Chapter 16: Jeong Sora Lying on the Ground
"Then, see you when I get my next vacation, Oppa! Merry Christmas!"
"...Yeah. Merry Christmas."
After finishing the call, Seo Juhwan lay on his bed in a daze for quite a while. A memory he had momentarily forgotten had resurfaced, leaving his mind unsettled. About an hour later, he suddenly sprang up, rushed to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face.
"Phew. Now I'm awake."
Seo Juhwan dried off his face and shook his head vigorously. There was nothing good about drowning in old memories like this. If it's painful, he should just change his mindset. Since he'd come back to the past, what could he possibly not do?
"Besides, it's not something I can do right now anyway."
There was still plenty of time. There was no need to feel depressed about it already.
"Let me see."
Seo Juhwan took out his phone and opened the search app. There was something he wanted to look up. Fat Admirer—Jeong Sora's fetish. He was curious if it really meant what it literally said.
[Fat Admirer: Often abbreviated as FA, it refers to people who admire and are attracted to overweight body types. In pornography, it's sometimes classified as BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) or BBM (Big Beautiful Man).]
"Oh..."
He'd thought it might be the case, but he never expected it to actually be a term for admirers of obesity. So that was Jeong Sora's fetish. The classification level had been marked as Low, but he wondered what degree of heaviness she preferred.
"This is... do I have to like it?"
He never thought the day would come when he'd be grateful for a chubby body. After resolving that curiosity, another question popped into his head.
What was the Medium-level fetish that had been marked with a question mark?
"Could it be masochism or sadism or something?"
He pulled up the definition. Masochism, also called algolagnia, referred to accepting abuse in specific situations as sexual gratification. People with this tendency were called masochists. Meanwhile, sadism was the opposite, derived pleasure from inflicting pain. Interestingly, mild forms of masochism and sadism appeared relatively commonly across both genders, contrary to expectations.
"No way."
He felt goosebumps rising on his arms.
*
Seo Juhwan read web novels until the scheduled time. Seeing old works after returning to the past gave him a strange sense of nostalgia. After reading for a while, once the sky outside darkened, he got down from his bed.
"Guess it's time to go."
It was time to carry out the operation.
*
Though it sounded grand calling it an "operation," most of Seo Juhwan's plan actually relied on his memories from before the return and pure luck—it was quite flimsy.
According to his memory, Jeong Sora would be on a blind date with a man in Yeongyang County downtown today. And though he couldn't quite understand it, the man on the blind date would dump her. Afterward, she would go into a meat restaurant alone and drink a considerable amount of alcohol. This was the future he knew.
The reason he knew this information was because Captain Park Gyeongsu, the 1st Battalion 3rd Company Commander, had seen her there that day. Park Gyeongsu was known as the biggest gossip in the 1st Battalion, and once he saw something, news about Jeong Sora naturally spread throughout the entire 1st Battalion. A beautiful woman like Jeong Sora being dumped in a place full of only men was quite the interesting piece of gossip.
'It was definitely called Hae Restaurant, right?'
Hae Restaurant was an establishment specializing in Italian cuisine. The price range was quite high, so with his wallet situation, it wasn't easy for Seo Juhwan to enter. This was also the reason he left his quarters late. Instead of going into Hae Restaurant during the day, his plan was to find Jeong Sora drinking alone around the area after dark.
'At this time, she should be drinking at the restaurant...'
It was just past 8 PM now. He'd heard that by around 9 PM, she'd be drinking more than two bottles, so it was about time she started drinking. He had to find the restaurant where Jeong Sora was before she finished her drink.
'Where is it, exactly?'
Unfortunately, he didn't even know the name of that restaurant. He could only assume it would be somewhere near Hae Restaurant.
"Sigh. Can I actually find it?"
After wandering around for a while, Seo Juhwan sighed and scratched his head. He realized anew how recklessly he was moving without any real plan. No matter how small the town was or what information he had, the probability of finding Jeong Sora by visiting restaurants one by one was very low.
