I Pray That You Forget Me - Chapter 106
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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“That is…”
Before Johann could respond, Mr. Koehler interjected to support him.
“I confirmed it when the Renner couple first came to our village to register their residence. They had a discharge certificate issued by the military.”
The sharp gaze that had been looking at Johann like he was a draft dodger quickly softened.
“Anyway, that rookie…”
The topic returned to the lieutenant’s story, but the Major kept his sharp eyes fixed on Johann as he took a cigarette from his pack and offered it to him.
“Have one.”
Was he really going to light a cigarette for someone he usually looked down upon? He was already lighting the lighter with one hand while offering the cigarette with the other.
“Johann doesn’t smoke.”
Johann raised his hand under the table, but I stepped in first to block him. The Major turned his piercing gaze toward me. There was an inexplicable displeasure in his eyes.
“Is a man who doesn’t smoke really a man? Besides, it’s rude not to accept a gift when it’s offered.”
With a mix of provocation and intimidation, the Major pressed his offer again, and I firmly voiced the thought that had come to mind when he first extended the cigarette.
“A person who has had tuberculosis shouldn’t smoke. It could easily relapse.”
This must have been knowledge from my time as a nurse. Did Johann not know? His hand, which had been reaching for the cigarette under the table, fell back to his thigh. How could he be so careless with his own body while being so protective of mine? It was so typically Johann.
“Johann Renner has a very good wife.”
But why was the Major looking at me with such a cold, displeased expression as he said something that could be taken either seriously or as a jest? What was the big deal about a cigarette?
“How did you catch tuberculosis?”
“I caught it while serving in the same barracks as a recruit who didn’t know he had it when he enlisted.”
“Hm… that’s a common story.”
As the Major muttered while lighting the cigarette he had intended for Johann, he asked, “Which unit was it?”
Johann didn’t answer and instead pierced the Major with his gaze before countering with his own question.
“Are you planning to erase my record of discharge from that unit if I tell you?”
At that moment, the chatter around us abruptly stopped. The heavy silence fell over the table as the two men glared at each other, reminiscent of the tense stillness just before the first shot in battle.
“Ha…”
The first to break the tense silence was the Major.
“Most military records are already lost, so there’s no need for me to go that far. It means you can name any unit; it’s damn hard to prove anything. So, do you regret it now? Should have named any unit.”
“It seems you still can’t shake off your suspicions, but I’m not a draft dodger.”
The Major smirked and suddenly turned menacing, demanding in a threatening tone.
“Just name the unit.”
Was his intention to interrogate me? Was he really trying to frame an innocent citizen as a criminal without any evidence?
I thought he was trying to intimidate me, but now he was threatening Johann. My anger clouded my fear, and as I was about to protest, Johann tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me closer to him. In the moment of surprise, Johann spoke first.
“Military status? I have nothing to hide. Writing? Nothing I can provide.”
Johann’s tone was surprisingly angry, which startled me even more.
“But not doing so doesn’t make me untrustworthy; it’s because the questioner’s intent is untrustworthy.”
“Oh, really? What untrustworthy intent do you think I have?”
“It seems you’re trying to frame me as a draft dodger or something similar, aiming to make my wife into the unattainable maiden you desire.”
I never expected Johann to bring up a conversation we had kept hush-hush in front of others, and I was taken aback. Yet Johann appeared so calm, as if he had been waiting for the right moment to say this.
“Me? Just for a woman?”
The Major laughed derisively, as if Johann’s accusation was absurd, glancing around as if looking for someone to join him in mocking Johann. However, the fellow officers were either looking away or pretending they hadn’t heard, which was strange.
“To say just for a woman seems rather disingenuous when you’ve shown such interest in my wife.”
But no one was leaving this uncomfortable situation; they seemed curious about how this conversation would unfold. While others were intrigued, I felt a pressing urge to escape.
What plan did Johann have that would lead him to confront a military officer directly? He wasn’t an impulsive man, so there had to be some calculation behind his actions, but it might also be a miscalculation.
