“…..”
My hours of farming and combat were completely erased in the end.
-What about insurance..?
“Insurance..?”
-You wouldn’t have gotten it anyway, so why bring up insurance?
-No, no, they might’ve left quickly without taking anything.
A moment later, I belatedly learned about the insurance feature that Gunkoo hadn’t told me about.
I sighed deeply in regret and leaned back in my chair.
As I reclined halfway in my chair, the only things left visible on the stream were the lone mouse and the creaking sound of the chair.
“Haah….”
The strength drained from my body a little.
I wondered why no one had told me about the insurance, a crucial feature that allows you to retrieve your items if the enemy doesn’t loot them, even after you die.
But I thought it was better to learn late than never and turned off the game.
“It’s been a while.”
The chair let out a loud creak before going silent.
The camera filled with the pale white skin of someone approaching, and soon the blurry screen became clear.
-Wowwww Noonaaaaa, you’re backkkk!!!
-Is this staged? Is this staged? Is this staged? Is this staged? Is this staged?
-I come to Twitch every day just to see this lol
-For real lol
“Uh… so… I changed my hairstyle a bit. Does it look okay..?”
The slightly curled ends of my hair had a gentle wave, though nothing much had changed overall.
The manager told me it was a subtle wave.
Even as the viewers showered me with attention and compliments, I started the peaceful stream wondering if they really liked it.
“…..Ugh… Ughhh….”
The morning after restarting my stream, I woke up and naturally raised my upper body.
There was a lot to do in the morning.
“Ugh, so cold!”
I had forgotten to turn on the boiler, so I quickly switched it on.
Not long after, warm water started flowing, and I cleaned myself thoroughly.
I looked down at my damp hair that was hanging down.
“…..Now I think I feel okay… Or maybe my mind has just given up.”
As my gaze followed the strands of hair, I looked at the white skin of a woman’s body and felt nothing anymore.
It wasn’t adaptation—it was closer to resignation.
I thought that if I was going to reach this point, I should have just given up earlier to save the time spent cleaning.
But it was already in the past.
The next task after washing up was cooking.
The soft, freshly washed cat pajamas were amusing, reminding me of the fluffiness of my dried hair.
Twisting the ends of my hair out of habit made boredom an unfamiliar concept.
Humming a tune like an old village grandmother, I began preparing a breakfast far larger than usual.
As always, I fed my sister and Eun-ah unnie before stuffing packed lunch boxes into my bag and heading out.
Since I expected to be out all day, I ensured my wallet had cash, and my phone battery was fully charged.
As it was the early summer transitioning into summer, I wore a simple white t-shirt with comfortable black pants.
For the chilly morning air, I added a light jacket to complete my outfit.
Weaving through alleys, my bulky bag blocked my shortcut once, and a passing cat didn’t even acknowledge me.
But without any major issues, I arrived at the main road where the bus stop was.
“Wow… They’ve almost completely renovated it.”
I paused to take a look at the cafe, which had undergone renovations while retaining its original structure and location.
Then, I boarded the approaching bus.
It was morning, so there weren’t many passengers, but everyone had tired faces.
“Are they also… feeling like this right now?”
Leaning my head against the window, I thought about my friends who went to a place I couldn’t join.
After transferring buses a few times and traveling for about two hours, I found myself standing in front of the place I’d arrived at.
“…..I think it was a good call not to come here earlier…”
Shaking my head, I swallowed hard and approached the guard post at the military unit.
“What… What’s your business here?”
“I applied for a visit recently.”
“May I have your name, please?”
“Lee Su-yeon.”
The soldier at the gate directed me to the guard post.
The interior, though simple, was immaculately arranged, possibly for the eyes of visitors or due to the soldiers’ diligence.
I stiffly spoke as I observed my surroundings.
Upon hearing my name, the soldier let out an “Ah~” and asked me to wait while he typed on a small computer.
After confirming my identity and inspecting my bag, I was granted entry into the base.
I couldn’t help but wonder if I would’ve been doing this myself had circumstances been different.
Shortly after, I was led to what appeared to be a waiting room.
The soldier saluted a superior, exchanged a few words, and returned to his post.
