In a subway car, an irritated lieutenant colonel yelled at a young woman — but his face suddenly turned pale when she took off her coat 

The morning silence filled the train — the rumble of the wheels, a few quiet conversations, and the smell of coffee from thermoses. People were buried in their phones, hurrying to work.

At one station, a young woman entered — slender, not very tall, with a neat bun and a calm expression. She wore a beige coat with a belt, buttoned up to the neck.

She sat down across from a man in a military uniform, covered in medals. He was a lieutenant colonel — stern, confident, with the posture of a man used to authority.

He glanced at her and frowned. He thought he saw something under her coat that looked like a military collar — dark green, official-looking.

A flicker of irritation crossed his face. Perhaps it was pride, perhaps boredom, but something pushed him to act.

— What’s that under your coat? — he asked sharply, leaning forward.

The young woman looked at him in surprise but said nothing.

— I asked you, where did you get that uniform? — he raised his voice. — What, are you playing soldier now? Or did you buy it online for likes?

A few passengers turned their heads, curious.

The woman exhaled slowly.

— Excuse me, but I didn’t give you permission to speak to me in that tone, — she said calmly.

— Didn’t give me permission?! — he snapped. — I’ve served in the army for twenty years, and I won’t tolerate someone who has nothing to do with it wearing a uniform! It’s sacred! Take it off immediately!

He spoke loudly and forcefully, so much so that even nearby passengers stopped whispering. The young woman sat still, looking straight into his eyes.

— Are you finished? — she asked quietly.

The lieutenant colonel opened his mouth to respond but froze when she slowly unbuckled her belt and took off her coat. At that moment, he deeply regretted his words and was stunned by what he saw 
 Continued in the first comment 

Under the coat was a perfectly pressed military uniform with the emblem of the special forces and the insignia of a major. Medals gleamed on her chest. The woman took out her military ID and placed it in front of him.

— Major of the special forces, — she said evenly, without raising her voice. — It’s good to see you defend the honor of the army so passionately. Odd, though, that you do it by shouting at a fellow officer in public.

A heavy silence filled the subway car. The lieutenant colonel turned pale, his lips trembling. He wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

— I think command will be interested to know how you “defend the army’s honor” — and with whom you think you can speak like that, — she continued, calmly buttoning her coat again. — Or perhaps you’d prefer to simply apologize?

The man swallowed hard, leaned back, and murmured almost inaudibly:
— I’m sorry, comrade major… I… didn’t know.

She nodded without looking at him.
— Sometimes it’s better to know who you’re talking to first, — she said softly, then exited at the next station, leaving the car in tense silence.

The passengers stared at the lieutenant colonel, who didn’t lift his head — he only let out a deep sigh.