March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 136

“Are these bastards crazy?!”

It had been about 30 minutes since he woke up. Lieutenant Colonel Kim, seemingly tireless, had been yelling at the top of his lungs since the moment he regained consciousness. He seemed more annoyed that he was being restrained by mere nobodies than by being dragged here unexpectedly.

“Hey, Gi Taejeong!”

Lieutenant Colonel Kim, his face flushed, brazenly called out the Director’s name. He usually maintained his dignity, always using polite language, but now he seemed to have lost all sense of propriety.

Anyone would be flustered if they were suddenly beaten and knocked out on their way to work. Waking up in a musty warehouse, with the handsome face of his sworn enemy right in front of him… Yes, it was understandable to be furious. Gi Taejeong bit into an apple and nodded.

“Are you really insane? How dare you kidnap…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s head snapped back. Several loud thuds, as if bones were breaking, followed, and finally, the guy slumped weakly in the chair, his tongue lolling out.

Tsk. Gi Taejeong clicked his tongue softly. He had gone easy on him, but he couldn’t even endure five punches and ended up like that. And he had only used one hand, since he was holding an apple.

“I tried to resolve this amicably. If Lieutenant Colonel Kim had known his place and kept his mouth shut, I wouldn’t have laid a hand on him.”

Gi Taejeong threw the half-eaten apple to the floor and shook his wrist.

“First, let’s clear up a misunderstanding. I’m not the one who made Lieutenant Colonel Kim a dead man.”

At the words “dead man,” a look of bewilderment crossed Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s eyes.

“A dead… man, you say…”

“Many people were screwed over by Kim Seokcheol setting that fire, and this whole mess happened because you tried to pull a trick like declaring bankruptcy. Do you really think I would commit such a reckless act in broad daylight just because I have a personal grudge? I’m a rational person. And I’ve been determined to live a good life for quite some time.”

“Ugh, oh, uh…”

“The victims, driven mad by your son’s foolish actions, decided that if it came to this, they’d rather kill you, Lieutenant Colonel Kim, and collect the insurance money. Your family even signed an agreement to forfeit all inheritance after your death. How about it, do you understand the situation a bit better now?”

At the words “your family,” Lieutenant Colonel Kim, who had been looking like a dying fish, thrashed once more. He probably never dreamed that someone from within his own family would turn on him.

“I was a bit puzzled by how uniquely incompetent Kim Seokcheol was, but now I see the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“H-how d-dare…!”

“Dare? You should be grateful, Lieutenant Colonel Kim.”

He patted Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s cheek to help him regain his senses.

“Anyway, I allowed Gyeonghan Pharmaceuticals to maintain its lineage, Kim Seokcheol is still a soldier as you wished, and you, Lieutenant Colonel Kim, are scheduled to be processed as having suffered an unforeseen accident, so there will be no dishonor of having your rank insignia revoked.”

The victims of the 2nd District fire incident didn’t have as much influence as the Kim family. However, when all of them were gathered, the story changed.

Even those who disliked Gi Taejeong subtly sided with the victims, saying this was clearly Gyeonghan Pharmaceuticals’ fault. After crunching the numbers, they concluded that if this incident wasn’t properly resolved, their property rights wouldn’t be guaranteed if similar incidents occurred in the future.

Above all, it was the type of incident that the highly esteemed Commander disliked immensely. Why give dissatisfied people a reason to unite when everything could be resolved by simply giving them money?

“Even though I did some instigating behind the scenes, if it weren’t for the misstep of declaring bankruptcy, things wouldn’t have escalated this much. I regret it.”

“Ugh, c-cough, my, my money… cough!”

“Of course, your inheritance, Lieutenant Colonel Kim, probably won’t be enough for full compensation, so the difference will be settled by distributing some of Gyeonghan Pharmaceuticals’ shares.”

What exactly are money and power?

Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s relatives, seeing their chance, clamored to take over the family business. Even people he had never heard of stepped forward, making a fuss, claiming they had family secrets, assets, or something hidden, looking for someone to support them. The desperate struggle of these ghouls, not wanting to miss the golden opportunity for a collateral branch to become the main line, was beyond disgusting.

If they just thought about it a little, they would realize that supporting Lieutenant Colonel Kim was more profitable. If they lost shares and had their hands tied like this, they would inevitably receive a much smaller portion than they originally did.

Yet, they seemed not to care. They preferred to wear a phantom title rather than suck their thumbs waiting for Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s benevolence. What was so great about that?

Perhaps they were acting brazenly, trusting in the family’s unyielding prestige. They might also be overconfident, thinking, “We’ve been doing this for so long, our family won’t fall that quickly.” From a distance, they looked like complete idiots, but only they, completely intoxicated, didn’t realize it.

Indeed. That’s why Lieutenant Colonel Kim, that bastard, even thought of releasing people into a 5-star hospital to stage a hostage situation. He must have been confident that as long as he didn’t harm Lee Sehwa, holding him hostage and threatening him wouldn’t be a problem, and no one would dare interfere with him.

“T-to, to bring people like this, ugh…!”

“That’s right. It’s something you shouldn’t do carelessly. But now I don’t give a damn about special promotions or anything like that.”

When he was obsessed with discharge or becoming an elder, the most important thing was not to give anyone a reason to criticize him. He had been fixated on establishing justification so that no one could interfere with tricks, and so that his victories would be honorably recorded in the trial records.

But now, those things didn’t matter at all. It was enough to be in a position where he could protect himself and Lee Sehwa. It wasn’t that he no longer coveted anything, as he hadn’t gained anything, so this was enough.

“Anyway, for various reasons, Lieutenant Colonel Kim is now officially a dead man as of today. Of course, I have no intention of letting you die so easily.”

