Battlefield

For jetsora

Pairing: Yeolsoo and Woogyu

Prompt: Korean War setting; the ukes (Myungsoo and Sunggyu) are military nurses while the semes (Yeol and Woohyun) are soldiers (General or Lieutenant)

A/n: I did a bit of a research for this, I am very sorry with the title~ it’s lame i know

It has always been like this for the past three years as they held on to their arms and thanked each day that they set their eyes to the morning sun. He sighed as he looked at the wounded troops on cots, with bandages in every limb, flesh sore and red, faces painted with pain and grief. 

He knew it wasn’t close to end but with the negotiations on going, they were bound to have something settle by the end of this year; hopefully he thought.

“General Nam!” A soldier saluted as he received a telegraph from base. He took the slip of paper and read it with much fear in his eyes.

“The forces by the Kumsung river have been gravely wounded, General Lee barely escaped from the attack and are headed towards your camp. Stay alert.” The telegraph read and Gen. Nam quickly alerted the forces.

“I want all hands on deck. Gen. Lee and the remaining forces will be coming and I want everyone alert and ready. Don’t let your guards down.” He announced, courage and confidence exudes from the young general whose bloodline traced back to highly respected military officers of South Korea.

He heard a loud affirmation from his battalion and a placid smile graced his face.

“we will not be defeated. Daehan Minguk” He shouted and the men shouted louder “Daehan Minguk!”

He savored the screams and the brave souls in front of him before he retreated towards the infirmary where the nurses were taking care of more than a dozen wounded soldiers. He looked with grimace as his stomach churn at the ugly sight of war.

“Anything that matters, general?” A soft voice called him and a smile graced his face again.

“Prepare yourselves, Gen, Lee and his forces are coming. Anticipate the number of wounded to be high.” He said with a firm voice. “Can you handle more?” he then said with a concerned tone, the nurse smiled and nodded.

“It’s just a small duty compared to yours general.” He replied and Gen. Nam frowned at those words.

“Sunggyu...” His voice trailed as he placed his hand on the nurse’s cheek. “...please say my name.” he said, desperation laced his voice.

“Woohyun..” Sunggyu obliged, his voice velvety and smooth.

Woohyun took it in like morphine, he breathed the words and his nerves steadied. “You keep me sane Sunggyu.” He said, eyes closed and fingers gently rubbing the nurse’s fluffy cheeks.

“And you keep me alive.” Sunggyu replied, sneaking a peck on the general’s cheeks before walking towards the other nurses attending to the wounded. Woohyun couldn’t be any happier with this.

--- 

Three days after receiving the telegraph, the camp was hurrying to usher in General Lee’s forces. The General was pale and weak but he tried to lead his troops towards the camp safely. He was met by a supporting arm from Woohyun. “Sungyeol.” He said and Sungyeol smiled weakly. 

“The Chinese held a surprise attack, we didn’t have any strategies planned. I’m sorry.” He said as Woohyun shook his head.

“We’ll stand our ground and we’ll fight back.” Woohyun assured him, as he led the general towards the infirmary where the nurses were all on their toes.

“Sunggyu.” Woohyun called and the nurse made his way towards the general.

“Yes general?” He asked and Woohyun handed Sungyeol, pain painted the weak general’s face.

“Treat him. Send in the best to help him recover.” Woohyun demanded and Sunggyu nodded, asking another nurse to help him treat the general’s wounds.

“Myungsoo, give me the morphine, the bandages and hot water.” Sunggyu instructed and the nurse he called grabbed the items and handed it to Sunggyu. “Help me clean the wounds.” Sunggyu said and Myungsoo nodded, ing the general’s clothes to reveal fresh wounds from shrapnels. 

Woohyun’s eyes twitched as he saw the blood and the red flesh of the general. “You don’t have to watch this, we’ll take care of him, I promise.” Sunggyu uttered to Gen. Nam who nodded then left.

“It’ll sting for a while general.” Myungsoo informed the man who gritted his teeth as the wounds were cleaned and disinfected. He closed his eyes as the searing pain of morphine laced his flesh and tear his sanity; then numbness took over his body.

