As we walked to the pulpit, G.O. was restless. “This is it, man.” He shook his head, shaking out his limbs. “This is really it.” He did a couple of breathing practices, cracking his knuckles and neck.

I chuckled, taking a deep breath. The reality still hadn’t hit me yet; all that was on my mind was my family. The fact that I was going out alone into the battlefield, piloting my own plane for the first time in my life, and possible fighting to the death was hardly clear to me, but the fact that my wife and daughter were at home, praying for my safety was deeply impeded in my brain. I knew that essentially, it was the two of them that would get me through the hardships to come.

G.O. continued with his incessant chatter, going on about some new shooting technique he discovered and was eager to try out. I barely listened, trying to maintain focus. I had to make it out of there alive – for them.

“Aigoo, what am I even doing here…” G.O. scratched his head, his face scrunching. I was used to his haphazard mood swings, though slightly annoyed by them, so I simply ignored him, figuring he would answer his own question soon enough. And, like I predicted, he did.

He stopped, then turned to me, his eyes rising. “Can you imagine it?” His face lit up, “I can just see it now…You and me…war heroes…front page of the paper…” he paused, looking out into the distance as if he was envisioning something spectacular.

I shook my head slowly, breathing inward. “I don’t need that kind of pride.” I said softly. It was true; I never was very decorated, but I didn’t have any interest in earning myself a couple of medals or a photo in the paper. Those things were irrelevant.

All I was concentrated on was bringing down the oppressive Chinese government causing my family to constantly struggle in maintaining health and hygiene. We needed help, and I was determined to find it, no matter the cost. It was also true that my intentions for the overthrow of the Chinese government in Korea were completely selfish, but I didn’t care.

The rest of the men in my squad found me contemptible, but I shrugged it off; I wasn’t about to give up my beliefs to make friends in a small group of prideful soldiers. Plus, most of them wouldn’t make it out alive anyway.

G.O. stopped walking, his hand hitting my chest. “Ya. What are you doing here then? You got some hot date waitin’ back home or somethin’?”

 {--}

"Why do you have to go?" HaNa cried, blinking.

I bit the side of my lip, pulling on my boots. "HaNa. You know why. We can't keep living this way. We barely have enough food for me and you, and we need to feed Lauren too. And she'll be entering school soon; we can't keep relying on my crappy paycheck."

"I'll get a job!" HaNa blurted, "I can work, I promise!"

I stood up, putting my hands on her shoulders. "If I'm successful, you won't need to work, honey. This damn socialism shouldn't be harming us any longer."

HaNa lowered her head, sobbing.

I gave the best smile that I could, blinking twice to prevent an influx of tears from streaming down my face. I grabbed her hands with my own, tightening my grip as I gulped. “It’s going to be okay, baby.” I said, my voice wavering.

HaNa shook her head, biting her quivering lip. Tears rolled down her face, or rather poured, and she leaned forward, wrapping her shaky arms around my waist as she hid her face in my shirt. I shut my eyes, gripping her tightly in my arms, my chin resting on her shoulder. I pulled her head closer to mine, running my hand up and down her head. “Baby please…I’m going to be fine…I promise.”

HaNa shook her head in my chest. “But what if you aren’t?” she questioned.

I pulled her away from me, staring into her puffy eyes. I felt a tear escape my own, and I placed my hands on her cheeks, giving her the sternest look I could. “Don’t you say that.” I ordered. I watched her broken eyes as they shifted back and forth, painfully trying to focus on mine. Her despondent face took away my strength, and my eyes softened, my firm voice cracking. “I love you.”

I wasn’t expecting for those words to come, but they sort of flew off my tongue without so much as a thought about why I was saying them. I knew it would make her cry, and I knew it would only accelerate the goodbyes, but seeing her face, so helpless, so terrified, I figured I needed to say something comforting. I also wasn’t expecting to cry myself, either, but that just kind of happened as well.

I wiped her eyes with my thumbs, leaning in to kiss . As I let go, we stared at each other for a couple moments before Lauren came rushing down the hall, her face flushed. “Daddy…don’t go.” She begged, wrapping her hands around my leg. I chuckled softly, lifting her from the ground. I set her on my hip and pinched her nose, tickling her to get a laugh.

“Daddy has to go now, sweetie, but be good for Mommy, okay?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t want to! I want to be good for you!” She buried her face in my sleeve, sobbing, and I sighed, shutting my eyes. HaNa leaned forward, hugging the both of us, and I took a deep breath in, squeezing them as tight as I could.

“I’ll be home real soon, okay?”

 {--}

I tilted the side of my mouth, giving a small chuckle. G.O. looked at me interestedly, one eyebrow rising in anticipation of my reply. “Yeah, something like that.” I said, smiling to myself.

