I couldn’t sleep that night.

Jackson had put me in a hotel that was across the street from the hospital, hoping I would shower and wear the change of clothes he brought me. When he left me at the door, he said that if I wasn’t ready tomorrow, then he wouldn’t let me see Junhong. I was too tired emotionally to let the anger in me form into words. I just nodded and walked into the room.

The bed was soft. I had laid down for nearly 5 hours, staring at the ceiling or outside the wall of windows. Either way, I wasn’t going to sleep. The hotel rooms looked too much like the hospital ones, even down to the placement of the bathroom and that thought echoed in my mind a bit. If I stared out of my window, would I be looking in at Junhong’s room? Mark’s?

This was the first time I had slept alone till my assignment to Mark. The emptiness was deafening.

I hadn’t showered or changed clothes when the clock said 8 am. Jackson said that around that time he would pick me up, but I knew he would get sidetracked or pulled into another meeting. 10 am would be about the time he’d knock. I’d probably be over to the hospital by then. Sitting and waiting.

The whole night, I had the phone in my hand. I didn’t know how to use it, but I knew how to make calls and text. I was waiting for a call to say Junhong was waking up or that Mark had miraculously been cured. There was no such call. My hand started to hurt by how tight I was gripping that stupid square. After I had stopped crying and having a breakdown, Bad Youngjae took me and wrapped up my hand (my knuckles were bloody). I wanted to tell him to stop and to not touch me, but again, I was too emotionally drained to let the anger get a hold of my words.

After that, reliving the event for the police report, and talking to Jinyoung for all of 10 seconds, I was sent here. I also didn’t notice Bad Youngjae was at my side for the whole thing. Letting me grab his arm for the vivid parts of my memory and to hand me water when my thought started to become raw from talking. Thinking about it now, it pissed me off.

Usually, Bad Youngjae is nice and caring to use you. To make you want to do things for him in the future. Manipulative. He uses stories and emotions to try to make you feel for him. For your relationship. Then he breaks is by doing something. Something usually involving pain for the other party. I was usually the other party. I should know that he’s doing this, but I let it happen. Like I always did. I would yell at him and talk back at him in public, but when it was just us two or when I was wearing myself down, he always snuck in and made me feel like I needed what he was giving me. Making me feel bad for past instances.

I couldn’t talk about this to Good Youngjae. It was too dangerous.

Knock Knock.

“MeeYon.” I jumped up at my name being called but then laid back down. Only 3 people call me that and 2 of them are hospitalized.

“What?” It came out a whisper and I realized my voice couldn’t go any louder. I also noticed the pain in my shoulders and in my legs. My head pounded a little in the background as well. I was stiff and in pain now. I didn’t want to get up.

“Have you taken a shower or changed?” I didn’t feel like taking through a door, so I groaned and got up, walking ever so slowly to the door. When I opened it and he was leaning on the door frame, looking like he got a full 8 hours of sleep. I wondered what I look like.

“No, you haven’t.” He walked in without my welcome and I gave the hallway an annoyed face before closing the door and turning to him, sitting on the bed.

“You didn’t sleep either by the looks of the bed. You toss and turn too much.”

“What do you want?” He looked at me with a bit of surprised look on his face. It was fake surprise, but it was at y tone of voice. Did he think last night miraculously changed my outlook on him? Because it hadn’t. I was still confused about my outlook on him.

I’m in love you.

“I’m here to make sure you take a shower and change into fresh clothes before Jackson doesn’t let you see anyone until they’re discharged from the hospital. I’ll also buy some breakfast and make sure you eat.” I was so tempted to ask him why he cared, but I knew that wouldn’t get anywhere. I might even get those four words again.

“I want pancakes.” I didn’t fight him and grabbed the clothes that Jackson had given me. This time real surprise was on his face. I had listened to him.

“You’re not going to fight with me? Tell me to leave or get out of your face?”

“I want to see him.” Who him was, I didn’t know.

___

When I walked out of the bathroom pancakes were on a table by the bed, along with other food. He must’ve ordered room service.

He was also laying on the bed, reading some type of magazine. It almost looked domestic at how he was laying. In an expensive outfit, a Rolex, house slippers, and his hair splayed to one wide. This was a picture of the true Yoo Youngjae. The North Korean elite always wearing the nicest things, looking the best. It was domestic because it wasn’t Soldier Yoo, it was the Yoo I had grown up with. When we both wore those same clothes. A happier time.

