Pick Up the Rejected Pure Love

As the families and relatives exited the auditorium, a heavy silence settled over the room.

From one corner of the auditorium’s entrance, drill instructors wearing red caps briskly approached.

The newly enlisted soldiers, still unfamiliar with military life, hesitated, merely observing their surroundings without daring to act.

But it didn’t matter. Drill instructors could instill fear in recruits even in the midst of such stillness.

“Hey… Line up and stay still. Don’t move.”

At the deep, commanding voice of one instructor, the recruits flinched.

I stood upright, keeping my posture firm, but the recruit in front of me shifted his body ever so slightly.

“You there.”

“Y-Yes?!”