Chapter 28
Gas, Gas, Gas! (1)
The moment I saw the name Ryu Ji-yeon, my eyes shook abruptly.
An internet letter that even family wouldn’t send…
I never imagined I’d receive one from my first love, the girl I had a crush on.
But more than that,
“Before going back in time, this never happened.”
As far as I remembered, during my military service, I had never received an internet letter even once. I had received real letters a few times from family, but never from a female friend. So the surprise outweighed the joy.
Instructor Joo Yong-hyuk noticed my reaction and gave a meaningful smile.
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“Ah… no.”
“Not your girlfriend? From the name, she seems like a girl, though.”
She was a girl, yes. But not someone I could call my girlfriend.
Explaining all this to Joo Yong-hyuk seemed a bit awkward, so I just brushed it off and returned to my seat.
Seohwan nudged me with his elbow.
“So, what’s this? Popular guy, huh? Getting letters from girls even in the army.”
“Not like that.”
I recalled calling Ryu Ji-yeon a few days ago. I never imagined that call would result in an internet letter.
The letter wasn’t long.
It basically said something like, It’s been a while. I was surprised to hear from you, but I’m glad I could hear your voice.
Even so, the last line caught my attention.
[If you have time later, contact me again.]
At first, I worried that Ji-yeon might feel uncomfortable with my sudden call.
“Good, that’s a relief.”
It didn’t seem like that. She had also said she’d give me another phone reward soon.
“I should contact Ji-yeon again.”
I never imagined a single letter could make me feel so happy.
Honestly, before the time rewind, I never understood why seniors, juniors, and peers got so excited receiving letters. Now that I experienced it myself, I could finally empathize.
The military is fascinating in that way. One letter can bring so much joy.
But not everything in the military is good. Bad things actually happen more often.
Evidence of that came immediately.
“Attention everyone! Attention!”
“Attention!”
“You all know the CBRN training is in two days, right? Tomorrow we’ll prepare the gas masks, so get ready.”
Hearing “CBRN training,” all happiness vanished instantly, like snow melting.
CBRN training was the shortest yet most excruciating training I had ever experienced in the military.
It seriously made me question, Can such a cruel training even exist?
And now I had to experience it again.
Last night, following Instructor Joo Yong-hyuk’s instructions, we began preparing our gas masks for cleaning.
“…”
I carefully examined the gas mask issued to me. It looked fine, so I connected the filter and put it on. I covered the filter with my palm and inhaled.
“Okay, good.”
“Huh? What’s good?”
Seohwan had been watching me closely and tilted his head, clearly confused.
“I was checking if the gas mask has any problems.”
“You can check it?”
“Yes. If you cover the filter and try to breathe, no airflow means it’s fine. But if air comes in, either the filter isn’t attached properly, or the mask is defective. One of the two.”
“Does that matter?”
“It does. Because…”
I remembered that day when I unknowingly entered CBRN training with a defective mask.
“If not, as soon as you enter, you’ll taste hell.”
“…?”
“You probably wouldn’t understand.”
Seohwan wouldn’t be able to grasp the warning until he experienced it firsthand. I didn’t either, at first. But when I actually entered the CBRN training area and inhaled the smoke…
Ugh. I don’t even want to recall it.
Even now, the pain lingers in my head. My nose stings, and my body seems to remember the agony too.
I wanted to avoid CBRN training as much as possible. But having re-enlisted, there was no way around it.
“If you don’t have serious bronchial or skin issues, they’ll make you do it.”
That’s just the military.
At times like this, I slightly resent myself for being too healthy—though that’s ridiculous.
Before the CBRN training, we practiced as if a biochemical bomb had dropped.
“From now on, I’ll explain MOPP step by step.”
Below Instructor Park Gil-young lay not only gas masks but also protective suits.
“MOPP stands for Mission Oriented Protective Posture. It’s a system to protect the unit and yourself from damage caused by enemy chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. MOPP has four levels…”
Hearing these military terms from Park Gil-young again, I felt nostalgic.
The problem was…
I’m sleepy.
It wasn’t interesting, and my body was tired, making his lecture feel like a lullaby. Some trainees nodded off like sick chickens.
Then Park Gil-young barked,
“Those dozing, stand up immediately!”
“….”
The trainees pretended not to hear.
His voice rose a notch.
“It’s better to stand up before I name you. If I call you and you stand late, I’ll immediately send you to the disciplinary unit.”
“Trainee 192, Park Tae-seop!”
“Trainee 203, Choi Gil-yong!”
“Trainee 39, Jo Sung-jin!”
As soon as he called the names, the trainees raised their hands and stood. Seohwan also stood voluntarily.
I was sleepy too, but didn’t show it, staying seated.
And I knew better than anyone that Park Gil-young’s threat was mostly bluff.
No way he could check over a hundred trainees individually.
As expected, he didn’t notice me dozing and moved on.
That’s why in the military, if they don’t catch you, it’s fine.
He warned the dozing trainees once more that if they slept during training, they’d get demerits, then made them sit again.
Next, Park Gil-young demonstrated the proper way to wear gas masks and protective suits according to MOPP levels.
Gloves, suit covers, and boots didn’t need to be timed, so they just needed to be worn slowly and accurately.
But the real challenge was the Alpha step.
“Put on the gas mask within 9 seconds. Watch closely and follow the skilled instructor’s demonstration. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Instructor, to position!”
Instructor Joo Yong-hyuk stood in front of us with a gas mask bag, shouting, “To position!”
Park Gil-young put a whistle to his mouth.
Peeek!
Upon hearing the whistle, Joo Yong-hyuk shouted,
“Gas!”
Thud-thud!
He ripped open the gas mask bag, pulled out the mask, and placed it firmly on his face, adjusting the straps precisely on the back of his head.
Well done.
His movements were flawless—a perfect demonstration of a skilled instructor.
After checking for leaks in the filter, he spread his arms horizontally, bent them inward three times, and shouted,
“Gas, gas, gas!”
“These are the movements you must complete within 9 seconds.”
The trainees applauded. Joo Yong-hyuk waved like a celebrity at an award show, making Park Gil-young glare. He quickly lowered his hands and resumed mask adjustments.
Meanwhile, Park Gil-young continued his explanation.
“When putting on the mask, don’t drop any items from the bag, like weapons or glasses. The floor is treated as contaminated for training purposes. Anything touching the skin must never fall.”
Immediate failure if dropped. He emphasized this.
“This afternoon, we’ll repeat mask-wearing practice. Tomorrow, we’ll simulate an actual CBRN scenario, so focus. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Before starting, I adjusted the mask and filter inside the bag. The cold metal and rubber sensation brought back memories.
Life is tough.
No, military life itself is tough.
For first-timers, wearing a mask within 9 seconds feels nearly impossible due to unfamiliarity.
But after two years of handling masks, it was just slightly unfamiliar at first—I could now manage it like a pro.
The effect showed immediately in the mask test.
Peeek!
At the whistle, we shouted, “Gas!” and started wearing the masks.
As soon as bags opened, thud, plop! sounds echoed as items fell.
Park Gil-young immediately shouted,
“Who told you to drop items!?”
“Sorry, sir!”
Amid panicking trainees, I alone put on my mask calmly, tightening the straps to fit my face. I checked the filter and shouted the final command.
“Gas, gas, gas!”
7.21 seconds.
Park Gil-young squinted. He even checked personally, but everything was perfect.
“Trainee 45, well done.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Piece of cake.
