It seemed to take about an hour to leave the peninsula and reach Ido.
Because I thought it was a remote island with only a branch office, I imagined a small, uninhabited island. But it was unexpectedly large, so I had to get in a car again from the pier of Ido and follow the road along the beach to go further in.
Perhaps because it was nearing dusk, the forest growing densely on the inside of the road looked especially dark and thick.
“It seems like a place where it wouldn't be strange if a wild animal or a venomous snake appeared.”
As Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself, his uncle nodded calmly.
“There are poisonous snakes around, so you should watch your step at night. -- But don't worry too much. None of them have venom strong enough to kill a person instantly, so if you get first aid right away, you'll be fine.”
When Jeong Tae-ui looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, his uncle added, as if trying to reassure him, 'There's no need to worry.'
It seemed like I came to the wrong place. Even though they said half a year, if you think about it, isn't half a year excessively enough time for a person to die an unlucky death?
I was planning to somehow hold out until next weekend, go to Hong Kong, and disappear. Just as he was thinking this, his uncle, as if a sudden thought had struck him, said.
“Ah, right. I forgot to mention, you won't be able to go out for about a month. We have joint training with our European branch starting in two weeks, and it will last for two weeks. Before that, there's a special training period with no outside activities. And during the joint training, you're also not allowed to go out. But don't worry, a month will fly by, so just try to adjust during that time.”
Before I could even wonder what exactly this uncle knows and to what extent, for a brief moment, I sincerely wanted to strangle this man.
Jeong Tae-ui glared at his uncle with regret, and suddenly feeling a gaze, he glanced forward. His eyes met the driver's in the rearview mirror. The driver slightly curved his eyes when they made eye contact. It seemed like a faint smile.
It was that same driver who picked us up at the airport. He drove me all the way from the airport to the pier and ferried us over to this island. ……I hope he didn't see the boat as well…….
This person also smelled similar. The smell of a rough-living soldier - my uncle kept saying it wasn't a soldier or the army - but it was. Probably everyone I encounter on that island will smell like that.
As he pondered these thoughts, Jeong Tae-ui sighed and looked away. The desire to strangle his uncle had vanished.
“So it’s that ‘unlucky’ European branch and the ‘bloody’ joint training, huh? You’ve come right at the worst time. ……Just tell me straight, I think my uncle actually dislikes me.”
“Of course not.”
His uncle laughed. Jeong Tae-ui felt like he had stumbled into a terrible situation, and his mood soured.
Joint training, huh. I'm used to that kind of training. I've been rolling around doing that kind of training every day for the past few years. Until four months ago, I was still a military officer. I wonder how they train here.
No matter how hard it is, as long as I'm not dead, I'll get used to it. Even though it's painful each time I go through it, there will come a day when I'm used to the repeated time. ……And if, at some point, I can't control my temper and cause trouble, that's a matter of personal choice.
Jeong Tae-ui suddenly became annoyed and scratched his head.
Until now, I have never regretted anything I've done. No matter what I do, I've always deeply vowed to never do anything regrettable.
So, I don't regret beating that unlucky bastard just enough so he wouldn't die. I'd endured five and a half whole years before things got to that point, so I think I'd put up with enough. As a result, or rather, it was a complex result of various things, but even though I once thought I'd be stuck in the military for life, I don't regret getting discharged.
However, if I think about the situation at that time and how I felt then, it's unavoidable that my insides twist with anger.
There are some people who react very ugly when they see someone else surpass them for the first time, something they've never experienced before. His fellow soldier, whom he shared a hospital bed with just before our discharge, was one such person. Jeong Tae-ui’s sexual orientation was the perfect target for him.
Tsk, Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue and stretched uncomfortably in the car. After being on a plane, a car, and a ship today, I've covered all the ground, sea, and air. My body is so stiff, I feel like I need to run a few laps around the drill ground to loosen up.
The car stopped at that moment.
The sun had already set, and the sky was growing dark. A thick forest surrounded him on both sides. I didn't even realize when I had entered such a wooded path.
“We’re here.”
