“Bringing in a kid with no background and making this mess! When did the military become a joke? Do you think I sent my child here for this? Say something!”
“We didn’t like it from the moment someone from District B came!”
“Captain Kim Ha-yoon brought that kid, right? What on earth was he thinking!”
Ire stared blankly at the people sitting in front of him, pointing fingers. Next to them sat the classmates he had beaten up, one by one. Among them, a man with a fierce face screamed, veins popping out of his neck.
“Look at this bastard! Is that a look of remorse?”
Ire lowered his eyes. He wasn’t exactly remorseful, but he did feel a little sorry for beating them up too badly. But since they were picking a fight, there was nothing he could do. At first, he really tried to hold back. He thought he should just let it go this time. But what about next time? And the time after that? He was sure it wouldn’t end with almost freezing to death in the freezer.
“Okay, calm down, everyone. Getting angry like this won’t solve anything.”
The commander was sweating as he tried to calm the parents, but it was no use. The protests grew fiercer, and eventually, the word “expulsion” came up. They agreed that if they had to put up with this, they would formally file a complaint and kick him out.
“You, do you have anything to say?”
At the commander’s question, Ire clenched his fist under the table.
“I’m sorry… but I don’t think expulsion is fair. They were the ones who started it, and last weekend they locked me in the freezer. I almost died that day. If you’re going to hold me responsible, please investigate that incident first.”
“That day, was there anyone who witnessed it?”
At the commander’s question, Ire started to speak but stopped. Park Mu-jin and his gang were the only ones there. No, there was one more person. The person who saved him… Could he dare mention that name? Wouldn’t it be adding fuel to the fire?
Looking at the classmates and their parents glaring at him as if they would devour him, Ire hesitated for a moment.
“Look at him. He lies like he eats. You didn’t believe what that kid said, did you?”
“Instead of that, just expel him. There’s no guarantee this won’t happen again.”
“If you keep doing this, I’m going to see the Chairman! Do you understand?”
At the mention of the Chairman, the commander’s face hardened and he looked troubled. Whoever it was, they must be someone very high up.
“Trainee Ire, tell me. Was there anyone who witnessed it that day?”
Ire bit his lip. He felt uneasy because he thought he would have to reveal everything Kim Ha-yoon had done to him if he spoke. The sight of him nonchalantly grabbing and shaking someone else’s dick made his face contort involuntarily. The parents protested more fiercely, thinking it was a lie, and at that moment, the door burst open.
“Who allowed—”
The commander, who was about to speak, flinched, and the parents were just as surprised. Captain Kim Ha-yoon walked in with his hands in his pockets and plopped down next to Ire. When Ire glanced at him and tried to move away, he grabbed his shoulder and pressed him down. His eyes were fixed on the classmates and their parents sitting in front of him.
“Is this a school? Why are you all swarming in here and making a mess over a kids’ fight?”
While everyone was watching, one man bravely stepped forward.
“Captain, are you allowed to handle things with personal feelings? Bringing in a kid with no background and causing harm to our children—”
Click,
While the man was talking, Kim Ha-yoon took out a cigar and cut off the end with a cutter. The man’s face twisted slightly. Kim Ha-yoon cut off the end of the cigar again and again. Instead of lighting it, he tossed it on the table and leaned back on the sofa. The way he crossed his legs was arrogant, and his eyes seemed to say, “Try me.”
“S-so, what we’re saying is… why should our children be harmed because of this delinquent trainee with no background… So, we want him e-expelled…”
Kim Ha-yoon’s hand stroked the back of Ire’s head.
Ire frowned and tried to avoid it, but this time the back of his head was firmly held.
“So, the problem is that he doesn’t have parents?”
“N-no, it’s not exactly that, but…”
“I see. I’ll adopt him.”
A silence fell in the commander’s office. Ire also looked back at Kim Ha-yoon with a dumbfounded expression. What the hell is this crazy bastard saying? Is he drunk? The people sitting across from him seemed to be thinking the same thing, as it was written all over their faces.
