Taeui bristled again.This time, he had a clear memory.One day, out of nowhere, Kim Jeong-pil had approached him with a stern face, thrust an envelope into his hand, and then vanished. In the envelope was a single ticket for the most anticipated new release—exactly the film Taeui and his friends had been talking about for days, saying, “Yeah, when that opens, we’ve got to see it.”“…???”It felt sudden and strange, but before he could ask, Kim Jeong-pil had disappeared. Taeui scratched his head, looked at the ticket, and decided that since it had been given, he might as well go.Taeui often went to the movies alone, but he remembered that when he’d mentioned it a few times, his brother Jaeui had sounded interested—“Really? Maybe I’ll go too.” So he bought a second ticket for his brother—and thankfully there was an empty seat right beside him—and they went together.In the end, Taeui never really caught the plot.Sitting in the seat directly next to his own—and opposite from where Jaeui sat—was Kim Jeong-pil.The moment he saw Taeui, Kim Jeong-pil scowled, and Taeui reflexively scowled back.Why was he here? Had he bought two tickets? Thoughts raced through his mind, but since Kim Jeong-pil was the one who’d given the ticket, Taeui said thanks. Kim Jeong-pil ignored him, then spent the entire film kicking the back of Taeui’s seat, shoving his arm off the armrest, and muttering indistinct curses, making it impossible to watch.Did this bastard give me the ticket just to ruin my movie?When the film ended—after Taeui had hissed “Be quiet” and “Sit still” hundreds of times in a mosquito-buzz voice—he pummeled Kim Jeong-pil’s head as the credits began. Kim Jeong-pil, as if waiting for that moment, grabbed Taeui by the collar and they tumbled onto the floor.“You really love buying tickets to make peace, don’t you! That was my most–anticipated film of the year, and afterward I never even wanted to look at the whole series again!”Taeui’s old anger flared as he clenched his fist and trembled.“Cold?” Yun Chang-o, blinking, handed back the jacket he’d flung off and dropped it in Taeui’s hand.“Back then, Jeong-pil bought two tickets to watch with you.”“He only gave me one! He glared at me and disappeared—how the hell am I supposed to know if he bought two or two hundred!”“…After that, Jeong-pil tried to meet you for a heart-to-heart talk, and you stood him up.”“What? You’re not talking about that midnight meeting on the back hill, are you?”Taeui glared. In the midst of their post-brawl, gasping for breath with the drill sergeant dragging them apart, Kim Jeong-pil had glared at him for a long moment and said, “Meet me on the back hill at midnight. I need to talk.”And Taeui had said, “Fine, see you then”—then hadn’t shown up. It had been late autumn and cold as hell.He remembered Kim Jeong-pil coughing the next day, glaring at him like he wanted to kill, and Taeui had smirked.“What kind of heart-to-heart is that? If it were you, would you think that’s a talk, or more like a death threat?!”Taeui vented his anger. After that, they just fought mercilessly, trading blows and curses at every chance.Then, just before graduation, rumors about Taeui’s orientation spread through the school, and it got completely out of control. They became the enemies from hell.“…I’m beginning to think there was some fundamental problem between you two…”Yun Chang-o muttered as he toyed with the protruding ointment tin in his pocket. Taeui fell silent. Somehow, hearing all that, he thought maybe he had been a bit mistaken.Not about everything—Kim Jeong-pil’s later behavior still made his blood boil. His thoughtless gossip had made Taeui’s life a living hell. Taeui had never intended to hide his orientation, but he certainly hadn’t planned to broadcast it to people who weren’t potential partners. Of course, he never considered just anyone a partner.Yet whenever Taeui started to get along with someone, Kim Jeong-pil would appear and sneer, “That guy’s a faggot—nothing good can come of getting close.” It ate at Taeui’s heart. He even took stomach medicine for the first time out of sheer misery.So he had no intention of clearing that part up—but maybe, just maybe, for some of the earlier events, he had been mistaken.…For that, he might owe an apology.“Well…maybe there was a tiny misunderstanding…”Taeui mumbled awkwardly. Suddenly Yun Chang-o whipped the ointment tin out of his pocket and tossed it to Taeui.“Here.”“Huh?”Taeui caught it, blinking, and Yun Chang-o wiped his hands on a tissue.“Go deliver it. And if there’s something to clear up, clear it. Listen to his side, and tell him why you’re angry.”He muttered something about how tiger bones must taste, then slapped his fingers in his mouth—Taeui’s jaw dropped. Yun Chang-o sneered, covered his mouth, and raced out of the infirmary toward the bathroom.Taeui stared at the ointment tin in his hand.“…I really don’t want to.”He scratched his head. A few trivial old stories from another perspective wouldn’t change his feelings. Reality hadn’t changed. Kim Jeong-pil was still Kim Jeong-pil, and the grudge remained.But.Maybe talking it out a little was better.