Chapter 27: Today Ends Here
Seo Juhwan had to endure suffering throughout his entire shift. He never imagined that his junior would be a reader of his novels.
But the real problem was something else.
"Juhwan, I really enjoyed Mudrim Saekwhang."
"...You read that too?"
Lee Junghoon had even seen the adult works he had serialized under the same pen name. He had never told anyone, not even his family, about this, so he never imagined it would be discovered like this. His adult fiction being found out by an acquaintance! It was terribly embarrassing.
His shame didn't last long, though. Surprisingly, the two discovered they shared similar interests and spent time talking without realizing how much time had passed. He learned a different side of Lee Junghoon that he hadn't known before his regression.
"Later, let's make a game out of your novel. How about it?"
It was a suggestion Lee Junghoon threw out jokingly.
Lee Junghoon, who had realized he had no talent for writing at all, turned his attention to game development, which he loved just as much as web novels. According to him, he had some talent for game making, having already created several simple flash games. Moreover, before enlisting, he had made smartphone games with friends and even earned some profit from them, so suddenly Lee Junghoon seemed even more impressive.
'This guy really has it all. Good-looking, fit, great personality, talented at game development too.'
Could Lee Junghoon also have a system like himself? While walking with such silly thoughts, he found himself back in the command center.
"You both worked hard."
"Kangchul, thank you."
"Thank you."
Jeong Sora greeted the two of them. However, there were dark circles under her eyes. She had dark circles from staying awake.
"Commander, did you stay up the entire time?"
"Yeah. And?"
Jeong Sora asked back as if it were obvious. She could have cut corners a bit, but she conducted the entire night watch in strict accordance with regulations. For reference, apart from Jeong Sora, there wasn't a single officer who didn't sleep during night watch. If they weren't sleeping with their head down, that's already lucky.
Seo Juhwan shook his head with a fed-up expression.
"Other officers sleep a little bit... but I think you're the only Commander who stays awake the entire night."
"...But this is the right way."
The way she pursued regulations so rigidly was very typical of her. She showed considerable flexibility to the soldiers, yet was uniquely strict with herself.
"Kangchul, all on-duty personnel have returned!"
All the duty personnel returned and turned in their weapons and ammunition. After turning in his weapon, Seo Juhwan went up to the barracks to sleep, but soon came back down to the command center.
"Why aren't you sleeping? Do you have something to say?"
"I have a gift for you."
What Seo Juhwan offered was a small canned drink. It looked like an ordinary Park-brand beverage, but it was actually a fatigue recovery item from a recent item draw.
Jeong Sora alternated her gaze between the drink and Seo Juhwan's face with a puzzled expression. Her expression gradually became strange, and then she let out a small laugh. The way he offered the drink while pretending to be indifferent looked cute to her.
'Honestly, I was a bit annoyed.'
That had been the case just two weeks ago. The thing was, after returning from leave, he kept sending subtle glances at inappropriate times. His gaze was so obvious that she worried someone else might notice.
Eventually, Jeong Sora called him aside and spoke in a rather sharp tone. After that, Seo Juhwan seemed to understand the message and stopped sending those strange glances. It was a relief, but on the other hand, she also felt sorry for having spoken so harshly. But seeing him bring even a drink like this made her feel a mix of fondness, remorse, and complicated emotions.
"Thank you, Juhwan. I'll drink it well."
"Commander."
"Hm?"
"That is... well, maybe you should rest for a bit... No, never mind. I'll go back up now."
Seo Juhwan hesitated, trying to say something, but ultimately turned to leave. Without realizing it, Jeong Sora grabbed his hand.
"Commander?"
"...Sigh. Follow me."
She let out a long sigh, then grabbed Seo Juhwan's hand and led him toward the back door. The night duty soldiers in the command center were startled and called out to her.
"Commander of the 4th Company? Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back, so stay on standby."
"Ah, understood."
For some reason, her sharp, icy voice seemed angry, and the soldiers held their breath.
Soon, Jeong Sora stepped outside with Seo Juhwan, looked around carefully, then approached him with sharp eyes.
Seo Juhwan was flustered by Jeong Sora's demeanor. She looked tired, so he even brought her a fatigue recovery item he had obtained from an item draw—so why was she angry? Was it a problem that he tried to say something unnecessary? Ah! Was she angry because she thought he had secretly brought contraband food?
With that thought, Jeong Sora, who had come close, spoke.
"Juhwan, are you going to keep fooling around?"
"...Yes?"
Seo Juhwan answered a beat late. Before his eyes now stood not 'Captain Jeong Sora' but 'Sora noona.'
Jeong Sora let out a long sigh, then reached up and pulled Seo Juhwan's face close, naturally burying his head against her chest.
"Why do you act so cute?"
"What? What are you talking about? That's not... mmph."
"Noona is also holding back a lot, you know?"
What was this supposed to mean? Seo Juhwan, who was trying to pull away from her embrace, quietly listened instead.
"I'm not saying things to you because I dislike you. Okay?"
"...Okay."
"Once becomes twice, twice becomes three times, and if we get caught, it'll be a big problem. It's hard the first time, but wouldn't it be difficult after that?"
In other words, she was referring to the signals he had been sending since returning from leave. Seo Juhwan answered in a blunt tone.
"I know. And I haven't done it since you said so."
"Yeah. I know. Our Juhwan did so well."
"...Am I a kid? Why are you being so creepy all of a sudden, noona?"
"Look at him. Am I creepy?"
"Yeah. Creepy. You have those dark circles under your eyes."
Seo Juhwan pulled away from Jeong Sora's embrace with a disgusted expression, as if he couldn't take it anymore.
To be honest, it felt good when a pretty noona hugged him and treated him like a kid, but since it wasn't something he usually did, it felt awkward and he couldn't find the right words.
However, Jeong Sora didn't seem hurt by his words at all and spoke with confidence.
"Even with dark circles like this, wouldn't I still be pretty, right?"
"...Where does that confidence come from?"
"Tsk. Your expression didn't soften? Does that mean you won't do it with me?"
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
Seo Juhwan immediately changed his attitude. Jeong Sora looked at him as if she were exasperated, but he spoke with a shameless face.
"Are we doing it now?"
"Ugh."
"Ow. Why are you hitting... mmph?"
Seo Juhwan, who was about to jump back from the sudden blow to his joint, had his mouth sealed. Jeong Sora had stopped him with her mouth.
"Smack. Smooch. Slurp."
Jeong Sora's tongue suddenly entered, stirring his mouth briefly and intensely before retreating. She pulled her lips away and spoke with a smirk.
"Okay, that's all for today. Now go back inside and sleep."
"...Noona, you know that's really unfair, right?"
How could she set a man's heart on fire and then tell him to go sleep? But he couldn't push the matter any further with her standing duty.
Jeong Sora stuck her tongue out playfully.
"Yeah, I know. But today ends here."
"...Today?"
It seemed like she was unusually emphasizing 'today.' Seo Juhwan looked at her with both curiosity and hopeful anticipation. But all he got in return was a meaningful smile.
In the end, Seo Juhwan shook his head as if to say he had given up.
"Sigh. If other people knew that noona wasn't a soldier, they'd be shocked."
"Aha. I think so too."
"Anyway, make sure you drink what I gave you. Noona really has bad dark circles. You look like a panda."
"Oh my. Is that a compliment? Are you confessing again?"
"Argh! I'm going to sleep!"
He raised both hands in surrender and headed toward the barracks. She was someone he could never win against.
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