I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 8: 7 – Gun

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“Hurry… oh, hello!”

“Hello.”

As always, the start began with a greeting.

Since it was indoors, the inside was naturally filled with a cool air. However, there was a subtle smell of gunpowder mixed in….

There was no need to get lost in admiration, but it was definitely different in many ways compared to shooting ranges in the United States.

The basic framework was not significantly different.

I turned my gaze. The first thing I noticed was the cleanly decorated interior.

If there was something unusual, it would be the multiple target sheets of those who achieved excellent shooting scores attached to the wall.

While I was briefly checking them out, someone at the desk hurriedly ran over to me and excessively kindly guided me.

“Could you show me your ID?”

“Here you go.”

After a few touches on my phone to access the dedicated app, a QR code appeared on the screen.

I hesitated to say this, but it was a biometric ID app that only about a thousand people in South Korea could install.

Of course, in the inner pocket of my clothes, I also had a wallet just in case, and inside it was a card-type ID, so it wasn’t a big problem.

After briefly completing the initial procedures, I was already standing in front of a kiosk.

The device itself was no different from the one I saw at the cafe earlier, but here, instead of drinks, photos of various firearms were displayed.

“Is this your first visit here by any chance?”

“This is my first time here.”

I had shot plenty at other places.

Even while I was momentarily lost in nostalgia, the staff next to me was introducing the various types of pistols and rifles and the caliber of bullets displayed on the kiosk.

I suddenly became curious about the price of the bullets, so I turned my head and asked.

“How much do you charge per bullet here?”

“For pistols, excluding .357 Magnum, 44 Magnum, and .50AE rounds, we charge a flat rate of 10 bullets for 10,000 won. The ones I just mentioned are 15,000 won for 10 bullets.”

Is this the standard price?

Since I had never done live-fire shooting in Korea, I couldn’t really say anything.

While I was wondering how many shots I should take,

“You know Dark Zone, right? Because of that game, this industry has been booming, and a lot of regulations have been lifted, so we can now stock a lot of firearms. Bullet prices have also dropped.”

“…Just because of a game?”

“Ah, I mean, in this field. Sorry, I kept you standing here talking for nothing.”

…A game?

When it came to shooting games that I remembered, there was Call of… Ah, I can’t remember the name. That one and the one where 64 people enter the battlefield and fight, and the battle royale type games.

Or maybe Rainbow Siege, or survival games where you loot items and escape.

Looking at it this way, I remembered more than I thought.

But I’ve never heard of something called Dark Zone?

“Have you decided?”

“…Can I see what other firearms you have?”

…I almost got caught daydreaming.

Since it didn’t seem appropriate to think about such things while someone was standing next to me, I refocused on the list sliding to the side.

There were quite a few types.

“We have MPX, KAC SR-15, AK-47, SCAR-L, MP5, and various other firearms. Regardless of the ammunition, these cost 15,000 won for 10 rounds, and only single-shot firing is possible.”

“You don’t have any designated marksman rifles?”

“We plan to bring in the M14 DMR, but I don’t know when it will arrive.”

I didn’t expect much… I almost asked if they had an MK18 Mjolnir. I’ll save that for later when I go to the safe house and shoot mine.

Besides, it’s expensive ammunition, so there’s no way they’d have it here.

Anyway, the decision was almost made by then. I moved my fingers here and there.

Glock 17, 30 rounds.

I’ll just shoot 10 rounds of .50AE, and the rest will be MPX and KAC SR-15, 10 rounds each.

-$63.45 expense confirmed.

-Total: $102.1

…Did I get too excited?

Still, before leaving the house today, I canceled the lump-sum payment and revised the algorithm to receive my salary in installments… I just have to endure for about three more days.

Even with a transfer of several million won, 96% would be covered by a similar electronic signature.

…It would be best to handle the aftermath quickly.

My future self will somehow take care of it.

“Yes, Glock 17, Desert Eagle, MPX, KAC SR-15. All confirmed. I’ll shoot the Desert Eagle in sets of 5 rounds, and the rest in sets of 10 rounds.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, the target sheets have scores marked on them. We have a system where we tally the scores per shot, and if you get a high score, there are special benefits.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Haha, I’ll cheer you on.”

…If I brought my custom-ported gun, I might have aimed for a full refund, but I couldn’t guarantee that with a gun that had passed through several hands.

I was slightly concerned about the iron sights, too.

While I was thinking about that,

“Oh, and. This is something you’d have to discuss with the owner, but if you take a commemorative photo after shooting and promote it, there might be benefits for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It would be even better if you promote it through any SNS you operate. You can discuss it with the owner.”

Sorry, I don’t use SNS….

Anyway, with that, the preparation for entry began.

“You’ve been assigned to lane 1. When the shooting controller arrives, wear a bulletproof vest and follow their instructions to enter. Have a good shooting session!”

My body moved automatically.

Without having to consciously think about it, the recoil of shooting was now ingrained in me more vividly than anything else.

The gunpowder exploded, the slide recoiled, and the bullet sped down the barrel at supersonic speeds.

The sound of the brass casing hitting the floor.

All those memories awakened my former self.

Now, the breathing adjusted naturally without conscious effort. The familiar residual smell seeping in through the open lane.

Even though they tried to mask it with air purifiers and diffusers, the acrid smell embedded in between couldn’t be completely hidden.

When I felt the familiar weight of the bulletproof vest, the lane opened.

“Please enter.”

Everything smelled of death, mingling with the gunfire that wrapped the city day and night, in the frozen winter.

*

“…There’s something attached to it.”

