STJ_06

Doyoung followed the thin man from behind, glancing down at the map in his hand. He felt the need to know where he was being taken.

[East Wing Living Room: Parlor 1] The destination was a waiting room or reception area next to the Arena.

The room looked like an airport lounge. Along one wall was a long row of catering tables for tea, drinks and snacks. The plush looking couches in the room were divided into several groups.

As they entered the lavishly decorated room, the soldiers and staff members sitting there jumped to their feet.

"Lieutenant Colonel, hello!"

"Have a good day, Lieutenant Colonel."

The soldiers raised their hands and bowed their heads in greeting. After that, they cleaned up the place they had occupied before.

Doyoung felt a strange sensation as he watched them hastily leave the room. Their hasty exit looked like they were fleeing rather than abandoning the room.

On the other hand, Kangjun walked over to the sofa without hesitation, as if their behavior was normal.

He wore an immaculate uniform and black leather gloves on his hands. There was a silver rank insignia on the shoulder of the navy blue uniform, as well as white accents in several places, which looked neat and clean.

The atmosphere was so different that it made one wonder if he was really related to Sa Iijun, who had just worn a blood-stained battle uniform.

Kangjun walked over to the sofa, took a silk handkerchief out of his pocket, and wiped the two armrests of the leather sofa. Then he threw the handkerchief into the trash.

Doyoung's eyes widened. The handkerchief seemed to be a luxury brand from the logo on it.

As he sat down, Kangjun pointed to the sofa in the corner to his right.

"Please sit down.”

Doyoung sat on the spot he was shown, his gaze still fixed on the trash can. He kept guessing why he was summoned.

However, Kangjun didn't seem to want to tell him right away. He sat with his legs crossed, put his iPad on his lap, and casually looked down.

Doyoung silently watched the handsome man with his deep black eyes.

His features were exquisite. Fine lines beneath his neatly combed, pomade-slicked hair revealed his pale forehead.

His stoic face showed no greed, as if it were a carefully carved statue. Yet he felt like a distant existence.

His shoulders were broad underneath that unrealistic face. It wasn't hard to guess that there was a trained body underneath the uniform he wore.

Doyoung, admiring the blurred shadow of his crossed thigh muscles, then looked down at his own thighs.

Suddenly he wondered if there were any physical training facilities here. Surely there were. And free.

"Sa Kangjun.”

At that moment, Kangjun whispered his name in a low voice. Doyoung, lost in other thoughts, looked up in surprise.

"......yes?"

"A 28-year-old lieutenant colonel. Why do we have to be generous to an Esper like him?"

"......!"

Doyoung's face immediately turned pale.

His trembling eyes shifted to the iPad that Kangjun was holding, looking at the article he had written.

Doyoung bit his lip and repeatedly shouted ‘Damn!’ in his heart as Kangjun lowered his thick eyelashes and read the article.

Quickly, Doyoung remembered the content of the article he had written.

| <Recent News Brunch> Sa Kangjun, a 28-year-old Lieutenant Colonel. Why should we be so generous to an Esper like him?

The 'Minimum Service Promotion Period' system that applies to soldiers does not apply to Espers.

Regular soldiers feel shortchanged.

The S-class Esper, Sa Kangjun, is known to all Koreans. On the 12th, he was promoted from major to lieutenant colonel. His promotion ceremony was held at the UEFC and was attended by many people, including his father, the current Minister of National Defense, Sa Geonho, and President Kim Jaeho, who congratulated him and sent flowers.

When we think of the rank of lieutenant colonel, we usually think of a middle-aged soldier.

In general, a major becomes a lieutenant colonel after ten years of service. Five years must pass while he is a Major in order to be considered and promoted as having met the requirements to become a Lieutenant Colonel. This is called the ‘Minimum Service Promotion Period’.

Considering that most soldiers are promoted to Second Lieutenant at an average age of 24, it is estimated that the minimum age to become a Lieutenant Colonel is 40. But how can this 28-year-old man become a lieutenant colonel?

The answer is simple. Because there is a special Esper Guide provision that states that the Minimum Service Promotion Period System does not apply to Espers.

It has been more than 20 years since the Gate Break incident, during which humans and Espers from various countries were continuously exiled, leading to the enactment of anti-discrimination laws to prohibit any natural discrimination based on race or nationality.

