3 years later...

Mi Yeung trudged up the hill to reach the common house. Her arms were loaded with books and papers and other supplies. She just returned from the church where she started working with the children. It is already midafternoon, yet her day shows no signs of slowing down. She passed through dilapidated houses and empty buildings; the streets still bearing remnants of the time spent under the rebel seige. Once a thriving peaceful place, now there is only the scruffy looking town with its residents looking just as worn and broken-down. Many changes have occurred in the small island after the war, and not altogether for the better.

The battle to reclaim Yangkusan was but a tip of the iceberg. For, unbeknownst to the country, it signalled the guerilla army's offensive movement along different parts of the border, dragging the war tediously for 2 years before being fully contained. Though both the North and South Nations still remain locked in a tenuous relationship, a temporary settlement for peace was agreed upon and signed, albeit begrudgingly; the North was quick to dissociate itself from the shenanigans of the renegade guerilla army after their defeat became imminent.

The islands and the bordering states affected began their rebuilding; its people slowly picking up the pieces of their lives again amidst the chaos they've lived through. Yangkusan suffered much more than the bordering towns, being an island unto itself and the people left destitute were landlocked. There were untold tragedies, though not directly as casualties of war, but casualties nevertheless. And Mi Yeung and her family were not spared.

She reached the common house and greeted one of the ahjussi who was sweeping the grounds. Old man Tak, as everyone calls him, is a fixture in the common house which has become a place for the misplaced villagers in Yangkusan. There were quite few of them. The government had subsidized multiple tenement housing all over the country as a way to help the villagers that had been affected by the war: those that needed a place to stay while they rebuild, and those that have lost their homes after becoming impoverished and have no other recourse left.

Mi Yeung and her dad moved to a small cottage like lean-to in the settlement grounds. In exchange for this living place, Mi Yeung taught the residents' children in the church basement, and took her turn in handling the evening meals for the common house. There were ten families at this particular tenement housing; with Old man Tak serving as groundskeeper, Mrs. Wen, one of the ahjummas, as caregiver and matron, and Mrs. Pung, as head housekeeper/taskmistress. The families pitch in to keep their place maintained as a source of pride; for though they may be destitute, beholden to the generosity of the state, they remained dignified by giving back as much as they receive.

"Annyeong, Mi Yeung-ie. Finished already?" Old man Tak said in greeting. "Mrs. Pung's son brought some more vegetables earlier. Do you think we can some jjigae tonight?" he said hopefully. Mr. Tak's been asking for vegetable stew, with the weather starting to get chilly in the evenings again. "It would go well with yachaejeon (vegetable pancake). We still have potatoes from yesterday."

"Of course, Mr. Tak. I can help Yoon Seo with meals tonight," she said, adding, "if Mrs. Wen can stay with Appa." She waved at Old man Tak as she walked on. The main tenement common house is set in the middle, with several older folks sitting outside chatting while doing their chores. Some are hanging their wash, picking beans for drying, or just chatting. She waved and bowed as she passed them by.

Her small home is further down the path, flanked by several citrus trees, and several similar small cottages can be seen dotting the countryside. Her home has a small vegetable garden to the side. An older lady can be seen crouching, busy weeding among the cucumbers and pepper plants. Mi Yeung could hear her humming old trot songs while engrossed on her task.

"Annyeong, Mrs. Wen," she called out in greeting. "You did not need to trouble yourself with the garden." She set down her books and papers by the stoop and walked over to Mrs. Wen.

"Annyeong, Mi Yeung-ie," the older lady replied, grunting a bit as she straightened up from where she crouched. "Yu Han-sshi fell asleep. Your garden needed some weeding anyway and you've been busy."

"Thank you. Is Appa feeling better today?" she asked, as she bent down and helped the lady weed some more. Mr. Lee had suffered a debilitating sometime a year ago and has been bedbound since. His heart condition made his recovery slow and difficult. Mi Yeung was very glad to have Mrs. Wen, an old family friend, to help her. After her Halmoni passed away followed by her Appa getting sick, Mi Yeung felt as if she is being put through the wringer. She had to juggle many jobs to afford the care of her father, even sell their family home to pay their bills. Every day has been a never ending struggle for survival. But she kept on, drawing on the inner strength she never knew she was capable of.

"He ate a few and I was able to get him to take some medicine. He is a stubborn man even now, hmmp," the old lady said. "He only has a few doses of medicine left, Mi Yeung-ie."

She nodded in understanding. "I'll go check on Appa, Mrs. Wen. Thank you. Please go home and rest," she told the older lady. "I may need your help later again when I do the cooking for the evening," she said.

She helped Mrs. Wen staighten up, who turned to reply, "Try and get some rest too, Mi Yeung-ie, while he sleeps. I will go take my leave then. I'll come back in a few hours." The older lady shuffled off to the common house.

Mi Yeung walked into their small cottage. It is comprised only of one room, with a small area set aside for sitting and eating, and further inside, a pellet is set on the floor where Mr. Lee lies sleeping. His sonorous breathing heavy, a worrisome sound that clutched at Mi Yeung heart. Her Appa is slowly deteriorating before her eyes. The once robust, larger than life man she's known all her life and depended on, who had always been there for her now reduced to this shell of a man. She reached out to brush his wispy hair from his face. Her eyes filled and she blinked back tears as quickly as she can. Now is not the time, she thought. She cannot afford to be weak when he needed her to be strong for both of them. She straightened his blanket and gathered up his discarded clothing and sheets for wash.

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She brought back a bowl of her jjigae to the house after she cooked. After she bid Mrs. Wen goodbye, she helped Mr. Lee sit, propping him up on the wall. "Here Appa, have a taste. I made your favorite jjigae with lots of tofu," she said.

