Chapter 15

The First Night

Colonel Kang Tae-seong lowered his binoculars. The North Korean forces had withdrawn north of Cheorwon. The sounds of fighting had noticeably diminished not only in Pungam-ri but also throughout the other areas of Cheorwon.

“For now, we've put out the immediate fire.”

“We still need to prepare for a nighttime surprise attack.”

“Right. Start by accounting for all personnel. And from this moment on, make sure everyone pays particular attention to blackout regulations.”

“Yes, understood.”

Colonel Kang Tae-seong wasn't pleased simply because the North Korean forces had temporarily withdrawn. In fact, the thought that they were calmly pulling back their troops and preparing for tomorrow frightened him even more.

Because not rushing their attack meant they believed their chances of achieving a greater victory tomorrow were higher.

Tweet—! Tweet—!

Tweet—! Tweet—!

Two short whistle blasts repeatedly sounded from the mountain ridges where the 1st and 2nd Battalions were positioned. It was the signal that the engagement had ended.

“Good. Send our signal too.”

Tweet—! Tweet—!

One of the communications clerks blew his whistle. The communications chief's face reddened repeatedly each time he heard the whistle.

Bong-tae and Private First Class Kim Jin-pyo returned from the camouflaged position, covered in dirt.

The True White Skull soldiers turned their attention toward them. Everyone knew that without their bold actions, the headquarters battalion would have suffered severe damage from the tanks' continuous attacks.

The True White Skull soldiers approached Kim Jin-pyo, who had fought heroically.

“Kim Jin-pyo! Are you okay?”

“I'm okay···.”

“You're covered in blood! Medic! Come take a look over here! Hurry!”

“I-it's not my blood. At the camouflaged position···.”

“The camouflaged position? Sergeant Ha's squad was there.”

“They're all dead···.”

Kim Jin-pyo spoke with a grief-stricken expression. The soldiers lowered their heads.

The sorrowful atmosphere among the survivors who had lost their comrades. Unable to bear it, Bong-tae bit his lip tightly. He turned away.

Lee Hwan, Lee Jin-gu, and Song Min-jae were near the trench. All three looked terrible, but their arms, legs, and heads were still properly attached. Bong-tae felt a weight lift from his chest.

“Hey.”

“Sergeant Kim!”

Lee Hwan smiled brightly as he examined Bong-tae from head to toe.

“I saw you running out of the trench···. What on earth did you go and do?”

“They said there was an anti-tank weapon at that camouflaged position, so I went over there for a bit.”

“You really never run out of things to do, Sergeant Kim.”

“What, you bastard?”

“You don't intend to go home, do you?”

“That's all I think about.”

The three chuckled at Bong-tae's answer. They'd nearly died so many times today that they could no longer count them on their fingers.

Someone knocked on Bong-tae's ballistic helmet from behind.

“Which bastard was that? Huh···?”

“If you keep this up, you won't last another three days. I guarantee it.”

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je was glaring coldly at Bong-tae. Bong-tae flinched.

“No, it's just—”

“You're going to say that staying still would have been dangerous too, so you had no choice.”

“H-how did you know, sir?”

“Enough. Enough. How's your body?”

“Hurts like fucking hell.”

Of all the soldiers still alive here, Bong-tae was undoubtedly in the worst condition. His combat uniform was covered in blood from top to bottom, and a bullet had grazed his thigh, tearing the fabric and exposing a little bare skin.

And although he hadn't said anything until now, more than one or two parts of his body were hurting.

In particular, his left arm had been sprained when he was thrown into the air during the initial bombardment of Headquarters Company. And his back and waist were aching terribly after his spectacular tumble in the camouflaged position moments earlier.

“But how did the helicopters know to come here? Could helicopters even take off in the first place? I thought communications and everything were paralyzed.”

Lee Jin-gu spoke as though the question had just occurred to him. He was talking about the helicopters that had utterly destroyed the North Korean tanks and infantry.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je answered his question.

“They flew under visual flight rules.”

“What?”

“They got here by navigating visually using the terrain, without help from GPS or navigation equipment.”

