Author's Note:

Spetsnaz - abbreviation for Special Purpose Forces, or Special Forces Military Units. This is an umbrella term for special forces in Russia. (Seo Dae Young mentioned this in EP 16, when he and Yoo Si Jin were tasked to make textbook-thick reports about their year-long disappearance. He asks Si Jin if the man who waterboarded them 'had a Spetsnaz tattoo on his wrist")

Swagger Stick - it's a short stick or a riding crop carried by a military official. (Observe General Yoon Gil Joon owning a stick that looked like a magic wand. He usually brings it along with him.)

Lek - Albanian currency

I hope you enjoy this chapter!! We're almost done ~

(Location: MediCamp | Kukës, Albania)


They're coming.


As soon as Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young had those words registered in their mind, flashbacks of their most difficult months dashed through their heads once again: the torture, the pain and the grisly details of their three-month stay locked up in that bomb shelter haunted them. It was a vestige that can never be easily forgotten.

And they did not want to experience the same thing yet again.


Hearing Min Yun Gi mention the most urgent of announcements that time made the two soldiers get up and get get dressed immediately. While the two medical personnel were busy stashing all the medications that were prescribed to the two soldiers, the latter were busy putting on their clothes in a slapdash manner due to the constraints of time; their unwanted guests could come over anytime, and they have to leave before they arrive. The room was filled with four people who were doing frantic, last-minute preparations to escape the camp because of unwanted guests coming their way: Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young were stripping off the loose medical gowns they wore and wearing the outdoor clothes provided for them, while Yun Gi and the nurse were running all over the place, placing all necessary things inside the bag. “Our bags are ready, so we just have to stack in the medicines for these two. We can buy them clothes when we’ve reached our next hospital,” Yun Gi told his wife.


"How did they manage to get our location?" Seo Dae Young asked while the nurse beside him quickly, yet gently, strapped his casted arm on an armsling.


"I have no idea," Yun Gi replied, "According to that North Korean soldier, he never disclosed anything to them. Neither did I,"


Si Jin had just finished buttoning his shirt when he joined in the conversation, "Perhaps someone else in MediCamp?"


"Perhaps," Yun Gi sighed, finally zipping the duffel bag close, "Well, we could look for that person later. What's important is that we get you guys out of here, since those men are on their way here searching for you. You wouldn't want to end up on that dungeon again,"


"Oh we won't if they find us, we're going to get killed immediately," Si Jin muttered as he limped to the doctor’s side.


"What exactly did you guys do to make them come for you? Are they even that dangerous?"


Psh. If you knew.


Si Jin gave the doctor a grin, "I think the way we appeared when we were sent here a month ago was a clear evidence of how dangerous those guys are,"


"Hm. Good enough," Yun Gi nodded, flinging the bag on his back, while his eyes shifted to the room's window to check if there were cars coming in their way, "Follow me,"


Still looking sickly and weakened, the two soldiers brisk-walked along the hallway of the institution, following their ‘former’ love rival and his kindhearted wife to the camp's back door. As Min Yun Gi opened it, the fresh, cool wind from the Albanian mountains swooped to their direction. "Hye Jin, I'll start the car. You follow right after," Yun Gi looked towards the nurse before running to the sports car parked a few meters away.


"Hye Jin?" Dae Young looked towards the nurse who was struggling in carrying the other duffel bag of stashed medicines. The nurse in turn looked at him and nodded politely.


"So you and him...you're really married?" Si Jin asked, being the only one among the three who did not know.


"Ne," She replied, "Putting that aside, are you feeling better now, ahjussi?"


Si Jin squinted his eyes on her, "Ya, don't call me ahjussi. I'm too young for that—"


"Get down!" Dae Young noised out, pulling the two other companions down to stay hidden behind a thick bush just about two meters away from the back door. Slowly pointing in the road that lies between the two hills, he looked at Si Jin, "That truck's familiar, isn't it?"


Si Jin took a peek to see a moving truck from far away, making its way to the medical camp, and confirmed that it was indeed the truck that both he and Dae Young rode when they were transported to the bomb shelter. "It's them," the captain concluded.


"We can't move about now," Dae Young said with his eyes still fixed at the moving truck, "If we do, then they'll most likely get highly suspicious and we'll get caught,"


“Ani, we could. This place is hidden by a hill, so we could still make them think the vehicle came somewhere other than this place. We just have to use the highway,” Si Jin thought Dae Young was right as well, but even at this tight situation, they badly had to get away if they really wanted to escape death. Still deep in his thought, he looked to his side to see a worried-looking nurse, "Hye Jin-ssi, if anything happens, you have to act casually,"


"M-Mwo?" She looked towards the captain.


"We have to get in Min Yun Gi's car and escape from here. There's no place to hide in this small camp,"


"But you said so yourself we can't move about—"


"I never said such thing. Sergeant Seo said that," That came out quite comical from Si Jin, but at least that would make the frightened nurse less-worried, "Anyway, we have to get to the car ourselves before we are even visible to that truck's view. You go and run first," He said, now hearing Yun Gi starting the car's engine.


The nurse nodded and did as what Si Jin had told her; using her hands as a visor to the intense heat of the sun, she scurried to the car that was stationed just a few meters away. Si Jin and Dae Young followed along, carrying the other bag of medicines that was for them.


