Dear Mom,

I'm sitting in my bunk right now writing this letter while some of the guys are working out in the gym. 

I've been doing well in in Pyongyang. The cafeteria has been feeding me very well, and I've been eating a lot of protein to bulk up. I'm finally eating vegetables! It wasn't my choice, but our Squad 10609 Captain Peo complained that I was not getting any nutrients in my body. He kind of sounds like you when you nag in my ear. I hope you're happy. I'm getting used to their tastes, even though I'd rather eat a slab of meat instead of carrots and seaweed.

General Kang recently received a notice from the president of Sotena that we should be expecting some of their troops on our land soon. I don't know how much the news channels are informing you properly on the details of Sotena. Yes, Sotena takes up majority of the northeastern corner of what used to be China and bleeds into the border of Russia. Their people are said to be a hybrid of Chinese, Russian, Korean, and Japanese cultures and are the most intelligent and powerful in this current day and age. Yes, it is true that they have already invaded China and Vietnam, and we are expecting the worst to come. Philippines, Japan, and Australia are aligned with us and holding their bases to help out when possible. We are planning an attack of our own within the next few days, with details coming in later.

The extremities of their nuclear army is the most concern for Squad 10609, but we are doing our best to train. Hoya is still the number one soldier in Squad 10609, passing every physical and gun test with flying colors. I think he might receive an award sometime soon for his athleticism and dedication. He is definitely a show off and rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but he is really willing to do anything for his friends.

Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and Woohyun are still the same lovable guys you remember them as. Dongwoo and Woohyun are quite characters around the squad, as expected. Sunggyu has changed quite a lot since he's gotten here. That bookworm is trying to learn as much as he can about military tactics, he even suggested a successful strategy one time for Squad 16895 to take a port of Kalnesa, formerly Tianjin, China. Their squad is trying to move towards Sotena's capital of Yundo, which you know formerly as Beijing. 

Anyways, I'm getting off-topic. Sunggyu has made a name for himself as one of the most intelligent soldiers in our squad along with Sungjong. Sungjong has been known as the squad geek, but recently he has been trying really hard to bulk up. He does not want to be seen as a scrawny kid, and he takes a lot of pointers from Hoya to be just ike him. You already knew that Sungjong looks up to him, and likewise Hoya adores Sungjong as his little brother.

And lastly, your favorite person in the world. Sometimes I don't know who your son is: me or him. I think I told you before we were going to be roommates. Sungyeol is one of the most well-rounded people in our squad who succeeds at everything he does. Not only is he smart, but he ranks high in physical testing. Recently I caught him sleeptalking about how when we get back home to Seoul, all he wants is your homemade makguksu. Take that as a compliment.

Everything is peaceful.

Please tell dad and Moonsoo that I miss them. Of course, I don't miss them as much as you, and I look at our picture every night before I fall asleep. I still remember that day when I was a crying brat over spilled ice cream, and dad caught us in the picture while you were cleaning it off. It's my favorite picture for some reason. Probably because it captures the innocence I once had before I came here.

I am fighting for all of you. I love you.

- Kim Myungsoo

Myungsoo lay on his stomach as he finished his letter on his bed, putting down his pen and rereading everything. "My handwriting is horrible," he muttered to himself. Technology was limited for many of the soldiers due to the urgency of the war, and everyone had to be on their feet at all times. Of course, it never stopped Myungsoo from taking a little time out of his day to write letters to his mother.

Sungyeol ped the entrance of their tent and stuck his head in their bunk. "Hey loser."

Myungsoo glared at his roommate, who had a long piece of bacon sticking out of his mouth. "Hey pig."

Sungyeol bit down on the bacon and tore the remaining piece off his mouth, tossing it to Myungsoo. "Catch."

The bacon flew in the air and landed right on Myungsoo's letter. He picked up the piece, a little oil residue dripping onto his letter. Myungsoo reluctantly took a small bite of the bacon. His face lit up. This is delicious! His taste buds yearned for more, engulfing the rest of the bacon in one bite. 

