Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
38. Youth training camp (3)
[That… Did Daeseok packed his pillow? He can’t sleep if pillow changes, so…]
“Yep! When I went to boys tent to play, Daeseok’s baggage was the biggest because of the pillow.”
Kwon Lena, who hugged her knees and sat on the bed, smiled as she thought about today’s events.
Min Geurin, who was listening to Kwon Lena’s story through the call, also smiled while hearing that story.
“… So Jiho kept laughing like usual, but Daeseok was extremely excited, so he had a lot of fun.”
[Daeseok?]
Min Geurin, on the other side of the screen, made surprised face.
Looking at that face, Kwon Lena opened an additional hologram to sent her pictures.
“I’ll send you Daeseok’s pictures and videos! From the rope slide-down and when during the recreation he was alone clapping to the wrong beat!”
“Please send them!”
After talking about the schedule tomorrow, the call ended.
While thinking that she should take a lot of videos and pictures of Song Daeseok tomorrow to sent them to Min Guerin, Kwon Lena suddenly fell into depressed mood.
‘It would be better if Han Yi and Geurin could also come.’
Han Yi was busy volunteering at the children’s home.
She said that ‘I’m busy, but I’m happy because I can spend time talking with teacher Gong Cheonghwon’, but she couldn’t help but feel regretful that they couldn’t come to the training camp together.
‘I want to go on the trip with Han Yi and Geurin… Should I consult with Uisin? If it’s Uisin, he probably will think of a good way…’
When she contemplated if she should consult the class vice president, who thought of good moves while smiling suspiciously, about something.
Kim Yuri come out from the room’s shower.
“Done with washing?”
“Yep. Are you not sleeping because you were waiting for me? Sorry.”
“No! Just a moment ago, I was talking with Han Yi and Geurin.”
Kim Yuri, whose hair wasn’t wet at all, as if she meticulously dried her whole body, lay down after wishing her good night.
She, who didn’t cover herself with blanket and buried her face into the pillow, was wearing a long sleeve clothes.
‘It doesn’t seem to be because of the cold…’
Even though it was hot, Kim Yuri insisted on wearing long-sleeve clothes.
It seemed there was some kind of reason for it, but if Kim Yuri didn’t like talking about, she didn’t want to forcibly dig into it.
Kwon Lena, who stopped thinking about it, wrapped herself in a cardigan and turned the temperature of the air conditioner in the room to a bit lower, and then fell asleep.
***
The second day’s morning started with the sound of morning bugle and the song which was popular this season in the background.
After succeeding with getting everyone up, with Song Daeseok, who brought his exclusive pillow and overslept, being the last, we all moved together to eat breakfast.
Morning menu were cans of baked beans, boiled chicken eggs, not even heated loafs of bread, cabbage sprayed with mayonnaise and carton milk.
Because of this morning meal without sincerity or taste, Hwang Jiho’s mood fell to the bottom, but other children ate while chatting with tranquil faces, as if they just gave up.
“Yesterday I wanted to stay up a bit late while chatting and then go to sleep! But I fell asleep without knowing.”
“Even if you stayed up until late, you would be only tired, right?”
“Right, what that fucker said.”
“That’s also true. I came so far, so that’s a pity.” [1]
Though I was reluctant about Sawol Seeum’s words, who suggested watching movie together today, Song Daeseok and Maeng Hyodon enthusiastically started to select movies to watch today.
Because their opinions whatever it should be an action movie or thriller, finally an indulgent opinion come out that we will watch both.
“Hey, but if we stay awake late at night, won’t drill instructors go crazy?”
“That point won’t be a problem! Yesterday when I had a call with class 0 seniors-nim because there were a lot of stories, senior Geun Chansol-nim and senior Wang Chansol-nim sent me ‘Training camp life-hacks ultimate guide’ file. Do you want me to send you one?”
What did you say?!
Sawol Seeum was caught in the fangs of the class 0’s senior bastards?
Since when the hell he was keeping in contact with those bastards?
“What kind of hacks?”
“Training camps instructors-nim check whatever students are sleeping or not through the window, but at night, if you make shadows with superpower wave…”
Behind Sawol Seeum, who opened the hologram and spoke brightly, glimmered the silhouettes of the GeunChan&WangChan duo, but I decided to ignore it.
‘Well… There is no way that kind Sawol Seeum will turn out like class 0’s senior bastards, right? He is like this because he has a simple mindset of wanting to play with classmates during the training camp, you know?’
Immediately after eating breakfast, we followed a mountain trail on a walk into the wood, and then the activities for each class started.
Among available choices: pottery crafts, Korean paper crafts, flower crafts, taekwondo, cooking, mask dance and etc, our class choose samulnori[2].