“Nice to meet you. Privates Lee Su-yeon and Kim Min-ho will be here shortly.
Please wait in the visitation room. Visits are limited to three hours.”
“Ah, yes! Thank you!”
Hurriedly, I entered the visitation room, feeling a mix of comfort and unease.
Inside the room, I noticed a clock showing it was past 10 a.m.
Despite having checked the bus schedules and left early, the inevitable gaps between buses had caused a slight delay.
“Three hours… until 1 o’clock.”
While waiting for my friends to arrive, I looked around the room.
There were already quite a few people.
Some, like me, were waiting for someone.
Others, likely couples, held hands and chatted affectionately.
Several groups of friends laughed heartily as they joked around.
Relieved to set my heavy bag on the table, I sat down in a chair and finally felt a sense of lightness.
For about five minutes, I tapped my fingers on the desk and waited quietly, until Soo-young suddenly appeared through the door I had entered, followed by Min-ho.
“Welcome, you legal draft dodger!”
“Long time no see.”
“Long time no see, you bastards!”
As soon as I saw their familiar faces, I ran out and hugged one with each arm.
Without hesitation, my friends carried me, who was lifted off the ground because of the height difference, back to the table.
“Is life tolerable there…?”
“Of course. This place is great. They give us food, clothes, a place to sleep, and they even keep us alive.”
“….This place is hell…”
“…Are you okay…?”
Both of them looked pretty worn out.
Soo-young, who had been exercising regularly, seemed to be managing, but Min-ho, who only gamed and developed games, looked half-dead.
Judging by their condition, it didn’t seem like they were victims of violence or bullying, but rather just exhausted from hard labor.
In response to my question, Soo-young and Min-ho shook their heads firmly.
“I’m about to die, but luckily, we’re in the same living quarters. But yesterday during drill practice, he called out the last number, and it was a total disaster.”
“That… I’m really sorry about that. But aside from that, I didn’t act like a troublemaker.”
“Plus, I showed your picture, and judging by the reaction, it seems like you could’ve gotten away with being a troublemaker too.”
“What nonsense…”
Listening to their conversation really made me feel like they had become soldiers.
Their sharply pressed uniforms and neatly maintained military boots gave off a distinct vibe.
The special forces uniform I wore for cosplay once had a similar feel, but seeing it in reality was entirely different.
“So, what’s in this bag, hmm~? Could it be our dear Su-yeon’s food??”
Soo-young changed his tone to something odd as he dragged the bag toward himself.
His voice was full of excitement, and Min-ho’s eyes were also brimming with anticipation.
“The stuff for the unit members is at the bottom, so eat whatever you want. I’ve been preparing this since morning, so it shouldn’t be lacking.”
The two quickly opened the bag and began unpacking the lunch boxes.
“You’re… an angel…”
“Tastes good?”
“So damn good.”
“It’s delicious.”
“…I definitely prepared food for five, but… it’s all gone.”
“Next time you visit, prepare more. I’ll take chicken, by the way.”
“Oh, me too.”
“………”
I felt a small spark of irritation rise, but it was hard to get mad at my friends, who appreciated my efforts and left nothing uneaten.
I chuckled helplessly and shook my head at their requests for the next menu.
“Aren’t you eating?”
Soo-young, who was scraping the bottom of the lunchbox with his chopsticks, asked.
“I’m not particularly hungry, and watching you guys eat makes me feel like I can’t even have a bite. Was the food bad?”
“No? I’m just not seasoned enough to handle two servings yet.”
“I just like it so much. Did you change your hairstyle?”
Min-ho, chewing on his chopsticks, pointed at me with them as he asked, and I nodded lightly.
“Not good?”
“Eh… I don’t know. I haven’t seen girls in ages, so I can’t compare. Hook me up with someone.”
“Min-young?”
“…You wanna die?”
We spent the remaining time chatting away, and when the time was almost up, we said goodbye, promising to meet again, and left the visitation room to return to the front of the base.
“Hmm… I’m feeling a little hungry… Should I grab something to share with Min-young on my way back…”
While checking the bus schedule and thinking about what to buy, I heard a familiar ringtone.
“….Hello?”