"See those two trucks over there?" Si Jin asked Yun Gi, pointing to the two moving vehicles from afar as soon as he and Dae Young had reached the car and settled on the backseat, "We'll be meeting them along the way. It's them,"


"Mworago? Then how do we escape?" Yun Gi's hands were nervously fumbling on the steering wheel as the two trucks were approaching, "If this is the only car leaving at such a time, then we'll be suspicious,"


"Just drive the car. Thankfully, MediCamp is a place hidden in a hill. They can think we did not come from that place," Si Jin said as calm as he could, "It's not like there's any other road here. If you make your own way out, then we get more suspicious,"


"Ya, neo micheosseo? You're going to get us killed!" Yun Gi snapped.


"Your nervousness is going to get us killed for sure," Dae Young replied, "If being suspicious is what you worry about, then don't make yourself look like someone who could be,"


Yun Gi heaved a sigh, while Hye Jin who was riding shotgun had her hands clasping on , "Don't cover your mouth as if you're worried about something. Don't heave a sigh as if you're doing something outrageously insane. Just drive the car like you normally would,"


It took Yun Gi a little while before he could nod in agreement. "O-Okay, I'll do it,"



"The enemy transportation is about 450 meters away from our current location," Si Jin estimated, as he and Dae Young pushed themselves down the seat to hide, "Act natural, and drive normally. Don't slow down, and don't make eye contact,"


"Aish, eotteoke? You’re making me do so much!" The doctor groaned as he pressed on the gas which made the car move, "I can't believe I'm extremely dangerous things right now,"


Si Jin sighed, "Just drive the car like you normally would—"


"You know I can't simply do that in this situation,"


"Stop whining about it," Dae Young scolded him, "You do it or we all die,"


Yun Gi was extremely agitated being stuck in this situation. Why did I even agree to take care of these men in the first place?


Making his way down the long main highway, Yun Gi tried his best to drive in a normal, considerable speed with his wife Hye Jin reminding him if the car's speed was just right or if it was being too suspicious.


"Oh, crap," Si Jin suddenly winced as he felt the sharp, stinging pain in his gunshot wound come back; the fabrics of his shirt slowly blot red somewhere on his chest once again, "When would I even get enough time to heal? This thing just keeps on opening,"


Hye Jin turned at the back to see the soldier's chest bleeding, "Omo! Ahjussi, your wounds—" Hye Jin was about to get up and move backseat to tend to the soldier when Si Jin shook his head.


"I'm not an ahjussi," he groaned, "And stay there,"


Hye Jin paused, "But.."


"Stay in front," Dae Young commanded her, "For sure, they'll be observing this car. Any movement we do now is going to be visible at this distance,"


"Don't worry about Captain Yoo too much," Yun Gi said, eyes still fixed on the road; the truck was just a hundred meters away before they intersect, "Soldiers are made to endure pain,"


Hye Jin couldn't object with the three men opposing her decision. "Okay," she sighed, not taking her gaze away from Si Jin's shirt that was slowly being filled with a red pigment.


"50 meters," Dae Young said as he stealthily peered from behind, "Don't stop driving,"


"Got it," Yun Gi replied with a gulp. The truck and his car were now closing to their intersection. Everyone was in their most normal appearance; while the two soldiers took cover behind with the duffel bags covering them, Hye Jin acted like she was sleeping from a long travel, while Yun Gi kept his eyes on the road; he could see the truck approaching quick.


20 meters.


"It's nothing to worry about," Yun Gi whispered to himself, "I'll just be passing by, there's nothing to worry about,"


10 meters.


"Gwenchanha, it's not like they'll make me pull over or shoot at my tires," he whispered again to assure himself, "Gwenchanha,"


3 meters..


1 meter...


...and it ended just like that. The two vehicles intersected in their own respective lanes, without any harm done.


Yun Gi heaved out a sigh of relief, "Ah, we made it out," Hye Jin clasped a hand on after passing by the feared convoy of trucks, still not believing they just escaped something dangerous.


Dae Young slowly got up and revealed himself underneath the bags and observed the two trucks that had travelled opposite from their direction, "Clear," he declared, and Si Jin got out from his hiding place as well. Looking back at the worried nurse, Dae Young moved to the door side of the car, making enough space in the middle, "You're now free to go here. What a shame, Captain, you heal slow,”

“It’s not that painful though,” Si Jin chided, “There’s nothing to worry about,”
 

Hye Jin jumped to the backseat and applied pressure on the Yoo Si Jin's chest, "Ahjussi, I'll just apply pressure on it, it’s not that deep anymore," She said as she examined the bullet-scathed wound, and Si Jin pouted. When is she going to end calling me that?


"I'm not that old-looking to be called ahjussi—wait, are you crying?"


Dae Young shifted to the nurse who started sobbing, while her husband made a glance at the back, "Hye Jin? What's wrong?"


"I'm a terrible person, am I?" Tears fell on Hye Jin's eyes as she pressed the cloth in Si Jin's chest “”with her palm, "I can't even assure my patients the safety that they need,"


"Gwenchanha," Si Jin replied, trying to cheer her up, "I told you it’s not even that painful. You don't need to feel bad about it,"


"Gwenchanha? It's not okay! I was the one who told them your location," She blurted, making everybody in the car belt up.


"What?" Yun Gi clutched hardly on the steering wheel, and his speed started to increase at the news. "You told them about it?"

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know about it at first…” Her voice faltered when she saw Dae Young glaring at her. “Mianhe, I know you hate me so much right now,”

Si Jin furrowed his bro