Chapter 213: Men Don’t Need Many Goodbyes
The military is a complicated existence for men.
If you've been through it even once, you'll understand the meaning of this statement.
It's something you can't just love or hate... It wasn't necessarily bad, but when you recall it, all that comes to mind are horrible memories... There were definitely some enjoyable and meaningful experiences, but as time passes, you realize they weren't as meaningful as you once thought...
If someone heard this, they'd probably say it’s unnecessarily philosophical, but I’m sure many would relate.
That’s what ambivalence is like. Just like a girlfriend wearing her rubber shoes backwards...
“You keep talking to yourself. And you’ve never even had a girlfriend, right?” “...Dogo-hyung, don’t hit me with facts like that.” “Hey! Call me platoon leader! The military isn’t outside, you brat!” “Love letters...” “...Just call me hyung.”
Dogo-hyung, grumbling and venting his dissatisfaction, was exactly how Ihan remembered him. Ihan looked at him with fascination, muttering to himself, “Ah, if it weren’t for my promotion, I would’ve hit him by now.”
“Such a realistic vibe,” Ihan thought.
It wasn’t just his face, but his tone and personality matched exactly what Ihan knew from the real Dogo-hyung.
Apparently, Dogo-hyung’s father had read a martial arts novel that left a strong impression, and he named him ‘Gupa’—perhaps due to this influence, Dogo-hyung had a sense of maturity about him.
He didn’t treat his soldiers harshly, and he knew how to look after them. Even when people like Ihan called him hyung, he just grumbled, taking it lightly.
And that’s why, despite the soldiers firmly believing that ‘officers are the enemy,’ they always designated Dogo-hyung as ‘one of us.’