My Girlfriend Is Very Good To Me [EN]: Chapter 159

Ep. 158

After the initial orientation week, the first week of training camp officially began.

Following the basic check-ups, those who had to leave due to unavoidable circumstances had departed, leaving only the true trainees.

However, similar to the previous week, the beginning of this week was spent on administrative tasks rather than actual training. We applied for savings accounts, attended mandatory character education lectures, wrote letters home, and sent the clothes we’d arrived in back via 택배 [a Korean door-to-door delivery service].

We also received a small supply kit, had brief interviews with the officers, and received letters from family and friends.

I received quite a few letters, more than some of the other recruits. There were letters from Heena, some written with Sarang, as well as letters from family, friends, and the cafe noonas [older female friends or sisters] from my regular coffee shop.

In this digital age, exchanging physical letters felt surprisingly refreshing.

Moreover.

—

<─And I miss you, Daddy! I hope you come soon! Daddy misses Sarang too!>

Heena sent me two letters. One was sent on the day I enlisted, and the other was written with Sarang around the beginning of last week.

Looking at Heena’s pretty handwriting and Sarang’s crooked but cute letters, I couldn’t help but smile, even in the middle of the night. I thought it would be nice to exchange letters like this sometimes in the future.

And after all that was over, the real training began: physical fitness tests, gas mask drills, and basic military drill, etc.

Nothing was particularly difficult, but the summer heat made everything harder. We sometimes trained indoors because of it, but they sent us outside whenever possible.

Still, it was fun in its own way, mostly thanks to Yoo-joon.

“Yeon-hoo hyung [older brother or close male friend]… my head doesn’t fit in the gas mask…”

“Are you serious?”

“What do you mean? They said gas masks are one-size-fits-all.”

“Wait. You have to loosen the neck strap before you put it on, you idiot!”

“Ah!”

“Ah, my ass.”

Yoo-joon was a bit chubby, so he struggled with all the training, from morning jogging to gas masks, drills, and physical fitness tests, but he had the determination to keep up somehow.

The training instructor seemed to think well of him because of his willingness to work hard. Watching him, I often chuckled during training.

As I spent each day like that, strangely, each day felt very long, but each week felt somewhat short. After it passed, I’d think, “Already?”

Now that they’d opened the PX [military store], I could endure the terrible training camp food with 맛다시 [a spicy seasoning], and I could also build camaraderie with my fellow recruits by playing Mafia games. The first week passed quickly.

It had already been more than ten days since I was stuck in training camp. As usual, it was time for a phone call with my family this week.

Since it was the second time, I was able to talk on the phone more calmly than last week.

[Did you get the package with your things? The 택배 hasn’t arrived yet…]

“Really? I guess it’ll take a while. I’m reading your and Sarang’s letters more than ten times a day.”

[Really? Hehe… I feel a little embarrassed for some reason. But I kind of like this~ Should we exchange letters sometimes even after you get out?]

“Yeah! I was thinking the same thing. How about the three of us exchanging letters once a month?”

[I love it! I’ll buy pretty stationery!]

[Mommyyy…]

[Sorry for only saying Mommy~ Honey, I’ll switch you to Sarang. Call me again next week!]

“Okay, I got it. I love you.”

[I love you too! Okay, it’s Sarang’s turn.]

[Daddy! Sarang is on the phone!]

“It’s so good to hear Sarang’s voice.”

[Me too! I’m happy to talk to Daddy on the phone!]

I had made dozens, even hundreds, of phone calls before coming to training camp, but there was something more affectionate about it because we were apart for a while. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be separated for a few more weeks.

Today, I was able to gain strength from hearing Heena’s and Sarang’s voices for less than five minutes.

I felt a little sorry for not calling my parents, but they also said in a letter that I should call Heena no matter what, so I decided to just call Heena.

On the way out after finishing the call, I saw Yoo-joon looking very dejected.

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong at home?”

