EBCGM 05

Chapter 05 …

If You Can’t Avoid It, Enjoy It

Sergeant Cha was mid-explanation about the different types of fuel stored in the depot when a voice cut in.

“How’s it going—”

“…Oh, Supply Officer! Salute! I didn’t even hear you come in, sir.”

“What are you so startled for? It’s not like I’m gonna eat you alive.”

“Hahaha, no, it’s not that…”

“How is this guy doing?”

I must have been paying too much attention to Sergeant Cha’s explanation, because I hadn’t noticed the Supply Officer enter the fuel depot either.

“I don’t know if it’s my place to say this, but…”

“Why? Is he a total dud?”

“The exact opposite, sir. He’s way too good.”

“Too good? At what?”

“Whatever you teach him once, he never forgets. He remembers everything. And on top of that…”

“On top of that?”

“He handles those oil-filled drums like they’re completely empty.”

“Like empty drums? A guy who just got here?”

“Yes, Supply Officer.”

“What kind of nonsense is that! Have him do it right in front of me!”

The Supply Officer barked out the demand on the spot. Hearing his booming voice, I took one look at Sergeant Cha’s aggrieved expression and…

CLANG!

I effortlessly stood a heavy drum packed with unleaded fuel upright in a single motion. Watching me intently with narrowed eyes, the Supply Officer raised a single eyebrow.

“You, you bastard…”

“Private Han Taepyeong!”

“…Have you handled fuel drums before back on the outside?”

“No, sir. This is my first time.”

“Are you sure?!”

“Yes, sir. Handling actual oil drums is definitely a first—”

“You’ve got the posture down way too well for a beginner!”

“Truth be told, I’ve never stood up drums like this before.”

“Then what?”

“Over in the States, I used to lift and flip massive, heavy tires a lot. As part of my athletic training—”

“Tire training?”

I simply laid out the facts as they were. To avoid getting pushed around by the guys I played football and wrestled with, I had gone through all sorts of strength training. When lifting the fuel drums, flipping those giant heavy tires was the first thing that came to mind, so I just applied that exact same technique here.

“Well, damn. What kind of monster did we get here, huh?”

“From what I can tell, sir, his raw strength is unbelievable.”

“More than yours?”

“Pardon, sir?”

“I asked if you think he’s stronger than you, you idiot.”

“…Honestly, sir, it’s hard to deny.”

“Hey—you bastard! I worked so hard to turn you into our company’s ace! And you yield after watching him for five minutes?!”

The ace?

Oho.

I thought Sergeant Cha seemed a bit different from the rest. Turns out he was considered the company ace.

“You, get over here and take your stance!”

“Private Han Taepyeong, are you referring to me, sir?”

“Yeah, you!”

The Supply Officer was considerably shorter than me, but his hands were unusually large for his frame. Out of nowhere, he rested his right arm on top of an old wooden table sitting outside the fuel depot and assumed an arm-wrestling stance.

“Grab my hand.”

“Sir, is that really okay—”

“Let’s see just how strong you really are!”

It had been a while since I last arm-wrestled. But what choice did I have? It was the Supply Officer himself calling the shots, not just anyone.

“Gi-dae! You give the countdown!”

“Yes, sir! Three, two, one!”

“…What kind of absurd hand size is this?!”

Honestly, the moment our hands locked, I knew. If I put my full strength into it from the very start, I could slam his arm down in a matter of seconds. But for the moment, I just held my ground and resisted.

What should I do here? Should I throw the match on purpose? Or should I just pin his arm down?

While I was deliberating—

“This guy! Put some real strength into it!”

“Hmph—”

Setting rank aside… setting his position as Supply Officer aside… I had intended to let him win out of respect for his age. But at his booming shout, my muscles instinctively flexed a bit harder.

Snap—

The Supply Officer’s arm got pinned instantly. Game over.

“Supply Officer… are you alright, sir?”

