It was a long and windy path to the next truck, and with the six friends wide awake after the sunrise they had to manage another couple of hours in their caravan until they reached a small pit stop for food and gas. The feeling of a bunch of soldiers scrunched up together in a confined space in such a bumpy and uncomfortable setting where not a single person could sleep. The six friends shared a truck together for the first time during their journey to Yundo. At 1:00, the seating arrangements were made with Sunggyu, Woohyun, and Myungsoo on one side and Dongwoo, Hoya, and Sungyeol on the other with all of them sitting at the mouth of the truck.

The chatty friends were unusually quiet, and even if the boys were tired they could spend countless hours talking before they would fall asleep without a single clue. The rugged journey kept all of them conscious, but a sort of tension was dividing them as they sat across from each other.

"If this ride stays like this, I think I'm going to throw up," Woohyun gagged, leaning forward and looking down at his shoes to stabilize his vision.

No response from the rest of the group.

Another five minutes or so passed of complete silence.

Woohyun sat back up to his seat and scanned the back of the caravan. Every other soldier on the truck was either sharing small talk with the person next to them or already fast asleep. His own friends were all wide awake without saying a single word to each other. "This reminds me of the one time we all took that five hour bus ride to Yongpyong to go snowboarding," he started, hoping to invoke some sort of emotion within his friends.

Sunggyu sat down with a grim expression, his arms crossed and blankly staring across the room with a blurry image of Dongwoo and Hoya in his peripheral. It looked as if Sunggyu was going to implode with the amount of thoughts swarming through his head. Not only did he hold ill feelings for a certain person sitting across from him, but he also feared him. Sunggyu was sweating in his seat, alert and insomniac in apprehension of what could happen to him if he closed his eyes.

"Sunggyu, you threw up along the way there," Woohyun smiled, clapping his hands together remembering it all. "You sat next this really cute girl, and she was even helping you out and offering tea. I wish she was helping me."

Hoya stared straight back at Sunggyu with a stern face, keeping his eyes locked on Sunggyu's mouth and making sure it would not open with anything to implicate him during the whole ride. Dongwoo sat next to Hoya, his elbows on his knees and his back leaned forward as he stared at the ground and focused his eyes on a tiny rock. Both of them were visibly bothered by something.

"Myungsoo, I think you almost threw up! And you stuck your head out of the window to help yourself even though -9 degrees and you almost froze your face off and everyone else on the bus," Woohyun continued.

Myungsoo leaned his head against the truck wall, gazing right at Sungyeol. Sungyeol stared straight out the cracks of the truck, observing the light snowy scene of few flakes falling down from the sky as patches of moonlight peaked through the clouds. It was a calm before the storm, and Sungyeol suspected that the snow would get worse just as this war was escalating to something bigger than himself. Something occupied Sungyeol's mind, and Myungsoo knew it.

Woohyun giggled to himself, one detail of their trip warming his heart. "When we finally got there, Hoya ended up ditching everyone and went skiing on his own without anyone knowing. We were trying to find him for so long but he left the whole group!" 

"Wouldn't be the first time he went on his own without anyone knowing," Sunggyu mumbled on the side.

Hoya raised an eyebrow, his voice threatening as he confronted Sunggyu. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I'm sorry," Sunggyu apologized, "I'll speak louder. That was not the first time you went out on your own without anyone knowing." He repeated his words fast and slowly, exaggerating each sound to passively irritate Hoya. The guilt of holding a secret in was eating Sunggyu alive, and if he had to feel this way then he wanted to make Hoya suffer with him.

"Sorry, I didn't hear the first time." Sunggyu was pushing his buttons and Hoya knew it. "What are you trying to say?"

"I don't know. What am I trying to say?"

"I think you should shut your mouth now and go to sleep, yeah?" Hoya barked.

"Hey guys, calm down," Woohyun frowned, elbowing Sunggyu on his side. "Lower your voices, people are trying to sleep."

Sunggyu stuck his hand out in front of Woohyun. "Stay out of this. I can handle some low blows from this..." ...rotten scum of the earth. Sunggyu kept his mouth shut, leaving his ending to the imagination of everyone around him. He smirked, knowing that Hoya was squirming in his seat over it. 

Hoya clenched his fist, and he was sure that if Sunggyu sputtered out another ignorant word he would deck him right out of the truck. "You're really pushing my buttons huh?" 

Woohyun interrupted their banter and continued on with the story. "Then Sungyeol broke his arm, but he was in the middle of nowhere, so we had to call his mom and dad to pick him up. And then the helicopter came!"

"Can all of you shut the up," Sungyeol finally spoke, his eyes still staring outside at the full moon in the distance. He turned his head to address his voice to the whole group. "God I'm so tired of everyone's right now. Can't everyone here just shut their ing mouths?"

