A New Pain
SoldierBeing a military man for decades made him several blood brothers, but also some dangerous enemies. Yoo Yeun Geun leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at the photo in his hands, mind far away in the past memories of a certain mission he once completed. It was successful, but he never wished more that it wasn't.. The special forces team he led then was tasked with one of the most painful- to capture a dangerously armed soldier gone rogue. As he clipped the handcuffs around his former comrade's wrists, the man smiled maniacally at him and whispered, "I think you might see me again, Yeun Geun. I miss working with you, after all."
Former Lieutenant General Yoo Yeun Geun shivered in the warmth of a summer day as he recalled how one of his closest comrades had partially lost his mind from the death of his wife in a bombing at the overseas camp they were posted to, and swore vengence on the military for it. For his crimes in the months following, he was sentences to 30 years in jail. At that fateful exchange, Yeun Geun recalled the mad gleeful mask slide a fraction to reveal a deep, intense betrayal pointed at him.
Now, 30 years on, Yeun Geun never forgot his former comrade, and in the (now less) frequent visits, Gi Roo never failed to remind him about how he, Yeun Geun, had betrayed him. They were always painful visits, and they stopped after his wife passed away, when he felt he could no longer continue carrying another burden. For years, he was crushed by guilt. Hearing about Gi Roo's release from prison gave him slight relief, but it ached in his heart to remember all the years lost for this man.
"Rrrring!" He jumped up out of his reminiscing at the shrill phone ringing. "This is Yoo Yeun Geun." "Yeun Geun... It's been awhile."
"Gi Roo?" His hair stood at the sound of the long unheard voice.
"I know it's so soon after i got out but i've been planning this for a long time, i hope you'd humor me this once, for old time's sake"
"Gi Roo... What are you asking?"
"Meet me at the usual place. In 2 hours." /click/
Yeun Geun stared at the phone in puzzlement, trying to decide whether to be happy or be afraid. He went with afraid, and picked up the phone to call his son, to tell him where he was going. However, after a few unanswered calls, he gave up and just got ready to leave.
Shi Jin was whistling happily as he drove home that night. He just finished a long-awaited date with his favourite person- Kang Mo Yeon. It was wonderful having the woman he loved in his arms as they watched a recent movie together at her house. He was finally on holiday after a long mission and spent a few pleasant days with her. As he parked the car and walked out in the warm, still air to his apartment, he grinned gleefully to himself as he remembered the exchanges he had with Mo Yeon that day. Just then, his senses pricked up as he felt someone following him. His soldier instincts kicked in and he used the deeply ingrained tactical manoeuvres to shake off the stalker. /nice try, idiot. What would someone stalk me for? Must one of those girls from that field trip day that-/ his internal monologue cut off abruptly when he realised he was staring down a gun barrel. Instincts had him executing lightning fast moves to disarm the gun wielded in seconds, but in that time, he was surrounded by 10 others. Mind racing to calculate his odds and tactical moves, his body jumped into overdrive as he spun, kicked, blocked, punched, and leapt in a flurry of well-trained moves to incapacitate his attackers. /definitely not fans then/ he thought, wincing as slashes and knocks got past his defences and drew blood and winded him. The numbers and fatigue finally overwhelmed him, and he realised he was for once out of options. Heart pounding madly, he gasped out in between pants and wheezing, "Who are you? What do you want? If it was money then that's a hell lot of trouble you're going into just for that." In response he received a sharp kick to the face, tearing open a fresh wound that bled over his one good eye. Struggling to remain conscious, he saw with blurred vision a man walk towards him, and heard an increasingly muffled voice saying, "You do look exactly like him..."
Yeun Geun sat at the worn down bar that he and his team used to frequent, annoying the old waiters and bartenders when they held their Zero Nights and Three Days back in the day. He tugged nervously at his collar- what would it be like to meet his friend (or is it enemy now?) after 30 years of his suffering? He wanted, yet feared this day. A cold wind swept in with the swish of the door. A tall, thin man walked in, with a strange gait, and smoke trailing around him. He sat down next to Yeun Geun, and smiled. Yeun Geun smiled politely back, puzzled. /Do i know this man? I can't place him./ The man turned back to the bartender and pointed to a drink on the menu to order it. And turned again to Yeun Geun, and smiled, and moved to hug him. Shifting backwards, Yeun Geun was more confused than ever- this guy must have mistaken him for someone else. "I'm sorry, i think you must've mistaken me for someone you know. I don't recognize you at all." The man shook his head, still smiling. And pulled out his phone, to tap on the screen and showed it to Yeun Geun. "Wait, what is-"
His blood ran cold.
It was a picture of his son, Captain Yoo Shi Jin.
And he was dead.
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