Chapter 37

Mixed Grain Powder

"Have you packed everything?"

"Yeah. There isn't much to bring."

His mother opened Bong-tae's bag once more. She had already checked his belongings several times, but her hands kept returning to her son's bag, worried that he might have forgotten something.

"Why are you so worried?"

"How could I not worry? Knowing what you were like as a child···. No matter how much better the military has gotten these days···."

"There you go again, talking about the old days."

Bong-tae had grown up surrounded by his parents' concern. He had been born much earlier than his expected due date.

Until elementary school, Bong-tae had been smaller than other children his age. He was so much shorter and smaller than the others that his nickname was the name of the most famous female idol at the time.

Whenever he caught even a cold or an eye infection, his parents rushed him to the hospital. They were so afraid he might get hurt that they rarely allowed him to run around and play outside.

Bong-tae hated that.

He was uncomfortable being treated differently, constantly sheltered in his parents' arms like a piece of porcelain that might shatter at any moment.

Starting in middle school, Bong-tae changed his attitude. Whatever he did, he would work hard, give it his best, and do better than everyone else. Rather than being someone who received special treatment, he decided to become someone special through his own efforts.

It began with exercise. At first, his stamina was so poor that he couldn't even run a single lap around the schoolyard, but he didn't give up. By the time he graduated from middle school, his physical fitness had surpassed that of his peers.

He even received Grade One in his military physical examination. He was deemed fit for active duty.

How delighted Bong-tae had been that day. He had smiled proudly at his parents, who were frowning with concern.

Objectively speaking, Bong-tae was now a healthy young man. But apparently, his parents didn't see it that way. Their memories of carrying their tiny son in their arms and taking him to the hospital never faded with time.

And then came the day Bong-tae entered basic training.

"I'll be back."

"Please, take care of yourself. All right? Call us if anything happens."

"Yes, yes."

Bong-tae's mother approached him holding a plastic tumbler.

"Drink this before you go."

"What is it?"

"Mixed grain powder. If you skip breakfast, you won't have the energy to train."

"···."

Bong-tae rarely ate breakfast anyway, but right now, easing his mother's worries even a little took priority. If he refused, his plan to arrive at the training center with plenty of time to spare might be ruined.

Bong-tae accepted the tumbler and gulped down the mixed grain drink.

Gulp. Gulp.

"···Huh?"

Bong-tae's face twisted. The drink tasted terribly fishy. A revolting stench, like fish that had been soaking for ages, filled his mouth.

"Urgh···."

Bong-tae spat the drink in his mouth back into the tumbler.

"Why does it taste so fishy?"

The fishy smell of water that had come from inside the tumbler began filling Bong-tae's nose, mouth, and even his throat. It felt as though the entire world had been submerged in the sea.

"···What?"

Bong-tae's eyes flew open.

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"···C-cough!"

He burst into a coughing fit. Water still remaining in his mouth gushed out between his teeth. A fishy smell assaulted his nose.

Mud and bushes filled Bong-tae's vision. Realizing he was lying facedown, he pushed against the ground with both arms and raised himself.

"U-urgh···."

He could barely put any strength into his legs. His entire body throbbed as though he'd been beaten dozens of times with a club. His ribs hurt every time he inhaled.

"Fuck, fuck···. Fuuuuck···."

After gritting his teeth for a long time, Bong-tae finally managed to get onto his knees and look around. The sun had almost set.

As though the sunset were preparing to conceal its brightness, darkness was gradually settling along Wangsuk Stream.

The river flowed calmly as if nothing had happened. Far away, small flames could still be seen burning on the bridge.

Boom— Boom—

Distant explosions and gunfire still echoed faintly. The battle was still going on.

Bong-tae looked down at his body and was startled. His ballistic helmet was gone. Apparently, it had been blown away somewhere in the explosion.

His K2C1 was also missing. The gas mask bag that had been strapped to his thigh had disappeared entirely.

The only thing he still had was his body armor.

Bong-tae felt along his vest with trembling hands. His fingers found the familiar shape of ammunition magazines.

One, two, three.

Miraculously, all three magazines were still there. And tucked into a pocket on his chest was a bayonet covered in mud.

That was everything.

Bong-tae let out a hollow laugh.

"Hehe···. This is fucked."

At least all four of his limbs were still attached. He considered himself incredibly fortunate for that alone. After catching his breath for a moment, he slowly looked toward the bridge.

