TL/Editor: looloo

    Status: ongoing

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    After the tearful enlistment ceremony, the first week at the training center dragged on monotonously.

    The drill instructors'' barking orders didn''t faze me, probably because I hadn''t enlisted right at twenty. I just felt bad for their throats.

    Of course, these days it''s impossible to cross the line with verbal abuse or physical violence like in the old days.

    The first week lacked proper training. We mostly underwent medical exams, learned to make our beds with military precision, and practiced basic marching formations.

    Waking up early was second nature, so that wasn''t difficult. Even the morning jog after breakfast was manageable. My three months of working out and yoga had paid off.

    The toughest part of mornings was securing a decent toilet stall. Watching sweaty guys with desperate faces milling around the bathroom was hellish.

    I lucked out with my bunkmates. Since many were non-active duty enlistees, there was a general air of ease.

    If someone messed up, the attitude was always, "Let''s just move on, no big deal."

    The guy next to me, however, was an active-duty enlistee. He seemed dejected when he realized he was surrounded by non-active duty soldiers.

    Still, we hit it off quickly. He must have been bored too, because he struck up a conversation as soon as our bunks were assigned.

    "Hey, aren''t you that little girl''s dad? The one who was crying so loudly."

    "Yeah, that''s me. You heard, huh?"

    "It was impossible not to... I was nearby."

    Later, when I introduced myself to others, many remembered me as ''the dad of the girl who cried loudly''. They might not have seen my face, but they''d all heard Sarang''s wails.

    Well, Sarang did cry pretty damn loudly. Everyone except those seated on the opposite side or who''d gone in early must have heard her.

    That''s how we started talking. Honestly, you can''t help but get close to the people around your bunk. There''s nothing else to do but chat.

    The guy next to me, a bit on the chubby side, was named Yu Jun. He''d enlisted after finishing his first year of college - the typical route.

    True to his plump appearance, he had quite the appetite. He''d even smuggled in seasoning packets and a few small snacks.

    Every evening after dinner, during our free time, we''d secretly munch on corn snacks at our bunks while chatting. We quickly dropped the formalities.

    As we opened up about our lives, the topic naturally shifted to my family.

    "Wow, your kid''s four? So you had her at twenty?"

    "Yep."

    "And you had a kid then but still got into Seoyeon University? That''s fucking insane."

    "I studied my ass off. Quit gaming and everything, man."

    "Come on~ You know what I mean. Got a picture of your daughter?"

    "Of course."

    "Can I see?"

    "Sure, why not."

    I had no problem showing pictures. Whether of Heena or Sarang. They were my pride and joy, the ones I loved most in this world.

    I could predict his reaction. Sarang was cute enough to elicit gasps, and my wife was even prettier than he might imagine.

    Sure enough, as soon as Yu Jun saw the photos, his jaw dropped. He kept looking back and forth between the pictures and me.

    "Wait... What? Hold on... What the fuck. This isn''t photoshopped, right?"

    "What photoshop, you idiot."

    "This doesn''t make sense, fuck!! What''s up with your wife?!"

    "Yeah, Heena is pretty cute."

    "Cute? Just cute? Life''s unfair, goddammit. Spit out the seasoning I gave you, seriously."

    "Bleaurgh~"

    "This pisses me off."

    We bickered a bit over Heena''s beauty, but I was used to that. Yu Jun grumbled for a while but soon realized that Sarang was also a beauty and ended up with a proud dad smile.

    "But your daughter''s super pretty too. Does she do child modeling or something?"

    "We''ve had offers, but I turned them down. It''s scary exposing kids to media these days. You never know what kind of crap they''ll hear."

    "True... There are a lot of psychos on the internet."

    After that, I showed Yu Jun a few more pictures of Sarang at his request, while I too gazed at Heena and Sarang, burning their images into my memory once again.

    I missed them terribly, even though it had only been two or three days. It was depressing that the face I saw upon waking wasn''t Heena''s doll-like visage, but Yu Jun''s broad mug.

    "Of course it''s Daddy. Sarang, have you been listening to Mommy well while Daddy''s been away?"

    [Yes! Sarang has been a good girl! They said if Sarang is good, Daddy will come back faster!]

    "Really? Our Sarang, you''ve been so good and well-behaved? Daddy will have to come back quickly then."

    [Then are you coming tomorrow?!]

    "No, tomorrow''s not possible... Daddy has to sleep thirty..."

    [If we sleep thirty-three more nights, Daddy will come! Sarang is counting every day!]

    "Wow, Sarang is so smart! That''s right. Daddy will come after thirty-three more nights, so you need to listen well to Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa.

    Okay?"

    [Okay! Sarang will be a good girl! Daddy has to come back quickly to see Sarang too!]

    I''d been worried that Sarang might still be feeling down, but it seemed like Heena and the others had comforted her well.

    Hearing Sarang''s bright voice, which sometimes echoed in my ears like an auditory hallucination, lifted a big worry off my shoulders.

    "Three! Two! One! Hang up and return to your rooms!"

    But that warm feeling was short-lived. I hurriedly added one last thing to Sarang.

    "Sarang! Daddy has to go now, okay? After seven more nights, Daddy will call again! I love you!"

    [Daddy? Daddy!!]

    -Click.

    I heard her calling out to me at the end, but I hung up without delay. The person behind me was probably looking forward to calling their family as much as I had been.

    That call, shorter than expected, left me walking back to the barracks with a mix of disappointment and happiness, recalling Heena and Sarang''s voices. As I was walking, replaying their voices in my head, I saw Yu Jun approaching.

    "Sniff... Sob..."

    Like many of our fellow trainees, Yu Jun couldn''t contain his emotions after talking to his family and was crying.

    I''d joked earlier about not crying, but it wouldn''t be human to tease him at a moment like this.

    I patted Yu Jun''s back as we returned to our room together.

    Thirty-three nights, huh.

    Yeah. If I can just endure that long, I can go see them again.

    My beloved family.

    ---

    Raei Translations

    ---

    (feat. Heena)

    After the call from my husband ended, Sarang lowered the phone she''d been holding with both hands, looking utterly dejected.

    "Daddy... He''s gone..."

    "Sarang. You need to smile prettily, okay? That''s how we''ll get Daddy to call again."

    "Okay... Sarang will smile prettily..."

    But with her father''s voice still ringing in her ears after a week, she couldn''t quite manage a smile today.

    I gave a bitter smile and pulled Sarang into my arms.

    "Daddy must have been so happy that Sarang waited for him so well. So let''s hang in there a little longer. How many more nights did we say?"

    "Thirty-three nights..."

    "Sarang''s been counting carefully every morning, right? We''re already down to just thirty-three nights. So Sarang, look at Mommy and show me your pretty face~"

    At my words, Sarang turned to look up at me and tried her best to smile. I smiled back at her as brightly as I could.

    In truth, it wasn''t "just" thirty-three nights.

    There were still thirty-three nights "left" until I''d see Yeonho again. I couldn''t believe only a week had passed. It felt like seven years had gone by already.

    The words I was saying to Sarang were actually meant for myself.

    That it wasn''t long now.

    That I should hang in there because it wasn''t a long time.

    I was comforting myself.

    But no matter what I said, no matter what mindset I tried to adopt, there was no way to deal with this longing.

    I missed Yeonho so much.