Hey guys! So I ended up deleting my other story because there were way too many loopholes haha. I expect this one to be much better so you should too! Tell me what you think!! Upvote & Subscribe! :]

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Outside, the air was beginning to cool. It had been very humid earlier and a random shower had hit. My breaths were coming out in spurts and my entire body was drenched in sweat and rain. The rain did nothing but prolong my usual five mile run to seven miles- running in rain made me feel free. The atmosphere felt light yet there was a cloud of frustration floating around. I bent down to re-tie my shoes when I heard a familiar salute from behind me. I took my time turning around, making sure that he stay stuck in that position for as long as possible.

He was indeed stuck in that position- his back rod straight and arm angled perfectly. “Captain.”

I kicked the muddy road, aiming for his boot-clad feet. I looked up to find him still in that annoyingly practiced position.

“Stop it.” I said. He immediately dropped his hand and seemed to stand even taller, if that were even possible.

All it took were seven measly steps and I was in front of him. The familiar scent of soap and oranges wafted up my nose and I faltered. I could buy his cologne over and over again yet it wasn’t the same as smelling it on his actual body. His hair was neatly buzzed, almost like the cut was recent. He had a bit of a shadow on his chin but that was reasonable since he was on the special forces unit. His army green shirt was taut against his chest but I’ve seen better in the military- although his was still impressive.

“Why do you keep doing that?” I instinctively reached out to touch him but he flinched and took a step back. I dropped my hand and let them turn into fists.

“Doing what, Captain?” I searched his eyes for anything- something. Maybe he was joking. Maybe he was just trying to get some sort of revenge. But his eyes were vacant: the usual vibrant brown was gone and replaced with what looked like dull dirt.

“Chanyeol, please-”

He blinked and his lips twitched. “Captain. I was actually on my way to the First Lieutenant’s office. I cannot be late. Thank you and please return to your bunk safely. Good night.” He gave me one last perfect salute and continued to walk right past me.

I could almost hear him rolling his eyes as he walked away. Running after him or screaming his name would have no effect on his decisions. I let out a long forbidden sigh and unclenched my fists. I looked at my palms and found bloody crescents that were sure signs of my anger. The moon was shining heavily and illuminated the trees. I started to walk, after God knows how long, back to my bunk. The night was still so young yet I felt like I had ran ten miles instead of my usual five.

I got back to my bunk without looking at my surroundings, knowing the grounds like the back of my hand. I quickly undressed from my sticky clothes and took out an identical pair from my wardrobe: a white shirt and green thigh-high polyester shorts. I threw it on my bed, grabbed clean underwear, and ran to the bathroom. Stepping into the pelting hot shower was extremely soothing. All thoughts, fears and ambitions were swept away by the unknowing water. I stayed under the water until I couldn’t breath. It helped me focus on something other than my responsibilities- and Chanyeol.

I was actually the one that had taught him to perform such a perfect salute. He hadn’t always been like that. There were times when he would let out a smirk or a choked laugh. But now all he wanted was just to get away from me. He had changed his ing rank to a lower one- just so he wouldn’t be near me. We weren’t even in the same division, so all changing ranks did was to ensure that we never would be.

“Aeri? Are you okay? The water’s been on for the past hour!” My roommate, Eunseo, had to shout to be heard beyond the wall and water.

I shut off the water, grabbed a pale green towel and wrapped it around my body- not before putting on the pair of clean underwear. The door to the bathroom was soon yanked open and Eunseo stood wide-eyed. “You okay?” She was dressed in a black shirt and black polyester shorts. She had a short pixie cut and her skin was fairly pale with a sprinkle of freckles. If it weren’t for her fiery attitude, she would’ve been the type of girl that had many men at her feet.

I gave her a small nod and an equally small smile shadowed my face.

“What were you doing in there for so long? There isn’t a guy-” I punched her arm before the words could even escape and she groaned, grabbing at her wound.

“What was that for?” She was groaning and I couldn’t help but laugh. My eyes crinkled and dimples poked my cheeks.

Eunseo stopped fooling around and punched me back on my still-wet, bare arm. “Now that’s more like it.” She said proudly. I winced but smiled nonetheless. Our petty punches were nothing compared to what we usually got during practice.

“So I’m guessing you bumped into Chanyeol?” She said, walking away and sitting on her bed on the left side of the room. She swung her legs back and forth and crossed her arms above her chest. She was a fierce little beast. She had the physique of chihuahua but the bite of a bulldog.

I walked back over to my bed and grabbed my fresh set of clothes. I quickly changed in front of her, not minding the . We’d been living together for the past four years after all.

