06:30.
As always, I opened my eyes to the sound of reveille.
I quickly straightened my slippers, drew the curtain, and stepped into the hallway.
I was holding a pink tumbler.
I filled it with room-temperature water from the communal water dispenser, then returned to the barracks room.
Only then did the seniors begin waking up one by one.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee was stretching with her hair still disheveled.
“Yaaawn.”
She beckoned with half-closed eyes.
“Water. Water.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. I prepared it in advance.”
“Very good attitude.”
The first thing Corporal Gwak Woo-hee looked for after waking up was water.
I'd done this for her every day before I regressed, so I hadn't forgotten.
The tumbler belonged to Corporal Gwak Woo-hee too.
After gulping down some water, she held the tumbler out.
“You have some too.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho. Thank you. I'll drink without touching my lips to it.”
“You can touch it.”
“Ooh~ An indirect kiss?”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som, rubbing her eyes beside us, snickered.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee gestured with her chin toward the top of her locker.
A heavy combat helmet sat there.
“Ye-som, want me to hit you with that first thing in the morning?”
“Corporal Jeong Ye-som. It was only a joke.”
These women were always entertaining.
I smiled lightly and drank some water.
The last traces of sleepiness vanished instantly.
Corporal Jeong Ye-som reached out.
“Yun-ho, me too, me too.”
“Hey, not you.”
“Aww, just one sip.”
She linked her arm around Corporal Gwak Woo-hee's and acted cute.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee shook her head.
“But don't put your lips on it.”
“Wow. Is my mouth dirty?”
“Yeah.”
“…That's cruel.”
At the firm answer, Corporal Jeong Ye-som's lips pushed out in a pout.
I barely suppressed my laughter and handed her the tumbler.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho.”
“Thank you.”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som wet her throat as well.
After taking a couple of sips, she tilted her head.
“Huh? Why is it lukewarm? You should've gotten cold water.”
“Room-temperature water is better in the morning.”
“Why is that?”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, whose eyes were completely awake now, answered.
“They say it's easier on your stomach that way. Think about it. Your body rests for eight hours, then suddenly something ice-cold pours into it. How uncomfortable would that be?”
“Hmm. That's an extremely convincing argument.”
It wasn't just convincing.
It was true.
I'd picked up the habit of drinking room-temperature water in the morning from Corporal Gwak Woo-hee myself.
“But what's with him?”
Starting today, I no longer had to worry about Corporal Byeon Ji-tak, who usually dragged himself awake right before morning roll call.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee picked up her pillow.
“What kind of junior is still sprawled out asleep when his senior's already awake?”
The pillow flew in a straight line and landed on the snoring Corporal Byeon Ji-tak's head.
THUD.
He shot upright.
“Fuck! Which bastard was that?”
“It’s Woo-hee, you bastard. Why?”
“Ah…!”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee glared at Corporal Byeon Ji-tak with her arms crossed.
He'd looked ready to kill someone a moment ago, but his eyes immediately dropped as he returned the pillow to her.
Respectfully, with both hands.
I was beside her, straightening her bedding.
“Corporal Byeon Ji-tak, wake up promptly in the morning. Understood?”
“…Corporal Byeon Ji-tak. Understood.”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee might've been a senior Corporal and the squad's ace, but Corporal Byeon Ji-tak was still a Corporal too.
Putting aside his shitty personality, he was also quite skilled.
Even so, Corporal Gwak Woo-hee never gave Corporal Byeon Ji-tak any slack.
She knew perfectly well that if she did, he'd run wild like a horse let loose from its reins.
You could tell just by how much easier she was on Corporal Song Ji-han, who was junior to him.
“Yun-ho, are you done?”
“Yes. I just need to square everything up.”
“Forget the corners. Come massage your noona's shoulders. Maybe it's the aftereffects of leave, but they've been aching.”
“Understood.”
I was the youngest, so naturally I had to attend to her.
I sat behind her and kneaded her shoulders.
“Yeah, like that. Good, good. A little harder.”
“Yes.”
The more I touched her shoulders, the more surprising it was.
She had such a slender build that there was barely any flesh to grab, yet once a battle started, she'd practically mow enemies down by herself.
This was what made Abilities so frightening.
They made it impossible to judge someone by appearance alone.
“Five minutes until morning roll call!”
