BTT 119

Before enlisting in the military, prospective recruits must undergo a physical examination, also known as a conscription examination.

Through this examination, which takes about four hours, the state assesses the individual’s mental health, eyesight, and any deficiencies that might hinder their ability to shoot a gun or undergo running drills. Those who receive a grade of 1 to 3 are eligible for active duty.

Hae-jun took a photo and entered his resident registration number. Next was the psychological test, designed to determine if the prospective recruit had any mental health issues.

In fact, Hae-jun already knew what questions would be asked, thanks to his senior classmates who had gone before him. They were mostly questions about depression, dissatisfaction, and sleep quality. That’s what he expected, but…

① Once a month.

② More than 5 times a month.

③ More than 3 times a week.

④ I want to see him every day.

⑤ I feel anxious if I don’t see him for even a day.

Sitting in front of the computer, Hae-jun stared intently at the monitor as he read the first question. Closest male… friend? Why is the state curious about how often I see a male friend, not just any friend?

After careful consideration, Hae-jun chose option 1. He seemed to see Senior Yang about once a month. Sometimes they saw each other every day, but when Senior Yang went into the field, they wouldn’t see each other for months, so on average, once a month was accurate. Hae-jun moved on to the second question.

The second question was even stranger.

① Play soccer together.

② Bathe together.

③ Travel together.

④ Cosign a loan for him.

⑤ Die for him.

A large, bold question mark appeared in Hae-jun’s mind. Why does the question keep mentioning my closest male friend? What does this have to do with a psychological test? After pondering, Hae-jun checked option 3.

Then came the third question.

① Holding hands

② Linking arms

③ Hugging

④ Kissing

⑤ Mutual masturbation

“Excuse me. I think there’s something wrong with these questions…”

Hae-jun muttered aloud, looking around. No one else was taking the test. He was alone. The official who had brought him to the examination room was nowhere to be seen.

Reluctantly, Hae-jun looked back at the question.

“Physical contact with a man, huh.”

He had already done everything from 1 to 5 with Lee A-gon. But that was special because it was Lee A-gon. It didn’t apply to other men. Again, after much deliberation, Hae-jun chose option 1.

① Personality

② Face

③ Body

④ Genitals

⑤ Education

“…Are they crazy?”

Hae-jun almost threw the mouse. A frown creased his forehead. Why would a man care about another man’s genitals? And what’s so important about a man’s face? It’s not like I’m going to date him.

But at that moment, Lee A-gon’s long, pink genitals flashed through Hae-jun’s mind. They were very pretty male genitals. There wasn’t much hair, and they were soft to the touch, so just holding them in his hand felt good. And if he held and caressed them, they would get hard, and once they were hard, then…

“Huh?”

Before he knew it, the question had changed to number 5. He must have unconsciously checked the answer to question 4. Hae-jun shrugged once and read the next question.

① I believe that only men and women can be couples.

② I believe that men and men can also be couples.

③ I believe that only men and men can be couples.

There were three options for this question. Hae-jun chose option 2. And he wondered why there were no options for women and women.

① Never

② Once

③ Several times (3-5 times)

④ Often (5-10 times)

⑤ Very often (more than 10 times)

This question gave him pause. This was a question about whether he had actually had such experiences.

To be honest, it would be option 5. But he was embarrassed to answer that it had happened very often.

After much deliberation, Hae-jun finally chose option 4 and moved on to the next question.

① A man with a lot of money

② A handsome man

③ A smart man

④ A man with a big penis

⑤ A man in the military

“What is this biased question?”

Especially, why is option 5, a man in the military, even included?

Moreover, this question overlapped with question 4. Why do they keep trying to find out my standards for a man?

He was starting to get annoyed. This was a psychological examination room exclusively for Guides. At this point, Hae-jun couldn’t help but realize what the state was trying to achieve with these questions.

So, they’re going to use these questions to figure out my ideal type and match me with someone? Fine, then try to guess. Hae-jun clicked all the options from 1 to 5 and gave multiple answers.