Sungyeol? Why are you being so hostile? You're usually not like this. Myungsoo bit his lip, unsure what to think about Sungyeol's uncharacteristic outburst. It was almost reminiscent of when Sungyeol punched the Sotenan during the afternoon yesterday. Myungsoo suddenly had an idea of why Sungyeol was acting this way.

"I only wanted to talk for a little to get over my car sickness. Why is everyone irritated right now," Woohyun mumbled to himself.

Dongwoo stayed relatively quiet the whole ride, a whole different situation bothering him. He was shaken, keeping his thoughts to himself as he reflected on the moment where someone almost stabbed him at the restaurant with Hoya saving him. It was a moment of vulnerability, where Dongwoo let his guard down when he least expected it and almost got hurt in the process. Dongwoo did not say a single word to provoke the Sotenans; he simply only wanted to eat. He knew that crossing Sotenan territory will risk his life, but as he saw it flashed before his eyes Dongwoo had never been the same since. 

"I think visiting that town is bothering all of us," Myungsoo spoke up. His soft and tired voice desired for everyone to calm down as they were approached the dawn. He did not know what Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and Hoya went through, but he figured that the bitter atmosphere between everyone had to do with the Sotenan townspeople without any suspicion of anything. "I'm really tired, this drive isn't the best we've had, it's cold cause it's snowing, and I think that we all hold some animosity for the people in Aniyan. Right now I think we need to clear our minds and at least try to go to sleep, because we're not supposed to act like this towards each other. We'll wake up and it will be a better day."

Myungsoo, you're so naive. I wish I could tell you everything. I wish I could tell everyone the truth. "Fine," Sunggyu agreed. He leaned his head back onto the truck walls and closed his eyes to force himself into a slumber.

So long as Sunggyu keeps his mouth shut, we'll all be ok. Hoya nodded his head obediently, turning his head away from everyone and going to sleep.

Dongwoo and Woohyun followed after, Woohyun leaning his head forward to sleep while Dongwoo sought refuge into Hoya's shoulder and leaned on it as they went on to their journey. Dongwoo had no idea of the type of person Hoya really was or why he was fighting with Sunggyu, but all he knew was that he wanted to be close with him. Hoya allowed for his touch, shifting his body so that Dongwoo would be more comfortable.

"You're going to be ok?" Myungsoo asked Sungyeol, figuring that bringing up the issue would not calm him down one bit.

Sungyeol shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be fine. What about you?"

"I'm going to write a letter before I go to bed," Myungsoo responded.

Sungyeol nodded his head, shifting his forward to lean his head against the wall and try to fall asleep. Sungyeol was the type of person who was successful at hiding his real emotions for the sake of pulling through. He had a lot of courage within him, and it would take moving mountains for him to finally crack under pressure. For the first time, Myungsoo witnessed his best friend almost cowarding up. He had a rough assumption on what he was bothered about, but Myungsoo could not help but feel bothered for Sungyeol showing weakness.

How can the same person telling me to be strong be the same person not keep strong for himself?

Dear Mom,

I'm on a truck to head to Shu Chai as our next location, formerly known as Shenyang. We're not taking any long periods of break this time, probably one to two hours rest breaks to bathe in a river, stretch out, eat meals. We are all tired and weary, and we need the most sleep we can to get ready for Shu Chai. We are expecting a takeover at this area, and there we are meeting up with other Korean squads, Japanese troops, and Australian troops in what will be our next big battle. 

This past day has been really strange. We entered the city of Aniyan unexpectedly, and in the city we all encountered scary situations with hostile citizens of Sotena. A lot of them stared at us like we were rats, wanting nothing to do with us or instigating us in any way they could. It felt rather strange to be treated this way, and this was truly the first time I had ever felt like an outsider.

But, would it be the same way when Sotenans step into our country? What if the roles reversed? We knew they weren't the enemy and we weren't going to hurt them in any way, but they were scared of us. They thought we would kill them. It really hurt to see a harmless ahjumma scared of the gun on my back when I had no intention of hurting her in any way. I could simply say that they are too dedicated to their country and are completely brainwashed, but if that happened in Korea we would view them the same way.

I didn't want to hurt her. I wasn't going to hurt her in any way, but she treated me like a monster. She treated all of us like monsters. I'm wary of the monster growing inside of my own self and eating me up, but when people tell me or imply that I'm a monster itself? Someone told Woohyun, Sungyeol, and me today that our parents would not be proud of us. I have to admit, that comment got to me for a little bit but I had to snap out of that pitiful mentality. It got to Sungyeol unfortunately, and because of it he punched the man unconscious.

