Chapter 7

I am Private Cha Yoori.

The so-called “useless soldier” who seeks attention.

Of course, I’m not socially maladjusted.

I was perfectly fine in society.

Now, I’m just acting useless because I’m dissatisfied with South Korea’s conscription system.

Why am I acting?

It’s for my grand goal.

I plan to fake panic disorder and depression to get an early discharge through the unfit-for-service evaluation.

No guilt.

If I can get out, I will.

Why endure when I don’t have to?

I can’t endure this injustice.

Men and women are equal citizens, yet men bear the burden of national defense. Why should I waste my 20s in this hellhole just because I’m a woman?

Is being born a woman a crime?

Even if the male-to-female ratio is low, isn’t the preferential treatment of men excessive?

South Korean laws are trash.

I hate men.

I want to blow up the military that emphasizes this rotten hierarchy.

Yes, I’m just full of complaints.

Being in the military makes me feel like I’ll really go insane.

‘I really hate this damn military…’

I want to be discharged as soon as possible.

I want to escape this dreadful place.

I don’t even know why I’m here doing this crap.

‘F***, f***, f***! Why do we have to do full-gear marches? It’s so f***ing exhausting! This stupid military!’

As I was cursing in my mind, suddenly, cheers erupted from the front.

“Waaaaah!”

“Waaaaah!”

I wondered why these idiots were acting like that.

The reason became clear quickly.

Listening to the seniors, it seemed they called a male celebrity to boost morale during training.

‘A man is passing by in a truck, waving? What nonsense.’

Seeing people screaming over a man, I thought,

How pathetic.

I couldn’t understand getting excited over just a man.

Are they beasts driven by lust?

Cheering for a man seemed vulgar.

I’ve always disliked that type.

The kind that goes crazy over idols.

It’s laughable to see them acting like extras in a crowd.

…That’s what I thought just a moment ago. Definitely.

“Thank you for your hard work. Keep it up, everyone.”

The truck came close.

The man driving the truck waved at us with a light smile. He was a handsome man who could easily outshine most actors.

‘What? Is this CG? Does someone this good-looking really exist?’

His looks were hard to find even on TV, let alone in real life.

His vibe was strange too.

His face had a decadent feel.

Yet, his eyes were as clear as spring water, and his smile was as warm as sunlight.

Of course, there’s some exaggeration.

Even an average guy looks handsome to soldiers.

But even without the military filter, that man was undoubtedly top-tier, heavenly handsome.

‘He’s waving at me…’

“Cha Yoori, hang in there too.”

“Yes, me? How do you know my name…?”

“Your name tag. Anyway, hang in there.”

He even called my name.

With a sincere smile, no pretense.

If.

If only…

If I hadn’t joined the military, would I ever have received encouragement from such a man in my life?

Probably not.

No, definitely not.

This is a luxury only available to me as a soldier.

And in that moment, I realized.

The reason I’m here.

The reason I endure harsh training in the military.

It’s to protect precious citizens like that man.

Enlightened, I straightened my posture.

I raised my arms high like the other seniors.

Ready to cheer.

“Waaaah…!”

We are…

“Waaaaah…!”

The Republic of Korea Army, loyal to the nation and its people.

“Waaaaaaaaah!!!”

“I’ll protect the country! So you can sleep peacefully, oppa!!!”

Today, I felt patriotism.

I decided to stop acting useless and serve diligently.

***

Cha Yoori, was it?

I couldn’t help but notice that private.

Her chest was unusually large.

It was overwhelmingly larger than anyone else’s, even bigger than a helmet.

Then I saw her name tag, and feeling awkward for staring, I called her name.

That was a mistake.

Now I have to call out every soldier’s name.

“Call my name too! My name is Myeongja!”

“Myeongja, hang in there.”

“Waaaaah!!!”

By now, my arms are sore, and my throat hurts.

How long have I been doing this?

I can’t feel my hand anymore.

I can’t close the window because it’s tiring.

Once you start, you have to finish.

It’s not good to cheer for the front rows and ignore the back.

I haven’t had time to check the chat.

They’re probably chatting away by now.

***

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─F*** lol. These military dogs. They’ve all gone crazy over Gyesekkihoon’s appearance lol.

【Yoho】─Seeing the room master in person… I envy the soldiers.

『‘cncjswha12’ has entered the chat.』

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Oh. Newbie, welcome.