“My mom answered the phone too late… I only talked for 30 seconds…”

“Hmm…”

That’s too bad.

Unless they’re waiting like Heena, that can happen.

—

Time passed faster and faster. I became more accustomed to training camp life as the days went by, and even though I was sometimes reprimanded, I was spending peaceful days without any major incidents.

In the second week of training, I held a gun and shot for the first time in my life. The waiting time was still boring, but I was very excited about the act of shooting itself. It was also fun.

Besides, I was quite good at shooting. Adjusting for the reduced shooting range after zeroing [adjusting the sights of a firearm] was also very easy, so I was excited and waited for the record shooting day. There was also talk of giving five more minutes of call time if you hit all the targets.

However, there was a slight accident there. First of all, I thought my shooting was excellent. Frankly, I thought I hit everything, but Yoo-joon in the next seat shot at my target as well, so I couldn’t be sure.

If he had hit everything on mine, I would have just been recognized as hitting all the targets, but he hit some and missed some, so there were an ambiguous number of holes, about sixteen.

“Hyung, sorry…”

“It’s okay. Just work hard on the make-up training.”

It was a shame, but what could I do? My 맛다시-sharing, snack-buddy Yoo-joon, could make a mistake. I might not have hit everything in the first place.

With that, the second week was safely completed with the record shooting. In the following third week, we did grenade practice, physical fitness tests, and CBR (Chemical, Biological, Radiological) training.

I don’t know about the others, but I thought I was going to die during CBR training. I realized that what the hyungs [older male friends/mentors] had said while scaring me was by no means an exaggeration. I knew what it felt like to cry from every hole in my face.

And during CBR training, our Yoo-joon also…

“Cough cough cough cough!! Uwaaaaaaah!!”

He couldn’t put on the respirator properly, so he made a fuss. He even rolled on the floor, but I didn’t have the energy to laugh at it. I was having a hard time too.

When I came out, Yoo-joon, who was covered in tears and snot, said something spectacular.

“Cough… whew… Ah, CBR isn’t a big deal… Keuaaak! Ptoo! Never mind.”

“If a war breaks out, just maintain mopp 4 level [highest level of protective gear] and go around…”

Thanks to my fellow recruit next to me every week, there was no time to be bored.

With that hellish CBR training as the last event, we moved on to the fourth week.

“Advance forward!”

“”Advance forward!!””

Excluding the week of the graduation ceremony, it was practically the last week of training. With the thought that there wasn’t much left, my mind became more relaxed, and the individual combat training, which was said to be difficult, felt a bit like a game, so it was even fun.

It was very hot, but it was better to move my body than to just sit and listen to sleepy lectures.

And after the individual combat training came the last ordeal and adversity of the training camp.

The march.

In fact, I was okay. I was doing it so smoothly that I wondered if I was this physically fit. Maybe it was thanks to the adrenaline rushing through me at the thought of seeing Heena and Sarang next week.

However, Yoo-joon, who was weak at using his body, somehow endured the way there, but on the way back, he was almost about to collapse.

“Heok… heok… I’m… about to drop out… eugh…”

“What do you mean drop out when we’re almost there? Hey, give me your military gear.”

Honestly, I was very grateful to Yoo-joon. I’m a pretty sociable person, so I would have become friends with him somehow, but he was such a fun guy to watch that he gave me energy in training camp life.

Sometimes he’s absurd, but he doesn’t try to get out of anything just because he’s not physically fit and can’t exercise, and I really liked the way he tried to work hard at everything.

So I wanted to finish the last training together. My legs were starting to feel tight, and it was a tough time, but even so.

But just as I was about to take Yoo-joon’s military gear and carry it in front, a hand next to me reached out and took it.

It was the training instructor. I remembered his face because I had seen him often. And he sometimes smiled slyly when he saw Yoo-joon doing things.

“Trainee number 103, can you make it to the end?”

“Hah… I can, I can…”

“There’s not much left. Let’s go all the way like this!”