“What… what do you mean…”
“From now on, he’ll be Kim Ire. Then you won’t say he has no background.”
Then he turned to Ire and smiled. “How about Kim Ire? Do you like it? Or should I change your name too?” Ire shook off his hand. The commander quietly covered his forehead and ran out as if escaping, using the bathroom as an excuse.
Ire also felt a wave of embarrassment and wanted to jump up and run away. He wanted to tell them to just expel him, but looking at the parents’ expressions, he was dumbfounded and couldn’t easily argue back.
“How can someone who’s unmarried…”
“Is there a law that says you can’t adopt if you live alone?”
“That’s not what I meant…!”
“I’ve said it. If the same thing happens again, if your children touch my kid, I’ll consider it an attack on me.”
The parents’ faces turned white as they understood Kim Ha-yoon’s intentions. The classmates were the same. Ire looked at Kim Ha-yoon with a disgusted expression. He wanted to say no, he didn’t want a stepfather like him, but the atmosphere was so fierce that he couldn’t open his mouth.
“Anyone have any other opinions?”
Kim Ha-yoon asked with a smile, and everyone avoided his gaze. Then he even clapped and gestured for them to leave. The somewhat exaggerated gesture made him look like an actor. Of course, his face was as handsome as an actor.
“Okay, okay, everyone, disperse. And don’t come to the base without permission in the future. If you’re so worried, you can take them home today.”
Everyone’s faces turned red and blue, but in the end, they couldn’t say a word and all left. In the meantime, Ire tried to escape, but Kim Ha-yoon grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. As always, he put his arm around Ire’s shoulder and stared at his face.
“Did you get hit?”
When he tried to touch the wound, Ire pushed his hand away and walked ahead. Who caused this whole mess…? He wanted to ask why he had dragged someone who was living quietly into this. But thanks to him, Matteo had surgery, and the children could live more comfortably. Now he couldn’t just resent him.
He was walking down the hallway like that, but it was quiet behind him. Did he leave? The moment he turned around, Ire was startled. Kim Ha-yoon was standing right behind him without a sound. He mimed slitting Ire’s throat with his thumb.
“If this were enemy territory, you’d be dead right now.”
He smiled, but his words were sharp. Ire was usually sensitive to movements, but Kim Ha-yoon’s movements were completely unpredictable. He was always one step behind in noticing when he approached like this.
“Why the face? Does it hurt where you got hit?”
“No…”
“Don’t tell me it’s because I said I’d make you my son? Were you hoping for something else?”
“…….”
What nonsense is he talking about?
When Ire kept his mouth shut, he brushed back his fallen hair.
“Don’t get your hopes up just because I touched your dick, okay?”
This crazy bastard….
Ire quickly looked around, worried that someone might hear.
Kim Ha-yoon continued to speak without a care.
“Don’t do that. I’m a worse man than you think.”
Ire’s lips twisted involuntarily. He’s seriously deluded. Anyone can see you’re not a good guy. You’re a madman, a tyrant, a devil, a psychopath….
“Psycho…”
Ire, who had unknowingly opened his mouth, furrowed his brow and closed it again. Kim Ha-yoon’s eyebrows tilted. “Psycho? What psycho?” Ire forced a smile. “It’s nothing. I was just spacing out,” he said, trying to gloss over it and change the subject.
“But isn’t Captain too young to make me his son?”
“Is twenty-nine young?”
“It is. Twenty… huh???”
Ire stared blankly at Kim Ha-yoon with his mouth open. He thought he was in his mid-twenties, but he never imagined he was almost thirty. Was it because of his clean-cut face? Or was it because of his childish behavior? People say that as they get older, their minds mature, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
“You’re a lot older than I thought…”
As soon as the words came out, Kim Ha-yoon’s eyes turned fierce.
“Old, what?”
“I misspoke. Pretend you didn’t hear it…”
He tried to change direction and run away, but his neck was grabbed again. “Say it again. Are you serious? In this era of 150 years, 29 years old is a baby, a baby. You’re a newborn.” Ire was about to shout, “Don’t act childish!” because he was yelling in his ear.