Boooom!

The earth rumbled loudly as a hard impact from the back sent him flying forward. Right after, a blast of hot energy gusted over him.

Whoosh!

Kang Chan shook his head as dirt rained down from the sky.

What happened to Enzo?

Still clutching his rifle, it seemed Enzo had fallen backward further inside the cave.

Click!

Kang Chank scrambled to his feet.

Tat, tat, tat, tat!

Enemies with long, curved knives leaped in.

“

Allahu Akbar

!”

Swish!

They shouted unintelligible words as one swung his sword at Kang Chan. As Kang Chan raised his rifle to block it, another swung at him from the side. He barely managed to block both.

Clang!

Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed the wrist of the man holding the blade.

Oh, did that surprise you?

Swish!

Kang Chan yanked the enemy forward.

Pow!

“

Kegh

!”

The sword in the enemy’s grip pierced into his comrade. The feeling of flesh ripping apart coursed through his wrist.

“

Aaagh

!”

The enemy used his strength to lunge forward and dig his left thumb into Kang Chan’s eyes. The attack made Kang Chan drop his rifle, but it didn’t matter now.

Thwack!

Kang Chan slapped the enemy’s hand away with his right hand. He then elbowed the enemy between his nose and eyes. This attack had knocked out many of the bigger bullies in the past.

Thud!

Naturally, the skinny rebel dropped to the ground like a sack of straw.

Swoosh!

Kang Chan drew the bayonet strapped to his waist.

Baaang! Baang!

Just then, he heard gunfire from inside the cave. Two men had fallen beside Enzo's prone form, and four surrounded him, swinging their knives at him.

Whoosh!

Kang Chan dashed toward him. At the same time, a knife that had been aimed at Kang Chan’s back hit the rifle that he had slung around his back.

Jab!

“

Argh

!”

One of the enemies cut Enzo’s back open, making the latter arch forward like a bow and his eyes roll back.

“

Raaaaagh

!” Kang Chan shouted like a madman as he reached Enzo.

Swish!

A blade flew toward his throat.

You motherfuckers! This is no different from the wooden bats the bullies used!

Swish!

I can attack you from the wrist!

Kang Chan spun half a turn to avoid the knife. He then slashed the armed enemy’s armpit.

Pow!

“

Keegh

!”

He didn’t even have time to process the feeling of cutting someone’s body for the first time. Just as Kang Chan finished his opponent, another stabbed Enzo in the neck.

Jab!

“

Arrgh

!”

The enemy on Enzo’s other side also stabbed the latter with a long knife.

How? What about his bones?

The blade was embedded as deep as a hand’s width in Enzo’s chest. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth.

Haah. Haah.

The world seemed to slow down as Enzo turned to Kang Chan.

Go! I told you to run, didn’t I?! Live!

His wide eyes were filled with fear and desperation.

You son of a bitch! Why do you keep…?

Swish! Slash!

Kang Chan slit an enemy’s throat, making the latter stagger backward and grab his own neck in surprise.

Pshh!

As blood spurted from the enemy’s neck, Kang Chan slammed into the chest of the rebel standing behind Enzo. He then picked up the rifle that Enzo had been carrying.

He didn’t know why the enemies were still insisting on using knives, but that didn’t mean Kang Chan had to follow their rules. He pulled the trigger, and a steady stream of bullets riddled the enemies with holes.

Ratatatatat! Pow pow pow! Ratatat! Ratatatat! Pow pow pow!

The enemies’ heads exploded. It seemed Enzo had set his rifle to full auto.

Ratatatatat! Ratatat! Ratatat! Ratatatatat!

Kang Chan killed every hostile inside the cave. Meanwhile, those at the entrance scurried out.

Enzo lay facing the ceiling, a knife driven from the nape of his neck to his chest. Blood from his eyes, nose, and mouth mingled with dirt.

Is this why you asked to come here? So you can die easily? I carried you that distance and killed sixty enemies to save us!

Clack. Clatter!

Kang Chan changed the magazine of his rifle.

For some reason, the enemies weren’t running after him anymore. Maybe it was because they were scared of his marksmanship, but they could just be waiting for a chance to take him out with their RPGs too.

Unaware of the rebels’ plans, Kang Chan pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in Enzo’s mouth.

You said there’s an enemy base up ahead, right? Don’t smoke up there yet. I’ll probably follow you in a bit, so wait for me.

Kang Chan immediately rushed further into the cave.

Click! Click!

