Chapter 9

On the Bridge

If you head a little north along National Route 75, you'll come across a small bridge.

A stream flows through the valley below, and a two-lane road runs across the bridge. The surrounding area is densely packed with wild, overgrown trees.

If this bridge becomes unusable, vehicles will have to take a long detour. The road is already narrow, with only two lanes, making even a U-turn difficult.

People would also have no choice but to climb through mountains without a single hiking trail or make their way down into the valley. This small bridge could be called the most sensitive and important location along National Route 75.

As soon as Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and the Headquarters Company soldiers arrived at the bridge, they began keeping watch over their surroundings.

“Here.”

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je parked the van sideways across the middle of the road. This large twelve-passenger vehicle would serve as a temporary barricade.

Staff Sergeant Kim immediately opened his equipment bag.

“I'll go down beneath the bridge.”

“Right.”

He gathered the C4 and detonation equipment and descended toward the valley. Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil stood on the road and looked north for a moment.

It had only been a little over three hours since the war began. He didn't believe the entire front line had collapsed.

Communications networks were paralyzed, and GPS-based equipment was malfunctioning. But that didn't mean the entire Republic of Korea Army had simply vanished.

Numerous divisions and brigades were still stationed near the Military Demarcation Line. The commanders there were also soldiers who had spent decades preparing for war.

No one could have anticipated the current situation, but commanders weren't commanders for nothing, and generals weren't generals for nothing. They were more than capable of improvising and adapting to unexpected circumstances.

At least, that was what Choi Pil believed. There was something else he needed to do right now.

Restrict the southward movement of North Korean special forces that had infiltrated the area as much as possible, and serve as a guidepost for any friendly troops who might be heading south.

That was the best course of action available to Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil, who had lost more than half his men, in this region at this moment.

‘But still···.’

Of course, there was something weighing heavily on Choi Pil's mind.

Choi Pil himself and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je had undergone countless special warfare training exercises. They knew how to operate and survive in extreme situations like this. And if necessary, they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for their country.

But these green recruits, who kept nervously looking around with tense expressions, were different. They weren't career soldiers but conscripts. Soldiers who would serve for only a little over a year.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't even have been involved in a special mission like this.

Choi Pil's gaze settled on Sergeant Kim Bong-tae, who stood among those soldiers with his lips tightly pressed together, glaring straight ahead.

‘Still···. That bastard might have the right look in his eyes.’

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, having finished planting the C4 beneath the bridge, approached Choi Pil. Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil's gaze was following one particular soldier. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je also looked toward the object of his attention.

“The C4 has been planted.”

“Hmm. Good. Well done.”

“Does he look promising to you?”

“Kim Byeong-tae?”

“Sergeant Kim Bong-tae, sir.”

Choi Pil grinned.

“The others are obviously frightened and nervous, but that fellow looks perfectly calm.”

“That guy killed a North Korean special forces soldier by himself.”

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je wasn't someone who usually joked around. Especially not in a situation like this, when he certainly wouldn't waste time saying unnecessary things.

Choi Pil was startled.

“What? By himself?”

“Yes, sir. I took out one, and he took out the other. Without even using a gun. With a bayonet.”

“I thought he was ordinary infantry?”

“Yes, sir. Apparently, he was a facilities maintenance soldier.”

“A facilities maintenance soldier?”

“Yes, sir. That's correct.”

Choi Pil was speechless. A facilities maintenance soldier was responsible for repairing buildings and maintaining various facilities within a military unit. It wasn't a specialty that involved professional combat training.

“How does an ordinary soldier even think of silently eliminating someone with a bayonet?”

“He was pretty good at it.”

Choi Pil looked at Bong-tae again. If a veteran like Kim Hong-je spoke so highly of him, his performance must truly have been impressive.

Anyone who had undergone extensive special warfare training knew that silently killing someone was much harder than it looked. Even among special forces operators, very few had actual experience with ambushes and surprise attacks of that kind.

“What happened after he killed him?”

“Sir···?”

“Was he shaken?”

Kim Hong-je thought for a moment. An ordinary person would suffer a tremendous shock after killing someone for the first time. But in Sergeant Kim Bong-tae's case···.

