NOVEL WEB Chapter 162
The night is quiet.
The winter chill of December. A mid-winter night. The air blowing in from the East Sea is particularly cold. I exhaled white breath as I closed the window and returned to my post.
“Hey, hey, did you check the temperature in the dormitory?”
“Yes. I just checked the temperature in the dormitory a while ago.”
The sound of keyboard tapping continued.
“What about the patients?”
“There aren’t any.”
“Really? I saw it was a bit dirty in the restroom when I came in.”
“……”
“Did you check it…?”
The neat knock interrupted the conversation. After pausing my words and telling them to come in, the door opened after a slight delay.
Seeing the face of the person who entered, I stood up.
“Supply Officer.”
It’s Sergeant.
“What brings you to the duty room? I thought you finished your shift earlier. Is there something wrong?”
“Oh, that’s not it. I’m here to receive a personal call.”
“A personal call?”
“Yes.”
The Supply Officer visited the duty room looking just like any other day.
However, since it was deep into the night and he had someone following him, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. Moreover, the Supply Officer’s expression was somewhat dark.
“By the way, Squad Leader. There’s someone here to see you.”
“Me? Who on earth…”
At that moment.
The person standing behind the Supply Officer suddenly barged into the duty room.
“Wow, it’s been a while!”
The uninvited guest barged in loudly. The middle-aged man, dressed not in military uniform, but in a suit, looked strange, but I couldn’t say anything to him.
Recognizing the Suit Man, I was dumbfounded, and he strode up and hugged me tightly.
“Man, it’s been ages. You’ve grown so much!”
“Um, um…?”
“Look at that sea smell. Hey, are you still wearing that frog look? The front line folks are already digitalized. Hahaha.”
While the duty soldier stood wide-eyed, unable to grasp the sudden change in situation, the Suit Man turned his head.
“Wait a second… Myungwoo, is it alright if I use the duty room for a moment? It’s been a while since I met my nephew, and I want to catch up.”
“Yes, sir. I will clear out.”
“Thanks. Sorry for dropping by so late. We should get together for a meal sometime.”
“Sure.”
The Supply Officer nodded and took the duty soldier with him, exiting. The duty soldier looked back with questions in his eyes, wondering what was happening, but I had no answers to provide either.
The duty room was left with just the two of us. I stood there, bewildered and speechless.
In the meantime, the Suit Man chuckled and claimed a chair in the duty room.
“Sit down! Why are you standing there like a statue? Your legs will get tired.”
At that suggestion, I snapped back to my senses and asked him.
The uninvited guest who came to the duty room was not someone I didn’t know.
In fact, he was someone I knew well.
He was a friend of my father—a military friend.
“Um… sir? What brought you here?”
“Hey, why are you being so formal after so long? Just relax, call me uncle like you used to.”
The uncle I hadn’t seen in a while seemed so happy, and still not fully understanding the situation, I sat across from him.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly and asked him.
“But uncle, how did you find out about this place? I don’t think I’ve mentioned it since I met you when I commissioned, and it’s not like we’ve communicated well.”
“Oh, well, I came to take care of some matters at the nearby headquarters, and you crossed my mind, so I thought I’d swing by.”
“Headquarters? Weren’t you retired? I assumed you got a job after retiring.”
“Retired? Not at all. I’m still on active duty.”
“Oh, I see… Which unit are you with?”
“Just, you know, stationed in the metropolitan area.”
A warm cup of coffee calmed my nerves a bit.
After finishing his drink, my uncle reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a cigarette case.
“Do you smoke?”
“No, I don’t smoke.”
“Why? Is it bad for your health?”
“Well, it’s not exactly that… I just don’t feel like it.”
“That’s good! You don’t have to worry about quitting smoking. Hahaha.”
With a sly smile, my uncle lit a lighter that smelled heavily of fuel.
After taking a few puffs, he set the lighter down and exhaled.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Are you planning on playing chess?”
“Chess?”
That was a sudden question.
“Yeah. Do you think you’ll have a real chance to play it for the rest of your life in the army?”
“Well, if there aren’t any special problems, I plan to continue. It’s pretty much a sure thing.”
“….Really? Then let’s make a request.”
My uncle grinned.
“Hey, let’s work on something together.”
“Work…?”
“There’s an opening in a unit I know that’s looking for someone like you. It’s in the intelligence field.”
“Intelligence? I don’t think I’d manage that since I’m not in the intelligence corps.”
“It’s alright, man. I’m not saying you’ll be jumping right into practical work. You’ll be getting some training and then eventually get hands-on experience. You might even go overseas if you want.”
“What unit are we talking about? Is it the same as the intelligence division?”
“Something like that.”
Intelligence. I tilted my head in confusion, pondering aloud.
“What kind of unit allows you to work overseas in intelligence…? Are you perhaps talking about the Defense Security Command?”
“Not the Defense Command.”
“Then where?”
With a sly smile, my uncle pulled out his wallet and placed a business card on the desk.
Ministry of Defense. Overseas Intelligence. Lieutenant Colonel.
And,
A small torch symbol.
“You’ve heard of the Information Command, right?”