I have a question. What happens when people you looked up to for help are going through their own episodes? What do you do when you realize that the ones you thought were the strongest are barely holding on? All six of us are stressed right now, and I can't imagine what Sungjong is dealing with. How can we keep ourselves together in this?

Mom, I'm in this war because of you, dad, Moonsoo, and the rest of Korea. But I don't suppose that every Sotenan out there is doing the exact same thing. You know what? I'm not proud of myself that I've been resorting to violence to solve my problems, but I do it with intentions of returning to you and protecting you. I no longer judge any other soldier in this war. I empathize with all of them. The seven of us and everyone else here is fighting for the same thing. I wish we could all get satisfying endings.

The journey is long, but I'll be home soon. And I'll be reuniting with Sungjong soon enough.

I love you mom.

Kim Myungsoo

(((())))

Sungjong sat down in his cell with his back leaning against the bars as he watched the sun rise from inside. The icy metal bars made him quiver, but he put them into good use to ease the pain of his cuts from the first battle and from the torture he endured in his cell. 

Sungjong lacked a sufficient amount of water or food to keep his spirit up, only growing weaker and frailer as the days had gone by. Him, General Kang, and several other prisoners were tortured by several methods. Some guards would get them by hanging them in the air by their feet and whipping them repeatedly until they would talk. Another popular choice was by suffocation, choking them and all the circulation in them until they would speak up. A new lesion appeared onto Sungjong's neck from a time when a guard choked him with a metal bar until he spoke up about the strongest members of Squad 10609.

Neither Sungjong nor General Kang ever spoke up about the Korean army to protect them, and as they were sent back to their jail cells unconscious the Sotenan military was only thinking of crueler ways to punish the two of them.

It had been past a week, but Sungjong was close to giving up. Sotenan's military had nearly out all the life from him, and without a single tinge of pink on his body Sungjong barely had energy to speak.

"How are you holding up?" General Kang spoke to him across his prison cell, using a single finger to caress the metal bars. "These are freezing, are you fine leaning onto them?"

Not a single word from Sungjong.

General Kang still kept up his fighting spirit due to his bigger stature and years in the military. What they did to him was mere childsplay, but he could tell that Sungjong disintegrating right before him. It was a sad scene to view. "Do you remember the first time I met you in Squad 10609 almost half a year ago?" General Kang asked.

Sungjong was not in any mood to look back on the past with General Kang. It almost seemed childish of a leader of his caliber to do so.

General Kang cleared his throat. "You were the feistiest person I had ever met, so enthusiastic at everything he tried and started. Even if you were not talented in every category, more than anything you wanted to improve and be seen as a man. I understand how you just feel right now, Sotenans almost taking everything away from you and ripping all of your laid out plans to shreds. You did not ask for this. No one asks to end up like this, but you can't give up Sungjong."

"Are you trying to butter me up and give me hope? I've lost all hope for a while now and I'm surprised I have not died yet," Sungjong finally spoke, his voice cracking up with tears falling down his face as he thought about everything he had gone through.

"You're alive for a reason."

"They must really want something from me if they push me to my limits without actually killing me. What am I supposed to do General? I would rather choke myself right now than live another day in this cell because I don't know how much my heart can take. We're going to wait for the Korean army in hopes that they will save us, but what happens if they never make it? After all, we have a spy, and I thought I trusted him... Everyone trusted him. Their army is just as good as dead right now, and I don't know where the single light of hope is."

Sungjong's words were painful to process, and General Kang had a better idea of how much he was hurting.

"I considered him a friend, and he would do this to me. He would let me and you rot here in a living hell. Why?"

General Kang wished that he knew the right things to say to help Sungjong alleviate his physical and internal pain from everything. He wanted to see that fighting spirit that Sungjong always had when he was training. Just the idea that Sungjong believed in himself even though he was weaker in some aspects said something about his character. He did not want to see that go to waste, watching Sungjong deteriorate as he stared into the sunrise.

And that was when General Kang noticed the sunrise himself in all of its beauty. With the patches of snow clouds going into the horizon with some parts of the sky clear as crystal, the sky illuminated a wondrous purple and orange that told him that today was another day. There was no indicator of time for anyone in the prison except for what they saw outside their windows, and with another day gone a new one comes alive.

General Kang was inspired.

"Keep your spirit alive Sungjong," General Kang whispered. "You know that sunrise you're looking at right now? That's a reminder that we wake up for something to look forward to. The tides are turning right now, and in a war like this there are people who you thought you knew being your worst enemy. It's a tough call, but dont worry about anyone. Yes we are fighting for Korea, but now the only person you are fighting for is yourself. The war goes on until your last breath, and your fighting not only a war against Sotena but yourself."

