[1]

Ministry of National Defence, Seoul 1981

Click. Flash. Click. Flash. 

Photographers, news reporters, journalists, and any possible form of media coverage surrounded the podium in the main conference hall. An important announcement from the army officials to the public was currently being held.

A man in his late sixties stood before the mic. From his polished shoes to his trimmed mustache, he signified discipline. He was none other than the Marshal of the the Republic of Korea Armed forces , Kim Jinho, a soul respected by the whole nation. Stood on his left side was his oldest son, Major Kim Junmyeon, and on the right, his partner, General Ahn Ilsung, all dressed in their crisp military uniforms.

"I, Marshal of the ROKAF, now at this moment declare war upon the mafia."

After answering a mass of questions from the public, the military officers exited the hall. They moved as one, a sea of green as if they were just one brain instead of many. With each step, the sound of the boots on the cold tarmac was like the warning thunder of a coming storm.

"Major Kim Junmyeon!" Marshal Kim Jinho called over as they strutted out of the building.

Junmyeon, who happened to be right besides reacted in an instant. "Yes, Sir!"

"Did you manage to commence a background check on the Oh's like I had asked?"

"The check has been cleared. No one apart from the siblings lives within a single mile of that area."

Kim Jinho stopped before his vehicle. Turning towards the younger version of himself, He couldn't help but wait a brief moment to admire his descendant. If it weren't for the professionalism, he would have crushed his son into a strong hug at this moment in time. Instead, he refrained hard, strictly discussing work.

"Brilliant," Jinho responded. Junmyeon swiftly opened the car door initiating for the Marshal's leave. "Major, I'm convinced you're aware of what needs to take place now. I'll leave you to it." He finished as the door closed.

Junmyeon straightened his posture, saluting with pride.

[2]

With his aging rubber boots and dirt-infused jean's, Sehun exited the barn and began to make his way back to the cottage with a bucket full of freshly laid eggs for afternoon lunch.

Today was a day of sunshine but not yet with the heat of late spring. The fields were no longer swathes of mud; the light breeze ruffled the new stems. The air had more warmth and more fragrance. This was the life he had grown up within, a nurturing atmosphere.

The growl of multiple engines and fine dust in the air caused Sehun to stop in his tracks. He squinted from the sunlight, trying hard to clear his vision until he saw a line-up of black cars outside of his home. Several military officers thundered out of the vehicles unexpectedly.

Just as Sehun managed to reach the gate of his property, a middle-aged man who he recognized as the state's general pipped in just before he could. "You're the spitting image of Hyungsik..." He sounded somewhat amazed. It was the pitch-black air, strong eyebrows, high bridge nose, and sharp cheekbones that gave it away so quickly that Ilsung had to assume.

Sehun was wary about his surroundings and ignored Ilsung unapologetic-ally. "What's going on?" He asked, eyeing the numerous guards.

The hot water on the stove sizzled to a boil as Sehun and Ahn Ilsung sat at the kitchen's small dining table. The rest of the officers lined up against the wall as if action figurines, unmoving, and cold.

"I would have personally preferred a phone call before the sudden invasion." Sehun dejected openly, his arms folding in the process. "I have a younger sister living in this household."

Soyeon let out a shaky sigh from where she was secretly spying. If her brother found out someone stood outside of the room where some top-secret meeting was taking place, he wouldn't be happy. Biting her lip, she shamelessly observed every single person, her ears perking up every time somebody leaked new information.

"Is it just you and your sister living in this household, or are there others within this area?" Ilsung questioned out of the blue.

"Yes, no one other than us. Why?"

Ilsung's expression turned smug. The boy was hot-headed indeed, different from Hyungsik's soft stricken attitude. He placed a handful of papers on the table. Sehun's eyes pierced through the older man before he hesitantly picked up the sheets, scanning every one of them.

"Sign the contract, and I'll pay for your sister's tuition fee."

"Under what circumstances?" Sehun didn't flinch the slightest. He was reading in between the lines of this so-called contract given to him in a whim to figure if there was a catch in all this.

"You allow my one and only daughter to live here for the next three or so months."

Sehun looked up, lines appearing on his forehead. "That's it?" The general replied with a nod, and it got him thinking hard.

How he wished for his younger sister to attend a prestigious university from the very start, but because of their income and home financial circumstances, Sehun was unable to provide. It was merely an offer he was unable to walk away from the more he thought about it.

Meanwhile, Soyeon's mouth gaped open as she observed the beautiful face of a person who had caught her attention. On either side of his straight nose were two blazing brown eyes. His dark brows were graceful but currently furrowed in a frown. Major Kim Junmyeon... She read his name tag out loud in her mind.

"I don't mind throwing in a couple more offers to seal the deal," Ilsung suggested. Anything for an agreement was appropriate right now.

Sehun tapped his fingers on the wooden table. " A plot of land under my name in the city of Seoul. Can you cater to that? Or is it a little too much?" He challenged.

