Chapter 45

Let It Flow Away

Lee Hwan tossed the spent M72 onto the ground without hesitation. He pressed himself tightly against the wall and wiped his sweat-soaked palms on his combat uniform.

"Nothing left to fire! Pick up your rifle and shoot!"

"Yes!"

With the enemy's largest piece of cover destroyed, Bong-tae spotted two North Korean soldiers limping toward the outer edge of the building.

One was carrying a large machine gun, while the man following him carried something resembling a long ammunition belt. Bong-tae shouted to his platoon members.

"Machine gun near the corner of the supermarket! Shoot them before they set it up!"

"I'll fire a grenade!"

"Can you hit them?"

"The distance is a little awkward···."

Just then, Hwang Gi-tae, who had been firing his rifle, picked up the observation scope he'd set on the ground and checked the distance to the machine gun.

"Se-jin! It's 140 meters!"

"Okay, okay. I'll give it a try!"

Two members of 2nd Platoon, Corporal Kim Se-jin and Private First Class Kim Chan-seong, carried K2C1 rifles that looked slightly different from those of their fellow platoon members. K201 grenade launchers were mounted beneath their barrels.

Kim Se-jin and Kim Chan-seong, positioned at opposite ends of the formation, raised their muzzles slightly.

"Chan-seong, together!"

"Yes!"

"One, two!"

Thump! Thump!

Two grenades were launched with sounds that could almost be called cute compared to rifle fire. The small 40mm grenades could be seen flying through the air.

The North Korean soldier running with the machine gun didn't notice the danger until a grenade landed beside his foot.

BOOM! BOOM!

The grenades exploded, scattering fragments in every direction. Both North Korean soldiers collapsed to the ground like puppets whose strings had been cut. Bong-tae nodded toward Kim Se-jin.

"Good! Can you put a grenade inside the building?"

"If you want me to, I can!"

"Save them for now! Keep watching and identify anything that looks dangerous!"

"Yes!"

With all the sentries who had emerged earlier down and their attempt to set up the machine gun thwarted, the North Korean soldiers began retreating into the supermarket.

"They're all going back inside the building!"

"How about breaking through the building wall?"

"Not bad."

"What about circling around and hitting them from the side?"

"That's good too. Are you bastards geniuses?"

From the North Korean soldiers' perspective, retreating inside the building was the worst possible move. The walls might shield them from the gunfire pouring in from outside for the moment, but those same walls would severely restrict their field of view. They had effectively crawled into a rat hole of their own accord.

Bong-tae picked up his radio and contacted 1st Platoon.

- Staff Sergeant Kim. Before they start returning fire—

- You're going to circle around again?

- Yes. We'll break through the building wall from the flank. I think an M72 will be enough to destroy it.

Kim Hong-je rapidly assessed the situation. From the moment the North Korean soldiers had been ambushed until now, they still hadn't managed to mount any proper return fire.

Because the 33rd Battalion had unleashed the heavy firepower of the M72 and grenade launchers from the beginning of the engagement, the North Korean soldiers were likely under the impression that a much larger force was attacking them.

Furthermore, the direction Bong-tae intended to flank from was an alley running around the building. The exterior walls would block most lines of sight, so the danger of coming under fire was relatively low.

Kim Hong-je spoke.

- Acknowledged. Run.

Bong-tae turned around and shouted.

"Hey! Second Platoon! Follow me!"

"Let's go!"

Second Platoon ran along the road. The clattering of their equipment could be heard between their heavy breaths. They moved a little farther than the position directly perpendicular to the supermarket's side.

Then they used collapsed concrete structures and the windows of nearby commercial buildings to establish several firing angles.

"Don't go inside any buildings unless you absolutely have to! There are places we haven't checked yet!"

"Yes!"

Second Platoon took up their positions. Now, if the North Korean soldiers inside the supermarket emerged to the left or rear, they would be met by 2nd Platoon's gunfire, while those emerging from the front would face 1st Platoon's fire.

The right side was the only relatively open route, but a wide, four-lane road lay there. If 1st Platoon shifted position even slightly and opened fire, anyone crossing it would be nothing more than a moving target.

"Shoot every bastard who comes out!"

"Yes!"

"Should I break through the wall?"

Lee Hwan moved beside Bong-tae. He was about to take out the second M72 he'd received from another platoon member. Bong-tae shook his head slightly.

