March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 59

“Right. A bastard who dared to violate an international agreement wouldn’t even notice rank insignia.”

“…You’re accusing me without any evidence.”

“Well, let’s find that out in court. The complaint has been filed, after all.”

“Do you think anything will change because of that?”

Military trials are different from ordinary ones. There are no judges, no prosecutors, no lawyers. Here, there are only the accused and jurors who hold the power to decide. Composed of military elders and officers, they were the judges, the law itself. “He’s unlucky, let’s kill him,” and people died in droves with just that one phrase. Sometimes, they’d be spared if someone gently persuaded, “His family has done me some favors, so let’s let it slide this time.” It was nothing more than setting up a toy in the middle of an arena-like courtroom and ridiculing it according to the mood of the day. The process wasn’t disclosed to the outside, nor was it recorded under the pretext of security, so the solemnity or dignity that ordinary people vaguely expected was nowhere to be found, no matter how hard one looked.

Of course, in a case like Kim Seokcheol’s, which caused a huge stir, the jurors would act cautiously. However, all negotiations and agreements happened outside the courtroom. Those of high rank could always control their subordinates. Without even needing permission from above, Gi Taejeong could have filed a complaint against Kim Seokcheol long ago. Yet, he had waited silently until now because he lacked a pretext to persuade the jurors to sweep away Kim Seokcheol, his family, and everyone involved.

“At most, I’ll end up with a few months of salary reduction or suspension.”

Kim Seokcheol awkwardly smiled, hiding his trembling hands behind his back. After all, he possessed a weapon that Gi Taejeong could never acquire, even if he died and came back to life: a long-established family and connections forged by blood.

“However, I want to emphasize once again that my family will not stand by and watch the Brigadier General who first bared his fangs.”

“Indeed. What a pity. A rather old and distinguished family about to be ruined because of a foolish son.”

Gi Taejeong handcuffed Kim Seokcheol’s swollen wrist. Kim Seokcheol momentarily staggered, unable to bear the weight. It was true that the handcuffs were a bit heavy, made of special material and equipped with various devices, but not so much that an adult man couldn’t endure it. To think a bastard who couldn’t even bear this much weight had become a Second Lieutenant. Yes, Kim Seokcheol’s family was indeed formidable. But…

“You should have remembered that there are quite a few people who have been grinding their teeth at your esteemed family for a long time. People who were just waiting for you to slip up, even just once.”

“That’s…!”

“And the evidence is too perfect, isn’t it? Even if everything here burned down…”

Gi Taejeong glanced behind him, then turned his gaze back to Kim Seokcheol.

“The items that those criminal scoundrels smuggled out won’t even allow for an excuse, will they?”

“Those are just simple drugs.”

“Simple drugs that can change one’s constitution to become pregnant? You say amusing things, Second Lieutenant Kim.”

“It’s true that I supported the ‘Harvest’ project, but I didn’t actually produce the results. That’s a completely different story, so don’t falsely accuse an innocent person.”

“Speaking of which, the traces of the army soldiers who suddenly disappeared recently also abruptly stopped here…”

Gi Taejeong glanced at the burning warehouse.

“Aren’t you underestimating modern military technology too much? Even if it burned, traces can be fully tracked. We can scour everything that person ate, drank, and what drugs they took right up until their death.”

Ah, Second Lieutenant Kim has never fought a proper battle, so it’s natural he wouldn’t know, right? Kim Seokcheol, stung by the mocking tone, couldn’t hold back and retorted.

“Are you trying to claim that I did something to those soldiers? That I gave them some strange drug?”

“You must know that overreacting only invites suspicion…”

“Who in the world could remain calm when you’re accusing them without any evidence!”

“Why do you say there’s no evidence? You left the most perfect proof in the house.”

Gi Taejeong stepped closer and gripped Kim Seokcheol’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to exert much force, but it felt as if his grip was tearing flesh and crushing bone.

“Didn’t you know that Lee Sehwa’s body changed to be able to get pregnant?”

His voice was so calm that Kim Seokcheol didn’t immediately grasp what he had just heard. He had to chew over the words he’d just heard several times, dumbfounded. What?

“It was certainly confirmed that he wasn’t that type of constitution originally.”

Lee Sehwa? Became pregnant? When? When was the last blood test? There were no signs then… Ah, wait a minute. How did Gi Taejeong know about Lee Sehwa, no, that his body had changed? He had never told Lee Sehwa about the drug’s effects. Even if that bastard had spilled everything he knew, he wouldn’t have known this…

“Surely, surely you two slept together…”

…That was it. Gi Taejeong had indeed slept with Lee Sehwa, and he knew how his rear reacted. If the drug had taken proper effect, he would have secreted fluid from his rear like any pregnant male.

“Slept together, what a disgusting phrase. Especially for a poor person who was constantly swayed by Second Lieutenant Kim’s threats and whose constitution changed without even knowing it.”

