March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 118

“But…”

Sehwa looked back and forth between the screen and the tablet.

“That… former doctor, and… that kid who appeared a few days ago… isn’t there a reason why Captain Kim’s side would hire such ordinary people to try to, ahem, shake me?”

Fortunately, Sehwa no longer stuttered much. Instead, he coughed with difficulty between words, to the point where it was painful for the listener. It seemed as if his vocal cords might tear.

“That’s because,”

“It was like that even when I first joined the game as a player, cough.”

Second Lieutenant Park and Warrant Officer Choi were just looking at him, worried about Sehwa’s throat condition, let alone the immediate matter, but he paid no mind and calmly recalled his younger days.

“The construction plan was plausible, and the, ahem, mark was almost hooked… but other players interfered. It was like backbiting, saying I wasn’t trustworthy, but… if you think about it, my words made sense, but cough, the customers, the customers only listened to the stories of the players who suddenly joined in.”

There could have been various reasons for the customers’ change of heart. They might not have fully trusted the clumsy young player, or they might have been easily swayed by the subtle instigation of other gamblers… or perhaps they were simply annoyed by listening to a mere child and didn’t want to admit that Sehwa was actually right.

The customers tried to deny Sehwa by bringing up their mood that day, the players’ attitudes, or even today’s fortune. It meant they weren’t genuinely trying to distinguish right from wrong.

The reasons Sehwa was always beaten and couldn’t even get gruel were such trivial things. You’re just unlucky, you look like a gigolo, you’re acting out of your league, so we’ll put you in your place…

Anyway, after hearing the explanation, the military trial and the public opinion battle led by Captain Kim’s family didn’t seem particularly different from the Hwatu games Sehwa had experienced so far.

“Rather than laying out various things, it’s much better… to bring out the most shocking single thing.”

The fact that Captain Kim frequented the House, that there was a transaction statement for the payment to President Son… These were easy for the opposing side to pick apart. What if they insisted he was just going there to get the drugs he usually took, and wasn’t trying to develop suspicious drugs by exploiting commoners? An officer dabbling in drugs wouldn’t even be considered a scandal.

“You didn’t file the complaint because you wanted to confirm that Captain Kim is a drug addict. It’s because the drug he made is dangerous, that’s why you opened the trial…”

Sehwa rubbed his Adam’s apple uncomfortably, blinked a couple of times, then coughed and continued speaking.

“Then the sample from Hwan 1, the sa-, cough, the sample’s ingredients… and the fact that they exactly match the manufacturing method written in the document… and that I, who traded with Captain Kim for a long time, know how to make that drug, that would be the most… plausible evidence, I think. And…”

“……”

“In fact… because of that drug, I… became able to have a child, didn’t I?”

This was a topic everyone in the room, including Gi Taejeong, wanted to avoid. Even Sehwa himself.

Sehwa also didn’t bring this up intentionally to provoke Gi Taejeong. He was genuinely asking him because he didn’t understand. There was a performance he could present most effectively, so why did they insist on going in circles?

“Do you think I wouldn’t have considered a method you immediately thought of? I’m not saying no because I don’t know it.”

“……”

“Yes, originally, I intended to use you for that purpose. That’s why I caused that commotion, no, that chaos, at the shelter to transfer the drugs into Z2.”

“……”

“But you’re sick now.”

Sehwa had become incredibly weak, both physically and mentally, after the surgery… no, after getting involved with Gi Taejeong. His heart had been cut so many times, the shock was so great that he was struggling even to take a step.

A bigger problem was that he had taken a large amount of A7 during the surgery. To exaggerate a little, half of Sehwa’s body was filled with A7, not blood.

But with that body, he would touch drugs? Even if it was just a taste on the tip of his tongue for manufacturing, there was no guarantee what results it would bring.

“…Anyway, General, you… must want to win…”

“I’ll win even without using you like that. If I were that incompetent, I wouldn’t be wearing a general’s badge. More importantly…”

Gi Taejeong, who was trying to stop Sehwa from saying such nonsense, realized a beat late that the expression he had just chosen wasn’t very good. Especially the part about not using him “that way” could sound to Sehwa as if he intended to use him in some other way.

“…More importantly, I no longer regard you as a mere consumer.”

Gi Taejeong, momentarily speechless and hesitating for a breath, finally added an awkward explanation, completely devoid of any softness.

He couldn’t make Sehwa laugh with trivial words like Commander Oh Seonran anyway. He still didn’t quite understand what was so different between the small gifts he had poured on him and the book Commander Oh Seonran had brought. If that was the case, he thought he should at least speak clearly so Sehwa wouldn’t jump to conclusions.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt anymore.”

At the calm declaration, Sehwa let out a small gasp. Second Lieutenant Park, Warrant Officer Choi, and Lieutenant Na were also the same.

At least, Gi Taejeong had never expressed his feelings in such a direct way before. His words were undoubtedly rough, but that calmly thrown remark, somehow… felt like the most genuine of all the excuses Sehwa had heard from Gi Taejeong so far.

