March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 73

Bang! The iron door of the emergency exit burst open with a loud clang. Following it, the resounding friction of military boots kicking the ground echoed through the quiet department store. Following those unhesitating steps, which seemed to have a clear destination, the booming voices of soldiers, pulled from deep within their chests, followed like waves: Loyalty! Integrity!

“You can’t do this. General Oh Seonran is inside.”

The crisp salute abruptly cut off as the uninvited guest reached the passage leading to the cafe. As adjutants, slightly higher in rank than those guarding outside, restrained the approaching person, the heavily settled air instantly sharpened to a chilling blue.

“Brigadier General, just a moment…!”

“No, stop him!”

A small commotion erupted between those trying to stop him and those trying to push their way in. The sounds of hitting and pushing were noisy. And through that chaos, a tall figure emerged.

It was Gi Taejeong, who looked exceptionally good in the navy blue Air Force uniform that could easily look unfashionable, as if it had been tailor-made for him from birth.

As if all this commotion had nothing to do with him, he walked steadily towards them, his face sculpted and detached. Gi Taejeong’s appearance, with the tangled soldiers fighting in the background, somehow felt surreal.

“Brigadier General…”

He could recognize his face, but it was too far for his call to reach him. More importantly, Sehwa’s voice was so small that even Oh Seonran, who was close by, could barely hear it. Even though he must have known this, Sehwa kept muttering. “Brigadier General, Brigadier General…”

The child’s gaze, which had been cast aimlessly until now, was clearly fixed on one spot. The unfamiliarity and despair in his eyes, looking over Oh Seonran’s shoulder, had melted away.

Ah. Oh Seonran swallowed a dark sigh.

He had intended to have a private meeting with Gi Taejeong soon. No, he had to. Even if he didn’t believe Kim Seokcheol’s nonsense, Gi Taejeong was indeed suspicious. Especially regarding Sehwa’s pregnancy. Whether this happened due to the drug from the ‘harvest,’ or thanks to Sehwa’s innate constitution, and whether Gi Taejeong knew all this and used the child. He absolutely had to confirm it.

However… now was not the time. He couldn’t inquire about the circumstances of this incident in front of the child, who so clearly had his heart set on Gi Taejeong.

Now Gi Taejeong was close enough that Seonran could even discern the twitch of his eyebrows. He crumpled his uniform cap and tie in one hand, while with the other, he casually brushed off leaves clinging to his jacket and cheek. His few strands of fallen hair, his slightly crumpled pant legs… it seemed he had moved here by helicopter from the conference room.

The rude intruder used his fingers like a comb to neatly smooth his disheveled hair, then put on the navy blue military cap, a symbol of the Air Force. Then he wrapped the tie he had been holding in his palm around his shirt collar. As the man buttoned the top button, which had been undone, and tightened the knot of his tie, Sehwa’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

Finally, he brushed his sleeves and the front of his jacket a couple of times, making him look at least presentable in front of a superior.

“I believe this is our first time meeting like this.”

Gi Taejeong strode forward and gave a perfunctory salute.

“General Oh Seonran.”

As if he didn’t need to hear a reply to his greeting, Gi Taejeong, having shown the bare minimum of courtesy, walked directly to where Sehwa was sitting. From the whispering mouth shape, it seemed he was urging him to stand up. Oh Seonran was about to jump up from his seat at the rude sight of Gi Taejeong immediately grabbing the child’s wrist… but seeing him hide Sehwa behind him and gently ask about his condition, the grip on the armrest, which had been tight enough to break it, loosened ever so slightly.

“You all know I’m an uneducated man, so I’ll speak without further courtesy.”

The intensity in Gi Taejeong’s eyes as he hid Sehwa completely and turned back to Oh Seonran… was beyond what could be described as anger.

“If you approach Lee Sehwa like this one more time, your name will be on the complaint. I believe you already have enough to explain on the day of the trial, General.”

Gi Taejeong gritted his teeth, his eyes burning as if he would kill him on the spot if it weren’t for his rank.

