"We never had a chance to say goodbye,
Do you remember me?
When winter snows are falling through a quiet sky
I’ll remember you, I promise.
When, in our darkest hour,
You held my hand and prayed I wouldn’t go,
A silent voice called out to me;
My time had come, and I had to travel Home.
Where are you? My home?"

⊱ ───ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ─── ⊰

"Sir, please understand. Sir, please. Sir..."

"Lieutenant, I have already sent you the notice. You voluntarily volunteered to be in the army and fight the northern forces. Just because your wife is having a baby, I cannot discharge you!" The harsh voice of a man in his fifties something, Commander Lee Hyun Kyung, roared at the young lieutenant, bowed down at his feet.

"Sir..."

"That's it, Cheon Seok! You joined the army yourself—"

"I did not! I did not want to! I am afraid of weapons, blood... I'm afraid of hurting. I did not want to join! I was obliged to join. Did you not take a leave off when you daughter sprained an arm? Your 31 year old daughter with a husband and three brothers? Didn't you? Even when the military suffered the crisis of losing young trainees and General Torres? Then why can't I?!"

Lee Hyun Kyung spit at the lieutenant. Fire raged in both their eyes. Cheon Seok held his head low, tears trickling down his face. His love of his life was carrying their child and at a crucial stage of pregnancy as she was in, it could be anyday when she gives birth. He had her letter clenched into his hands. She was in pain. Why can't he go?

"It's a no!" Hyun Kyung kicked the soldier in his guts. Cheon Seok's body rolled to a farther distance. Hyun Kyung repeated his actions, hitting the twenty seven year old man in his abdomen. Saline tears mixed his the sanguine fluid of erythrocytes, red blood cells.

Cheon Seok fought with pain, being rolled over and over, bleeding on the sandy patch. Had General Torres been here, he could have had taken a leave. If only the war had ended. Why did he join the war? Why didn't he die? How can he die?

"Cheon Seok, you either die now or fight the last battle today. If you survive, you can go back." 

Before he could hear anything else, he lost his consciousness.

   ⊱ ───ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ─── ⊰

"Kook, will you go to the camp this year? Please?" Chan jerked me out of my thought. Camp? What was it again? Ah right, the annual camp thing.

"Sure. Why not?"

Chan stared at me with surprise drawn on his face. I had dodged social interaction throughout my freshmen year. But these people actually care to ask me even when they have been rejected over and over. Have I only been a jerk to them?

"I mean, I appreciate. Thanks! I..."

"You thought that I would deny again, right? I'd thought that too but I think I need to experience college more. Yeah, I'll come. I'll surely come!" I patted his shoulder, smiling at him. The glow on Chan's face lit brighter. "Can you do me a favour? Send me the details on my mail."

"I can send them to your chats too."

"Yes, you can. But I'd probably not see those. I always check my mails, however. So it'd be great if you mailed them."

"Alright! I'll let the others know. Oh! By the way, will Y/n come?" He turned back to ask. I had already walked some steps further when I changed my direction to face him.

"I'll make sure she does." Chan laughed at my response. At the moment, that girl had made me the hottest topic among the juniors. My sources had informed that they ship us. I shipped her and Jimin though.

I started walking towards the canteen. Antonella's room fell between my classroom and the canteen. I decided to drop by. It had been a while since I spoke to her.

I found the door to be unlocked and cautiously peeked inside. Antonella wasn't sitting on her chair instead I saw a guy. Younger. A lot. Looked fresh out of highschool.

In less than a minute I noticed a woman on his lap. Wait, was that my sister? She has a boyfriend? What the fuck! Wait, is she umm... No, that rather not be the case.

I stood there, observing the two. The guy was undressing the lady. Shoot, those two were doing exactly what I thought. Shoot!
I had almost panicked when a warm gush of air caressed past the artery in my neck. I could hear someone struggling to breathe over my shoulder.

Hysterically, I turned back toward the source of interruption. My only fear was that it was her professor standing behind me.

"What? You!" I mildly shrieked when Antonella forced her palm on my lips.

"Yeah, me. What are you doing here?" She whispered.

"Oh man, thank you!" I pulled her in a hug. Although taken aback, she rested her hands around my torso, caressing my spine.

"What happened, why are you so panicked? You can tell me."

"There's a guy in your room. And... There's a lady sitting on him. They..."

"What? Wait right here." She marched past me and slammed the door open, yelling at a higher pitch than her usual tone."Ku Chan Yeol!"

"Madame? Madame, I can explain. Madame, please listen, I can explain." The young man rose to his feet, pushing the woman above aside. Antonella entered the room with a fury ablaze on her face.