G.O. widened his eyes, then shook his head, taking a deep breath. “Here we are!” he exclaimed. I looked up, and sure enough, standing on the platform above us were two fully equipped fighter planes, and they were beautiful. Slowly, my mouth dropped open, finally becoming conscious of the fact that in less than an hour, I would be flying one, possibly to the death.

Reluctantly, I ascended the stairs to the platform, running a finger across the base of the small plane, an excited smile escaping my lips. Suddenly, a wave of pure adrenaline rushed through my body, and my heart skipped a beat, beating faster at an instant. I let out an exhale, chuckling to myself as I stepped into the plane, observing the inside. It was tight, and there was barely enough room for just me, but it was perfect.

Smiling, I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulling out the only photo of HaNa and Lauren that I had, and I stared, running my finger over their faces slowly in admiration. HaNa truly was beautiful, and to be honest I couldn’t wait to be home to see her face. It had been awhile since I had seen her smile, and I needed to bring it back, no matter what.

“Seungho! You ready?” G.O. called. I nodded, clearing my throat, and dropped the photo back into my pocket. Cracking my knuckles, I slipped into my seat, buckling myself in.

I picked up the radio receiver, placing it on my head, tapping the microphone with my finger. “Can you hear me?” I asked. I turned to my side, staring out the window at G.O., who was giving me thumbs up. I nodded, adjusting what I needed before we set out.

The other members of our team were stationed behind us, and I gulped, knowing I couldn’t let them down.

The operation was simple and straightforward; I was to fly into the enemy base and take out their main source of weaponry, a tall dark tower in the middle of the base, as G.O. fought off any enemy who tried to cut into my path.

To follow, the rest of the team would destroy their remaining four towers. The goal was to take out all the artillery the enemy had, so a successful on land invasion could be executed. Personally, I felt my job was the easiest, because there was no way for the Chinese to know I was coming. Once I destroyed the tower, though, my team would have to act quickly before the enemy could react.

It was risky, but more than possible.

Things went smoothly at the outset; G.O. and I set out from our base, reaching the Chinese base in record time, I engaged my weapons, readying them for when I was supposed to shoot, and G.O. successfully held back any enemy from bringing me down. We worked well as a team, until things stopped running the way we wanted.

An enemy plane had discovered our entrance, and was coming at me at high speed. I dodged their shootings for the most part, but their vehicle had a severe advantage over me, and they continued to shoot at me, taking out my only source of armaments.

The rest of my team, following far behind me, had no chance of backing me up, or replacing me, and I was already nearing the tower; if I turned back, they would surely shoot me down.

I felt my brow begin to sweat as I adjusted the earpiece on my head, realizing the disaster. “Seungho to G.O.!” I called in distress.

“Seungho! What happened?”

“I can’t shoot! I have no artillery!”

G.O. raised his voice. “!” he yelled. I winced at the tone of his voice, and he continued, “You gotta get outta there!”

“But I need to destroy the tower!”
“The only way to destroy it now would be a head on collision!”

I widened my eyes, frantically clutching the steering tighter. “A head on collision…” I repeated softly to myself. Suddenly feeling fearful, my heart rose so far up in my chest I could have sworn it replaced my lungs, which seemed to be failing at the moment. I struggled for a breath, hearing nothing but the mere pounding of my heart increasing speed, and I bit down on my lip, realizing what I had to do.

It was simple. I knew it was risky; hell, it was one of those hero moments where you become either a martyr or a victor, but I also knew if I didn’t destroy the weapon tower now, my entire team would be dead in an instant.

I could imagine HaNa's face if she found out what I was about to do. My heart flip-flopped in my chest, and, as much as I didn't want to disappoint her, I knew what I was going to do was the right thing. I loved her too much, and I didn't want to return home to report a failed insurrection, or much less, that my entire team had been terminated because of me.

I’m not quite sure how so much went on in my head at once, but I kept getting these flashbacks of my wife and daughter, and images of their smiling faces, which seemed to push the adrenaline inside me to the max. I felt a tear drip down my face at the realization that those images might be the last I ever got of my family, and I wiped it away, leaning forward, determined.

I pushed the plane to accelerate, keeping the direction focused on the tower. My heart was racing, my bones shaking inside my body, I threw my helmet off, pressing my earpiece firmer in my ear.

“Seungho! What are you doing?” I heard G.O.’s frenetic voice on the other line. “Pull back you idiot!”

“G.O.” I said, so calmly it even surprised myself, “I need a favor.”

“What? Are you crazy? Slow down! You’re going to crash! Pull back!”

Knowing I was pressed for time, I rolled my eyes, my voice rising. “If I pull back now, you’ll all die! They’ve already seen me, they know we’re here – you just don’t have time! You’ll never be able to get past them!”

“You crazy bastard! You better pull back this moment!”

I increased my speed, noticing the speedometer shaking as it hit its max. “G.O.! You have to promise me something!”

