It was after Taesu’s answer.
Swish.
Kim Hyeok-gwon stepped toward Squad Leader Sam and spoke in English.
“Instructor, let’s die once.”
“Okay.”
Squad Leader Sam dismissed it with a single word.
Now only Jeong Min-su remained.
There was no way he could have failed to hear the conversation held with him between them.
But Jeong Min-su seemed too lost in his own thoughts to listen.
His expression kept changing.
Every so often, he glanced back and forth between Taesu and Kim Hyeok-gwon. His gaze was filled with a plea for help.
But the two men were looking straight ahead.
“……”
Jeong Min-su finally understood that he would receive no help from anyone.
Until now, he had lived his life being pushed around by other people’s decisions.
As embarrassing as it was, that was the life Jeong Min-su had lived.
He had drifted all the way to this day without knowing what his dream was or what he wanted to do.
The only decision he had ever made for himself was to go to Kashmir.
His resolve?
He had none, not even when he left.
In one word, he had run away.
He had spoken to Taesu with great confidence, but deep down, he had come because he wanted someone to lean on.
In Kashmir, he had encountered life and death.
He had also tasted freedom and responsibility.
And now he stood here.
‘I……’
What did he want to do?
How did he want to live?
He asked himself those questions again and again, searching for an answer.
But the questions only continued endlessly.
Even at this moment, he was avoiding the answer, cowed by his own fear.
It had been the same when he rappelled earlier.
He had been bolder when dealing with patients in critical condition.
Thinking back, that was how he had always been.
Only when emergency patients were hovering between life and death had he been willing to move on his own.
He found himself pathetic.
At the same time, he could infer that there was a strong side hidden within his cowardly self.
But what if he could not draw out that strength on his own?
What if someone had to bring it out for him?
This was the best possible environment.
That thought came to him at the same time.
The hesitation on Jeong Min-su’s face gradually settled into calm.
Then he slowly raised his hand toward Squad Leader Sam and said,
“A question……. I have one.”
“Ask.”
“If I say that I want to quit, can you make sure that I don’t?”
Jeong Min-su’s question was not wordplay.
He was more serious than he had ever been.
Upon hearing the question, a faint glint appeared in Taesu’s eyes.
‘Do you want to really give it a try?’
It was a question that made all the waiting worthwhile.
At that moment, Squad Leader Sam slightly raised his head. The gaze revealed beneath the brim of his military cap was directed at Taesu.
He knew Jeong Min-su’s personality as well, so his eyes showed surprise.
But Taesu?
“……”
Blink.
He blinked once.
Perhaps he understood the signal, because Squad Leader Sam’s eyes disappeared beneath his cap again.
Then he spoke to Jeong Min-su in a low voice.
“Trainee Jeong, I’ll say this clearly.”
“Even if I say I want to quit……”
Before Jeong Min-su could continue his question, Squad Leader Sam cut him off.
“I’ll say it again. Clearly.”
“So even if I happen to say that it’s too hard and want to quit……”
“Don’t beat around the bush. What exactly are you trying to say?”
Squad Leader Sam shouted impatiently.
Jeong Min-su’s eyes shook violently.
Tremble.
Even his fingertips began to quiver faintly.
The self that wanted to shrink away and the self that wanted to endure were clashing within him.
And then—
Clench.
Jeong Min-su suddenly balled both fists and shouted,
“Help me!”
At that, Squad Leader Sam shouted back in an even colder tone.
“No, that’s not it.”
“……”
“Trainee Jeong, say it properly again. You can do it.”
“I……. I……”
Jeong Min-su’s voice began to tremble again.
Unable to bear watching any longer, Taesu shouted sharply,
“What are you afraid of? Just say it!”
“Trainee Choi.”
Squad Leader Sam shouted, trying to stop him.
But Taesu ignored him and pressed Jeong Min-su even harder.
“Get it out of your mouth, you bastard.”
“Once you say it, it’s nothing. You can do it.”
Kim Hyeok-gwon also urged him on.
That was when it happened.
Flash.
Jeong Min-su opened his eyes wide, stared straight at Squad Leader Sam, and spoke in a trembling voice.
“I’ll do anything, so make me strong.”
“Trainee Jeong. Is that what you really want to say?”
“Yes. Kill me or save me, do whatever you want.”
By then, the tremor had disappeared from Jeong Min-su’s voice.
He himself did not seem to notice.
But everyone except him clearly felt the change.
Taesu and Kim Hyeok-gwon looked forward again.
Soon, Squad Leader Sam followed each of them with his eyes and said,
“Instructors and assistants have duly received the trainees’ wishes and resolve.”
“Yes, sir.”
“But I want to see it with my own eyes.”
“What do you want us to show you?”
Everyone blinked, not understanding what he meant.
Then Squad Leader Sam looked at the assistants standing in a line to either side and ordered,
“Assistants, to your positions.”
“To our positions.”
Clack.
They swiftly moved to stand beside their assigned trainees.
Then Squad Leader Sam addressed the assistants again.
“The trainees’ bodies are quite stiff.”
“Sir.”
“Make sure they loosen up properly during the remaining training time today.”
“Yes, sir!”
At the same time—
Attention.
Each assistant stepped forward and stood before his trainee.
