By Zephyria 
Lieutenant Colonel So and Corporal Shin, who had been watching, along with the other subordinates standing at the door, froze stiff.
Eight pupils, swaying precariously, lost their bearings. A total of ten pupils, including Ha-jin’s. Everyone seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. As if a ticking time bomb was about to explode, a taut tension and chilling silence floated in the air.
The spacetime that had been frozen for a while was broken by Lieutenant Colonel So’s movement. He gulped down the remaining ice water, quenching his parched throat.
“…Corporal Shin, guide him to the same building.”
“Yes? Ah, yes, I understand!”
Even as he moved according to Corporal Shin’s guidance, Eden did not release his clasped hands.
“Wha are you doing?”
Ha-jin gritted his teeth and spoke in a ventriloquial voice. The answer that came back in a whisper was absurd.
“You allowed it, didn’t you?”
Was that why he had been constantly attempting that ridiculous skinship since earlier? Ha-jin was about to lose his mind at Jeong Tae-geon’s endless grand scheme.
Sweat began to form thickly on their clasped palms. Ha-jin desperately hoped that the sweat was not from his hands and tried to calm his trembling breath.
❖ ❖ ❖
Building D, which they entered following Corporal Shin’s guidance, was opposite the Lieutenant Colonel’s residence.
“You can go to the bed attached to the left wall. Are you really going to share it?”
Unless they were going to sleep in a tight embrace, the bed was not suitable for two adult men to share. It was about the size of a simple cot for a guardian in a hospital room.
Ha-jin looked up at the man who was still holding his hand tightly, half giving up. Eden replied coolly to Corporal Shin.
“We will share it. I would like to shower first, is it possible to use the shower facilities? Also, please provide any medical supplies if you have them.”
Corporal Shin stared at the man with a strangely authoritative aura with a somewhat sullen face. Was it just his imagination? The audacity of this newcomer, who wasn’t afraid at all, was strangely irritating. His large build and handsome face were all displeasing.
“The shower facilities are behind Building A. Building A is right next to the battalion commander’s residence.”
Eden, who had placed his bag under the bed, dragged Ha-jin out of the building. As if under orders to keep watching, Corporal Shin trailed closely behind them as they moved to the shower room.
Ha-jin glanced back. The man did not hide the look of disgust and curiosity mixed on his face. A sigh escaped him involuntarily.
There were definitely soldiers here who recognized his face. The reclusive magician Do Ha-jin would now be forever etched in someone’s memory as a homo.
‘I’m going crazy, really.’
Forcing the complicated thoughts out of his head, he entered the rectangular prefabricated shower room with Eden. Eight hoses were lined up in a row on both walls of the shower room.
Ha-jin deliberately took a spot farthest from Eden. He was on high alert in case he tried to play any pranks, but fortunately, there was no significant contact.
The water trickled out like a stream. Still, it had been a long time since he had taken a hot shower, so he took his time washing his body thoroughly.
As soon as he came out of the shower, his hand was grabbed again, as expected. Corporal Shin, who found the two men holding hands tightly even after leaving the shower room, secretly frowned. Disgusting homo bastards.
The perceptive Ha-jin easily caught the fleeting hatred that flashed across his face. Although pretending to be lovers was merely a survival tactic to stay close to Eden, being openly scorned gradually began to make him feel dirty.
‘Fuck… Is it your business that I’m a homo?’
He didn’t realize that he had become overly invested and neatly wrote Corporal Shin’s name on his mental death note.
“Medical supplies are available inside the store, so you can go there. The medical officer will give you the medicine.”
Corporal Shin led them onto the promenade. As they walked under the scorching sun without any shade, sweat poured down above his philtrum. Heat also rose within their clasped hands.
Caw! Caw caw!! Woof! Woof!!
Somewhere, the sounds of zombies and dogs barking echoed like a harmony. Instantly, Ha-jin, startled, instinctively reached for his waist. No weapon was there. Come to think of it, the axe and club that Eden had made for him were in the Lieutenant Colonel’s hands.
As a last resort, he fiddled with the few cards he had brought in his pocket. The familiar sensation brought peace to his agitated mind. If a zombie appeared, he planned to quickly stick the cards into its eyes.
