- ͙۪۪̥˚┊❛ [𝐬𝐢𝐱] ❜┊˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
another day started with us going to our usual classes before training after school
despite the grumble last night, we were surprised with the news when yeong-hoon was told to go back home after an injury. all of us were shocked of course, since this opportunity to get the reward points for CSAT is crucial for the top student
it even got me baffled of how easy he gave up- because i know that even with such injury, he would fight for his life to stay and earn the points
chi-yeol who was accompanying both il-ha and yeong-hoon to their punishment for fighting looked terrified whenever we asked about him. i'm guessing it's probably how injured the boy was
i don't know, though. everything seemed skeptical since last night
i tried to find chun-ho this morning to ask about what happened but he avoided me and told me to focus on the training harshly. as if he forgot that we were supposed to talk but got an interruption
he's such a jerk, honestly
my thoughts were stopped due to a voice
"so, those loud thuds were the spheres dropping?" so-yoon asked after watching the spheres on the sky, yeon-ju replying
"the guys in class three told me that the gym was demolished. that must have been it"
"if it destroyed, i bet the impact was huge" deok-jung exclaimed as we all got drowned in our own thoughts. all possibilities crashed through my mind
what could've possibly triggered it to drop down? and to our school out of all places? surely it's dangerous for us to be around it since we have no idea what's inside the sphere?
i let out a quiet sigh, glancing at su-cheol who was standing beside me as he gave me an assuring look. he was about to say something but hee-rak suddenly jumped and scared all of us
"you scared me!" joon-hee yelled who was sitting beside him. hee-rak however laughed, saying sorry playfully as she stand up and slapped him with anger. all of us gasped in shock, watching the scene as we both looked at each other and laughed
"that was not funny!" she said, storming off as hee-rak looked like he was struck by a lightning. all of us laughed with chatters, walking away from the gathering as i calmed myself down from laughing even more
"i should do that to you too" i said to su-cheol who scoff
"what did i do to deserve that?"
"are you seriously asking me that? hey, you've been so annoying lately" he walked away, hands covering his ear as he mumbled 'bla bla bla' repeatedly to block out my voice
"hey!" i called out, kicking the back of his knees making him almost fall as he quickly grip on the lectern for support. i held in my laugh as he balanced himself to his steps, turning around and nodded
"okay, okay- fine. what can i do to be less annoying, your highness?" he then bowed as if i'm a princess making me roll my eyes with a small smile
"gosh, you really are annoying" i turned around and went back to my seat, glancing at him who was waving his hand with his smile. i scoffed, sitting down and noticed the stare from na-ra and yu-jeong
"oh, come on. we're just messing around" i whined, denying whatever they were thinking as both of them looked at each other in a skeptical way
"does she think we're an idiot?"
"right? honestly, just get back together already" na-ra said as i quickly covered her mouth. she slapped my hand, yu-jeong letting out a small laugh as she shake her head
"lee cho-yeong. listen to me carefully" na-ra said, sternly looking at me as i sighed
"what?"
"you do know that he still like you, right?" she said in a low voice as yu-jeong looked at me, waiting for an answer and i cleared my throat
"i don't know"
"idiot. what about you? do you still have feelings for him?" yu-jeong asked as we are now whispering to each other like we are discussing a top secret from the government
"me?" i asked, almost stuttering as they nodded vigorously. i looked away, fiddling with my fingers
i would rather get ran over by a truck than telling them that
"everyone, get back to your seats!" mr. kim, who was our math teacher spoke after entering our class, giving me the opportunity to save myself from their questions
"damn it" both of them said, glaring at me as i formed a smirk, going back to my seats
"don't think this is over yet" na-ra said as i pretend to not hear her. i sighed in relief, taking out my textbook and my pencil case to start the day
but i couldn't really pay attention like i usually does
instead, my mind wander at yu-jeong's question earlier
"do you still have feelings for him?"
i honestly don't know how to answer that. obviously i don't, but i couldn't bring myself to say it. it's as if, my own mouth is forcing me to hold it in and that it's actually a lie
i don't believe it. it's probably just my own brain getting confused by how i'm feeling since last night. and i refuse to accept it, even if it means lying to myself
if anything he should hate me by now
i ended us, with an excuse for a better future in this society. the obsession with studying and good grades got to me, almost destroying me
and when he was trying to fight for us, i left him alone. i didn't believe in us, so i chose to step out before it can grow more and prevent me from running away
he could hate and yell at me for anything, and i'll gladly accept it
it'll at least make me feel less guilty
but instead, he offered me a generous smile everyday, talked to me like we didn't just cry and yell at each other when i wanted to end everything. i was prepared to be hated by him, but it was all for nothing
he is still as nice as when we're together, and i hate it
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our next training involves us to use all of our strength and muscle to work with. it felt like i'm really signing up for hell this time, and my brother isn't helping at all
instead, he's making it worse
we're currently crawling under low barbed wire with us facing the sky, the long gun in our left hand as the soldiers yelled for us to go faster. i closed my eyes because of the bright sun, holding the urge to scream when the sand beneath me is grazed with my uncovered skin
the gun is so heavy to the point that i feel like i'm carrying a huge sack of rice while crawling under the sharp wire
"keep moving!"
