SPENDING THE NIGHT in the storage room made me think of many things. Especially about things people around me said. And the way he acted when I was with him. And how I felt about him.

    Every time we were together, he made sparks fly. I tried to hold myself down, but he didn’t help much. My feelings for him were getting stronger, but what Hwayoung told me confused me. I started to re-question why I had his picture with me in the first place. I wanted to know so badly, but, something stopped me.

    I got up from the box I was sitting on and walked towards the door. I knocked it couple of times but no one answered. I called out some names, but no one uttered a word.

“I know someone’s keeping watch,” I said as I sat down next to the door. “Whoever it is, please call Baek Sangsa for me.” I said, and I heard whispers. So there were two people keeping watch. “Uhm…” I cleared my throat, “Tell her… I have-” Why can’t my brain think of another excuse?! “A lady problem.” I said, and I heard one run away. Within two minutes, I heard Hwayoung’s voice.

“Sunbae- How-” She scoffed from outside, moved closer to the door and whispered, “I know your dates.” And I imagined her face while she did it, which made me smile.

“Then why did you come?” I asked, and I heard her sigh out loud.

“You used that as an excuse, which meant you really needed to talk to me. That’s why I’m here.”

“Hmm. Sit down. I want to talk. And ask them to go a little further.” I asked, and she ordered them to stand watch somewhere else. “This conversation that is about to happen is between Kim Iseul and Baek Hwayoung; not Second Lieutenant and Major Sergeant.” I said, and I heard her sigh.

“Are you asking me to drop formalities?” She asked, and I said yes. She sighed one more time.

“Jung Taekwoon. I knew him, didn’t I?” I asked, and I heard her move her legs to sit in a comfortable position. She and I both knew that this was going to be a long conversation.

“Yes.”

“When I got discharged from the hospital, the car I walked towards-”

“It’s Jung Daewi’s private vehicle.” She completed the sentence for me.

“So the one I saw-”

“It was him. He came to the hospital to visit you, but then he got called back to come here.” I found myself nodding.

“But I was in the hospital for three weeks. How come he never visited me?”

“Sunbae, you were unconscious for two weeks. He was on duty here, and came back when he found out you got injured. He was with you ever since the day he came back, but he couldn’t come after you woke up. That’s why he came to visit you on the day you were discharged, but he couldn’t greet you because he got called out.”

“But why didn’t you tell me?”

“When we found you that you lost your memory, he asked me not to tell you about him.”

“Why?” I asked her. I heard her take a deep breath and let it out.

“Do you remember the story I told you about my friend?”

“Yeah. The reason you hate him.”

“The friend I mentioned was none other than you.” She said, and I forgot how to speak. No way. Jung Taekwoon and I. I was the one used to go out with him. No wonder why I had a picture of him in my wallet. Oh Heavens, what should I do? “Sunbae?”

“So, what you’re saying is - him and I used to-” I stopped myself.

“I don’t think there’s any soldier couple in our country that’s more famous than you two.” She laughed. “