My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 158

Ep. 157

After the tearful send-off, the first week at the training camp was a monotonous cycle of boredom.

The instructors and assistant instructors yelling didn’t bother me much, probably because I wasn’t fresh out of high school. I just thought, ‘Man, their throats must be killing them.’

Of course, these days, extreme verbal abuse or physical assault isn’t allowed, which was a relief.

Anyway, the first week was mostly devoid of real training. We spent it learning how to make our beds perfectly and undergoing various physical exams. We also did some basic marching drills for moving around.

Waking up early wasn’t hard for me; I was used to it. Doing calisthenics after breakfast was manageable. I was reaping the rewards of working out and doing yoga for the past three months.

Actually, the hardest part of the morning was securing a decent toilet stall. Seeing sweaty guys with desperate looks on their faces milling around the bathroom was like a scene from hell.

Otherwise, thankfully, my bunkmates were all decent guys. Maybe because there were so many of us heading to easy duty [less demanding assignments], everyone was more relaxed than the other recruits.

The general atmosphere was, ‘Let’s just go with the flow,’ no matter who messed up.

However, the guy next to me wasn’t going to easy duty; he was a regular active-duty soldier. He seemed pretty bummed out when he realized he was surrounded by us soon-to-be easy duty guys.

But he seemed like a good guy, and we quickly became friends. He must have been bored too because he struck up a conversation with me as soon as we got settled.

“Hey, you’re the girl’s dad, right? The one who was crying so loud.”

“Yeah, you heard me?”

“The sound was too loud to miss… and I was nearby.”

Later, when I was introduced to others, they’d say, “Oh, you’re the dad of the girl who was crying so loud?” They might not have seen my face, but they all heard Sarang’s wails.

Well, Sarang was crying loud. Everyone must have heard her except those who were sitting on the opposite side or had gone in early.

Anyway, that’s how we started talking. Honestly, you can’t help but get close to the people around your bunk. There’s nothing else to do but talk.

My bunkmate, who had a slightly chubby face, was named Yoo Joon. He was a typical guy who had finished his first year of college before enlisting.

True to his appearance, he had a big appetite. He had smuggled in not only spicy seasoning but also some small snacks.

During free time after dinner, we’d secretly eat Nondureong [a popular Korean corn snack] and chat. Eventually, we dropped the honorifics [formal speech levels in Korean].

As we shared personal details, the topic naturally turned to my family.

“Wow, if your kid is four, you must have been twenty…?”

“Yeah.”

“You had a kid then, aced your re-sit [referring to retaking the university entrance exam], and got into Seoyeon University [a prestigious university, likely a fictional stand-in for Seoul National University]? That’s insane.”

“I studied like crazy. I quit gaming and everything, man.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Got any pictures of your daughter?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Can I see?”

“Sure.”

I had no reason not to show them. Whether it was Heena or Sarang, they were my pride and joy, the people I loved most in the world.

And I knew what kind of reaction to expect after they saw the pictures. Sarang was so cute that you couldn’t help but be amazed, and my wife was more beautiful than anyone could imagine.

Sure enough, as soon as Yoo Joon saw the pictures I gave him, his jaw dropped, and he kept looking back and forth between me and them.

“Wait… what? Hold on… what the hell? This isn’t photoshopped, is it?”

“What photoshop, you crazy bastard.”

“This doesn’t make sense! What *is* your wife?!”

“Heena is pretty, I guess.”

“‘Pretty’? ‘Pretty’? Damn it. Give me back the spicy seasoning I gave you.”

“Ptooey~ [sound of spitting]”

“I’m so pissed off.”

There was a brief squabble because of Heena’s beauty, but that was nothing new. Yoo Joon grumbled for a bit but soon realized that my daughter, Sarang, was also a beauty, and he wore a fatherly smile.

“But your daughter is really pretty too. Does she do any child modeling?”

“There were talks about it, but I turned it down. I’m scared of what people might say if she’s exposed to the media these days.”

“Yeah… there are a lot of psychos on the internet.”

After that, I showed Yoo Joon a few more pictures of Sarang, and I, too, was etching Heena and Sarang into my memory once again.

It had only been two or three days, but I missed them so much. Waking up in the morning and seeing Yoo Joon’s wide face instead of Heena’s doll-like face was incredibly depressing.

I missed Sarang crawling into my arms, calling me ‘Daddy, Daddy.’ I missed her small, warm body.

It wasn’t the tasteless food or the drills that were hard to endure here; it was not seeing my wife and daughter.

Still over 30 days left.

—

A few more days passed after becoming friends with Yoo Joon, eating spicy seasoning together, and getting yelled at. I was so bored I wanted to die.

Getting combat uniforms and supplies took forever because there were so many people, and in between, we were punished. That was the entirety of the first week.

If it weren’t for getting close to the people in my room, including Yoo Joon, I would have deserted.

The instructors and assistant instructors tried hard to set the mood, yelling and being strict, but it didn’t matter because I didn’t care. It wasn’t like they were marking us one-on-one; it was just the whole group getting it.

Of course, the hardest part about being in the military is being cut off from society. But I only had to do this for five weeks and then I could commute, so it felt a bit like a camp. The sadness of not seeing my family was similar, though.

And while enduring the boredom, the weekend finally arrived. The weekend when we could make our first phone calls.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], you’re going to call your daughter, right? But isn’t she going to cry again?”

“I don’t know… but I have to.”

“The instructor told us to call our parents first this week.”