Fearing I had crossed a line, I kept my mouth shut in embarrassed silence. Sergeant Cha voiced the question, but the officer just stared daggers straight into my eyes.

…Damn it, I really should have thrown the match on purpose.

“Look at this, look at this!”

“…?”

“He’s a complete powerhouse, huh?! Look, I might be getting older and missing the strength I had in my twenties, but I still don’t lose at arm wrestling anywhere I go! Is a guy who drank American water just built different?! Huh?!”

Suddenly, a massive grin broke across the Supply Officer’s usually stern face. It was brief—just a split second—but he actually looked at me with a faint smile.

“Passed!”

“Pardon, sir?”

“You heard me right, you punk.”

And just like that, by the Supply Officer’s decree, I officially became part of the Supply Section.

Only later did I discover the truth: Master Sergeant Heo, the Supply Officer, was the undisputed, undefeated arm-wrestling champion among everyone in the entire unit.

Well, he was—until I showed up.

“Feel free to make your call. I’ll be using the phone in that booth over there.”

As the sun began to set on my second day, Sergeant Cha’s consideration granted me a brief window to make a phone call. But stepping inside the phone booth, I realized I didn’t really have anyone to call.

Due to my father’s strict instructions, as far as the public record was concerned, I wasn’t even in Korea—I was still living over in the United States. I recalled his firm rule that while serving in the military, I was only allowed to communicate through Secretary Park.

“Hello? Who is calling—?”

“Secretary Park. It’s Han Taepyeong.”

“I was actually waiting for your call. I knew you were sent to a unit in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, but I hadn’t heard from you.”

“I didn’t really have time to make a call yesterday.”

“I see.”

“How are my father and mother doing?”

“They are doing well, of course. How is the unit you’re currently serving in?”

At Secretary Park’s question, I blinked a few times, staring up at the empty air.

“I just arrived yesterday, so I’m not entirely sure yet—”

“Of course, that’s understandable.”

“By the way… is what happened to my assignment due to my father’s influence?”

“What do you mean—?”

“As you know, I completed tank driver training at Shangmu Academy, but suddenly I got assigned as a Supply Section clerk.”

“Is that so? Hmm, that is certainly not a common occurrence, though I know it does happen on occasion within the military hierarchy.”

“So, what’s the answer to my question?”

“Not at all. The Chairman has not exerted any influence whatsoever.”

“Are you certain?”

“This is just my personal opinion, but knowing the Chairman’s personality as well as I do after serving him for so long… I believe he would have actually preferred the opposite. To put it simply, he would have been much more satisfied if you had served out your term strictly as a tank driver according to your specialty.”

Fair enough.

The father I knew was exactly like that. Once he set his mind or gave a word, he was never one to change it easily.

“He did say I’d be serving my time in the military without a single luxury or special privilege.”

“Yes.”

“Anyway, please tell my parents that I’m doing just fine.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, before I hang up… how are my older brother and younger sister doing? Are they well?”

“Both of them are doing well without any issues as well.”

“The youngest must be under a lot of stress being in her final year of high school.”

My older brother was born exceptionally frail and sickly, while I, on the flip side, was almost too healthy for my own good. And between the two of us, we had a baby sister.

As if the heavens had answered my mother’s desperate wish for a daughter, she was born late in my parents’ lives as the youngest of the family.

“She occasionally asks me how her older brother is doing.”

“Does she?”

“Ever since she was little, she always adored and followed you around, didn’t she?”

“Tell her I’m still alive and breathing.”

“…Haha.”

“Alright, I’ll contact you again later.”

Seeing Sergeant Cha hang up his receiver in the adjacent booth, I timed it right and wrapped up my call as well.

“Did you have a good call with your parents?”

“Thanks to you, Sergeant. I really appreciate it.”

“Appreciate what? You could’ve talked longer if you wanted.”

“No, that was more than enough.”

“Is that so? Well, glad to hear it. Whew… man, wrapping up a phone call makes me crave a cigarette so bad.”