“···Uh. I don't really understand, but that sounds incredibly difficult.”

“It's certainly not easy.”

Bong-tae tilted his head as he listened to Jin-gu and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je talking. Honestly, he didn't quite understand. Weren't helicopters supposed to fly through the sky anyway? He wondered whether reaching somewhere without crashing into the ground was really that difficult.

But contrary to Bong-tae's thoughts, the Apache pilots had taken tremendous risks to come here.

The mountain ranges of Gangwon Province were extremely complicated. Nearby and distant mountains overlapped in one's vision, and ridgelines stretched one after another in similar shapes.

Someone flying over the mountains of Gangwon Province for the first time would need considerable time just to distinguish one place from another.

Yet they had flown through that region under visual flight rules, without navigation systems. And in a formation of four helicopters. Without even being able to communicate with one another, all to help friendly troops who might or might not even be there.

Lee Jin-gu stared blankly at the sky and muttered.

“That's fucking cool···. Maybe I should become a helicopter pilot···.”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil laughed and draped an arm around Lee Jin-gu's shoulder.

“Your eyesight?”

“1.5 in both eyes.”

“Your grades?”

“I hate studying.”

“English?”

“I hate it even more.”

“Then give up now and save yourself the trouble.”

“No, but I told you my eyesight is excellent! That's the most important thing, isn't it?”

“Pilots have to be smart. Flying comes later. Systems, procedures, navigation, weather, English—do you have any idea how much there is to learn?”

“Then I'll give up now and save myself the trouble.”

Chuckles broke out nearby. Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil stopped laughing and gathered the soldiers.

“All right, assemble.”

The command vehicle they'd received from the brigade commander was parked on the mountain path connecting the encampment to the trenches.

“We're heading back.”

“What? Where to?”

“Icheon.”

“Aren't we going to keep defending this place?”

“No. We're going to the corps—”

At that moment, a loud voice sounded behind Choi Pil.

“Hey, you bastard! Were you planning to leave without even saying goodbye?”

Colonel Kang Tae-seong approached. Choi Pil raised his enormous hand and scratched his head.

“I knew you'd be incredibly busy from now on, so I was going to slip away quietly.”

“You heartless bastard.”

“Just hold out a little longer. I'll be back soon.”

“Right. I'll be waiting.”

Colonel Kang Tae-seong grinned. His gaze moved past Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and settled on Bong-tae.

“Hey, you Roly-Poly. Come over here.”

“Sergeant Kim Bong-tae!”

Kang Tae-seong looked down at the True White Skull insignia attached to the chest of his field jacket. He pulled the unit patch off and held it out to Bong-tae.

“Take it.”

“Isn't this your unit insignia, sir?”

“I'm giving it to the White Skull who fought most bravely today.”

“B-but I'm from the 8th Divi—”

“Anyone who possesses the White Skull spirit is a White Skull.”

Kang Tae-seong gripped Bong-tae's shoulder firmly.

“Wherever you go, keep doing what you did today.”

“···Yes, understood.”

“Everyone, board the vehicle.”

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je took the driver's seat. Bong-tae, who had been heading toward the driver's side, awkwardly stopped and obediently settled into the passenger seat.

The ride was far less comfortable than in the van they'd driven to Cheorwon, but the ballistic panels attached all around the vehicle gave him some peace of mind.

Everyone, including Bong-tae, boarded the vehicle. The True White Skull soldiers who had been moving about busily paused for a moment.

Through the driver's window, Bong-tae's eyes met Sergeant Choi, with whom he'd had such an intense wrestling match earlier that day, and Private First Class Kim Jin-pyo, with whom he'd nearly died at the camouflaged position.

The two brushed off their battered combat uniforms a few times, then quietly raised their hands in salute.

“Take care of yourself, man.”

Sergeant Choi spoke with a grin. Bong-tae leaned his head slightly out the window and returned the farewell.

“Let's meet again alive.”

“Yes. Let's really meet again alive.”

The True White Skull soldiers turned their gazes north once more.

For those who had survived, tonight would undoubtedly be longer than any night they had ever experienced.

#

The vehicle headed toward Icheon through the darkness of night.

