Gwangju, now that the martial law troops had left, was peaceful. Led by the citizen militia, the once chaotic city gradually regained its former vitality. The citizen militia immediately distributed food supplies left behind by the retreating martial law troops to the starving, and the hospital was busier than ever. Men carried the dead bodies and held funerals. Having originally lived on the outskirts of Gwangju, Subin was immediately drawn into this atmosphere, but Yeonjun felt overwhelmed and awkward. The certainty of safety felt strange. He knew it. Peace on thin ice is not peace. It breeds greater anxiety and completely darkens the uncertain future. Yeonjun felt a warm breeze brush against his neck, his thoughts drifting green until he suddenly raised his head at the sound of someone.
“Why are you staring blankly like that?”
Soobin asked. Yeonjun raised his head and faced Soobin. Her bright smile seemed to erase all distracting thoughts. Yeonjun rose from the park bench and put his arm around Soobin's shoulder. "I should go home," Yeonjun said. "What is that?" Soobin laughed.
“Just. It’s amazing that you can come out in broad daylight like this.”
“It will be like that in the future too.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Why? Are you afraid the martial law troops will come again?”
"Hyung, you really need to cut down on those useless thoughts." Soobin tapped Yeonjun on the head. Afterward, he ate a rather spicy chestnut. When Soobin made a death sound, Yeonjun hit him again. "Wow, is this hyung a doctor?" Soobin was shocked.
“I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change to a funeral home while we’re at it.”
“Ah, tongue…….”
They said that a legitimate armed struggle, if successful, would be a revolution, and if it failed, it would inevitably become a rebellion. People had no doubt that the May and June events in Gwangju would be remembered as a revolution. In the pavilion beneath the zelkova tree, old men played janggi, calling each other "General" and "Menggun." "Should I learn janggi?" Yeonjun said, putting his hands behind his head. Somehow, Gwangju seemed more comfortable than Seoul. After everything was over, he was contemplating graduating and heading to Gwangju when he saw a tear gas canister flying, aimed squarely at Subin's head. "What the hell is this?"
"…brother."
"…uh."
“I think the world is going to end.”
The Fed let out a long sigh.
"agreement."
The two ran desperately toward their home, weaving through alleys and shops to avoid the soldiers who had suddenly burst in. The sound of gunfire and screams was now tiresome. It was also frustrating that their bodies had so quickly learned how to run when being chased. Soobin wiped the sweat from his chin and picked up a middle-aged man who had fallen, carrying him on his back. His heart raced, and he heard desperate screams from all around, people desperately searching for someone they knew. It felt like everything was pressing down on him, making it difficult to run. Even the weight of the man he'd thought light grew heavier and heavier. Yeonjun was running with all his might, holding an elderly woman in his arms, behind the fleeing crowd.
The citizens' militia hurriedly gathered at Gwangju City Hall. Bae Jong seemed older than the last time I saw him. Subin, holding her M1 carbine, silently picked up the Taegeukgi flag from the floor. Inside Gwangju City Hall, people who pledged to fight alongside the citizens' militia swarmed like bees, making it nearly impossible to move. Meanwhile, the sound of martial law troops slowly advancing toward Gwangju City Hall made her heart race. Subin took a deep breath.
"Mommy, a young kid like you should go and study. Aren't your parents worried? Go quickly."
"Just because you're young doesn't mean you can't fight! Have you ever seen your family get shot and killed? Have you ever seen them die right in front of your eyes?"
"Yeah, I saw it, you fucking bastard! That's why I'm telling you to go! Don't give yourself over to those humans!"
The sounds of scuffles, those about to fight and those urging them to turn back, were all mixed together. Bae Jong picked up an old microphone and spoke.
"Students under 20, women, the elderly, go back immediately. We'll kill them all! We'll kill every single one of you who's left here! So go back. Go back! Tell us our names. We'll fight until every single life is lost. Go back and reveal our fate to all of the Republic of Korea!"
The men, who had pushed back the incoming crowds with brute force, locked the entrance to Gwangju City Hall. Having surrendered most of their weapons a few days earlier as a condition of the martial law army's retreat, they held little in their hands. Bae Jong spoke for the last time, saying, "We die here today." Everyone nodded. The commanders each drank a glass of clear liquor on their behalf. It was a ceremonial drink. The airborne troops' loudspeakers could be heard.
“All rioters inside Gwangju City Hall, lay down your weapons and surrender immediately!”
The militia answered in one voice from inside the building, where all the windows and doors were locked.
"We are not rioters! We are also citizens of the Republic of Korea!"
That rumbling sound was the starting point. With his name called and bullets flying relentlessly, Soobin continued to pull the trigger. "Why am I the only one alive, pulling the trigger, while my comrades fall one by one?" Soobin asked the sky. His comrades gradually dropped their weapons and collapsed, convulsing and screaming in agony. Then, at some point, silence fell. The sound of windows shattering, the shadows of martial law soldiers surrounding the Gwangju City Hall building, throwing all manner of weapons, and the suffocating heat consumed Soobin. Before he knew it, he was standing with a handful of comrades, covered in blood, a gun in one hand and a Molotov cocktail in the other. The shooting paused. Soobin raised his head and looked up at the rising moon with a pang. What meaning do these deaths, these useless deaths, have?" he asked.
“Is it… over…?”
A young colleague muttered. Then, with the sound of a gunshot and the pain that felt like cracks were spreading from his thigh all over his body, Soobin dropped his gun and fell to the ground.
“Hey Soobin! Choi Soobin!”
A grenade flew through the moonlight between the broken windows. Soobin squeezed his eyes shut. The intense heat tore through his body.