“He wasn't particularly shaken.”

“Really?”

“He did show signs of nervousness. His face went pale, and he was sweating profusely···.”

“Everyone's like that the first time.”

Kim Hong-je chuckled as though remembering what had happened.

“But he immediately moved on to the next task. He kept watch over the surroundings and looked after his men.”

“Oh···.”

“It seemed as though he was putting aside the fact that he'd just killed someone until later.”

“Impressive.”

“I agree.”

Bong-tae was keeping watch over the road ahead alongside three Headquarters Company soldiers, using the vehicle as cover. At that moment, Corporal Lee Hwan muttered with a worried expression.

“Seoul···. It'll be okay, right?”

Bong-tae answered without looking away.

“Don't worry. It'll be fine.”

His words were more of a wish than a certainty, but Lee Hwan suddenly remembered something and turned toward Bong-tae.

“Sergeant Kim, isn't your home in Seoul too?”

“Yeah. Around Konkuk University.”

The moment he said those few words, Bong-tae also pictured his family's faces. His father, his mother, and his younger sister.

‘They'll be okay, right···? Please be okay···.’

Seoul.

The capital of the Republic of Korea. A metropolis home to ten million people. The administrative and economic center of the country, where almost everything South Korea possessed was concentrated.

But at the same time, it was also the most dangerous place in South Korea. It was far too close to North Korea. Only fifty kilometers separated it from the Military Demarcation Line.

From the DMZ, it was close enough to reach in an hour or two if someone wanted to. It lay within the range of North Korea's long-range artillery, and short-range ballistic missiles could easily reach it as well.

And the Headquarters Company soldiers had witnessed it themselves. Countless aircraft heading toward the skies over Seoul. At least several thousand airborne troops must have been heading toward the capital.

“Haha, you little bastards. What are you so worried about?”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil approached. He casually draped his massive arms over the soldiers' shoulders. Then he squeezed himself between Bong-tae and Lee Hwan, standing close with an arm around each of them.

Lee Hwan was so startled that he straightened his back.

“Huh···. L-Lieutenant Colonel, sir.”

A lieutenant colonel. Two hibiscus flowers on his rank insignia. And not just any lieutenant colonel, but the commander of a special forces battalion. The commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, to which Bong-tae and Lee Hwan belonged, was also a lieutenant colonel.

Headquarters Company soldiers encountered their battalion commander fairly often. Every time they did, they saluted at the top of their lungs. Hardly any soldier even dared to meet his eyes.

Even the officers and NCOs straightened their backs and behaved with rigid discipline in front of the battalion commander. From the soldiers' perspective, he was the second person they least wanted to encounter in the entire unit.

But this Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil was a little strange. Both his manner of speaking and his behavior were unlike those of a typical commanding officer. He felt more like a rough-looking middle-aged man from the neighborhood.

Choi Pil turned toward Lee Hwan and asked.

“You were worried about Seoul.”

Lee Hwan flinched.

“Y-yes, sir! That's correct!”

“Is your family in Seoul?”

“Yes, sir! They are. Sergeant Kim Bong-tae's family is also in Seoul.”

“I see.”

Choi Pil tightened his arms slightly, pulling Lee Hwan's and Bong-tae's faces toward him. The tremendous strength made both men's heads jerk sideways.

“Seoul is an important city. North Korea knows that too.”

“···.”

“But···. Don't underestimate Seoul.”

Choi Pil glanced in the direction of Seoul, even though there was no way to see it from here.

“Seoul has the Capital Defense Command and the Capital Corps. There are plenty of police officers and reservists too.”

“But···.”

“They're no pushovers.”

He spoke firmly.

“If Seoul were the kind of city that would fall just because a few thousand or even tens of thousands of North Korean soldiers landed there, it would've been over long ago.”

“Th-that's true, right?”

“Of course. Do you know what kind of unit the Capital Defense Command is?”

“Isn't it the unit that protects Seoul?”

“Hahaha! No. That's not it.”

Choi Pil laughed heartily. Lee Hwan widened his eyes and asked again.

“What? Then···. What kind of unit is it?”

“It's a unit created solely to defend Seoul.”

“···Ah.”