'It's far···. Looks like it'd take at least ten minutes to walk there.'

The two-and-a-half-ton truck had been crossing a wide, substantial bridge over Wangsuk Stream, large enough for tanks to pass over. But Bong-tae was now quite far from it.

After falling into the stream, Bong-tae had lost consciousness and been swept downstream to this spot. There was no sign of the truck anywhere nearby either.

"Ugh···."

He heard a sound. Bong-tae quickly concealed himself among the bushes. It was definitely a human voice. He raised only his head slightly and looked toward the sound.

"Ugh···. Urrgh···. Ngh."

It was a groan escaping between someone's lips despite their efforts to endure the pain. Someone nearby was clearly badly injured. Bong-tae slowly reached for his bayonet.

'One of ours? Or···.'

Holding even his breath to avoid making the slightest noise, he slowly drew the bayonet.

Shhk.

The blade came completely free. Keeping his body pressed close to the ground, Bong-tae crawled toward the source of the sound.

Rustle—

Every time a stone on the ground scraped against his body, it hurt enough to make him want to scream, but Bong-tae didn't stop.

After crawling a few more meters through the bushes, he spotted the outline of a person. The man was wearing a Republic of Korea Army combat uniform. Bong-tae immediately raised himself slightly and hurried over.

"Are you okay? I'm from the 33rd Battalion, 8th Division."

"Ugh···. Urrgh···."

The soldier opened his eyes with difficulty. His face was covered in cold sweat.

"A-are you reinforcements···?"

"Unfortunately not. I got separated from my unit too."

The soldier pointed a finger toward his legs. Both were twisted at unnatural angles below the knees. They were severely fractured.

"···F-fuck···. Both my legs are broken···. I-I can't mo—"

At that moment, a faint light swayed behind Bong-tae. He instinctively pushed the soldier's shoulder down and lowered himself alongside him.

North Korean voices came from the distance.

"Search thoroughly. A few of those bastards fell around here."

"All I can see are dead ones. What are we supposed to be looking for?"

"Try saying that to the officer."

"Never mind."

Two North Korean soldiers carrying flashlights were making their way upstream, searching the surrounding area. Bong-tae's heart sank.

'We're fucked. Shit!'

They were too close for him to carry the wounded soldier into the bushes and hide. The moment he hoisted the man onto his back, they would form a large silhouette that would certainly be visible from a distance.

And with his current physical condition, he wasn't even sure he could carry the man.

The wounded soldier shook his head weakly.

"J-just···. Go."

"···."

"W-we'll both···. die···. H-hurry."

Bong-tae looked at him silently. Then, as though he had made a decision, he met the soldier's eyes and spoke.

"Lie here like you're dead. Don't move under any circumstances. Like a corpse."

"I said go···."

The soldier weakly pushed against Bong-tae's combat vest. Several of his fingers appeared to be broken as well, leaving only about two that were still straight. Bong-tae glanced at those fingers before speaking.

"Fuck off. You think we're filming a movie?"

"···Wh-what···?"

"From now on, you're a corpse. Don't move."

Bong-tae turned and crawled back into the bushes. As though resigning himself to his fate, the soldier followed Bong-tae's instructions and lay facedown on the ground.

Bong-tae gripped his bayonet in reverse. Whether from cold sweat or river water, his palm was covered in moisture. He roughly wiped it against his combat uniform.

'Can I do this···?'

He had no rifle. No grenades either. All he had right now was this one bayonet.

He had killed a North Korean soldier before by ambushing him from behind with a bayonet. His first kill. But back then, the bayonet had been attached to his rifle, allowing him to use it like a long spear, and Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, a veteran, had been right beside him.

The situation was different now. Much worse. There were two enemies. Even if he ambushed one with his bayonet, he couldn't avoid being shot by the other.

For a brief moment, Bong-tae considered that he could stay safe by remaining hidden in the bushes.

The North Korean soldiers would inevitably discover the wounded man. Whether they took him prisoner or shot him on the spot, Bong-tae could escape in the opposite direction while they were occupied.

If he was lucky, he might even rejoin his unit. It was an entirely realistic and rational choice.

'Hehe···. Idiot.'

Suddenly, he found himself ridiculous for even thinking that way. Bong-tae chuckled inwardly.

'I'm doing it. No matter what.'

