By Zephyria 
“How did you get here, hyung?””
After whining for a while, the two boys calmed down a bit and asked Hae-jun. Hae-jun answered casually.
“I volunteered.”
Astonishment appeared on both boys’ faces.
“Are you gay, hyung?”
“No.”
“Then why did you volunteer?”
“Just because I wanted to?”
The same expression appeared on both boys’ faces. It was the look of, ‘This guy’s crazy.’
To enlist in the army as a Guide, where discharge was impossible, without even being gay. The two heterosexual boys couldn’t believe it.
“Hey, it’s okay. There are women among the Ability Users, not just men.”
“But there aren’t many of them. I heard most people just get matched with men.”
“Hey, it all depends on what you do.”
Hae-jun wasn’t too worried. Although it was 8 to 2, there were still women. He didn’t necessarily have to meet a man.
Hae-jun was confident in his looks. He had never been told he was ugly. After all, he was a former child actor.
Besides, Hae-jun knew what women wanted in a man. Women didn’t want much from a man. Just don’t make dirty jokes and treat them with respect, and you’re already halfway there.
“By the way, when did you guys get here?”
“Thirty minutes before you, hyung.”
They looked around. A wide drill field and a small flower bed. Bare trees. There was no one else but them.
“Didn’t your parents come?”
“No, the Ministry of National Defense said the location was top secret and drove us here.”
“So, what happens now?”
Just then, the gym door opened, and an instructor wearing a red cap appeared and gestured. It meant to come over.
“That, that must be it.”
“Looks like it.”
It seemed they were going to have the enlistment ceremony there. Hae-jun and the two boys hurried to the gym.
A modest enlistment ceremony was held, gathering only three recruits.
There was no military band, and no families of the recruits. All that was there were three instructors in red caps, one officer with a star, and three recruits.
“Valuable resources who have enlisted to protect the nation. I am Noh Hyuk, the platoon leader who will be responsible for you from now on. Nice to meet you.”
The platoon leader spoke into the microphone. Did he really need to speak into the microphone on the platform? He could just talk right in front of them. Hae-jun clapped and thought to himself.
“Guide recruits. You are the last bastion of our national security. Because of you, this country’s defense has the power to stand tall in the world. We must remember that because of you, there are Espers, and because there are Espers, the Republic of Korea can achieve the freedom and prosperity it has today.”
Most Espers could barely tear a piece of paper. Knowing that, Hae-jun almost laughed as he listened to the platoon leader’s speech.
Hae-jun, who was unknowingly chuckling, quickly hid his laughter and stood up straight when he saw the instructor staring straight at him.
“In the ever-changing international situation, we must have a strong security posture. To do this, we need more Espers, stronger Espers. For that, the sacrifice of Guides like you is essential. The state will be grateful for your sacrifice and respects your patriotism in choosing this path for the sake of the nation’s well-being rather than your own.”
Hae-jun didn’t really want to sacrifice himself. He could fight for his country if there was a war, but he didn’t want to kiss another man because of patriotism.
The platoon leader’s speech continued. It was a long speech about sacrifice, prosperity, and the defense of liberal democracy.
Just as Hae-jun and the two boys’ postures, which had been well-aligned at first, began to falter, the platoon leader’s speech finally came to an end.
“Guides, the mainstays of our national defense! I welcome you with open arms to serve in the protection of the fatherland and the common prosperity of mankind. After five weeks of training, you will be assigned to the Defense Security Command and live a life of living shields and dying loyalty. But you are not ordinary members of the defense forces. You are!”
He overlapped his arms and then spread them wide, shouting.
“Superpower! Earth Defense Force!”
Huh!
Hae-jun, who had been thinking that it didn’t make sense for there to be a platoon leader when there were only three people, let out an internal scream the moment he heard the unit name.
Superpower Earth Defense Force. Is the real unit name really Superpower Earth Defense Force?
“Oh, geez.”
Heo Seon-woo, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, shuddered, pulling his arms in.
“Although there are only three of you now, this platoon leader has no doubt that many Guides will gather to fill the drill field in the future. That is all.”