It traveled south along National Route 75, the same road they'd originally taken into Cheorwon. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je stopped the vehicle along the way and retrieved the C4 they'd planted beneath the bridge.

They also stopped at the Blue Sapphire pension, where they'd fought the North Korean soldiers, and collected the soldiers' field packs.

They searched the area in case Team A, which had transported the wounded and civilians to the rear, had stopped there. But the surroundings of the pension were astonishingly quiet.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je looked around once more before speaking.

“That's actually a good thing. Looks like they made it to the rear.”

Bong-tae had been keeping his lips tightly pressed together for some time. He kept glancing toward the northern sky, and Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil, noticing his expression, quietly asked.

“Why? Is something bothering you?”

“···No, sir.”

“Does it feel like we're running away? Do you think we should've stayed and fought alongside the True White Skull Unit?”

“To be honest···. Yes, sir.”

Choi Pil thought Bong-tae was a truly peculiar fellow. The chances of dying in Cheorwon were far higher than they were here, yet this bastard was saying they should have stayed there.

‘Does he not understand fear? But I've seen his hands and face trembling···. Or perhaps···.’

If he was naturally less susceptible to fear, that would actually be fortunate. Becoming addicted to the adrenaline of combat would be a much more serious problem.

Even on actual battlefields, there were people who remained strangely excited.

Bastards who mistook bullets flying around them and bombs exploding nearby for the 'feeling of being alive,' and repeatedly engaged in increasingly dangerous behavior.

But as far as Choi Pil could tell, Bong-tae didn't seem to belong to either category. Choi Pil watched Bong-tae looking at the sky for a moment before speaking gravely.

“Don't worry. No, actually, you should be more worried about what's coming next. Your original unit was the 8th Division, wasn't it?”

“Yes, sir.”

“The 8th Division is one of the core forces of the 7th Corps, right?”

“Yes. That's right···?”

“The 7th Corps is the only maneuver corps in South Korea. What was the 7th Corps created to do?”

South Korea had six corps. The Capital Corps, the 1st Corps, the 2nd Corps, the 3rd Corps, the 5th Corps, and the 7th Corps.

When full-scale war broke out, those corps defended the areas assigned to them by region. Their first objective was to stop the advancing North Korean forces.

But there was one corps whose primary objective was different.

That was the 7th Corps.

The objective of the 7th Corps was to advance north. It was a corps created solely for offensive operations.

If the 5th Corps, which included the 3rd Division they'd just fought alongside, was the strongest shield, the 7th Corps was unquestionably the sharpest spear, possessing the greatest combat power. Bong-tae's 8th Division could be considered the tip of that spear.

“Advancing north···?”

“Does that mean···?”

“That's right. There's a very high chance we'll cross the Military Demarcation Line.”

Lee Jin-gu stared at Choi Pil in surprise.

“A-advance north? Is that even possible right now?”

“Who knows? Probably not immediately. The 7th Corps is likely sitting around Icheon, unable to do anything. If communications are still completely down, there's no way they can move north.”

“When the hell are those goddamn communications going to be restored···?”

“Tell me about it.”

Cold night air gradually seeped into the vehicle. They were approaching Gapyeong. There were hardly any people in the town.

On the road ahead, red and blue lights were flashing alternately. Bong-tae spotted people wearing familiar uniforms.

“Huh? Battalion Commander! There are police officers!”

Four or five police officers were directing vehicles evacuating south along the road. Choi Pil opened his window wide and shouted toward the police.

“Loyalty! You're all working hard!”

The police officers gave the military vehicle a light salute before quickly approaching.

“Good evening. Where are you headed?”

“We're going to Icheon.”

The police officer briefly looked inside the vehicle. Seeing six soldiers in combat uniforms covered with dirt, he let out a deep sigh.

“Military communications are down too, aren't they?”

“Yes. It's a complete mess.”

“Fuck···. What the hell happened?”

“We don't know either.”

“Haaah···.”

Choi Pil smiled bitterly. He pointed toward Cheorwon.

“Fighting has begun at the front. If possible, you should move to the rear as well.”

The police officer shrugged.

