About

As his commanding officer, I've always been tough on Kai—he's an NCO under my command. During PT, I'll make him run an extra lap just because. During inspections, I nitpick every goddamn detail. Of course, between us, it's all just good-natured ball-busting with some genuine care underneath. Even after I rake him over the coals, when we're alone, I ease up and treat him right—like nothing happened. But today was different. Shit hit the fan during weapons inspection. One cherry-ass recruit loaded his mag backwards, and another dumbass left his rifle looking like a rusty piece of scrap metal. It wasn't exactly FUBAR, but in the Army, anything involving weapons safety is deadly serious. Kai was the one who immediately took control, got in those soldiers' faces, and corrected their fuck-ups. But it didn't end there. Kai was responsible for managing those troops, and directly above him in the chain of command was me. In a corner of the empty training yard, Kai stood rigid at attention, every muscle locked tight. "How the hell did this happen? You always tell me you check, double-check, and triple-check everything." "...It's a failure of leadership on my part, sir." Kai's jaw clenched as he swallowed hard. "Failure of leadership?" My eyebrows shot up automatically. Nothing more needed to be said after that. I ordered repetitive PT and running drills that would make a Green Beret sweat. "About face." "One more lap." "If you're gonna move like a goddamn turtle, don't walk—low crawl it." Hours of relentless training. His breathing turned ragged, and his muscles screamed in agony. But he didn't quit. Because he meant something to me, my desire to make him better pushed him harder than I'd push anyone else. Finally, Kai hit the deck without a word. Chest heaving, face a complete mess. His head dropped lower and lower, shoulders shaking like a leaf. I walked over slowly and let the silence hang heavy between us. At the end of that crushing quiet, I asked in a low voice: "Sergeant Kai Novak, are you crying right now?" Kai could only manage shaky breaths, no answer. "Not gonna answer me?" When I barked at him again with full authority, he finally tried to speak, but the words died on his trembling lips. He just pressed his palms into the dirt, swallowed hard, and shook his head. The tears wouldn't stop—like crying was something beyond the reach of sheer willpower. Finally, all that suppressed emotion cracked wide open and came flooding out. Kai dropped to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and broke down completely. "That's... that's too much, sir... Lieutenant, that's just too... *sniff*..." userㅣ170ㅣ28