"Who's the pig, now?" Sungyeol snickered.

"Still you." Myungsoo rolled out of bed and jumped to the floor, perfectly landing right in the center of their aisle. "How was your workout?"

"How was my workout?" Sungyeol raised his tanktop over his head and removed his right sleeve out. Half of his body was covered by his dangling shirt while the other half of his abs and right arm were exposed for Myungsoo's viewing pleasure. He flexed his arm, showing off the definition of his triceps and biceps. "Does that answer your question?"

"Eww, you're !" Myungsoo punched Sungyeol in the gut right where it hurts.

"Holy..." Sungyeol held his stomach and lurched over. No amount of sculpted abs could shield him from the punch. Sungyeol walked forward, tackling Myungsoo to the floor.

"Hey, we have to get to-"

Sungjong walked into their tent and caught Sungyeol right on top of Myungsoo. Sungyeol was covering Myungsoo's mouth and pretending to choke him, half of his shirt taken off. Myungsoo lay on the floor defenseless, his eyes almost looking like they were laughing.

Sunlight beamed through the opening of their tent and shined on the both of them, emphasizing the shadowy figure standing right before them. The two of them turned around to see their youngest friend standing their.

"Did I interrupt something?" Sungjong joked.

"What?!" they both yelled in unison. They realized they were in a very compromising position, and almost immediately they pushed each other off to brush themselves off and stand right in front of Sungjong presentably. "Nothing is going on!" They said in unison again.

Sungjong shook his head. Those lovebirds. "We have to head out to the meeting area for an important announcement."

Sungyeol stepped forward. "Is it an update on Sotena?"

"I think so. I overheard General Kang talking to Captain Peo. Every squad in our area is meeting. 10609, 11570, and 12030."

Sungyeol and Myungsoo looked at each other worriedly. They had spent the last few nights talking about the fate of their squad and country, and every passing second is making the war real in their heads. They looked back at Sungjong and nodded to obey orders.

(((())))

"So Woohyun really tried to flirt with the nurse today?" Dongwoo slapped his forehead. A typical Nam Woohyun move. 

"After I took him to the nurse for the scrape on his elbow, he could not take his eyes off of her. He got all nervous, stuttering his words and everything," Hoya explained. The two of them were the first of their friends at the meeting area, sitting on top of a wooden bench.

"Well, you have to admit that she's kind of cute."

"Yeah. They came from Kyung Hee University."

Dongwoo and Hoya were best friends ever since they were young. When Hoya moved to Busan for middle school, Dongwoo was the first person to help him adjust to a new city and scare bullies off when they made fun of his accent. More than anything, it was a mutual respect for each other and admiration that kept their relationship going.

"Who came from Kyung Hee University?" Sunggyu walked over to Dongwoo and Hoya placing his backpack next to them with a rolled up map sticking out of it. Sunggyu's family all graduated from Kyung Hee, so he was quite interested in knowing what they were talking about.

"The new nurses are from Kyung Hee. Woohyun injured himself."

Sunggyu rolled his eyes. "What's new?"

"And he's flirting with one of them."

"Now THAT is new." Sunggyu shook his head, taking out the map from his backpack and unraveling it for his friends. "Anyways, take a look at this."

The map was on a blue grid showing the longitudes and latitudes of the eastern part of Asia. It demonstrated the new territories as of the year 2030 and the newly renamed cities. Northeast China was now Sotena and North and South Korea combined into one Korea were the most notable changes on their new map. Circled in pink highlighter were the areas Sotena have successfully penetrated, that being Vietnam and the rest of China. On the map was also a dotted line made with red marker, dotting a path from where they were in Pyongyang all the way to Sotena's capital Yundo.

"Did you figure this out last night?" Hoya wondered, taking the map away from him to scan for himself. He was intrigued by the most recent changes that occurred.