He was obviously still alive. After all, he was still breathing and running. The crunching of the earth beneath his feet, the damp smell of the cave, the smell of blood from who-knew-where, and the smell of gunpowder in the air also served as evidence of his continued existence.

Nevertheless, Kang Chan felt as if he was soaking in a big bathtub of death.

He wanted to run to the entrance of the cave and enter a shooting frenzy until he could join Enzo.

It hadn’t even been that long. One day and a half.

He had been running on the line between life and death for so long that he wasn’t even sure how to feel anymore.

Haah, haah.

The only reasons he didn’t go to the entrance were the brief experience that he had gained from fighting bullies and his venomous desire to avenge Enzo.

It would be disadvantageous to jump into a crowd. Since he was already fighting, he might as well take out the leader before he fell.

Click! Click! Rustle! Crumble!

As Enzo said, the cave curved upward.

I’ll kill the motherfucker who gave those people the order to attack with nothing but knives! That asshole got Enzo stabbed in the back of the neck and sent him to his death with his eyes open!

Do you think you’re so great?

I’ll be sure to put a bullet right in the middle of your motherfucking head, you stupid little shit!

Kang Chan would figure out if a person could survive being stabbed in the throat with a bayonet and how they looked once they were dead.

Kang Chan had fought bullies a year ago. Those assholes were still bullies to this day, just a year older. Unlike them, Kang Chan was now armed with knives and guns, fighting to the death in Africa.

It was obvious what the outcome would be if he went up against those bullies again.

Click! Click! Crumble! Rustle! Crumble!

Thirty meters up the crumbling dirt, a round column of light descended in front of Kang Chan.

It was moonlight. Silver moonlight.

“

Hah

!

Hah

!”

Kang Chan paused for a moment to catch his breath.

He didn’t hear anyone following him.

They didn’t know about this passage? Even though the base was right here?

Now that he had thought about it, he had no idea how long it would take to get to the other cave entrance from here. If it was close, a few of them would probably be standing guard at the entrance by now. Otherwise, they’d be chasing after him.

They just had to close off the entrance and exit and blow up a couple of RPGs. They could also sneak in and stab Kang Chan like how they had killed Enzo.

Kang Chan gritted his teeth and glared up.

The entrance was illuminated by the moonlight, which made it look as if it was a godsend.

Click. Click.

Kang Chan decided to leave.

If there was some trap here, his gut would’ve told him.

Crumble! Crumble!

He had Enzo’s rifle and the rifle on his back, which had been hit with a knife earlier.

Haah, haah.

He cautiously exited the slanted entrance.

The wind whistled, and the smell of Africa assailed him anew again. In front of him stretched a large grassland full of knee-high weeds.

Rustle! Rustle!

Like a mole in an arcade game of whack-a-mole, Kang Chan stuck out his head and looked around. Fortunately, there were no enemies in sight.

Click, click.

Finally, he exited the cave. Only then did he realize why the enemies hadn’t come this way.

The hill was three stories high.

The back of the entrance was a perfect cliff, and there was no easy way up. The only way to get back was to circle around through someone else’s base.

Shouldn’t they have still radioed each other? Are those rare since they’re rebels?

Kang Chan had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but he didn’t change his mind.

Even if he ran away, he didn’t even have any water left. Where would he go?

Two large earthen buildings, likely their headquarters, were down the front. They also had two more long buildings that looked like their barracks across the street.

Enzo had told him to make a right, and he would survive.

Fuck! You should’ve just told me to carry you up here! They wouldn’t have been able to kill you!

Kang Chan had left the weight of life on that cave ground. Right now, his shoulders were light, but a sense of emptiness and desolation hung all over him.

Idiot! You should’ve said you wanted me to carry you on my back! If it meant you’d survive a bit longer, you should’ve thrown a fit and insisted I keep walking through the night!

Kang Chan gritted his teeth.

Take a good look. I was like this in Korea too. If someone punched me, I punched them back twice. I’ll do my best to send over the bastard who keeps sending rebels after us, so stab him in the neck if you can.

Kang Chan lowered his stance and began his descent.

For now, he wasn’t worried about enemies coming out of the cave entrance. Instead of the hammer in whack-a-mole, he could just raise his rifle and blast them in the head one at a time.

The two magazines in his two rifles held sixty bullets in total.

Except for the occasional shout from beyond the cliff toward the mouth of the cave, the base was strangely quiet.

Click. Tat, tat.

Where are you hiding? Come out already. I’ll make your death fucking painful.

Clatter, click, rustle.

