Chapter 6 – A Blade-like News

The morning sunlight streaming into the house was dazzling.

So-yeon, who had just placed a plate of green grapes on the living room table and sat down on the sofa, looked again at the text messages she had exchanged with In-ha.

[Looks like I drank too much yesterday. I made a mistake. Sorry.]

[I’ll accept your apology, Senior.]

[Is she your guardian angel or something, Eom So-yeon? That friend of yours who kicked me, despite being a woman, was really strong.]

[Ah, I’m sorry about that incident. Are you okay now?]

[Well, it’s bearable. Don’t worry about it. I deserved it.]

[Let’s meet with a smile next time, Senior.]

[I was worried you might not want to see me again, but thank you.]

What In-ha did yesterday was by no means a trivial matter.

In fact, she had seriously considered ending her friendship with Jo In-ha because of it. However, So-yeon couldn’t completely ignore his apology because, considering the reality, they would frequently run into each other in the small world of the entertainment industry.

Additionally, there was one more reason: the guilt of having made Jo In-ha suffer so much that he found walking difficult for a while.

That doesn’t mean she easily accepted In-ha’s apology. Waking up early in the morning, So-yeon checked his text on her way to the bathroom. She replied late, a couple of hours later, after much contemplation.

Meanwhile, the person who nearly rendered Jo In-ha infertile with a furious kick was still sleeping soundly. She had taken over the master bedroom, as if it were her own home.

According to someone, Yeo Do-soon had been nothing less than a guardian angel to So-yeon, her longtime friend.

Back in high school, when So-yeon first expressed her dream of becoming an actress, Do-soon, having nothing else she wanted to do, declared that she would manage Eom So-yeon, no matter what anyone said, even making a pinky promise.

Yeo Do-soon, who had kept that promise to this day, was So-yeon’s irreplaceable best friend, having attended the same elementary, middle, and high schools, and even the same university, albeit in different departments.

Recalling her friend’s fierce demeanor towards Jo In-ha yesterday, So-yeon couldn’t help but burst into laughter, even as she popped grape after grape into her mouth.

By the time she had almost finished the bunch of grapes, Do-soon, who had used the master bathroom, emerged from the room with nothing on her fair skin. Her body was as slender and elongated as her outgoing personality. She was tall, like a model.

“Wow, hey! You should at least wrap a towel around yourself!”

Even if they were both women and confident about their bodies, walking around n*ked was just too much of an eye terror.

Despite So-yeon’s shocked comment, Do-soon just chuckled to herself, finding something amusing.

“We’re all alone here. What’s the problem? The weather is nice, so I thought I’d sunbathe a bit.”

“Put something on. I don’t want to see that.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll get dressed.”

While Do-soon went back to get dressed, So-yeon finished the grapes she was eating and started on another bunch.

“What’s with the grapes?”

Do-soon, having come out of the bedroom, flopped down on the sofa and asked with a scrutinizing look.

“They’re sweet and sour, really delicious. They’re bringing back my appetite.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Eom So-yeon had always detested sour fruits since she was young.

Not only that, but Do-soon, who knew all too well her friend’s biased taste for preferring bread over rice cakes and meat over vegetables, found it abnormal to see So-yeon devouring grapes, which she usually ignored.

“That’s what seems to be the problem.”

“People’s tastes can change, can’t they?”

“So-yeon, you…”

“What about me?”

As Do-soon trailed off, So-yeon quickly chewed and swallowed the grape she was eating, her irritation apparent. If there was something to hide, it was better to stay quiet rather than make it more suspicious.

“Are you, by any chance…”

“By any chance what?”

“You’re getting more sensitive, which isn’t like you. Is there something serious going on that I don’t know about?”

“No, no!”

“What do you mean, no? You’re not like yourself, getting tense all of a sudden, and even your eating habits are off. Now you’re eating things you didn’t before. Anyway, you’re acting really strange.”

Do-soon’s suspicious gaze made So-yeon’s large eyes tremble.

Having missed her period last month and still not having it, So-yeon had visited a hospital. That was last week, and in those few days, So-yeon’s face had become noticeably thinner.

Yesterday, Do-soon, who had been near the school, stopped by the pork belly restaurant because she was worried about So-yeon, who had become noticeably gaunt. But, narrowly missing her, she ran to the parking lot So-yeon often used.

Anyway, she was a grateful friend who saved her from a dangerous situation, so wouldn’t she want to confide in her? But So-yeon had reasons she couldn’t.

“Ah, everything seems strange. I’ve just been suffering from a bad cold for a while.”

“What about the grapes?”

“Vitamin C is great for colds, isn’t it?”

“Why are you stuttering with that excessive laughter?”

Do-soon’s relentless questioning left So-yeon flustered. So she pretended it wasn’t true and smiled, but her words came out disorganized and incoherent. Clearly, she had bitten her tongue. Continuing this conversation would only result in her own loss.

“I bit my tongue while eating grapes, okay!”

Annoyed, So-yeon abruptly stood up from the sofa, grabbed the plate, and scurried into the kitchen.

Then, a little later, So-yeon came back into the living room and flopped down next to Do-soon, who was half-lying on the sofa.

“Do-soon, do you think any of your fan club members know Tae Seo-jun’s home address or phone number?”

