Life in the military had been manageable for the last six months since he'd enter the steely gates of the training camp. The first few months, they said, was the hardest part.
It was true. Their bodies were pushed to the limits. He had an arm broken, a foot sprained, he went in and out of the hospital too many times. He had recovered from his injuries but that was a hell of a test.
Jiyong, for the first time in his life, didn't want to excel. He just wanted to be Kwon Jiyong, soldier xxx. A young South Korean male willing to die for country, if need be. There was no pressure for him to do better than the rest. There was no expectations from anyone. He was able to relax. While life in the army was a whole 180 degrees from the life he had been used to for a long time, he loved it.
Jiyong was older than most soldiers-in-training. He, thankfully, had managed to make some friends in the Army. Naturally, he stuck to those who didn't particularly minded that, in fact, he was a superstar in their midst. Or maybe they just were really good at making him comfortable which he was really grateful to.
His closest mates in the armies were mostly young fathers. Jiyong had wondered if he naturally gravitated to them because of that. Listening to them talk about their babies was a highlight to Jiyong's daily routine.
"How does Ji Hee cope without you? It must be hard for her." He said to the man, two years his junior, sitting on the bed next to his.
Shinwoo let out a small smile. "Lucky for us, both of our parents are first time grandparents so they are really excited with everything since little Yuna was born. Ji Hee has more than a pair of hands to help her but I have to say, my wife is strong. She can handle anything."
Jiyong nodded, "She's really special, huh?"
"What about you? Surely, there must be someone outside waiting for you." Shinwoo gave him a knowing smile, "Right, hyung?"
"I-there's no one..." Jiyong answered, suddenly feeling conscious. "I do know a lot of girls but I haven't been in a serious relationship for a while now."
The younger soldier's eyebrow lifted. "You mean you can't decide who to settle with?"
Well, a good part of why he remained single, even if he did play around a lot, was that he didn't know if he could trust his heart to someone ever again. The last time that he did, it got catastrophic for him and his ex-flame.
It was not he could not decide. There was really no one else. But, before he could reply back, Shinwoo had spoke.
"Jiyong hyung, you know what I did to really make sure Ji Hee was the one for me?"
"What?"
"Well, I asked a sign from God." Shinwoo let out a sheepish smile. "Of course, I loved her before that. I still do. Always."
"A sign? Like what?" Jiyong was not the most religious person, by any means, but he had his faith.
"Anything, hyung. I asked God that if Ji Hee was the one for me, she would wear something with doves on it the next day for our date. And, hyung, she did! She wore this pretty dress with this huge dove design embroidered on the cloth."
"What if she showed up with a penguin on her dress? You'd just break it off with her?" Jiyong asked, skeptical.
Shinwoo laughed. "No, hyung, don't be silly. But, maybe, it would mean that we weren't meant for each other. I'm so thankful God showed me that we were."
Jiyong pondered it for a while. A sign seemed to random to be real.
"Hyung, we have our upcoming visitation. Maybe one of your female friends would be the one for you. Just ask a sign from above."
"No, I'm not really looking for that right now. We are inside the military, remember?"
"Hyung~" Shinwoo pleaded in a singsong voice, "just think about it."
"Alright." Jiyong promised.