"Wait a second! I didn't realize the wall was glass! Let's just shoot it apart!"

"Yes!"

RATATATATAT!

Lee Hwan emptied an entire magazine on automatic. The large glass panels shattered one after another as bullets rained into the store.

Several North Korean soldiers became visible inside the supermarket. The members of 2nd Platoon began dropping the North Korean soldiers hiding inside, one by one.

- We'll continue firing from our current position!

- Acknowledged.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, who was continuing to fire at the North Korean soldiers from the front, watched 2nd Platoon's performance.

It had only been four days since the war began, yet 2nd Platoon's combat capability was beyond anything he'd imagined. Their numbers were small, so their firepower wasn't particularly impressive, but their coordination was exceptional.

When one soldier changed magazines, another immediately stepped forward to maintain suppressive fire. Whenever someone prepared to throw a grenade or fire a grenade launcher, the others quickly distracted the enemy with suppressive fire.

Their decisions were swift, and there was no hesitation whatsoever between receiving an order and carrying it out.

'These green little bastards. They're··· better than I expected.'

Kim Hong-je nodded. He decided that he would need to complete individual combat evaluations of the other members of 2nd Platoon, not just Bong-tae, as soon as possible.

"Keep pressing them!"

"Should we move closer to the building?"

"No! Let's not create unnecessary risks. This position is fucking perfect. Hold here!"

"Yes!"

At some point, the sporadic resistance from the North Korean soldiers inside the supermarket stopped completely. Those who couldn't resist peeking outside were promptly dropped by Song Min-jae's rapid, accurate shots. Bong-tae patted Song Min-jae on the shoulder.

"Well done."

"···Yes. Huff···. Huff···."

About three minutes passed without either 1st or 2nd Platoon firing a shot. The platoon members, who had been staring straight ahead, began cautiously exchanging glances. Bong-tae spoke to them in a low voice.

"Don't let your guard down. Everyone, check your remaining ammunition."

"Yes. I've still got plenty."

"If you've got plenty, keep your mouth shut. Only speak up if you're running low."

Just then, a rifle was tossed out through a supermarket window. At the sudden noise, every rifle in 2nd Platoon swung toward the window.

"Fuck! What was that!"

"···Huh?"

But instead of a North Korean soldier appearing, a loud shout came from inside.

"We surrender! We surrender!"

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

Another rifle slid out through the window.

Clatter. Clatter.

Two, then four, and soon dozens of rifles were being thrown outside in quick succession, rolling across the asphalt. The soldiers of 2nd Platoon looked at one another.

"What?"

"They're··· surrendering?"

It was a situation the 33rd Battalion had never encountered before.

Although Bong-tae had captured a single North Korean prisoner before, this was the first time so many men had surrendered at once. They had never even imagined it.

There were already more than twenty rifles scattered across the ground. That meant there had to be at least that many North Korean soldiers inside the supermarket. Lee Jin-gu swallowed hard.

"It could be a trap."

"Y-yeah. What if they're baiting us?"

"Nobody moves forward. Hold your positions. Let's wait for Staff Sergeant Kim's orders."

Bong-tae pulled his radio closer to his mouth.

- Staff Sergeant.

- I can see it too. Stand by.

There was a saying that the most dangerous moment in urban warfare was when the gunfire stopped. The enemy could pretend to surrender to lure their opponents closer, or have some men draw attention while others escaped around the flank.

Especially in a situation like this, with the North Korean soldiers completely surrounded and nowhere to escape, the possibility that they might attempt such a desperate surrender tactic was considerable.

- Assume you're still in combat. If anyone behaves suspiciously, shoot immediately.

- Yes. Understood.

Kim Hong-je shouted toward the supermarket.

"Listen carefully! Everyone, put your hands above your heads and come outside slowly, one at a time! The moment you lower your hands, we'll open fire!"

Kim Hong-je began slowly approaching the supermarket with two soldiers. Their rifles remained aimed forward. Behind Kim Hong-je, the muzzles of 1st Platoon's rifles glinted faintly.

CLANG!

The metal door at the front of the supermarket swung wide open, and North Korean soldiers began emerging one by one with their hands raised above their heads. Kim Hong-je ordered them to kneel individually in the spacious parking lot.

"Kneel down here in the parking lot, one at a time!"

