tl/editor: looloo

    status: ongoing

    illustrations: posted in discord

    join the discord! here

    the final week mirrored the first, albeit with a stark difference. initially, the unfamiliar surroundings and stern instructors maintained a tense atmosphere.

    now, everyone had completely relaxed, moving about indifferently. though they adhered to basic protocols, the absence of training and dissipation of tension made time seem to stand still.

    consequently, monday through friday until discharge was sheer hell. i finally understood why people exchanged contact information at the training center.

    with nothing to do, we resorted to swapping contacts and chatting. one madman even attempted to create board games by tearing up notebook paper, but quickly abandoned the effort.

    of course, i couldn''t assume all connections would be severed. more frequent interactions might foster longer-lasting relationships, but that seemed unlikely. except for yu jun, this was probably the last time i''d see most of them.

    "we''re out of snacks..."

    "it''s impressive you rationed them till last week. how much did you bring?"

    "i stashed them everywhere, but now they''re gone."

    "i enjoyed the freebies, but... wish i could reimburse you for the snacks."

    "forget it. if your family''s not coming, want to leave together after the completion ceremony?"

    "why would i third-wheel? enjoy your family time. i''m heading straight home anyway."

    "shit. i''m fucking jealous."

    the training center held both completion and discharge ceremonies. after completion, trainees could meet and go out with family. most of my peers would likely do so, but i''d told my family not to come for the completion ceremony before entering.

    i was going straight home after discharge anyway, so it seemed pointless to make them use vacation days just to see me briefly. despite my eagerness to see heena and sarang, i decided to wait a bit longer.

    moreover, seeing sarang only to say goodbye, then returning a day later, might be emotionally challenging. meeting them upon discharge seemed best.

    i heard a few other reservists like me would be staying on base. they probably had similar reasoning.

    well, anyway, my time at the training center was truly coming to an end.

    it had been more fun than anticipated.

    ---

    raei translations

    ---

    discharge day.

    tension permeated the base once again. it didn''t affect me, but for the active-duty soldiers, this marked the real beginning of their military life.

    i bid farewell to yu jun, who i wouldn''t see for a while.

    "take care, and message me when you can use your phone. we''ll hang out."

    "you take care too... what''s there to be careful about for a reservist living the sweet life? in your hometown, no less. fuck."

    "sweet as honey~"

    "i really didn''t want to say this, but can i punch you?"

    "nope."

    moments later, yu jun gathered his luggage to board the bus to his unit. most events had concluded with yesterday''s completion ceremony; today was merely about departing for their units.

    "i''m off."

    "good luck~"

    these days, phones are permitted in the military, so there were no tearful goodbyes. still, after being together daily, his departure left an emptiness.

    after seeing yu jun off, i shouldered my bulky duffel bag. i''d packed everything, though aside from uniforms and documents, most would likely be useless. i could use civilian clothes at home.

    still, i couldn''t bring myself to discard these memories from the training center carelessly.

    after most active-duty soldiers left, we reservists waited a bit longer before finally leaving the training center.

    my heart raced with each step. after six long weeks, i''d be reuniting with my family.

    among the reservists, those taking military buses departed first. then we could proceed to where families with cars waited. now we just had to go home and report to our duty stations on monday.

    as i scanned the area, duffel bag in tow, i spotted a small figure already sprinting towards me.

    "daddy!!!"

    sarang, seemingly taller than when i''d left, ran into my arms.

    she clung to my neck, gripping tightly as if to prevent me from leaving again.

    thus, we captured a family photo after six weeks, with my wife and daughter clinging tightly to me.

    we also asked a passerby to take one with hyung, all four of us together.

    then, on the way home.

    thanks to their reluctance to let go, we sat together in the backseat. heena on my right, sarang on my lap.

    observing mother and daughter fixated solely on my face, refusing to release their grip, i glimpsed my future life.

    but who cares?

    i had no desire to be apart from heena or sarang either.

    for the rest of our lives, just like this.

    we''ll be together.

    ---

    raei translations

    ---

    (feat. heena)

    after that first call with yeonho, time crawled on. though it felt horribly slow, almost at a standstill.

    sarang had regained some energy, though not as much as before, and i drew strength just from hearing his voice.

    however, when yeonho''s clothes and belongings arrived via mail, a tear fell suddenly. thankfully, sarang wasn''t present. and upon reading yeonho''s letter atop those clothes, i was overwhelmed.

     ─ besides, the training center isn''t as grueling as i''d anticipated. not seeing you and sarang is the hardest part. but i''ve befriended a fun fellow trainee, so don''t fret too much. i''ll call every weekend without fail. i love you, heena. i love sarang too!

    i was grateful to have seen this letter after speaking with yeonho. had i read it before hearing his voice, i likely would have broken down completely.

    though the content wasn''t particularly special, somehow, exchanging our feelings through writing touched a raw emotional nerve.

    after composing my slightly erratic emotions, i shared yeonho''s letter with the rest of the family. from then on, we settled into a cycle of waiting.

    week after week. on weekends, sarang and i would sit, eyes fixed on the phone from afternoon onward, waiting endlessly.

    perhaps due to yeonho''s absence, sarang, though more energetic, still rarely touched snacks. instead, she focused on practicing her writing while waiting for his call.

    she said she wanted to write more letters to daddy.

    my daughter''s dedication was both endearing and admirable.

    "mommy! sarang finished writing the letter!"

    "really? let me see."

    sarang''s letter, like her first attempt last week, was still messy with numerous misspellings, but i knew yeonho would be deeply moved upon receiving it. perhaps even more so than by my letter. though slightly disappointing, it couldn''t be helped.

    sarang had poured her heart into it.

    as we continued this routine of exchanging letters and brief weekly calls with yeonho, the day of his return drew near. it hadn''t been a brief period by any means. i gained newfound respect for those waiting for loved ones in the military.

    if i struggled this much with less than two months, how did others endure two years?

    finally, the day arrived.

    as always, oppa took leave and volunteered to drive. together with our precious daughter, who had longed for this day as desperately as i had, we set out to meet yeonho.

    at the training center, six weeks later, we watched numerous trainees departing on buses. only after most had gone could we finally spot my husband.

    clad in his military uniform, slightly tanned, but still wearing that beautiful smile as he approached us.

    for a moment, i stood motionless, watching sarang dash towards yeonho.

    this was all we needed. all we ever needed.

    if yeonho could smile at me, at us, like that, what more could i desire in this world?

    though his training center stay had been unavoidable, now i never wanted him to leave my side again.

    yes. this isn''t about restraining him; it''s simply a wife''s earnest wish to be with her beloved husband.

    surely, yeonho will understand.

    right, honey?

    author''s note:

    about sarang''s illustration... i was too swamped to find a new illustrator... everyone''s so busy...

    ;?;

    the reservist training center experience can vary significantly depending on timing and location. researching it was quite challenging...