# 493
The Legend of Return
Chapter 493. Legendary Trainee (2)
“Virgin Mary, the mother of all benevolent people….. Please allow snacks for the poor trainees. Please be merciful to their hunger and thirst and take care of them with mercy… My poor daughter desperately wants them.”
At the Catholic church located at the Army Training Center, a nun shed tears and prayed earnestly to the Blessed Mother.
I didn’t get married, but I had a younger brother at home.
Whenever she saw trainees of a similar age to her sister, Sister Cristina thought of her younger sister.
With the cost subsidized by the state, it was barely enough to pay for snacks for trainees.
Members from all over the country, including the parish, sent donations at 10 o’clock, but it was not always enough to satisfy the hunger of the hungry trainees.
The problem has become more serious as the number of believers has increased rapidly in recent years.
The behavior of the expelled warden, which the nun was familiar with, made the trainees hungry even more.
Finding God was a good thing, but hunger was not the reason.
Moreover, it is midsummer now.
It broke my heart to see the trainees sweating like rain and staring at a single Choco Pie.
Due to the situation, these days, even choosing a prayer topic, Sister Cristina devoted herself.
It is to hang on to ask for grace so that the hungry trainees can eat their fill of snacks at least.
crash.
At that time, a nun hurriedly approached the cathedral.
The nun’s steps, which could not be unaware that it was a place that should always be solemn and quiet, were as light as a rabbit’s.
“Like… Ristina.”
An elderly nun called to Sister Christina.
“amen.”
Sister Cristina finished her prayer by quickly making the sign of the cross and looked up.
“Sister Maria…..”
It was none other than Sister Maria who was in charge of the church’s finances.
“That’s Okay! Okay!”
“yes? What do you mean by that…..”
“The Blessed Mother heard Sister Christina’s prayer and answered it. An anonymous donor sent 1 billion to thank Sister Christina. With that money, I can give the trainees plenty of Choco Pies!”
Sister Maria held Sister Christina’s hand and couldn’t hide her joy.
“ah!”
Sister Cristina exclaimed at this divine response.
My heart was warmed and devoured by the grace of the merciful God, the Virgin Mary, and the Holy Spirit who answered prayers.
“By the way, does Cristina know anyone? Who the hell paid such a large amount of money…”
“Doesn’t he have a name?”
“Yeah~ However, only the word ‘international call’ was written after Sister Christina’s name.”
“International call?”
The face of a trainee comes to mind when you hear the word international call.
There was a trainee who once borrowed a cell phone from himself and called the United States.
English was very fluent.
And a handsome trainee with a straight face.
He was a trainee with a good appearance that would have shaken his heart if he had not been a servant to serve the Lord.
Come to think of it, the trainee asked for my baptismal name.
As I got my cell phone back, I remembered the fact that I had accidentally told him my baptismal name.
‘no way?’
No matter how you think about it, there was no one who would donate 1 billion in front of him.
“Our Lady…”
Sister Cristina crossed herself and called the Virgin Mary.
If we meet again, we’ll be able to confirm it, but I didn’t even know the trainee’s name.
He was one of the many trainees passing by every weekend.
Rock again.
This moment when everything is just thankful.
Cristina put her hands together, giving all the glory to God.
***
– The supreme god was so moved by your actions that he shot a hot karma point.
The gods’ calculations were always correct.
It seems that the money deposited in the cathedral has found the right owner.
A phone call that I could borrow when I desperately needed it.
It changed not only the lives of four weeks, but also the memories of all trainees at the Army Training Center.
The point income was better than expected.
And…
“See you again. Recruit Jang Tae-san.”
“Loyalty!”
I received a call from the warden’s office.
A pig named Yong Chang-ho was kicked out, and Lee In-tae, chief of staff, temporarily took his place.
He was a favorite general.
The gaze of the soldiers was warm at first.
There was affection in every word he said.
The quality of the food immediately improved as I did not have to pay for food expenses.
The training uniform has also returned to the level I experienced in the past.
The chief of staff also made a good impression.
It was the statue of an upright military officer.
He was destined to overcome the crisis with the help of a nobleman as he passed the middle of his life due to his thick earlobe, which is important among contemplation.
