"I want to attend one of your lectures."

Sehun's gaze snapped up to his grandfather's stern ones. He frowned. 

"Why?" 

"I want to see how they're progressing," his grandfather replied, his tone implying that there was to be no negotiation. Sehun opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off. "I'm coming and that's final. So you better get your class' together, got it?"

Lips pressed tightly together, Sehun scowled and nodded. He hated how his grandfather still doubted his trainee class' potential, even though they were improving faster than any other class he'd trained. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I'll see them on Monday then."

With that, General Oh stood and left the room without a second glance at his grandson. 

**

The quiet tension in the room was undeniable as the trainees glanced furtively at the intimidating figure sitting in the corner of the classroom. It was clear where Sehun got his cold, sharp personality from - the resemblance between the two was uncanny - but while the trainees were more or less accustomed to Sehun, the high-ranking and well-respected General was a whole new matter. 

Rumours had flown around in the past few days as to why the General wanted to attend one of their classes. The most logical assumption was that he was analysing their progress, which made everyone nervous and determined to impress the General. This caused everyone to sit up straighter the moment Sehun entered the room, the silence and tension so thick it could have been cut with a butterknife. 

Chaeyoung herself was nervous. She remembered her last 'encounter' with the General. It hadn't been pleasant and mainly consisted of him talking about how terrible of a soldier she was. 

But that only made her want to prove him wrong - for both her and Sehun's sakes. 

The latter himself didn't seem affected by his grandfather's presence. His expression was flat, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts as he stood in front of the class. "Today, we're going to be talking about the morality of war."

A murmur of surprise flitted through the class. Previously, all they'd done for theory work was battle tactics, geography, weapon mechanics and basic medical training. They hadn't even realised morality was a subject. However, conscious of the figure watching from the corner, every one hastened to quiet down and listen attentively. 

"Tell me, class. What are the reasons for war?"

There were a few moments of silence before an answer was called out. "International conflict?"

"Limited resources."

"Grudges between countries!"

"Political strife."

Sehun nodded at all the answers. "Good. Then next, I want you to tell me why people go to war. What motivates a soldier to join the army and fight for their country?"

This time, the answers were instantaneous. "National pride!"

"Glory!"

"To serve their country!"

"To make their family proud!"

The list went on and on. A few more minutes passed before Sehun held up a hand, signalling for silence. "Alright, that's enough. Then, tell me, what is the difference between war and hell?

The question was an odd one, and there were a few moments of confused silence before people began tentatively calling out answers. 

The most predominant one, however, would be the one Jeon Jungkook eventually called out. "War is hell."

Sehun waited a few more moments for the class to quiet down before speaking again. "A fair answer, but I'm afraid you're wrong. War isn't hell. War is war, hell is hell and between the two, war is a lot worse."

The class was silent. General Oh raised an eyebrow and turned to look at his grandson. "Oh? What makes you say that, Sehun?" The latter barely glanced at Jinhyuk before looking back at the class. His expression was dead-serious, almost stern. 

 "Tell me class, who goes to hell?"

No one spoke. Everyone was still confused over Sehun's odd statement. If war wasn't hell, then what was it? After a few moments, Junhui eventually tentatively raised his hand. "I believe it's sinners, sir? Bad people?"

Sehun nodded and Junhui exhaled in relief. "Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. Everyone who goes there fully deserves it. But on the other hand, war is full of them," Sehun's gaze was intense as he stared at every cadet in the room. Almost all of them looked away uncomfortably. "Innocent civilians, men, women, children... in fact, except for a select few, almost everyone involved is an innocent bystander."

The air was heavy, thick and uncomfortable, which was exactly what Sehun wanted. He needed the cadets to realise that war was not about glory, nor was it anything near noble. "So, why do we chose to become soldiers? If your answer is glory, then let me remind you - every time you see a soldier the opposite side, every time you are forced to take a life on the battlefield, remember that he has a life just as full as yours. He has a family, people who love him and people whom he loves. He has fond memories, just like you do. He is no different to you. He is a man with a life outside of war. He is not just an ‘enemy’. He is a human being. 

So next time you think war is all about glory and something to be prideful of, remember that.” 

No one spoke. No one dared to - they all felt the same, burning sense of discomfort when one was co