Solo For Two

Karel’s appearance played a significant role in building his myth. When he sat at his desk in just a shirt, he looked more like a scholar than a rough soldier. Indeed, his vast knowledge and gentlemanly demeanor often made soldiers struggle to reconcile the man before them with the infamous Karel Clements they’d heard about. Contrary to his fearsome nickname, “The Butcher,” he seemed like a gentle young man.However, the deep scar slashing from his cheek to his lip testified to the fierce battles he had fought.Soldiers who saw Karel up close always talked about that scar.“They say he’s got scars all over his body, not just his face.”“That’s why he rarely takes off his gloves. He’s got a knife wound on his hand.”“How did he get those scars?”“Don’t you know, you fool? Do you even know why our unit is called the Red Valley?”“Isn’t it because the allied flag is red?”“No. When Captain Karel was still a rookie, he got separated from the unit while helping a comrade. There’s a story that he single-handedly slaughtered an entire ambushing division in the forest with just a knife. He got that scar on his cheek then. They say the valley ran red with blood all day long from the bodies. That’s why the enemy panics at the mention of Captain Karel’s name.”“Do you believe that? Those stories are always exaggerated to create war heroes. I can tell you what I saw. Eight months ago, I fought in the famous Battle of Petersburg with the captain, and we inflicted 10,000 casualties on the Russian army with just one battalion.”“Really? How many did you kill to brag like that? Were you really there? Anyway, there are so many prisoners now that it’s hard to manage them. A few weeks ago, enemy soldiers started rushing towards us. We thought they were attacking with bayonets, but they surrendered before the battle even started. Over 2,000 of them.”“The captain is merciful to those who surrender first…. Did you hear? He even managed to get all the captured sons of Austrian noble families back to the homeland.”“Wow, will he get a medal for that? Another promotion?”“Well, since he’s a commoner, higher-ranking nobles often take credit for his achievements.”“That’s unfair. But what’s the point of achievements? We’re going to lose this war anyway. Being an officer in a defeated nation….”“Captain, you’re here!”The soldier’s sharp exclamation abruptly ended the chatter in the barracks.Karel glanced around the now-silent room before speaking.“I will be visiting the regimental headquarters and will be absent starting the day after tomorrow. During that time, Lieutenant Georg will have temporary command.”“Will you be back the same day?”“Probably.”Karel then sat down.He seemed to be idly flipping through a newspaper. Newspaper delivery to the front lines was always delayed. Even the one from a week ago was a foreign paper.It was Lieutenant Georg who spoke to Karel again. A young officer from a noble family who had recently volunteered to transfer to the unit out of admiration for Karel, Georg was confident and slick. It was always his job to initiate conversation with their otherwise humorless superior.“Could it be another promotion?”“I don’t think so.”“Then perhaps a leave?”“It’s unlikely until the war ends.”Georg groaned at this. Karel feigned a small smile at his theatrics.“Still, the end of the war is near.”Karel’s comment cast another silence over the barracks.No one was foolish enough to misjudge the outcome of the war.The Austro-Hungarian Empire would lose.The fate of the empire was beyond the reach of even the greatest officer’s victories. The empire, held together by a web of interests, would fracture, and those left on the battlefield would return to their lonely lives, their memories of victory buried.Some soldiers, who could not imagine Karel without the war, envisioned him after the war. However, the image of him without his uniform felt awkward and hard to picture.It was Karel who first spoke to the silent soldiers.“How do you feel about finally going home?”“It’s unbelievable.”“I feel a bit relieved.”Encouraged by Karel’s casual words, Georg cautiously spoke again.“Are you married, Captain?”“Not yet.”“No way! Really surprising! A great soldier like you is still single…. Actually, I have a cousin, how about her? She’s just turned fifteen….”At that, another lieutenant next to him hit Georg’s arm as if to scold him. With a silent cry of ‘why!’ from Georg, someone else continued.“The Captain has a lover back home. Rumor has it she’s an incredible beauty.”“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. But it makes sense that someone like you wouldn’t be alone….”“There isn’t anyone.”At Karel’s words, the two soldiers fell silent. A soldier, noticing the atmosphere, spoke up.“I must have been mistaken! I’m sorry!”“You don’t need to apologize. Many seem to think so.”“Yes….”