“It has tens of thousands of troops just in manpower alone. They've been preparing plans to defend Seoul for decades. There's also the Capital Corps. That's a proper field army.”

The soldiers quietly listened to Choi Pil. His low, clear, and confident voice inspired a deep sense of trust.

“There are more than thirty thousand police officers too. The police have guns and armored vehicles as well. They have plenty of fighting power. You think they'll just drive away in their patrol cars because a war has broken out?”

“Ah···. I see.”

Choi Pil removed his arms from the soldiers' shoulders.

“All right, leave worrying about Seoul to the bastards defending Seoul. Follow me. We'll move away from here and wait.”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and the Headquarters Company soldiers immediately moved out. They left the vehicle they'd arrived in where it was. Waiting on the road while standing guard would be suicide. The bridge was clearly visible from the mountainsides on both sides.

Choi Pil chose a position halfway up the mountain, several dozen meters away from the road. From there, they had a clear view of the bridge, the road, and the route descending from the north.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je ordered the soldiers to dig simple foxholes. The Headquarters Company soldiers took entrenching shovels from their field packs and began preparing their positions.

But the shovels had difficulty penetrating the ground. Today was April 4. Winter had long since passed, and spring was beginning to show itself, but in the mountains of northern Gyeonggi Province, the traces of winter were still more prominent than those of spring.

Clang— Clang—

Every time the soldiers tried to dig even slightly deeper than the surface, the tips of their entrenching shovels kept bouncing back. Lee Jin-gu rubbed his palms together and complained.

“Fuck.”

“Is this dirt or rock?”

“My entrenching shovel's going to break···.”

The soldiers continued digging despite their curses. Corporal Lee Hwan and Private First Class Lee Jin-gu were at least making some progress, but Private Song Min-jae's shoveling was so terrible it was painful to watch.

Lee Jin-gu laughed as he looked at Song Min-jae.

“Min-jae. You're supposed to dig the ground, not the air.”

“I'm working hard, sir.”

“No, it's not about working hard. You have to do it well.”

Scrape— Scrape— Scrape—

A particularly regular shoveling sound reached Choi Pil's ears. The source was Sergeant Kim Bong-tae. He was digging at a much faster pace than the other soldiers.

Every time his entrenching shovel plunged into the ground, a satisfying mound of dirt flew out. While the other soldiers had barely dug ankle-deep holes, Bong-tae's hole was already knee-deep.

Choi Pil watched him for a long while before muttering with an incredulous expression.

“···What the hell is that guy?”

Beside him, Lee Jin-gu shook his head as he looked at Bong-tae.

“The Devil of Shoveling.”

“What···? The Devil of Shoveling···?”

Choi Pil raised his eyebrows. Lee Jin-gu eagerly began telling his story.

“There's a famous incident from our extreme cold-weather training.”

“What did he do?”

“There was a day when the ground was so frozen that we couldn't dig our positions.”

When the ground freezes, digging becomes impossible. After several days of subzero temperatures, the moisture inside the soil freezes, making it as hard as concrete.

That was why digging was one of the most difficult tasks during extreme cold-weather training. The bigger problem was that the digging continued from the beginning of training until the very end.

“So?”

“Back then, Sergeant Kim brought over a bucket of hot water and poured it onto the frozen ground.”

“Wouldn't that just make the ground freeze even harder···?”

“He dug up all the ground before the water could freeze.”

Choi Pil was speechless for a moment.

“What?”

“It's true. That day, he dug half the command post's defensive positions by himself.”

“What the hell is that guy? A mole?”

“I'm telling you, Battalion Commander. He's a devil.”

Scrape— Scrape— Scrape—

Unaware that he had become the subject of their conversation, Bong-tae silently continued shoveling. Sweat soaked his neck and dripped onto the ground one drop at a time, but his digging speed remained unchanged from the beginning.

“Hey. Dig faster.”

“Huff···. Yes, understood.”

“Did you come here to play?”

“N-no, sir.”

Bong-tae glared sharply at the chatting soldiers and urged them to work faster. If Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je hadn't been nearby, one or two curses would have followed his command to dig faster.

