"What's a telephone?"

Sehun looked up at her face, smiling at her clueless look. "You remember that silver device on my desk?"

"That weird one? With that string attached to it? And numbers that you can press?" Sarang asked, pausing when she heard his chuckle. "It's not that one?" She asked with a frown.

"Yes, that one," Sehun nodded, his head on her lap as he tucked a little flower behind her ear. "You talk through that. It's an alternative for letters. A much faster alternative. You don't have to wait for the message like you do in case of letters. You can actually hear the voice of the one behind the other telephone and talk back instantly."

"Huh?" apparently, she hadn't understood anything. It was almost unbelievable to begin with in their village, to hear someone's voice from kilometers away through any device. "You...hear the voice?" Sehun nodded. "Then, you can bring one for us, right?"

"Why? You'd miss me that much?" He chuckled, darting his eyes from the clear blue sky to her flushed face.

"I meant that, Omoni could talk to you then," She mumbled. Sehun laughed at her answer. "What?"

Sehun watched her look away from him. "You're adorable." Sarang rolled her eyes at the comment. "Liar," he pulled her left cheek with his cold fingers, "Would it hurt to pronounce you'd actually miss me?" Sarang clicked her tongue, apparently shy.

"I'm not lying," she muttered, "Why don't you get up?" Sarang started to poke his shoulder, making him wince. "The sun's setting. We need to get home."

"We don't," he said with a smirk as he finally sat up. "No one can possibly find us in here. I like this place," he sighed, looking around. The yellow mustard field shown brightly under the dimly lit ball of sunshine going down the horizon. The tall flowers stood upright, hectares after hectares while Sehun had taken the spot right in the middle. The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. It merged with the sky, like juice-mix dissolving in a glass of water.

Sehun looked sideways when he heard a grunt. He watched his wife struggle with her long hair, desperately pull the thick black strands into a braid. "I need to tie my hair before the sun goes down. That's what Omoni said," she answered before he could even ask. Sehun let out a little laugh before pulling her closer to him. Sarang looked back at him with question in her eyes. "Y-you know how to do braids?"

"Sarang," he started, his deep voice making her heart stutter, palms clam with sweat, "I sometimes wonder if you're really a girl," he let out a low chuckle.

"I thought you were in the military," Sehun spotted the disbelief in her tone, "How do you know how to do braids?"

Sehun placed her long braids on her shoulder, slipping his arms from the back to hold her against him. Sarang gasped at the contact before rolling her eyes in that trademark manner. "I really have to go tomorrow. I might have delayed my departure for a day but they're not going to listen to me excuses anymore."

"You're finally leaving," Sarang said with a smile, "I'm glad."

"Ey, you're bad at lying," Sehun smiled, placing his chin on her shoulder. "You'll miss me."

"It's not like you're not coming back," she answered. Sehun stayed silent, watching the pink sky with a longing gaze. "You promised," she reminded him. Breaking the contact, she turned to him, looking straight into his eyes. Sehun's soft gaze remained on her as long as she stared at him. Her eyes wavered before she blinked, "You promised, Sehun."

It was rare to see a smile across that face. Jun was rather surprised. If it was anything funny, it had to be extremely funny because the Commander didn't smile at just anything. His knees grew weaker when the older man darted his eyes towards him with that subtle smile on his eyes. Jun grew anxious, sweating under his new uniform.

"Jun," the boy gulped at hearing his name. Perhaps the letter was for someone else and he had messed it up. He was doomed for if he did.

"Sir," he mumbled, breaking a sweat to stand straight. The Commander's eyes were still intimidating, despite the absence of the monotony.

"I want you to deliver another letter to the office," his strict voice rang in the room. Jun nodded vigorously. The Commander placed a white envelope on the corner of the table for him to take. Jun bowed before taking a step closer to the table. He swiftly grabbed the envelope, bowing before he turned to leave, "Make sure it is delivered safe."

"Yes, Sir," Jun bowed again, hastily leaving the room because the tension in the room was too much for him to handle. The Commander was strict, yes, and he hated lazing around without any work. His aura was apparently intimidating, his every order sent the ones working under him flipping. Jun knew that was how the job had to be handled and so far, the new Commander was doing more than fine.

While Sehun stared at the brown envelope with his stomach doing flips. Butterflies flew around in his stomach as he grinned at the envelope. Sarang was finally sending him letters, it was almost unbelievable.

The telephone on his desk rang just when he reached for the brown envelope. His face contorted into a frown as he withdrew his eager fingers and took a hold of the phone. With a silent sigh, he addressed whomever it was on the phone. He had long wanted to bring somewhat of a telephone home so that he could talk daily with his family but the village barely had electricity. He had countless times suggested his mother to move into a town but the lady barely listened. It wasn't her fault, Sehun knew. She would never want to leave the place her husband owned.

