Chapter 22 – Return
"Attention!
5th Unit Commander Lee Yeong-woo reporting back for duty!"
The moment he saw him, Park Geun-sufrowned.
It was spring.
Yeong-woo had finally left the physician's quarters and returned to the unit.
The trouble he had caused earlier had not been small.
"So the troublemaker is back again."
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
"Does this look like a welcome?"
"Is it not?"
"Good grief, you really have no sense, do you?"
"My apologies. I caused many problems."
"And now that you're back, you'll cause more."
"No, sir. I've changed quite a bit."
"You? Changed? That temper of yours?"
"My apologies."
Park Geun-su waved his hand irritably.
"Anyway, it's good you came back alive."
"I left the 5th Unit commander's seat open."
"But it couldn't stay empty forever."
"So the Chonggifilled it temporarily."
"And that changed."
Yeong-woo blinked.
"The Chonggi, sir? Why?"
Park Geun-su snorted.
"Why?"
"When decisions are made in the army, that's the end of it."
"Yes, sir, but—"
A Chonggi commanded two units.
Twenty-five men formed one unit under a Daejeong.
Two such units were placed under a Chonggi.
Before Park Geun-su could explain further, Yeong-woo spoke.
"I heard nothing about this."
"That's how it happened."
"I don't know either."
"The order came from above."
"The General?"
Park Geun-su scoffed.
"You think the General concerns himself with such matters?"
"I don't know."
"Someone higher up pushed it through."
"Then who is it?"
"Go see for yourself."
"I'd rather not get involved."
"Please just tell me."
"Hey—what is this?"
"Is this your house?"
"My apologies."
"Go."
"The 5th Unit took heavy losses."
"New recruits filled the ranks."
"Train them properly."
"Yes, sir!"
When Yeong-woo returned to the unit, the spring air felt strangely calm.
His comrades rushed over to greet him.
Though they were stationed in the same fortress, they had not seen each other for quite some time.
"Ohhh, you're finally back!"
"Back for good this time?"
"With broken ribs you should've rested longer."
"You've been eating well."
"Look at those cheeks."
"You've turned into a pig."
A dozen men surrounded him, laughing.
The mood was warm.
"I should report to the Chonggi."
"Is he inside?"
So Cheol-ryong answered.
"He's inside."
Yeong-woo frowned.
"That man used to run around everywhere."
"Inside?"
"He hasn't been going out much lately."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"He got chewed out because of you."
"And he got transferred somewhere else."
"We have someone new now."
"What did I do?"
"They told him to keep a closer watch on the unit."
"So now he stays inside?"
"Exactly."
Cheol-un shoved Yeong-woo's shoulder.
"So report properly."
"And keep your mouth shut."
"Yes, yes."
Yeong-woo entered the officers' tent.
The new Chonggi sat there with the 6th Unit Commander.
"Attention!
5th Unit Commander Lee Yeong-woo reporting back from recovery!"
The new Chonggi studied him silently.
A face Yeong-woo had never seen before.
"Good."
"I am Chonggi An Hui-se."
"Thank you, sir."
"You fully recovered?"
"Not yet, sir."
"But I can move without much difficulty."
"I heard several ribs were broken."
"Yes, sir."
Yeong-woo tried to remember.
Had this man been present when he was beaten?
He could not recall.
The face was completely unfamiliar.
"You were knocked down and kicked."
"Of course ribs break like that."
"…."
An Hui-se continued.
"I was stationed in Hamheung."
"They told me to come here."
"Yes, sir."
If someone came from outside the unit, it was best to begin with goodwill.
Had another Daejeong or Chonggi taken the post, they might have demanded a contest of strength.
In that sense, this was fortunate.
"I hear you caused quite a bit of trouble."
"My apologies."
"I will restrain myself."
An Hui-se waved it off.
"Probably something unfair happened."
"So you argued."
"And you refused to take it quietly."
"I was also at fault."
An Hui-se nodded slowly.
"That is why your men follow you."
"For now, I acknowledge it."
"Thank you."
"My name is An Hui-se."
Only then did Kwak Eun-seop, commander of the 6th Unit, stand and offer his hand.