Twenty minutes later, two decent-looking foxholes had been dug into the mountainside. Their positions weren't bad. Unless someone looked down from the mountaintop, they would be difficult to discover.

After inspecting the foxholes from several angles, Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. These should do. Well done.”

The soldiers entered the foxholes one by one. Whether because they were exhausted from digging or because they were still nervous, they stopped chatting and silently stared ahead.

At that moment, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, who was inside one of the foxholes, spoke quietly.

“Unidentified personnel spotted ahead.”

At those words, everyone present began to tense up. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je pressed his weapon firmly against his shoulder while lying prone. He observed the unidentified men through the high-magnification optic mounted on top of his rifle.

“Wow···.”

Lee Jin-gu, who was beside Bong-tae, let out a brief exclamation.

“What?”

“That's an HK416A5.”

“So what?”

“Isn't it fucking cool?”

“Bullshit.”

Bong-tae wasn't particularly interested in military equipment. Even when he looked at Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's rifle, all he thought was that it was a gun.

A short barrel, a sleek black exterior, and a few red highlights. That was all he noticed. It looked like the kind of special forces rifle you'd see in a movie or video game.

Lee Jin-gu sighed deeply and gave up explaining. Now wasn't the time to talk about the greatness of the HK416 or the prices of the accessories attached to it.

Kim Hong-je reported what he'd observed to Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil.

“Six unidentified personnel.”

“Identification?”

“They're wearing the same combat uniforms as the North Korean soldiers we engaged earlier.”

“Distance?”

“Approximately one kilometer.”

Choi Pil gave a short nod.

“Good. Once they enter firing range, eliminate them immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The soldiers swallowed simultaneously. They had just fought at the pension. They had fired at real people and taken their lives.

But the current situation was far more dangerous than before. They had divided their team in half, leaving them with fewer than half as many men, and this time they could only fire from one direction.

Bong-tae silently checked his magazines. He had completely emptied two magazines during the firefight at the pension. Even the magazine currently inserted in his rifle was only half full.

Click—

Just as the sound of a magazine being changed reached everyone's ears, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je spoke urgently.

“Vehicle! Vehicle spotted ahead, approaching our position.”

Everyone turned toward the road. A minibus was slowly approaching from the north.

“Fuck. Of all times···.”

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Judging by its yellow body, it wasn't a bus used by the military. There was a high chance that civilians were aboard.

And the vehicle's route would take it directly past the North Korean soldiers. National Route 75 was far too narrow, with only two lanes. They would inevitably see one another.

Sure enough, North Korean soldiers wearing black combat uniforms began emerging onto the road one by one. They took control of the road and aimed their rifles at the bus.

Screeeeech—

The minibus driver slammed on the brakes. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.

“Lieutenant Colonel.”

Kim Hong-je spoke up. But Choi Pil shook his head slightly.

“Hold.”

His answer was firm. It was the correct decision.

The North Korean soldiers were still at least eight hundred meters away. Firing was possible, but their accuracy would drop drastically.

Furthermore, they had no way to replenish their ammunition. Every round had to be conserved. If they opened fire now, they would be more likely to reveal their position than kill the enemy.

Any field commander in the Republic of Korea would have made the same decision.

But that correct answer began to waver the moment the bus door opened.

People began stepping out of the bus one by one, holding both hands above their heads.

Bong-tae's heart sank. The people getting off were wearing school uniforms.

Around twenty boys and girls. They appeared to be high school students, and they were stepping out of the bus one by one with frightened expressions.

The Headquarters Company soldiers' faces hardened.

“Fuck···!”

“They're kids!”

The North Korean soldiers showed no hesitation whatsoever upon realizing that the people aboard the bus were students. Instead, they kept their rifles trained on them and ordered them to move somewhere.

Then a woman who appeared to be a teacher stepped forward in front of the North Korean soldiers. Spreading her arms as though to protect the students, she tried to explain something to them.

But before she could finish speaking, a rifle butt struck her across the face.

The woman collapsed to the ground. The startled students tried to help their teacher, but the North Korean soldiers roughly shoved them aside, as though even that was unacceptable.

Choi Pil's expression hardened sharply. At the same time, his mind grew complicated.

