chaeyoung’s enlisting in the military. yes, you read that right. son chaeyoung, free-spirited art student capable of nonchalantly shrugging off the prying eyes taking in the expanse of body art marking her skin, was giving up 2 years of her life to the conservative, judgemental country that was south korea. (in which her countless tattoos were very much frowned upon, for whatever reason) heck, she hadn’t even ever stepped foot into any of the imposing, scarily vast mazes otherwise known as jungles. the closest she had come was probably idle doodles of flora and fauna to keep herself entertained during the mandatory military briefings.

 

almost as if it were some form of grand occasion, her parents had taken leave to send her off on this ‘special day’. chaeyoung scoffed. special wouldn’t be the word she’d use to describe what was essentially a glorified 2 year prison experiential programme. she’d dreaded the prospect of enlistment ever since she’d learnt that, to her absolute horror, the korean army was a conscript army for both boys and girls.

 

whenever she passed by her school’s military band back in the good old days, she had already found herself pitying them tremendously as they stood at attention, backs straightened and posture impeccable. chaeyoung would meet the despairing, frustrated eyes of several exhausted members clutching onto instruments practically as large as she was while the stern, sadistic conductor prowled around the orderly file like a ravenous lion ready to pounce on any poor soul who dared show any sign of weakness.

 

the pointlessness and tediousness of it all repulsed chaeyoung to no end. time waits for no one, and you expect so many youths in the prime of their lives to stand around aimlessly under the guise of instilling discipline and resilience? as you can probably tell by now, chaeyoung isn’t exactly the biggest fan of regimentation, repetition and the like. 

 

the army, in a theoretical sense, was thus everything her worst nightmare would comprise of and then some. it certainly didn’t help that her seniors’ army reviews were anything but glowing. (at least those she had heard from every once in a while, for there were those like jihyo, the unfortunate chosen ones deployed as army intelligence scouts-in-training, who were perpetually mired within unwelcoming forests and mountains with no means of communication with the outside world.)

 

hellhole, pigsty, brain cell donation drive and mental asylum were some of the choice descriptions offered up in disgruntlement by nayeon and jeongyeon, and chaeyoung couldn’t help but think the latter two were rather apt as a stone-faced female soldier marched haughtily towards her parents’ car, arms being swung in such a ridiculously exaggerated manner that she looked more daft than anything.

 

said female soldier proceeded to practically yell (if that was her normal speech volume, chaeyoung feared for her eardrums when she inevitably ed up and ms stone screamed bloody murder at her) pleasantries at chaeyoung’s parents, right arm raised in a stiff salute throughout and chaeyoung smiled widely despite herself. she knew her parents were trying their utmost not to burst out in laughter, her genes hadn’t come from nowhere after all.

 

“ms son, it’s good to see that you’re still smiling. a positive mindset towards the demanding yet rewarding course you will be put through will go a long way towards ensuring these 2 years pass as smoothly as possible.” ms stone’s rough voice startled chaeyoung into locking eyes with her, the smile plastered on her face unsubtly forced and a strange twinkle dancing in her eyes.

 

“why don’t you say your final goodbyes to your lovely parents, i’m sure you’ll miss them greatly in the future.” chaeyoung was unsettled by how ms stone’s words were laced with an undertone of warning and satisfaction, but she fully intended to follow the given instructions.

 

she loved her parents, two of the only people in the world to truly embrace and accept her for who she was, a cynical, rebellious girl with a stubborn refusal to conform to rigid societal expectations and who was intent on doing things her own way.

 

it wasn’t quite a tearful goodbye (chaeyoung was way too headstrong for anything of the sort) but it was a gutting moment nonetheless, as she waved longingly to her parents, knowing it would be the last time in a long while their warm, loving smiles would be directed at her.

 

then an absolute hulk of a man began to usher her parents out of the premises to make way for the thousands of cars packed like sardines in the all-too-narrow road behind and...well. that was that.

 

chaeyoung was left all alone, heading into the unknown.

 

dragging her eyes away from her parents’ departing car reluctantly, chaeyoung took in her surroundings. the setting wouldn’t have looked out of place in an airport, what with a seemingly never-ending supply of individuals lugging duffel bags and suitcases to their assigned destinations. however, the boisterous euphoria and excitement that came with travelling overseas was regretfully nowhere to be seen. 

 

without any exceptions whatsoever, chaeyoung was instead greeted with dejected, defeated expressions everywhere she looked, her fellow new recruits similarly trudging resignedly towards their impending sorry fates.

 

at the very least, chaeyoung supposed she wasn’t in this alone after all.

 

~

 

chaeyoung had always been satisfied with her height. sure, she had been on the receiving end of every single short joke that existed for her entire life, but people failed to recognise the advantages that came with being small.

 

for one, she was often underestimated for being lightweight and scrawny, nothing more than a weak pushover. and there was considerable truth in those allegations, chaeyoung would admit readily. but what she lacked in brawn, she more than made up for with speed. even from as objective a viewpoint as possible, chaeyoung knew she was fast. after all, she was the top runner back in her high school.

 

call her nimble, lithe, dexterous, whatever. at the end of the day, chaeyoung just enjoyed proving her naysayers wrong and making them eat their words once she her afterburners, leaving her competitors far behind in the dust.

 

long story short, she really liked her height. yet of all things, it was her damned height which would absolutely doom her for 2 whole years of her life, the first time she cursed herself for being the mere 159 centimetres that she was.

 

she had even expected quite the opposite, assuming that her height limitations automatically took her out of the running for selection into special operation units, those of eternal deprivation and suffering, where every day and night blended into resonant choruses of pain and anguish.

 

alas, as luck would have it, her humble frame had instead qualified her for arguably the special operation unit of all special operation units. (that expression carr