With those words, the training instructor carried Yoo-joon’s military gear and went ahead. I couldn’t help but laugh at this heartwarming situation.

“Give the training instructor some 맛다시 before you leave, Joon-ah.”

“Ssap… possible… Heueoeo…”

Well, he’s a corporal, so he’s probably tired of eating 맛다시.

Anyway, thanks to the training instructor, Yoo-joon and I were able to be together at the end of the march.

—

“Yeah. It’s all over now, I guess.”

[Honey, you’ve worked hard~ There’s less than a week left now, right?]

“I know. It’s already like this. We can be together next weekend.”

[Already! A day feels like a year!]

“No, that’s what I mean… Where’s Sarang?”

[She’s listening with me next to me. Sarang~]

[Sarang is here! If I sleep five more nights, is Daddy coming?]

“If Sarang sleeps five nights, Daddy will go to hug Sarang~”

[Sarang will hug Daddy tight too!]

This was already the fifth time I had made a phone call like this, from the 0th week to the 4th week. Next Friday is 퇴소 [discharge from training], so it was the last phone call at the training camp.

Looking back, it was really a blink of an eye. The five weeks, which seemed short but long, were coming to an end.

I had become close to many other recruits, so I felt quite bittersweet, but it couldn’t compare to the joy of being able to see my family.

“I have to go, so I’ll hang up. Heena, are you coming on Friday?”

[I have to go no matter what. I’ve already applied for annual leave.]

[Sarang too! I’m going to see Daddy too!]

“Then I’ll see you then. Come carefully. I’ll go now~”

[Take care of yourself too! I love you~]

[I love you, Daddy!]

“I love you too~”

After finishing the last phone call, I returned to my room. There, Yoo-joon, who had returned one step ahead of me, was eating snacks.

“Welcome~”

“Did you have a good call today?”

“Yeah. What about you, hyung?”

“Me too.”

I sat next to him and leaned against the locker. Now it’s almost over, making the bed and folding underwear every morning.

Feeling a little sentimental, I reached out and grabbed a snack one by one.

“This hyung really likes snacks.”

“I’m eating a lot of snacks thanks to you.”

“I made you eat a lot. Aren’t you supposed to buy me a meal later?”

“I’ll buy it for you, so contact me. But didn’t you say your unit is in Busan? You said it’s close to your house.”

“So sweet~”

“Is the pension free if I go play?”

“You’re shameless… I’ll empty a room if you come to play.”

Yoo-joon’s family runs a pension [a Korean-style bed and breakfast] in Busan. But it’s more like a homestay than a pension. It’s not that expensive.

I wondered why a guy living in Busan came to Nonsan for training camp, but there’s nothing I can do when the country tells me to come. I’m glad that at least his unit seems to be located close to his home.

“Forget the pension, when I go to Busan with my family on the weekend, I’ll go see you at the same time.”

“Ah, why. Come once. I can rent you a room if it’s not peak season.”

“If I go, I’ll go with my family, so how can I rent it for free? I’m going to help you increase sales, so just wait.”

“I can do it for a day or two. Aren’t we soulmates who were going to carry my military gear?”

“In the end, the training instructor carried it. Did you give him the 맛다시?”

With those words, we burst into laughter. I don’t know if this is already a memory, even though it’s only been a few days since the march.

Maybe it’s because it’s the end, but the training instructor is treating us very kindly compared to the beginning, so there were times when people like Yoo-joon went to visit him directly.

“Anyway, don’t ignore my texts later. They say that even if you exchange numbers here, you’ll lose contact later, but if I lose contact, I’ll go find you to get the snack money back.”

“Don’t worry. I was going to take Sarang to Busan anyway.”

“Ah, I’m so jealous… I wish I had a daughter like that…”

“Not possible.”

“Ssibal [a mild curse word].”

A sunny weekend. As I was lazily talking on the bed, I felt that the end was really approaching.

My first and last training camp life.

It was coming to an end like that.