If they had attacked when the North Koreans first tried to stop the bus, the situation might have turned out better. But now it was too late.

The students and North Korean soldiers were completely mixed together. Opening fire now would be far too dangerous for the students.

And there was something else.

Would the North Korean soldiers simply let the students go?

The primary objective of North Korean special forces infiltrating by parachute was to seize vehicles. They would use the transportation they secured to disrupt rear areas, attack civilian districts, and raid military facilities. That was clearly why they wanted the minibus as well.

But what about the students? From the North Koreans' perspective, was there any reason to leave civilians who had seen their faces alive?

Choi Pil knew the answer to that question.

“Move. Get closer to that position, quickly.”

“Lieutenant Colonel.”

At that moment, Sergeant Kim Bong-tae approached Choi Pil. Choi Pil raised a hand to stop him.

“We don't have time right now. Later.”

“I'll draw their attention from the front.”

Choi Pil's eyes turned toward Bong-tae.

“What?”

“Wouldn't it be better to make sure they don't even think about taking the kids hostage?”

“How?”

Bong-tae answered without hesitation.

“Staff Sergeant Kim. Please give me the car keys.”

“I left the engine running. You can drive off immediately.”

Kim Hong-je could tell that Bong-tae's mind had been working quickly even in that brief moment. Just as when he'd suggested the crossfire attack at the pension, he was certain another flash of ingenuity had occurred to the man.

Bong-tae turned toward Lee Jin-gu.

“Jin-gu.”

Lee Jin-gu's face instantly contorted.

“···Me again?”

“Follow me.”

“Fuuuck···. Why is it always me first···?”

Although Lee Jin-gu cursed aloud, his body was already following Bong-tae down the mountain.

Choi Pil watched the two men running toward the vehicle.

He had a rough idea of what Bong-tae was planning to do. They would create a disturbance with the vehicle from the front, allowing the remaining troops to attack from the side. A diversionary maneuver.

But it was dangerous. Far too dangerous. Driving a vehicle straight toward armed soldiers carrying rifles? That was something a man would only consider if he had two lives to spare.

“Move.”

Choi Pil didn't hesitate any longer. The operation had already begun.

At his command, the remaining troops ran through the forest. Tree branches brushed against their combat uniforms. There was no time.

Whether the North Korean soldiers decided to use the students as hostages or shoot them to eliminate them, they had to get close before either could happen.

Around that time, Bong-tae opened the driver's door of the van and climbed inside. Just as Staff Sergeant Kim had said, the engine was still running.

Lee Jin-gu climbed into the passenger seat and reflexively reached for the seat belt, then chuckled and let go. What was the point of a seat belt in a situation like this? He might be dead in a few moments anyway.

“Hah···. Seriously, I ended up with the wrong senior.”

Bong-tae quickly straightened the vehicle, which had been parked sideways, to align it with the road. The twelve-passenger van carrying only Bong-tae and Jin-gu began moving slowly.

Jin-gu asked nervously from beside him.

“Sergeant Kim, aren't we going too slowly?”

“We need them to realize we're soldiers as late as possible.”

They climbed the road so slowly that they looked like civilians who had taken a wrong turn. Bong-tae spoke while keeping his eyes ahead.

“Just check your fire selector. When I tell you to shoot, fire immediately.”

“Fuck···. Never thought I'd live to fire a gun from inside a car.”

Lee Jin-gu swallowed hard.

“Phew···. Phew···.”

Bong-tae took two short, deep breaths.

“Here we go.”

“···Let's do it.”

Lee Jin-gu gripped his rifle tightly. Bong-tae pressed the accelerator all the way down.

Thump, thump.

His heartbeat seemed louder than the engine. But Bong-tae didn't hesitate. If he hesitated now, he and Jin-gu, the soldiers on the mountain, and even the students over there would all be placed in danger.

VROOOOOOM—!

The van's hybrid engine roared for an instant, pouring power into the wheels. The vehicle shot forward.

The North Korean soldiers quickly spotted the van charging toward them from below. Startled, they swung their rifles in its direction.

“Fire!”

Bong-tae shouted. Lee Jin-gu immediately began firing out of the passenger seat.

Bang—!

Rat-tat-tat—!