"focus!"
"move quickly!"
"hold on to your rifle and headgear!"
their voices are starting to irritate me as i quickly got up when i reached the finishing line. i sighed in relief, standing over the wire to see my other classmates trying to reach the line. but it doesn't end there
i quickly run to the barrel obstacle which requires us to crawl again. i entered the barrel and ignored the sharp pain around my body after running for so long
next, the tires obstacle that made me almost lose my balance while trying to keep my steps stable. whoever decides for us to go through all of this, i'm definitely praying for their downfall
i then slammed my rifle onto a tire that was attached to match our eye-height, probably training us to punch something- i don't know, i just want to get this over with
we had to do this a multiple times before getting dragged to a spot, standing in a circle with our rifles ready in our hands
"all trainees, into your assault fire positions" chun-ho ordered as we all bent our bodies and spoke
"yes, sir!"
"prone position in parts. one!" we repeated the number, switching positions to the ground until three. we are now lying down on the ground, eyes on the scope at our rifle
i could feel my elbows aching after switching positions for the hundredth time
because of the pain, i eyed my brother like a hawk, him noticing it as he went closer to adjust my rifle and faced it forward. his hand was gripping on it with stern, forcing me to stay still
"focus" he said to me as i glared at him and stopped my hands from trembling too much. he looked at me for a few seconds before standing up and continue with his yelling
his gaze meant something
it was almost like he was pitying me for dragging me into this training. but then, if he does feel like it, why did he ask my aunt to make sure i'm joining the training?
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"this training is going to be the death of me" i started, staring into the camera with chi-yeol behind it as usual. i flipped my hair to the back, sighing
"but don't worry, i'll manage. i might look like i've been through some shit, but i'm not gonna give up. i'll make sure to finish this and earn the reward points" i said, forming a small smile and wiped the sweat from my forehead
i looked down to my pants that are now stained with sand and mud, alongside my white shoes and uniform
"that's all?" chi-yeol asked as i nodded, standing up to get back to the group who were resting for five minutes
and the hell begins again
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"all trainees, focus and keep the stone on the barrel as you pull the trigger. relax your body and hold your breath. focus" i stayed laying down on the ground, my elbows on the sand as i tried to ignore the amount of discomfort i'm having
na-ra was helping ae-seol on the other side of the circle while yu-jeong was trying to pass the training with the help from yeon-ju. i carefully put the stone on the barrel, but dropped it due to my shaky hands
"fuck" i whispered, almost giving up after one try
"let me help" a voice spoke as i looked up from my helmet to see jang-soo taking the stone. i formed a small smile, realizing that this is the first time we've talked since the mock exam
we weren't exactly close, but we had always discussed about the homework and study tips due to me being one of the top students. he's kind, and such a gentleman that he always buy me snacks at school after helping him with something
"i'll help you too, after this" he nodded, putting the white stone on my barrel as i carefully pull the trigger
but of course, it fell
"it's okay. let's try again. like they say, this might take us a while to get it done" he assured, patting my shoulder as i nodded with a sigh. he put the stone, and me pulling the trigger again
"this is driving me crazy" i whined to him, receiving a chuckle from the boy
"it's fine, try again" i was starting to feel guilty so i got up and took the stone from his palm. he looked at me with a raised brow
"you should try too. i'll help you. lay down" i said, patting his shoulder with a smile as he scoffed
"fine" we both then repeated the same process, none of us succeeding at first try. all of us are getting frustrated, of course. and i feel like i'm melting under the hot sun
"should we give up?" i asked, looking at him as he pulled the trigger, for the tenth time
"definitely" he replied, looking at the stone that was dropped to the ground. we both laughed a little, completely giving up as we said earlier. despite that, in the corner of my eyes, i could feel someone's gaze piercing through my back and i could definitely tell who it's from
su-cheol
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the training continues with us learning how to do first aid, disassembling and assembling the rifle, and going for lunch that i'm sure served for prisoners
i couldn't get to eat much but since the training will be taking most of my energy, i started to eat more and more that i feel like i'm dying from hunger. and even when the training is over for the day, we still need to wash our clothes, dry them, shower, and those made me almost faint
i had even distributed them their chapsticks, and because of that, they thanked me like i'm a queen giving them a gift or something. well, at least our lips are taken care of
now, we are back to the laying down position, doing the training which i hate the most
"we will keep trying until you don't drop the stone"
chun-ho said as he stood in the middle. i sighed, looking at jang-soo who was making his way towards me
i smiled at him, suddenly noticing su-cheol who spoke something to jang-soo who then gave me an apologetic look. i furrowed my brows as he made his way to so-yeon who seemed to be struggling by herself
instead of him, su-cheol made his way to me and sat down beside me
"why are you here?"