"I do not need any explanation, Chan Yeol! I told you that you can not use my room however you wish! I am your supervisor! This is MY office! GET OUT! RIGHT NOW!" I stepped aside as she glared at the couple leaving the room. Ku Chan Yeol, did I hear right?

Antonella looked around the room, investigating for something I wasn't aware of, when I stepped inside. I calmly sat on a bench next to the door and dialed for the janitor. Our janitor lady was a sweetheart. Most ahjummas suck in Korea. She is an exception.

And likewise, it didn't take Y/n long enough to make her accustomed of me. Every now and then I get her the afternoon tea and chat with her about the entire building's gossip. I learnt that from Jenny though.

Although she could be older than my mother herself, I called her noona. Su Byeol noona. She came upstairs within five minutes of my call and cleaned the room without any context given. Antonella had bad OCD and calling her a germaphobe would be less descriptive of her psychology.

"So... Who's this Chan Yeol person?" I tried starting a conversation. I was already late for my renaissance lecture and I definitely didn't want to embarrass myself there. I'd just need Antonella to sign me a sick notice for that period. That'll be easier than said.

"Don't get me started, bro. Dr. Kim appointed this guy from photography as the fresher's president, or my assistant. And since the day I've been a little friendly about him, I've seen him with girls all around. Guys too. Trust me, that's eerks me!" She said, puffing her face with a paper towel. She sat down on her chair and chugged a bottle full of water down in one go. This girl still amazes me.

"So, he like, does this all the time?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes! Yes, he does. That girl you just saw," I nodded, "looks like a tween, right? She's his fourteen year old sister!"

"What? The fuck?"

"I told you! Why else do you think I screamed?"

"I... I wasn't, honestly, expecting such a twist. But, wait, now I remember where I heard about Ku Chan Yeol. Yes. Wasn't he in a rehabilitation centre some years back due to his involvement in a rape case or something?"

The new session had begun three months back. It was around that time when Su Byeol noona had told us that a boy with a shady past had been enrolled. Usually the university wouldn't permit someone like him in but this guy was born with a golden spoon. Yes, I'm exaggerating because no one gets in the way his father got him in!

"Ahjumma told you, right?"

"Hmm. She did. He must be richer than Bill Gates at this point." I joked.

"Actually no. There's this myth that if you have a shady past, you may not enroll here. However there are alumni that I know who, although not as bad as Ku Chan Yeol, have had something unmentionable done before enrolling in SNU."

"Uhuh? As in?"

"As in? Jimin."

"You mean my bestfriend? Really? Eh?" Today had quite some shocking news for me.

"Has he told you about his mother? If he has, then I can tell you the later half. If he hasn't—"

"Yes, he has. Please tell me." I spoke between her sentences. She despised it but today, her face grew stiff. I had something far from my imagination coming at me.

"Jimin grew up an orphan, you must know that by now. You must also know that his mother was forced into having him instead of an abortion to keep family name. Proceeding from that, Jimin's halmeom took good care of him. But the shortage of money was pretty evident. In his orphanage, children above fifteen could work part-time if they cherished. Like many others, he did too."

She licked her lips, preparing for the next sentence. I couldn't find any new or unusual until then. He could definitely have a part time job, why not?

"Why? What's wrong with that?"

"Many sold news paper, some worked at a local fishery or the dairy, other in the strawberry farm. Nothing payed well enough. Here Jimin needed more funds to get him books for his education. So he began working as a male prostitute."

"That is a thing?"

"That is. He used to cater to older men, like men we could call grandpa. And that is a reason why... Umm... I let him have a place in our home." She looked down at her feet. My hear shank. So my bestfriend was my sister's friend with benefits? Why?

"So... He served you too?" Blood started rushing around my body.

"Shut up, no! He didn't serve me but he did serve my father!" She spoke louder first and then silenced down, guilt rising in her veins. Uncle Lee out of everyone else? I couldn't believe my ears.

"I don't believe you." I stated.

"You don't have to. It is fact. It is the reason I don't live with him. It is the reason why I fought with him. It is the reason why I insisted you, Jungkook, to study in SNU. It is also the reason why I ever hit you with that pillow when you continued staying with him. To bring you away from him. I have no problem with homosexual relationships but I have problem with my father, not for being gay, sleeping with men the age of his kids! Jimin and I are almost the same age."

Her swollen red eyes looked straight in my eyes.  Her oval almond shaped pupils resembled someone that I knew by heart but I couldn't recognise.

Antonella never backed up from saving me but Uncle Lee out of everyone else? And Jimin? Was it why he hesitated to speak about his work life?

"Antonella, it's too much for me to consider. I need a break, please."

______________________________