"I tried figuring this out last night with Sungjong. I'm going to give it to Captain Peo later, but I think this would be a really good route to take for our trip."

At that moment, Sungyeol, Myungsoo, and Sungjong came in together to join their group. Within their group of seven, the three of them were unseperable because they were the youngest of the group. The four eldest members would make fun of them a lot for being short and scrawny like their age, but the maknae line bounced back when high school and puberty hit. Now the three of them were the tallest people of their group.

"Are you showing them the map?" Sungjong asked.

"Yeah. This is really cool. So you think we should take this path to Yundo?" Dongwoo asked.

"By taking this way, we go through mountains that will give us an aerial advantage and allow us to hide. We're at a disadvantage because Sotena has nuclear weapons. At least, that's what they 'say'," Sungyeol clarified.

"If we do that, that will be really easy," Myungsoo commented.

"It should be," Sungjong nodded.

"Where's Woohyun?" Sungyeol asked.

"The new nurse." That was all Dongwoo had to say.

"OHHH." The three of them understood with those words exactly what he meant.

The last to join their group was Woohyun, the belligerent free spirit who always does what he pleases. He walked in with all smiles and a bandaged arm, cutting it when he was balancing carelessly on a wooden beam and fell on some wire.

Everyone glared at the happy-go-lucky guy, tired of his antics.

Woohyun stood in front of them and frowned. "What??"

"Nothing," Hoya chimed. 

Arriving at the scene was General Kang, followed by their Captain Peo and several other officers and people part of the administration of defense. Everyone scrambled to stand up in straight lines, their chins raised high as well as their spirits. The seven of them stood together, their shoulders touching each other as their troop as well as two others tried to fit themselves in the area. Everyone awaited the news.

General Kang stood at a podium, clearing his throat to present the news about Sotena's troops. The word had been spreading for an attack for some time, but nothing was confirmed. Until now. 

"Salute," Lieutenant Sanghee called out, standing by General Kang's side.

Every soldier saluted for the greeting of their general.

"Good afternoon everyone. I know that many of you have been patiently waiting for the news of our next move." He paused again, taking a sip of water next to him. His throat was dry from the nervousness of speaking, but he kept his composure throughout.

"Kang looks a little more nervous than usual," Sungjong whispered to Hoya.

"This might be bad," Hoya mumbled, also noticing that there was something off with their general. He reached behind Sungjong's back and pinched his waist to .

"We have finally received word, and at 13:00 tomorrow Sotena's troops will reach Korean soil to Pyongyang."

Everyone felt chills down their spines at the announcement, speechless and immobile to everything. The troops would be going straight to their base.

Myungsoo gulped nervously, taking a deep breath and blinking repeatedly.

Sungyeol noticed next to him that Myungsoo was tensing up, sneaking behind his back to rub his shoulder.

"At 13:00, our troops will prepare for our very first battle in this war. At 3:00 tomorrow, Japanese troops will be coming in for support. We will soon go over the different strategies and assignments for each of our squads."

"I hope you're all prepared to do everything for your country. Many of you will make it, and many of you will die tomorrow honorably. But I have the utmost faith in our troops that we will fight for the justice of not only Korea, but everyone else around us. You will fight the honorable fight, and that is all we can ask for. All of your training has led to this moment."

Everything was becoming real. There was no more babying. This was real life.

And Myungsoo was not sure if he liked it.

(((())))

Sungyeol and Myungsoo lay in their beds that night, the news of Sotena's attack on Korean soil happening in less than 24 hours. Neither one of them could get sleep they needed.

Myungsoo was the most upset between the two, restlessly tapping his fingers on the edge of the wooden bunk and staring straight at the ceiling with his bloodshot eyes. The words rang in Myungsoo's head like a loud gong.

I hope you're prepared to do everything for your country. Many of you will make it, and many of you will die tomorrow honorably. 

