Black Swan Chapter 10

Lee Hwanmae, who buttoned his uniform all the way to the top, gave his younger brother a light flick of his hand. Yoo Nanoh stood up promptly. The two brothers walked outside side by side.

∞ ∞ ∞

The briefing room was quiet like a deserted island. As Lee Hwanmae and Yoo Nanoh stepped into the briefing room, their closest aides stood up from their seats and bowed silently. They were Colonels Seo Jukgyeong and Park Gukyoung, and Majors Cho Younghyun and Joo Miyoung.

Lee Hwanmae sat in front of the round table. In front of the seat he occupied every time, an ashtray and a box of matches were always placed. Lee Hwanmae silently pulled matchsticks out of the matchbox one by one and laid them out neatly, letting time slip by.

A tense silence passed. The gazes of the closest aides staring at Lee Hwanmae were rigid. As it had already been a week since a million-man army set up camp in front of the border line, all of the closest aides were in an extremely sensitive state.

“Listen carefully from now on.”

Finally, Lee Hwanmae raised his head.

“The day of invasion is the day after tomorrow. The great God gave me a revelation that at nine o’clock in the morning, Mukso will cross the border line and advance into our land.”

A heavy silence settled over the room. Seo Jukgyeong, Park Gukyoung, Cho Younghyun, and Joo Miyoung all remained helplessly silent, unable to even twitch a fingertip. At that sight, Yoo Nanoh clicked his tongue on the inside. Those who had turned into snowmen all at once right now were key figures famous as tough bastards even within the Mae-Ran-Guk-Juk Division. If their subordinates saw their faces right now, they would doubt their own eyes. However, if Lee Hwanmae had not tipped him off in advance, Yoo Nanoh himself would have had a face as pale as theirs by now. Yoo Nanoh trembled once again at Lee Hwanmae’s twisted personality.

Do you really have to stick to secrecy until a time like this to satisfy yourself? At any rate, talk about bad taste, you sadist bastard.

Lee Hwanmae pulled out a single cigarette. Yoo Nanoh struck a match and lit Lee Hwanmae’s cigarette. Puffing on the cigarette, Lee Hwanmae picked up the matchsticks scattered on the table one by one.

“I pass along the revelation given by the great God. The enemy’s formation this time turned out to be the Wild-Goose Formation❨雁陣❩3❩. A long-snake formation is suitable for a vast army to advance simultaneously, but Mukso chose the wild-goose formation. It’s practically a declaration that he will never let his guard down in this war.”

The matchsticks formed an intricate battle formation. Having finished speaking, Lee Hwanmae pointed to one spot in the formation with his fingertip.

“Currently, the enemy’s camp configuration is also a wild-goose formation. At eleven o’clock tonight, we launch a surprise attack right here, on the 24th Battalion of the 2nd Line. Since it’s an important operation, I will participate as well.”

“Pardon?”

Cho Younghyun was startled. Not only Seo Jukgyeong, Park Gukyoung, and Joo Miyoung, but even Yoo Nanoh’s complexion changed. Lee Hwanmae was the utmost core figure among the leadership of the allied forces. That was why his aides thoroughly protected his safety, and even managed his food intake and waste disposal at almost a surveillance level. Naturally, there had never been a single instance where Lee Hwanmae personally stepped out onto an attack operation.

“You cannot!”

Major Cho Younghyun protested.

“Please trust us and leave it to us. We will execute it perfectly.”

“Ah, I don’t mean that I don’t trust you guys. It’s just that there’s a prey I must capture this time, and I’m the only person who knows his face.”

Lee Hwanmae stubbed out his cigarette and chuckled.

“Then let us draft a montage.”

Park Gukyoung stepped forward. Lee Hwanmae waved his hand saying, “Forget it.”

“Even if we leave right now, it takes two hours to the hunting ground. There’s no time to leisurely draft a montage. Don’t worry, the great God asserted that the surprise attack operation will succeed without a hitch.”

At the word ‘asserted,’ the closest aides shut their mouths. Lee Hwanmae leaned back comfortably in his chair.

“Go out and prepare for the surprise attack. We have to finish the raid within 20 minutes and leave, so gather only top-grade fighting dogs. Ah, Division Commander Yoo remains here. I have something separately important to order you.”

The closest aides left the briefing room. Yoo Nanoh stared at Lee Hwanmae with stiff eyes. Right in the face of the Mae-Ran-Guk-Juk Division Commander, who was tightly nervous while waiting for the ‘separately important thing to order,’ Lee Hwanmae blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.

“You go prepare and bring food.”

Yoo Nanoh was rendered speechless.

