Chapter 1
Nightmare or reality
Written by Malranggong.
*This article has nothing to do with reality.
*The countries mentioned in this article are fictional and are the author's work.
***
The sound of military boots coming through the crack in the worn-out window makes my stomach churn. My younger brother, too, clutches the teddy bear he was playing with in his arms, as if he were afraid, and hugs me. The child's small, fragile body begins to tremble with fear. He seems so scared that he doesn't even realize that his body is shaking. But all I can do is pat him and tell him it's okay. I have no wealth, no fame, no power, and most of all, I don't have a father. No, we don't have one.
“Sister……”
The child looked up at me with fearful eyes, his hands trembling slightly as he clutched my clothes tightly. What on earth should I say to such a young child? How should I calm him down? What would his mother do?
Only then did I suddenly think of my mother, still out there earning money. What was she doing out there in this war zone? I wondered if she was hurt. I wondered if she was okay. I wondered if she was safe. As my mind filled with such worries about her, a sharp gunshot rang out, the worn window shattered, and my younger brother, still in my arms, fell limply.
It happened so suddenly that I couldn't fully grasp the situation, so I just stood there in a daze.
Maybe I wanted to believe that this reality was a nightmare.
“Sister… I’m sick… It’s… kind of… hot…”
I regain my senses from my daze as I see my brother gasping in agony. I quickly check his wound and apply pressure with both hands to stop the bleeding. However, his dark red blood continues to flow incessantly between my fingers. The child's hot blood, as if burning my hand, flows from his mouth as well. The child, as if his organs have ruptured, continues to speak in agony, unable to breathe properly and terrified.
“Sister… I’m so scared… I don’t want to… die…”
“Yeah… Don’t say any more… Please… You won’t die. It’s okay. So…”
“Mom… I miss you so much, uh…”
The child's breath completely stops. The child's body, which had been trembling with fear just moments before, is still. That child... my brother... ... did not die in my mother's arms. He simply died in my arms, weak and helpless.
I caress the child's face with my brother's blood-stained hands.
I feel a sense of guilt that I, as the older sister, could not protect that child.
I want to die too, following you.
At that moment, I hear the sound of military boots getting louder. They must be the ones who did this to my brother. Those soldiers. Now, I will die by their hands.
I just close my eyes.
Please wait a moment.
I'll go soon too.
…
…
“Sergeant!!”
“…”
“Sergeant Songolmae!!!”
A refreshing yet low voice, like the rolling of jade beads, a voice that felt somehow familiar, made me slowly open my closed eyes. Then, I saw Kim Seokjin, wide-eyed and kneeling on one knee, looking at me. He must have fallen asleep while resting under a tree during break time. It seemed that Kim Seokjin had adopted that pose to look at me, who was leaning against the tree.
That was just… a dream.
“You don’t look well, Sergeant. Did you have a nightmare?”
“It’s none of your business. What’s going on?”
“Captain Kim Nam-joon is looking for you.”
"…okay."
***