With those words, the platoon leader’s long welcoming speech ended. The red-capped instructors led the three recruits into the living quarters.
After changing into their uniforms, the three of them immediately underwent a search of their belongings. One of the three instructors introduced himself as the squad leader, and Hae-jun raised his hand and asked.
“Do you call it a squad even with three people? How can there be a platoon leader when there are only three people?”
It looked like they were just playing army with only three people, so he asked, but as a result, he was ordered to do push-ups. Through this, Hae-jun realized that even if there were only three recruits, there could still be a squad leader and a platoon leader.
On the second day of enlistment, they underwent a special skills test. It was customary to divide them into cooks, drivers, heavy equipment operators, and welders.
Of course, that didn’t apply to the three of them. They were Guides, and the Guide’s job was to assist the Espers well.
From the third day, they began full-fledged training. The first training was drill.
“This squad leader believes that soldiers must be soldierly. What makes a soldier most soldierly? Uniformity. This squad leader wants you recruits to be reborn as soldiers with sharp angles. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Before we begin training, let’s shout a powerful cheer towards the front. Begin.”
“Waaaaah.”
“Kyaaaaah.”
“Uaaaah.”
“……Kyaaaaah, come out.”
Looking around, Jo Eun-gyu stepped forward. The squad leader made Jo Eun-gyu do push-ups and then made him shout again. After a while, Jo Eun-gyu was able to shout in a loud voice.
“Good, gather around.”
It seemed that the military’s favorite thing to do was to line people up and assign numbers. The squad leader would often tell the three recruits to line up, and each time, the three would have to shout the numbers one, two, three.
“Why do we have to assign numbers when it’s faster to just count with your eyes?”
Hae-jun finally asked. The squad leader looked at Hae-jun with strange eyes. It was as if he was saying, ‘Okay, it’s your turn this time.’
“Recruit.”
“Yes.”
“Push-ups.”
“…….”
Hae-jun did push-ups for 15 minutes. Through this, Hae-jun learned that even if there were only three recruits, they had to assign numbers.
By the second week, they were in drill and shooting training. The three of them endlessly repeated preliminary shooting training. They practiced sitting, standing, kneeling, and crawling on the gravel all day, and their elbows and knees were scraped raw.
When they actually shot the gun, Hae-jun hit eighteen out of twenty shots. It was an excellent score for a recruit shooting for the first time. The instructor who taught him directly asked.
“Have you ever shot a gun in society?”
“No. It’s my first time.”
Hae-jun smiled. I guess I have talent.
Unlike Hae-jun, Heo Seon-woo and Jo Eun-gyu hit eight and four out of twenty shots, respectively, far below the passing score. They had to receive additional training on the weekends.
Hae-jun, unlike the other two, didn’t find military life too difficult. It was easy to wake up at a set time, go to sleep at a set time, and move as instructed.
In the fourth week, there was drill and CBR training. And in the fifth week, the training ended with drill and a full gear march.
Their boot camp life was similar to that of ordinary men, but not the same. They were Guides, and Guides were too precious.
While ordinary army recruits had to take off their gas masks and even sing during CBR training, Hae-jun and the two boys only had to briefly remove and reattach their filters.
While ordinary army recruits had to march 20km in full gear, Hae-jun and the two boys marched 10km.
Instead, they were rigorously trained in drill. Drill was important. Guides and Espers had more opportunities to greet dignitaries than ordinary soldiers. The three, who had been thoroughly trained in drill, looked like well-disciplined soldiers on the outside when they left the training camp.
The graduation ceremony was lonely. Like the enlistment ceremony, there was no military band or parents. The three recruits, with the sound of the new recruits entering, marched into the gym in formation, one, two, one, two.
“From now on, you are proud soldiers of the Republic of Korea who protect the nation. I hope you will continue to live as sons of the nation, striving for the prosperity and strength of the fatherland. Remember. You are not ordinary soldiers. You are.”
Ah, no. Please.
“Superpower! Earth Defense Force!”