“If you didn’t sleep with him, how would you know that Lee Sehwa’s body became capable of carrying a child?!”

Kim Seokcheol, having lost his reason, screamed at the top of his lungs. His bloodshot eyes were red. He was unruly. These were words that could never be hurled at a superior, let alone a one-star general. But Gi Taejeong did not rebuke him. He merely pressed a button on his watch with an expressionless face. A small hologram floated above the panel. Only then did Kim Seokcheol, realizing that this entire process had been recorded on video, clamp his mouth shut.

“I had various plans, but to make sure Second Lieutenant Kim confessed to all the things he’d done, I thought I’d have to confront him with Lee Sehwa at least once. I didn’t want to see that sight, but it was the most certain method, so I thought there was no choice…”

Even if he hadn’t divulged the detailed plan, this hologram could prove that Lee Sehwa’s changed constitution was related to the drug Kim Seokcheol secretly made, and that Kim Seokcheol was aware of it.

“I forgot that Second Lieutenant Kim is dumber than I thought.”

Gi Taejeong clicked his tongue softly. Kim Seokcheol’s foolishness wasn’t a matter of intelligence. It was because of his esteemed family elders. They should have at least taught him to be careful with such actions, that there were limits to what they could cover up. The generational arrogance that believed any trouble could somehow be hidden under the shadow of power, the price of trusting that authority, ultimately led to such a result.

“Why couldn’t you have been a little less ugly? Then Lee Sehwa wouldn’t have come to me.”

Gi Taejeong grinned and threw the other glove onto his face. It was clearly intentional. He knew perfectly well where Kim Seokcheol’s inferiority complex towards him would explode the most. Indeed, Kim Seokcheol, having completely lost his reason, began to hurl curses mixed with obscenities, but his desperate struggle was drowned out by the sound of a helicopter attempting to land, making it impossible to hear anything.

Several more flares burst, and a fierce wind, incomparable to before, swept through. The surrounding walls and iron gate of the warehouse shook violently. With a deafening roar as if the earth itself was collapsing, Gi Taejeong’s subordinates, who had been waiting outside, rushed in. Heavily armed soldiers ran to ignite the warehouse fire, while the rest surrounded Kim Seokcheol. Gi Taejeong indifferently flicked away a spark that flew towards him, his face bored.

“Drag him away.”

Kim Seokcheol was dragged away in a noisy manner. He seemed to have done no training whatsoever, as one soldier was enough to defend against his struggles.

“Brigadier General.”

Second Lieutenant Park, who had belatedly disembarked from the helicopter, hurried to Gi Taejeong’s side.

“Why are you so late?”

“Communication kept cutting out while calling the fire helicopter, so confirmation was needed. I apologize.”

“Radio jamming?”

“It seems the communication status in the vicinity was temporarily paralyzed due to the explosion.”

Handing over the uniform cap that Gi Taejeong had thrown off, Second Lieutenant Park looked at the collapsing warehouse. A sigh escaped him. Recently, his weighty duty had become somehow salvaging fire scenes reduced to ashes. From the shelter to now the warehouse… He had expected Kim Seokcheol to cause trouble, but not in such a foolish way. Even if it wasn’t related to the ‘Harvest’ project, did he really think his family elders would cover up the intentional burning of hazardous materials?

“Lee Sehwa.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes… He’s arrived safely, I’m told. However, he seemed a bit tired and has been sleeping continuously, even skipping meals.”

“He’s not eating, just sleeping? Lee Sehwa is?”

“Yes. He traveled a long time by car and was startled, so he must be tired.”

Second Lieutenant Park emphasized that entering the castle, especially a 5-star one, was very surprising for residents outside the castle, and Lee Sehwa had never even seen a 1-star city before, let alone a 5-star one. Only then did Gi Taejeong’s sharp expression soften. This was why Chief Warrant Officer Choi referred to Lee Sehwa as “Madam” behind his back.

“…Chief Warrant Officer Choi said…”

Should I really tell him this? Chief Warrant Officer Choi had indeed conveyed a few stories about Lee Sehwa, saying that the Brigadier General absolutely needed to know. Of course, it was true that Gi Taejeong was treating Lee Sehwa with considerable leniency, by his own standards, in various ways. But Lee Sehwa was merely a witness and evidence for the Second Lieutenant Kim case. Would Gi Taejeong’s mood improve by hearing stories about Lee Sehwa being excited about sightseeing? Second Lieutenant Park was rather skeptical. Anyway, since reporting Lee Sehwa’s condition when he moved to the quarters didn’t significantly deviate from his duties, he decided to spill everything he’d heard from Chief Warrant Officer Choi.

“He said his eyes widened when he entered the castle. He seemed to be trying hard not to show his surprise, but he kept looking out the window.”