The driver got out, and after a brief instruction from his uncle, Jeong Tae-ui opened the car door. As soon as he stepped out, he saw the building standing in front of him.
“Whew. To think that I'm already feeling tired from this little bit. I guess I'm getting old. After all, I'm over forty, so I can't really call myself young anymore.”
Jeong Tae-ui, who had been staring at the building in front of him for a while, turned to his uncle, who was muttering to himself while following behind.
“Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“The Asian branch building is……this?”
“Yeah. It's just one building. Pretty simple, right?”
“Then what about all those great buildings and training grounds that were in the brochure?”
“Ah, that's the US branch. Didn't I mention it? Our branch has the least modern facilities, which makes it perfect for physical training.”
“This…… is beyond just misleading and it's outright fraud.”
“Anyway, no one is going to apply based on that brochure.”
As his uncle had said, people wouldn't apply based on the brochure but because of the organization's reputation. And since Jeong Tae-ui had essentially been dragged here by his uncle regardless of the facilities, it didn't really matter to him. However, the building in front of him looked no different from a one-story schoolhouse on the verge of collapse in some rural village. It was cracked in several places, the paint was peeling, and the pipes were covered in rust.
No matter how I looked at it, it seemed more like a crumbling school building or an abandoned government office from decades ago.
No, wait a minute. If this is the only building…….
“How many people are there in total here?”
“One director, two vice directors, the superintendent, with addition to six instructors, ninety-six sub-members, and five administrative officers. A total of 110 people.”
Is that true……? He didn't even notice his uncle counting on his fingers.
“How can all 110 people fit in here?”
“They fit in. You know how easily we can fit 10-15 people into even a small car, right?”
“Not about that, but where did you eat, train and sleep…….”
Jeong Tae-ui pointed at the building with a dumbfounded expression. The driver, carrying his uncle's luggage, brushed past him and entered the building first. As the door creaked open on its rusty hinges, a spine-chilling sound filled the air. It feels like a ghost would pop out any second just from that sound.
After smiling for a while at Jeong Tae-ui's dumbfounded expression, his uncle finally spoke in a more serious tone.
“In the underground levels. It goes down seven floors. With an area of 2,000 pyeong for seven underground floors, it might not be extremely vast, but accommodating over 100 people shouldn't be a problem.”
Jeong Tae-ui looked at his uncle once more with a dumbfounded expression. After all, with an area of 2,000 pyeong spread over seven floors, it could even be considered excessively spacious for 100 people…….
“How is it possible for there to be a 7-story underground facility that's 2,000 pyeong big on such a small island…….”
“That's why we chose this island. Did you think we just picked any random island in Asia and set up a branch?”
His uncle walked away, speaking cheerfully.
Jeong Tae-ui glanced at his uncle's back with suspicion, but when his uncle turned around at the open door, he slung his bag over his shoulder and followed.
His uncle, who had been waiting for Jeong Tae-ui to approach, stopped a few steps away when Jeong Tae-ui didn't move. Then, the uncle stepped closer to Jeong Tae-ui, who was about to take a half-step back with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, the uncle ruffled Jeong Tae-ui's hair and said.
“Don’t die.”
“……What?”
“This place doesn't operate on real laws. There's nowhere for the powerless to seek justice, and sometimes, even if several people die, it can be covered up without any consequences.”
His uncle paused for a moment. Jeong Tae-ui looked at his uncle silently. Then, he suddenly let out a weak laugh.
“Uncle, this is too much……. You should have told me that beforehand. How am I supposed to react when you drag me to the lion's den like this?”
“I think the result would have been the same even if I had told you earlier."”
His uncle also laughed. Jeong Tae-ui sighed, mummering, 'Oh god,' and shrugged.
“I'll have to believe what you said, Uncle, and try to survive somehow. If I die, please collect my bones.”
“Haha, it's not like it's completely lawless, though.”
“I don’t know if you are telling me to be careful or not.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being careful either way.”
His uncle turned around again with a smile. Without stopping or looking back, he entered the building. Following behind, Jeong Tae-ui slowly shook his head.
In times like these, I envy my Hyung who has all the luck in the world.
***
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Tâmago
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