We headed for the training field.
The bulldog instructor was already there, and so was the referee officer.
“We’re now going to start the military song. You have five minutes. Five minutes! Start!”
“Even if we suffocate, even if we break our bones…”
One person began to squeal the song. It was Heejin. Aside from her, no one could sing the song. How could we? We never learned it. So, how did Heejin know? Did she look it up beforehand?
“Everyone in place!”
“One, two!” the referee officer shouted.
We all scrambled into a line.
“Did any of you learn the military song?” the referee officer demanded.
“No, Sir!”
“Why not?”
‘Because you didn’t teach us, stupid,’ I answered to myself.
“No one taught it to us, Sir,” Joo-ran answered.
“Is that it? Does someone have to teach you for you to learn it?”
‘Ugh. Is this guy serious?’
Of course, I said that part to myself as well.
Anyways, none of us knew how to answer that.
Finally, the instructor shouted, “Everyone, sit!”
We all got down on one knee, except for Jae-yoon and Hyunjoo, who actually sat down. Cross-legged and looking very comfortable. The instructor glared at them.
“Squat!” he shouted.
At that, Jae-yoon and Hyunjoo immediately got into a squat position.
“Now, the field is right in front of you. Left foot is ‘learn’ and right foot is ‘the song.’ You will duckwalk until you reach the field! Go!”
“Yes, sir!”
We began our duckwalk. Oh shit, it’s uphill.
“Learn! The Song! Learn! The Song! Learn! The Song!”
We continued that way, stepping in time to our shouts. Anyways, I seriously don’t get it. They didn’t even teach us the song, and they expect us to be able to sing it? Now that’s just cruel.
Anyways, after about two minutes of that, I guess the referee officer felt bad because he told us to stop.
“Stand up.”
‘Ugh, this bastard,’ I thought to myself. I was so irritated that I stood up slowly, being the last one to get up. The referee officer, of course, caught that.
“Sian, down!”
“Yes, sir.”
I went down.
“Duckwalk! Now!”
“Yes, Sir.”
Ugh, fuck this shit. I began to duck walk to the center of the field. I’m sure the referee officer wanted me to pass out from exhaustion, or beg him to spare me, but it wasn’t that hard. I got there in the end.
“How did she…what…?” he muttered under his breath, but I could still hear every word.
***
When we reached the field, there was a man standing at attention. It’s just that, instead of a red uniform and a red hat like everyone else, he was in all black. We stood in front of him, staring.
“Whoa…he’s hot.”
I looked over at Heejin when she said that. Her eyes were sparkling with interest, and she wasn’t the only one. Everyone, aside from me, seemed to be thinking the same thing. What was so great about this guy? I don’t get it. Well, maybe because I’m a guy myself.
“Sian. Don’t you think he’s hot?”
“Hot, my ass.”
“Pfft. Sian, you have such high standards.”
‘It’s not that. It’s because I’m a guy,’ I said to myself.
“Please be silent,” the man said.
We all zipped our mouths as we kept our attention on him. His face showed no change in expression whatsoever. He had all these beautiful women in front of him, looking at him with clear interest, but his face never showed any reaction. Was he a monk? Or gay? I guess he’s a soldier through and through. Good for him.
“Is everyone here?” he asked.
“Yes, sir!” we all shouted. We could have moved a mountain with our voice. To be honest, I don’t think we’ve ever been this loud before. I guess this is what happens when a good-looking person motivates you.
“Now, we will start with introductions. I am First Class Sergeant, Hoonmin Jung. I will be your main instructor today. As long as you follow my orders, you will have no trouble during training. Understand?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“I can’t hear you!”
What? Was he serious?
“Yes, Sir!”
“Louder!” he shouted.
“Yes, Sir!” we shouted as loud as we could.
“Good. Now, we will explain some of the warm-up drills to you.”
The tanned instructor came up to join the sergeant, and the sergeant looked at us.
“Is there anyone here who is familiar with any part of the warm up?”
“PT 8!” Heejin shouted.
“Alright! Let’s go!”
“….”
Heejin stood there, shocked at what the sergeant said. But all of a sudden, she got on her back and brought her legs up until they were perpendicular to her body. When did she learn that? Did she learn all of this before she came here? As expected from a new idol.
“Lift your head to look at your stomach,” the hot sergeant said. Heejin lifted her head to look at her stomach, but judging by how her body began to shake, I could tell that it was physically straining on her. The helmet. It’s heavier than you’d think. When you lift your head, it puts a lot of strain on your neck. For someone as skinny and weak as Heejin, that’s really hard, but Heejin was gritting her teeth and enduring through it.
“Good. Now, take your legs and bring it down 15 degrees to your left. Also, take your head and turn it to your right.”
Heejin did as she was told. The sergeant nodded his head approvingly.