Sungjong had never heard the General compliment him in such a grandiose way like this, he questioned his sincerity since they were stuck in a moment like this. That was when Sungjong realized that between him and Sunggyu, he always had the special attention from General Kang when it came to plans. General Kang would always respond to Sungjong to take his side in any given moment. He offered support when no one believed in him, and Sungjong was more than grateful for all of the advice he had ever received. "So what do we do now?"

"Sungjong, you're intelligent. Use that to your advantage."

It was only Sungjong and General Kang together, and they were not aware of where any other Korean captives were taken into the prison. The Korean army, spy, and other externalities were only a mere sub to the idea at large: staying alive. And keeping the Korean army and their nation alive was an extra award in itself.

"Are they going to ask us for more information tomorrow?" Sungjong asked.

"I believe so."

"I have a plan."

(((())))

The soldiers grew restless.

After hours of staying in their respective trucks on the road, many people were awaiting their next rest break to refill on gas and energy for the road ahead.

It was cabin fever for the six friends who were quite frustrated with each other to even consider themselves friends in that moment. The close proximity, lack of fresh oxygen, discomfort of sitting on a flat seat with terrible posture almost made them hate each other. There were of course the underlying details between the lines that they had yet to read for each other. They continued to stay quiet after waking up with not a single word spoken to each other; Sunggyu caught himself glaring at Hoya from time-to-time as Hoya ignored everyone by looking to his side. Dongwoo and Myungsoo stayed quiet, both of them filled with emotions for everyone else but keeping the thoughts to themselves. Sungyeol stared outside the opening and watched the gentle snowfall of crisp snowflakes as they landed into a bed of snow that followed them. Lastly there was Woohyun, who wanted to say something but did not want to aggravate the situation.

Suddenly after some time, the truck finally slowed down to a halt.

"Are we here?" Woohyun wondered, looking through the opening of the truck.

Off into the distance they passed by a small brick building. Civilization was in reach, and as the trucks found a local gas station in a small town off the beaten path they parked on the side of the road to refuel. 

"Finally," Sunggyu mumbled to himself. 

Sungyeol and Myungsoo were closest to the truck opening and pushed the barrier open for everyone to climb out. Soldiers picked up their belongings and weapons to brace themselves for a couple hours of break.

Every soldier had been awaiting this moment for several hours, dying to go to the restroom, eat, or simply walk around and stretch out their achy limbs.

Myungsoo stepped out of the truck holding his gun, looking around the area for a place to eat. He has exhausted his stash of crunchy noodle snacks that he had in his backpack, munching on them during their ride and sharing them with other soldiers hours before. His stomach needed something sufficient, but he was tired of the food provided by the army.

Myungsoo was rather surprised. The area looked like it was stranded without a single person on the streets. Buildings had their lights and one could see through the windows that the interiors were elaborately decorated, but he could not spot a single person inside. It was odd, and Myungsoo nervously held his gun to stay alert of his surroundings. "Anyone want to find food here? I don't want to eat the usual."

"I'll go," Sungyeol offered, in desperate need to blow off some steam and get away from everyone.

"Me too," Sunggyu joined. Anything to get away from Hoya right now.

"I'll stay," Woohyun sighed. 

"Me too," Hoya nodded. "Sunggyu, you should be quick so that we can talk to Captain Peo later."

Sunggyu glared at Hoya at the side of his eye, doing his best to stay calm and keep himself from bursting out in anger. Hoya had him on a short leash, and no matter how far or where he would go Sunggyu was at a disadvantage. Hoya was in a higher position than him, the evidence of him being a spy disappeared after that night, and Hoya knew all the strings to pull to get everything in his favor. A lot of people around their military camp back in Pyongyang feared Hoya for his fierceness, and Sunggyu finally understood why.

This far in the game, Sunggyu was willing to do anything to stay alive.

"Let's go." Sunggyu cocked his gun, walked first to go ahead down the path. Sungyeol and Myungsoo looked at each other, the both of them following him down.

"I'm going to get some food at the caravan," Woohyun announced, waving to his friends as he went off to join other soldiers in Squad 10609 getting food at the caravan at the end of the line. 

Dongwoo and Hoya stood by their truck, left alone as they watched the their troops interacting with on the scene. They dropped their guns back off in their trucks since they were staying close. Several soldiers stayed by the gas station to socialize. Others walked around to explore the city. Some even played with the minimal snow around them, an inch deep and enough to build simple snowmans or make snowballs to lunge towards people. During the ide of the war, people's hearts were still as innocent as a child. 

Hoya pulled the sleeves of his long uniform shirt over his hands. He bent over to scoop up a handful of snow and clump it together into a small snowball that was ready for throwing. "Hey Dongwoo," Hoya called out.

