Chapter 2 Part 2

Somehow, this uncle seemed to enjoy the atmosphere where, by considering the Europe Branch unlucky, he created bloody situations whenever incidents occurred, rather than simply deeming them unlucky.

What should I say about his uncle? His face wasn’t such that you couldn’t call his impression kind in its own way, but there was a significant difference between his mind and his appearance. Sometimes, even Jeong Tae-ui, who knew him well, would be left dumbfounded.

Jeong Tae-ui sank into the seat. The moderately soft seat felt good.

Following his uncle, who had burst in like a storm, he had been driven around, chased by time, for days, unable to get proper rest. He felt like he could fall asleep if he closed his eyes like this.

As if noticing Jeong Tae-ui’s exhaustion, his uncle quietly spoke.

“It’ll be tough for a while to adapt, and I’d like to tell you to catch some sleep now, but we’ll arrive at the pier shortly. It’ll be even harder if you doze off and then wake up.”

“The pier?”

Jeong Tae-ui turned his head. The car had already entered the city, and the streets were gradually filling with buildings. Bustling and disorganized signboards stood chaotically above, and dilapidated buildings, as old as the Row House where Jeong Tae-ui used to live, were densely lined up. If you looked up slightly from the brightly glittering commercial buildings on the street, poles protruded from shabby, cracked, and peeling buildings, with laundry hanging from them.

“Is the branch on Hong Kong Island?”

“No.”

“Then why the pier?”

“Because we have to take a boat.”

“…Is it in Macau?”

His uncle burst out laughing. Jeong Tae-ui looked awkwardly at his uncle. Since they were taking a boat from the Kowloon Peninsula side and it wasn’t Hong Kong Island, that was the only place that immediately came to mind.

His uncle shook his head.

“I-do Island. It’s an island a little further out than Hong Kong Island. Administratively, it technically belongs to Hong Kong-China, but in practice, it’s a place with extraterritoriality. UNHRDO’s Asia Branch is there.”

“Haah. …It’s just like how prisoners used to be confined to isolated islands to prevent their escape.”

“Well, you can’t say there’s absolutely no such intention.”

His uncle said that, still smiling, and then looked at Jeong Tae-ui.

“On alternating weeks, from Friday at 5 PM to Sunday at 5 PM, you’re free, so you can come out and have fun if you want. Boats will travel to and from Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula for the members on those days.”

“Hearing you talk, uncle…”

“Hm?”

“Rather than UNHRDO’s Asia Branch being on that island, it seems only UNHRDO’s Asia Branch is on that island.”

“Correct.”

“…….”

Jeong Tae-ui gave a wry smile and shook his head repeatedly.

After passing through a straight, bustling street, and turning around a magnificent towering hotel, the pier came into view in the distance.

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been idly gazing at Hong Kong Island visible beyond the sea, suddenly turned his head.

“Speaking of which, I have one more question.”

“Yes?”

“What do they call you there, uncle?”

His uncle smiled. Then, with a face that was a peculiar mix of a family member’s expression and a superior’s expression, he spoke.

“Jeong Chang-in, Instructor. Or just Instructor for short.”

From the peninsula to I-do Island, it seemed to take a little over an hour.

Although he had imagined a small, uninhabited island since it was an isolated island with only a branch, it was surprisingly large, so from I-do Island’s pier, they had to drive further along the coastal road.

Perhaps because it was dusk, the dense forest growing inward from the road seemed unusually dark and lush.

“It looks like a place where it wouldn’t be strange for wild beasts or poisonous snakes to appear.”

As Jeong Tae-ui mumbled, his uncle calmly nodded.

“Poisonous snakes do appear. So you have to watch your step carefully at night. Don’t worry too much. There aren’t any with venom potent enough to kill a person instantly, so if you get immediate first aid, you won’t die.”

As Jeong Tae-ui stared with an incredulous expression, his uncle added that there was no need to worry, as if trying to reassure him.

It seemed he had come to the wrong place. Even if it was only half a year, when he thought about it, wasn’t half a year more than enough time for someone to die by sheer bad luck?

He was thinking of waiting until the next weekend, going to Hong Kong, and then just escaping, when his uncle spoke, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Ah, that’s right. Speaking of which, you won’t be able to leave for about a month from now. The Joint Training with the Europe Branch starts in two weeks. For two weeks. Before that, it’s a special training period, so no going out. No going out during the Joint Training period either. Well, a month passes quickly, so try to adapt well during that time.”

Before wondering what on earth this uncle knew and to what extent, for a moment, he genuinely wanted to strangle the man.

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been glaring regretfully at his uncle’s neck, suddenly felt a gaze and glanced forward. He met the driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror. When their eyes met, the driver slightly curved the corners of his eyes. He seemed to be smiling faintly.

It was the same driver who had picked him up at the airport. He had driven from the airport to the pier, and then, after crossing the water to this island, he was driving again. …Surely that person didn’t pilot the boat too, did he…?

This person also had a similar smell. The smell of a soldier who had lived a rough life — although his uncle repeatedly said he wasn’t a soldier or in the military. He probably assumed everyone he met on that island would have that same smell.

As he thought such thoughts, Jeong Tae-ui sighed and turned his head. Even the energy to strangle his uncle had vanished.

“So, with that ‘unlucky’ Europe Branch and ‘bloody’ Joint Training coming up, I’ve arrived just in time to suffer. …Deep down, you actually dislike me, don’t you, uncle?”

“Surely not.”

His uncle smiled. Jeong Tae-ui felt as if he had truly gotten himself into the wrong situation, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

Joint Training, huh. He was accustomed to that kind of training. For the past few years, he had been put through such training daily. After all, until four months ago, he was a military officer. He wondered what kind of training they would do here.