"···M-my leg is injured."

"Shut up and move!"

Kim Hong-je made sure not to get too close. A North Korean soldier might be concealing a grenade and attempt to blow himself up.

Even a veteran like Kim Hong-je had never handled the surrender of prisoners in this manner, so he was being as cautious as possible.

Around thirty North Korean soldiers came out. The soldier who dropped to his knees at the very end of the line cautiously opened his mouth.

"I-I'm the last one."

"Are you sure everyone's out?"

"Yes. That's correct."

Kim Hong-je tilted his head slightly and contacted Bong-tae by radio.

- Second Platoon. Check the supermarket interior.

- Yes. Understood.

Bong-tae raised himself slightly.

"Second Platoon, we're searching the supermarket interior. Hwang Gi-tae and Song Min-jae, stay here. Everyone else, follow me."

"Yes."

"Hwang Gi-tae, use the observation scope to watch for North Korean soldiers approaching from elsewhere. Song Min-jae, keep watching the inside of the supermarket from there. If you see anyone still carrying a rifle, shoot."

Song Min-jae looked rather tense. He was worried that while shooting at North Korean soldiers hiding inside the supermarket, he might accidentally hit a friendly soldier.

"Wh-what if I accidentally hit one of our men?"

"Don't be afraid. Shoot decisively."

"···Yes."

"Let's go. Follow me."

Bong-tae led the ten men other than those two toward the supermarket interior. Avoiding the shattered glass wall, he pressed himself against the metal door on the side.

"If anyone's still inside, come out immediately! Anyone remaining will be treated as an enemy! Three! Two! One!"

Bong-tae nodded toward Hwang Gi-tae, who was positioned against the wall across from him.

"Going in."

Bong-tae entered the supermarket with his K2C1 raised. The ten platoon members followed, pouring into the store as though being sucked inside.

Long wooden display stands occupied the center of the spacious store. Vegetables and fruit that appeared to have been stacked on top were scattered across the floor.

The ten platoon members began searching around the display stands. Their rifle muzzles swept through the spaces between the shelves, the checkout counters, and every place where someone might be hiding.

The supermarket floor was littered not only with merchandise but also with fallen bodies and bloodstains.

Whenever something that was clearly a severed part of a human body brushed against their combat boots, the soldiers flinched and cursed irritably.

"···Fuck."

"Focus. I'm having a hard time too."

"Yes···."

At Bong-tae's brief words, the soldier adjusted his grip on his rifle.

"Does the supermarket have a storeroom?"

"No, sir! It's already been destroyed!"

"Is there a basement?"

"No, sir!"

Once Bong-tae determined that the search of the supermarket was complete, he reported the mission's completion to Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je over the radio.

- There's nobody inside the supermarket.

- Acknowledged. Withdraw quickly.

- Yes. Understood.

"Let's get out."

"Yes. I didn't want to spend another second in here, so that's a relief."

"Same here. Fuck."

Second Platoon emerged from the building. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je and 1st Platoon had already disarmed all thirty prisoners. Their body armor, helmets, and personal equipment were scattered across the parking lot.

The thirty North Korean soldiers now had nothing left except their combat uniforms. Their hands were tied with the belts they had been wearing.

Kim Hong-je approached Bong-tae.

"We're moving to the operational deployment area."

"With all the prisoners, sir?"

"That's right. Troops will come to take custody of them. First Platoon takes the lead, Second Platoon brings up the rear, and the prisoners stay in the middle."

"Yes. Understood. Second Platoon, move out!"

The 33rd Battalion and thirty prisoners began moving. The soldiers of 2nd Platoon didn't say anything, but they all shared the same concern. There were too many prisoners.

There were thirty prisoners, while the 33rd Battalion had barely fifty men. Furthermore, quite a few of the prisoners couldn't walk quickly. The column naturally stretched out.

Frankly, Bong-tae didn't particularly care what happened to the North Korean prisoners. However, he thought that a column this long would be at considerable risk of detection by North Korean reconnaissance assets.

"Walk faster. Faster."

"···."

"If you can't walk, say so. I'll make you run instead."

At Bong-tae's words, the North Korean soldiers began walking a little faster. The limping soldiers gritted their teeth and followed the backs of those ahead.