Gi Taejeong smiled brightly, his face as radiant as a rose soaked in water.

“Throw him into the 2nd District’s drug den.”

“Yes.”

“W-wait…!”

Disgusted by his slurred pronunciation, he slapped Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s face one more time and stood up.

Lieutenant Colonel Kim, who had called Sehwa a lower-class citizen, a commoner, a bug… would now become just that. He would be a dead man, without a name or identity, unable to get even a grain of rice without begging from the very drug addicts he despised.

“I emphasize again, this was not something I did alone.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

“If it weren’t for Lieutenant Colonel Kim’s esteemed family, I wouldn’t have done such a reckless thing.”

After realizing that his current predicament was due to the relatives of Gyeonghan Pharmaceuticals, who had previously groveled before him, Lieutenant Colonel Kim seemed to have already lost his mind. His body was stiff with rage, as if his brain would burst at any moment.

How long could that bastard, who had skipped basic military training because it was too hard, endure? Lieutenant Park said even three months would be difficult, but well… Gi Taejeong thought differently. Bastards like him were surprisingly tenacious. Even Kim Seokcheol was enduring despite having his wrist severed, wasn’t he? Greedy people don’t die easily. And he hoped they wouldn’t. It would be too boring if they died immediately after all the things they had done.

“Did you say there are five people representing Gyeonghan Pharmaceuticals now?”

“Yes.”

“Tell them I’ll support the one who reveals the most secrets hidden by Lieutenant Colonel Kim and his son. That way, he might get his rank insignia back even after death.”

“I will deliver the message.”

Opening the warehouse door, he saw the clearer sky of the 2nd District. Gi Taejeong narrowed his eyes to check the visibility, then walked forward without hesitation.

Would Sehwa be horrified if he knew? Still, he thought this was a rather moderate way of handling things.

He had heard somewhere that it was best for a baby not to see blood for the first hundred days after birth. Or was it twenty-one days? Anyway, there was some stricter custom he had learned about, but by the time he knew about it, he had already been stabbed with a knife right in front of the baby.

So, Gi Taejeong decided to disregard customs like the twenty-one-day period and instead resolved to be a generous person until the baby’s hundredth day. After all, such things were a matter of belief.

“Would you like to travel by helicopter? Or by port…”

“Let’s take the helicopter.”

It wasn’t the best weather for air travel, but he begrudged even the time spent on the road.

He had planned to have lunch with Sehwa today. He hadn’t asked for Sehwa’s consent yet, but if he just went and stared at him, Sehwa would sigh and make room for him. What else would that be but dining together and a lunch date?

Gi Taejeong checked if any dirt had gotten on his face or clothes. Even if it wasn’t superstition, he no longer wanted to dwell on cruelty. Sehwa or Commander Oh Seonran might find it absurd that he considered this “generous,” but he was sincere.

Sehwa’s goodness was innate. It wasn’t a matter of his upbringing. That resolute heart, wanting to be a good person even in the worst situations, was truly a natural gift. It was a kind of heavenly talent that he himself possessed not even a shred of. But to be reborn as a good person like Lee Sehwa now? Of course, it was impossible.

However, he had promised Sehwa that he would become even a little bit better. While waiting for Lee Sehwa to fully forgive him, he resolved to show a changed appearance.

So he had to do something. Even if he couldn’t completely overhaul his way of living and his worldview, he wanted to improve to a level where Sehwa would feel he had changed a lot.

It would be a lie to say there was no emptiness after letting go of his lifelong aspirations. What was all that struggle for, what was all that scheming for? Whenever such thoughts suddenly arose and he felt doubts about his own existence, he thought of Lee Sehwa. Then, like magic, the storm in his heart would subside.

Gi Taejeong sat in the cockpit, running his hands over the familiar controls. It was strange. He had given up everything that had been the very reason for his existence. Yet, he didn’t regret the time that had ultimately become useless. He wasn’t resentful or horrified to remain the military’s dog. Instead of his world shattering, he could hold Sehwa in his arms, and he looked forward to the days ahead.

“Discharging? Already?”

“Not immediately, in a month.”

Sehwa busily moved his spoon and chopsticks. His gaze was vaguely fixed somewhere on the table, not on Gi Taejeong.

They had agreed to stay by each other’s side, even if it was painful and difficult. But that dramatic vow had only happened a few days ago. Even if he didn’t show it, there were times, several times a day, when Gi Taejeong didn’t know how to treat Sehwa. It wasn’t possible to act as if nothing had happened overnight.

Sehwa still called Gi Taejeong “General.” He got along well with others, but when he slowly conversed with Gi Taejeong, he would suddenly stammer. Yesterday, when Gi Taejeong suddenly visited, he had taken him to the examination room as he was going for a check-up, but during that short walk, Sehwa suddenly limped. For Sehwa, a past moment was still a vivid, ongoing present.

The time they had been apart wasn’t that long. But the accumulation of small misalignments between them had begun long before they parted ways on the 5-star beach. Considering that, the weight of their accumulated memories wasn’t light.

So Gi Taejeong coveted nothing. He only wished for more time to pass, and for Sehwa to eventually open his heart. For now, there was nothing he could do but wait patiently. He was in a position where he should be grateful just for being allowed to visit suddenly and converse.

“I can’t live in the hospital forever… Thank you.”

Sehwa bowed his head when the cook, who came up to the protection room for every meal, served him warm steamed eggs. It was a side dish Sehwa, who had a small appetite, often sought out.

“Discharging…”

Gi Taejeong muttered, taking a sip of water.

“Then… where will you stay?”

“Pardon?”

“Where will you live after you’re discharged?”

Hoping that no expectation was evident in his voice, Gi Taejeong asked as casually as possible.