| Three | stubborn

as if it was really that easy
for me to get over you

"This training is going to be the death of me." Kim Chi muttered under his breath, slouching on the ground whilst the others sat around him. It was just the first day and they were exhausted to say the least, lunch time was approaching too slow for them. "Can you ask the Platoon Leader to go a little easy on us, banjang?"

They all turned their gaze towards their class president, the girl was laying her head on her friend, "you want me to die?" She shook her head, they all groaned collectively. "Lieutenant Lee would not budge."

"That is true," Jang Soo played with his rifle, placing it upside down, "Platoon Leader looks like he will rip us apart before CSAT does."

That earned him more louder groans.

"YA why mention the CSATs," Tae-Man was laying on the ground, done with this stupid training. "Someone stop this madness."

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD REST."

The kids immediately got on their feet, the scary voice of their leader was enough for them to take this seriously. All of them hurdled, some sighing, others tired and Ae-sol standing besides Nara, scared.

"Is that how you take care of your personal firearms?" Lieutenant Lee eyed the rifles they had very casually held, "five rounds of the school." He ruthlessly watched them, "now."

"But-"

"First five get an extra side dish for their lunch."

All of the class looked at each other, none of them wanted to move and running five rounds would only make them dead if they weren't already. But one of them rushed and all of them followed, not wanting to be left out for eating some extra side dishes. Nara on the other hand did not care in particular about extra side dishes, rather she stayed behind as Ae-sol took time to get up, considering she had earlier scrapped her knee.

"You okay?" Nara asked the timid girl who nodded.

"Ten rounds if you both do not start running in the next ten seconds." The Platoon Leader folded his arms across his chest, eyeing the two girls who immediately got to work. "She reminds me of someone," He spoke to himself, sighing, "just cannot point out." He watched the kids goof around, pushing the other as they ran and walked towards the other army personnel.

"Status update?" He asked the sargeant, Wong Bin, his fellow comrade and more of a friend. "How many spheres have fallen?"

"Two." Wong Bin was usually a happy personality, but the grave look on his face said otherwise. "One close to the school." He replied solemnly, they both watched the kids, all of the seniors of Sungjin High School trying to fit in.

"Well, we need to teach them to shoot then."

"But sir."

"Captain orders," Lieutenant Lee said, even though giving kids a gun and asking them to be mature about it was beyond sanity. "We cannot hold back, not when the spheres are readying to attack."

"But they are just kids, sir. Just kids."

Lieutenant Lee walked past him, brushing that statement and ignoring how awful this situation really was. All he did was hope and pray that it did not come to the point where the kids would have to step up.

So-choel was tired of running, his legs were giving up and all his friends were way ahead. He never gave up though, one thing he had learnt from his mother, standing up and facing whatever it was no matter how scary it looked. His mother was his inspiration, family and the only one he truly loved and if she was here, she'd be so disappointed to see her son giving up so soon. So-cheol wiped the sweat buds from his forehead, and picked the pace to join his friends, only to trip and fall off, rolling over the mud.

Nara and Ae-sol running behind him caught up to him, while Ae-sol immediately got down to help the boy, Nara watched her twin hold his arm and mutter incoherent curses. His arm was scraped off and left a nasty bruise, blood was oozing out. The Lieutenant sighed, asking Nara to take the boy to the medical tent, apply some ointment and get back to running.

"I can do it myself," So-cheol was in tears when he said that, holding his arm and walking slowly towards the tent where first aid was given. "No need for you to pretend like you care."

Ae-sol was ordered to run and complete the rounds which she did hesitantly, while Nara scowled at her brother for the way he acted. "I am not pretending," She replied, walking behind him. "I am just doing what I have been told." She stopped when So-cheol turned, clearly more in pain with her words than the bruise.

"Gurae," He gulped, why was he more like his father when it came to emotions. "You can continue the laps, Jung Nara, I do not need you."