“Hahahaha!”
“That fucker is overflowing with energy, even though he didn’t eat.”
Hwang Jiho, who swung the maegu mallet[3] and hit the brass with the finesse of the possessed, was truly like a lunatic.
“Hahahaha! Second[4], the sound is too quiet!”
Because Hwang Jiho was the first player, and I was the second player in this, it was a hell to match his rhythm.
While internally cursing him by calling him a fucking ruined bastard, I succeeded with matching the first player’s tempo with difficulty.
However, the performance was a dog-shit mess just like before.
Kim Yuri and Kwon Lena, who held janggu kept a nice tune, but Maeng Hyodon, who after keeping losing the rhythm got impenitent, hit the samulbok[5] with all his might, and it ended up leading to an incident as he tore its skin.
Besides that, in the middle, Song Daeseok said he wants to play janggu and switched positions with Kwon Lena, and then crushed gonggeulchae and yeolchae[6], and so on. The incidents didn’t stop, and the performance was a mess until the end, but it was fun.
Night, when each class finished their activities.
After finishing recreation, which was scoring each class, and even today was seriously no fun.
“Hey, can I go see your tent?”
“Can I also go?”
On the way back after fishing roll-call report, Yu Sang-hun and Ju Su-hyeok suddenly spoke up.
As I was thinking about a good excuse to make the two of them stay with me, I happily agreed.
“It’s bigger than I thought.”
“I only saw it in the picture materials. So this is the real thing, huh?”
When they examined the tent on the outside, and entered inside.
The class children opened a hologram on the wall of the tent and were preparing to play a movie.
Ju Su-hyeok, who saw the movie title, asked:
“Can I watch with you? I wasn’t able to watch it yet.”
“Sure.”
“Ah, please sit here!” [7]
“I already saw it five times.”
Even though he spoke like this, Yu Sang-hun sat down.
As the 1st year class 0 children and those two ate together bread brought by Bang Yunseop a few times, they established certain degree of friendship, so the class children offered them seats and shared snacks without any trouble.
Opportunely, the movie children choose was an action movie, which the main role was played by the Korean Wave star Player, who played basketball well, and Yu Sang-hun poured praises for the previous time.
The movie of comparatively short runtime was quickly approaching its end.
“Ah, you shouldn’t do that!”
“If someone say something like this to the person they like, isn’t it a foreshadowing that that person will die in the climax? Ah…” [8]
“That fucker will die.”
When the children, who didn’t know the ending, poured sighs, Ju Su-hyeok, who was immersed in the movie, mumbled.
“The person they like…”
At that word, gazes poured at Ju Su-hyeok.
“I guess he is thinking about Dain…. Main character actress’ hairstyle looks similar to Dain, correct?!”
At Sawol Seeum’s words, Ju Su-hyeok was visibly embarrassed.
“Uh! How… How did you know that?!”
“We’re talking about the 1st year class 1 president An Dain. Is there a fucker among 1st years who don’t know?”
“The two of you still aren’t dating?”
“Hahahaha! Everyone probably know if we exclude An Dain, the person concerned.”
After not only Sawol Seeum, who was sensitive to rumors, but also Maeng Hyodon and Yu Sang-hun, and even Hwang Jiho helped with a word, Ju Su-hyeok keep opening and closing his mouth with red face, as if he received big shock.
“Who is An Dain?”
Nevertheless, when Song Daeseok reacted like this, but Ju Su-hyeok couldn’t even make an excuse, as if the shock was truly big.
Suddenly, the streaming was cut off.
“Server failure? What, we were so close to the end!”
“I signed up for the most expensive streaming option, but it was cut off… strange.”
Sawol Seeum tried to refresh the page a few times, but the noting opened on the screen.
“It seems I can’t connect with the web… I tried to make 1 on 1 inquiry, but I can’t send a message!”
“Isn’t that because we’re on the island?”
“… The real-time satellite otherworld information also isn’t coming through?”
It was possible that it was a simple internet failure, but at the words that the satellite information isn’t coming through, agitation spread around.
In particular, Yu Sang-hun’s face suddenly harden.
“I experienced that once before… During Eungwang School practice exam.”
“Are you perhaps from that group 13?”
“Yeah.”
The face of Song Daeseok, who knew a lot about satellites, turned stiff.
At the time when we were under the Ung’s surprise attack.
The gym, where the practice exam for the group 13 was held, was completely cut off from the outside.
And during that time, Association’s Satellite couldn’t detect abnormalities.
‘It started, huh…?’
I looked at Ju Su-hyeok.
Ju Su-hyeok’s eyes were filled with superpower wave.
He would be activating an insight and detection type skill he possessed, ‘Clairvoyance’.