He sat up and swung his legs to hit the floor.

“Do you want to sit on the bed or the chair?” He pointed at the chair across from him, but I walked to the vanity mirror, looking at my hair.

“I ordered for us already. Apparently, they take orders only for the higher-ups, so be glad. Still, they’re busy, so I wouldn’t put it past them to make us wait.” I laughed and gripped his arm as a cold gust of wind blew through the street. It had been a long time since I’ve been on the streets of Pyeongyang, enjoying them.

“That’s okay with me. As long as we’re away from base I could care less.” He put his arm around me as we walked trying to warm me up.

“You hate it that much? I told them to be nicer to you.” I lightly pushed him, and he laughed this time.

“Sergeant Yoo never seems to do his job. Just stands a looks a Private Ri. Do you know how much I hear that from the other girl there?” He tried to put this arm around me again, but I dodged.

“Are you jealous that other girls are looking at me? Because be assured I’m only looking at one of them. Kim YeHan is very good looking.”

“Bang Yongguk is so handsome. I’m so excited that I’m being transferred to Alpha in a few months!” Youngjae grabbed my arm and stopped my walking; he turned me to face him.

“You forget I’m going to Alpha with you. You don’t get to escape that easily.” I put my arms around his neck and smiled.

“Only 6 more years till I can marry someone. I think Bang Yongguk is a very good candidate. Strong, masculine, loyal. What more can a girl want? He’s a model North Korean man.”

“Don’t play with me like that, Yon-ah, or I’ll make sure you stay in training for 6 years. No Bang Yongguk, just Yoo Youngjae.”

“The chair, I don’t want my back to hurt,” I answered him after a few minutes, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you finally feeling sore? Do you need something?” Why do you care? Why is my mind remembering useless memories?

“No, I can get it myself if I need to.” I reached out for the chair, but Youngjae was quicker and pulled it out.

“He knows how to a woo a lady doesn’t he?” I said as he sat down across from me. The table was near the back of the restaurant and I looked around, seeing the changes. It had been 4 years since I sat in the restaurant with my father. It seemed that now we were the only young adults in here. Generals and scientists and elites; all of them were here with friends or family.

“I bet Bang Yongguk doesn’t know how to do that.” I grabbed his hand on the table.

“It’s a good thing I don’t want Bang Yongguk then.” He smiled wide, like I had just bought him a new puppy. What did TaeKyu say this was called? Having him wrapped around my finger?

“Well, who do you want to meet? I can set you up on a date with them? I’m a pretty highly ranked officer, you know.”

I stood there, not sitting down. He was waiting for me to sit down before he did too. I was doing the same thing.

“You don’t need to pull out my chair, I can do it myself.” He sighed and sat down.

“Of course, you can.” I resisted the urge to glare, and sat down, looking at him. I can understand why my mind is doing this to me right now, but I didn’t want it right now. I didn’t want to feel something for the man I was sitting across once more. I wanted the negative outlook to be there. I wanted it to be someone different.

“I worked hard to get this night off for both of us, but now all she’s talking about is other men. Right in front of me.” I laughed and took another sip.

“Don’t worry. When we talk about boys in the barrack I always try to put in a good word for you. Well, I used to before they stopped talking about you.” He was still laying with my hand, waiting for our food. They made us wait.

“Why’d they stop? Am I not good enough now that the new recruits came in?”

“It’s a rule to not talk about taken men. Is it the same for you?” He shook his head and I frowned.

“They talk about you all the time. When they think I’m not listening. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard Jung DaeHyun comment on the color of your hair or how your hips sway when you walk or how he’d like to-“He gripped my hand harder as he went on and I pulled on it a little bit.

“Why don’t you do something about it?” He shook his head.

“A, we’re both the same rank, and, B, he’s not holding your hand right now, going on a one-year anniversary date, and getting to take you back home tonight. I get the last laugh.”

“Are you not going to eat? No, wait, you’re going to say you can do it yourself, sorry.” I wanted to stop the memories, but I knew I couldn’t. I wanted to stop how they made me feel, but I knew they couldn’t. That coupled with recent events. How long had it been since Youngjae and I had a conversation? One where I didn’t threaten him?

Was it the lack of Mark? That’s why I’m out of my mind. Because he’s not here to knock sense into me. Because no one is here to do that.

