Hunter's eyes flickered hearing her name.

That was Catherine?

​​

"Catherine, good. I see."

Hunter didn't expect that Catherine would dare to reason with him. He turned livid.

He would give her a physical punishment if she were his soldiers. He might punch her and then drill her harshly.

Catherine was so bold, Hunter thought.

"I'm in no position to accuse you of anything. I just thought it was not a big deal. But you'd rather accuse me of not reporting than care about Anna. That's heartless."

Hunter's look got worse.

Ethel and Cecil kept giving Catherine the looks, suggesting she put a sock in it. Nothing good would come out of it if Catherine kept upsetting Hunter.

"You think you're right?"

"I make a mistake by not telling you in time. I'm wrong that I left without reporting. But I think it's forgivable."

Catherine really believed there was no need to dwell on this.

Military training was not as strict as what soldiers received. A lot of instructors would be tolerant. But Catherine was okay that Hunter liked being stern.

"How dare you talk big knowing you made a mistake! A mistake is a mistake. You shouldn't be excused. The training isn't a clown show."

Others looked at Catherine with sympathy. There was a personal grudge with Hunter. She would suffer a lot in the next few days.

Catherine wanted to keep a profile. But if she was wrongfully accused, she had to fight back, or she would be a fool.

Everyone in her class knew she took Anna to the doctors. But Hunter was targeting her on purpose. If it wasn't Ethel, someone else must frame her up and speak bad things about her in front of Hunter.

Although Catherine didn't know Ethel for a long time, she didn't strike her as a scheming girl. She was lively and direct. She was nice.

And the answer was obvious if there was one person who liked her the least.

"You talk back to me and leave without telling me. Get over there and keep the standard military pose. Don't move without my order."

Catherine was punished for standing under the blazing sun.

Hunter realized he was being too tough because of Anna. So he asked others to take a break under the shade. As for Catherine, the punishment continued.

Although Catherine wore a hat to cover the sunlight, she couldn't help getting burnt minutes later. It was being grilled, and she felt awful.

She couldn't move at all, which included not wiping off the sweat. The only things she would move were her eyeballs.

Hunter was being deliberate to let Catherine suffer. She stood under the blazing sun for 2 hours while the rest of the squad rested under the shade.

All the freshmen received training on the ground. Catherine stood out by standing on her own. Some guys got curious and asked what was going on. They found out she talked back to Hunter and didn't know whether to laugh at her or give her a compliment.

"Catherine, are you okay?"

Ethel and Cecil came over immediately after they got the order to rest. Seeing Catherine's face was covered in sweat, and some even got in her eyes, they felt mad and sorry for her. They hurried to wipe the sweat off with tissues.

"Catherine, why do you have to talk back to him? It's been days, and you know what he's like. You make him look bad in front of his squad, and he'll get back at you."

Cecil said gently, "You could have apologized to him earlier and won't have to suffer."

"It's okay. There are only nine days left. I don't believe he could kill me."

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"I have to get something off my chest. Don't worry about me, girls."

How could they not?

The sun was blazing that they could make toast eggs on the road. They could take a rest under the shade. But Catherine still stood there after two hours.

The others were curious about Catherine. She became famous among them, and every freshman almost knew her name.

"So much for this afternoon. Rendezvous back here at seven in the evening. Dismissed!"

Everyone got so relieved hearing the word "dismissed." That meant they got through another day.

"Stop!"

Catherine was asked to stop the second she turned around.

"What's it, Instructor Hunter?"

"Who asks you to leave?"

"We're dismissed."

"They are dismissed. But not you."

"Oh? You want to get back at me?"

"Since you're so good at talking, I give you two minutes to convince me."

Catherine stood there and chose to shut up.

She knew he was jerking her around. If she couldn't satisfy him in two minutes, he would humiliate her by letting her keep standing. If so, she'd rather save the energy.

"What? You aren't sure about yourself?"

"I'd rather save my time and energy."

Hunter got instigated and said, "Then keep standing!"

Seeing Hunter leave, Catherine sat down. She would not give him the satisfaction.

She was taking a rest because her feet were numb.

Other students came by in groups and couldn't help turning back at Catherine. She got all the attention.

"Ken, I heard one freshman talked back to the military instructor and was punished for standing for the afternoon. And she didn't move at all."

"Why do you tell me?"

"She's from your major and department."

Ken showed no interest and kept a poker face.

"Is that girl we're talking about? She's the only one left on the ground. I say we go by and talk to her."

"You can do that. I'm going back."

"Come with us. The ground is on your way back."

Ken was dragged by his friends.

Catherine was eating the dinner Sophia bought her. She sat down on the ground and golfed down some food and water. She said, "I feel I'm alive again."

Knowing Catherine was punished, Sophia came to her the second she was dismissed in her room. Then she found out Catherine wasn't back. So she bought dinner and came to the ground. There she was, standing all alone on the ground. She gave her a sad face seeing Sophia.

"Slow down. There's more."

"I'm thirsty, but not every hungry. That Hunter is cruel and heartless."

"It's okay. Don't mess with him, or you're the one who suffers."

"I'm not wrong. But he doesn't like the truth."

"You undermined his authority in front of his squad. He would feel threatened. It's natural he makes you a target."

"He's petty and cruel. He asked me to stand, so I could get starved to death."

Catherine talked a lot with Sophia. She was mad and turned anger into appetite. Then she ate all her dinner.

Ken heard her voice, and it sounded familiar. He frowned, and after seeing her face, his look changed for the worse.

It was her.