“Akreulgatsu’s Military Stories” by Hwang Hyun

February 14, 2024 246 Views

In 2009, a person using the pseudonym “Akreulgatsu” opened a blog named “Realog” on Tistory, where he eloquently shared his military stories and gained considerable popularity.

At that time, many men had experienced military service due to the societal norms, and there were intriguing and sometimes humorous memories associated with military life. (Of course, military service itself is often a series of challenging and monotonous moments, but living among peers, experiencing military life, becomes unforgettable memories of youth.)

“The Military Stories of Akreulgatsu, which consistently reached the bestsellers list with each published post”

Back then, concepts like “bestsellers” had not disappeared, and platforms like “Daum” provided real-time search rankings, while Tistory also ranked popular posts.

This blogger, who appeared like a comet, “Akreulgatsu,” consistently made it to the bestsellers list with every post, resonating with many readers. As a fan of the writer known as Akreulgatsu, I appreciated his ability to construct impactful narratives in short episodic formats, rather than long-winded novels. One could say it was the perfect content for a “blog.”

Reading his posts, I could reminisce about my own military life and naturally immerse myself in his experiences, different from mine.

Due to the popularity of military-related posts, Akreulgatsu even visited military units for coverage, resulting in a variety of military-related posts.

“Akreulgatsu’s Military Stories, published as a book.”

Thanks to the popularity of his blog, his posts were compiled and published as a “book,” retaining the title “Akreulgatsu’s Military Stories.”

Most of the episodes featured in the book were already familiar to those who had read his blog, so there wasn’t much novelty in the content itself. However, experiencing online posts in the form of a physical book was a new experience.

“If I had written my military stories, could I have conveyed them as entertainingly?”

It seemed that I had served in the military around the same time as the author of this book, Hwang Hyun. It appeared that I had enlisted just slightly earlier than him.

Therefore, as I read his stories through the book, I found myself empathizing even more. While reading, I couldn’t help but think, “If I had written my military stories, could I have conveyed them as entertainingly?” My writing style is closer to “documentary,” so perhaps I wouldn’t have conveyed the same impact.

“Fading Memories of Military Life”

It’s been quite a long time since I served in the military, so memories of military life are gradually fading. Moreover, due to censorship, I had to dispose of all the diaries I wrote during my early military days, leaving me with no tangible items to reminisce about that time. Although some diaries written after becoming a non-commissioned officer remained, I deliberately refrain from reading them. I choose to leave the past as memories and focus on moving forward.

Still, whenever the thought of writing military stories crosses my mind, I consider using those diaries from back then as a basis to write stories similar to those of Akreulgatsu.

“Akreulgatsu’s Military Stories”