“Well, I'd like to···. But we've got to earn our pay.”

“How are things in Gapyeong?”

“Most civilians seem to have evacuated farther south. Hardly anyone's left here.”

“Have you seen any military units?”

“Ah, several times.”

The officer exchanged a few words with a fellow policeman before passing the information on to Choi Pil.

“There were quite a few vehicles. They all seemed to be heading toward Seoul.”

“Seoul?”

“Yes. I think most of the soldiers stationed around Gapyeong have headed toward Seoul.”

“I see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Don't mention it. I've hardly seen any vehicles taking National Route 37, so you should be able to reach Icheon without getting stuck in traffic.”

“Thank you. Take care of yourselves.”

“You too···. Please be really careful out there.”

Watching the police officers recede into the distance, Bong-tae muttered.

“The police···. They're going to be in a lot of danger too.”

“Yes. The police are in tremendous danger too.”

A question occurred to Lee Jin-gu.

“What do police officers do when war breaks out?”

“Traffic control, managing evacuees, maintaining public order, and guarding important facilities such as government offices and power plants.”

“Ah···.”

“And when enemy special forces or armed infiltrators enter rear areas, the police are often the first to encounter them.”

“Before the military?”

“Of course. Soldiers aren't stationed everywhere. But there are police everywhere.”

Perhaps the police had far more work to do than soldiers.

When war broke out, soldiers concentrated on Seoul and major frontline regions, whereas the police had to be present wherever people lived.

Furthermore, crime rates naturally rose when war broke out. That was especially likely under circumstances like these, with communications cut off.

It could be said that soldiers fought the North Korean Army, while the police fought against the collapse of society.

Lee Jin-gu glanced backward.

“That's cool···. Maybe I should become a police officer.”

“You think being a cop is easy?”

“Ah···. Police officers have to take exams too···.”

“Of course they do.”

The vehicle continued along National Route 37, as the police officers had suggested.

The Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway occasionally came into view beside the road. It was a route that often suffered traffic congestion even under normal circumstances, but now the southbound lanes were lined with an endless stream of vehicles.

“···I wonder if they made it out safely.”

Lee Hwan quietly muttered as he watched the traffic jam.

Bong-tae was thinking the same thing. His parents, his younger sister, and his friends. Where would they be by now? Could they still be in Seoul?

He discreetly checked the smartphone in his pocket. The top of the screen still displayed the indifferent 'No Signal' indicator.

Bong-tae squeezed his eyes shut in the passenger seat. Lee Hwan, sitting behind him, cautiously asked.

“Sergeant Kim, are you okay?”

“What?”

“Well, your expression's been looking pretty terrible for a while now.”

“No. I'm fine.”

Before entering downtown Icheon, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je pointed right at a large intersection.

“We're almost there, so hang on a little longer.”

“Yes, sir.”

The vehicle left the city and entered a mountain road. A neatly maintained golf course was visible beside the road. If war hadn't broken out, the place would have been full of people.

After passing the golf course and entering the road leading toward Geumsa Reservoir, Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je pointed ahead.

“There it is.”

A single-story building appeared at the foot of the mountain.

Anyone seeing it for the first time would never have imagined it was a military base. There were no barbed-wire fences, guard posts, or military vehicles in sight.

The building's exterior, decorated in shades of gray and black, gave it the appearance of a corporate research facility or a newly built local government office.

But the moment they saw the people near the building, they could tell this was no ordinary place.

Men wearing black combat uniforms were standing guard with rifles. When they spotted the vehicle, they raised their hands and signaled for it to slow down.

“Please slow down.”

“Everyone inside the vehicle, please raise both hands where we can see them.”

One of the men was startled when he saw Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's face in the driver's seat.

“Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je?”

“You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“Thank goodness. I honestly thought you'd become a ghost.”

Choi Pil raised his reclined seat and sat upright. The two special forces operators' eyes widened exactly twice as much as they had when they recognized Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je.

“Can't you see me?”

“Battalion Commander! You're alive!”

“The brigade commander is inside, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“You boys rest here for a while and wait.”

“Yes, understood.”