Dongwoo turned his head, and right at that second the snowball hurled towards his head and smashed right on his cheeks. The ice not only splashed onto his cheeks but flew into his eyes and up his nose. Dongwoo bent over and snorted the snow out, coughing from the shock of the blow.

"You should have been prepared," Hoya smiled, patting on Dongwoo's shoulder.

Dongwoo flinched, holding onto his eye and taking a step away from Hoya. 

"Dongwoo, woah I didn't think it would hurt that much!" His intentions were playful, but Hoya could tell that Dongwoo was hurt from it. Hoya took a step forward, extending his hand to take a look at his eye.

Dongwoo swiped Hoya's hand away and took another step back. "Hoya, please don't touch me," he whimpered.

"What is going on?" Hoya frowned, narrowing his eyes at Dongwoo as his best friend turned away to avoid any eye contact with him. 

Dongwoo gently shook his head, hugging his body to provide some sort of security he needed. "Nothing."

Hoya was nervous, unsure if anyone had spoken to him about anything recently. "Has Sunggyu said anything to you recently?" he interrogated.

"No." Dongwoo's reply was faint, barely heard in the whistling wind and snowfall. 

"Why are you acting like this then?" Hoya bit his lip and worried himself to anixety. He assumed the worst and looked at his friend sternly, wanting an immediate answer from him. "Dongwoo, I don't know what people have said about me, Sunggyu, maybe Myungsoo, but what happened on the truck earlier-"

"Thanks for saving me yesterday," Dongwoo finally blurted out, keeping to himself as he looked up and met his eyes with Hoya.

Hoya was stunned, blinking his eyes and trying to find the words to say as he opened his mouth. He had not suspected that was on his mind at all, and from the looks of it Dongwoo was really bothered by it. He had been so preoccupied with Sunggyu he had completely forgotten that happened yesterday. "Dongwoo, I didn't know you still thought about that."

Dongwoo's eyes watered up, the weight of his tears weighing down on his eyebags to fall down and crash to the snow. It was overwhelming dealing with the bipolarity of Hoya, and sticking by his side after everything they had gone through was becoming a burden. "Staying by your side in this war is an emotional roller coaster. One minute everything is fine, the next minute you're not fine, the next minute everyone things you're a traitor, the next minute you're a guardian angel. I don't know what kind of Hoya I'm going to get today or tomorrow." Dongwoo covered his face, not wanting to offend him any longer. His heart was beating uncontrollably fast. "I'm sorry Hoya. I've known you for so long and I hate seeing all of this happen to you. Sungjong, your scars, Sunggyu's offhanded comments today. Sometimes I wonder if you would do the same for me and be my side through everything."

Hoya lurched forward and grabbed onto Dongwoo's hand to pull it away from his face and hold it close to his heart. The impulsive move only made his heart beat faster, with Dongwoo's palm laying flat on his chest to feel it. Hoya looked into Dongwoo's eyes, and he wanted to make sure he understood his next words. "Dongwoo, you know I wouldn't let anyone hurt you right?"

"I wasn't sure at first, but yesterday told me otherwise," Dongwoo admitted, Hoya's endearing look letting his own senses fail. "Hoya, I trust you with my life."

"Good, cause I trust you with mine." Hoya took a step closer, their noses a couple inches away from touching. "I can't go to anyone about anything but you. I've been honest with you throughout this whole thing, and I don't want you to feel like it's a one way street. When I have my moments of surrendering, nothing makes me feel better than having you hold onto me and telling me everything is going to be ok. Everything is really stressful right now, and I'm sorry that I'm the weak one right now. Everyone thinks that I'm this great and fantastic sergeant who shows no mercy, but I'm just some broken kid who is more ed up than everyone else. That means more to me than anything else in this war, and yesterday I simply returned the favor. I owe it to you as my best friend to protect and support you at any costs. I'm not keeping anything from you."

Dongwoo nodded his head slowly, willingly accepting every word that Hoya told him. A tiny grin flashed on his face, the sentimentality of their relationship reaching this breaking point and reaffirming what they had already thought about each other for so long. Dongwoo sniffed his nose, the snot from a mixture of almost crying and the freezing residue of snow at his nostrils. He pulled his hand back away from Hoya, and even though he wanted him to keep holding on he had to stop himself. "Whatever you tell me, I'll believe you."

Whatever you tell me, I'll believe you.

Hoya's body shivered from the uneasiness of Dongwoo's words, almost bring a disgusting pain in his stomach that would throw up at any point. Hoya nodded his head apologetically, convincing himself that he was still making the right decisions. "Dongwoo, I'm trying to stay strong for you just as much as you're trying to stay strong for me. If you don't believe in anything for the rest of the war, believe this: I swear on my father's grave, I will never betray you, Sungjong, our friends, our whole nation."