On the other hand, being an Esper is by nature, not by effort, so isn't giving privileges only to them also a form of discrimination?

Lieutenant Colonel is a position that requires great responsibility as the supreme commander of an independent unit. Is it right to give this position to a young Esper? Some say it's a discriminatory appointment that undermines the morale of regular soldiers.

Presence (貫祿). This is a term that refers to the dignity or authority caused by extensive experience in something.

So I want to ask Sa Kangjun. Do you think that an Esper with no official record has the authority and qualifications to lead a major who has served in the military for 20 years?

Reporter Joo Doyoung dodojoo@tnews.co.kr |

Click, the sound of the iPad cover closing echoed, making Doyoung's shoulders shake in surprise. After reading the entire article, Kangjun silently lifted his black eyes and looked at Doyoung.

"If you want to ask, I'll answer it."

"Ah, that... it's not that I want to hear the answer..."

Doyoung shouted ‘Damn!’ in his heart. After this happened, he really wanted to blame the director who told him to write the article and was responsible for the number of views.

"I got this promotion when I was eight years old because I became a member of the military, which means I've been in the military for 20 years. So I think I have my own achievements."

"......"

"So far I have been promoted five times. Special promotions were given when I made significant achievements during the war. This is an award and also a driving force for me to move forward. Besides, Espers don't have freedom, unless their powers disappear, they belong to the country until they die. Therefore, rank is the only thing that can make us feel worthy."

Cold sweat ran down Doyoung's forehead.

"Although I can't say what achievements I've made thanks to the National Security Act, I tend to think that what I've done is undervalued because of my young age."

".....yes."

It sounded more like ‘yes*’ than ‘yes**’. Even his voice sounded strained and sad.

*t/n: *니예; **예; In formal conversation, ‘니예’ is considered more polite than ‘예’.

"I hope that answered your doubts."

"Haha... okay."

Doyoung smiled slightly, trying to break the icy atmosphere. He could acknowledge Sa Kangjun's handsome appearance, his intelligence comparable to a scholar, and his achievements for the country. However, his human side didn't seem to be very good.

It would be better to be angry from the beginning. Did he have a bad taste in making others sit on a bed of thorns?

"Do you have any questions about me? Anything you want to ask."

"No. Nothing."

He wanted to know if he felt better. Doyoung patted his chest, feeling a bit relieved after all the blows he had received. However, Sa Kangjun's problem didn't seem to be over yet.

"Now, let's talk about Joo Doyoung-ssi. What kind of person Joo Doyoung-ssi is?"

"What? Me?"

His eyes focused on Doyoung, as dark as unfathomable depths. Doyoung, who didn't answer, stared back at him, unconsciously touching the back of his neck.

Was he doing an interview? Questions about work or age were easy, but if it was a question about what kind of person he was, it was harder than he imagined.

"May I ask why you suddenly asked that question?"

"Just personal curiosity. I'm curious about the environment in which Chief Joo grew up."

"I don't know. My father died when I was young, and my mother raised me alone. Except for the accident I had when I was young, my life was always normal..."

Doyoung, who was talking about his childhood and the plane crash he experienced, suddenly stopped because something flashed in his mind. He (DY) remembered that he (KJ) had saved him from the plane.

"Ah! Now that I think about it, I haven't had a chance to thank you. I heard that you saved me from the plane that day."

"It's no big deal."

He tried to express his gratitude more sincerely, but Kangjun raised his hand to stop him. It seemed like he wanted to hear something else.

"I was just doing my job. By the way, what you said was the accident you had as a child?"

"Yes? Ah... yes. It was a plane crash."

"Plane crash?"

"Yes. One of the engines blew up. The rear fuselage, which was hit by the debris, tore apart when the engine fell off. Five people died in the crash. It turned out that the cause of the accident was poor maintenance."

"I see. That must have been very difficult."

"After that, I tried to avoid getting on planes. As expected, it seems it was because of the trauma. What also happened that day... Thank you again."

Kangjun's deep gaze remained on Doyoung for a while. Like a magnet attached to iron filings, the tiny hairs on his forearm stood on end. Wherever his eyes went, it felt as if he was being licked by the tongue of a cold snake.

Doyoung rubbed his arm because of the goose bumps.

"I... If there's nothing else you want to ask..."

Just as he was thinking of not staying any longer because of the heavy gaze, the door opened with a loud bang.

–

TL: Muji

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