“Do you remember before we went to Alpha? When we were younger?” His hand stopped, and he tilted his head a bit.

“Usually I’m the one who brings back the unwanted memories. You’re also usually yelling at me by this time, so I guess that’s also different. Yes, I do remember. How far back? Like when you went through training? When you trained the others?” I shrugged and took a bite of pancakes.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t done anything to piss me off yet. When he did that, I’d yell at him to leave and to not talk to me again.

“Just in general. After my father died,”

“I remember a lot from that time, yeah. Good and bad. Mostly good.” I agreed. Before Alpha, everything was mostly good. He was mostly good, “Why do you ask?” It was his turn to ask why.

“I was just thinking about things recently. Things in the past. Since yesterday…” I had to lie, because I didn’t want him to know. About the Good Youngjae. I also had no idea why my mind was bringing up these memories.

“That period was probably the most memorable for me. 15-18. Those 3 years. I mean, Alpha as well, but that was a short endeavor before they sent me away.”

“Mine would be the opposite and also bad memories. Most of the time, I think about Alpha, even when I don’t want to.”

“I think about it sometimes. How we used to be… you know, and then Alpha happened and I couldn’t figure out what changed.” You couldn’t figure out what changed?! What changed was-, “All the things we did tho-“

The stupid closet was the only space in the building to even try. I was always trapped in the barracks and Youngjae’s apartment was too far away to go when we wanted to see each other. So, he brought up the idea of the closet that no one used. The one that had empty shelves in it. It also had barely enough room to fit both of us on a good day. Still, we took the risk.

He kissed down my neck as my hands played with his hair, explaining about my day. We always did this on night rounds. When there was nothing to do, but it wasn’t time to report to our officers.

“And then she fell in the mud, crying. I told her that if she couldn’t get through this, she might as well go home, because it gets a lot harder. The new recruits this year seem so weak.” I felt him smile and he put his hands on my waist, pulling me up higher on his lap.

“The boys are the same way. Young, weak. Some have no muscles at all. It will be a rough season for them, especially when I leave. I’m probably the nicest of all of the Master Sergeants there.”

I laughed and his finally kissed me to shut me up.

“What does that laugh mean?”

“An average of 1000 push-ups per training session? Definitely the nicest.” He poked me, and I jumped a bit, glaring.

“I’ve heard a rumor that Corporal Ri makes girls who stare at and talk about Master Sergeant Yoo do 500 extra push-ups before dinner.” I moved on him and he gripped my waist harder.

“Hey, hey, hey. This closet is too small for that and you know it.” I tilted my head.

“We’ve never tried it.” He smirked and tilted his head to match mine.

“Have I ever told you how nice you look in your uniform? Or is it the other way around?” He went back to my neck again and I laughed.

“Stop, you know what they’ll say, Mark.” Mark looked at up me and smirked again. That stupid smirk. I wanted to kis-

The fork slammed down on the plate, almost breaking it. Bad Youngjae was in the middle of his talk, which I wasn’t paying any attention to when the phone broke me out of my memory. I grabbed the phone with my bad hand, leaning past Youngjae.

“Hello?”

“Kim HyeIn, this is Doctor Jang. You told us to call you when we thought Choi Junhong would wake up. I just called you, so you had time to get over here, but we estimate about an hour. If you would like to head over now, we have a few things to discuss before he wakes up.”

I agreed to come and hung up, taking the jacket I had thrown on the floor.

“Is Junhong up?” I turned to glare at Bad Youngjae, back to my old self…kind of.

“Mind your own business.”

__

“When he wakes up, he’s like you. Remember how we had to handcuff you to the bed. He has to agree to seek asylum before we can negotiate. If not, we have to take him in.”

“You aren’t taking my brother in. Over my dead body.” Jackson put his head in one hand, stressed as I was disagreeing with everything he had said.

“HyeIn, it’s law. If he doesn’t comply, he’s a threat. If you also don’t comply, then I have to arrest you too. We already have one in jail, I would like to keep it so the other two also aren’t.: I glared at him lightly but then turned to lean against the nurse’s counter. Junhong’s room was right there because he was a fall risk. There were elderly men to his left and right. Mark was in a room farther down the hallway, and I didn’t have a desire to go in it. To see him there, helpless. The way I made him.

“When have I ever agreed with the law?”

“Why is that statement so accurate..?” He mumbled and went back to looking at the papers he would eventually have to translate for me.