--- 
Gun shots and exploding bombs were heard, the night was glowing red. He looked to his right and saw one by one, his troops were being killed. His eyes grew wide as the sight before him was pitiful and scary. “Retreat! Gather everyone and retreat! Save yourselves!” He shouted as he took his riffle and aimed a shot on the incoming Chinese soldier. 

“Retreat!” He shouted as he took another aim, this time throwing a hand grenade towards the direction of the Chinese soldiers, exploding three seconds later and creating fiery red flames as the explosion hit a tent.

-- 
He woke up with trembling muscles and cold sweat trickling down his body. He looked at the surrounding and felt hands on his shoulder, delicate and warm. “You had a nightmare.” he heard the voice and a serene face appeared before him and handed a glass of water.

“You’re okay now General Lee.” Myungsoo said with a smile and the general nodded.

“Call me Sungyeol.” He informed the nurse who nodded and took the empty glass. “I didn’t catch your name.” Sungyeol said and Myungsoo gave him a warm smile. “It’s Myungsoo.” He said then bowed before leaving.

Woohyun visited him the next day, face placid but Sungyeol knew better.

“It’s not good news I presume.” Sungyeol stated and Woohyun nodded before taking in a deep breath.

“The Chinese forces are advancing quite faster than expected. We need to defend the borders as soon as possible. I have teams out to patrol the trenches and we expect full gear by the third day.” Woohyun informed the injured general and the latter nodded.

“The borders are usually the ground zero. We need to prepare.” Sungyeol uttered as he tried to stand up from his bed.

“You are not going anywhere until your wounds have healed.” Sunggyu warned the general and looked at Woohyun with concern. “Are you really heading out this quickly?” He asked, worried for the general.

“It’s for our country and our people.” Woohyun said, placing his hands on the nurses hands and kissing them with such passion. Sunggyu held the tears and nodded. “I want you take this.” Woohyun said as he took the ring from his necklace and handed it to nurse. “It’s my great grandmother's. Keep it as collateral.” Woohyun said with a smile before heading out, not without bowing to Sungyeol.

“So I guess you...” Sungyeol trailed off, not really sure if he’ll sound insensitive with his words.

“The three years of war had made me lose my mind; and falling for a man was something only the war can do to me.” Sunggyu said, placing the ring on his necklace, next to his military dog tag. Sungyeol nodded and swallowed the lump on his throat.

“It’s a risky position isn’t it?” Sunggyu asked as he checked the general’s wound and Sungyeol nodded. “Myungsoo told me that you had nightmares?” He asked and the general nodded again. “It’s normal, don’t worry.” Sunggyu said then bowed before leaving and attending to others.

Sungyeol took a deep breath and looked at the infirmary only to be disgusted of the sight. The place was teeming with wounded and amputated soldiers, with no hopes of a better life after the war. He clenched his fist as the memories flooded him; like his battalion’s ghosts haunted him. He wasn’t able to protect them and lead them to victory, he was a failure and a coward.

“Are you okay General?” the familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Yes I am.” he replied and the nurse gave him a bright smile.

“Word around camp said that you’re a sharp shooter.” Myungsoo stated and Sungyeol shook his head. “Great, because I sure am below average.” He said with a smile, handing the general some pills to drink. “It’s antibiotic for infection and some pain killers.” He informed him and Sungyeol took it without another word.

--- 
 

The time has come and Woohyun mentally prepared for the battle, he tightened his laces and his belt, adjusted his cap and straightened his collar; they were all ready for battle.

“We will not stop until we finish every soldier, We will protect our soil till our last breath. Daehan Minguk!” Woohyun shouted and each and everyone of his squad were mentally prepared for it; shedding blood for their country was the first and last thing on their minds.

They took the trenches and waited for the sun to set before they heard the first shot. It was canon being fired and Woohyun signalled to return the fire. They heard several gunshots and figured that the battle has already commenced.

They took aim, firing at several unseen target, hearing wails of pain and shouts of eagerness to attack. They fired until they all heard the familiar battle cry. 

“Prepare yourselves men!” Woohyun shouted, gripping his gun tightly and aiming at the other side of the battle field. 