Click. Click. Fzzzt. Phew—

Was something bothering him?

Sergeant Cha pulled out a cigarette and lit it, sinking deep into his own thoughts. I quietly stood by his side, keeping him company in silence.

“…Hey, bro.”

“Yes, Sergeant.”

“Are both of your parents healthy?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“That’s a relief… I’m jealous.”

Bringing up parents out of nowhere? And even saying he was jealous? Was one of his parents in bad shape?

“Honestly, my mom was admitted to the hospital a little while ago.”

“Sergeant Cha’s mother?”

“Yeah. But it looks like the medical bills are no joke. My dad is taking on whatever odd jobs he can scrape together… borrowing money from people around us, too.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what seems to be the problem—?”

“Her kidneys. I heard she was born with weak kidneys. Sigh. I take after my dad so I don’t have any issues, but…”

Phew—

Sergeant Cha took a long, deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled the smoke, trying to vent even a fraction of the suffocating weight on his chest.

“Listen to me rambling on about random stuff. Just pretend you didn’t hear any of that.”

Well, I’d already heard it, so I couldn’t exactly act like I hadn’t. Part of me wanted to ask for his mother’s name and the hospital she was staying at right then and there, but…

“They don’t say ‘health comes first’ for nothing. That’s why you and I need to stay healthy, finish our service, and get discharged without any trouble.”

“Yes, Sergeant.”

“I just wish time would fly by. That way, I can get out of here as soon as possible and start making money. Even if I have to do heavy construction labor, or whatever else brings in cash. My mom’s hospital bills… ah, brought it up again.”

“It’s completely fine.”

“Urgh! Well, another day comes to an end! And a bit late, but officially: welcome to the Supply Section!”

Hearing his words, I snapped to attention and threw a textbook salute, shouting out my rank and name just to show my appreciation. Only after seeing my overly dramatic performance did my senior drop his gloomy expression and let his lips curve into a smile.

“Now that you’re officially one of us, until the day I get discharged, you just trust me, alright?”

“Thank you for saying so, Sergeant.”

“Do I look like a guy who’s all talk?”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

“If anyone tries to mess with you, you come straight to me. I don’t care about anything else, but I absolutely will not tolerate anyone messing with my people. That goes for the Supply Officer and the Logistics NCO, too.”

“Yes, Sergeant. Understood.”

“…Though it looks like I’m about to lose my title as the Supply Section ace. I haven’t seen the Supply Officer smile that genuinely more than a handful of times in my entire service.”

“Not at all, Sergeant. I still have so much to learn—”

“Obvious question, but you haven’t been to the PX yet, right? After dinner, let’s grab a few guys and head over.”

Sergeant Cha reached out and patted my shoulder a few times.

He was trying his best to put on a brave face in front of a junior who was way younger in service, but I could tell his heart was rotting away inside over his mother’s condition.

“Excuse me, Sergeant Cha. May I ask you for one small favor?”

“A favor?”

“It will only take a moment. If I could just make one more phone call—”

“What, you made it sound like you were asking for the world! Go ahead, take your time. I’ll just smoke another cigarette.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. I’ll be as fast as I can—”

“Man, you really find a million things to be thankful for.”

Even with Sergeant Cha’s permission, I quickly stepped back into the phone booth with sharp, disciplined movements to maintain the persona of a crisp new recruit.

“Hello—”

“Secretary Park, it’s Taepyeong again. I apologize for calling back so soon.”

“Not at all. What can I do for you—?”

“I need you to look into someone for me.”

“Look into someone? Do you mean an officer or a fellow soldier you’re serving with—?”

“Specifically, his mother.”

“…?”

I could practically hear Secretary Park’s brain spinning rapidly on the other end of the line, trying to grasp the sudden situation. But my next words didn’t leave him guessing for long.

“I need you to handle this for me.”

“If that is the case… yes, understood.”

“Quietly, so no one else notices—”

As if that went without saying, Secretary Park answered in a calm, measured baritone voice.