He should have been furious at the insolent insubordination. But absurdly, seeing Gi Taejeong seriously protecting Sehwa, his displeasure actually subsided. While it wasn’t overflowing with tenderness, it was clearly different from the Gi Taejeong Oh Seonran remembered.

Of course, if, as Kim Seokcheol claimed, Gi Taejeong had raped Lee Sehwa, or was keeping him confined and treating him arbitrarily… there would be no need for a court-martial. He would have taken immediate action himself. But seeing them interact awkwardly, it seemed they had somehow connected.

Still, of all people, he had to pick someone like him… Even if he wasn’t acting like his usual scoundrel self, Gi Taejeong was not satisfactory as a partner for the child.

He wasn’t judging based on origin or background. Just from a brief conversation, Sehwa felt like he had a gentle nature. Even though he clearly hadn’t opened his heart to him yet. If he had formed a bond with someone more gentle and kind, matching the child’s character, he would have gladly blessed them.

No, more than just a blessing. He would have used all his power to support Sehwa’s partner. But Gi Taejeong hadn’t even made his pregnant partner his spouse, nor had he stepped forward as his legal guardian. What on earth was there to trust in a man like this…?

“Sehwa.”

Controlling his boiling worries, he called the child standing behind Gi Taejeong. Sehwa’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning, and he peeked his head out. His round eyes blinked slowly, as if the gentle calling of his name felt awkward.

“Did I tell you? You and your biological father, you’re the spitting image of each other.”

Oh Seonran smiled faintly and stood up. He wanted to ask Lee Jinwoo again. Did he really feel that Sehwa didn’t resemble him at all when he first saw him? He had copied even such small expressions… He knew he couldn’t meet him even in dreams anymore, yet he still had such futile thoughts.

“Anyway, I was rude today, so I’ll be going now.”

“……”

“May I contact you again soon?”

Gi Taejeong held Sehwa’s hand tightly. So tightly that his already fair skin turned as pale as paper. He was about to intervene immediately if he sensed any coercion, but Sehwa, instead, glanced at Gi Taejeong with a somewhat moved expression. It seemed he felt that Gi Taejeong was protecting him from a stranger.

“If you’re ready to hear it, I’ll explain everything. What kind of person your father was, how much he missed you… why I couldn’t find you all this time, things like that.”

“…Yes. But I’d appreciate it if you could give me a little time to think.”

“Of course. You can verify everything through Brigadier General Gi Taejeong. You can even come with me to my office to look at that certificate we saw earlier. Whether it’s the official residence or my office, come whenever you have questions. Think about the child’s issue a bit more too. It’s still early, so we have time; let’s talk slowly.”

Oh Seonran put the certificate back into the envelope. At this distance, the item would have been clearly visible in Gi Taejeong’s line of sight. As a brigadier general, he couldn’t possibly not know. Gi Taejeong’s elegantly shaped eyes narrowed into an almond shape. He was cursing him with his gaze, asking what kind of trick this was.

That’s why. Oh Seonran inwardly clicked his tongue. His fearless, aggressive stance was good, but he was excessively rough. He must have shown such a side to Sehwa as well. Just seeing the child hesitate between two types of fruit a moment ago confirmed it. If he had treated him well normally, why would he have hesitated? He would have just grabbed as many as he wanted.

“Oh, Sehwa.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Your father said he really wanted to eat baekseolgi (white steamed rice cake) when he was pregnant with you.”

“Baekseolgi?”

“Yes. Even though I met him after he had already given birth to you, he mentioned it several times.”

It was enough that he had scribbled this a couple of times, even though he only started exchanging notes with Lee Jinwoo much later. It must have been a deeply significant matter even for that gentle and calm person.

“So, if you crave something, make sure to eat it. Even if morning sickness makes it difficult. Understood? Don’t just dismiss it, thinking it’ll be fine. You’ll keep thinking about it later and get upset.”

Sehwa nodded slightly and touched his eye with the hand not held by Gi Taejeong. He seemed to be wondering if he had uneven eyes.

