Chapter 116
As soon as we arrived at the garrison area, Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin made a suggestion to me.
“Feels a bit of a waste to just head home. How about we grab brunch together before we part ways?”
“Yes. That sounds good, Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin.”
“Hey, hey. You know what I said on the bus earlier, right? Just call me hyung. Keep it casual.”
I don’t play games or test the waters in situations like this.
If a senior tells me to do something, I do it immediately.
“Understood, hyung.”
“Good. I don’t want to hear people calling me ‘sergeant’ while I’m on leave. So until we go back, just call me hyung. Not for your sake, for mine.”
I already knew he said that to ease my burden even a little.
I’d done the same before when I went on leave with a junior, telling them to call me “hyung” so they wouldn’t feel pressured.
Looking at it this way, the military and soldiers all seem pretty much the same.
“So I guess it’s convenient sometimes too.”
Deciding to have brunch and then part ways was fine.
But now we had to decide where to eat.
Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin scratched his head, looking troubled.
“There was a decent place for brunch. Cheap, lots of options, popular with soldiers. But I heard from guys who went on leave before our training that it’s closed now.”
Places that could be a refuge for soldiers are surprisingly hard to find even within the garrison area.
Most businesses cater to soldiers on leave or temporary outings, and some shady ones even charged extra fees.
Considering that, the restaurant he mentioned was like heaven.
The owner was practically an angel.
I’d been there a few times even before my previous life, so I knew it well.
But a closure is a closure.
We needed to find a new place to replace it.
“Where would be good, I wonder.”
“Hyung, there’s a place I know. Mind if I guide you there?”
“You know a place?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
“It’s actually nearby. Just follow me.”
I gestured for Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin to follow, then started walking ahead.
We eventually arrived at a Korean restaurant.
Spicy pork, bulgogi, fish dishes, stews, rice soups—its menu was impressively varied.
And the food was definitely good.
Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin’s expression brightened as he ordered sundae-guk (blood sausage soup).
“What’s this place? It’s even better than the one you mentioned earlier.”
“It’s my little treasure spot.”
He looked at me with amazement.
“How does a lowly private first class just promoted know about this kind of high-level intel, huh?”
I had a ready answer for that.
“A future person told me.”
That future person, of course, was me—and that’s a secret.
After parting ways with Sergeant Hwang Moon-bin, I boarded the bus home.
After getting off the bus, I took the subway and walked through the familiar streets near my home.
Scenes that were ordinary before enlistment had become precious after experiencing them while on leave from the military.
“So this bookstore’s finally gone.”
Shops disappear, new ones open. Each time, memories of the past I had forgotten came rushing back.
I arrived at the old villa with light steps.
The moment I opened the door, my sister’s voice reached me.
“Welcome home, little brother.”
“Where are mom and dad?”
“They went out to work. They’ll be back before dinner.”
Perfect timing.
I had something to tell my sister without my parents knowing.
I wanted to lie on the sofa for a moment, but my mind was already busy.
I immediately turned on the laptop on my desk.
Opening the notes I’d secretly written in the military, densely packed words caught my attention.
My sister read over my notes aloud slowly.
“○○ Electronics, ○○ Semiconductor, ○○ Games… what’s all this?”
“These are the stocks about to skyrocket.”
“Stocks again?”
“Why not? Thanks to me, you’ve made some money.”
“That’s purely luck, just luck.”
She might see it that way, but to me, it was definite future information.
“Sis, log in for me.”
“To what?”
“You know… the stock program.”
“Oh my, you’ve been thinking about stocks even in the military?”
“Not exactly. Mostly I was thinking about how to complete quests steadily and gather a hundred million won. Stocks were just one investment method toward the future.”
When I finish my military service, I plan to double it with stocks and crypto.
For now, it’s just light warm-up exercises.
Despite complaining, my sister entered her ID and password to log into her account.
I targeted the stocks I had my eye on and pressed the buy button in one go.