“It’s rare for someone to wait for four years.”At Karel’s matter-of-fact words, the soldiers nodded again.Lovers separated by war usually end in two ways. Either they hastily marry during a leave because they’re anxious about the separation, or they part ways forever. Georg found it hard to believe that the man before him had loved someone and had an ordinary breakup like anyone else. Was it because he was ‘that’ Karel? Or because he spoke of his story as if it were someone else’s?In any case, mentioning four years made it clear that he had been separated from his lover during the war. Despite knowing he should stop, Georg couldn’t suppress his curiosity and asked again.“Then… did you break up with her?”“No.”“What? You were dumped!”Murmurs of ‘stop it’ could be heard around. The lieutenant next to him pinched Georg’s back, but Georg didn’t stop talking.“When you go back home, you’ll see her again, right? You won’t just let it go, right? You need revenge! Show up and flaunt your success… Make your ex, who clings to your trousers, feel regret and then dump her….”At Georg’s words, Karel made a pretense of smiling but said nothing.At that moment, a soldier entered the room.“Captain, the prisoner processing is complete.”Karel nodded and stood up, seemingly intending to check personally.Before completely leaving, Karel stopped in front of Georg. He casually said one last thing.“Isn’t that something you do only when you still have lingering feelings?”Georg stared blankly at Karel’s back as he left the room.Indeed, it seemed his cold superior had already sorted out his feelings long ago. Having served under Karel for only three months, Georg felt he was finally starting to understand him a bit, and he nodded belatedly.＊ ＊ ＊At the regimental headquarters, military doctor Ben was waiting to meet Karel, whom he hadn’t seen in nearly a year.He heard that Karel had received another medal two months ago. He probably had more than enough medals, and it would be good to promote him, but the home country seemed to be delaying the promotion of Karel, who was from a common background.Upon hearing the rumors, Ben felt somewhat disheartened. Karel’s name was known everywhere on the Eastern Front, and each time Ben heard it, he felt proud as if it were his own achievement. He often showed off the bullet wound scar he got during the Battle of the Red Valley, where Karel first gained recognition. People were usually envious of even that scar. Ben saw Karel’s success as his own.‘Still, to be called back to the headquarters after just two months…. It must be a special promotion, right?’With anticipation, Ben looked out the window.As Ben was killing time gazing out the window, he noticed a fairly luxurious carriage entering the headquarters. The treatment from the military seemed quite good. Soon, a tall man in an officer’s uniform stepped out of the carriage. It was Karel. Ben, feeling a wave of affection, went downstairs to greet him.Karel was entering with calm steps that even subdued the dust.“Karel!”At that moment, Karel’s cold gaze pierced Ben.It was only for a moment. Almost immediately, Karel recognized Ben and quickly softened his expression, showing a welcoming face. However, Ben, having experienced Karel’s icy look for that brief instant, felt uneasy as he extended his hand for a handshake.“…How have you been? It’s been too long, hasn’t it?”“I didn’t expect to see you so suddenly.”Ben swallowed the joke he had prepared. He had thought it would be quite funny to tease Karel about why the ‘Butcher’ was capturing prisoners alive instead of slaughtering them. But now, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. The atmosphere around Karel had significantly changed.The youthful freshness that had sometimes been visible before was nowhere to be found, making Ben feel somewhat out of place.“By the way, your promotions are so rapid that you frequently visit the regimental headquarters, huh?”“Am I progressing quickly?”“Of course, you’re unique in that regard. It seems like being a soldier is your calling. It’s ironic, finding your talent through war.”Ben, having said this, worried that his words might sound sarcastic. But contrary to his concern, Karel smiled slightly.Feeling a bit relieved, Ben led him to the temporary office.“Wait here for a bit. The brigadier will come after lunch. I felt bad about just making you wait, so I said I would greet you myself.”“Thank you for your consideration.”Ben clicked his tongue as he looked closely at Karel’s face, which was bowed politely.“That scar on your face never seems to fade. I expected it to scar, but I didn’t think it would stay so prominent.”“Well…. I don’t see my face often, so it doesn’t bother me much.”“It’s a shame for such a fine face to be scarred. You know, the aftermath of the war has led to a new department in medical school. It specializes in scar removal and reconstructive surgery. You’ve seen a lot, right? Soldiers with missing noses or ears get new faces made. Haha.”“Indeed. Compared to that, my scar is nothing.”Karel was always polite, but today there was an inexplicable barrier. While Ben was trying to figure out the reason, a soldier came in, saluted, and spoke to Karel.“Captain, would you like a cup of hot tea?”