“What if he hates me, Jackson?” He didn’t look up from his papers.

“He won’t. None of them will.” He knew the hidden meaning behind my question. Would Mark hate me? Would Junhong hate me? Multiple scenarios were playing through my heads, all with bad endings. He would wake up and try to kill me. He would wake up and not talk to me. He would wake up and blame me. They would wake up.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t want me there. If Junhong pushes me away. I’ve been waiting so long to have him next to me, I never thought that he wouldn’t want to be-”

“One battle at a time, HyeIn. First, he wakes up. Then, we take him how he is. Step by step.”

“Kim-sshi, Officer Wang?” Jackson looked up from the papers to the doctor peeking out of Junhong’s room, “It’s time.”

“Do you need me to hold your hand?” I rolled my eyes at him, but I was shaking. Each step I took to that door, my chest got tighter and tighter. I had only seen him once. I walked into his room, hated what I saw, and walked out. Walking in now, the same feeling came to my stomach.

My little brother, laying down in a coma, skinny, pale, grown. I felt sick again.

I gravitated towards the corner as the doctor went up to his bed. Jackson handcuffed him and that got to me. I put my hand over my mouth, trying to block any sound that would come through. I couldn’t cry in front of Junnie, I had to be strong.

“We predict in a few minutes, he’ll become conscious. Based on these charts over here, he’s about to wake up.” The doctor pointed to some moving lines, but I just started at Junhong’s face. He looked so much like dad. Like KyungIl. The silver hair added to that effect. His face was still sharp as it had been when I left, but that could be from the lack of food. The strenuous activity. The fighting and the war. I never wanted my little brother to fight, but here we are.

He’s 21 now. He’s a man now. How can I look at his face now and still see the little boy I left on the steps?

Jackson glanced over to me fidgeting in the corner and gave me a light smile. I didn’t smile back. Not to the person who just cuffed my brother to his bed.

“Mhhph.” I jumped at the noise and the movement. My heart rate shot up and I could only hear that in my ears. I also think my breathing sped up and was definitely audible. My hands squeezed together as I watched him move, bit by bit.

“Lee Junhong, can you hear me?” There was a groan as a reply and the first big movement happened. He pulled on his wrist and as soon as he realized he was handcuffed his eyes shot open. They met mine for a split second before the doctor and Jackson had to hold him down as he began to thrash. I fell to the ground, eyes wide, looking at the scene in front of me.

“Let go of me! Get you hands off of me! I will kill both of you as soon as I get loose! I said let go! Let me kill her!” Tears. Blurry vision.

He wanted to kill me. Bad scenario number one.

“Lee Junhong! You are in South Korea and are being held as a defector from North Korea!” Jackson had to yell over him, but Junhong was louder. His voice was deeper and scarier and I couldn’t imagine that sound coming from my brother.

The doctor pressed the red button on the bed and a few seconds other people came in to help. They were here to hold Junhong’s leg so he didn’t hurt it even more.

“Let me kill her!” My eyes were still wide. Still blurry. Breathing still ragged.

He couldn't be talking about me. No, he couldn’t be. There was no way. Why would he want to kill his sister?

“Youngjae, just get her out of here!” I was grabbed up from the ground and hauled out of the room. This touch wasn’t Youngjae Youngjae, it was Good Youngjae. He had pulled me out to the hallway, out of the way. So they could sedate him. Figure out what’s wrong. Arrange a cell for him somewhere.

“HyeIn, look at me. You need to look at me and ground yourself.” I was sitting on a row of 3 chairs and he was kneeling down, trying to get at my eye level.

“I missed his graduation, Youngjae! Do you think I’m happy about that?” He held his hands up as I threw down the gun I was cleaning. I excused myself outside the house because I knew if I had this “temper tantrum” inside, I’d be black and blue tomorrow. I didn’t need to add more.

“I know you're mad now, but my father told him the situation. Junhong’s a smart kid, he knows what it’s like. You’ll be able to see him graduate college and become a doctor. Isn’t that the end goal?”

“You don’t understand. You can’t understand. Mommy’s precious angel got everything in his life to go his way. He doesn’t understand.”

“Hey, shut the up, will you? You should be glad I don’t…” he stopped himself, but I knew what he was going to say. This was one of the only times I had spoken out against him and he didn’t know how to handle it. Hell, I’m not going to know how to handle it when he tells Yongguk. But I was mad. Furious at our government. At Youngjae’s father.