“Oh. So you didn’t just bump into him but something happened as well.” Eunseo calculated. Her tone was articulate and cold. She obviously didn’t love Chanyeol. But she didn’t hate him either.

“I don’t know.” I tried to shrug her off as I dried my long black hair. Droplets of water clung to my face and I relished the small bursts of cold against my warm cheeks.

“You do know. Alright? Stop it. You need to face the truth Aeri-ah. I understand that it hurts- I do. But you need to stop trying to forget or do whatever it is that you’re doing and-” I banged my fist against my bed frame and Eunseo froze. I was as scared and shocked as her.

“I- I’m sorry. I’m just not in the right mind. I- I know Eunseo. I know I need to grow up and move on but I can’t. Shooting more guns doesn’t help. Flirting with other guys doesn’t help. Trying to forget doesn’t help either. Whenever I see him or hear him it’s like ripping a band-aid over and over again.” Eunseo visibly relaxed and I let out a sigh in reaction. She didn’t respond and instead, crawled into her bed. Her petite frame was basically engulfed under her covers but I looked away.

I knew I was in the wrong yet I felt like I was right. Eunseo wasn’t mad at me but more so that she was frustrated and didn’t know what to tell me. I turned and continued to dry my hair. The scent of apples and vanilla permeated throughout the room and it was oddly comforting. Being surrounded by majority of men sometimes made me miss the feminine aspects of life- like actually smelling decent.

I put the towel away and turn off the bunk’s lights. I would have to be back up in seven hours. I picked up the small clear bottle from my wooden bedside table and sprayed it across my pillow. I hesitated but then sprayed it once more over my entire bed. It was almost like a nighttime ritual and it helped me relax. I put it away and slipped into bed. The familiar scent of soap and oranges coaxed me into a dreamless sleep.

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I found myself standing on a seven foot pedestal the following morning. I was yelling commands through a speakerphone, trying to get the young soldiers to listen and follow. They were crawling through mud underneath extremely dangerous wires.

“You can and you will do it!”

They all screamed “Yes Captain!” In response. The mud seemed to ripple from the sunlight like a mirage, confusing me for a second as to where I was.

“I think you’ve been up there for too long Captain.” My second in command, Kyungsoo, yelled. His eyes were covered with an army green cap, only revealing his puffy heart-shaped lips.

“I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. My knees were trembling and my eyes were losing focus. I had told myself that I could endure as much as the soldiers- without water or food underneath the splintering sun.

“Captain, please-”

“Keep going! Stick to the ground and don’t lift your body!” I screamed, cutting of Kyungsoo and any other distraction. I could and would stay up here. I repeated the mantra into the speakerphone over and over again until my throat couldn’t take anymore. I had gone up onto the pedestal at around the 6:00 a.m but it was now 10:30 a.m. A steady scent of iron, dirt and sweat filled the air, making me even more sick.

I barely whispered Kyungsoo’s name before I wobbled and fell off the pedestal. All the breath left my lungs and my body seemed to stop fighting. Yet I never felt my body hit the ground. I only felt a strong pair of arms envelop me. They carried me for a while until I was finally laid on a soft comforter.

“Captain?” I was too worn out, so all I could muster was a little moan. I heard two extremely familiar male voices start to argue with each other.

“I told you to take care of her.”

“I can’t help that she likes to make her own decisions. She’s not a robot. She’s the captain for s sake. I can’t just tell her what to do.”

“I don’t care. What would you have done if I wasn’t there just now?”

“I- I don’t know honestly. I can watch out for her but I can’t protect her from ever-” There was a loud bang and both of the voices went silent.

“I didn’t mean to do that.” There was no response this time.

“I just- I trust you. A lot. But she’s- she’s special.” The voice hesitated before reiterating. “because she’s the captain, you know?” The two voices went silent again and I couldn’t bear the it anymore. I let out a groan and a body was suddenly right beside me.

“Aeri?” The familiar husky yet masculine voice had my heart rate pacing. A heady scent of soap and oranges filled my senses and I groaned, trying to muster anything.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The warm body suddenly stood up after listening to the other voice’s words.

“Y- you’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was just at the wrong place at the right time.” Soon, a door was opened and closed- leaving me with just the owner of the second voice. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t miss the warmth and scent of the other man. The second voice sighed and he seemed to be shaken.

“Aeri, are you okay?” I gulped in alarm. How did he know that I was listening.

“I don’t know if you were listening.. but don’t take what I said to heart. He just needs me to be that friend right now. The doctor’s on his way right now so don’t move. I’ll be right here.” The voice drew closer and my makeshift bed bent underneath a heavy weight. But it wasn’t the scent of soap and oranges that filled my senses this time.