I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Chapter 244: Not A Hit-and-Run Protester (4)

At the time I was possessed, a certain meme spread like wildfire.

-“Kid… Fever!!”

Some people had actually experienced it themselves, while others knew someone who had suffered from it.

Certainly, in the unique environment of the ‘military’, and even among the various incidents occurring there, veterans would say, ‘This is too much’.

That was what they called ‘Marine Literature’.

It spread rapidly, and although I didn’t want to know, I somewhat learned about it.

-“This person isn’t even in the Marines, why do they keep saying fever?”

-“What kind of meme is…ugh.”

The content was quite harsh.

So, what about this world?

In Thailand, where a coup by a teenage general occurred, what was the military like in this world where dozens of high school girls had super powers?

-“Has the military changed?”

-“Surprisingly, it has.”

-“No, why has it changed…?”

The military in this world had changed too much.

-“Our country has become the best in the world! But should we still use the water carriers from the Korean War era? Let’s change them first!”

-“Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin!”

Perhaps because we’ve become the strongest nation in the world.

-“If I become a congressman, I will propose a law to raise the soldiers’ salaries to at least the level of a 9th grade civil servant!”

-“Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin!!”

-“I say this, but realistically it’s unlikely. Ah, even if it’s 800,000 won…”

-“Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin!!”

Maybe because a man who screamed to gather soldiers’ votes actually committed to his promise.

-“If I become president, we no longer have to fear North Korea’s nuclear threats! Go ahead, launch a nuclear missile! Gwang Ik Gong will handle it–!”

-“Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin! Tae Chae-jin!!”

Perhaps it had become possible to deploy ability users against North Korea, eliminating the need to tremble in fear of nuclear missiles.

-“Mr. President, why are you so determined to change the military?”

-“What if an ability user becomes a devil in the military? Can you handle that?”

-“Shouldn’t ability users just be locked up somewhere and given imperial service?”

-“Don’t ability users have friends? No peers around? What if a child suddenly has an accident or gets hurt in the military? What would happen to their mental state?”

Or was it because the factor of ‘ability users’ inevitably demanded attention?

-“We absolutely must not allow ability users to become devils due to military malpractices.”

-“Just cover it up like before…”

-“Cover it up? Who would the victims seek for justice? Even a one-person protest could get noticed by a hero, then what would you do!”

-“That, that’s…”

-“The old ways don’t work anymore! Change the situation! We now live in a world that must be ‘just’ according to social norms!”

It’s a time when one must not provoke the sensitivity of ability users.

When ability users unexpectedly saw the dark shadows of society and felt shock and horror, it was a world where their unstable psychology needed to be managed as much as possible.

And so, surprisingly, the military in this world had changed a lot.

Just by listing three differences in Korea’s military from the original world, you could see how much it had changed.

One. Transition to a volunteer military.

Two. Civil servant status for enlisted personnel.

Reading the novel, I wondered if the draft-dodging author wished the military was like this when he served.

Of course, the improvements are just a facet shown in the author’s novel.

-“Back in my day…”

The military had changed a lot, but the military was still the military, and military generals were always those over 40 or 50.

At least those who had just been discharged from the military or were students at the time of the great upheaval began to rise to critical positions within the military. However, changing the most rigid organization was not an easy task.

Even the transition to a volunteer system was only seriously discussed and implemented after the fall of North Korea.

Anyway, the military in this world had really changed a lot after the upheaval.

The role remained the same, but at least the outward appearance had changed significantly.

Perhaps it’s because of the third element.

-“We will provide places for E and D class ability users to enter society normally! Now in their early 20s!! We will create an environment where young adults who have just entered the world can easily blend into our society!!”

This was also related to ability users.

-“Early 20s female E and D class ability users who wish to can become non-commissioned officers in the military!”

Since the military was one of the places that had the most frequent and closest contact with ability users.

Ah.

Really.

Where did the madness of this nationalist light novel end?

The military had been made as positive as possible with all sorts of settings, and at its core was one word.

-“Sigh. I want to go to the military and flirt with an E-class female non-commissioned officer.”

-“Good luck. A friend of mine who was discharged said the civilian employees flirt there every day.”

-“Where else are we going to meet female ability users? We have to go there.”

-“…Challenge? Think of it as earning 40 million won a year and give it a try?“

Exactly.

-“Hehe. Even having a girlfriend who is a 20s ability user would be a jackpot, and if you marry and have children, isn’t that a total life turnaround?”

‘It’s patriotic.’

All roads lead to patriotism.

-“Let’s go! In accordance with our age-old traditions, from now on we will practice brotherhood….”

-“Brotherhood?! Shut up!! We barely have enough patriotism, what do you mean by brotherhood! You want to create a devil?!”

-“Ah, no. That’s… That insolent guy…”

-“You’re going to do that to someone whose sister is an ability user? You want to be dishonorably discharged for causing trouble?!”