“You don’t what, Youngjae? You don’t what? Do it!” I was up in his face and he scowled before pushing my back into the nearest tree.

“If I was Junhong, I’d be glad to not have my of a ing sister at my graduation. When she didn’t even help me when she left and abandoned me. I’d ing hate her guts by now. Now, don’t ever talk back to me again or I swear to god, your ing head will be on a stick. Got it?”

“MeeYon.” I different voice, the voice I didn’t want to hear. I wanted someone to tell me to open up their phone and play a song, not the voice that was causing all of these moments to come back.

“A of a ing sister.” I could feel him seize up as he realized I was quoting him. Good Youngjae noticed it too and looked at Bad Youngjae.

“I got his letter today. It’s shorter than normal, usually, he writes 3 or 4 pages. I got a paragraph today. Maybe it’s because he’s mad I’m leaving for South Korea.”

“, I’d be mad too if my only family just ing left.” Jongup tossed the rock he was throwing at Daehyun’s water bottle.

“It’s not my choice to leave,” I mumbled, knowing that if he heard that, the next rock would be at aimed at my head.

“What was that, Princess?” I shook my head at looked back down at Junhong’s letter. One paragraph.

“I mean, he’s also 18 now. I didn’t want my sister babying me when I was his age.” Do I baby him? I just send him letters. I ask him about his week or month. What it’s like there without me. What’s changed.

“MeeYon, you gotta get a grip.”

“Don’t tell her that, that’s not how this works.”

“What do you even know about her, Doctor? Nothing but 3 sessions and a rock climbing trip.”

“I swear to god, this kid-”

“Stop fighting you two! Junhong, Youngjae, how could you fight in front of the whole school?” I peered in the door, making no sound. She had a ruler in her hand and both of their heads were down.

“Now, tell me who started it or both of you will be punished.” Youngjae pointed at Junhong and I had to bite my lip to make no noise.

“He did. He was and about something and then just came up and jumped on me. Ask anyone out there.”

“Is this true Junhong?” I couldn’t see his face, but he nodded, “You both are above the age to be fighting like this. Youngjae, you’re almost 15. Junhong, you’re almost 13. Why do you two fight like 9-year-olds?”

“Youngjae has been talking about MeeYon for weeks. I’ve come and told you about it, but you do nothing because Youngjae’s father pays you to keep his record clean and quiet. I was sick of hearing his talk out of his neck, so I took matters into my own hands.” The teacher gasped and I saw Youngjae’s shoulders move up and down in laughter. I bit my lip harder, anger rising in me.

“That type of language and tone will not be used in my classroom, Choi Junhong! Turn around! Youngjae, you are dismissed. Go to the nurse to check your head.” I moved out of the way of the door so the teacher didn’t see me as Youngjae walked out. As soon as the brown hair made its way out, I could hear the sound of wood against skin. Junhong made no noise. He never did. The teachers hated it.

“You couldn’t defend yourself so you sent him to attack me? Very noble, Yon-ah.” I glared at him and tried to think of something to say back, but I kept my mouth shut as he walked away.

I hated Yoo Youngjae to the bottom of my soul.

“We have someone to worry about, you two need to stop ing and work to help the situation!” Jackson’s voice. They must have sedated Junhong.

“Come here and let me see it!” I grabbed Junhong’s arm, but he shyed away. I had to see if the nurse did her job. Which she never did for us.

“I’m fine, Noona, you don’t need to worry about me.” I had the urge to slap him, but I didn’t want to hurt him more.

“She was just supposed to hit your legs. Why do you look like you were beat up by a group of guys?” He shrugged and I stood up, gripping his face and turning it to me. He winced when I put a cold rag on the cut on his forehead.

“Fine?” He rolled his eyes, but finally let me do the work I needed to.

“Why did you get into the fight, anyways? You know you’ll never win against Youngjae. The teachers love him, everyone’s his friend, it’s impossible to make them see what we see.” Junhong shook his head a little bit.

“I couldn’t stand what he was saying about you. Like he-”

“It’s my fight. If I care, it would’ve been stopped by now. I don’t care, so you shouldn’t.” He stood up.

“How do you not care about what he’s saying?! That he’s had with you?! That you’re a wh-”

“It can’t be stopped and it won’t be stopped. You learn to not listen to it. I’ve learned and not it’s your turn to.”