“Where is that sound coming from?”
When Eden asked about the source of the sound, Corporal Shin replied in a voice full of annoyance.
“It’s either coming from the feeding Experience Zone, or a bug crawled in from outside.”
“Are there zombies in the Experience Zone?”
No answer came back. Ha-jin stared at the wooden sign that stood in the middle of the promenade. A cute green map, as if drawn by a child, was drawn on the sign.
Misan Ranch was larger than he thought, and it had extensive facilities. The Lieutenant Colonel’s desire to supplement the insufficient manpower became understandable.
Corporal Shin, who was walking ahead, pointed to the store with his finger.
“Go in, get treated, and come out. The medical officer will give you the medicine.”
He immediately turned around and went back the way he came. After confirming that the man had disappeared from sight, Ha-jin struggled to pull his hand out of the grasped hand.
“He’s gone, so let go now.”
“Didn’t you hear that there’s a medical officer inside?”
“Haa…”
This crazy human being was clearly having fun playing the role of a legendary gay couple. Since he couldn’t overpower him, Ha-jin quickly gave up resisting. Eden chuckled and opened the door of the store with one hand.
In the middle of the 15-pyeong space filled with various souvenirs and snacks, an unexpected person was sitting. It was Chief Kim.
“Oh?”
As their eyes met, Chief Kim got up from his seat with a welcoming expression. Soon, his gaze turned to the hands of the two people holding hands. A look of bewilderment spread across Chief Kim’s smiling face.
This time, Ha-jin desperately broke free from Eden’s grasp. Eden glared at him unhappily for coldly shaking off his arm.
Chief Kim maintained a poker face and guided them to the opposite seat.
“I was worried, but it seems like things are going well. You made a good decision. Actually, there’s no place as safe as here around here.”
With that, he tactfully took out the medicine box that had been put in the drawer.
“You came because you’re sick, right?”
Ha-jin nodded.
“Yes. Just give me some cold medicine and ointment for the wound.”
Chief Kim, who took out two capsules of cold medicine and ointment, frowned slightly as he looked at the wound on Ha-jin’s wrist.
“It seems like the rope was tied too tightly. The wound is severe.”
“I’ll apply it myself.”
Eden took the ointment from Chief Kim’s hand as if snatching it away. Ha-jin gritted his teeth at him, who seemed ready to apply the ointment himself.
“I can do it myself.”
“No. I’ll apply it for you.”
A groan escaped his lips. It seemed he was going to continue this ridiculous act of being lovers here as well.
Ha-jin asked with his eyes what he was doing, but there was no answer. However, it wasn’t long before he realized the meaning of his unusual behavior.
Because he happened to turn his head and saw Corporal Shin’s ghostly face looking out the window, as if checking the situation.
‘Crazy, you scared me.’
Ha-jin stroked his startled chest and grumbled inwardly. The man, who he thought had returned to the residence, was already circling around the store. Anyway, he looks like a tattletale, and he acts like a tattletale… He secretly shuddered at the sight of Corporal Shin, who looked exactly like the senior soldier who had tormented him during his days as a private.
At that moment, a soft ointment was applied to his wrist, where the red flesh was exposed.
“Sss! Ouch…”
It stung so much when he washed it, but it stung twice as much when the medicine touched it. Ha-jin squirmed and made a fuss. In the meantime, the area above his ankle was grabbed. His bare feet, with his shoes removed, were placed on Eden’s firm thighs.
“Hoo…”
He didn’t want to be conscious of it, but his genitals, stored on his left thigh, and the sole of his right foot were subtly touching.
‘Is this bastard enjoying this right now?’
At this point, a reasonable suspicion began to sprout in his head. Even as he suspiciously stared at the lowered crown of his head, Eden was only carefully applying the ointment to his ankle. Ha-jin wanted to scratch his chest because it was unbearably itchy near his sternum.
“Stay still.”
“J, just apply it quickly. Why are you applying it so slowly?”
“You were whining that it hurt just now.”
Haa… He sighed deeply and finally turned his gaze away from Eden. As he raised his head, his eyes immediately met Chief Kim’s. Ha-jin gave an awkward smile.