"Commander Oh speaking," his voice had evident boredom in it.

"Sehun," He couldn't really recognize the voice, "I need you to come over at my office. The plan needs some discussing."

Sehun stayed silent for a while, confused as to who it was speaking. It was as if the one on the line realized so and named himself, "It's Namjoon."

"Uh," Sehun's eyes widened. "I'll be there, Sir." He said in a firmer tone, gulping the lump in his throat.

"You know you don't have to address me in that way," Came the authoritative reply. Sehun nodded, muttering a quick apology. If there was a person who could actually make him sweat under his uniform on dull winter evenings it would be the Major General Kim. Sehun was rather intimidated by Namjoon, even though they were acquaintances and Namjoon took him as a friend. He was the one responsible for the promotion and Sehun being pulled into the city to face what it really was to be a member of the military force.

Sehun sighed once the Major General hung up. He stood up, a frown on the face as he placed the envelope in his cupboard in the corner of his room. Even holding the paper in his hand made his heart beat hundred times faster. A surreal warmth reached the pits of his stomach as he imagined her. Sarang was most probably learning how to knit from his mother. He wasn't really sure if she knew how to sew even. She was a little girl after all; a little girl with a tough life ahead. 

Or perhaps she was preparing dinner, or running around the house doing chores. She wasn't one to gossip, she would never sit with those other girls on the stairs of Seokjin's house and gossip about people in the evenings. Perhaps she was reading in the dim light that the lantern provided. Or maybe she was thinking about him. Sehun sighed, locking the cupboard's door with a fluttering heart.

"Stop being so anxious," Jinhye had her lips pursed as she eyed the frantic girl, pacing back and forth. "You cannot expect a reply in just three days, Sarang."

"Why? Aren't three days enough?" She asked, almost pulling her hair out her scalp. Jinhye clicked her tongue at the girl who didn't seem to understand that her husband lived further away now. He lived in the city while they lived close to the borders. "Did I write something wrong? Spelling mistakes?"

Jinhye's shoulders slumped, "Aish, Sarang," she shook her head. "What did you even write? I bet it was only like two sentences."

"Whatever it was," Sarang stopped to look at her. Jinhye arched her brows at Sarang, asking her to continue, "I deserve a reply, Unnie."

"Wait, it really was two sentences?" Jinhye asked instead. Sarang bit her lips, her contorted expression telling her it really was two sentences. "Why would you write only two sentences?"

"As if I knew what to write," Sarang stomped her way towards the boulder beside the one Jinhye was sitting on. Settling herself on top of it, Sarang crouched down to pick some pebbles from the bank. Jinhye watched her worried expression, almost laughing at it. "I asked him how he is and wrote that we are just fine. He doesn't have to worry. That's a lot, right?"

"Right," Jinhye bit back a chuckle.

"That's a lot," Sarang seemed to be convincing herself and the act was adorable. Jinhye couldn't keep her laughter in. Sarang shot her a deadly glare before darting her eyes towards the river. Frustrated, she threw the pebbles one by one.

"You need to write a lot more, you know," Jinhye started, resting her arm on Sarang's shoulder, "Tell him everything."

"Unnie—"

"Listen to me, you silly girl," Jinhye cut in, "Tell him you miss him."

"No I don't!" Sarang protested. Jinhye raised an eyebrow, knowing everything very well. Sarang looked away, "I mean, not that much. I 'm just used to him not being around. So it's okay."

"Tell him about his mother. About Mimi. How many eggs she lays every week. How many times she gets lost in a day and how many miles you run to get her back." Sarang stayed silent, leaning into the girl's arms with a silent sigh. "Or about Mira," Jinhye chuckled. Sarang looked at her with a frown before going back to staring at the river.

"I know what to ask him," Sarang mumbled, "I'll ask him about Mira."

"What? Why?"

"That day, when we were searching for Mimi together, we met Mira," Sarang crossed her legs underneath her, sitting as she faced Jinhye. "He acted as if...Mira out to kill him. He was so tense, I don't understand. He is an army commander, for god's sake. He shouldn't be afraid of Mira."

"Mira's father is a retired army officer. You know that, right?"

Sarang arched her brows at the older girl. "You didn't? Her father gave Sehun his position in the army when Sehun first started. He was expected to marry Mira," Jinhye sighed. "Sehun never told you?" Sarang looked away, a little confused, a little heartbroken. "Nevertheless, I'm g