“I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

“A junior from our department seems to have drawn a portrait of Tae Seo-jun as a hobby.”

“Oh, a gift? Tell them to send it to his agency. That’s what we do. Why, do they want to give it to him directly?”

“…”

Although she casually made up a plausible story, her heart was pounding. Nodding, So-yeon stared at the ceiling for no reason.

“Just wait a sec. I’ll check the group chat. I don’t know, but maybe someone else might…!”

While fiddling with her phone screen, Do-soon suddenly stopped mid-sentence and straightened up her slouched body. Then, with a shocked expression, she began to tear up, staring at the constantly updating phone screen.

“What’s wrong, why are you crying all of a sudden?”

“It’s just that…”

So-yeon, sensing something was off, snatched the phone from Do-soon and fixed her gaze on the screen. The fan club group chat was filled with frantic messages, as if the end of the world had come.

“…!”

As So-yeon quickly read through the messages, her pupils shook as if they had encountered a major earthquake. The news that Tae Seo-jun had enlisted today and would be living as a military officer for the next three years had just sunk in.

“Why did our oppa enlist? Is that something to do quietly? Sob sob…”

Do-soon’s lips protruded as she spoke and then she burst into tears.

“…”

So-yeon’s expression hardened, and the color drained from her face, leaving her dazed. Her heart sank, and her mind went blank. The only thing she could do was to force her unmoving feet to move towards the bathroom.

Click.

Leaning against the locked bathroom door, her stiff body slowly crumbled. Curling up into a small ball on the cold tile floor, thick tears rolled down So-yeon’s cheeks.

Unable to cry out like Do-soon, So-yeon silently wiped her tears with her sleeve. But the burst of sorrow soaked both arms and could not be stopped.

He’s gone now. I have to carry everything alone. But I… I still don’t know. Where to start or what to do…

She had wanted to meet Tae Seo-jun at least once. No, she had to. But her lack of courage had delayed the inevitable outcome.

In the end, she had to quietly forget him.

That was all.

With no glimmer of hope left, So-yeon could do nothing. She couldn’t breathe easily. Her body, stiff as a rock, couldn’t even rise again.

As if her heart and legs had been sliced by a blade-like news.

She could do nothing.

***

Three years later.

A man stood tall at the highest point of a rocky hill, with the moonlight of the new year’s first day at his back, gazing serenely at the dark and desolate foreign land.

Even in moments of intimacy with someone, he was alone.

He was more accustomed to wearing a mask than showing his true face.

With nothing he earnestly desired, everything felt dry and futile, no matter what he did.

As if he had no lingering attachments to the mundane time and the world that held nothing good, he had left Korea.

There had been no hesitation in his choice between being an ordinary soldier and a military doctor. He had left the hospital because he disliked the environment filled with obstinate people, but he still enjoyed practicing medicine. And seeing how he felt a little regretful that his discharge date was approaching, it seemed that military life suited him.

He had spent two years as a military doctor at the Riyadh Central Headquarters, and it had been a year since he was assigned to command the medical unit of an outpost within a two-hour range from there. Having swiftly passed three years, he was now on the eve of returning to his homeland.

The wind blew.

The man’s face, unaffected by the sandstorm clinging to his skin, was as impeccably refined as ever. Even his slow steps down the hill were unchanged, but his long legs made his pace surprisingly fast.

It was when he passed through the barbed-wire wall and entered the building made of red bricks.

“Captain Tae!”

A soldier, panting from running, called out urgently from behind.

“…”

He stopped and turned around.

When Seo-jun raised his dark eyebrows silently, the soldier began reporting without omission.

“The special forces team that deployed to Selar returned 30 minutes ago, at 23:00.”

Selar was a desert city in northeastern Saudi Arabia, adjacent to the Persian Gulf, and served as a hidden stronghold for the Islamic militant group Tamayon.

The bilateral negotiations between the Saudi government and the Tamayon militants were scheduled to start tomorrow and last for three days. Their unilateral decision to not allow any interference from third countries meant that the safety of foreigners, including civilians, was completely disregarded.

Therefore, even if their negotiations were peacefully concluded, hostages without utility value would be considered a separate issue. In the worst-case scenario, they could be eliminated without a trace.

In the face of such an extreme situation, the U.S. and South Korean forces, with no room for choice and limited time for operations, allowed no obstacles.

Thus, the U.S.-Korea joint special forces, who had secretly infiltrated the area at 18:00 today to carry out a covert operation, had just completed their mission of rescuing the hostages held by Tamayon and were now returning to their respective units.

Along with that welcome report, Seo-jun learned of a young civilian who had been rescued but refused treatment.

“We risked our lives to save him, and this bastard wants to die?”

“He seems determined, as he hasn’t spoken except to refuse treatment. However, his condition is serious, possibly due to neglecting a gunshot wound that penetrated near his heart. Captain, you should take a look.”

“Who is he?”

“His name is Han Seung-yul. He’s the scion of a wealthy family from New York who was pursuing an elite course before he stepped into the Middle East for business and was kidnapped.”

“Is that so?”

Tae Seo-jun, who had become accustomed to orders and obedience as if they were his second nature, looked perfect in his military uniform and beret.

“Let’s go now.”

His sharp gaze, as if beckoning the soldier to follow, was alive with the angle of a soldier’s resolve.