【cncjswha12】─Hi, what’s this broadcast about? I saw “123” in the title and got curious. Why are soldiers here?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─It’s a night drive. We happened to meet soldiers on a march lol.

【cncjswha12】─Oh. Is the room master male or female?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Why do you care, b****?

【Yoho】─She’s female.

【cncjswha12】─Oh. Female? I came for nothing. Bye.

『‘cncjswha12’ has left the chat.』

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─?? Did you see that b**** gatekeeping viewers?

【Yoho】─The room master said she doesn’t want promotions.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─She said she doesn’t want promotions, not to deceive and kick out viewers, you idiot.

【Yoho】─That person was destined to be banned anyway. They only look for male streams with ulterior motives.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─You’re acting all high and mighty lol.

『‘whfflek555’ has entered the chat.』

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Newbie, welcome. Suddenly, we’re getting some traffic.

【whfflek555】─What’s this broadcast about?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Night drive.

【whfflek555】─Male streamer?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Nope.

『‘whfflek555’ has left the chat.』

【Yoho】─Even if it’s a hobby broadcast, if it’s just the two of us, won’t the room master lose interest and quit?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Are you out of your mind? If that was the concern, you shouldn’t have lied about being female earlier, d*** it.

【Yoho】─That person had a shady vibe.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Stop talking nonsense lol. Anyway, our Gyesekkihoon won’t quit broadcasting. She said this is her only hobby lol. Looking at her house today, it doesn’t seem like she’ll quit for financial reasons.

【Yoho】─That’s a relief.

***

I reached the end of the line.

I waved to the soldiers until the very end.

“Hang in there…”

“Waaaaah! We love you!”

Finally, it was over.

Once we passed the marching soldiers, the road opened up.

I could finally speed up.

I glanced at the chat I hadn’t checked until now.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Sex sex~

【Yoho】─Ugh.

The viewer count was still two.

No new viewers, but it’s a relief the existing ones stayed.

I continued the conversation.

“Sorry, guys. I couldn’t pay attention to the broadcast.”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─If you’re going to apologize, don’t mess up in the first place lol.

【Yoho】─It’s okay 🙂

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─But is he really that good-looking in person? How handsome do you have to be to get that reaction? Is it because they’re soldiers?

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─I meant “handsome,” not “tasty” lol.

“Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, we’re entering the highway now, so we’ll reach the mart soon. I might not check the chat much since I need to speed up, so bear with me.”

【Yoho】─Focus on the road. We can communicate through donation messages instead of the chat 🙂

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─How long to the mart?

“Don’t donate, but about 20 minutes?”

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─F***, did this b**** build her house in the middle of nowhere? How long does it take to get to the mart by car?

【Yoho】─Wow. You must live in a really remote place… That’s dangerous 🙁

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Wow, seriously lol. But there aren’t any neighbors nearby, right?

“There are neighbors, idiot, just a bit far… And we’re going to a new large mart, so it takes longer.”

I didn’t deny living in the countryside.

It’s quite far from the city.

But the mart is pretty close.

Normally, it takes about 10 minutes from here.

It’s just taking longer because we’re going to the new mart.

‘Well, 20 minutes isn’t that long.’

Driving while enjoying the scenery, 20 minutes passed, and we arrived at the mart parking lot.

It was just the right distance.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Wow. The parking lot is huge. Like Yoho’s hole lol. It looks like Walmart in the US.

【Yoho】─Stop pretending you’ve been to the US.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Gyesekkihoon, where is this mart? Does Korea have places like this?

【Yoho】─Stop showing off that you don’t have a car. Don’t try to figure out where she lives.

【Gyeongsaeng Guburi】─Shut up, b****. Why do you keep telling me not to do things? And don’t treat a law-abiding citizen like a potential criminal, d*** it.

“If you’re curious, search for Nobel Mart on the internet.”

The parking lot was spacious and quiet.

There weren’t many customers.

They seem to be promoting it, though…

Is it because it’s far from the city?

Word hasn’t spread much yet.

‘It’s nice to have plenty of parking space.’

After parking in a suitable spot,

I moved my smartphone to the selfie stick, grabbed my wallet, and got out of the car.

I walked a bit and reached the mart entrance.

Just as I was about to enter the mart…

“W-wait a second!”

Suddenly, an employee blocked my way.

“Yes? Why?”

“How did you get here? Can I ask how you arrived?”

How did I get here?

I came to shop.

Why are you asking something so obvious?

Does this mart conduct inspections on customers?

Looking at the employee’s face, they were sweating profusely for some reason.