[○○ Semiconductor 200 shares purchased]
My fingertips trembled slightly.
The thrill, something I couldn’t feel in the military, surged through me like electricity.
Meanwhile, my sister sighed deeply.
“I don’t know if this is okay…”
“It’s fine.”
That’s how I spent the first day of leave—with stocks.
The next morning.
My sister was looking at her phone and screamed.
“Woobin! Look at this!”
I deliberately acted calm.
“What is it?”
“The semiconductor stock you bought yesterday—it hit the upper limit today! If you sell now, you make 300,000 won!”
I looked at the screen. A bright red “Upper Limit” flashed.
Profit: +312,000 won.
It’s not huge money, but…
“Just that much?”
“Seriously. You’re not selling?”
“Of course not. According to my memory, it should sit for… about half a year.”
Once, I’ll clear it out. Later, if there’s a merger causing the stock to drop, I’ll buy again. This is how I’ll time and accumulate stocks periodically.
She looked at me incredulously.
“Did you learn fortune-telling in the military or something?”
“Studied, stocks study.”
“Is it really possible to get results like this from studying?”
“Not impossible.”
If time travel is possible, why can’t stable stock profits be?
She still stared at me, unbelieving.
“I swear, it’s scary how much you really know.”
“Don’t worry. Just leave it alone. Don’t buy or sell anything. I’ll go out now.”
“Go out? Where?”
I didn’t want to tell her I was meeting Ryu Ji-yeon.
Something about saying I’m meeting a female university friend felt a little embarrassing.
“Something like that.”
Even with family, there are things you want to keep secret.
Like now.
A small café near the university gate.
Through the window, I saw her.
White blouse, lightly tied hair, a bright expression.
Exactly how I wanted to see Ryu Ji-yeon.
Before I entered, she seemed to recognize me, waving excitedly.
We sat across from each other at the window seat.
“Long time no see, Woobin.”
“How have you been? You look really bright.”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
“Me?”
She nodded, explaining why.
“If you hadn’t helped me with the audition, I’d still be wandering around, not gaining proper experience.”
“No. Even without my help, you’d have gotten the role you wanted.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
Her gaze toward me softened even more.
“How’s the military life?”
“Tough enough to feel like dying, but somehow I manage to get through it.”
Even during the training.
I realized I almost got caught up in military stories in front of her and shut my mouth.
Noticing my hesitation, she smiled.
“It’s okay. You can talk about it. Didn’t I tell you on the phone? I love hearing things I don’t know.”
I know, but still… military stories, not really.
“I don’t want to talk about the military while on leave.”
Until I return, I want to erase the word “military” from my mind entirely.
Just as we were about to talk about each other’s lives, cheers erupted from outside.
“What’s that?”
I turned instinctively.
She looked at me knowingly.
“They’re starting that today.”
“That?”
“The university event.”
“Oh…!”
It had been so long since I graduated that my memory was hazy.
Funny, I remember military life clearly but almost forget school life.
It showed just how shocking the military had been to me.
I asked her just in case.
“Can I stay here? Won’t the department call you to help with the event?”
“I’m scheduled for tomorrow, so today I just enjoy it. Though I don’t really have anyone to enjoy it with.”
“Your friends?”
“They’re working. My workdays don’t match theirs.”
Random scheduling caused this minor misfortune.
I’m on leave from school due to enlistment anyway, so I’m not in a position to help with the event.
“Then…”
I cautiously suggested to Ryu Ji-yeon.
“Shall we go check out the event together?”
Was it too forward? A little regret crept in.
But if not now, when would I have courage?
Sometimes, a man has to boldly assert himself.
Maybe my courage worked.
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, let’s. I saw some interesting things on the way here anyway.”
She quickly finished her coffee and got up.
“Let’s go! The later we go to these events, the more we miss out!”
“Got it.”
Seeing her so excited, like a child, I couldn’t say no.
“Yeah, I’m on leave after all.”
Let’s enjoy it.
To the fullest.