Kang Chan crept cautiously toward the building on the far left. Since it was impossible to hide in the knee-high grass, he stepped on it instead, lessening the noise from his footsteps.

Where are you? Let me get a look at you and put a bayonet through your throat. You should get the treatment Enzo did, at least. We are at war, after all.

Haah. Haah.

Kang Chan couldn’t help but think that his enemies should have installed some lights.

It took him about five minutes to reach the wall of the building. Kang Chan braced himself against it and moved slowly toward the entrance.

He could die here on African soil.

Would he ever meet someone who could find their way to his heart like Enzo again?

Idiot! Why did you choose to stay in the cave?!

Kang Chan sighed quietly and gritted his teeth.

Right now, he had to hear himself breathe.

***

December 2010.

Lee Jong-Bok looked around as he entered the four-story military apartment building.

On that cold day, his daughter, Lee Yoo-Seul, was still hunched over in an old swing.

“Yoo-Seul!”

Lee Yoo-Seul looked up and came shouting for him as she dashed over.

“What are you doing here? Did you get in trouble with Mommy?” Lee Jong-Bok asked.

Lee Yoo-Seul hugged her father tightly.

“What is it?” Lee Jong-Bok asked worriedly.

“It’s cold, Dad,” Yoo-Seul responded with a grin. She was wearing cheap cotton pants from the Jeungpyeong market and an old padded jacket from her aunt.

Could there be anything in the world more precious than this child? Lee Jong-Bok wouldn’t trade his daughter for anything in the world.

“Dad.”

“You want chicken, don’t you?”

Lee Yoo-Seul dropped her gaze as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.

“What are you doing? It’s cold! Come on in!”

Yoo-Seul’s mother crossed her arms, closed her jacket, and hurried Lee Jong-Bok inside. She must have been watching through the window.

“Honey! I want to eat chicken! Let’s go!” Lee Jong-Bok exclaimed.

“You can’t coddle her like that!” Yoo-Seul’s mother admonished.

“It’s what I want to have today! I might have training soon, so I need some protein.”

“You’ve already finished your winter training, though.”

Seeing Lee Jong-Bok’s expression, Yoo-Seul’s mother said, “Wait!”

She then rushed inside.

Whenever he came back from the special forces team’s winter training, Yoo-Seul’s mother was always upset. She’d stay up all night holding in her tears over her husband’s bruised hands and scars.

“Wear this,” she said, bringing some outerwear.

Lee Jong-Bok pulled her into his arms. “Thank you.”

She always embraced him back.

Yoo-Seul also walked out the front door of the apartment wearing the padded jacket from her aunt.

“Do you really have another training session soon?” Yoo-Seul’s mother asked.

“Probably.”

Lee Yoo-Seul never dropped the smile from her face. She was happy to get to eat chicken again.

“Your dad is tired, Yoo Seul.”

“It’s fine. Carrying my princess could never tire me out.”

“Goodness! Treat me like that, why don’t you?”

“Should I? Come here. I’ll carry you too.”

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“That’s ridiculous! What if someone sees?”

They didn’t have all they could want. However, Yoo-Seul’s mother never complained about it.

It would be nice to order one and a half chicken once in a while, but the family of three still ate one chicken with smiles.

Yoo-Seul’s mother even told a totally see-through lie that she didn’t like chicken.

She sometimes said it was because she had a lot of it before getting married, and other times she said after having Yoo-Seul, she lost the taste for it.

Lee Jong-Bok handed Yoo-Seul some chicken.

“Say ‘ah!’”

Yoo-Seul then put some of it into her mother’s mouth.

“What’s with you today, dear? Did you do something wrong?” Yoo-Seul’s mother asked.

“I’m the same as ever,” Lee Jong-Bok replied.

“When are you leaving for the training?”

“I’ll only know when it’s an emergency,” Lee Jong-Bok replied nonchalantly. “Today, I wanted to treat you out because Yoo-Seul waited for me outside and hugged me when she saw me and because you gave birth to this treasure.”

Yoo-Seul’s mother laughed. So what if he didn’t earn a lot of money because he was a soldier?

He loved his wife so dearly and cherished his daughter.

“Honey, let’s order one more,” Lee Jong-Bok suggested.

“You know I don’t like chicken,” Yoo-Seul’s mother refused.

“I just feel like eating more today.”

“Here, Dad.”

Just then, Lee Yoo-Seul pulled off a piece and put it in Lee Jong-Bok’s mouth.

Due to his wife’s rejection, Lee Jong-Bok couldn’t order more even though the chicken only cost seven thousand won.