“I heard that from Hyung in advance, but my parents told me to just call Heena… I mean, my wife.”

“Oh~ Your hyungs have already been through this. I’m the oldest son, so…”

“Then you have to call your parents. Don’t cry while you’re on the phone.”

“I might…”

He was so excited about the call that I tried to ease Yoo Joon’s tension while mentally rehearsing the phone number.

Heena probably knew that I would call, since she had heard so much about the military from Heesung hyung and others. She was probably eagerly waiting for my call.

She’d probably be holding her phone with Sarang by her side from around 3 PM today.

“Three, two, one! Hang up and return to your rooms! Next!”

Soon, it was my and Yoo Joon’s turn. We encouraged each other to have a good call and stood in front of the phones.

My hands were shaking a little. It had been a while since I had dialed Heena’s number myself.

I slowly pressed the numbers to avoid making a mistake and put the receiver to my ear.

-Riiiing, beep!

The call connected before the first ring even finished. I was greatly relieved. I had expected it to happen, but I was also worried that something might have happened and I wouldn’t be able to connect.

Carefully, with a trembling voice, I opened my mouth.

“Hello?”

[Honey?]

“Heena!”

[Yeah! It’s me! You called earlier than I thought! I thought it would take another hour or two… Ha… It’s so good to hear your voice… Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Is the food okay?]

Heena’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a week, was the same as ever, full of concern for me. I had only just started the call, but my eyes were already starting to water.

I thought military life wasn’t a big deal, and since it was only five weeks, I could just get through it and see Heena and Sarang again.

But being forcibly separated from my family made me sentimental.

But I didn’t want to worry Heena, and I had just told Yoo Joon not to cry, so I barely held back my tears out of pride.

“I’m fine. The food here is better than I thought. Heesung hyung was just trying to scare me.”

In reality, it varied greatly depending on the menu, and there was a 50% chance it was dog food. But I couldn’t tell her that.

[Really? That’s a relief… Can you call next week too?]

“Probably? As long as nothing happens, I should be able to.”

[Okay… You can’t talk for long, right? Then I’ll put Sarang on…]

[Mommy! Daddy?! Daddy!!]

[Okay, okay! I’ll put Sarang on! I love you!]

“Okay, okay! I love you too!”

I could hear Sarang fussing next to her. Soon, Heena must have had the phone snatched away, and I heard my daughter’s voice, which I had missed so much, over the receiver.

[Daddy! Is that Daddy?]

“Of course, it’s Daddy. Sarang, have you been listening to Mommy while Daddy’s been gone?”

[Yes! Sarang was a good girl! If Sarang is good, Daddy will come home sooner!]

“Really? Our Sarang has been so good? Daddy has to come home quickly.”

[Then come tomorrow?!]

“No, tomorrow is hard… Daddy has thirty…”

[Daddy will come after sleeping thirty-three nights! Sarang is counting every day!]

“Wow, Sarang is so smart? That’s right. If you sleep thirty-three more nights, Daddy will come home, so you have to listen to Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpa. Okay?”

[Yes! Sarang will be a good girl! Daddy has to come see Sarang soon too!]

I was worried that Sarang might still be sad, but it seemed like Heena and the others had comforted her well.

I had been hearing Sarang’s bright voice in my ears like a hallucination, but now that I had heard it for real, I could relieve one big worry.

“Three! Two! One! Hang up and return to your rooms!”

But that happiness was short-lived, and I quickly said one last thing to Sarang.

“Sarang! Daddy has to go now? If you sleep seven more nights, Daddy will call again! I love you!”

[Daddy? Daddy!!]

-Click

I heard her calling me at the end, but I hung up without hesitation. Just as I had been waiting, the person behind me was probably eagerly waiting to call their family.

With a mix of regret and happiness from the call, which was shorter than I had expected, I trudged back to the barracks. As I walked, recalling Heena and Sarang’s voices, I saw Yoo Joon coming.

“Sniff… sob…”

Like some of the other recruits, Yoo Joon couldn’t control his emotions after talking to his family and was crying.

I had jokingly told him not to cry earlier, but it wasn’t right to tease him at a time like this.

I patted Yoo Joon on the back and walked back to the room with him.

Thirty-three nights.

Right. If I just endure that much, I can see them again.

My beloved family.

—

After the call from her husband ended, Sarang lowered the phone she had been holding with both hands, looking dejected.

“Daddy… gone…”

“Sarang, you have to smile pretty, okay? Then Daddy will call again.”

“Yes… Sarang will smile pretty…”

But she couldn’t easily smile today, as her father’s voice, which she had heard for the first time in a week, lingered in her ears.

I gave a bitter smile and hugged Sarang.

“Daddy must have been happy that Sarang was waiting so well. So let’s try a little harder. How many more nights?”

“Thirty-three nights…”

“Sarang is counting hard every morning, right? There are only thirty-three nights left. So Sarang, show Mommy your pretty face~”

At my words, Sarang turned her head to look up at me and smiled hard. I smiled as brightly as possible at Sarang.

In fact, it wasn’t ‘only.’

There were ‘still’ thirty-three nights until I could see Yeonhoo again. I couldn’t believe that only a week had passed. It felt like seven years had already gone by.

The words I was saying to Sarang,

Were actually words to myself.

It won’t be long now.

It’s not a long time, so hang in there.

I was comforting myself.

But no matter what I said, no matter what mindset I had, I couldn’t do anything about this longing.

I missed Yeonhoo so much.