“Sit down. How about a cool iced coffee?”
“If you give it to me, I will drink it with gratitude!”
The attitude of the former sergeant did not go anywhere even if life was repeated.
Starting with the salute, all the postures were perfect in my eyes.
“aide. Two iced coffees, please.”
“I will prepare right away.”
The adjutant who followed went outside.
After returning to life, I was experiencing all sorts of things.
Since it was the general’s office, the energy was definitely different.
It was decorated with Taegeukgi, a star symbolizing the Army Training Center, and a flag with a red sword.
It was about the size of an executive office for a typical company.
There was a wooden desk for office work and a 10-person sofa under it.
The bookshelves were filled with various books and plaques related to the training center.
As a place where stars play, it was full of dignity.
“thanks. Recruit Jang Tae-san.”
“???”
The chief of staff opened his mouth to thank me as I sat holding each other.
“Thanks to Recruit Jang Tae-san, the atmosphere at the training center has improved a lot.”
It was a greeting with multiple meanings.
“no. It’s what I wanted to do.”
“Was flying stars something you wanted to do?”
“yes???”
“Did you know that the warden was honorably retired thanks to Jang Tae-san’s enlistment?”
“…..”
The Chief of Staff asked me mischievously, looking at me.
No malice was seen.
“It wasn’t because of me, it was just Heaven’s reason. It is certain that the fortune of the former director was the owner of the theater in gossip this year!”
“The owner of the theater? Do you know how to see the coronation?”
“yes!”
“…how about me?”
“I think the chief of staff will meet you and get promoted this year.”
“promotion? Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Thank you for your words.”
The chief of staff laughs loudly at the word promotion.
I can’t believe it.
He hadn’t even dreamed that this was his interview position.
“It is true.”
“okay? If you do as you say, I’ll grant you a wish later.”
“You promised.”
“Of course.”
A general’s promise is never light.
I got a promise from the incumbent general that I can go to the future and receive it.
“By the way, I plan to commend Jang Tae-san as the best trainee of the 29th Regiment at the dismissal ceremony tomorrow in the name of the training center division commander.”
What is this again?
If it were a general trainee, it would have been about singing the hymn 100 times out of gratitude, but not me.
It was customary for the best trainees to be sent to the Nonsan Training Center itself, along with a 4-night, 5-day vacation, upon leaving the training center.
I didn’t want to receive such benefits at all.
There was a myth that supplementary stations were told to be careful of fallen leaves until the day before the graduation ceremony.
In a place like this, it became annoying in many ways to be known to the media.
He wanted to quietly disappear like the regular trainees in the nameless supplementary service.
“Chief of Staff.”
“Speak.”
“I don’t want to receive it.”
“You don’t want to take it? The best commendation is an honorable award given to the most outstanding trainee out of 2,500 trainees. Are you saying you don’t like that?”
“yes.”
“…..”
Chief of Staff Lee In-tae stared at me at a loss for words.
“i get it. I can’t help it if you don’t like it.”
My favorite chief of staff.
“I have a favor instead.”
“ask?”
“If you are promoted, please bring one of the battalion commanders.”
“A battalion commander? who? Training battalion commander?”
“no. I am Lieutenant Colonel Park Seong-wook of the 1st Division.”
“uh? Do you know Lieutenant Colonel Park?”
At my words, the chief of staff opened his eyes wide and asked in surprise.
“I know.”
“ha ha ha. Is this also related? Lieutenant Colonel Park is an officer who has served with me in the past.”
“ah!”
The world was so small.
Lieutenant Colonel Park Seong-wook, the battalion commander of my friend Hyung-cheol and my former battalion commander.
I hadn’t heard of a star attached to it at the time.
He was talented and sincere, but seemed to lack connections.
“If…if I get promoted, I’ll definitely call you.”
“thank you.”
“I have to thank you. Thank you for taking good care of me. Recruit Jang Tae-san….. You will be forgotten as time goes by, but I heard that you are called the legendary trainee right here.”
Legendary trainee?
That’s done.
If the Ministry of Defense clock turns quickly and tomorrow morning is bright, there will be no other wish.
A military watch that seems to move exceptionally slower.