Then came question 8.

① The man’s role

② The woman’s role

③ Doesn’t matter

“What the fuck…”

Hae-jun covered his forehead. Was this really a conscription examination or a preliminary survey for a gay dating app? He cursed and checked option 1. Go ahead and try to find him. A man who perfectly fits my ideal type.

① Hairless

② Sparse

③ Average

④ Hairy

⑤ Very hairy and completely black all over

Hae-jun checked option 5. Gorilla. Go ahead and find him.

Similar questions continued to follow. They asked whether he preferred older, younger, or same-age men, and finally, they even asked whether he preferred men from Chungcheong Province, Jeolla Province, or Gyeongsang Province.

“You’re done.”

After applying for a Guide Love Card, there was a color blindness test.

After that, it was uneventful. There were tests for disease status and cognitive ability, and he just had to check the options that seemed good.

After drawing blood, measuring blood pressure, and measuring height and weight, Hae-jun received a grade 1 rating.

“Since you registered as a Guide in December, you can attend the solo party. Would you like to attend?”

The official asked, handing over the Guide Love Card. Hae-jun, whose distrust had grown throughout the psychological examination, asked in return.

“That party, is it only for Assistants and Ability Users?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to go.”

It was a men’s bathhouse. The official looked disappointed.

After the examination, most men would set a date to apply for enlistment, but that didn’t apply to Hae-jun. He had volunteered for the military as a Guide, so he was immediately converted to military status.

Hae-jun was taken by car to the Army Training Center in Chuncheon. He rode in a large van packed with men from military backgrounds in the front and back.

They stared at Hae-jun with fierce eyes the whole way, as if they were watching him to make sure he didn’t try to escape.

“I don’t know if you heard, but I volunteered. I’m not going to run away.”

They were staring so hard that his face felt like it would be pierced. Hae-jun tried to make a joke, but there was no response. Instead, there was a click, and the van doors were locked.

“…”

Hae-jun decided to keep quiet.

The Chuncheon Recruit Training Center was established five years ago with the goal of fostering Korean Guides. Originally, Espers were also trained here, but due to constant minor accidents, it eventually became exclusively for Guides.

Here, Hae-jun was to stay for five weeks and undergo training to become a soldier, just like other new recruits. And his fellow trainees were two young men who had just graduated from high school.

“Oh, hello?”

Two awkward boys were sitting on a bench in a corner of the flower bed. Hae-jun awkwardly raised his hand to greet them, and the boys looked up with eyes that clearly showed they had been crying.

“Who are you? Are you an instructor?”

“No, I’m a trainee too. I just arrived today.”

The two boys were greatly relieved at Hae-jun’s words. They seemed reassured to have a comrade.

The three sat side by side, shivering in the cold, and introduced themselves. The boy with acne still on his face was named Heo Seon-woo, and the boy with large glasses was named Jo Eun-gyu. Both were recently high school students and only nineteen years old.

“How did you end up here?”

“They tested us during the physical fitness assessment at school.”

Heo Seon-woo answered, sniffling.

“You mean the PAPS? Wasn’t that just for checking endurance and flexibility?”

“Yes, but our school also did Assistant-Guide testing. As a trial.”

“Wow.”

That was truly absurd. They weren’t giving them any room to escape.

“We were the only two in the whole school who got caught. I don’t want to go to the military, but my mom said it was a good thing since I’m not good at studying.”

“Me too.”

The two hugged each other.

“I don’t want to be taken advantage of by men!”

“What if all the men keep following me around!”

Looking down at the two crying boys, Hae-jun crossed his arms and thought, hmm. All the men following you around. I wonder if that will really happen. He looked at Heo Seon-woo’s acne-covered face and Jo Eun-gyu, whose eyeballs looked like grains of rice because of his high-prescription glasses, and thought. Even if I were an Ability User, I wouldn’t touch you guys…

Well, you never know. Among the Espers, there were men who would go all the way to Haenam, the southernmost village, just to lick a Guide if they were a Guide.