They parked the vehicle in the lot beside the building. Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je quickly went inside.

As soon as Bong-tae got out of the vehicle, he did some light stretching. His body wasn't particularly tired, but mentally he was utterly exhausted.

“Want a cigarette?”

Lee Hwan casually shook a pack of cigarettes.

“No. I quit smoking. Wait a minute···. Lee Hwan, did you smoke before?”

“I quit too···. But I've decided to start again as of today.”

“It's bad for your health. Why start again?”

“Hehe···. We're already doing something that's about as bad for our health as it gets. What's the harm in doing something a little less dangerous?”

Lee Hwan took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. The tips of his already dirty fingers trembled slightly.

“Phew···.”

“Is it good?”

“It's incredible. Want one?”

“I said no.”

“Hey! Over there, guys!”

“Hm···?”

Someone called out from behind Bong-tae. He turned his head and was slightly surprised by what he saw. Three or four special forces operators whose faces were completely concealed by black masks were beckoning toward them.

“Where are the battalion commander and Staff Sergeant Kim?”

“Ah, they went inside the building. They told us to wait here.”

“You came from the front, right?”

“Yes. We're on our way down from Cheorwon.”

“Really? Good. What's the situation on the front line? Did you see anything?”

Bong-tae told the special forces operators what had happened since the war began. His explanation wasn't especially detailed, but it covered all the important points.

Communications were completely down at the front as well. Most frontline units had been hit by artillery. North Korean special forces were attacking various locations. Drones had bombed frontline encampments. North Korean forces were launching an offensive toward Cheorwon.

Each time Bong-tae continued his account, the special forces operators muttered small curses. The brows visible above their masks kept furrowing.

“Fuck···. Things are worse than I thought.”

“We shouldn't be staying here···. Damn it. Damn it.”

“Captain, please say something to the battalion commander.”

“Quiet. The higher-ups probably know all this already. Just make sure you're prepared.”

The special forces operators shifted restlessly. One of them glanced at the division insignia on Bong-tae's arm.

“You're from the 8th Division. Which unit?”

“Headquarters Company, 33rd Battalion.”

“33rd? Pocheon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you know Staff Sergeant Nam Pil-seong?”

The four soldiers instantly pressed their lips together. How could they not know Staff Sergeant Nam Pil-seong? He was Headquarters Company's administrative supply sergeant.

Bong-tae lowered his head.

“Yes. He's our administrative supply sergeant.”

“He was a year ahead of me···. Do you happen to know what happened to Senior Nam?”

“Well···. We didn't see him after the base was bombarded.”

“···I see. I understand what you're saying.”

The special forces operator also lowered his head and said nothing. The atmosphere in the parking lot quickly grew somber.

“You've been through a lot.”

Pat, pat—

Pat, pat— Pat, pat—

The special forces operators lightly patted the soldiers' helmets. Bong-tae suddenly felt as though he might burst into tears at those simple words, but he held them back.

“It's nothing, sir. I'm going to kill every last one of those bastards.”

“Good. Just leave some for us. Don't kill them all by yourself.”

“Look at that bastard's eyes. The 8th Division's still got it.”

A window overlooking the parking lot opened slightly. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je poked his head out and spoke.

“Stop chatting and come inside.”

“Ah, Staff Sergeant Kim.”

“Do you boys have time to fool around with the kids right now? Have you finished checking your equipment?”

“Of course. We're ready to deploy at any moment.”

“Bong-tae, bring the others inside.”

Bong-tae and the others entered the 332nd Special Operations Brigade building. From the outside, it had looked like an ordinary civilian building, but the interior was completely different.

Immediately after passing through the entrance, they encountered a thick blast-resistant door, and the corridor walls were reinforced with heavy steel plates.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je called the elevator at the innermost section of the building.

“Even if a nuclear bomb fell, this base would remain intact.”

“What? Really?”

“Probably. It's never been hit by a nuclear bomb before.”

The elevator displayed only two floors. F for ground level and B for underground.

Whirrrrr—

The elevator continued descending. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds. It felt as though they were going down at a considerable speed, yet the journey was taking far too long for an elevator traveling only one floor underground.