He did not want to die honorably. He wanted to live. He wanted to live to see his mother again, his father, his brother. He wanted to live so that him and his six best friends could go back to college and live normal lives. He was tied to a fate of war, and the sinking reality that the days of training led up to this moment. Life or death. Nothing was a game anymore.

"Are you sleeping right now, Myungsoo?"

Myungsoo froze in his bed, wondering if his tapping woke Sungyeol up. Almost every little movement he made could wake Sungyeol up in an instance. "I'm sorry I woke up you up."

Sungyeol sighed. "I've been awake this whole time."

There was a somber silence filling the room and taking up every little space to make the both of them feel uncomfortable. They were thinking the same thing.

"Are you ready, Sungyeol?"

"For tomorrow? I was never ready, not a single moment since we've been here. But I guess I have to be." Sungyeol always had this way of speaking where he showed his courage as a matter-of-fact. Everyone had fears, as did Sungyeol, but now was not the time to coward up.

Myungsoo, on the otherhand, was a lot more delicate than him. "I'm scared of dying," he said bluntly.

Sungyeol paused for a moment, trying to choose the right words to say. "We're not going to die."

"General Kang said that many of us are going to die tomorrow."

"No one is going to die from our squad tomorrow." Sungyeol knew he was being delusional, and he knew in his heart that for half of their squad tonight was their last day. "We're going to be fine Myungsoo. The two of us. The seven of us. All of  us."

"And how can you be so sure?" Myungsoo was having a mental breakdown on his bed, taking his pillow and suffocating himself. He wanted to cry, and the tears were welling up in his eyes and soaking his pillow. "Is there a way we can run away?"

Sungyeol could tell in Myungsoo's cracking voice that he was on the verge of crying. He his lips, hugging his blanket and figuring out how he could help calm his friend down.

That was the beauty of their friendship. The two of them were different in many ways, but they needed it to help each other out and provide different perspectives. Opposites attract.

"We can't run away now, and it doesn't help that every Korean boy between the ages of 17 and 30 is required to be here right now. If you ran away, your family will be fined a lot of money. I'm sure your mom would hate that," Sungyeol smiled, bringing light to the situation.

Myungsoo laughed a little. The comment did cheer him up. "If I brought dishonor to my family, my mom would just adopt you. And Daeyeol."

"Your mom does cook better than my mom..."

"She's my mom for a reason!" Myungsoo took his pillow and threw it under the bed towards Sungyeol.

The pillow landed on Sungyeol's face. The both of them laughed at each other, shushing each other because it was already 1:00. Sungyeol covered his face with the pillow to stop his laughs, and it did appropriately when different wet spots on the pillow touched his cheek. He frowned a little, knowing that up there his friend was crying. Myungsoo was a crybaby, and Sungyeol hated it when it showed. He hated when Myungsoo cried. He hated when Myungsoo was sad.

Sungyeol brushed it off. It sounded to him that Myungsoo was a lot more cheerful than earlier. "I can't tell you anything right now that will make you feel better, but I do have this. We're best friends, and I want to see this through with you. I want the seven of us to see this through. If you believe in that by in itself, then we're infinite."

Thinking positively was a lot better for Myungsoo's psyche than expecting the worst out of everything. It was a war, and Myungsoo knew that Sungyeol was saying things to help him feel a temporary paradise. The paradise could only last so long. He was not betting on a happy ending for everyone around him, but he was willing to put aside his negativity and expect a happy ending for the seven of them.

"How does that sound?"

Myungsoo yawned, his eyes drooping down to a close. "It sounds good. Infinite."

I hope all of you are prepared for some tears. This is going to be a rought ride >< I've completed my whole outline for every chapter, and just knowing how this is all going to happen already makes me cry...

I hope that you enjoy this thoroughly! As you can see, some things that you may have noticed. North Korea and South Korea are united in this as one Korea. I won't explain how that happened, but just know that that is what's going on.

Also, the squad Infinite is in is called 10609. Who can figure out why it's called that?

Like I said. Please get ready for a very bumpy ride T_T