The air smelt of gun powder and ashes but their bodies were all heightened and alert. More shots were heard as the other approached them; it’ll be a tricky battle just as Woohyun had predicted.

“Load the mortar!” He instructed and within seconds, the mortar landed on the enemies’ side and blasted a few soldier in the air. 

It was loud and Woohyun could sense the fear in his blood; the wounded and casualties were growing as the hours passed. 

“We can’t give up, use everything!” He commanded, the soldiers giving everything they could to exterminate the enemies. He stood his ground and aimed at the approaching squad, knocking down 3 consecutively.

“Fire!” He shouted, his voice was hoarse but it exuded confidence and courage; something his squad had always admired from their general.

They were holding their ground and securing their position when the unexpected came, a bomb landed too close to Woohyun who had a shrapnel slice his left arm, blood spilling from the wound. “We will not give up!” Woohyun hissed as he ripped the sleeve of his camouflage uniform and wrapped it on his wound. “Sunggyu, I will come back to you.” He said as he gritted his teeth and took an aim of the enemy behind the lines.

He fired until he was numb and the world was dark and he saw nor felt nothing.

--- 

“Sunggyu?” He jolted from his sleep only to find a different nurse attending to him. “General Nam, you’ve awoken.” the nurse said and handed him some pills. “For your wounds.” He said, pointing to the wounded arm and a few stitches on his left leg.

“Where’s Sunggyu?” He asked but the nurse did not reply. “I am asking you where is Sunggyu?” He repeated, a bit louder but the nurse kept his mouth close. “As your general I am demanding you to tell me where is Sunggyu!” His shouted, tone was angry and mad but the nurse blinked at him with no words to say.

“Major General Nam Woohyun, I’m glad that you are awake.” A voice said, dismissing the nurse and sitting in front of the injured general’s bed.

“Myungsoo, where’s Sunggyu?” He asked but Myungsoo shook his head.

“I’m afraid that you’ll never meet him Major.” Myungsoo said, his voice laced with sadness as he looked at Woohyun with teary eyes. 

It was silent.

Dead silent.

Myungsoo then stood and approached the injured man, handing him a necklace with a familiar dog tag and his great grand mother’s ring.

“I’m afraid that he ....” Myungsoo started.

“Don’t say it!” Woohyun softly said.

“Woohyun hyung..” Myungsoo said and Woohyun shook his head as he clenched his fist around the metal.

“Stop, I don’t want to hear it!” He shouted, making Myungsoo drop to his knees and weep.

--

He wasn’t feeling well, and it only happens when he sense something bad will happen. He nervously paced the infirmary until Myungsoo held his hand and stopped him.

“Hyung.” Myungsoo uttered and Sunggyu hugged the nurse.

“I feel something will happen Myungsoo. I am afraid.” He said in a low voice and the younger held him tight. 

“It will be okay hyung.” Myungsoo replied but as much as he wanted to believe that everything will be okay, he couldn’t shake the feeling of anxiety as well. 

And to confirm their fears, they heard the terrifying sounds from the exploding bombs and the ground shook below them.

“Prepare for battle!” They heard Sungyeol shout, staggering his body towards the battlefield and grasping the first weapon he could. 

“Sungyeol!” Myungsoo dashed towards the injured general and tried to stop him.

“Please stop, you’re injured!” Myungsoo said, pulling the general back towards the infirmary.

“It’s my duty to protect this country with my life. I am well enough to fight.” Sungyeol said with conviction but Myungsoo was persistent. 

“Then let me fight with you!” He said, eyes looking straight into the general’s eyes with a glint of something Sungyeol was afraid to confirm.

“Treat the wounded you are needed there.” Sungyeol argued, looking at the two wounded soldiers being carried towards the infirmary.

“But I need you.” Myungsoo said, cupping the general’s cheeks and pulling him in a chaste kiss. “Army reserve Lieutenant and NC Officer Kim Myungsoo” He saluted and grabbed the riffle from the ground and went out of the battle field.

Sungyeol followed him, stopping the nurse before he reached the front line. “Are you crazy?” Sungyeol asked but Myungsoo shook his head.

“Unlike Sunggyu hyung, I am well equipped in arm to arm combat.” He said with a smile and took aim, hitting the enemies with much precision that it amazed Sungyeol.