Gi Taejeong didn’t even nod, let alone respond. He seemed completely uninterested in Lee Sehwa’s story, busy checking if his subordinates were safely escorting Kim Seokcheol and if anything could be salvaged from the warehouse. Second Lieutenant Park awkwardly cleared his throat a few times, wondering if he had done something unnecessary.

“Is that all?”

“…Pardon?”

“Lee Sehwa.”

“…Ah, yes. He was amazed when we explained where we were… and he’d never seen such tall buildings before, so he exclaimed, ‘How can clouds hang in the middle of a building?'”

“And.”

Again? Second Lieutenant Park swallowed hard. The trivial details Chief Warrant Officer Choi had rattled off were too embarrassing to put in a report, and he couldn’t remember all of them. What else did he say?

“I heard he laughed when he saw the famous bakery building in the 4th district. He said he’d never seen such a huge bakery before.”

Without taking his eyes off the unfolding situation, Gi Taejeong repeated the same words. “And.” “So.” “Again.” In a flat voice, he pressed Second Lieutenant Park to reveal everything about Lee Sehwa, cornering him.

“When he first saw the river, he was so surprised that he even stammered.”

Second Lieutenant Park looked once at his superior, who was staring straight ahead with sharp eyes, and then once at the annoyingly flickering flames, dancing like a tongue. Ah… this might really be…

“He seemed to like the reflection of the building lights on the water’s surface, so he soon pressed his palms against the window, clinging tightly…”

“Ugh…”

He wanted to get up, but his body wouldn’t budge. He tried to exert force from his toes to change his position, but it was useless.

Gi Taejeong’s quarters were in the center of the 5th district. Even though the license plate on the car was so powerful that other cars all made way, it took quite a long time to arrive. The skyscrapers where lights began to twinkle along the river, the huge building said to be filled only with desserts, the imposing scenery that unfolded immediately after passing the 5th district checkpoint. He was so surprised that his mouth hung open, but… that was only for a moment. The swelling fatigue began to push away the surprise and admiration.

When he arrived, thick darkness had already fallen. Chief Warrant Officer Choi encouraged him to look around comfortably, but he was reluctant to wander around freely while the homeowner was away. Given Gi Taejeong’s personality, he didn’t seem like the type to leniently overlook such behavior… and most of all, he was very sleepy. Setting foot in a house he had never seen before, a house he couldn’t even imagine, made his heart pound, but he just wanted to rest for a bit.

So, without even having time to look around, he just slept continuously in the room Chief Warrant Officer Choi had guided him to. He collapsed without even taking off his outerwear, closing his eyes in a drunken stupor. For nearly two months, all he had done was eat and sleep. The most arduous task was sex with Gi Taejeong. His body, accustomed to comfort, had become completely drained just from traveling a long distance in a good car.

Still, he had to get up. Although he didn’t see hallucinations when he had sleep paralysis, it continued to torment him until he regained consciousness. Sehwa wiggled his toes a few times. He could move this much without difficulty. He took a deep, gasping breath and managed to lift his heavy eyelids. This, too, was easy. But then,

“…Ah.”

Gi Taejeong’s face was right in front of him. Sehwa froze, his efforts in vain. His sleep vanished without any particular effort. When… did he come? Only then did Sehwa realize why he was sweating. Gi Taejeong’s firm arm was wrapped around his body like a vine. The heat radiating from his bare skin permeated Sehwa entirely.

What should I do…? Sehwa blinked rapidly. How did he swallow his saliva? What was the usual blinking rate? Why did his nose suddenly get in the way of his vision, bothering him…? Things he didn’t usually notice became awkward and annoying to endure. His body, which had forgotten how to do things as naturally as breathing, creaked awkwardly.

No, but why is this person really… here? Of course, this was Gi Taejeong’s quarters, so it was up to the homeowner where he slept. But had he almost never slept in the same bed as him after sex? He couldn’t quite remember. Most of the time, he would fall asleep as if collapsing, or actually lose consciousness. It was no wonder he hadn’t even known that Gi Taejeong had washed his body until now.

Above all, this wasn’t after a passionate encounter. He couldn’t understand why Gi Taejeong was trying to sleep pressed against him on the narrow bed of the guest room.

Sehwa, who had been careful even with his breathing, suddenly had a thought and hesitantly lifted the blanket. His clothes were damp; if it wasn’t from sweat… Gi Taejeong was the kind of person who would do all sorts of things whether the other person was asleep or not. So he cautiously checked below, and thankfully, his clothes were intact. He sniffed, and there was no hint of any suggestive bodily fluids.

“…Why.”

Suddenly, a voice came from close by, and Sehwa’s body trembled violently. Gi Taejeong’s voice, tinged with sleepiness, was much lower than usual. The slightly cracked end of his voice held a languor similar to when he had ejaculated a couple of times.

“Were you worried I’d shove my dick into someone who’s sleeping soundly, unaware of the world?”

Gi Taejeong pulled Sehwa closer, a languid smile playing on his lips as if teasing him.