The North Korean soldiers began passing the bushes where Bong-tae was hiding. Their flashlight beams briefly swept across his position, but then they spotted the soldier lying ahead of them.

"Comrade."

"I see him too. There's one of those bastards lying over there."

"Think he's dead? His legs are pretty much destroyed."

"Who knows? Keep your rifle ready."

Click.

He heard the sound of a rifle's safety being disengaged. The two North Korean soldiers slowly approached, keeping their muzzles aimed at the prone soldier.

Step. Step.

The sound of combat boots stepping on wet stones grew closer. Bong-tae raised himself very slowly.

The wounded soldier was lying with his eyes tightly shut and his teeth clenched. He could hear the North Korean soldiers' voices and footsteps too. He was at least three times more nervous than Bong-tae.

And understandably so, because he had no options. Now that the North Korean soldiers had discovered him, his life depended entirely on those two men.

The overwhelming terror pushed aside the pain of his two broken legs. He felt dizzy and on the verge of vomiting.

'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.'

Bong-tae emerged completely from the bushes. Silencing his footsteps, he approached the North Korean soldiers little by little.

"Don't move! Move and we'll shoot!"

"Don't try anything!"

The North Korean soldiers were focused entirely on the wounded man before them. They hadn't even noticed Bong-tae just a few meters behind them.

Bong-tae moved slowly even through the final few steps. His posture was so awkward that anyone watching from a distance would have found it comical.

'Just two more steps···. Slowly. Slowly.'

Bong-tae straightened his bent knees. The back of the North Korean soldier's head was clearly visible.

'Do it.'

At the same moment Bong-tae's left hand clamped over the North Korean soldier's mouth, he pressed the back of the man's knee firmly with his right foot.

"Mmph···!"

The North Korean soldier instantly lost his balance. His center of gravity collapsed backward so unexpectedly that Bong-tae caught the falling man's body almost as though embracing him.

For an instant, Bong-tae's face and the North Korean soldier's face came close together. Just as Bong-tae raised his right hand to stab the man's neck.

The upward gaze of the falling North Korean soldier met Bong-tae's downward gaze as he held the knife.

Bong-tae saw fear in the North Korean soldier's eyes. But his hand didn't hesitate for even a second.

STAB! STAB!

The first strike drove downward with such force that the blade entered near the Adam's apple and its tip emerged from the back of the neck.

For the second, he drove the blade deep into the side of the neck, just below the lower jaw, and slashed through the carotid artery.

"Huh?"

Bong-tae abruptly swung the North Korean soldier leaning against him to the side and threw him away. Then he charged toward the other North Korean soldier at the greatest speed he could muster.

The distance between them was less than five meters. Three or four running steps would be enough to reach him. Bong-tae accelerated until his thighs felt ready to burst.

"Wh-what the hell!"

The North Korean soldier swung his rifle toward the charging Bong-tae. But just before the muzzle lined up with Bong-tae's body, the two men collided.

Bong-tae lowered his upper body in one swift motion and thrust both arms behind the North Korean soldier's thighs. The handle of his bayonet was clamped firmly between his teeth.

It was a double-leg takedown, the same technique Sergeant Choi Jin-pyo of the 3rd Division's True White Bone Unit had used on Bong-tae two days earlier. The North Korean soldier's legs were lifted into the air, and both men crashed to the ground.

BANG!

As they fell, the North Korean soldier pulled the trigger. A single bullet flew off in an unintended direction.

"You damned basta—"

Bong-tae climbed on top of the fallen soldier and pinned his right arm and rifle to the ground with his left knee. Trapped beneath him, the North Korean soldier swung his left hand and struck Bong-tae's face violently.

Thud! Thud!

Bong-tae's head jerked from side to side several times. He pressed his face tightly against the North Korean soldier's chest and took the bayonet from his mouth.

"Let go! Let go! Let go!"

As though anticipating what was about to happen to him, the North Korean soldier began thrashing violently. Once again, Bong-tae's left hand clamped over his mouth.

STAB! STAB! STAB!

Keeping his body pressed tightly against the North Korean soldier, Bong-tae plunged his bayonet into every spot where he couldn't feel an armor plate.

STAB! STAB!

"Mmph···! Mmmph···! Mmmmm!"

Hot blood gushed out, soaking his hands and sleeves. The North Korean soldier's body convulsed violently several times before going limp.

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