Yeonpyeong Island, Yellow Sea

The sun was slowly rising from the East.  The light breeze smelled of seawater.  Half of the island was still in deep sleep.  Only a few locals were up and about, doing their usual chores.  After a cup of coffee, I was fully awake. 

A week had passed since our deployment to Yeonpyeong.  The North was constantly threatening to attack the island in order to gain full control of the Yellow Sea.  Their naval ship had been spotted several nautical miles close to the Northern Limit Line.  South and North Korea have been disputing over ownership of the island since I was a child.  It was not until November 2010 when the North Korean artillery bombed Yeonpyeong, killing several civilians and South Korean Marines. 

Intelligence gathered by our troops confirmed that there was eminent danger from the North.  It was only a matter of time before they attacked again.  Our platoon was patrolling the Northern border.  It was eerily quiet.  We can’t let our guard down.  The island’s 1,300 residents were counting on us.

My 2pm brothers and I have enlisted in the military together.  It was a pact we made many years ago after we debuted.  This will be our last month of military service.  Very soon I will be going home to my beloved.

I was relieved to have Chansung in my platoon.  I knew he would have my back as I would have his.  His girlfriend, Eunjung, will be going into labor in a few weeks. They were expecting their first child - a girl.  Chansung couldn’t wait to be discharged.  He wanted to be by his girlfriend’s side on that special day.

“To this day, I still can’t believe you could beat us all.  Who knew you’ll be the first to be a dad?  How is Eunjung?” I asked while patting him on the shoulder.

“She’s experiencing mild contractions now. It wouldn’t be long.”

“How are your nerves?”

“Oh, man,  I don’t know.  I am happy, excited, nervous, and petrified.  You know, the jitters of a first-time dad?”

“Ha ha. Oh yeah? I had the same feeling a week ago.  Whew, glad it’s over and done with.” 

“So how was your trip to Venice?”

“Daebak!! It was a 10 0ut of 10, bro!”  My profound happiness was so evident.

“Congratulations,” he complemented me. "I expect nothing but the best from you."

“I was so afraid she would jilt me.  I mean…I know she loves me so much but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to settle down.  I really don’t know what I would do if she said no.”

“Thank goodness for her, huh.  She didn’t disappoint.  So what had you planned out to deserve that coveted ‘yes’ from her?”

“I proposed to her at Piazza San Marco…in the middle of the Square.  I found a children’s choir to serenade her with our love song. And that diamond ring you guys suggested I buy, she loved it!”

“Jinjja? That’s awesome, man!  How did she react?”

“She is a simple girl, with simple wants.  I have never seen her that happy.  Oh, and she adored the kids.”

“I betcha the kids won her over for you, huh.”

“Yeah bro, I thought so too.”

“Church bells?”

“Very soon man, very soon.  Probably four months after we get discharged.  She has already started preparing for the wedding.” 

“You need to be godparents to my child first.”

“Sure man, that’s already a given. Did Eunjung liked our present?”

“She loved it.  She extends her thanks.  How about Gui Gui, has she decided to stay in Korea?”

“Yeah.  She decided to just take a few projects after the wedding so she can have more time with me.  I will cut down on the offers as well so we can travel together and concentrate on expanding the family.”

“I think that would be a good idea.  At the early stage of your marriage you need to spend more time together.   Then later, you need to work harder as your family starts to grow.”

I reverted my attention back to the shore.  Something wasn’t right.  Suddenly there was a deafening blast a few meters to my right. 

“TAKE COVER! TAKE COVER!!!” I heard someone yelling.

I could hear the whizzing sound of bullets everywhere.  I fired my Cobra M4 at the approaching enemies.  Despite our rigorous training, no one could ever be prepared for this catastrophe. 

A heavy thick black smoke can be seen on the shore.  My senses were heightened.  I was able to zero in on my target with precision.  I was a good marksman and I took down a couple of them.  As the black smoke lifted I could see several mangled bodies.  The scene was horrifying.  There was blood and decapitated limbs everywhere.  We have obliterated our enemy but some of our comrades were not so fortunate.  My first thought was to look for Chansung. Whichever way I turned, I couldn’t find my brother.

“Chansung! Chansung! Sergeant Hwang Chansung!” Terror was evident in my voice.

I yelled even louder. “Chansung!”

“Hyung, I’m here.”  I heard him yell a few feet from me. He sounded terrified.  An enemy corpse was on top of him. I was instantaneously relieved to see that he was safe.

As Chansung was getting off the ground, one of the fallen North Korean soldiers pulled a grenade.  Before one of our comrades gunned him down he was able to throw the grenade towards Chansung’s direction. 

No! Even as dread consumed me, I raced towards him to get him out of harm’s way.  His eyes were wide with terror.  Thank goodness, I got to him in time.  But why is he still panicking?  I could faintly hear him calling out for help.

“Help! I need help here! Help! Please hurry!” He was crying.  “Hang on Taec, please hang on. You must hang on, please.  Do you hear me? You have to hang on!”

Don’t cry Channie, you’re safe now.  Why is he not listening to me? I kept telling him not to cry, that he is safe.  Why can’t he not hear me? I felt so cold and my lids are starting to get heavy.

“Don’t you dare close your eyes Taec! Don’t you dare! Please stay awake!”

What was he saying? I couldn’t hear what he said.  I don’t know, but I felt so tired and I just wanted to go to sleep.  Gui Gui? My love, what are you doing here? Where are you going? No…don’t go.  Darkness was creeping up on me and I felt like I was being dragged into a black hole.  Gui Gui reached her hand out to me.  I wanted to grab her hand but I couldn’t get free.  I was getting deeper into the black hole but I was desperately trying to get to her.  All my efforts were in vain and darkness overtook me.  Everything was pitch black.  Before I closed my eyes, I called out to her…

Gui Gui, I’m sorry and I love you…