“Ah, those are sensors. Infrared lasers come out, and if you aim outside the lane, the trigger locks to prevent misfires and potential accidents.”

“Oh.”

“…The partition seems a bit small. Is your tail uncomfortable?”

“It’s fine.”

What an unusual guest.

Han Jin-hyuk, a former shooting athlete who had been working as a lane controller at the shooting range for almost three years, tried to suppress his gaze towards the tail.

The thick, 3cm bulletproof plastic door boasting thorough bulletproof performance locked in place at the entrance of lane 1, leaving only the controller and her inside.

It was a day that stirred many thoughts. But as always, he decided to fulfill his role as a controller.

Whether the guest was the prettiest among those who visited this place, whether she had a tail or not….

If either he or the guest got shot and died, it would be over.

“Do you have any shooting experience?”

“A lot.”

“Really? That’s impressive.”

She was a female guest.

It wasn’t about gender bias at this point, but realistically, most women, except for a few, lived lives unrelated to firearms.

Unlike Korean men, who legally had to handle a gun at least twice during mandatory service.

His sharp gaze scanned her as she received the gun. It wasn’t a lewd look checking out her figure, but rather, checking how familiar she was with firearms.

In that regard….

“What did you usually shoot? .22 LR?”

“9mm, .45 ACP, FN 5.7x28mm… There’s too many to mention.”

“Oh, you must have worked at a shooting range in the U.S.”

“…Maybe.”

An ambiguous answer, neither completely right nor completely wrong.

But regardless, from his perspective as a former shooting athlete, she… was indeed skilled with firearms.

Instead of immediately putting her finger on the trigger or pointing the gun forward and getting scolded like troublesome individuals,

she pulled the slide to check the chamber, conducted a simple inspection, and placed the firearm facing the lane.

As if she had done it thousands, tens of thousands of times.

A near-obsessive dedication to safety, stemming from respecting the firearm and fully understanding its danger.

Just that gave Han Jin-hyuk a sense of relief.

And following that,

“I’ll load the magazine for you. There are ten rounds loaded, please keep that in mind… What kind of target would you like?”

It was time to hang the target.

Without hesitation, she pointed to one. A large target with both the head and upper body shown.

Most people preferred bullseye targets with higher scores towards the center, but not this guest.

One thing was for sure, she was a case he had never seen before in this field.

There was no change in her expression as she received the gun.

Most people would be fascinated, find it heavy, or… anyway, their emotions would be visibly expressed.

Not her.

She had a very firm standard, from what Han Jin-hyuk could see.

It wasn’t for leisure, sports, or stress relief, but something more sophisticated….

“I’ve set up the target. You can check the shot groups in real time on the screen to your right. A score of 95 or above grants a full refund or ten more shots.”

“Do many people get refunds?”

“Haha, almost none. I sometimes shoot, but it’s not easy.”

“Guess I’ll shoot for free today.”

“I’ll cheer you on.”

With those words and a faint smile on her lips, she received the loaded pistol.

With the crisp sound of the slide lock releasing, the bullet chambered.

She was ready to shoot.

She took an almost perfect combat stance, carefully but quickly aligning the sights──

──Bang!

The first shot pierced the 10-point mark on the chest precisely, as she confidently pulled the trigger.

Before anyone could react to the result of the first shot, she continued firing, not in rapid succession but not leisurely either.

The second shot, perfectly absorbing the recoil, hit the chest again, and the third….

“…Wow, that’s impressive.”

Right in the head.

Despite the rather fast pace of shooting, the three bullets were cleanly sucked into the 10-point zones of the chest and head.

Even those who considered themselves decent shooters often had their shot groups scatter due to trigger errors or hand tremors, and he had seen such scenes many times.

But the person standing before him acted as if those things didn’t matter, without a hint of concern.

Regardless of his surprise, she continued pulling the trigger.

Head. Head. Two shots to the heart. Then another 2+1 drill.

Ten bullets sucked into the 10-point zones without any error.

It didn’t take long for the paper, now cleanly pierced, to be presented to them.

After checking the empty chamber with the retracted slide, she showed that the ammunition was completely expended with an attack posture and asked.

“Did it out of habit. Sorry about the attack posture.”

“Ah, no. It’s fine. Since you seem experienced with firearms, that level of action is okay.”

Moreover, it wasn’t without reason. It was to show the controller behind that the firearm was safe with no ammunition inside.

Anyway, aside from that, Han Jin-hyuk was staring at the target in bewilderment.

A perfect score of 100, so clean it seemed impossible even if one shot slowly.

If he had more time, he could have spent at least five minutes thinking about how this was possible, but….

“Ah, sorry. Would you like to continue with the next shooting?”

“Yes. Please.”

Without a moment’s rest, the next target was set up, and a pristine target sheet worthy of the hall of fame was placed on the empty table.

As she found some enjoyment in the relatively long-lost taste of shooting,

“Would you like to try loading the magazine yourself?”

“I’d like that.”

Skilfully inserting the magazine and advancing the slide, she once again took a clean stance… and began shooting one-handed.

The sharp shooting sound resonated throughout the entire lane, with brass casings flying into the air, yet there was no movement other than stable shooting.

Around halfway through,

“…Are you ambidextrous?”

“I can shoot with either hand. Sometimes I can’t use my right hand due to circumstances.”

Seeing her nonchalantly mutter that, Han Jin-hyuk could only nod his head.

Such things happened, and so did other things.

He knew there were worlds unknown to him and had the restraint not to delve into them.

Of course, it was needless to say that the five shots with her left hand also all hit the 10-point zone.

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