The soldiers' expressions grew increasingly strange.

“How far down are we going?”

“I don't know the exact depth either.”

Clunk.

The elevator stopped. When the doors opened, the soldiers immediately realized that the building above was merely a disguise and that the real headquarters of the 332nd Special Operations Brigade was underground.

An enormous space opened before them. It was a fortified bunker, with both its walls and ceiling enclosed in thick steel plating.

“Wow···. This looks like something you'd only see in a movie.”

Kim Hong-je began walking ahead.

“Don't just stand there staring. Follow me.”

“···Yes, sir.”

He led them to a small auditorium in a corner of the bunker.

“I'll take you to the 7th Corps early tomorrow morning. If the 33rd Battalion is there, you'll return to your original unit immediately. Otherwise, you'll probably be reassigned.”

“Yes, understood.”

As soon as he answered, Bong-tae went to a corner of the auditorium and settled down. He spread a poncho on the floor and lay down, using his fully stuffed field pack as a pillow.

“···Hmm.”

Bong-tae tossed and turned for about a minute, but soon fell fast asleep, even snoring lightly.

Snorrrre—

“Wow···.”

“Is he a human or an animal?”

Watching him, Lee Jin-gu and Song Min-jae shook their heads in disbelief.

“Someone seriously needs to examine that man's nervous system.”

“Tell me about it. You guys should get some rest too.”

Lee Hwan smiled and settled down beside Bong-tae. Jin-gu looked at Lee Hwan, whom he'd thought was at least relatively normal.

“Corporal Lee, aren't you worried?”

“Why wouldn't I be? Of course I am.”

Lee Hwan spoke as he pulled his field pack closer.

“Then how can you be so calm···? Have you caught the Sergeant Kim virus?”

“I'm just··· pretending to be calm.”

“You can actually do that?”

“I guess I can because I don't want to die.”

Lee Hwan covered his eyes with his ballistic helmet. Apparently, he was going to force himself to sleep too.

“Good grief···. Looks like you've really been infected! What do we do, Min-jae? The Bong-tae virus! It's spreading so fucking fast!”

“Hehe. You bastard. Your balls have shrunk right up again.”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil, who had entered the auditorium at some point, dropped heavily into a seat among the soldiers.

“B-Battalion Commander!”

“Rest is part of combat too. You never know when you'll get another chance to sleep somewhere with a roof over your head.”

“Don't you think he's strange? It's like he thinks this war is a video game! He's nearly died so many times today···.”

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil pushed several chairs together to make an improvised bed. He removed his combat boots and sprawled out on top of them.

“Jin-gu, are you any good at games?”

“Uh···. I'm pretty decent, I guess?”

“What's your rank?”

“My actual skill level is Gold, but I keep getting unlucky with my teammates···.”

“You say you're unlucky with your seniors, and now you're unlucky with your teammates too. I wonder when our Jin-gu's luck will finally turn around.”

The people in the auditorium burst into laughter.

SNORRRRE—!

Amid their laughter, a thunderous snore suddenly echoed from one side of the auditorium. Everyone turned in that direction at once.

Bong-tae was sleeping soundly on his poncho, completely oblivious to the world. Perhaps his own snoring had briefly awakened him, because he scratched his stomach vigorously, rolled onto his side, and went back to sleep.

“Seriously, give me a moment. I'm sure there's an animal hiding beneath the skin of that face.”

“No way.”

Lee Hwan laughed.

“His face is so hard, I doubt you'd even be able to peel the skin off.”

“That sounds about right. Ah, whatever.”

Jin-gu also settled down beside Lee Hwan and lay back. The sound of the ventilation fans running noisily inside the underground bunker tickled his ears.

From the moment the war had broken out until now, they'd endured an exhausting day that felt like three days compressed into one. Their eyelids grew heavy almost immediately.

“Snorrrre···.”

“···Cough, cough···. Phew···”

Even the men who had just been calling Bong-tae an animal for falling asleep in a minute soon lay down on the cold auditorium floor and fell fast asleep.

The first day of the Second Korean War came to an end.

© Jungle Pocket #22844