Mr. Lee's left side is fully paralyzed, but he is able to move his right arm weakly to reach for her hand. "I'm not very hungry," his speech slurred and stuttured as he tried to speak.

"Aiishh, Appa," she coaxed, "you never turned down my food before. Please just a few bites ok?" Mi Yeung continued on, telling him about her day, distracting him so he would eat.

"The children are so cute, even when they're being naughty. I was able to get a book of poetry from the library. They loved it so much that I had them do an art project; drawing what they think the poem was about. Mina, Seo Kang eonnie's daughter is very artistic." She went on, chatting away. "Appa, they're rebuilding the lighthouse too. I passed by the tower and I saw men putting up the bricks on the south side."

"Mrs. Pung's son is leaving for Incheon. Why not go with him?" Mr. Lee looked at Mi Yeung, interrupting her.

"Appa, I can't leave you!" she exclaimed. "And you're not fit for travel."

"I can stay in the hospital. You cannot stay here forever. Mi Yeung, he can help..."

"Appa, I'm fine. We're ok. I have my work here, and I can take care of you," she said. "I'm not marrying anybody again," she joked, "once is perfectly enough."

Mr. Lee reached to clasped her hands, "This is not the life I wanted for you," his raspy voice whispered brokenly.

"Appa..." she saw his tears and fought to keep hers in check. She kissed his forehead. "Just get better, ok? Don't worry about anything else."

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Gangneung Military Base, Camp Hansoon, Intelligence Division

"Sir, here are the new batches of reports that came," Lt. Tam said, handing over a thick folder to Jung Hwa. The folder had "Confidential" in huge block letters written across the top, with color coded markings indicating its high level security clearance.

Jung Hwa took the offered folder and dismissed the soldier. He stood and pulled the reports out of the folder to spread the papers across his desk. Each day, more and more intel reports end up on his desk. As the higher ranking Chief Intelligence officer, he is in charge of sifting through the pile, analyzing and processing, seeing which of the puzzles fit. He had fallen into this position after the events in Yangkusan, as his injury then disallowed his return to the frontline immediately. Instead he served by gathering intel, travelling along the borders and piecing together strategics moves, eventually showing his skills in predicting tactical maneuvers.

He looked over the reports with keen eyes, searching for any commonality. Now that cease fire has been enforced, and the war, for all intents and purposes has "ended," his role in military intelligence remain essential. The need to maintain and enforce order comes with a price. Soldiers do not cease to be soldiers even in times of peace.

Sargeant Kwan Seok his second in command, came by. "Don't tell me you're spending all day staring at these reports again. They're a bunch of the same," he said plopping himself down the seat across from Jung Hwa's desk. "I've looked through them and they're all random chatter."

"Yes, but there are some questionable pieces that are not so random," Jung Hwa said, as he sorted the reports into neat piles.

"Well, that's why you're the big boss, boss," Kwan Seok quipped. "When are you leaving for the Gyeryong? What debriefing is that for, anyway? I thought we got all that sorted out." Kwan Seok was referring to the military headquarters in South Chungcheong.

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow. I'm not sure what, but it could be a new operation. I'm meeting General Yang. I'll know more after," he said.

"In that case, c'mon. The guys are in the barracks, waiting on you. Officer Sung Cho is buying beers for losing the bet on the world cup," Kwang Seok said as he stood.

"All right," Jung Hwa nodded. He filed the folders under lock and key and followed his sergeant out.

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Gyeryong, South Chungcheong, Officer headquarters

Jung Hwa arrived to meet General Yang and received his debriefing with a new set of orders. The high ranking commanders in the military headquarters wanted all unfinished business wrapped up after Operation Strike, to have the mission tied neatly in a bow and stamped CLOSED in big block letters. One of the biggest loose end remains to be the attack that day on Jung Hwa's troops. Counter intelligence during that time did not produce significant lead. After the war was contained and there was quiet in the forefront, questions were raised again against potential leak that precipitated the whole escalation of the mission.

Jung Hwa is tasked to the case, to gather and piece together any relatable intel and report directly to the General in command. It is a silent operation, as the treaty agreement precludes any offensive maneuvering from both Nations. Realistically, intel gathering still happen in full force but behind the scenes.

"Your clearance needs to be upgraded, Lt. Commander; you will need the clearance to access those files," General Yang said, handing him a set of documents. "It was brought to my attention that we could not proceed as your files are missing certain documents. Your marriage certificate is missing." General Yang went on, "I vouched for you, but there are no records on board you were married aside from the electronic report generated from the census."

Jung Hwa had looked up at this, "Sir, that marriage was annulled." He went on to explain the circumstances to General Yang.

"I take it this is not common knowledge?" the general asked, looking at Jung Hwa for confirmation. "Then you will to need to return to the island to gather the necessary paperwork to get it filed accordingly."

"Yes, Sir."

"Do it ASAP. Protocol dictates your clearance must be filed before you start this mission. Get it done. I don't like having the Defense minister breathing down my neck," General Yang said. "I want a status update in 48 hours."

Jung Hwa sat on his seat looking at the papers in his hand. He is all packed up for a trip he dreamt of making years ago, but which circumstances negated from occurring. It had been a long time ago. Surely she has a different life now. The marriage was not real after all, were the thoughts that ran constant, as uncertainties clouded further reflections about the past. And as days turned to months and then to years, his intentions were pushed farther in the back of his mind.

"Sir. We've arrived," a young private interrupted his thoughts. "You can disembark."

Jung Hwa stepped off the plane to greet the island of Yangkusan once more.

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