“Lee Sehwa. As you know, I…”

At Gi Taejeong’s low call, the quick-witted adjutants exchanged glances among themselves and then subtly backed away towards the entrance. Sehwa, seemingly flustered by suddenly being left alone, stretched his neck and looked around. From the way his lips moved, it seemed he was trying to call Lieutenant Na.

Gi Taejeong habitually tried to bring up his noble cause, then, realizing his mistake, bit his lower lip hard. He had already explained many times that it wasn’t like that now, but Sehwa refused to listen to him. Instead, the more he called his name and pretended to be gentle, the more he seemed to suffer.

“…So you weren’t bothered at all?”

How could he approach Lee Sehwa more skillfully? Not with self-centered excuses, not with an overbearing tone. He wished he had learned a way of expressing himself that wasn’t like a soldier or a killing machine. Not just removing rough and vulgar insults from his blunt speech, but like Lee Sehwa, who could make him feel all the emotions he had held at that moment, just by writing down the drug mixture and detoxification methods…

“Were you okay every time those bastards ruined the game you set up, stole your customers, and talked nonsense while making a joke out of you?”

Sehwa, sitting almost dangling from the end of the sofa, avoiding Gi Taejeong, gripped both fists tightly and stared only at his feet.

“No, you weren’t. Even if you said you were okay, you weren’t okay at all.”

“That’s, that was in the past, now… why…”

“Because, as you said, a military trial is no different. It’s obvious you won’t be okay this time either.”

“……”

“However… this time, it’s a game I arbitrarily set up, so I understood that you wanted to see the trial directly and confirm the situation with your own eyes. And after that, you’ll surely have something to say to me… More importantly, I don’t want to see you faint again because of talk like filming.”

“……”

“So I allowed, no, decided that you could attend the trial. Anyway, I’ll be able to stop any major problems there before they happen. But that’s as far as it goes. I don’t want to see you suffer beyond that.”

Sehwa slowly blinked. His long eyelashes fluttered a half-beat late, following the movement.

…Was it the wrong answer again? His chest felt hot. It hurt as if the shirt pocket where he had put the note was on fire.

You can wring someone’s insides out with just black rectangles that aren’t even proper letters, but all the words I choose, supposedly for you, are always wrong. Even when I try to put my heart into it, it doesn’t get conveyed to you genuinely.

“…Anyway, the trial is in 3 days, and you should try not to say anything. Just your presence and exercising your right to remain silent will put enough pressure on them.”

“……”

“Oh, and because Commander Oh Seonran has already adopted you, you need to be careful when submitting your personal information. I’ll tell you again before the trial, so just keep this in mind.”

“That, process… is it all, done?”

“Yeah. Right now, she’s very busy trying to enroll you and your child as 5th Star residents.”

Sehwa, who had been avoiding Gi Taejeong’s gaze all along, couldn’t remain indifferent to that last remark and abruptly turned his head.

“Can, can I become a 5th Star resident? The child?”

“It will take some time, but it’s not impossible.”

Gi Taejeong was so pleased to see Sehwa turn his body towards him and focus on the conversation that he unconsciously started rambling about related matters. From the adoption process to how to change residence registration, and the subsequent ancillary procedures… Honestly, as someone who had no interest in children, Gi Taejeong mostly didn’t care about these things, but he still pretended to know and explained them in detail.

“Ah, the child doesn’t even have a name yet… cough, is that possible?”

A slight blush bloomed on Sehwa’s cheeks for the first time in a long while. Compared to before, he was as pale as if he had been dipped in bleach, but seeing a faint hint of vitality, as if he had been infused with flower water, was a good sight. He didn’t care about his own situation, but the possibility of his child’s status changing seemed quite encouraging.

“The incubator number is registered, and I’m the biological father. It should be easier than changing your status…”

Gi Taejeong, who had been staring intently at Sehwa’s round, upturned cheeks and had unconsciously started speaking as if mesmerized, realized belatedly what he had been about to say and bit hard on the inside of his cheek.

Ah, damn it. It was just a day ago that Sehwa had cried and cried, asking him to give up parental rights, to please keep that promise. To be precise, not even 24 hours had passed. But seeing his bright expression for the first time in a long time, he got excited and spoke carelessly again, without consideration.

“Lee Sehwa, that… just now…”

“Yes?”

“…I didn’t bring that up on purpose.”

“…Yes? What…”

“That I’m the biological father of the child or whatever.”

“…Ah.”

“I wasn’t trying to ignore your request… it’s just an objective situation.”

He’ll look at me with lost eyes again and sigh with a tearful voice. Then he’ll stumble away… Now that I’m not even allowed into the bedroom, I’ll just have to wait for morning to come. Staring blankly at the baby shoes Sehwa had tried to throw away and the note I only read today.

“Ah… yes.”

But strangely, Sehwa showed no particular reaction. Although his face was a little awkward, he just nodded quietly, saying he understood.

…What? Gi Taejeong was a little flustered and rubbed his brow bone a couple of times with his thumb. He had added words more pitifully than usual, no, even more so than usual… and he thought he had hurt him again without realizing it… So why wasn’t he crying this time?