(((())))

"Where's the food here?" Sunggyu sniffed his nose, shivering from the snowy weather in their unknown location. There were not many signs to distinguish the establishments from residential housing, so neither of the three knew where to start or where to enter. 

Myungsoo shrugged his shoulders, watching his surroundings in each step. The buildings were made with bricks or stone with little to no windows in the area, and the ones with windows were completely smashed and worn out. The porches looked like they were torn down with broken wooden planks and railings to enter the buildings. Myungsoo was suspicious, wondering if there were people living in this town at all.

That was when he noticed next to a building's door a potted camellia flower, alive and well with drippings of snow on its petals. It was not frozen or dried out at any point, and since the snow only occurred on this day he assumed that someone needs to be there for upkeeping and watering.

"Maybe the food is on another street and we need to move," Sungyeol suggested. "If I had to take a guess, I would say these houses were residential."

"Let's go farther." Sunggyu led the group down to the end of the road before they considered moving onto another one.

Sunggyu was uncharacteristically anxious to go as far away as possible. This made Myungsoo remember earlier in the wee hours of the morning how Sunggyu and Hoya got into an argument on the truck. He had yet to figure out how it occurred, but he thought it was probably of the same reason why Sungyeol was still visibly upset. 

Sungyeol continued walking, keeping his distance between Sunggyu and Myungsoo with space for himself. He desired the breathing room after staying cooped up in a claustrophobic setting where his mind could not wander aimlessly. His thoughts were boggled as he remembered their troops' presence in Aniyan. It was an unsettling feeling of how everything ended, and it only brought back unwarranted memories that Sungyeol wanted to forget.

Myungsoo followed the two of them, both of them dealing with their own issues with him left in the dark for all of it. He especially kept an eye out on Sungyeol, knowing exactly what triggered him and at any moment if the wrong words were said he could potentially lash out unknowingly. "This is a fun time," Myungsoo snided sarcastically, feeling the cool grooves of his gun at his fingertips. "Are any of you going to say anything else?"

Yes. Hoya is as terrible as you think he is, cause he's a spy and manipulating everyone.

"Not at the moment," Sunggyu lied.

Sungyeol lifted his head up, noticing a building off into the distance with a faded sign on its front with a bowl of salad. He scanned the area, all of the lights on inside the restaurant they approached. "That place has salads," he pointed out. "A nice change from all of the sodium we have in our bodies."

"Great, I'm starving." Sunggyu picked up the pace and rushed towards the restaurant. He left Sungyeol and Myungsoo behind, whom kept the same speed without a sense of urgency.

It was the two of them together without a single person with them, and Myungsoo wanted to get deeper into Sungyeol's thoughts.

"Hey Sungyeol, are you really ok?" Myungsoo asked, grasping tightly on his gun as he mentally prepared himself for Sungyeol to spill his heart out. He was anticipating a longwinded answer from him in the same fashion that Myungsoo would.

"I'm fine right now," Sungyeol answered, no explanation of anything.

Myungsoo cleared his throat, surprised by the minimal answer. "Really?"

Sungyeol responded in such a way that he wanted this conversation to end. "Yeah really."

Myungsoo wondered if he should push for the truth. "You can tell me anything. I know you're stubborn about sharing things like this, but things are different since we're in Sotena and so far away from home. We don't really have anyone else to cry to for help but each other. I'm just extending the invitation if you wanted it, but I won't force you to tell me anything."

Sungyeol was slightly comforted by the words, but it was not enough for him to speak. For Sungyeol, it was not an issue that it was Myungsoo bothering him about it. It was an issue that he did not want to tell a single soul about his feelings, keeping his thoughts to himself and expecting them to blow over in several hours. 

"Ok then." Myungsoo respected that Sungyeol did not want to speak, knowing how his best friend works and acts to situations like this. He had a tinge of bitterness towards Sungyeol, only because he wanted to help him in any way he could.

The two of them reached the front of the restaurant and walked in on a silhouette of Sunggyu standing at the door frame. The lights were on inside and flickering on and off. Sungyeol and Myungsoo walked up the steps to check out the scene, peering over Sunggyu's shoulder to scan inside.

The restaurant was filled with several low standing tables in which a person must kneel down to eat. The place was quaint, plainly decorated with several elaborate Sotenan items such as paintings and embroidered rugs. A television sit was on in the corner of the restaurant, reception going in and out of a news channel on Sotenan president Ranu Sojang. The lighting was atrocious, giving off every few seconds for an inconsistent illumination of the restaurant. To add onto the eerie vibe of the restaurant, an older lady sat down in the middle of the restaurant stirring a large bowl of lettuce, cabbage, bok choi, tomatoes, and carrots in one bowl while pouring in homemade lemon salad dressing inside. Her expression was gloomy, not the friendliest aura to be around.