"You worked hard."
"That must have hurt badly."
"Yes."
"It's best not to get hurt."
"Injuries make life miserable."
"I commanded the 5th Unit alongside mine while you were gone."
"Nothing serious happened, I hope."
"We received many new recruits."
"It will be difficult for a while."
"Our losses were heavy too."
"The replacements are all new."
As Yeong-woo and Kwak Eun-seop spoke, An Hui-se watched them with narrow eyes.
Not fear.
Something more like irritation.
After finishing the formal report, Yeong-woo left the tent.
Kwak Eun-seop followed him outside.
"So?"
"What do you think of the Chonggi?"
"He stays inside most of the time."
"A management type?"
"Something like that."
"He's served a long time."
"And he knows almost every administrative duty."
The answer Yeong-woo wanted never came.
Something in the air felt strange.
Yet it was difficult to pinpoint.
Yeong-woo tested him.
"The atmosphere has changed quite a bit."
"Yes."
"Almost everything gets reported now."
"He spends much of the day writing reports."
"To whom?"
"Who else?"
"The General."
"I see."
"So he was sent here as a watcher?"
Kwak Eun-seop shook his head.
"Not exactly."
"But he seems to have taken that role himself."
"That's the same thing."
Kwak Eun-seop rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry about before."
"I couldn't help you."
He meant the day Yeong-woo had been beaten by the others.
"That's fine."
"What could you have done among those fools?"
The fact that he had not joined the beating was already enough.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine."
"When your turn comes and you get beaten," Yeong-woo said calmly,
"I'll stand aside too."
"And later I'll apologize."
Kwak Eun-seop chuckled.
"That's even scarier."
Yeong-woo would investigate later.
Men like this sometimes caused more trouble behind the scenes.
Nothing in the world was less trustworthy than the human mouth.
It ate.
It drank.
It spat.
It talked.
And it spread filth.
Back inside, An Hui-se spoke again.
"So."
"What will you do now?"
"You have returned."
"But you are new to the role of Daejeong."
"You may not fully understand your duties."
When a superior already doubted you,
there was no perfect answer.
"No matter what I say, it will change nothing."
"If I prove unfit, remove me."
"I never asked to become a Daejeong."
"I didn't even ask to join the army."
"I was told I'd be killed if I refused."
"So I came."
"I didn't seek this position."
"If I am unsuitable, remove me."
An Hui-se's eyes sharpened.
"Is that defiance?"
"You told me to serve."
"So I serve."
"Is that defiance?"
"Or must I simply say yes to everything?"
"In a situation like this?"
"What situation?"
Yeong-woo answered bluntly.
"A fool was placed in command above us."
"We almost all died."
"I protested."
"I was jailed."
"Then I was promoted."
"At the officers' meeting I was nearly beaten to death."
"And what do you think of the man you crippled?"
"He trusted numbers and attacked."
"If he died, he would deserve it."
"I heard he returned home crippled."
An Hui-se suddenly stood.
"As expected."
"You are not an ordinary man."
"But I asked something else."
"How will you run your unit?"
"I hope you do not treat my words as a joke."
"I intend to run it properly."
An Hui-se shook his head.
"You seem… unsuitable."
"I may be a man with little power, pushed from place to place."
"But today's conduct cannot be ignored."
"Yes, sir."
Yeong-woo stepped back.
It was almost as if he were saying the conversation was finished.
As if he were waiting for punishment.
"Starting conflict on your first day back is not good for a commander."
"I agree."
"I wish I could be more agreeable."
"But circumstances make that difficult."
An Hui-se's sharp posture softened.
"What has made you so uncooperative?"
"I have only just arrived here myself."
"You already know the situation before and after my return."
"And the role you were sent here to play."
"That cannot be a pleasant reason."
"Let us not create problems."
"That is my request."
"I request the same."
"You—"
Yeong-woo bowed politely.
An Hui-se tried to end things peacefully,
but the conversation had gone nowhere.
When commanders disagreed like this,
it was always the soldiers who suffered.
"Leave!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yeong-woo saluted precisely and stepped outside.
Otherwise they would find fault with that too.
He had seen such behavior from superiors too many times.