“… Three kinds of oftherworlds appeared in two places. On Seongmo Island northern side, one at Gijang Island, and two at Sangju Mountain! They are SR++ rarity rank. No, it’s higher. It seems that quite some time passed since they occurred. I can see Enemies in the otherworlds’ cracks!”
“Higher than SR? But there was no warning phenomena…!” [9]
“Wouldn’t it be difficult to notice, if you don’t know, that the communication was cut off?! Don’t we have to inform everyone quickly? Wait, even our current lodgings are extremely spread apart, and residential houses are the same. Teachers-nim, other kids and residents on this island!”
Even while panicking, Song Daeseok judged the current situation and then made a terrified face.
I looked at Ju Su-hyeok and Yu Sang-hun, as I spoke.
“Male students lodgings are the closest to here. You go bring boys and conquer the otherworlds. Each class had a team-play training, right?”
“Got it. Sang-hun, I’ll give you coordinates of the otherworlds. Open the map!”
“Okay.”
When Ju Su-hyeok and Yu Sang-hun each shared a map while looking at it and choose the coordinates they will move to, Maeng Hyodon shouted.
“Vice president! Let us also go!”
“Can’t. Things to do. We’ll call out treacher-nim, wake up girls, and make residents take shelter. Let’s cooperate with conquering the otherworld after finishing it.”
“It’s possible additional otherworld will occur. Be careful.”
I spread the map I downloaded to use in the offline mode, and spoke while pointing the location of each lodging marked on the picture.
“Hwang Jiho, you go to the training camp instructors’ lodging. And…”
Maeng Hyodon to the teachers, Kim Yuri and Kwon Lena’s lodging.
Song Daeseok to the 1st year 1 and 2 class female students lodging.
“Lastly, Sawol Seeum and I will guide residents’ evacuation.”
“… Do you know that Seongmo Island have more than two thousands residents? Are you saying it will just two of you for all of it?”
“I-I have a flight skill, so if- if we divide it well…”
Even though he had no confidence, Sawol Seeum clenched his fists and spoke like this.
He probably knew we couldn’t split manpower even more.
“Let’s go quickly. You memorized the map, right? The top priority is to guide ordinary people to shelters and spread Players between otherworld conquest and defense teams.”
I passed down the words, I simulated before, in calm and orderly fashion a few times.
I double-checked the item cards, and spoke to children, who had anxious expressions.
“Everyone, be careful.”
***
Island guard, Kim-ssi[10].
He was a sole Player stationed on the Seongmo Island.
As he retired a bit early into his 40’s, he accepted Association’s suggestion to move to the island and lived a peaceful life on the Seongmo Island.
On an occasion he dealt with Enemies of low rarity, who floated up to here, but the last time this secluded island saw an Enemy was two years ago.
‘I also was this before…’
Kim-ssi had a pleased face when he recalled highschool students visiting the training camp.
Even though he was only observing those kids being so energetic, his mood improved.
Kim-ssi held a cheap bear and entered the lighthouse he was residing in.
In the space full of old-type radars and boards, there was one strange thing today.
[Extreme caution]
[Please do not open before instructed.]
An enormous box plastered with strange writings.
It was the size which could contain several people.
‘Is it a surprise gift prepared for Eungwang School students? But then why the recipient wasn’t someone from Eungwang School?’
In the first place, Eungwang School was famous for preparing special events every year.
If so, they may have faked the address and sent it here, so those clever students couldn’t notice.
‘Well, let’s watch TV.’
Today, on the Player specializing channel, an entertainer of top popularity, ‘Double-side Mirror Choe Jina’ would be appearing in the ‘Player’s Eyes’.
Kim-ssi who was about to open hologram connected to the TV on the side of the instrument board screen, unknowingly suddenly halted.
Old model radar was dyed bright red.
It was an ominous warning he had only seen a couple of times during his service, dozens of years before.
‘Enemy? For so many to occur, what…?!’
Is that junk broke down at last?
Even while he thought so, he tried to connect with the Player Association’s channel to report it, but…
No response.
The device messages didn’t work, and even a cable call didn’t connect.
“No, what is happening?!”
Kim-ssi held an item card and was about to run outside the lighthouse, but…
Tatata!
When he heard a weird sound and looked back.
In the Kim-ssi’s eyes, the unidentified boxes were trembling and breaking.
***
Song Daeseok who was running to get to the designated location, 1st year class 2 female students lodgings, with all his might.
The darkness was parting, and the hands of his, who was running, were shaking more and more.
It was unknown how others were, and if he can do his part by himself, but he had to run.
‘That kid, the 1st year class 1 president, called An Dain, dealt with it with a cold head, so that’s lucky.’