Muzzle flashes erupted inside the vehicle. Bong-tae also raised his rifle with his right hand while gripping the steering wheel with only his left. He rested the barrel over the dashboard and pulled the trigger.

Bang—!

Rat-tat-tat-tat—!

Bullets fired from inside the vehicle struck the torso of the North Korean soldier at the front. One man toppled sideways. Only then did the North Korean soldiers begin firing at the vehicle.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!

The windows, already riddled with holes from the gunfire inside the vehicle, were completely shattered by the North Korean soldiers' shots.

The vehicle shook violently, and sparks flew from its bullet-struck frame. The sound of tearing metal rang out repeatedly.

Wheeeeezing—!

Several bullets penetrated into the cabin. One of them passed right beside Lee Jin-gu's ear. A wave of hot air scraped past the back of his neck.

Had the bullet traveled even slightly farther to the side, it would have pierced Lee Jin-gu's head. Still firing, Lee Jin-gu shouted with the most aggrieved expression in the world.

VROOOOOOM—!

“Fuuuuuck! Kim Bong-tae, you son of a bitch!”

“I'm turning!”

“Turning what?!”

Bong-tae wrenched the steering wheel with all his strength.

SCREEEEEECH—!

The van slid across the road. Its massive body swung sideways as it lunged toward the North Korean soldiers.

One North Korean soldier tried to dodge the vehicle's sudden movement, but it was too late.

CRASH—!

The side of the vehicle slammed straight into his torso. His body lifted into the air, tumbled several times, and was thrown off the road.

SCREEEEECH—!

The van left long skid marks as it came to a stop, positioning itself like a barrier between the bus and the North Korean soldiers. Even before it had fully stopped, Bong-tae and Jin-gu's rifles spat fire again.

Bang—!

The distance between the North Korean soldiers and the vehicle was less than twenty meters. It was almost the same distance as shooting at a point-blank target.

Without even opening the car doors, the two men fired through the windows.

Bang-bang-bang—!

Rat-tat-tat-bang—!

Muzzle flashes burst outside the windows. The North Korean soldiers threw themselves into the drainage ditch beside the road. Then they unleashed continuous gunfire toward the vehicle. Parts of the van burst apart, sending fragments flying into the cabin.

Bong-tae continued firing without even blinking. Lee Jin-gu beside him did the same. Flying shards of glass cut his face, leaving scratches, but he kept pulling the trigger.

“The drainage ditch!”

“Die! Fuck!”

One North Korean soldier staggered when Lee Jin-gu's shots struck his torso. But perhaps because of his body armor, he wasn't completely incapacitated. He raised his rifle toward Lee Jin-gu. The muzzle pointed directly at the passenger-side window.

Lee Jin-gu's eyes widened.

‘I'm fucked.’

But the North Korean soldier never managed to fire his rifle. A bullet from somewhere pierced his head. The man dropped to his knees and collapsed face-first onto the ground.

“About fucking time! Fuck!”

Lee Jin-gu shouted in complaint. But a broad smile had spread across his face.

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and the others had finally opened fire from the hill. Their downward fire was incredibly accurate. The North Korean soldiers collapsed one after another.

Eventually, the last remaining North Korean soldier began fleeing north along the road. He threw his rifle and equipment to the ground and ran like a madman.

Bong-tae aimed at his back.

Bang—!

The final gunshot of the engagement rang out. The fleeing North Korean soldier pitched forward and collapsed.

“Huff···. Huff···.”

“Fuck···. Fuck···.”

Inside the vehicle, Bong-tae and Jin-gu leaned back in their seats, breathing heavily.

They said that when people became extremely tense, they even forgot to breathe. Neither Bong-tae nor Jin-gu could remember whether they'd been breathing properly during the battle.

Throughout those brief few dozen seconds, the only thought in their minds had been to hit their opponents with bullets.

Lee Jin-gu pulled a shard of glass from his cheek and sighed deeply.

“No matter how I think about it, I really ended up with the wrong senior···.”

Bong-tae chuckled.

“I think I've been pretty lucky with my juniors, though.”

“···I'll admit that.”

The two looked at each other and laughed like idiots.

© Jungle Pocket #22844