Legendary trainee was a nickname I wanted to throw at a military dog.
“The legendary trainee Jang Tae-san worked hard. And… thank you so much.”
Chief of Staff Lee In-tae comes over to shake hands.
I took his warm hand.
He really didn’t even know.
That one handshake would completely change his life.
***
“Who are you? What kind of guy are you? Who the heck was behind the scenes? Are you Nam Chang-seung?”
In the office of the Minister of National Defense, Minister Jang-jin was angry.
The incident happened while I was away for a week to promote domestic defense products held overseas.
Although not a key line, a major general was investigated for corruption.
It left traces and was difficult to salvage.
Grinding my teeth, I resigned with the feeling of being in the village.
And ordered an investigation into the case.
“Captain Nam Chang-seung is also related, but on a different line.”
The Defense Security Command commander reported with tears in his eyes.
The commander of the Defense Security Command, one of the key positions in the military with the authority to meet alone with the president, also bowed his head in front of the ministerial staff.
Minister Jang-jin, who completely controlled the Korean army.
“Then who are you! If you dare to fire your subordinates for something like that, who will take orders!!!”
The minister who thoroughly protects his line.
The reason why he was able to win and win so far is clear.
Once he became his own, he did everything he could to lead and protect him.
I believed in that and my juniors followed me relentlessly.
But the incident happened.
“This is Commander Bell, USFK.”
“What! Commander Bell?”
Minister Jin was surprised at the unexpected name and stammered.
Except for the president, even the closest aides could not do anything to the ministers.
But for the commander of the USFK, things are different.
The president was also a man of power who could not be reckless.
Naturally, Minister Jin had no choice but to keep his mouth shut in front of that name.
“The reason is?”
“There is a trainee who is friendly with Commander Bell. I went to see the trainee, and it seems that Major General Yong Chang-ho… was doing something stupid.”
“What are you talking about? Commander Bell went to the army training center to meet a trainee?”
“I couldn’t figure that out. It is said that Commander Bell personally requested the deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command and Captain Yoo Jae-hong, the 2nd lyricist in charge of the rear, to accompany him.”
“crazy! This is a monthly ticket!”
Although he shouted loudly, no one, including the minister, thought that his actions were overstepping his authority.
The Republic of Korea’s armed forces, including wartime operational control, were largely dependent on the US military.
“And… according to intelligence, Commander Bell directly asked the Blue House for a general promotion.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the information I learned this morning too. Promote Brigadier General Lee In-tae, chief of staff at the Army Training Center, to major general and appoint him as deputy chief of staff of the Combined Forces Command…” “
What! What bullshit is that!”
The minister jumped up from his seat.
It was an easy job for the general, the deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command, but it was a key course for promotion to the generals and officers under him.
Among the officers, only those with CFC service experience occupied key positions.
Since it was a subordinate relationship with the US military, it was an essential position to make connections with them.
However, the commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command directly requested the president to be promoted to general.
This has happened unofficially in the past, but these days it is rare.
This was an obvious overreach of power and interference in internal affairs.
Beep.
Just then, the intercom in the minister’s office rang.
“who is this?”
The minister asked nervously.
– This is the contact of the President’s chief of staff.
“Chief Secretary? change it.”
The chief of staff who is the president’s confidant.
Although he was at the level of chief, he was unofficially ranked higher than the minister.
– This is the Minister’s Chief of Staff.
“How are you, Chief Secretary? I was going to visit you separately at the cabinet meeting tomorrow…”
The minister responded cautiously.
– Before that, I have urgent business to take care of.
“yes?”
– The President wants to promote a brigadier general to major general. Please special promote Brigadier General Lee In-tae at the Army Training Center and send him to the deputy chief of staff of the Combined Forces Command.
It was a matter that required approval from the Minister of National Defense, but was notified unilaterally.
Minister Jin biting his lips in anger that he could not hide.
However, he could not disobey the order of the president, who was the commander-in-chief of the military.
In particular, the president who caught a lot of weaknesses in the United States.
“…I’ll take care of it right away.”
– Please. See you tomorrow then.
The call was cut short.
And…
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
The roar of the minister’s staff rang loudly to leave the minister’s office in the anger that had exploded.
