Chapter Twenty-One: Teacher Che, I Also Want to Revise My Thesis

"I don't just want to be a good soldier; I want to be a good man. I want to find a balance between duty and conscience."

Facing the lens of *Sports Seoul*, Cha Lun-hoo spoke with such ease and eloquence that Reporter Chen was thoroughly impressed. The young man showed no trace of stage fright, his relaxed and witty demeanor making him appear more seasoned than a veteran, outperforming even some established celebrities.

"With this presence, Lun-hoo would probably be a massive success if he were an actor! He might even win a Blue Dragon Best Actor award; I don't think he's any less impressive than Ha Jung-woo."

The current collusion among the few involved has truly been aided by a favorable wind. The success of *1987: When the Day Comes* at the end of last year swept the Baeksang Arts Awards, and it is likely to dominate the upcoming Blue Dragon Film Awards as well. Kim Yoon-seok, who played the antagonist, has already swept the Best Actor trophies. Because this sentiment has a broad foundation among the public, people are all the more capable of empathizing with these recent events.

"It truly is a case of the heavens aligning! I just wonder what the outcome from the Blue House will be. I see many citizens have already initiated petitions; as time passes, they will certainly have to provide an explanation."

Fearing that Cha Lun-hoo might be worried, Reporter Chen quickly opened his mouth to reassure him. There was no need to rush this matter, and fortunately, this man possessed a calmness in the face of major events that was rare for a hot-headed youth of his age.

Suzy had been riding a wave of success lately. Although the scandals surrounding her hadn't been washed away—and in fact, showed signs of intensifying—and many friends in the industry had reached out with inquiries, she dared not speak of things that hadn't happened.

"I looked up that Rasputin thing; they say it's 28.5. How could an Asian guy be that outrageous? Right, Suzy?"

Private conversations between women can be quite raunchy, and Suzy didn't know how to respond to the seemingly innocent and adorable IU. After all, the two of them were truly innocent; their relationship was strictly that of employer and employee.

"How would I know! Why don't I give you his contact info so you can try it yourself? What a bizarre woman."

Suzy's dissatisfied, coquettish pout made IU burst into laughter, completely losing her refined image. She looked like a guileless, simple-hearted person, but only "Bae the Rabbit"—having spent much time with her—knew that when it came to scheming, this girl was even more cunning than herself.

"Then give it to me! Watch me win him over—end of story! I've been single so long that even a bodyguard looks handsome to me. I've been earning money for so long, shouldn't I be allowed to enjoy myself?"

In the mind of this national female soloist, the image of these two was quite scandalous. She hadn't expected him to keep playing dumb in front of her. A guy who frequented nightclubs being kept as a bodyguard—who couldn't see through that motive?

They were all female celebrities; that "Gwangju fighter" rhetoric of hers might fool the fans, but trying to play the sister for a fool was a pipe dream. She was clever and sharp, no doubt, but she couldn't fool IU forever.

"Give it to you? That wouldn't be right, would it? He's just my bodyguard. He hasn't agreed to it, and giving you his contact information without his consent would be very rude."

Suzy's words only triggered a scoff from the cute woman on the other end of the line, who thought to herself, *Why aren't you being stubborn now?* Still, this girl played a wild game. That young, handsome guy did look remarkably heroic, and getting two jobs done for the price of one was highly cost-effective.

"Haven't you been watching the news? I am simply sympathizing with and admiring a hero who sacrificed everything for the nation. There's none of that messy stuff you're imagining. Unnie, this girl's brain is truly beyond saving."

Suzy's words didn't anger IU. The two best friends were neck and neck when it came to brazen banter, especially since this young man had become a hot topic on the internet and the focus of national discussion, making IU all the more eager to tease her.

"Really? I admire him too. If your contract with your company ends, I'd be willing to hire him at a high price to… wait, no, to let me admire him properly."

Of course, IU wouldn't develop any special feelings for someone she had only met once; she was just bored and joking around, wanting to tease the rabbit for her lack of frankness.

The interview footage of these grassroots officers was edited into short clips, and Cha Lun-hoo, as the representative, had accepted media interviews and answered questions the public cared about most.

"I didn't believe the stuff about Bae Suzy at first, but seeing his face, I believe it. He's truly amazing. I feel like if he acted in *The K2*, he'd be more handsome than Ji Chang-wook. I've already projected his face into the role; he and the goddess Yoona would be a perfect match."

"Just looking at this man's face, I know he's a good person! Truly, the face reflects the heart."

"How could a man who earned money in nightclubs only to fund his colleagues' families be a bad person?"

"Forget it, I'm going to petition the Blue House. It's heartbreaking that the state cannot properly look after such talent."

"If I had known which club he worked at before, I would have made him the top seller—not for anything else, but Teacher Cha, my thesis needs editing too."

All sorts of chaotic news flew everywhere. Even the act of editing a thesis overnight became a trending topic for a while. What worried the public most, however, was the suffering endured by young people leaving the military as they entered society.

There were stories of those who, out of desperation, started businesses only to be defrauded of all their savings and driven to suicide, and others who, due to their educational background, couldn't find relevant work and were forced into manual labor like moving or construction. One heartbreaking story after another linked the tragic plight of these children from ordinary families, and the clamor to improve the treatment of this group became mainstream.

Suzy approached her at this time, hoping to establish a special fund with a large sum of money to provide material support to the unfortunate soldier's family. Cha Lun-hoo did not decline this.

Although some netizens suspected Suzy of being opportunistic and seeking fame, Cha Lun-hoo didn't see it that way. Even if his beautiful employer wasn't entirely indifferent to money, she was extremely charitable. Besides, in such matters, one should judge by actions rather than intentions; those who never contribute a cent had no right to criticize.

Unexpectedly, another wealthy and charitable woman in the entertainment industry donated 100 million won, just like Suzy. To IU, that amount of money was truly just a drop in the bucket, but for that impoverished family, it was a tremendous help.

Just as everyone was waiting for a statement from above, a bombshell piece of news suddenly grabbed everyone's attention.

"The Presidential Office has issued a presidential decree to dissolve the Defense Security Command, an intelligence and reconnaissance agency under the Ministry of National Defense."

Yoon Young-chan, the Senior Secretary for Public Communication, stated at a press conference that Lieutenant General Nam Yeong-shin of the Special Warfare Command had been appointed as the new Defense Security Commander, tasked with dissolving and reorganizing this long-standing military intelligence organization.

As a branch that had produced two presidents and possessed a notorious reputation, the Defense Security Command had once owned the "Seobingo Hotel," the most infamous detention center in South Korea, and had played the villain in many films and dramas. As a member of Cha Lun-hoo's former unit, he knew better than anyone just how terrifying this institution was.

At the same time, to support this move, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that after the ferry disaster, the Defense Security Command had dispatched plainclothes agents to monitor the families of the victims, categorizing them into "moderates" and "hardliners," controlling their speech, and inciting conservative groups to slander the victims' families.

The media unanimously hyped this event, and with it, the popularity of Cha Lun-hoo and the related officers rose, their handsome faces helping them outshine many celebrity idols.

"Used as a pawn again. But this time, don't think you can just throw us away after you're done!"

Cha Lun-hoo lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, only to choke and cough uncontrollably like a greenhorn. His slightly trembling fingers betrayed that his heart was not as calm as his exterior suggested. In the end, he was still just a young man.