"Do you want to go in?" Sunggyu asked.

"Better than nothing, I'm really hungry. Just keep your guard up." Myungsoo placed his hand on his stomach, feeling his stomach growling in pain. He used his shoulder to push Sunggyu in, following right after him with Sungyeol trailing from behind to greet the older lady. The three of them locked their guns with safety and placed it behind their backs.

"We would like to eat here," Sunggyu spoke in Sotenan.

The older lady placed her spoon and dressing bowl on the sides, grabbing onto the bottom of larger bowl and shaking it profusely until each vegetable was evenly coated with a scent of lemon fresh and other sweet flavors of the wild. Three dark shadows covered her, looking up to see that the restaurant had customers. "You sit here and I will give you this bowl," she offered.

The three of them looked at each other, shrugging that all of this did not seem like a bad plan. The took their backpacks and guns off to the side and knelt down in front of the table that the older lady was working at. The three of them kept their backs straight for posture, keeping their guard up in case any misfortune occurred.

She finished the last of her mixing, tossing the contents up in the air and catching it back in her bowl before slamming it on the table in front of Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Myungsoo. She reached into her apron pocket, pulling out three pairs of disposable chopsticks to pass for every person individually. The restaurant was definitely one that kept to traditional and older traditions, nothing out of the ordinary for any of them.

"Thank you," they bowed in front of her, unwrapping their chopsticks and digging in to eat. It was the best salad, let alone the best meal, that all three of them have had in a while. Let alone, it was quite a healthy and delicious meal that would bring them nothing but energy and nutrients for the war. After spending countless hours on a truck, this was a reward that they had been waiting for. Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Myungsoo had no problems devouring the food like vultures. Suddenly every annoyance in the world no longer mattered to them as much as what their taste buds were feeling.

The old lady continued staying at the table with the three members, nodding her head in satisfaction of them enjoying their food. "You are Korean?" she asked, noticing the small patch of the Korean flag on their uniform collar.

Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Myungsoo looked at each other warily on whether to answer the question truthfully. There was proof in itself that they were indeed Korean, but after the way things worked in Aniyan they were quite scared of the outcome. "Yes, we are Korean," Sunggyu answered reluctantly. 

"Ah." The old lady nodded her head, smiling at the boys. "I am Korean, too," she spoke fluently.

All of them were astonished at the sudden reveal, pleasantly surprised by how well her accent still . It was very comforting for them to be around, especially in another foreign country.

"Daebak," Sunggyu exclaimed, shoving a mouthfull of greens into his mouth.

"What brings you here to Sotena?" Sungyeol asked, intrigued by all of this.

The old lady spoke, her voice tender and welcoming. "I came to China when the world was still North Korea and South Korea. I fled here to escape a dictatorship, but I never expected this place would turn into one."

"We've all heard from the news that Sotena was ruled with the iron fist, that's all anyone could ever talk about. I guess some cities can be delusional. We were passing through Aniyan and that occurred."

"Aniyan." The old lady lowered her head pondering the fact. "My family is in Aniyan right now."

Sungyeol and Myungsoo looked at each other worriedly, the back at her. "Ajumma, you left your family?"

"I left everyone with my son." She pointed at the wall behind, revealing and old crumpled picture with a golden frame of five people standing together in a garden. All of the faces were smiling, even in the faded gloss one could see the colors of the background popping out in their family photo. Everyone looked happy.

"You separated?" Sungyeol placed his chopsticks on the table, sulking on the floor and paying attention to the rest of the story. It was heartbreaking for him to see that a good looking family who loved each other could succumb to this.

The old lady coughed up something in , clearing it to prepare her story. "The first city we went to while we escaped Kim Jong Il's regime was Aniyan. We heard that China was a decent place, and Aniyan was a perfect place to start. It was the five of us. My husband, son, and two daughters. I had my own restaurant business there with Korean and Chinese fusion. This was a very long time ago, and we were happy."

Her voice was calming, yet forlorn and regretful of her life. Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Myungsoo had all stopped eating at this point, patiently waiting for her story to finish.

"When Northeast China was taken over as a country, things changed. We had to stop practicing Buddhism to celebrate Ranu Sojang, we had to throw away all of our books and replace them for new ones, we had to sing anthems every day for this idiot man we call our leader."

"This sounds like North Korea," Sunggyu commented.

