangerous.’

Silently looking at a Taeui shaking his head in despair, his face pale and bloodless. Then Ilay turned and fixed his eyes on Jeongpil. That gaze contained a gloominess hard to put into words, making Taeui speak up:

“Hey, hey…… Ilay…… you know…”

“Know what?”

“…….”

“Speak up, I can’t hear you.”

“Why is your super hearing pretending to be deaf at this moment, you annoying person!……. I mean……. to me, I only have you!”

The shock right after saying that was immense. The moment those words were uttered, his heart felt like it was on fire and his breath caught for a moment. This was one of the things he thought he would never say, no matter how much he was pressured.

That’s right. The blanket was made for moments like this!

Taeui sneakily pulled the blanket up to cover his face. It must be said that even through the blanket, he could still feel Ilay’s burning gaze fixed on him. If this continued, it might pierce through the blanket.

“Hmm.”

But with just that short mumble, Taeui felt that the words that made him feel like his mouth was ‘tearing’ were not in vain. Ilay’s tone now sounded much more relaxed. Maybe he was simpler than Taeui thought…

Taeui pulled the blanket down to eye level a bit and sneaked a glance at Ilay. Just as he thought, Ilay was smiling, a faint but very satisfied smile. This made him feel less tense, so he pulled the blanket down a bit more.

“Fighting to the death like that, but in the end, you can’t stand seeing others die, right?”

“Yeah…… that’s right.”

Taeui mumbled with a bit of embarrassment:

“Anyway, I wasn’t lying.”

He awkwardly added and quickly turned away to avoid Ilay’s gaze. In response, only Ilay’s low laughter echoed.

“Hey, don’t laugh.” – Taeui said sulkily. But Ilay’s laughter didn’t stop immediately.

Finally, Ilay calmly spoke:

“Alright, it’s okay. Considering the merit of taking a stab for you, I’ll generously let it go.”

As he spoke, Ilay took a step towards Jeongpil’s bed, but then he stopped and turned back towards Taeui’s bed.

“Ah… thank you.” – Taeui said softly, then sighed in relief.

He glanced at Jeongpil, who was still sound asleep, unaware that he had just escaped the blade of death.

Suddenly, the image of Jeongpil’s angry face when he shouted appeared in Taeui’s mind.

That face appeared with confusion, not knowing what to say or trying to speak but failing, and finally, when unable to express himself, he lost patience and let out an angry shout.

“——I told you it’s not a joke.”

Taeui clearly remembered that angry gaze and the spiteful words, as if it had just happened.

“………….The situation turned out like that, could it be……”

“Hmm?” – Ilay turned to look at him.

“…….. Nothing.”

Taeui shook his head and immediately swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Although he knew it was impossible, the thought of ‘what if’ still crossed his mind.

No way. But……. maybe.

Taeui glanced at Jeongpil sleeping soundly beside him once more. The face that reminded him of many brawls, the mouth that spewed curses, now appeared before him in a strangely peaceful manner.

‘Anyway, it can’t be. He’s not a three-year-old child who likes to express emotions contrary to his heart…’ – Taeui mumbled to himself while sighing.

However, in the end, it doesn’t matter how things turn out.

Even if the emotions he had for Taeui were built from the past – full of hatred and confrontation – or if there was something strange about them, or if they were expressed through actions like grabbing his collar and pressing his lips with a flushed face, it wouldn’t change anything.

Even if that’s the case, in Taeui’s fleeting thoughts, what if he really had a twisted feeling for him?

Perhaps they once had a chance to live in harmony with each other. Maybe a long time ago, when they were still rookies in memories that Taeui can no longer clearly recall, they could have been close friends, bonded like glue. Well, who knows, maybe just a small reason could have changed that relationship and made it better. Life is full of possibilities, who can predict it?

But those possibilities were soon erased. The past has passed, and the future no longer has space to mend that relationship.

When they leave this place, each will go their separate ways, and perhaps they will never meet again. In their lives, this might be the last time their paths cross.

“…….”

Even so…….

Taeui recalled Jeongpil’s panicked and confused face when he rushed up to block Horgan’s knife just to protect him. A thought suddenly flashed in his mind:

‘At least now, he’s no longer ‘Lieutenant Kim the Bastard’ but ‘Captain Kim, who isn’t so bad.’’

The bitter and angry feelings that had accumulated in his memories for over ten years seemed to have settled at the bottom, disappearing forever and no longer able to resurface.

This is good.

For some reason, the memories that were once as sharp as a knife have now become blurred, gradually replaced by more positive, gentler emotions.