Nara huffed, standing still while So-cheol went alone to get treated. She turned and headed towards the running track and even though she could very well hide her emotions, it was really easy to say that it affected her. Of course it affected her, he was her brother, a twin, which made it even tougher for emotions to take the backseat.

But he did not choose her, he did not, rather he left her willingly.

Nara did not need complications to hover her mind and so she ran, and ran till her mind gave up on thinking. The rest of the class was amazed when Nara surpassed them, she did not stop once until the five rounds were done and needless to say, she came in third, after Jang Soo and Il Ha and headed straight towards the cafeteria.

To hell with everyone, side dishes were more important.

_

Saebom and Yi Hyun were out of the precinct as soon as the news of curfew and lockdown were announced. The police, army, military and anti-terrorist squads were all assigned immediate tasks, shelters were announced and people were told to gather around in less mass and move. To stay away from purple creatures and to make minimal noise, but amidst all the chaos, Yi Hyun sat in his black jeep with Saebom in the passenger seat as they made their way to the opposite side of the city, the place where evacuation was at its finest.

"Commander Yoon Saebom, you need to report to the base. Now." Saebom had the phone on speaker, she was readying the ammunition for the way. She was informed by her colleague at SOU that the creatures could only be killed by a specific bullet, and that everything else was a waste of time and life. "We hope you know that you have a duty to serve the country at the time of a crisis." Saebom and Yi Hyun drove past the hustle of the city, people were crammed on the roads, leaving, kids were crying, elders were complaining. All in all the city was a mess. "The new military rule orders immediate execution for officers who flee the line of duty."

Yi Hyun looked at his wife, driving at Godspeed, she was hardly bothered as she loaded the guns. Bottles of water placed on the dashboard as she zipped her hoodie.

"Yes," Saebom answered, looking ahead at the road. "You can execute me when I reach the base, sir. But nothing can stop me from taking my kids." She was sincere, and honestly, she knew she was abandoning the duty to the nation for her family. "But my kids need me, and I will go to them. Once I get them to safety, I will surrender myself for the punishments enlisted."

"Yoon Saebom, how can you abandon your commander duties when the nation needs you?"

"How could the nation enlist kids to hold guns and defend when they are the ones who need to be protected." Saebom was furious, she was seething but Yi Hyun was the only one who could tell the difference in that low cold voice. "joesonghabnida, sir, I hope the captain understands my plea." With that she ended the call, and held her head as the streets became more empty and the atmosphere, more eerie.

Yi Hyun had given his badge and duty to the Lieutenant at his precinct and had readily accepted the suspension which was given to him when he decided to leave against the chief's orders. It was certain with the matter at hand on how serious things were and he'd give his life away for his kids, a police job and shameful suspension was the least of his worries.

"Here," Yi Hyun forwarded the water bottle to Saebom, she uncovered her face and looked at him. "Don't worry, nothing will happen to the twins." Saebom refused to drink the water, wanting to keep some for the kids in time of need and Yi Hyun smiled softly at his ex-wife.

"You have some nerve smiling at a time of crisis, as this." Saebom said, sitting up as they raced past the city, the school was on the outskirts of the city and what was once a peaceful town, looked distorted and in chaos. "Yi Hyun-ah," She gulped, her hair as always, left open to play with the wind. "You sure are kids will be okay there?"

Yi Hyun nodded, looking at her, "Nara is exactly like you, strong-headed and stubborn whilst So-cheol will never let anything happen to either of them."

"Like you," Saebom replied softly, they looked at each other, this time with a little compassion, a little love.

However, their moment did not last long when Yi Hyun hit something, or rather someone and had to stop the car at once. They decided to go check on the person who lay on the road, on his face, Yi Hyun held the bat from the dashboard, Saebom took the gun. "Gwenchana? Ajhussi?" Yi Hyun approached the man, Saebom right besides him.

And then the man turned on his back, while giving the couple the fright of their lives with an ugly purple thing sucking the man's face, bloodied face.

_