00:12

Down in the tranches, Daehyun clutched his gun, squeezing it tight in his hands. He closed his eyes, trying to drown out the yelling and shouts of men around him, as well as the whimpers and pleas of the pained. The draft. The draft put him here. And he wanted nothing more than to be away from the war, but that wasn't going to be possible.

Gunfire was heard overhead and he jumped. He should be shooting back. But after his brother...he wasn't so sure he wanted to be involved.

He slid down and plopped onto his . He hugged the rifle to his chest, imagining his mom, his father, his brother. . .

His breaths came out quickly. He was frozen. Paralyzed.

“Come on, cadet!”

Someone hit him on the shoulder and rushed away from him. Mud splashed in Daehyun’s face. He shivered. He hugged the gun to him again, his eyes tearing up. Not again, not again. He wasn’t going to cry this time. He wasn’t a baby.

Sniffling once in defiance, he grabbed his rifle, adjusted it, and finally stood up and faced the war. He aimed his gun out, but jumped when there was a nearby explosion. Dirt rained down and Daehyun covered the helmet and his head. Dubris surrounded him, and Daehyun started to cough. A metal object whisked through the air, and it fell with a clink down in the trench.There was a beep, and a yellow gas leaked through the metal ball. Covering his mouth, Daehyun started to cough harder. The yellow gas slithered its way around the trench quickly. Terrified of whatever the substance was, Daehyun covered his mouth and pressed himself into the wall, backing as far into it as he could go. He took in one breath and held it. But soon enough, there was a burning deep in his nostrils and in his throat. He had to release his breathe, and he started coughing, his eyes watering. The pain intensified threefold and he wheezed. His throat was closing up, he could feel it.

As he gasped for air to stay alive, there was another explosion, sending a large chunk from a nearby tank flying. It smacked Daehyun in the head, and the boy fell over unconscious.

---

01:54

Naeun didn’t know what to expect when she volunteered to be a nurse. When the war started to grow, her two older brothers were eager to help and serve the country. Her parents always raised the family with a sense of patriotic pride, so when her father sat her down and told her that she needed to find a way to serve the country as he once did, she wasn’t surprised.

Medicine always was fascinating to her, so she volunteered as a nurse. She was recruited right away with little training and preparation. It was clear to her, especially when she entered the war zone, they were desperate for help. They explained to her over and over again the risks of being a nurse during the war, but she tuned them out. She didn’t want to help on the sidelines, she wanted to help in the heat of it all. Not only was she going to make her father proud, but herself as well.

She smiled at her patient, fixing the bandage over his eye.

“How are you doing today?” Naeun asked him, keeping her fingers nimble and gentle. He gazed up at her with his good eye;  it was clear and onyx. A smile was stretched out on his lips.

“Better now that you're here.”

Pink tinted her cheeks. Myungsoo could be such a flirt.

“I'm glad. Call me over if you need anything.”

“Even if it's just a story?”

“Even if it's just a story.”

“Good, because I love your voice.”

Naeun smiled wider and patted his knee. “Why don't you rest up for now? I'll tell you a story after you sleep.”

“Naeun, dear!” Chorong waved at Naeun.

“I have to go.”

“No--”

“Promise me you'll rest?”

Myungsoo sighed and nodded. She patted his knee again and walked over to Chorong. The other girl was shorter, but not by much, and always had perfect looking hair. It always seemed to have volume and her bangs curled. Naeun didn't know how she did it, especially with all the patients they had.

“We just got a new shipment. Would you help us identify them?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Naeun’s heart sank. Shipments also meant dead bodies. The batch would be fresh from the trenches and only some would be alive. Her skin crawled, but this was what she volunteered to do.

They went outside to the truck and they started. It was raining lightly, and Naeun had to blink to keep the raindrops out of her eyes and from mixing with her tears; they were all so young, around her age, and most wouldn't be coming back…

“Oh my God, what happened?”

“Tank exploded,” Chorong explained. “It was an attack. There was mustard gas too.”

“Oh my God…”

“Yeah,” Chorong agreed.

They looked awful. Blood. Blisters. They hardly looked human.

Naeun stepped forward and started. Listening for breathing and a pulse as best as she could without declaring the dead. She wiped her tears, and finally, finally, there was a very faint pulse on the next one.

“Chorong! This one is alive!”

But he didn't look alive. Blisters covered his face, and there was a gouge on the back of his head. She swallowed, and then jumped when he suddenly grabbed her hand. His eyes fluttered open, wide and afraid, and squeezed her hand.

“H-Hey! You're gonna be o-okay, okay?”

He blubbered, attempted to say something, but only nonsense came out. Naeun leaned closer to him, trying to listen, her heart still racing.

Then she heard it:

“Don't let me die.”

And his head fell back and the soldier passed out again.

Naeun bit her lip. She was no doctor, but she was a nurse.

She whispered back quietly, “Don't worry. I won't let you die.” She looked up. “Chorong? Can I be in charge of this one?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure, if you want.”

Naeun smiled sadly and his blistered cheek. “I won't let you die…”