After finishing the massage, I announced the time to the seniors.
The male seniors roughly wiped the sleep from their eyes and headed out, while the female seniors at least fixed their hair before leaving.
It wasn't as though any of us needed to impress each other anyway.
I left the barracks room on time as well.
“Did everyone sleep well last night?”
“Yes!”
“Too quiet. Did everyone sleep well last night?”
“Yes!!!”
“Good. That's more like it. Then we'll begin morning roll call for May 16th, 2030.”
07:00, parade ground.
Since today was May 16th, eleven days had passed since my regression.
Has it already been that long?
Time flies.
A lot had changed in those eleven days or so.
Most of all, I had.
‘Positive changes. And there'll be even more from now on.’
After morning roll call, we ate and washed up briefly.
A shower would've made me feel completely refreshed, but I wasn't diligent enough for that.
I'd be drenched in sweat soon anyway.
We were scheduled to patrol the Authorized Travel Area today.
“Haah, I'm already hot just thinking about walking around in all this gear. Aren't you, Corporal Gwak Woo-hee?”
“That's why I bought this.”
“What's that?”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, now changed into her combat uniform, was holding a small fan.
Oddly enough, it was military green.
“A mini fan. It's surprisingly cool. Try it.”
WHIRRR.
It wasn't very loud, but the wind was strong.
When Corporal Jeong Ye-som leaned her face toward it, her hair fluttered wildly.
“I can't believe something this useful existed. It's military green too, so you can barely tell at a glance.”
“Exactly. You could probably attach it to your X-Band instead of a flashlight and nobody would notice.”
“Where did you buy it? I'll get one when I go on leave.”
“You don't need to.”
“Aw, are you keeping it all to yourself?”
“No. I already have one for you.”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee pulled an identical mini fan from her locker.
“Here.”
“Whoa! You're giving that to me?”
“Yeah. A present for our Ye-som. I order you around often enough that I should at least do this much.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Corporal Jeong Ye-som accepted the mini fan with sparkling eyes.
“Corporal Jeong! Ye! Som!”
“Anyone watching would think you're receiving an award.”
“This practically is an award~”
She attached it to her X-Band in place of the flashlight.
Then my name was called.
“Youngest.”
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho.”
“If I'm giving presents to people I order around, I can't leave out our youngest. Here.”
“Me too?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
“Ahh, my arm's going to fall off.”
I hurried over to her bunk.
“Private Second Class Gu Yun-ho! Thank you! I'll put it to good use!”
“Good. Keep taking good care of me.”
“Yes!”
Gwak Woo-hee, the Grand Witch of Barracks Hazing.
But because she was so thorough about balancing the carrot and the stick, her juniors never had reason to hate her.
“Come here. I'll attach it for you.”
She personally fastened the mini fan to my X-Band.
It used a snap fastener, so it looked secure enough that it wouldn't fall off even if I sprinted at full speed.
“If it gets hot during patrol later, just turn the head and switch it on.”
“Understood. Thank you again.”
“Sure. I'm grateful too.”
She patted my head before finishing putting on the rest of her equipment.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak returned to the barracks room after stepping out for a cigarette.
He frowned when he saw me placing the removed flashlight inside my locker.
“This bastard’s gotten fucking lax. Since when does a Private Second Class get to remove equipment?”
“I did that.”
A cold voice came from behind him.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee had already put on all her equipment and was lacing up her combat boots.
“I took off his flashlight and attached a mini fan.”
“…Ah.”
“Do you have a problem with that?”
“…Of course not. No problem.”
A few words were enough to shut his mouth instantly.
Granted, that was because the other person was Corporal Byeon Ji-tak.
Even I would've felt self-conscious if I were the only one getting special treatment like this.
But none of the other seniors had any complaints.
It wasn't because Corporal Gwak Woo-hee was the real power in the squad.
They all knew how much she put me through(?) in return.
“Yun-ho, keep your hand muscles nice and loose during extended lights-out this weekend. I need a hand massage.”
Something like this alone made the reason obvious.
“Yes.”
I didn't particularly consider the way Corporal Gwak Woo-hee treated me to be unreasonable.
Stopping someone from doing something they're perfectly capable of doing.
That was what I'd call truly unreasonable.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee's behavior was closer to affection.