Fortunately, they weren't attacked during the journey. About ten minutes later, the 33rd Battalion and the prisoners returned to the area near Wangsuk Stream where the operation had begun. It was the entrance to the bridge where the commercial buildings and apartment complex started.

The three two-and-a-half-ton trucks that had brought the 33rd Battalion were still parked beside the road.

Following Kim Hong-je's instructions, the North Korean prisoners descended the sloping riverbank below the road and knelt in a single line. First Platoon watched the surroundings from above the bank, while Second Platoon guarded the prisoners.

Bong-tae slowly examined the North Korean soldiers with their backs turned toward him.

'Something's··· a little strange.'

There was definitely something off about them. They looked much worse than any North Korean soldiers he'd encountered before.

He wasn't referring to their injuries, but their physiques.

The special operations troops, the Lightning unit, and even the regular infantry he'd fought with the 3rd Division and on Mount Cheonju had all been smaller than Republic of Korea soldiers. But the prisoners before him were much thinner and smaller still.

Not one of them had a combat uniform that fit properly, and their bony wrists were so thin that he wondered whether they could even hold their rifles.

Bong-tae stopped in front of the soldier who had first announced their surrender. The man slowly raised his eyes to look at Bong-tae.

The North Korean soldier seemed slightly startled when their eyes met, but a dry voice escaped his cracked lips.

"We've surrendered, but I won't tell you anything."

"What a selfish bastard."

"···."

"Who asked you to tell me anything?"

Bong-tae took several large gulps of water from his canteen.

The North Korean soldier stared at him. Noticing the man's dry, cracked lips, Bong-tae casually held out the canteen. The soldier shook his head.

"Suit yourself, bastard."

"···."

"How old are you?"

"···."

The North Korean soldier remained silent. Bong-tae spat on the ground and turned away. Just then, he heard the young man's quiet voice behind him.

"Seventeen."

Bong-tae squeezed his eyes shut.

"I knew it."

Bong-tae checked the rank insignia of the kneeling North Korean soldiers. Every one of them was a low-ranking soldier without a single stripe. The equivalent of a private in the Republic of Korea Army.

Now everything made sense. Their unusually small, frail physiques compared to other North Korean soldiers. Their inability to mount even proper return fire. And the reason they had remained here after the bombardment instead of retreating properly.

Without saying a word, Bong-tae kicked a stone lying on the ground with all his strength.

Plop.

The stone fell into the stream.

"···Fuck."

Lee Hwan, standing beside Bong-tae, lowered his head.

Lee Hwan was the kind of man who had cried his eyes out after his first kill. He had the gentlest heart of anyone in the platoon.

Bong-tae cautiously watched Lee Hwan's reaction. The other platoon members said nothing, but their eyes also turned toward him.

However, Lee Hwan soon raised his head. His eyes were clear. He wasn't crying either.

"Lee Hwan."

"···I'm fine. I'm okay."

Lee Hwan barely managed to conceal his trembling lips as he gave Bong-tae a bitter smile.

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes. Phew···. I'm telling you, I'm fine. Why is everyone looking at me?"

"W-well···."

Lee Hwan nodded. The trembling of his tightly clenched fists betrayed his feelings, but his eyes remained steady.

"Picking up a rifle means··· being prepared to fight. Whether you're young or not. Whether you were dragged here or came willingly."

"You bastard."

Bong-tae grinned.

"Hehe. I've already made up my mind. I'm sure everyone else has too. We'll do whatever it takes to survive. Don't worry."

The platoon members listening to Lee Hwan nodded as well. It wasn't that their hearts didn't ache, but they already knew that sympathy on a battlefield was of no use anywhere.

"Yeah. Now that this fucked-up war has started, we'll have to become fucked-up ourselves."

Bong-tae spoke while watching the water flowing through Wangsuk Stream, as though expelling the things weighing on his heart. They seemed to flow downstream along with his words.

Lee Hwan casually brushed a finger across Bong-tae's rank insignia.

"Becoming fucked-up···. Isn't that what you're best at, Platoon Leader?"

"···What did you say, you bastard?"

"Hehe. Fuck. Life is fucked."

"Keep your fucking heads straight! We're going to survive by doing more fucked-up things from here on out!"

Bong-tae shouted toward the backs of the platoon members guarding the prisoners. The members of 2nd Platoon answered together.

"Yes! Understood, Platoon Leader!"

"Good."

© Jungle Pocket#22844