Taesu, as well as Kim Hyeok-gwon and Jeong Min-su, felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Just then, Sergeant Ryan spoke coldly to Taesu.
“Trainee Choi, prepare for push-ups.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rustle.
As Taesu assumed the push-up position, Sergeant Ryan said quietly,
“This is just a warm-up, so we’ll keep it light. Fifty reps.”
“One……. Gah.”
Thud.
The instant he felt an enormous weight on his back, Taesu’s breath caught.
Sergeant Ryan’s voice came from above him.
“Keep going without stopping.”
“I can’t—”
“Did you say you can’t? Are you saying you want to drop out?”
Sergeant Ryan immediately threatened him.
At this moment, Taesu was the one who could least afford to complain.
He had no choice but to do the push-ups.
Even lowering himself was a problem.
Tremble, tremble.
Both arms shook uncontrollably like the tentacles of a mollusk.
So much blood rushed into his face that his eyes felt as if they might pop out.
It felt as though his nose could start bleeding at any moment, and the blood flooding his head made him dizzy.
But he could not give up, so he forced himself onward.
“……Nnngh.”
“That was only one. When are you going to reach fifty?”
“Damn it.”
Taesu continued doing push-ups with Sergeant Ryan on his back.
His eyes were filled with ferocity.
But doing fifty push-ups while carrying an adult man was impossible.
No, even two were difficult.
The same was true for Taesu.
Thump.
“Argh!”
What happened if he collapsed?
“Get a grip and get back up.”
“Nnngh.”
“This won’t end until you complete fifty. If you want to rest, you may rest just like that.”
Sergeant Ryan did not budge an inch.
He neither reduced the number nor climbed down for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Jeong Min-su was running around the training field with Corporal Guspia.
He was overweight and had never managed his stamina.
For someone like Jeong Min-su, running itself was torture.
“Huff, huff.”
“Tired already? You still have another hundred laps to go.”
“Th—……. Huff, huff. I can’t……”
“There is nothing a person cannot do through sheer will. Run, run!”
Corporal Guspia continued encouraging Jeong Min-su.
He himself possessed a formidable build.
Even so, while running the exact same course, he looked completely at ease.
Clop, clop, clop.
Three laps……. Five laps…….
By the time they had completed eight laps, Jeong Min-su’s face had already gone deathly pale.
“Haa, haa, haa.”
“Your pace is falling. Faster.”
“St—stop, huff, huff, huff.”
Flail.
Perhaps his vision was swimming, because he reached out to grab Corporal Guspia.
The corporal easily dodged him and shouted sharply,
“Do not rely on anyone. Do not give up!”
“Lif—life……. My heart……”
“You are not a doctor during training. You won’t die from this. Overcome it!”
“Huff, huff, huff, huff.”
As Jeong Min-su gradually fell behind, Corporal Guspia turned around and began pushing him from behind.
“Run, run!”
“Gah, huff, huff, huff.”
“Get a hold of yourself!”
Corporal Guspia was ruthless as well.
Even when Jeong Min-su’s steps slowed, he never let him stop, continuing to urge him on while pushing him forward.
Kim Hyeok-gwon’s situation was no better.
He was doing sit-ups beside Taesu.
“Ha, ha.”
Up, up.
Sit-ups had the advantage that no one could climb onto your back or push you from behind.
He thought he had it slightly better than the others.
That was, of course, a grave miscalculation.
Thud.
Something blocked Kim Hyeok-gwon’s head midway up.
It appeared to be Private Antonie’s hand.
With a cold smile, he spoke in a low voice,
“Double your speed and come up to exactly this position. Start with two hundred.”
“What?”
“Are you resisting?”
“Damn it……. Fine!”
Whoosh, whoosh.
Kim Hyeok-gwon increased his speed, venting his irritation.
But he could not keep it up for long.
His abdominal muscles began to pull, and soon he let out a scream.
“Nngh, aaagh!”
“Down. Hurry up and go down.”
“My abs, my abs……”
“If you won’t go down, I’ll put you down.”
Press.
Private Antonie casually pushed Kim Hyeok-gwon’s head.
The tension in his abdominal muscles suddenly gave way, and Kim Hyeok-gwon collapsed onto his back with a shout.
“Aaaagh, Antonie!”
“Ten more.”
“You little bastard!”
“Twenty more.”
“Damn it, Choi Taesu!”
Shout after shout.
As always, the final target of Kim Hyeok-gwon’s resentment was one man: Taesu.
The three of them finished their assigned quotas long after sunset.
“Nngh.”
“Huff, huff.”
They lay there, unable even to get up, gasping for breath.
Squad Leader Sam appeared before them and said quietly,
“Training is over for today.”
Attention.
After saying just that one thing, he turned away without a hint of concern.
The three collapsed men ached in every part of their bodies.
Their muscles moved of their own accord, and they had no strength in their bodies, making it difficult even to shift around.
“Nngh. This isn’t right. Something must have gone wrong.”
Taesu lamented without moving an inch.
Just then—
“Nnnngh. I, I’m going to kill that…… I have to…… Nngh.”
Scuff, scuff.
Beside him, Kim Hyeok-gwon was crawling toward him with murderous eyes.