In fact, even if he did find her, that presented its own problems. It would be blatantly revealing that he'd left the designated area, and given Jeong Sora's strict personality, she might even give him disciplinary action. Of course, it would probably just end with a written apology, but he couldn't help feeling nervous.
After wandering around for about 30 minutes like this:
[A strong stroke of luck regarding sex is intervening!]
The message popped up, and at the same time:
"Seo Juhwan?"
A familiar voice came from behind.
"Huh?!"
"It is you, right?"
Jeong Sora was standing there with a surprised face. Despite meeting her, Seo Juhwan didn't feel happy. He had been desperately searching for her, but this sudden meeting wasn't a development he wanted.
"It is you. But what are you doing here?"
As she spoke, Jeong Sora's face quickly turned sharp. She looked at Seo Juhwan with narrowed eyes and said:
"Didn't you say you got a quarters in Uljin?"
"That is... well..."
"Don't tell me you went AWOL?"
"..."
"Wow. Of all people, you? I don't trust what others say, but I believed what you said, and you do this to me...?"
"That's not it..."
"I'm really disappointed. Since you're a squad leader."
"...I'm sorry."
Flustered, he couldn't come up with a proper excuse and simply apologized. Just as he was about to bow his head, the message appeared again:
[A strong stroke of luck regarding sex is intervening!]
In an instant, visible beyond the message—a man with a sturdy build. Someone whose face he'd even seen at the unit just a day ago. Without thinking, Seo Juhwan took a sharp breath and uttered the man's rank.
"Oh. Captain, 3rd Company Commander?"
"What? What? Captain Park Gyeongsu?"
At those words, it was actually Jeong Sora, rather than Seo Juhwan, who was more flustered. She turned around, then turned back so quickly it seemed like her neck might snap. She, too, knowing Park Gyeongsu's personality, had no desire to get entangled with him.
Seo Juhwan and Jeong Sora exchanged glances for a moment, then nodded. Without uttering a single word, they silently agreed and quickly began walking in the opposite direction from Park Gyeongsu.
However, after only a few steps, Jeong Sora had to stop in her tracks.
"Ah, I didn't pay..."
"Didn't pay?"
"I just came out for some fresh air while eating. So all my clothes and bag are still in the restaurant..."
Jeong Sora's face was quite flushed as she said this. It seemed she'd already had quite a bit to drink, as the smell of alcohol was strong on her.
'Isn't this an opportunity?'
Seo Juhwan felt this situation was an opportunity like no other. The message had said it was luck, hadn't it? Though his plan was crude, the blessing effect of the Dream Demon God was making the puzzle pieces fit together.
"Ugh. Of all places, I went into his restaurant. I didn't want to get involved with that guy."
Jeong Sora paced around uncertainly, troubled about whether she should go back into the restaurant. Seeing her like this, Seo Juhwan became certain.
He suddenly spoke with determined resolve:
"Squad Leader. I'll go get them."
"What? You will?"
"Yes."
"You might get caught and have your leave cancelled, you know? That guy's a real stickler, isn't he?"
Perhaps because she was getting tipsy, Jeong Sora spoke in a lighter tone than usual. Her demeanor was just like a neighborhood noona. Seo Juhwan replied with a slight smile:
"I've already been caught by the Squad Leader anyway. If I bring them back safely, couldn't you overlook it... what do you say?"
At his bold words, Jeong Sora gave him a "look at this guy" kind of gaze and spoke:
"Seo Juhwan, you've been in the service a while, huh? Making deals with a squad leader."
But she didn't seem upset at all. The smile on her face was proof of that.
"Alright then, bring them back safely. In that case, I won't only pretend I didn't see anything, but I'll also treat you to something delicious for dinner tonight."
"Understood. I won't disappoint you this time."
After finishing their playful exchange, Seo Juhwan pulled his hat down firmly and headed into the restaurant. If Captain Park Gyeongsu caught him, it would be a big problem, but for some reason, he didn't feel like he'd get caught.
[A strong stroke of luck regarding sex is intervening!]
Today was a day where things worked out.
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