The news of the new recruit to HT spread like wildfire in the blink of an eye.
“You? With Corporal Ahn Sungho? No way.”
HT was like a sacred place where hardly anyone could enter. A club with only one member as the leader was something unheard of anywhere else.
There were speculations that HT was just a pretext for a private training ground for Corporal Ahn Sungho. That’s why 2nd and 3rd-year students didn’t even spare a glance at it.
“I must be crazy. Why did you choose the gym, Jinsung?”
But wait.
An F-rank Edeya, with an F-rank comprehensive combat ability, had entered that place?
“Sigh.”
Among their generation, there was no one who could dare to challenge Corporal Ahn Sungho.
Curiosity, envy, petty jealousy, and all kinds of attention were focused solely on Park Jinsung. Even other teachers and squad leaders asked if he bribed his way in.
“Ugh. My luck is just like always.”
Classes went on as usual, breaks were spent as usual, but it became grueling for Park Jinsung.
And that’s not all.
After all the classes, it was time for cleaning, and after all the cleaning, it was time for training at HT.
His days were like living in hell in the same clubroom.
“Maybe I should have transferred schools. Should I have done that? Mom! Give me the answer!”
In an empty classroom after school.
As the sun was setting, the warm glow filled the classroom. Park Jinsung, already worn out, was about to become even more so as he prepared to leave.
“If I don’t go, he’ll come after me again, right…?”
Park Jinsung’s chin trembled.
Corporal Ahn Sungho had an unexpectedly persistent side to him.
[Being absent from club activities is not an option.]
One day, when Park Jinsung had secretly skipped the club, Corporal Ahn Sungho personally came to the classroom the next day.
How dare he come looking for a private soldier! And that too during lunchtime!!
It was a horrifying and unprecedented event. Eventually, Park Jinsung had to work hard during lunchtime to make up for the missed training.
“Ugh! I don’t want to go to HT! Ugh. Should I just break my arm?”
Alone in the classroom, Park Jinsung shivered at the thought of the lonely future ahead.
“Hey.”
“No… I’m sure Teacher Yang will get me treated. After the treatment, I’ll have to do more training again. In the end, I’m…”
“Hey, hey.”
“Maybe being an outcast is better, huh?”
“Hey!”
“…Yes?”
“Phew. You finally noticed me. It’s hard to get an answer from you.”
She was an impressive girl with fair skin. Leaning against the classroom door, she looked directly at Park Jinsung.
“Huh?”
“Are you a student here?”
“Yes… But…”
“What’s with you? Why don’t you have any rank insignia?”
Three lines attached to the girl’s name tag.
“Kim Seyeon… Corporal…?”
“Hehe. That’s right. Now, introduce yourself!”
“Oh my. Hello, Corporal Kim Seyeon. I am…”
“Introduce yourself properly!”
“Oh my! Private Park! Jin! Sung!! From 2nd Company, 10th Platoon, 3rd Squad!”
Park Jinsung unintentionally shouted out a perfect self-introduction. His brisk and sharp stance was a service.
“…Private? Well, whatever. Nice to meet you. I already saw your name tag, but I’m Corporal Kim Seyeon.”
“Oh, nice to meet you too. But… Why did you call me all of a sudden?”
“You said you’re in this class, right?”
Corporal Kim Seyeon pointed to the classroom floor as she spoke.
‘Ugh… Even her fingers are so white.’
Her white fingers contrasted starkly against the dark wooden floor.
Corporal Kim Seyeon exuded an aura of elegance and beauty, like a piece of pure white jade. Her hair tied up neatly and her ashen digital military uniform only added to her stunning appearance.
Her height was similar to Park Jinsung’s, which somehow gave him a sense of intimidation.
“I’ll also be assigned to 2nd Company, 10th Platoon starting from tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see. Did you transfer here? I see. Nice to meet you then. Well, I’ll be going now.”
Just as he was about to leave…
“Where are you going?”
Kim Seyeon grabbed Park Jinsung from behind.
“Let go, let go! If I don’t hurry, it’ll be troublesome. I’m already late!”
“No, you can’t go. You have to follow my guidance.”
Park Jinsung held onto his head. The sudden turn of events made his thoughts stutter and buffer.
“Ugh.”
Forced information started floating around Park Jinsung’s head in fragments.
An empty classroom, delayed cleaning, Corporal Ahn Sungho waiting at the gym, and the new transfer student who would be making a fuss tomorrow.
“Let go! Corporal, I really don’t want to cause any trouble! If this continues, they’ll really come looking for me!!”
“Hmph. This school has after-school clubs, right? Then there must be many students who haven’t gone home yet, right?”
