The car slowly came to a stop. The soldiers got out of it in a matter of seconds. They raised their guns ready to meet resistance but the citizens were too tired to care. It was the third invasion this month.

Jonghyun lowered his gun. The sun was hot above them causing their sweat to get in their eyes and the air was dry making it difficult to breathe.

Jonghyun looked around him. No supplies had arrived in this town in the last couple of months. The people had given up hope when their last food was taken during the last invasion.

Mothers were holding their children in their arms, desperately looking for something to feed them. They were all so skinny that you could see their bones but what caught Jonghyun’s attention was their eyes. Even the youngest among them had lost all of their innocence and naivety. They all had the eyes of someone who has seen devil himself. Such big and dark eyes, looking straight at his soul, judging him.

He felt sick. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. His wish was granted when his general announced there was nothing for them in that small town. They got in the car and drove away.

While the vehicle was moving Jonghyun searched his shirt’s pocket until he found a small piece of paper and started folding it. He had done that so many times already that his finger were moving automatically.

665 he counted in his head as he finished making a small paper crane. He got another piece of paper and started folding again. 666

He had started making paper cranes one year and a half after he was recruited, nine months after he finished his training. He started folding after he had spent nine months fighting, right after the first nightmare.

Jonghyun had killed people. He had taken part in battles and he had pulled the trigger that ended the life of many of the Enemy. The enemy was just like him, except He had no face. They had never fought close enough for him to see the Enemy’s face. In his nightmares he was often chased by faceless figures trying to drag him along with them to the abyss.

After visiting that city, the figures would have the eyes of the children. The eyes that have seen all the evil in the world.

It is said that if you can make one thousand paper cranes you are granted one wish. That’s why Jonghyun was making them. He wanted to believe that if he could make one thousand cranes he would finally be able to go home.

When he first started, the new soldiers, still lost in their dreams and inexperience, were making fun of him. Those who had spent more time in the battlefield sympathized with him. They all needed something to keep them from losing their mind. For some that was family or a lover waiting at home, for others keeping a diary and Jonghyun was making paper cranes.

667. They arrived at a forest. They got off and started exploring the area, making as little noise as possible. Jonghyun felt a shiver down his spine. He couldn’t put his finger on it but there was something wrong with this forest.

Then all hell broke loose.

It was a trap. The moment most of them were away from the car the Enemy surrounded them. Guns started firing at them and more than half of them fell either dead or wounded before they even realized what was happening. Their Sergeant started screaming instructions and soon they had formed a circle, their backs to the centre, and they were firing back. They fought as desperately as only men who know their end is near can. One of the bullets grazed Jonghyun’s shoulder but he kept on firing. Their determination saved them and the Enemy retreated with as many casualties as them.

There was a river in the forest. Jonghyun’s team camped on one side of it and the Enemy on the other. The orders were clear: Stay away from the river

Jonghyun knew better than to defy his higher ups but a few younger soldiers couldn’t resist. They found their bodies almost unrecognizable from the bullets.

One of the papers Jonghyun kept in his pocket had a blood stain from his wound.

668. “You are going to be my lucky charm”, he thought as he was folding it. Unlike the other cranes, which he kept in his bag, he put that one back in his pocket.

738. He set the newly made crane to his side and started a new one. It had been two weeks since they arrived at the forest. Nobody else had tried going to the river but Jonghyun had become obsessed with it. He could almost hear it calling to him, especially when the temperature was high enough to fry eggs on the stones.

739. He looked around him; he was alone. He snuck away and headed to the river. He checked the perimeter to make sure there were no enemies hiding in the bushes before he took off all of his clothes. He slowly walked into the river enjoying the feeling of the cool water against his skin.

Until that moment he hadn’t realized how filthy he felt. Not only because he hadn’t taken a proper bath in weeks but also because of everything he had seen and done. He dove underwater and let the water wash away all the dirt from his skin and all the darkness from his soul.

He was swimming along the riverside when he heard the soft sound of a guitar. His curiosity got the best of him and he swam towards the source of the sound. He saw a young man sitting on a rock playing.

He had his back turned to Jonghyun and was wearing everyday clothes so he couldn’t know if he was friend or foe. He got out of the water and hid behind some bushes. The other was too absorbed in his playing to notice the slight noises Jonghyun made. He got as close as he could and observed the unknown man. He was taller than him and was pretty fit but Jonghyun was definitely more muscular.

Without realizing it Jonghyun found himself paying more attention to the music than his surroundings. For a few minutes Jonghyun and the unknown man were not friends and they were not enemies. They were just humans. He felt a strange attachment to the young man playing the guitar in front of him.

And then the other started singing. Jonghyun knew each and every soldier in his unit. The voice belonged to none of them. He was with the Enemy. Jonghyun realized how vulnerable he was standing behind some bushes completely and panicked. He turned to leave but he tripped and fell down with a loud thud.

The guitar stopped playing. He looked behind him. The other was young, a year older than him at most and he had his eyes fixed on Jonghyun.  Jonghyun got up and started running as the soldier dropped the guitar and reached for his gun. He heard him curse and then footsteps behind him. He was being chased.

Jonghyun ran to the place he had left his clothes, grabbed them and started climbing the river side to get to his camp. He had lost him.

The other soldiers were surprised to see him coming back from the river’s direction but the reason was obvious to all of them. None paid more attention to him than a few jokes.

That night he looked everywhere but couldn’t find the blood-stained crane. He must have dropped it when he was at the river.

“739 minus one” he muttered to himself.

