“You still haven’t caught him?”
Junhyun banged the table. His ex-wife stood beside him. Despite Junhyun's loud noise, she remained silent, rolling her eyes slightly but not reacting in any significant way. The deputy commander stood at attention, dumbfounded.
“Catch him.”
"yes?"
“You can kill me or turn me into a cripple, so catch me. Catch me and bring me before my eyes.”
Junhyun's fists clenched with rage. His bloodshot eyes had been bloodshot for a long time.
"why."
“…”
“Is it really that hard to catch a greenhorn who hasn’t even been in the military?”
The lieutenant commander flinched for a moment, perhaps because his pride had been touched. Then, after giving a firm answer, he lowered his hand and left the room. As the lieutenant commander left, Junhyun turned to his wife, who was standing beside him.
“What’s the problem?”
He suddenly shouted. His wife rolled her eyes again.
“You’re the problem. Then what’s the problem?”
Junhyun let out a hollow laugh. "I gave you a luxurious life, and you ran off with your son, so what are you talking about?" he snapped. His wife crossed her arms, as if she didn't want to deal with him any longer. Junhyun tossed the chair in front of her and sat down.
"You screwed it up. If that bastard Choi Yeonjun dies, it's your fault. Because that's how you raised him."
Junhyun spoke to his wife, pressing each character into her face.
"It's always my fault, isn't it? What? You kill me because I'm blocking my parents' path? From the moment I decided to become a parent, I should have sacrificed my life for my child. How could you even think that way? I know I made that child unhappy. But in the end, you made the wrong decision."
"Every time he opens his mouth, it's my fault. Did you teach that kid that?"
“There has to be a time to teach him, he’s tired of everything!”
His wife snapped at him sharply. Junhyun washed his face dry.
Soobin loaded the bullets next to him. He was now quite adept at reloading. Without hesitation, he aimed, fired a few shots, and hid behind a wall. Molotov cocktails appeared nearby. He grabbed them with both hands and threw them far away. The tank caught fire. Riding the momentum, everyone else moved quickly and fired. The hill came into view. Soobin tried to gather his wits amidst all the noise. One of the militiamen tapped him on the shoulder.
"are you okay?"
Soobin nodded. The acrid smoke from the Molotov cocktail stung his eyes mercilessly, and the tear gas grenades flying into the live ammunition also tormented him. He finally dropped his gun. As it fell with a loud crack, the people ahead of him turned around.
“It’s okay, go ahead!”
Soobin screamed. But they picked up the fallen gun and handed it back to Soobin. Their determined eyes were visible even amidst the smoke-stained tears. Soobin felt a lump forming in her throat.
“I won’t lose anymore.”
Citizen militia leader Kim Bae-jong pressed forward. They ran again at a terrifying pace. Bae-jong ran in front, holding the Taegeukgi. The fluttering Taegeukgi seemed to flash with all sorts of light. And finally, they heard the sound they had been longing for.
“Withdraw!”
Everyone cheered as they watched the martial law soldiers hurriedly board the trucks. Victory! The martial law soldiers would be barred from Gwangju for the time being. The citizens who had been anxiously watching the battle shouted along. Gwangju was filled with a fervent heat. A few tears welled up in Subin's eyes. It wasn't from the tear gas or Molotov cocktails. And when he saw someone in white running from afar, he couldn't help but laugh.
“Choi Soo-bin!!”
Yeonjun, dressed in a doctor's gown, ran over and stood before Soobin. Soobin smiled, her dimples slyly appearing.
“We won.”
Yeonjun nodded. "Oh, tears are coming out," he said, tilting his head back. "Why, is it so touching? Is it because of the tear gas?" Yeonjun said. Then he took a deep breath, looked up at Soobin, and said.
“Yes, that’s right. I’m crying because I’m so touched, why!”
Yeonjun's smiling eyes sparkled with tears. Soobin could guess that her own eyes were similar.
“By the way, what’s with the gown? You’re already a doctor.”
It was meant as a joke, but Yeonjun burst into tears at that remark.
As the noise died down and the city took on a festive mood, Yeonjun and Soobin found themselves at the cemetery. Near the graveyard path, where countless people were buried, they saw headstones for those who had died relatively recently. They were clearly dead, either during protests or in combat. Yeonjun and Soobin dug a short distance away. Their clothes were dirty, but they silently dug a large hole with a shovel. Then, they buried a young soldier who had been shot in the stomach. "I'm sorry I couldn't send you home," Yeonjun said softly. After covering the grave with dirt, they sat quietly beside it. "Yes, this was a mourning for everything that had passed away."