Ilsung's lips lifted from one side, staring at the boy. His hand flew into the air with his palm open. "Major, bring over the pen."

[3]

Soyeon watched her brother emptying the guest bedroom. She saw masculine belongings being piled up in a box just outside. Many questions were vacating her mind regarding the deal between her brother and the state's general.

Stepping inside, Soyeon peered over her older brother, her hands behind her back. "Sehun, why did you lie about us being the only ones living here?"

Sehun stopped amidst stripping down the bedsheets. He had forgotten his younger sister most likely heard the entire conversation earlier, but he did plan on personally revealing the finer details at some point.

"If they find out-"

Sehun inhaled sharply. "They won't if we don't allow it to happen, Soyeon." He continued re-arranging the room.

"Sehun!" Soyeon was on the verge of breaking down into tears. She wanted to argue but didn't dare to say anything else. Why was her brother risking their entire lives just for her sake? She didn't want any of it if it put her only loved ones in danger.

It was unlike for Sehun to behave in this way, but for once, he wanted to be selfish; otherwise, life would be unmoving like the previous odd years in this hidden place.

"You will not speak of this to Jongin or anyone else. This stays between you and me only."

[4]

On many occasions, Sanghee drifted into self-hallucination upon the idea of her freedom, wondering about life outside of this military household and lifestyle that had been bestowed upon her since the beginnings of time.

London. Paris. New York. Those were the kind of places on her bucket list, not the countryside on the outskirts of Seoul, where she had spent her entire 23 years living within.

"It's only a matter of 3 or so months." General Ahn Ilsung paused typing, the historic iron keys coming to a sudden halt. He cautiously glanced at his daughter through the gap between his nose bridge and glasses. "A form of precaution we must take until your safety here at home is ensured, darling."

Sanghee fell in doubt. What sort of safety could be furthermore rational than living in the general's mansion itself? Security happened to be too tight where they lived, from guards to surveillance cameras inputted every other square meter.

"Father, isn't being engaged to Marshal Kim Jinho's oldest son promising my utmost protection? Is sending me away necessary?"

Dressed in a plain white t-shirt, some blue jeans, and a brown leather jacket, unlike his right military uniform from earlier today, Kim Junmyeon entered the Ahn mansion. As he approached the general's office on the building's ground floor, unwanted muffled voices escaped from the crack below the closed door.

"Junmyeon has many of his duties to take care of, especially with his recent change of post." Ahn Ilsung reasoned, inserting unused parchment into the worn-out typewriter. The young man was no longer captain but major of the South Korean army force. "Therefore-"

"I am his duty!"

"Sanghee, that's enough!" With his daughter's voice raising against him, Ilsung snapped. "You're going to Chuncheon whether you like it or not. I suggest you begin packing your bags, ready to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

A moment of silence passed before the sounds of shuffling and movements resonated in the atmosphere. The door swung open, followed by Sanghee marching out of the office, a defeated expression simmering over her features.

The unexpected presence of another is what caused Sanghee to pause and suddenly turn a visible shade of pale upon noticing she and her father had never been alone this entire time. Kim Junmyeon happened to be right outside, listening to every word that ruthlessly poured out of .

"If that's Junmyeon, send him inside." Ilsung's voice bellowed from behind.

Exchanging final glances full of questions and uncertainty, Sanghee disappeared upstairs, and Junmyeon walked inside of his senior's office, plastering a discomforting smile on his face.

"Just the fellow I wanted to see!" Ilsung rose from his seat, pleasantly shaking hands with the younger ones. "Take a seat."

Junmyeon obliged by resting himself on the office chair opposite the general's desk as the man himself lit up a cigar. "You must have heard everything..." Ilsung said, taking a drag.

Junmyeon nodded in response. "Yes, uncle."

"I must say, Bringing up a child without their mother is quite the challenge. Her headstrong personality rather rubs off from me." Ilsung laughed to himself. "I'm hoping a boy like you can pull her reigns a little."

Trivial is what those words sounded to Junmyeon's ears. No man on earth could control the whirlwind of emotions Sanghee happened to be. Nine years of observation through fancy dinner parties and unwanted family meetings were more than enough for him to confirm his assumptions.

Junmyeon's posture straightened as he lifted himself from the chair. "I'll try my best." He confirmed, bowing to his elder. It's the least he could say to the person who entrusted him with his most prized possession.

[5]

Stubbornness, A trait Sanghee believed ran thick within her blood. Not a single reason could change her opinion. She refused to change her mind regarding the idea of being sent to Chuncheon under some form of surveillance for safety measures. 

A knock came quietly first, and then there was silence. The door creaked open slowly, Junmyeon's crestfallen gaze settling on Sanghee, who, to his surprise, was emptying her wardrobe into a metal trunk laid out on her silk-covered mattress.

"Did my father give up on convincing me and instead send one of his minions to wipe away my tears since I have no choice but to do as he says even though I'm against the idea?"

Junmyeon should have known. Of course, there was