"to help you, of course. duh"
i scoffed with a small smile, focusing on the iron sight. he put the stone on top of the barrel, chun-ho's words echoing through my head
relax your arm, hold your breath, and shoot
i did as he ordered, my heart skipping a beat when the stone was staying still. su-cheol widened his eyes, laughing a little as i looked at him in excitement
"i did it!" he laughed, raising his hand as he spoke
"cho-yeong succeeded" the other soldier nodded, writing something in a book as i sighed in relief
"thank god. i was about to give up" i said, looking at the rifle as he smiled. the strands of my hair was bothering my eyes so i took the head gear off. i ran my hand through my hair and put the headgear aside
just as i was about to take my hair tie, i suddenly felt his hand on my head, ruffling my hair making me froze
"good job, yeong" i looked up at him, the familiar nickname sending shivers through my spine as he stood up and went to help his best friend next. i stayed still, feeling my heart pounding mercilessly to my ribcage
"what was that?" i mumbled, clearing my throat as i put the hair tie on my wrist. i completely forgot what i wanted to do and put the headgear back on before any soldier can yell at me for having it off
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a week pass by and our routine is still the same
classes, train, lunch, train again, dinner, sleep and start all over again for the next day
"i'll give you a minute to disassemble and assemble the gun" chun-ho said as he walked around the tables assigned to us. group one which contained yu-jeong and other five trainees were sitting on the desk with a rifle in front of them
i stayed back, being in the group two with na-ra as we glanced at each other
"a minute? seriously?" i asked to na-ra in disbelief as she shrug her shoulders. of course she's not nervous, i asked the wrong person
she's almost like an expert at guns
"if you can't get it done in a minute, you'll get a penalty" his words made almost all of us whine while na-ra and i stayed silent
"who whined? come out" instantly, they looked away and cleared their throats in fear. i zipped my mouth, not bothering to say anything else and only want to get all of this done
"group one, disassemble and assemble the gun. start" he started the watch, scanning the students in group one who were focused on disassembling the gun. i looked at yu-jeong who was focusing, forming a small smile and to her right where su-cheol was sitting at
i kept my gaze on him, heart picking up its pace when he voiced out
"completed" all of them passed, making me sigh in relief
maybe it isn't that difficult
"next, group two" i stood up, alongside na-ra, jang-soo, hee-rak, tae-man and so-yeon. i was seated in front of chun-ho, his gaze dropping on mine before saying 'start'
i calmed myself down and worked my hands carefully to avoid any clumsiness from happening. thankfully, i could disassemble it in less than thirty seconds. i could feel chun-ho's eyes examining me working on the rifle as i heard na-ra saying 'completed'
she was definitely the fastest as i heard the others chattering in amazement. not even three seconds later, i completed assembling the gun and announce that i'm done
na-ra and i glanced at each other, forming a smile as the others cheered for me too
i looked up to chun-ho as the others are completing their rifle too. he sent me a nod, stopping the watch when all of us succeeded
"group three"
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group three didn't pass the test like us
instead, we were held back from eating dinner because of ae-seol who couldn't complete the task in time. the three of us were hungry, of course and wanted to eat due to the hard trainings we're getting for the day
but weirdly, i'm not even annoyed by ae-seol. i was actually feeling anxious as her when she couldn't complete it after countless tries. even na-ra and yu-jeong stayed silent and didn't voice out any complaints
we somehow understand her, but the others... not so much
especially bo-ra and ha-na
they're currently yelling at ae-seol for being responsible at the kind of food we got. it was definitely the worst, due to us getting the last portion
i looked at ae-seol who was looking down in embarrassment, obviously feeling guilty. and the others throwing hate to her is definitely not helping. but thankfully, yeong-sin defended her by saying that he'll be his boyfriend if bo-ra and ha-na can stop yelling at her
it was surprising, but i really couldn't care less. at least ae-seol is defended by someone
i sighed, looking down on my tray as yu-jeong asked
"are you okay?" na-ra looked at us, jang-soo beside her joining in as well as i nodded with an assuring smile
"i'm okay. just a little headache" i said, finishing my rice as jang-soo spoke
"you should rest. do you want me to tell the leader? you can skip the training tomorrow"
"no, it's fine. i want to join tomorrow's training" i said, remembering the schedule we're having for tomorrow. we will start shooting with real bullets, and the thought excites me
"is that so? then, just tell us if you feel sick. i'll get going" he said to us, standing up as na-ra and yu-jeong nodded at him confusingly. i sent him a smile, drinking my water as they both eyed me like a hawk shortly after jang-soo walked out
i put the cup down, furrowing my brows at the reaction
"what?"
"don't 'what?' us!" na-ra whisper-yelled as yu-jeong nodded in agreement
"since when are you two close?"
"since we first became classmates?" i answered with confusion as they scoff
"no- but just now. the interaction you guys are having... we never saw you guys like that" yu-jeong said as na-ra added
"yeah, he never talked to us like that either"
"okay, so? you guys are overreacting. gosh" i sighed, shaking my head with a chuckle and stood up to put the tray back. they immediately chased me down, making me laugh as they continue to taunt me how jang-soo is different around me- and that could mean something but i laughed it off
anything they're saying about him is ridiculous. he probably just want to be my friend after helping him before, and he's a pretty cool guy. it means nothing but a friendship that is starting to bloom