“We'll be patrolling the Authorized Travel Area all morning and afternoon today. You all know the rules without me having to explain them, right? Your gait, speech, where you look—make sure none of it violates the standards expected of a Hunter Corps soldier.”
Before departure, Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan warned us.
He said the same thing every time we went on patrol.
It couldn't be helped.
Forget maintaining the proper conduct of a Hunter Corps soldier.
Some ill-tempered civilians actually filed complaints.
“Yes, yes. Understood.”
Corporal Byeon Ji-tak and Private First Class Kang Seong-jun gave half-hearted answers, then whispered to each other while staring at the watch faintly visible beneath Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan's sleeve.
“Corporal Byeon Ji-tak, isn't the Squad Leader's watch fucking expensive?”
“Yeah. It's probably worth at least a few tens of millions of won.”
“Where'd he get it? Don't tell me it's fake.”
“The Squad Leader only wears designer clothes when he's off duty too. I doubt it's fake.”
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan boarded the vehicle first.
Private First Class Kang Seong-jun watched him closely.
“Designer clothes are one thing, but does a Staff Sergeant even make enough money to buy a watch like that? He's only a Staff Sergeant.”
“Not a chance. Maybe he stole it somewhere.”
They probably said it because they couldn't understand how else he could afford it.
Funnily enough, though, it was true.
Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan was currently stealing.
His wrongdoing was the very cause of the commotion that was about to erupt within our squad.
The idiot.
If you're going to do something like that, at least be careful.
Instead, he flaunts it around like this.
Tsk, tsk.
I quietly clicked my tongue.
Anyway, the time had finally come.
It would spark tonight and explode as soon as day broke tomorrow.
The entire squad would be turned upside down.
Afterward, Staff Sergeant Kwon Min-chan would receive a Dishonorable Discharge, and ‘that person’ would be newly assigned here.
So in the end, it was actually a good thing.
***
09:15, a national park near the base.
On a pleasant day with a cool breeze blowing, groups of three or four Hunter Corps soldiers were moving through the park.
It was our 3rd Squad, out on Authorized Travel Area patrol.
“Look at those two locking lips first thing in the morning.”
The park was fairly large, so there were quite a few visitors even though it was a weekday.
The squad members—especially Corporal Song Ji-han, who was in my group—openly showed their displeasure at the couples around us.
“I hope they have a huge fight and break up.”
He was outright cursing them now.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, who was also in our group, burst out laughing.
“Hey, try having a nicer heart. This is why you can't get a girlfriend.”
“Ah, I'll have one soon.”
“Does ‘soon’ mean about five years from now?”
“Corporal Gwak Woo-hee, why are you cursing me now? That's too much.”
Corporal Song Ji-han muttered with his lips stuck out in a pout.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee kept laughing for quite a while.
“Ah, youth.”
Among the visitors were some high school girls who seemed to be on a field trip.
At their age, even their steps were overflowing with energy.
Corporal Song Ji-han apparently decided this was his chance.
“After looking at Corporal Gwak Woo-hee and then seeing those girls, they really do look fresh-faced.”
“Are you saying I'm old?”
“Come on, why do you always take it that way?”
“Ji-han.”
“Corporal Song Ji-han.”
“Want to get beaten in front of all these civilians?”
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee fiddled with her weapon.
Corporal Song Ji-han immediately tucked his tail.
“H-Hahaha. Looking again, I think Corporal Gwak Woo-hee looks even more youthful. You've transcended age itself.”
“Right?”
“Yes, yes.”
Their back-and-forth kept me laughing the entire time.
That was when I noticed several pairs of eyes glancing our way.
All of them were looking toward us.
“What? Aren't they staring at us?”
“I think they are.”
I answered.
“Is there something behind us?”
I turned around, but there was nothing there.
Only more visitors entering the park.
“Could they have fallen for me?”
Corporal Song Ji-han immediately got ahead of himself, practically gulping down an entire bowl of kimchi broth.
Corporal Gwak Woo-hee spread her hand wide.
“If that's why, I'll fry my own guts.”
“What are you going to do if it turns out I'm ri… Huh? They're coming this way.”
At that moment, the high school girls suddenly came rushing toward us.
There were about seven of them.
Their skirts fluttered as they ran straight over and came to an abrupt stop in front of someone.
“Excuse me…!”
Me.
The high school girls stared intently at me with clear eyes.
What's with these girls?