After knocking on the door of the 1st class 1 female students’ lodgings, An Dain come out to hear Song Daeseok out and immediately moved.
Her appearance as she calmly distributed item cards and headed out, leading the class children to conquer the otherworld, left a deep impression on him.
The problem was class 2.
‘Fuck, why lodgings are so far apart!?’
The 1st year class 2 female students lodging were most distant.
Song Daeseok was someone who undergo training with fast on her feet Min Geurin.
It wasn’t as much as Min Geurin, but he himself was a runner, and yet his legs felt strangely heavy and the distance to the class 2 lodgings’ felt longer and longer.
‘I don’t have good feeling. That, that’s exactly the same as at that time!’
The day he couldn’t see Min Geurin.
The children, who usually acted friendly towards Song Daeseok, talked without stopping and diverted his attention, trying to turn his eyes away.
But, a kid who transferred not so long ago and didn’t know the school situation very well, told him that Min Geurin went to abandon warehouse with the other kids to play.
‘That day I also had such feeling…!’
Not to mention Min Geurin, Song Daeseok’s goal were children he didn’t know names of and never greeted. But his mind was heavy with the thought if something didn’t go wrong.
Finally, his destination came into the view.
Song Daeseok, who run without stopping all the way to the door, bagged the lodgings’ door with all his might, while shouting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Wake up! An otherworld came! An otherworld without warning phenomena!”
But there was no response beyond the door.
Did they already evacuate or started the conquest?
He thought like this for a moment, but he made a cold judgment: it wasn’t that.
‘We were lucky to respond straight away the moment communication was cut off. The otherworld formed on the north side. And female student lodgings are located further south than male ones. Supposing those guys moved straight away, we would run into each other.’
As there were a lot of activities today, they may be soundly asleep, because of the fatigue.
However, it was strange that no one among more than twenty Players sensed Song Daeseok’s presence.
Song Daeseok grabbed the door-handle, while shouting loudly.
“Hey! I’m coming in! I’ll come in!”
Kiiii—!
Old hinges let out iron scratching noise.
In front of the wide open door.
After he illuminated the surrounding with the device’s light function, he saw children laying everywhere.
‘Are they sleeping?’
There didn’t seem to be any traces of surprise attack or external injures.
Relieved, Song Daeseok grabbed the shoulder of the kid, who was the closest to the door and shook her.
“Wake up! Hey! You have to quickly cooperated with other kids to conquer otherworld…”
Paat!
At that moment, he had a sensation as if electricity passed through his hand.
It was an effect of forced activation of the kind of insight type skill, which Song Daeseok possessed, ‘Read data’.
‘This skill has never activated on its own before…?’
As the ‘Read data’ skill level was still low, the in-depth analysis was only possible for his status.
He couldn’t see Enemies or other Player’s status windows at all, or only in extremely small fraction.
Even though he was doubtful, Song Daeseok checked his own status window.
After his statistics fell into his eyes, a chill went down his spine.
His physical and mental strength was decreasing little by little.
‘It’s a poison or a curse! We are under an attack!’
In the air so heavy he was gasping for breath.
Twenty students already couldn’t move.
And an unidentifiable something, which encroached on the students, was steadily tightening around Song Daeseok’s windpipe.
*~*~*
[1] “That’s also true. I came so far, so that’s a pity.” — This one, and the first one, Sawol Seeum’s sentences.
[2] samulnori — type of modern traditional Korean music played on four percussion instruments. The instruments sound is apparently often compared to the sounds of the rainstorm. With kkwaenggwari being a thunder, jing being the wind, janggu being rain and buk clouds (? Don’t ask. I’m not quite sure if I understand that, either).
[3] maegu — popularly known as kkwaenggwari (꽹과리), maegu is a name of it in a regional dialect of Jeollanam and Gyeongsang Province. It’s a type of small gong. In samulnori music it’s the leading instrument, which directs the flow.
[4] second — ‘부쇠 (bu-swi)’ is a second kkwaenggwari (or maegu here) player, who follows after the first leading player (상쇠 sang-swi).
[5] samulbuk — popularly known as buk (북).
[6] gunggeulchae and yeolchae — two beating sticks of janggu. Gunggeulchae (popularly known as gungchae) is a mallet shaped stick with round head, and yeolchae is a simple stick with flat head.
[7] “Ah, please sit here!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[8] “If the people who like each other say something like this, isn’t it a foreshadowing that that person will die in the climax? Ah…” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[9] “Higher than SR? But there was no warning phenomena…!” — Sawol Seeum’s sentence.
[10] Kim-ssi — Kim is a surname and ‘ssi’ is an honorific.
Translator’s note: A surrealistic interference, huh?
(… Oh, fuck, this is Friday chapter isn’t it? Hahaha.)
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply