“Open the door. I know you’re there.”, the man said.

The door opened, revealing a tall, bulky man with a tired expression. He still had his uniform on – he had returned to his apartment not too long – and he looked annoyed to have visits.

“I thought we could use some drinks.”; the man outside the apartment smiled slyly, showing a bottle of expensive soju.

“I’m tired.”, the other sighed. The last thing he wanted was to drink with the man he hated.

“Oh, come on Yongguk. As your superior, I demand you to let me in so we could have a little fun.”, the man grinned. He had perfect teeth and fox like eyes. He had black spiky hair and was wearing the same uniform as Yongguk, only with more insignias in it.

“I don’t want to Himchan. Go away.”, Yongguk practically growled.

“A drinking contest it is.”, Himchan ignored Yongguk and, pushing him, entered his apartment.

Yongguk rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples before closing the door. He had to maintain composed. He passed his hands through his brown hair in frustration, attempting to remain as calm as he could.

“What do you really want? You never come here just to drink.”, Yongguk asked Himchan, who was now sitting in the sofa comfortably.

“We have to talk about work, but off record. I wanted to give you some insights.”, Himchan simply stated, opening the bottle.

Conformed, Yongguk went to the small kitchen and took two small glasses.

“Bring the bigger ones. We have a lot to talk and I have plenty of soju.”, Himchan said with a smile. Yongguk’s grip on the small glass was so strong he didn’t break it out of luck.

Taking the bigger ones, he calmed himself mentally and remembered his job.
“What do you want to talk about?”, he asked, handing one of the glasses to Himchan.

He sat on the armchair in front of the sofa and opened his jacket. He desperately wanted to take his uniform, but with Himchan there he couldn’t. Despite being friends – for all purposes, that’s what they were – a subordinate could never stand before a high rank officer without his uniform, no matter the occasion. A stupid rule from an even more stupid nation, Yongguk always thought.

“You are going to be promoted to Lieutenant General, just below me. No need to thank me.”, Himchan announced with a big smile plastered on his face. If Yongguk didn’t hate him so much, he would be touched by the man’s sincere happiness.

“Why would I thank you?”, he asked with a raised brow.

“I told them you were the best choice to our… How should I put it? Department.”, Himchan took a long sip of soju without taking his eyes off of Yongguk.

“I never asked you to do so.”, Yongguk puffed his cheeks and squinted his eyes.

“That’s what friends are for right?”, Himchan winked and smiled, raising his glass. Yongguk smiled, feeling his insides burn from the irony. Raising his glass with the most convincing – and fake – smile, they toasted.

“To your promotion.”, Himchan drank.

“To my promotion.”, Yongguk followed.

“General Kim, I found this one hiding on a sewer. Disgusting as hell.”, a man with a remarkable resemblance to a wolf said. He had always bothered Yongguk: his extremely unhealthy obsession for working and his mad passion for hunting rebels were, to others, something to applaud, but for Yongguk it was just disturbing.

“Lieutenant General Bang, take him to Room 41.”, Himchan looked proudly at Yongguk, who simply frowned and nodded. Room 41 was one of the seven interrogation rooms of the upper floor.

Taking him from Kiseop’s – the wolf like man – hands, Yongguk practically dragged the nearly conscious man to Room 41.

He sat the man in a steel chair.

“Your name.”, Yongguk stated in his deep scary voice. Despite not wanting to be there, that was his job and he knew he had people watching his every move.

“Song Joongki.”, the man said with difficulty. His face was bloody, his lips busted open, probably from the punches, and his clothes were all dirty.

Yongguk had to control himself, as he nearly gasped just by hearing the name. Time had passed: he was older and more mistreated.

“Age.”, Yongguk wanted to hug the man, clean him, take care of him and talk about her. But no, none of that was possible.

“ off!”, the man spat. Yongguk closed his eyes. Had he recognized him? Either way, he would just pretend not to. That was the condition.

The door opened and Himchan entered. It wasn’t unusual for him to participate in such interrogations: he enjoyed messing with rebels, torture them mentally until their limits and then send them to their ultimate fate.

“He asked your age.”, Himchan punched the man like it was normal to do so. For him, at least, it was.

Yongguk clenched his hands in fists in order to control himself. How he wanted to do to Himchan what he was doing – and was going to do, Yongguk knew – to Joongki.

“You bastard! Think you’re special!”, Himchan continue to beat the man and Yongguk just stood there, watching.

“Kill me.”

“What?”, Yongguk looked at Joongki.

“Kill me Yongguk, just do it. For her.”, he said with difficulty.

Yongguk got closer to the man to prevent anyone from hearing what he was going to say.

“I don’t think Jieun would like me to kill her brother.”

“And do you think Jieun would like to see her brother suffer in the hands of the person she loved? Just kill me Bang Yongguk, if you still have any humanity left in you.”

Yongguk felt punched.

“I always did the best the help you. I still do, you should know that. I was always on your side.”, he whispered angrily.

“You betrayed her, you killed her.”, Joongki said and his words felt like poison to Yongguk, who thought Joongki would be happy to reunite with him – even if in such miserable ways. But no, Joongki was everything but happy.

“I did everything to protect her.”, he clenched his fists.

“Everything expect saving her.”, Joongki said bitterly.

Yongguk turned around towards the opposite side of the room. From there he could inspect Joongki’s deplorable state.

“Kill him.”

Yongguk looked up and saw Himchan standing at the door.

“Here?”, he asked, trying to disguise his disbelief.

“Yes, no need to take him to The Watcher.”, Himchan smirked. “He doesn’t deserve so much. Besides, no one would enjoy seeing such a filthy weak rat die without fighting. People like to see struggle, despair, negotiation and self demean.”

The Watcher was the room from where everyone could see live executions – whether they were there or at home.

“Should I shoot him?”, Yongguk asked. Despite what Joongki had told him, he still wanted the best for the man, as he knew Joongki was probably just bitter and resentful towards everything rather towards him. He was wrong, though.

“Do as you please. Personally I enjoy making them suffer, but I know you prefer to be quick; it’s more practical, I’ll give you that. You’re Lieutenant General now, make your own decisions.”, Himchan said.

Yongguk took his gun and pointed at Joongki, who smirked.

**

“Why do you want to help us?”, she asked in all her innocence. How could she not know of his love, of his devotion to her?

“Because I love you. And because I don’t agree with any of this. At all.”, Yongguk said. He couldn’t be more direct. Now, she knew.

“Then, why are you still part of the Legion?”, she asked, apparently not shaken by his sudden confession.

“Jieun, I just told you I love you.”, he smiled. “I rather have you say you hate me than to simply change the subject like it never happened.”

“First, I need to know: do you want to help simply because of passion, or because you believe in our ideals?”, she looked determined.

“I believe in everything you stand for and I am of great use as I can inform you on what’s going on.”, he said, meeting her expectations. He was serious about it, though; he loved her as much as someone could love, but he also believed that the life he had was no life at all.

“You will be our most precious ally Bang Yongguk.”, she smiled sincerely at him after inspecting his looks for awhile.

“That means I’m in?”, he asked, expectant.

“Yes.”, she gave him her sweetest smile and he smiled in return.

Before he could say anything else, she kissed him.

**

Controlling his emotions and praying for him, Yongguk shot Joongki.