“That’s one. On two, you will go down 15 more degrees. Then, 15 more on three. On four, you lift your legs to the center again. Understand?”
“Yes, sir!” we all replied.
“Now, the instruction will begin on my whistle.”
With that, the sergeant began to blow his whistle.
Pweet! Pweet! Pweet!
“One!” Heejin shoued.
Pweet! Pweet! Pweet!
“Two!”
Pweet! Pweet! Pweet!
“Three!”
Pweet! Pweet! Pweet!
Thud.
Heejin ended up losing all her strength as both of her legs and head fell with a thud. But why is Heejin doing that?
“Why are you doing that?” the sergeant asked Heejin with a blank face. Or was it? It was hard to tell with those sunglasses.
“Sorry, Sir!” Heejin shouted, getting up and standing next to me.
“No need to apologize. Now, we will show you all of the warm-up drills from 1 to 14. Watch my instructor. Pay attention so that you can do them on your own. Understand?”
“Yes, sir!”
“I can’t hear you!”
“Yes, Sir!”
I added a bit of my power behind my voice, and the sergeant clapped his hands over his ears. Luckily, there was no blood this time.
Soon, the tanned instructor began doing all of the warm-up moves and we did our best to memorize them. Except me. I was only going to learn the 8th one anyway.
After the instructor finished, the sergeant spoke up.
“Normally, there’s a lot you are required to learn, but as you only have one day, you won’t be able to do everything. So, you will only have a small experience of it. You will do four things. The first is the Instant Tower. Leader!”
Suddenly, the referee officer showed up and began to lead us towards the tower.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, Sir.”
***
We reached the instant tower. There was a tower, and we were supposed to jump down from it.
“Why is it called the instant tower?” I asked, raising my hand.
“You jump down instantly from it, so it’s the instant tower.”
“….”
Yeah, right.
“Isn’t it because you just instantly prop it up anywhere?” Heejin said, raising her own hand. I guess she heard it from somewhere else. At that, the referee officer smiled. He looked a tad drunk.
“I’m kidding. It’s a replica of a real tower and they called it ‘instant tower’ in English as well. And that’s why we call it that as well.”
“I see.”
We all nodded in understanding.
“Now you will put on your gear.”
The other instructors came forward to help us wear our safety equipment. While they were doing that, another instructor casually jumped off the tower.
Whoosh!
Of course, that wasn’t all. After he jumped down, he got onto a tightrope and began to walk over to the other side. As he was walking, he kept saying things like one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, and simulated what looked like a parachute release or whatever. Anyways, it was soon my turn to get into the safety gear, and the referee officer headed over to me. Wow, he was tall. Maybe around 190 cm? He could easily be a whole two meters by the looks of it. Anyways, he began to clip the safety harness onto me.
“Officer Lee. I look forward to your performance,” he said in a grave tone. Not that this was very high for me to begin with. I guess he didn’t see that video of me diving off the bungee jump platform without a harness.
“Oh, and once you land, things will get difficult for you,” he whispered to me in a voice no one could hear.
“Can I know why?”
“No reason.”
“….”
Bastard.
Soon, we were instilled with fear and I went up to the tower first. The other girls cheered me on, and I went up with a smile. Eleven meters. This is supposedly the height where an average person would feel terror. But who decided that? It’s really not that scary. I looked down and the girls cheered for me again.
“Is there anyone you miss?” the instructor asked.
“Yes! The other members of Lovely Girlz!” I shouted. I just know the girls will be touched once they see.
“Who do you miss the most from Lovely Girlz?”
“All of them!”
“And who do you miss the most out of all of them?”
“I just miss all of them so much!”
If I were to be honest, I’d say Jia, but I know the other members would get upset if I only said her name.
“Fine. Then when you jump, I want you to scream the name of the people you miss the most.”
“Okay! Hey, Lovely Girlz! I love you!”
And then, I jumped.
Thud.
After I jumped, I got on the tightrope and began to walk to the other side. From the ground, I could see the referee officer looking at me, clearly expecting me to fall.
“Idiot.”
With a smirk, I purposefully dropped my helmet. Then, I drew my foot back until I was standing on one leg and kicked forward.
Clang!
With a thunderous sound, the helmet went straight for the referee officer. Upon seeing the helmet coming for him, the guy just went rigid. Not only that, the helmet landed just in front of him, right on target.
Wham!
There was barely a centimeter between his foot and the helmet. The officer gave a sigh of relief…right before he passed out.
“Consider yourself lucky that I didn’t hit you on the head.”
And with that, I got to the other side.
I got my harness off and came down. At the moment I got down, I received my punishment. I guess the officer’s prediction that I was going to suffer was accurate.
“Officer Lee. You will receive a penalty.”
“May I ask why?”
Hey, I should at least know the answer, right?
“Quit asking questions.”
“….”
I took a good look at his face as I squatted down. Ugh, my thighs hurt.