“Didn’t you see them on your way here?! They are all students and soldiers! So please, ask someone else for a kind guidance!”
“I don’t want to. I’m more comfortable with you.”
“Huh? Where did you see that, seriously? Ugh!”
Park Jinsung couldn’t utter the last words as he was intimidated by Corporal Kim Seyeon’s fierce gaze.
“Then tell me, where do you want to go?”
“Guide me to Corporal Ahn Sungho’s location.”
“Oh, you should have said so earlier! I need to go there right now.”
“Park Jinsung.”
A deep, weighty voice came from the other classroom door.
“Hyah! Ah, Corporal Ahn Sungho?!”
An exhausted Ahn Sungho visited the 2nd-year classroom. Seeing the lack of commotion, he probably came to avoid the other students’ attention.
Ahn Sungho seemed completely calm, but Park Jinsung alone felt all kinds of gazes and pressure.
“Park Jinsung, you’re not thinking of skipping practice, are you?”
“That’s not a question mark, but a period, right?! Ugh. Oh, I was just thinking of going. So please, just give me lunchtime to….”
“Hmph. You’re that Corporal Ahn Sungho?”
Corporal Kim Seyeon stood boldly in front of Ahn Sungho.
The way she looked up at Ahn Sungho was quite imposing. Instead of being overpowered by him, she seemed more like she could devour him with her fierce aura.
It was a moment that proved Kim Seyeon was in the same league as Ahn Sungho. Both of them were unquestionably at the top of the food chain.
The atmosphere was so tense that it was hard to tell who had the upper hand based on appearance alone.
“Oho, so you’re Corporal Ahn Sungho. Impressive.”
“Corporal…Kim Seyeon, right? Show the appropriate respect to your superiors.”
“I heard this is a meritocracy, right? Then, you should be stronger than me to be considered a superior, right?”
‘Ugh. If I stay here, I might get involved in unnecessary conflicts.’
Park Jinsung slipped away quietly. He didn’t want to get caught in the whirlwind of their powerful auras.
“I may not be a superior to you, but… well, you seem to be reasonably strong. Comparable to me, I suppose?”
“Just let me confirm it, Corporal?”
“Hey, Ahn Sungho, do you have someone you want to date?”
*Cough!*
Park Jinsung, who was trying to escape unnoticed, let out a loud, fake cough.
Already tense, Park Jinsung’s brain started malfunctioning, spiraling into panic mode.
‘Did you come from abroad? But even in foreign countries, people don’t act like that. Are you an open-minded person? Even if you’re open-minded, you’re too open-minded, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you confess first? No, that’s not it.’
While Park Jinsung was tormented, Ahn Sungho spoke without a hint of emotion.
“I don’t have anyone.”
“Yeah, me neither. Especially someone as stiff as you is the last thing I want.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Hmph. My family is a bit noisy and crowded. I’m telling you this for your sake, so don’t take it to heart.”
In Park Jinsung’s eyes, this conversation was no longer of this world.
‘What is this! Seriously, what is this! Is this some kind of trendy joke code?! Or is it that I lack social skills?! Well, I might lack a bit, but theoretically, I should be good at this!’
Caught in confusion, Park Jinsung was once again grabbed by Kim Seyeon.
“You don’t like corporals? Then, how do you see me?”
“Uhh… You and I are just too different, like people from another world…”
“Hey, trainee.”
“I, uhm…”
“Hey! Trainee!”
“Yes! Yes?!”
Kim Seyeon leaned her face close to Park Jinsung’s, their noses almost touching.
“Trainee, then would you date me? We’re similar in height, and I like guys who are at eye level with me.”
“Uhhhh! What is this sudden direct confession?!”
“Hmph. It’s not a confession, it’s more like a notification.”
“Uhhhh! I, I, I, I, I’m not sure!!”
“Ha! You’re cute. Trainee, what’s your Edeya combat grade?”
“C-cough, well, uhm, I, uhm, I’m an F-grade Two-time Champion.”
When the topic shifted to Edeya, Park Jinsung finally regained his composure.
“Liar.”
“I’m s-serious.”
Park Jinsung spoke with such seriousness that it was quite unusual for him, who always carried a laid-back attitude.
“Don’t lie. I’ll just punch you in the face, you know? Are there really any unfortunate talents in this world who are both F-grade?”
“I, uhm…”
“Don’t lie, it has to be at least a possibility. Do you really hate me? Even so, am I not someone you can consider tolerating?”
Kim Seyeon placed one hand on her hip as she spoke, emphasizing her femininity with her curvy figure.