I assumed G.O. was listening, though the only sound I could perceive from his line was broken sobs, and the wind shaking my plane hindered most of my hearing anyway, so I continued. “Take care of HaNa.” I felt myself choke up; now was not the time to be crying! “And…Lauren.”

“You’re ing crazy!” he spat. “Get your turned around right now! That’s an order, Seungho!”

I shook my head, noticing how near I was to the tower. I looked ahead of me, where two opposing fighter planes were heading in my direction. Panicked, I pushed faster, knowing I had to make it to the tower before they shot me down.

I blinked, feeling my respiration quicken in alarm, my hands shaking. “G.O.! You have to tell HaNa I was killed! Please! Promise me that one thing!” I had to act quickly then, if I were to survive. I didn't expect that I would, but after all, it was worth a try. I shut my eyes, letting go of the steering to unbuckle my seatbelt in an attempt to escape through the back of the plane.

I felt the front of the plane collide with the base and my body lurched backward, taking the breath out of me. I hit the back of my seat, sending a jolt of pain through my muscles, and the earpiece slipped out, just after I was able to hear his response, in only a faint whisper. “I promise…”

Then, in one split second, my world was blank.

 {-----}

“Mommy?”

HaNa looked down, trying to hide her tears beneath a tired smile. “What is it, honey?” she asked.

Lauren looked around her, her head turning in all directions, then gazed up at her mother, her eyebrows bent inwards in bewilderment. “Where’s Daddy?”

HaNa blinked several times, swallowing her pain before responding. She ran her hand down Lauren’s head to comfort her, then took a small, quick inhale. “Remember, sweetie?” she asked. Her voice cracked, and she swallowed again to fix it. “He went to a faraway place.”

Lauren pursed her lips forward, tilting her head to the side. She rubbed her nose, then asked, “To China?”

HaNa raised her eyebrows. “That’s right sweetie. He’s going to fight their oppressive government to free our country.”

“He’s fighting bad guys?”

HaNa her lips. “Yes honey.”

There was a pause; Lauren was most likely contemplating something, by the looks of her wrinkled brow and puckered lips. “Mommy?”

“Yes honey.”

“Is Daddy a good guy?”

HaNa chuckled, rubbing her daughter’s face softly. She nodded slowly, her eyes squinting. “Yes, Lauren. Your father is a very good man.”

Lauren smiled slightly, moving closer to her mother. She hugged her mother’s leg tightly, her voice at a whisper. “I knew he was.” She said proudly. She looked forward, and the breeze caught her face. She squinted, shivering. “Mommy.”

HaNa patted Lauren’s back. “Shh…sweetie. The ceremony is about to start.” She wiped her eyes again with her handkerchief, stuffing it in the pocket of her coat once finished. She felt Lauren tugging on its ends, and her eyes wandered down to her small daughter, looking up at her with wide eyes. “Mommy.” She begged.

HaNa sighed, faking a smile. “Yes dear.” She said, her voice slightly annoyed but not at all repressive.

“When is Daddy coming home?”

HaNa’s mouth opened slightly, her words failing. She should not have doubted the ignorance of her innocent daughter, and began to feel choked up again, and this time she couldn’t hide the incessant tears that came. She said nothing, but continued to stare at her daughter, lost in confusion. HaNa closed her eyes for a second, to which Lauren responded pleadingly, “Why are you crying, mommy?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a strong male voice in front of them. “We are gathered here today…” HaNa’s hearing impaired, the booming voice of the preacher dying out as she looked down at the closed casket, her eyes hovering over the inscription on the front, engraved in small golden letters.

“Yang Seungho.
1987 – 2012
The bravest, most noble husband and father the world has ever seen. May he rest in peace.”

A/N so, clearly I don't have much knowledge on piloting or war or anything like that.
But that's not the point of this oneshot sooo~ yeah.

If you’re wondering, the “noble lie” that the title refers to is something for the reader to interpret. Is it the lie Seungho made G.O. promise to tell HaNa, that Seungho died in battle and didn’t sacrifice himself? Or was G.O.’s promise itself a lie, and did he really tell HaNa the truth? Even I myself don’t know the answer to that, because I want the reader to figure out what happened by themselves.

You might also be wondering whether or not the insurrection was successful…well again, I don’t know. Was it? You tell me.

Anyway, I wrote this from Seungho’s point of view because I wanted to show that his intentions were truly “noble”. Even though he says that his reasons were “completely selfish”, his thoughts throughout the entire story show that he’s only trying to protect the ones he loves.

Anyway I wrote this a couple weeks ago but wasn't happy with some parts so I'm just now posting it.
I'm still not completely happy with all of it but oh well >___<
Hope you enjoyed and please leave comments. I would LOVE if you would, to let me know what you think of this oneshot, or what you think happened! ^ u ^

i would also love if you read this seungho oneshot ^^