Jonghyun couldn’t forget the incident at the river. Now the Enemy had a face and it was a thousand times harder for him to raise the gun against Him. His Enemy was not an inhuman monster like he often told himself to deal with his guilt. His Enemy was a young man. No, like Jonghyun himself, the Enemy was still just a boy.

His face started hunting Jonghyun. He was thinking about him during the day and dreaming about him during the night. He wanted a name to go with the face so he started calling him Onew.

Onew was often standing behind the dark figures in his nightmares, staring at him with his bright, alert eyes. When he dreamed about returning home, Onew was the one sitting next to him in the bus. When he was dreaming about battles Onew was the Enemy he was trying to kill but he often was the one fighting next to Jonghyun too. Onew was both his savior and his doom.

807 minus one he counted. They had reached a new city and they were preparing to invade it. His Sergeant was giving a last few orders but Jonghyun wasn’t paying any attention; he had heard them before.

They got the signal and launched their attack. They were too late. The city was already taken by the enemies. It was soon turned into a battlefield where both armies were claiming the area as their territory; their first close combat.

Jonghyun soon found himself separated by the others. He cursed under his breath and blamed himself for not paying more attention. He was hiding behind some ruins, trying to figure out what to do next when he heard somebody moving close to him. He held his breath and waited. The footsteps faded away. He turned to a narrow alley, walked to the end of it and came face to face with a soldier. They were so close that he could see his sweat running down his forehead but Jonghyun had other things in his mind.

Their guns were pointing at each other’s hearts, yet Jonghyun’s eyes were focused on his face. Onew, it was Onew.

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t shoot and kill him. Onew, or rather the image of Onew he had created, had become a precious companion to him. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain.

It never came.

Onew lowered his gun and continued his way without looking back. Jonghyun was left in the alley alone, trembling, feeling both humiliated and relieved. That was the second time Onew had the chance to kill him and the second time he escaped with his life.

837 minus one.Two years since he was recruited. He couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. There were times he thought he would die before this war was over and times he thought of killing himself to get away from everything. He looked at his gun. Lately it felt very heavy in his hand.  He had often asked himself what this gun was doing in his hands. He was only 22. Only a child.

838 minus one. He concentrated on folding. The less he thought about it the better.

895 minus one.Jonghyun was very close to losing his mind. Onew had become his obsession. He would often start talking to himself and ask questions, all directed to Onew. Sometimes he looked in the mirror and instead of his reflection he saw Onew.

896 minus one. For Jonghyun Onew had become something like a role model, an idol. He had idealized him. He had created such a perfect image of him in his head that Onew as a person didn’t matter anymore. Only what he represented and what he meant to Jonghyun was important.

952 minus one. Just a few more. Just a few more and he could go home. The goal of one thousand paper cranes was so close he could almost taste it.

953 minus one.He reached for another paper and his finger got cut. His fingers were covered in paper cuts. He didn’t particularly care anymore. He wrapped his finger in a towel and continued his work.

986 minus one. They were all gathered together listening to the radio. Jonghyun had stopped praying for this war to end as soon as possible. He was just asking for enough strength to make it through the day, through the hour. He felt like a robot. Eating, sleeping, fighting, waiting, folding.

Sometimes he wondered how Onew was handling all these, if he was slowly losing his mind as well or if he had lost every last bit of his humanity.

987 minus one.News just arrived. Jonghyun stopped working and paid more attention to the radio.

It’s over! The war is over! A treaty was signed a few hours ago. They were free! They could finally go home. This nightmare was over.

998 minus one. He was at the airport ready to leave this place. He knew there was no reason to keep making those little cranes but it had been such a big part of his life for such a long time he wanted at least to finish them.

999 minus one. Onew had been a big part of his life as well but he thought he was ready to let go. He had served his purpose and it was time to move on.

1000 minus one. That was it. He was done. He had folded one thousand paper cranes.

Somehow he didn’t feel completely satisfied. Maybe it was because he only had 999 of them. He had lost one at the river.

He smiled and buried his face in his arms. Oh, well. There was nothing he could do about it. When he lifted his head again he saw a hand placing a paper crane in front of him. The crane was old and obviously damaged. It was covered in dirt and the paper was torn and taped back together in many places. It had gotten wet and the paper underneath all the stains and the dust had turned gray but Jonghyun would recognize the blood on it anywhere; his blood.

He looked up and saw Onew standing above him.

“I believe this is yours” he told him

Jonghyun got up so they would be on the same level. “Yes, it is. Thank you for keeping it for so long.”

Their history and the circumstances under which it came to Onew’s possession crossed both of their minds. Jonghyun thought about thanking him for not killing him but he knew it was not necessary. They understood each other too well for that, because, despite being “enemies”, they had the same experiences. When it came down to it they had fought for the same reasons, they had both killed, they had both been shot, they had survived.

“So, I guess I’ll see you around” Onew said and turned to leave.

“Wait. What’s your name?” Jonghyun asked. Onew was a person he had created in his mind even if he had the same appearance with the man standing in front of him. He wanted to know the real person.

“Lee Jinki.”

“Kim Jonghyun.”

“It’s nice to meet you Jonghyun.”

“It’s nice to meet you too Jinki.” They smiled at each other and shook hands like it was the first time they had met. It was the first time they met stripped of labels and tags.

“You know Jinki, I play the guitar too.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t swim in rivers .”

“You should try it. It’s very liberating.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jonghyun had to board his plane. They met as enemies and they were parting as friends. Jonghyun took the 668^th crane he had made and placed it in his bag.

Finally. One Thousand Paper Cranes.

A.N.

This came out a lot longer than I had expected.

We've been studying postwar poetry in school lately plus I read the story of Sadako Sasaki and I got inspired ^^

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