| sixteen | war

is this the place,
we used to love,
is this the place,
that I've been dreaming of

"Commander, we will be sending the commute at the entrance junction of Seoul, we have others to pick up too. Can we get a count, over?"

"Seven," Saebom held Yi Hyun's hands firmly, hardly having any energy left in her. "Seven of our kids, and an adult woman with an injured arm. They shall be at the junction by evening. Over."

"Noted. What about you and your husband, commander? Over."

Yi Hyun took over, holding Saebom close to him, "you don't need to worry about us. Just get the others to safety. Over."

"Affirmative. Will be arriving shortly. Over and Out."

The couple looked at each other when the communication ended between the two parties. Saebom was not recovering, the wound had turned a darker shade of purple, more so like the skin of the spheres and Saebom felt weaker by the second. It was early in the morning when she and Yi Hyun had thought about things to go about now, considering it was not going to be an easy war.

The spheres were out there, and the food they had would last them two days and even if they took the jeep, they would not know where to go and the fate ahead could be worse than this.

So Saebom suggested an alternative plan. Since they had to leave for Seoul which was two hours away from where they were stranded, it was best to get moving. She was dying any ways and if they get attacked by spheres, it was decided that she would stay back and try to kill as many as she could.

Yi Hyun heard her with grave silence, he was against the fact that his wife was ready to die for the kids when in fact it should be him.

"Ani," Yi Hyun said when Saebom was done talking, "you are leaving with the kids. I will stay for cover. You need medical Sae..."

"Hyun-ah," Saebom took a sharp breath, holding her side tightly, the cloth she had wrapped was bloody too. "Why don't you get that I will not be able to last that long." Saebom inhaled sharply, tears brimming her eyes, "the kids need you, and I need you to understand that the ones outside are more vulnerable than I am. You know your Saebom, I can fight this."

She lied, wiping her tears, "But I don't want to die in the arms of my kids, I want to die for them. Jebal, try to understand. If it comes to it, I am going to stay back for cover."

Yi Hyun shook his head, "Ani-"

But the knocking on the door interrupted their conversation, Nara and So-cheol entered in with a bowl of soup and some granola bars.

"We brought breakfast," So-cheol said with a grin, eyeing his parents, "and drinks." Nara added showing the bottles of water.

Saebom and Yi Hyun put a hold on their conversation and welcomed their twns over to the bed as Saebom sat back, Yi Hyun closer to her. They did not want the kids to see the amount of blood Saebom had lost or how cold her body temperature was getting now.

"Wow, ramyeon soup and my favourite protein bar." Saebom managed to speak, without breaking a sweat, "this looks edible."

So-cheol chuckled, folding his legs and facing his mother, "not sure about being edible," He blew air on the spoonful of soup and brought it closer to his mother's lips, "Nara made it..." He whispered making their parents chuckle and for Nara to elbow his twin.

"YA!" She faced him, both of them seated on the bed, their parents besides each other. "Atleast I can guarantee it is better than Omma's,"

"HEY!" Saebom exclaimed, pouting while Yi Hyun smiled, helping Saebom drink the soup. "I make edible food..." She softly said, looking at her grinning kids and equally happy husband. "Hyun-ah, tell them."

But Yi Hyun only took a bite of the protein bar, surpassing his grin and Saebom rolled her eyes, "you guys are mean." She replied pouting.

For a minute it all seemed good, she forgot she was in tremendous pain, her family was with her and no spheres were around.

"Omma, you are literally the best fighter I have ever seen." So-cheol said feeding his mother, "you have medals of bravery, have records clean and people respect you so much. I don't understand why it matters if you can cook well or not."

Nara agreed, nodding whilst holding the water bottle, "for real, you are Yoon Saebom, the bestest SOU female nah scratch that the best amongst them all, how does cooking matters?"

Saebom looked at her twins, the last she saw them together was half a decade ago and even though they had grown up, tall and fierce, they still looked like little peanuts to her.

The first time she saw them was when she woke up in the hospital and smiled at Yi Hyun who had held the twins in his arms, trying not to doze off and holding them carefully. That was when she decided to be the best mother and as promises go, she failed.

"Because I wanted to do something for the both of you." Saebom replied, sadly while the trio looked at her. "All my life I have been doing my best as a SOU team member but when it came to you three, I have hardly done anything. So I wanted to atleast be a good cook, because I could not be a good mom."

The twins felt a surge of emotions swarm them and they looked at their mother with teary eyes. She was their mother, the best mom, and yet they had never made her feel that she infact was one.

Nara held her ears, followed by So-cheol as they stood besides their parents with head lowered and eyes brimmed with tears.

Yi Hyun and Saebom were instantly taken back to the past where mischief was managed by the twins holding their ears and lowering their head. The only difference was the missing grin they had which was replaced by their solemn sighs.

"YA," Saebom held her side, clutching it so she would not lose anymore blood or feel the pain, "Stop it." She said, looking at her kids. "Don't do that, you know I will cry if you guys cry."

Her voice faltered and Yi Hyun held back the urge to cry with the kids.

"Mianhe," Nara said, sobbing, head still lowered and eyes refilling with tears as they fell on her cheeks, "Mianhe Omma, Mianhe Appa," She bowed at the duo who only glanced at each other with an overwhelming feeling.

"I was stupid and rude, I made things difficult Appa," She said, wiping her tears, "when you did everything for me, I really want you to know that I am grateful to you for being with me, for choosing me." Yi Hyun held his breath, this was the first time post their divorce that the entire family were actually confronting what happened. "And Omma," Nara looked at her mother, "sorry for not meeting you when you wanted to, or being a daughter you deserved only because I was petty for not understanding you two. Whatever happened, I want you two to know that I really really love you and nothing can change that."

Saebom could swear that the pain she felt from Nara's words were making her cry more than the physical pain she carried.

"I am thankful to you Omma," So-cheol said, softly, holding Nara's hand. "And to you too Appa, for everything you guys have done for us two. We don't know why you two had to separate, or separated us two," So-cheol held his father's hand, taking the duo by surprise. "But its okay, we don't want to know. Because we trust you two, and that we forgive you, hoping that you two would forgive us too."

Yi Hyun and Saebom sat in a daze, clearly not expecting their kids to be so mature and understanding when they have been not-so-good parents to the two. They wanted to explain themselves, they wanted to give their kids a reason to why they were separated, or why they were not a happy family.

But their kids had already forgiven them, they made peace without knowing the truth, rather despite everything, they were ready to start anew and that made Saebom cry.

She wiped her tears with her bloody hands, Yi Hyun wrapped his arm around her and their twins approached them, So-cheol hugging from Yi Hyun's side and Nara hugging her mother.

"Mianhe my little peanuts," Saebom said, trying her best to not whimper in pain, she held Yi Hyun's hand firmly to avoid screaming in distress. "I really am sorry."

"We are sorry," Yi Hyun ruffled So-cheol's hair lovingly, "know that we are proud of you and hope you two can be proud of your parents..."

Nara and So-cheol extended their arms towards each other, and a group hurdle which Saebom and Yi Hyun often did when the kids were little was re-enacted again and in that little moment the end of the world did not seem so bad.

The little bubble of comfort was shattered when loud shrieks were heard from outside, the house shook with tremors of a quake, screams of the teens and hissing of familiar nasty purple things.

Saebom and Yi Hyun looked at each other, one soft nod, a firm pressing of the hands they held and rifles taken from the bedside.

It was a war.

And they had to win.

They just had to.

_