Chapter 11: March
The command control center was filled with the battalion commander and his staff, along with the officers from each company. All officers from the 1st Battalion had gathered.
Seo Juhwan entered with confidence, but now he stood at attention, visibly tense.
"Sergeant Seo Juhwan."
"Sergeant Seo Juhwan, reporting!"
"You damaged the G-shaped flashlight?"
"I sincerely apologize!"
Supply item destruction. This was why Seo Juhwan hung his head like a criminal.
During training, Seo Juhwan had scraped a G-shaped flashlight with a utility knife to create a luminescent obstacle. At the time, he hadn't looked back because he was focused on catching the opposing force, but thinking about it again, it was clearly damage to military supplies. Now that this was being pointed out, he worried he might face disciplinary action.
'This is unfair!'
Seo Juhwan felt deeply wronged.
In fact, the creation of luminescent obstacles using a G-shaped flashlight wasn't his idea. Before returning, it was an item that came from the battalion commander's orders after they were thoroughly defeated by the opposing force in this training. The intent was to make it themselves since luminescent obstacles weren't being supplied. Thanks to that, soldiers had worked hard scraping the outer surface of the G-shaped flashlight with a utility knife. Furthermore, this idea had come from his direct superior, Captain Jeong Sora.
'Damn it. But that hasn't happened in this timeline yet.'
The important thing was that this hadn't occurred in this world yet. Even if he voiced his grievance, it wouldn't help.
Just then, the battalion commander burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Apologize? Thanks to you, we really dealt a blow to the 3rd Battalion. How did you come up with that idea? Creating luminescent obstacles using a G-shaped flashlight—that's impressive! Don't you think so?"
As the battalion commander looked around for agreement, the officers began laughing as if they'd been waiting for the moment.
"Haha. That's right. His thinking is quite creative for his age."
"And how about his situational awareness? Spotting the shortcut and responding quickly by radio showed excellent judgment."
"I thought his position camouflage was more impressive. When I went to check before we withdrew, he had built what looked like a fortress."
"That's right. If you didn't look closely for a while, you couldn't tell it apart from the surrounding landscape."
"You said he was the squad leader of the 4th Company? The company commander has trained his soldiers really well."
Praise poured in not only for Seo Juhwan but also for his direct superior, Captain Jeong Sora. Her lips, which had been maintaining a poker face, rose slightly.
"Personnel officer, get this fellow a 4-day, 3-night commendation. Today's hero deserves at least that much."
Long live the battalion commander!
On this day, the battalion commander's bald head looked endearing to Seo Juhwan.
---
Before entering the administration section, Seo Juhwan checked his skills once more.
1. Pheromone (Rank: B)
▶ Effect 1: Emits an attractive scent that makes it easier to gain favor.
▶ Effect 2: Temporarily increases the physiology and arousal of the opposite sex who smells the pheromone to a slight degree.
The effects of the pheromone, enhanced through a Skill-Up Coupon (B), had changed noticeably. It seemed like this would definitely help in seducing the opposite sex.
'To seduce, I need to be close first.'
Since it was a skill that worked through scent, he guessed the effect would be stronger the closer he was.
Seo Juhwan took a deep breath and opened the door to the administration section. Captain Jeong Sora appeared with a damp face, having just washed off her camouflage. Unlike last time, her face was completely bare without any makeup.
"Captain, I came because I had something to discuss."
"Oh, yeah. Junghoon, what is it?"
Had his performance today been effective? For some reason, Captain Jeong Sora's voice sounded softer than usual.
Seo Juhwan consciously moved closer to Captain Jeong Sora and spoke.
"Captain Jeong, could I give the commendation I received today to Corporal Lee Junghoon?"
"What? You're giving up your commendation?"
Captain Jeong Sora widened her eyes in response. It was certainly surprising that he would suddenly give up a 4-day, 3-night commendation.
Seo Juhwan answered with an awkward laugh while scratching his eyebrow.
"Actually, even if I receive the commendation, I won't be able to use it. I'm being discharged soon..."
"Ah, you're right. Your discharge is coming up soon?"
"Yes. January 28th is my discharge date."
Seo Juhwan had already scheduled a 14-day, 15-night leave for January. Then he would be discharged the day after returning.
In the end, the commendation he couldn't use anyway would be better given to Lee Junghoon, who had helped him a lot during his military service, than wasted.
"Wow. Time really flies. You're already at that point, Juhwan."
"Haha. I know, right?"
"You've worked hard training in your final months. Hehe."
"No, I'm just glad I did my part right at the end."
Captain Jeong Sora seemed pleased by those words and smiled slightly.
'Ah... she's beautiful.'
She had just washed off her camouflage, so her face had no makeup whatsoever, but he found himself marveling. Was that hair style called a wolf cut? Sometimes when women had short hair, they'd look indistinguishable from men, but that didn't apply to Captain Jeong Sora.
'Right. That's not the important thing.'
He almost forgot his purpose. He looked at Captain Jeong Sora's expression and carefully spoke.
"Captain, actually there's something I'd like to ask of you."
"A request?"
"Yes. Captain... Could I get an overnight pass after training?"
"An overnight pass? Didn't you apply for it beforehand?"
"Actually, I already went on overnight pass in October..."
Seo Juhwan gave an awkward laugh while scratching his eyebrow.
Originally, you could only take overnight passes once per quarter. Yet he was asking anyway, betting on the merit he'd built up today. But it was unclear whether Captain Jeong Sora, who normally adhered to regulations, would allow it.
Then Captain Jeong Sora let out a light laugh.
"Fine. Take your overnight pass."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I know it's normally not allowed. Consider it instead of the commendation."
"Thank you so much, Captain!"
Seo Juhwan expressed his joy with a salute. Captain Jeong Sora laughed once more and gestured for him to leave.
"Just make sure you prepare well for tomorrow's march."
"Yes! Don't worry about that!"
"Alright. Sleep well."
"Thank you. Sleep well too, Captain!"
Seo Juhwan left the administration section and entered the barracks. Since lights out had already occurred, he quietly removed his shoes and squeezed into his sleeping bag. As he closed his eyes to sleep, Captain Jeong Sora's smiling face lingered in his vision.
'She's really pretty when she smiles.'
It had been a long time since a woman smiled at him like that. Perhaps it was more memorable precisely because smiles were rare for Captain Jeong Sora.
'The overnight pass is my chance.'
Today was Thursday the 23rd, and this coming Saturday was the 25th. And on that day, Captain Jeong Sora was going on a blind date.
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