“Sigh. Corporal Ahn Sungho, since you’re starting to look a bit down, could you help me out a little?”
“So it’s come to this, Corporal Kim Seyeon. Just move aside already.”
“No! Wait! Stop lying?! I don’t care about you anymore!”
Kim Seyeon expressed 30% annoyance, 20% suspicion, and 50% sincerity in her words.
“From now on, we’re going to train. So, please go away quickly.”
“Then let me join you. I’ll just watch from behind.”
“…Do as you please.”
“So suddenly?! Ah… I don’t want to go….”
The unexpected trio slowly made their way to the gymnasium, attracting the attention of the students who hadn’t left for home yet.
“Wow, it’s Corporal Ahn Sungho.”
“But who’s the pretty person next to him? Have we ever had someone like that in our brigade?”
Initially, their gazes were drawn to Ahn Sungho, but then they shifted to Kim Seyeon standing beside him.
Normally, standing next to Ahn Sungho would cause most people’s presence to diminish. They would naturally end up standing behind him, hidden in his shadow.
“Hey, Corporal. Can’t we just train anywhere without much fuss?”
However, Kim Seyeon was different. She possessed an extraordinary aura that couldn’t be traced to any source.
Passing by students who glanced at them, they arrived at the gymnasium before they knew it. Sensing the penetrating stares, they felt as if they had arrived faster than expected.
“Today, we have an addition to the Barbarian Routine we did last time.”
“Please, no more…!”
Park Jinsung trembled as he foresaw the future.
Barbarian Routine.
Within 6 minutes, 5 muscle-ups, 50 dips, 30 pull-ups, 60 push-ups, and 5 more muscle-ups.
Even adults who were well-trained found this level quite challenging, relying solely on a pull-up bar.
Oh… What more could they possibly add to this?
“Don’t be scared, Park Jinsung. We’re just adding some light stretching.”
“I know perfectly well that nothing about it is light….”
Even from his childhood, Park Jinsung had already been accustomed to rigorous exercise.
“Let’s begin.”
However, Sungho’s physical abilities were so remarkable that one might wonder if he was using an Edeya.
“Ugh…!!”
As they started the exercise, the background noise suddenly faded. The only sound that gradually increased in decibels was Park Jinsung’s grunts, indicating the intensity of the workout.
“…….”
Kim Seyeon also stood with her arms crossed, quietly observing the two.
“Hahaha! I can’t take it anymore!”
At 6 minutes and 35 seconds, after completing the first routine, Park Jinsung collapsed to the floor, drenched in a pungent sweat. Without showing any signs of disapproval, Kim Seyeon handed him a towel.
“Hmph. This turned out to be a much more proper training than I thought. I’m impressed.”
“Pl-please, Kim Seyeon, spare me.”
“Huh? When did I say I’d spare you?”
“…. What? I must have misheard.”
The words he didn’t want to hear from the person who had come looking for him out of the blue.
Park Jinsung forcibly swallowed the sadness welling up to his throat.
“But why are you training with him, Corporal Sungho? He’s just a trainee.”
“That’s right! That’s exactly what I’m saying!”
“I know he seems innocent, but I don’t understand why you’re going to such lengths to train with him.”
“I just needed a training partner. Even though he’s F-ranked, his body is still useful.”
As he hung from the pull-up bar, Ahn Sungho replied. Kim Seyeon glanced at him and then spoke with an expressionless face.
“You’re lying.”
“What kind of answer are you looking for, Corporal?”
“He might not know, but you don’t really need to train with someone else. It feels more like you’re teaching him instead.”
Kim Seyeon narrowed her pretty eyes.
“…You’re mistaken.”
“Hmph. He’s F-ranked, after all. I still don’t understand why you’re going to such lengths to train with him. What possibilities do you see in him?”
“Ugh, please don’t make it so obvious that it’s sad…”
Playfully, Park Jinsung covered his mouth, pretending to act like a fallen baby bird, begging his mother.
“Are you aiming for at least an F+++? Even reaching D-rank from F is not easy. Huh? Answer me, answer me now.”
Kim Seyeon continued to press Ahn Sungho. There was a sense of urgency in her tone.
“You also believe it, Corporal. That’s right. I believe it too.”
“What on earth do you think I believe?”
“You could have pretended not to know. Park Jinsung, we’ll continue with the next routine.”
“Um… Can’t you two stop talking in riddles and include me in the conversation?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”
“Heeheehee! P-please, Kim Seyeon!”
Ahn Sungho forcibly hung Park Jinsung on the pull-up bar. Compared to Park Jinsung, who was already drenched in sweat, Ahn Sungho now looked like he was just starting the warm-up.
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