“That would be nice.”The soldier carefully brewed black tea in a meticulously cleaned cup without a single fingerprint. The process was so delicate and handled as if it might break, capturing Ben’s attention as he watched. The soldier handed over the cup with a voice full of admiration.“You’re my hero, Captain. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”“Thank you.”Karel took a sip of the tea and smiled with his eyes. The soldier, visibly thrilled, saluted again and left the room. Ben smiled, watching his retreating figure. Many soldiers in the unit were eager to be in Karel’s presence.Turning back to Karel, Ben spoke again.“By the way, do you want to read the newspaper? You don’t get these at the front lines, do you?”“No. But if I wait a bit, I can get older issues. Is there interesting news?”“Well, it’s all the same. The fun part is seeing how they dress up our retreat to deceive the public…. Oh, the back part of the newspaper is the interesting part. Huh? Someone’s already worked on the crossword.”“It’s fine.”Karel said this and began flipping through the newspaper from the back as Ben had recommended. The newspaper was filled with advertisements unrelated to the war, news about the nobility’s social events, and brief reports from the cultural and arts sectors. Then Ben noticed that Karel’s gaze lingered on a particular section for a long time. The article, given a lot of space and featuring a large photograph, was about entertainment in a distant country.“For eye candy, that’s the best. Everyone fights to cut out the photos, but lately there’s been a lot of articles, so at least there’s some variety.”Ben brought over a few more newspapers and spread out the photos.What Karel was looking at was a picture of a ballet performance that was very popular in Paris. The dancers’ costumes were unique and beautiful, and their appearances were excellent, so Ben had often seen soldiers cut out the photos to keep. What Ben found puzzling was that not only were the female dancers popular, but the male dancers also had significant appeal.Ben, who was uncomfortable with homosexuality, frowned as he looked at the male dancer Karel was staring at. The dancer had a delicate face, and the lines of his body were intriguing through the revealing costume.Despite everything, Ben couldn’t hide his amusement at seeing Karel’s interest in the photo. Despite becoming overly rigid, Karel wasn’t much different from other young soldiers in this regard.“Hmm…. This is yesterday’s paper, and there’s last week’s too. I guess it’s a big trend in Paris. They say young men and women alike are going crazy trying to imitate the clothes and hairstyles.”Karel slowly unfolded the newspaper and read those articles for a long time.‘Huh, I thought he was so devoted to his lover that he wouldn’t look at anything else…. Oh! Maybe they broke up.’It was possible. The war had been dragging on for four years.Rumors were swirling that the Allies were about to surrender because they had run out of firepower to sustain the war. It was only a matter of time before the Austro-Hungarian Empire fell apart. Even though the officer’s salary was decent, there was little honor to be expected after becoming a defeated nation. During that time, it was likely the woman had quickly decided to break up.Ben hesitated a bit about whether to ask Karel what had happened with the lover he had been so in love with. In the past, he would have asked without hesitation, but Karel had changed. It was hard to pinpoint exactly, but something about him was different….Then the battalion commander arrived, and Ben had to leave the room. Regretting the brief reunion, Ben offered a light farewell and left.The news Ben received later that day was quite shocking.Instead of a promotion, the homeland had decided to send Karel to the Western Front. They were handing over the stabilized Eastern Front to someone else and sending the war hero back into the fray. Ben was furious at this, but he heard that Karel left the headquarters immediately after receiving the order without showing any disappointment.Later, Ben found a familiar stack of newspapers at the incinerator. It was the newspaper he had given to Karel. It seemed Karel had come to burn it himself before leaving. The photo of the dancer, which soldiers fought over to get, was half-burned and charred.Ben smiled bitterly as he looked at the stack of newspapers.‘Trying to find a touch of humanity in this, what was I thinking.’It felt futile to think that Karel might still have the image of a young man cutting out the dancer’s photo. Ben picked up the half-burned stack of newspapers and threw it back into the fire. The newspaper with the beautiful male dancer’s face printed on it quickly turned black and unrecognizable.Ben wanted to bid farewell to Karel at least once more, but he had already left for the Western Front. At that time, Ben thought he would have another chance to meet him. However, the situation on the Western Front worsened, and he never met Karel again until the end of the war. To make matters worse, there were no reports of Karel’s achievements.Ben consoled himself with memories of both the young soldier Karel who had saved his life in the past and the Karel changed by the war.