“Well, when I leave here, I probably won’t see him again anyway.”They’d likely never cross paths twice—so if there was something to settle, he might as well.Taeui got dressed and stood up—then yelped and bent over, scowling. The shooting range ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) training room was empty.“This is awkward…”Taeui twirled the ointment tin in his hand. The branch building was huge. Searching aimlessly for someone whose whereabouts were unknown would be even more impossible here.They say shit’s nowhere to be found when you need it.Taeui clicked his tongue and fiddled with the tin. He could always go to the barracks at night if he wanted to, but first he had to hand this over.“Hey, Taeui,” he said as he passed familiar faces, but in this training session with so many new people, nobody knew who Kim Jeong-pil was—or who might know where he was now.“Oh, right, Taeui!”An old comrade who suddenly remembered him stopped him with a puzzled look.“The guy you fought in front of the mess hall is back there again. You going for round two today? I’ll come watch.”“…”Taeui gave a reluctant “No plans to fight, but thanks,” then walked on.Whatever rumors were flying, it was oddly helpful. After all, there’s not much more entertaining than watching a fight. When these hot-blooded guys get together, people don’t try to stop fights—they cheer.“…Come to think of it, he was smiling and watching too…”Taeui remembered seeing Ilrey in the crowd at the earlier fight, wide-eyed and watching with interest. He knew Ilrey wouldn’t intervene—but still, watching so eagerly was a bit much.Is that bastard really living inside my skin? he thought bitterly, then headed down the west stairwell. The mess hall was one floor down, just off the central stairs.At the central landing, he looked down at the mess hall entrance half a floor below. He’d come to talk—but he didn’t know if Kim Jeong-pil was still there, had gone inside, or moved somewhere else entirely.He didn’t have to look long before he spotted them. On a long bench beside the mess hall door sat Kim Jeong-pil—together with Ilrey.“… ……”People passing in and out glanced, then froze when they saw Ilrey, tensing and keeping wary eyes as they moved on. On the landing half a floor up, it was all in view.And there, unfazed, chatting beside Ilrey, was Kim Jeong-pil.“What the hell is that pair…?”Taeui stared in shock. Even more incredible was that Ilrey was smiling—just a faint curve of his lips—and occasionally nodding in agreement as Kim Jeong-pil chattered away.What is that…? Taeui kept questioning as he descended the steps one by one. Kim Jeong-pil’s usually loud voice grew clearer as he went down:“…But of course it would make you angry. So I barged into that guy’s room in the middle of the night—and he was peacefully asleep. Then he mumbles as soon as he sees me, ‘Why are you haunting my dreams?’ Was I supposed to not deck him for that?!”When had that happened? There was a mountain of history with this bastard.“Yeah, I told him that would definitely twist my insides. He said that to me too.”“He did? That bastard… So what did Rick do?”“Well, since my dreams were already nasty, I thought, why not make them nastier?”“Oh, so you fought him then.”“He didn’t talk to me for about three days.”Listening to those familiar voices on the stairs, Taeui clenched his fist against the wall. Their stories were similar yet on a completely different level—and he didn’t like any of those levels.“There was another time. When I first got commissioned and went out as a second lieutenant, you’ve got to keep the junior officers in line. If they underestimate you, it bites you later. I had drilled them hard, and this guy just sat in the middle playing gambling hwatu with them.”“Gambling hwatu?”“Well—it’s a type of playing card. Basically gambling. He’d clear out their money, buy them snacks with it, win their favor, and turn them to his side. Such a slimy tactic! I said something, and he just sneered.”“I see… That sounds like you, Taeui.”Ilrey’s laughter trailed at the end of the sentence, and Kim Jeong-pil echoed with a mocking laugh.“For all that, he wasn’t entirely brother-complex crazy—when my brother came up, he’d laugh happily, but if I tried to say more he’d suddenly go pale and say, ‘By the way, my brother doesn’t care about that.’ Like he’d hit a wall. What kind of guy is that?”“Hmm… He’s a bit like that.”Ilrey nodded lightly, then lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head. At that moment, the hard tin brushed Kim Jeong-pil’s head with a sharp tap.“Ugh! What the…?”Kim Jeong-pil stared at the fallen tiger ointment in shock. Ilrey turned with a smile.“You must’ve applied your medicine well, Taeui?”“You love the brother-complex stuff… Want to sit there and gossip about me while laughing, do you? Fine.”Is it true—do you actually dislike me?!Ilrey’s shoulders rose in a light shrug, not the slightest hint of embarrassment, as he watched Taeui step off the stairs.

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