"I was living in another North Korea. Many cities stayed brainwashed, and the government had their own methods of converting you. They were capable of torturing you if they were not satisfied with your performance. Every place was on surveillance, and I was living in hell once more."

"So you left?" Sunggyu asked.

"When the war was beginning to start, the country turned into a state of chaos with people turning on each other left and right. I had heard word from my next door neighbor that there was a small mountain town developed by Chinese natives that the government had never passed through. My son and I decided it was time for ourselves to redefine happiness and whisk away to a new place once more. There was only one problem."

"Your husband and two daughters." Sunggyu his lips, feeling sorrowful at the end of this story.

"Their minds were in too deep for admiration and appreciation of that son of a . They refused to come with us, after I begged so hard for them to leave with me. My son had to carry me to here cause I was devastated, crying the whole way through. I could not find the strength to carry on."

The three of them thought about the idea, what they would do in her shoes if their families had to be torn apart by the war. It was disheartening thinking about it, Myungsoo tearing up as he considered the idea of carrying his mom on his own back up a mountain to protect her. Myungsoo wiped his tear away, Sungyeol taking notice and massaging his shoulder.

"My son took care of me at my worst, staying by my side during this idiotic war. We had to stick together because he was the only person I had, and we tried to recuperate here."

"Where is he now?" Sunggyu asked.

"My son has a big heart. He not only loved me, but he loved my husband and his sisters. He told me he had to go back to Aniyan and try to convince the rest of the family. In his words, he had to keep the family together. Unfortunately... I have not heard from him since."

A mother's heart was the most caring one, protecting her kin at any cost and doing her best to shower her children with all the love she could give. It is a bond that lasts a lifetime and irreplaceable at that. "Do you know if he is..." Myungsoo did not finish his sentence.

"I do not know if he is alive, but I believe he is," she nodded. "He should have never left my side. For some people, it is too late for them to change their ways. My husband and daughters have made their decision, and he walked into a trap to save them. They could not be saved, but his heart thought he could."

Sunggyu rubbed his forehead, thinking about last night and his friendship with Hoya. He had given Hoya the benefit of the doubt after Myungsoo's first accusation of him being a traitor, and he squirmed in his seat thinking about how he too was a trap. Dongwoo was falling into his trap, and he was hesitant to believe that Myungsoo did the same. Sunggyu was wondering if his love for Hoya as a brother was enough for him to keep going on with, and if he was willing to continue playing the pawn in his dubious act. At the same time, Sunggyu also wanted to keep Hoya alive, but by doing so would jeopardize himself, Dongwoo, the rest of his friends, and his country in the process. 

This almost paralleled their situation with Sungjong. "We have a friend who was captured by the Sotenan army. We believe he is in Yundo, but we are not entirely sure if he is still alive." Myungsoo sniffed his nose. "We believe he is alive, too."

"Boys, if the love you have for each other is strong then you will do anything to keep them and their spirit alive in your heart. I don't have anymore strength to walk the ends of the earth to find him, but every night I look up at the stars and wish upon the brightest one to watch over him safely. How far will you go for the ones you love?"

None of them have ever been asked a question so strongly rooted in love and trust. It had been a rough ride, and the three of them considered what they had gone through with each other and the other three to get to Yundo and protect their country and Sungjong. The question is the ultimate question, and at the final line do they trust each other well enough to die for each other? Are their friendships thi strong? Do they love each other that much?

"I'll go as far as possible," Myungsoo nodded with confidence.

Sunggyu painfully watched Myungsoo agree to this statement, because deep down inside he was no longer certain he could do the same. Especially after his encounter with Hoya, love could barely surpass his trust issues and his own life in the war. Sunggyu had to finally choose, whether to continue playing Hoya's game to keep Hoya and himself alive, or risk his own life out of love to save the rest of his friends. He had to consider who he loved more.

Sungyeol looked at Myungsoo, his friend stronger than he is at this very second. He respected Myungsoo in such a high regard, and his fighting spirit for Sungjong was something he wish he had. After experiencing a small boiling point, Sungyeol was relaxed and put his thoughts aside for now. He held a badge of courage on his heart. "I would die for the people I love," Sungyeol claimed.

Sunggyu was about to leave the question unanswered, but impulsively responded. "Me too."

The old lady nodded her head. She reached her arms over the table to grab onto the right hands of the three of them, holding them together and saying a little blessing for Sunggyu, Sungyeol, and Myungsoo. "Please watch over each other and any other friends you may have in this war. Remember that not all people will think the same way you do, and know when you have to separate yourselves from the ones who would pull you down the most. Lastly, keep the faith. It is all you have in this war. All of you have to trust is for love to keep you going. I don't know when this war will end, but I hope for all of you and my son to return safely home."