-“Gasp…!!”

-“If you know what’s good for you, don’t mess with my brother-in-law!!”

And so, patriotism must be maintained, and Marine Literature remained a classic of history that no longer existed in this world.

Phuket Airport in Thailand was crowded with people.

It’s always crowded as it’s an international airport, but this time, the crowd was noticeably different.

Many journalists who came to cover the massive incident in Phuket were present, along with many others who came to see the aftermath in person.

However, most were gathered at the airport to watch the people arriving from far away by plane.

“Whew…”

“Are you nervous, Nguyen?”

“Yes.”

Now officially Thailand’s top A-class hero, Nguyen, who showed heroic actions during the recent massive disturbance and managed the situation, appeared at the airport in a black suit.

Just a few days ago, he was in as plain clothes as possible, but now he had to wear a luxury brand suit provided by the association.

The top A-class was the face of the country.

Now that Laplace had disgraced Thailand’s national flag, a hero’s face that everyone could sympathize with is needed.

Nguyen was fully capable of meeting that requirement.

Nguyen himself was prepared to unravel the identity of Laplace.

“…They will be arriving soon.”

“Yes. You are amazing, Nguyen. How do you come up with these necessary measures for the kids right away?”

An association employee casually made a remark, causing Nguyen to be a bit concerned.

It feels like that comment is asking, ‘Is that the method the secret society behind you taught?’ It must surely be a paranoid delusion.

All of Thailand is making Nguyen out to be a hero.

But if people were to discover that Nguyen’s heroic actions were staged by the secret society, his reputation would plummet.

He must not get caught.

The moment he is exposed, the secret society will claim they have no connection with Nguyen and will attack him.

Because they swore secrecy, Nguyen always had to be extremely cautious.

“I once watched a documentary about Korea. Have you heard of the ‘PD Commandos’?”

“Of course. Isn’t it uploaded on the internet?”

“In it, there’s a segment about places that conduct what’s called ‘mental training’ for children. It’s about those who teach the importance of unity in society and groups.”

Thunk.

The door to the waiting room opened.

Soon, a group of people with suitcases came out, and camera flashes started going off wildly.

“Screaaam!”

The women gathered in the waiting room screamed as if seeing a dragon.

Like when many cheered for Armored Taejo during the S-class duel that took place in Korea, many sent cheers to those who entered the waiting room through the gate.

“You’ve come a long way. [Red Brassard]. I’m Nguyen Bak.”

“Thank you for coming all the way to the airport. Feel free to call me ‘Ppaldak’.”

The muscular young man who referred to himself as ‘Ppaldak’ smiled innocently.

“The official hero name is [Red Brassard], but you can call me Jeong Sang-in. I’m an A-class hero affiliated with the Hero Association, and currently, a captain in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps.”

“It feels a bit much to call someone like you ‘Ppaldak’.”

“Ha ha. Everyone calls me that. Red sticker. It was originally an armband, but calling it a red armband sounds strange, doesn’t it?”

He smiled gently as he spoke, but his innocent appearance belied a stature that matched or exceeded Nguyen’s.

“Anyway, let’s head directly to where the children are. That’s all I’ve been thinking about on the flight.”

Jeong Sang-in.

21 years old.

Classified as A+ in Korea, but if he immigrated to Thailand, he’d be celebrated as an S-class.

“To ensure they do not become villains or devils, so that no one, whether it’s a sibling or anyone else, gets killed, I will instill unshakable mental strength in them. I will show you the power of the Marine Corps that catches ghosts.”

Flap.

Jeong Sang-in pulled something out of his pocket.

It was a hat entirely in red, differing from the typical digital patterns, and its angular shape formed an octagon.

A man who was both a Marine and a hero.

A man who chose the path of a Marine himself despite being an A+ class ability user under his father’s influence.

Click.

The moment Jeong Sang-in donned the red octagonal cap, the atmosphere at the airport suddenly fell silent.

“Let’s go.”

Red Brassard’s eyes sparkled intensely.

“I’ll thoroughly straighten out Laplace’s children. I’ll make sure to beat the ghost of Laplace out of their heads.”

Phuket.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will go wrong. The environment might be different, but aren’t they, and we, all ability users?”

Ten ability users from the Korean Marine Corps had flown into Phuket.

“I’ll teach them the spirit of unity.”

For the ‘re-socialization’ of brainwashed children.

“An ability user who becomes a soldier on his own. There are too many crazy people in Korea.”

“Crazy? Brother, there are crazy women too. Those female officers following behind, it seems like E and D class are mixed in.”

“There are too many crazy heroes in Korea.”

There are too many who are mad for justice.

“Who in the world, especially an A-class ability user, would voluntarily enlist in the military to serve the country?”

Even fiction had its limits.

“That’s why they call it a hero.”

“…….”

Those who volunteered to serve the nation and protect its citizens became soldiers.

We called such people heroes.