“Stop talking to me like I’m 5 again. You’re not my mom, you're my sister.” I tried to dab the dried blood off his face, but he pushed me back.

“Junhong, I raised you. I don’t care what you think, but I’m going to care about you more than I care about myself.”

“And that’s horrible! Do you know how guilty I feel? How you could’ve gone to that elite school! How you could’ve left, but you didn’t because of me!” I scowled at him, but he was getting violently mad. Youngjae’s mom said it was a phase, but I never trusted that witch.

“Who told you that?” I was trying to be calm, but that made it much, much worse.

“Worry about yourself, MeeYon! Be selfish! Stop only thinking about me! I don’t want a sister who’s a ing burden because she only does things for me and not for herself! Don’t be a ing burden!” He stormed away and I dropped the cloth, tears coming from my eyes.

“Stop being a ing burden!” Two hands grabbed my shoulders.

“Listen to me, HyeIn. You are here at the hospital. Your brother is in that room. Lee Junhong. You are Kim HyeIn, real name Lee MeeYon. You are in South Korea, you are safe.”

“I can’t do it, Youngjae. I-I-I can’t.” My breathing became shallow and I started to hyperventilate. I couldn’t breathe and that freaked me out. I couldn’t breathe, black spots littered my vision, and I was being attacked by my own brain.

“HyeIn. You. Need. To. Stay. Awake.” I shook my head, still gasping for breath.

“It’s...all t-too much! It’s too much!” tears were coming at a rapid rate and I was breaking down in this hospital hallway. I hit my head repeatedly, trying to get the memories to stop until Youngjae took my hands in his. I just needed that voice to calm me down, but nothing was doing it. Nothing.

“Choi MeeYon, open your damn eyes.” They opened and I saw Youngjae, Good Youngjae. He was searching my own.

“We’re going down. Can you do that?” I nodded to the voice in my head. The voice only I knew was there. The voice my mind knew I needed.

“Stay awa-” I closed my eyes, slumping over. The last thing I heard was a shout. I could only make it out a tiny bit. A faint yell of that deep voice that changed over the years.

“Noona!”

__

The scene was similar to the one when I passed out on base. The small room. The walls were curtains of an ugly not-quite-white. The medical smell. The drip in my arm. Good Youngjae was waiting for me to talk, making sure that I was okay to go first. The silence was killing me and I think that’s why he knew I would talk. But I didn’t. I just sat there, nothing going through my brain.

No that was a lie. The shout. The last thing I heard. That was going through my mind. I wanted to ask about that, but I didn’t want to be disappointed to find out that, that was in fact, not real and just my mind replaying something again.

I had to break the silence.

“Is he okay?”

“The doctor said that you were dehydrated, over exhausted, and not eating enough food. I told you that if you ended up in here again, you were going to be decommissioned. So, what do I do now?” I wasn’t ready to defend myself.

“Decommission me.” He shook his head and stood up to look at the almost empty saline drip.

“The drugs they gave you put you out for a good 8 hours. I think you were much more tired then you put off. Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?” He shifted again to stand up and opened the curtains. I met eyes with Bad Youngjae who had changed into another pretentious outfit.

“There you saw her. She’s awake. It’s a deal. Leave.” Youngjae grumbled before walking away past a corner. Good Youngjae closed the curtains and crossed his arms.

“I have a hypothesis or rather one that is very, very close to being confirmed. It involved him” he wagged his finger in the direction Youngjae was, “but I can’t say it just yet until it’s 100 percent correct. A few more pieces have to fall in place. Also, Junhong is awake, but we think he’s been brainwashed. He’s tried to attack Youngjae, he did that to you, and he’s saying other things that apparently don’t sound like himself. That’s why they’re having me try to do something and I need you to be there. I also need Yoo there, but I think it will work.”

“Okay, let’s go do it-” He held his hands up as I began to stand up. I wanted my brother back.

Noona!

“You may have flashbacks again because of it.” I took a long breath and weighed out my options. Possibly go through another hour of literal agony to get my brother back? What’s one hour to 24 years?

“I need my brother back, no matter what cost.”

“You might have to be hospitalized if you become that mentally exhausted again. If you become hospitalized, your military status might be in jeopardy if your health worsens.” I finally stood up, holding out the IV in my arm to Youngjae.

“I’ve done too many things to be kicked out for just becoming hospitalized. Take this out and let's go.”