Lee Hwanmae spoke in a cheerful voice:

“It’s actual combat after a long time, so I should fill my belly too. Bring it as a sandwich. You just need to stack it in the order of bread, egg, cheese, bacon, salad, bread. It’s much easier than wild boar barbecue, right? Bring it within 20 minutes. Ah, don’t forget the coffee.”

May athlete’s foot grow on your asshole! You bastard who would strip a beggar’s tin can bare! Curses surged up to Yoo Nanoh’s throat, but there was no helping it. This place was the military, and that half-brother, who wouldn’t be satisfied even if struck dead by lightning as many times as his age, was a superior high as the sky. Yoo Nanoh engraved a resolution once again that he had engraved uncountably many times for seven years. Once I get discharged. Once I get discharged…!

“Patriotism!”

Yoo Nanoh gave a salute and left the briefing room.

Silence.

In the empty room, Lee Hwanmae smoked one more cigarette, then pulled out a worn baby doll from the table drawer and hugged it in his arms. The briefing room door burst open.

“Patriotism! Private First Class, Ryu Hopi!”

Ryu Hopi shouted as he gave a salute. In contrast to his spirited voice and disciplined movements, dark circles hung heavily beneath Ryu Hopi’s eyes. Lee Hwanmae let out a chuckle and glanced sideways at the wall clock. Eight o’clock sharp.

Ryu Hopi stared blankly at Lee Hwanmae. Outwardly, it was an ice-cold face, but his pupils were subtly trembling.

“Why are you so surprised, disciple?”

Lee Hwanmae tilted his head slyly while tightly hugging the baby doll.

“Well, I suppose the sight of a full-grown thirty-two-year-old adult man hugging a doll must look unsightly. Understand me; believe it or not, this is an attachment doll that I hugged and slept with every night until second grade at Hwado. It’s also a keepsake left to me by my late biological mother. The colorful striped jacket and skirt this doll is wearing—she made them by hand for me.”

Ryu Hopi’s complexion turned visibly pale. Lee Hwanmae, who was grinning, soon closed his eyes and sang a song in a soft tone.

My baby doll is wearing a colorful striped jacket.

My baby doll is wearing a red skirt.

My baby doll sings songs too.

My baby doll speaks too.

My baby doll dances too….

When Lee Hwanmae, who finished the song, opened his eyes slowly, Ryu Hopi was dropping his head deeply like a criminal. Lee Hwanmae said with utter composure:

“Do I look so dense as to let military secrets be wiretapped by you? No matter how much my disciple wiretaps me, the only sound you can hear is baby doll nursery rhymes. So stop the wiretapping now, disciple?”

Sweat drops formed beaded on Ryu Hopi’s temples. Lee Hwanmae gave a shrug and put the baby doll into the table drawer.

“Let’s bring out your business. Question. What would be the reason I ordered my disciple the day before yesterday to come see me by eight o’clock sharp?”

“…I do not know.”

“Our disciple really lacks quick-wittedness as expected. What else could it be? I called you to entrust an important mission. Big news. The great God foresaw that Mukso will advance into this land at nine o’clock in the morning the day after tomorrow. Now, do you still believe in hope even after this, disciple? Answer me.”

“I believe.”

“Hooh, really? Truly? You mean you truly believe there is still hope?”

“I believe.”

“Truly? Even while a million-man army has set up camp right in front of our noses?”

Lee Hwanmae questioned repeatedly, tenaciously and slyly.

“Really? Truly? Even though the great God asserted that the war will break out?”

When Lee Hwanmae brought ‘asserted’ to his lips, Ryu Hopi fell silent right away as if struck with shock. His face consistently maintained its characteristic expressionlessness, but his complexion was different. As if flour had been thrown over it, his face turned pale in a single moment. Watching that sight, Lee Hwanmae was soaked in wicked satisfaction.

As expected, this guy is terribly fun to tease.

Ryu Hopi was the only fellow among the Mae-Ran-Guk-Juk members who had not given up hope. He firmly believed that someday they would definitely stop the war and safely return to daily life. However, when Lee Hwanmae skipped his meals over this past month, Ryu Hopi also seemed to grow anxious to the end, skipping his own meals frequently in tandem. Not only that, he wiretapped Lee Hwanmae at every opportunity, and even voluntarily sang the Hymn of Lee Hwa multiple times. It seemed he had made a half-witted calculation right fitting for his level, thinking that if he flattered appropriately, Lee Hwanmae would give him a subtle hint of Lee Hwa’s revelation.

Yeah. Right now too.

Praise the great God Lee Hwa….

The great God Lee Hwa boasts brilliant beauty….

The great God Lee Hwa reveals high dignity….