Seung Ho held his breath as he pulled Haneul along to hide between a pillar, where they could see everything outside through a polished window without anyone else spotting them. Two of his fellow comrades walked past with purposeful strides, and one of them suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"This house is beautiful. I wouldn't have expected North Korean architecture to be so lovely. Even I can't afford anything like that back at home."

"Don't waste time here, Hyojun. This house is obviously empty. Look, there aren't any shoes here on the doorstep. Probably got caught by our soldiers already. The one next to it seems to be occupied though."

"You sure?"

"Shush, I just saw a shadow moving behind the couch! Keep your finger on the trigger."

Seung Ho and Haneul watched as the two soldiers silently crept up to the house next to it, and he finally heaved a sigh of relief. She, on the other hand, was biting her lip and trying hard to keep the tears in. It didn't escape Seung Ho's notice, of course, and he was puzzled at her reaction.

"Jonghoon...!"

Her lips trembled with fear as she tried her best to remain silent. Seung Ho realized why, grabbed her hand in his and gave it a little squeeze, just to assure her that all would be well.

It wasn't.

A clear, loud gunshot rang through the air, accompanied by the shattering of glass and a short but clear scream, and Seung Ho knew that Hyunseung and Hyojun, the two best snipers in the army, had proven themselves worthy of the title again. 

Haneul lost it; the fear in her eyes was replaced by a hollow gaze. Seung Ho had to hold on to her tightly as she nearly collapsed on the polished floor, and he himself ached for her loss. 

"He...my childhood friend...I..." She whispered, as though remembering him was a painful thing to do, and all Seung Ho could do was watch as tear after tear rolled down her cheeks, not knowing how else to comfort her but by holding her firmly and wiping away the tears with his thumb. He was glad she didn't have to see her friend's corpse, but this would be something she would never forget, nor forgive. 

He could see it now, why he had chosen to try and keep her alive and safe, even if it meant that he would be in danger, and even be exiled. She wasn't just another North Korean, another of the enemy; she had feelings, emotion, thoughts and memories, so much that made her just as human as he himself was. 

"Do you hate us now?" He murmured in her ear, his eyes still watching the window as both of the soldiers went off proudly, while shouting 'one down' over a walkie-talkie. "Do you hate me now? I'll give you a chance to give up all your trust in me and-"

"What's your plan for me to escape?"

And there he saw it - a bright fire burning in her eyes, gulfing and filling up the emptiness that was there just a moment ago, one that smelt of rage.

"This isn't exactly the smartest of ideas, but we'll have to make do for now."

Seung Ho entered the house again, while on the lookout for anyone in the vicinity. It seemed that most of his comrades had left for another neighbourhood, and he knew that time was limited. Lieutenant Nam would be waiting for him to report back soon, hopefully with good news of casualties and deaths on the North Korean side. 

He could not believe he had had the heart to do it, but there he was, doing foolish things for a North Korean girl. A fellow comrade from another platoon had been viciously attacked, his face badly mutilated, and died in an alley, giving Seung Ho the perfect excuse to steal his fatigues, rifle, boots and helmet. 

"You'll have to put up with the blood stains though-"

He didn't finish his sentence, as Haneul grabbed everything over and started to put them on herself. Thankfully the comrade was slightly smaller in size, and everything didn't look overly huge on her. Seung Ho couldn't help but look at her with admiration as she struggled to hold the rifle the same way he did, even though it was obviously way too heavy for a girl like her. To his shock, she picked up a pair of scissors from the table and decisively snipped off her hair until it was enough to be covered by the helmet, leaving her rather safe as long as they didn't take off their helmets, not until they crossed the border anyway. 

Seung Ho was left speechless as she slammed the scissors back on the table, rubbed one side of his cheek before he could react, and then smeared dirt all over her cheek, just to cover up her feminine facial features.

It was true, that one was overwhelmed by anger and the willpower to live, that one would do anything.

"Third Sergeant Kim, reporting back to..." She faltered, not knowing who his superior was. 

"Lieutenant Nam." He finished it for her, a slow smile spreading on his face.

"...Lieutenant Nam." Haneul cleared , and looked at Seung Ho straight in the eyes. "Third Sergeant Kim, reporting back to Lieutenant Nam."

"Okay, so remember the plan. Later on we'll just report back that we...killed a North Korean citizen. Together, because he was armed. And if anyone claims that they saw you dead, just say you were injured but alive. Not that they would ask, since they would be guilty of not helping a fellow injured comrade. And when we reach base camp, our base camp, I'll find a perfect opportunity to sneak you out as another one of those girls working in the kitchens. Thank goodness Third Sergeant Kim is one guy that's easy to miss."

"And what happens if they start questioning where he is?"

"No one actually keeps track of who's alive and who's not anymore. They'll probably think he committed suicide because he felt guilty about killing another human being. When the time comes, I'll figure something out."

A peaceful silence came between them, as both of them looked at each other with worry and apprehension. They could well be busted the moment they stepped out of the house, and neither would face pretty consequences, especially not Seung Ho. Haneul took one step closer to him, and nodded.

"Let's go."