Oh Seonran smiled faintly at his innocence, which he found endearing, and turned away. Even if Sehwa had been a wicked, malicious criminal, he would have embraced him. He would have tried his best to cherish him. But he never expected him to be such a sunny and gentle child… to be so identical to Lee Jinwoo in both appearance and personality.

And as he put some distance between himself and Sehwa… only then did thick tears roll down his jaw. How arrogant was his vow to find, save, and cherish the child? In retrospect, he was no different from having played a part in Sehwa’s life going awry. Given that, did he even have the right to interfere in the child’s life now?

Oh Seonran, enduring the surge of breath with a hand pressed to his eyes, resumed his weary steps. He truly couldn’t collapse now. Instead of wallowing in such maudlin regret, he had to give Sehwa back the past life he had lost, even now.

It was time to keep his promise to Lee Jinwoo.

“Brigadier General, how did you get here… Ah!”

Gi Taejeong, who had been glaring at Oh Seonran and his group disappearing into the distance as mere specks, suddenly pulled Sehwa into a tight embrace. It felt like he could push him away if he wanted to… but the cheek pressed against his jaw, the lips buried in his neck. Even though they only touched lightly, he could feel the anxious, fluttering pulse, and somehow, it was difficult to ask him to let go.

“Brigadier General.”

“……”

“Were you… worried about me?”

Instead, he asked cautiously. Because his actions seemed to narrow down to one direction, he asked with a hopeful thought.

“Is that even a question?”

And then, he clearly seemed about to curse, “Damn it,” but Gi Taejeong managed to suppress it and took a deep breath. Sehwa managed to hide the laughter that had almost burst out. He had only told him not to curse at the baby, not to change all his usual habits…

“I’m a crazy bastard for sending you out with just Master Sergeant Choi.”

Sehwa inhaled the man’s cool, refreshing scent that calmed his insides, and then, sensing the sharp tobacco scent he hadn’t smelled recently, along with the wind he carried, he felt strange. It seemed he still smoked outside, but why didn’t he even hold a cigarette when he was with him? Did he really… worry about me, about my body?

“From now on, only go out with me. At least I’m a brigadier general, so I can push back this much, but damn it, if the opponent is a general, a lieutenant or a master sergeant won’t do.”

“Why? Is there something… dangerous?”

“Because you’ll be good prey for those who want to side with Lieutenant Kim. They’ll be waiting to pin everything on you somehow.”

Ah… Only then could Sehwa grasp his mind, which had been frolicking in a flower field.

When the General suddenly came to talk to him, he was too surprised. Moreover, the content was something he had never even thought about in his life, so he was just blank… Thinking about it differently, it became a little scary.

General Oh Seonran knew exactly where he was and what he was doing when he came to find him. And he also knew that he was carrying Gi Taejeong’s child. Of course, he hadn’t tried to persuade or threaten him, but… it meant that military personnel could easily track his movements. His information also seemed to have already spread publicly…

“Still, I thought they wouldn’t dare act recklessly, thinking it would backfire on them if they approached someone in the 5th district, especially someone carrying my child…”

Gi Taejeong mumbled that he hadn’t expected General Oh Seonran to appear in person.

“You might not have seen them, but there were plenty of other guys guarding. They were tracking your movements too…”

Sehwa blinked silently. Somehow, surprisingly, Gi Taejeong seemed to be… making excuses to him. That he hadn’t deliberately put him in danger, that he hadn’t neglected him knowing everything. That this was a truly unexpected incident.

“Anyway, from now on, wherever you go shopping, only go with me.”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

As if to look into his unresponsive face, Gi Taejeong’s hunched upper body lifted considerably. After a moment of hesitation, Sehwa stood on tiptoe. Even stretching to his fullest, he couldn’t reach the top of the man’s head, but… he still did his best to reach out and patted Gi Taejeong’s back a couple of times.

“…I will.”

At Sehwa’s clumsy touch, the man’s body, forged like steel, flinched.

“I’ll only go out with the Brigadier General.”