IGMB 03

The Journey to Earn Ten Billion Won (2)

The staff began moving exactly along the camera path they’d planned in advance.

The PD kept stressing that we shouldn’t be too conscious of the cameras,
but that’s easier said than done.

Cameras are fascinating, and a part of you can’t help but wonder if your face will end up on TV.
So your eyes just naturally follow them.

Even as I filled my stomach, spooning up rice and soup in turn,
all my attention stayed fixed on the filming crew.

Since there was a little time left, I opened the quest window again to double-check the details.

“Do I just have to do an interview?”

Whether I do well or not doesn’t seem to matter.
Still, it’s better to do well if I can.

If I blurt out something bad about the army on camera,
I might get dragged out for extra training at night just like the drill instructor warned.

The camera crew, having circled the whole mess hall,
finally headed our way—our table of recruits chosen to represent the group.

Across from me, my fellow trainees swallowed hard instead of their food.

“Can we handle this…?”

“We won’t get punished if we mess up, right?”

To calm them down, I spoke up.
“Just don’t openly bad-mouth the army and you’ll be fine.”

Even a simple line like ‘the food’s pretty good’ would be enough.
Besides, the viewers at home will know anyway:
Yeah, sure. They’re just putting on a show.

At last the camera crew reached us.
They pointed the camera first at the two across from me.

“It’s your first meal after enlistment. How is it?”

“Yes! It’s good!”

“Did you eat with your family before coming here?”

“Yes! This tastes way better than the meal I had outside the base!”

Well, that’s an easy answer.

The next recruit also finished with the usual “the food is good” type of comment.

Then it was finally my turn.

“Do you also think the food is tasty?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Could you describe it more specifically?”

At that extra question from the PD, the instructor’s face stiffened.

It’s normally a quick part—just say a line and move on.
An unscripted request like that would naturally irritate the instructor.

Why are they making things difficult again, and why me of all people…

“The rice is nice and sticky, and the seasoning of the soybean paste soup is perfect for my taste.
Honestly, it’s better than many restaurant meals.”

“Really? Then how does it compare to your mother’s cooking?
Surely it’s not as good as what she makes?”

Seriously?

I’d tried to cover things nicely, but this…

“Well, of course it’s not as good as my mother’s cooking…”

Just then, a ding! sounded in my head.

[A general quest has been added.]
[Finish the interview in a way that greatly satisfies the instructor.]
[Reward: 1,000,000 won will be added.]

I never imagined there’d be a second quest—
and the reward was a whole million won more than the first.

Wow…

My mind raced.
I glanced up and met the instructor’s eyes.

He was staring at me with a look that pleaded,
Just this once, please say what the PD wants to hear.

Forget it—whatever!

“The army food is every bit as delicious as my mother’s cooking!”

I couldn’t quite bring myself to say it was better,
but calling it equal would do.

Sorry, Mom. Please forgive your unfilial son.

The PD, satisfied with that unscripted line, nodded.
“That was a great interview. Let’s wrap up the mess-hall shoot.”

The instructor secretly gave me a thumbs-up.
Forget the thumbs-up—
I’d rather have a vacation pass.

After surviving the most stressful interview of my life,
we finally returned to the barracks.

But the army isn’t a place that offers a peaceful night’s sleep.
A drill instructor came by to assign our night duties.

“You’ll take turns standing night watch.
I’ll post the schedule at the entrance;
check it before lights-out. Understood?”

“Yes, understood!”

As soon as the instructor left, a few recruits asked,
“What’s night watch, exactly?”

It’s not a familiar term.
In short—

“You take turns for an hour, checking temperature and head count,
then report to the barracks office.”

“Oh, I see.”

A recruit nearby explained it clearly, saving me the trouble.

Even though it was his first day,
some people come in already knowing a bit about army life.

I’d enlisted the first time knowing nothing,
but now I know everything—
even that the duty officer often sneaks off to the admin office to nap
after telling the sentry to handle things.

Most people don’t know details like that.

When the instructor returned for roll call,
he explained the watch rules.

“You stand in pairs.
One stays in the hallway, the other inside the barracks.
You must remain standing.
If a drill instructor catches you sitting,
you’ll get extra punishment. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Stand the whole time—he emphasized it repeatedly.
It showed how important proper watch posture was.

But after moving to a permanent unit,
you’d rarely find anyone standing for the entire hour.
Only brand-new privates or low-rank newcomers bother.
Most just sit, kill time, and swap out.

At 21:30, our first evening roll call began.

“Company, attention!”

We snapped to attention on the wooden floor.

“Salute!
Barracks Five evening roll call report:
total 20, none absent, 20 present.
Roll call complete!”

“At ease.”

“At ease!”

It had been ages since I’d heard the old term “evening roll call” like that.
Nowadays they just say morning or evening roll call,
but back when I served, we used first-morning and first-evening instead.

I kept being surprised by these little things.
Probably I’m the only one here thinking that way.

The instructor looked us over and announced tomorrow’s schedule.

“Tomorrow you’ll receive uniforms and supplies.
Make sure you collect everything. Understood?”

“Yes!”

“Don’t try to look stylish by asking for a smaller size
or tailoring it yourself.
Remember, this uniform is what you’ll wear for two years.
Think carefully before you accept your gear.”

Wise advice.

I remembered a soldier I knew who said,
“Skinny fit is best!”
He altered his uniform and got chewed out by his superiors,
then suffered endless discomfort and chores.

Looking back, it was pure madness.
But the army is called the “university of life” for a reason.
You meet every type of person imaginable—
people you’d never encounter elsewhere.

With that, evening roll call ended.

The first two assigned to night watch looked lost,
so I kindly pointed them in the right direction.

“Go to the admin office; the instructor will explain everything.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

It felt like when you first take on junior soldiers of your own.

They really don’t know anything.

Which is normal.

I’m an odd case—
no matter how much you read before enlisting,
learning in theory is nothing like the real thing.

Let’s see… which shift am I?

As long as I avoided the second or the last shift, I’d be fine.
Those are the hardest times to fall asleep again afterward.

If you have to go on duty in an hour,
it’s tough to fall asleep right away.
Including the time to wake and change,
you’d need to be asleep in 40 minutes, not an hour.

Tonight we don’t have uniforms yet,
so getting up is simpler—
but from tomorrow on we’ll be wearing full gear.

Third shift. Not bad.

My partner was the thin guy with horn-rimmed glasses next to me.
He looked so frail I wondered if he’d even make it to discharge.

Well, he’ll manage somehow.

Not my problem.

My focus is on earning as much reward money as possible before discharge.

Lying down, I opened the status window.

Is there a way to check how much I’ve saved?

I searched carefully and finally spotted it.

[Check Total Accumulated Prize Money]

This must be it.

When I tapped it, a record appeared,
listing all the prize money I’d earned so far.

[Current Total: 3,000,000 won]

All thanks to completing two general quests.

Three million for just two quests.

Then how much would a rare, special, or legendary quest pay?
Hard to guess on the first day.

But one thing was certain:
seeing that total while lying in bed made me grin.

At first I’d been annoyed,
furious about being dragged back into the army.

Maybe this isn’t so bad after all…

If things keep going like this,
earning ten billion before discharge might not be a dream.

Still, I can’t let my guard down.
Nothing in life is easy.

While I waved my hand idly in the air,
the indoor sentry, noticing my smile, asked,
“Not tired?”

“I’m about to sleep.”

I’ll check the rest during my own watch shift.
After all, I’ll have plenty of time then.