“Hold your ground men. We will fight till the end!” Sungyeol shouted and everyone replied with affirmation.

The gunfires and explosions from both sides erupted and none was backing from their positions. Sungyeol watched as one by one, his soldiers fell. He took the sight as a deja vu, a scene he was too familiar with, a living nightmare.

He gripped his gun tightly and aimed with more focus and determination, killing more soldiers than he would’ve liked but this is a battle not a game. Hours passed but no one was backing out, no one ceding, no one’s accepting defeat. 

A loud explosion came and Sungyeol’s eyes widened as the infirmary was up in flames. “Sunggyu!” Myungsoo screamed as he tried to dash towards the burning place but Sungyeol’s hands tightened around his wrist.

“It’s no use, you need to protect yourself first.” Sungyeol held the younger tight in his arms as Myungsoo’s body shook with the shock of the explosion and thoughts of Sunggyu being engulfed in flames. “I’m here, fight with me.” Sungyeol ensured the lad.

Myungsoo had determination in his eyes as he gripped the gun and fired mercilessly towards the enemies, not feeling any guilt for the lives his bullets took; they took his friend and he wouldn't stop until he had the head of the commanding general on his hands.

He took aim, not missing every shot; one after the other, his bullets pierced through flesh and bodies fell to the ground; he didn’t care at all.

Then he heard a voice call his name and his eyes widened as he watched the general fall to his knees and perish in the battle field.

“Sungyeol!!!!” He shouted, grabbing his dagger from his belt and piercing it towards the soldiers chest. He took the general in his hands and called his name. “Don’t go!” Stay with me.” Myungsoo said, ignoring the sounds of blasts and smell of smoke.

Sungyeol coughed out blood as his vision became hazy. “Myungsoo... I remember you.” Sungyeol said as he tried to reach the younger’s face. “my sharp shooter.” Sungyeol said and Myungsoo nodded, tears spilling from his eyes. “I’m sorry I forgot.” The general took heavy breaths and Myungsoo shook his head. 

“Don’t go.” He cried as he lowered his head and kissed the general, trying to give his air to him, trying but in vain.

Myungsoo tasted blood on his lips and felt tears from his cheeks. “I’ll finish this!” Myungsoo said, clenching the gun on his side and taking aim of the opponent’s field. He stepped without a care in the world, firing bullets at any body who wore the mark of the enemies. He didn’t care as a bullet pierced his arm, he has to end the battle. 

He came face to face with the commander, his face stern and angry. “You killed two of my friends, I’m here to take your life!” Myungsoo announced as he shot two bullets straight to the commander’s head; Screaming loudly as he trampled the flag of the enemy and raised his gun in victory. One by one, the enemies dropped the guns and their force gathered the survivors, making them captive.

“I don’t care if you cut their body parts and feed them to the sharks” He screamed, angry and exhausted but relieved to have won the battle.


---- 

The two stood with the rest of the War survivors, medals being handed out and ranks being elevated,. They shook hands with the president, and the head of the UN. They were applauded by so many SOuth Korean Citizens for their bravery.

“Myungsoo.” Woohyun called out and the 2nd Lieutenant saluted. “Take me to Sunggyu.” He said and Myungsoo nodded, leading the general towards the wall by the border where the names of the fallen soldiers were etched. 

Woohyun took a step closer and ran his hands on the two names on the granite wall. His tears fell as he took in the scent of the forest around him. He kissed the familiar name and stepped back, saluting in front of the wall before walking back with the lieutenant by his side.

“Did he ever remember you Myungsoo?” Woohyun asked and the younger nodded. “I’m glad at least he did.” Woohyun said before saluting and parting with Myungsoo.

The war ended, but not after leaving so many lives being lost.

A/n: I did my best ~ sorry if I killed Sunggyu and Sungyeol., but a war calls for violence and death and somehow a fluffy ending doesn’t suit this prompt well. I hope you’ll like it though~

StarlightSpirit: This was just so perfect... it was gritty and realistic and just so well researched. This was the prompt I was most worried about not being done well but my fears were in vain, and you wrote this in a few hours... what?! Just... I'm in awe right now.