March Novel (Completed) - Chapter 95

“Call him? You mean I call Sehwa, not the Brigadier General?”

Ms. Song tilted her head. She thought she was brought here to ask and confirm things like what ship the young man was trying to board, or what clothes he was wearing today, since it would be hard to identify him with a gas mask on. What more could she possibly do, when the baby’s father himself had come to pick him up?

“It would be good if our Sehwa came out willingly on his own two feet, but he’s a bit stubborn.”

…Willingly? His own two feet? Ms. Song felt a chill run down her spine and her eyes darted around.

The man, Brigadier General Gi Taejeong, had said that Sehwa had suddenly disappeared because he felt burdened by their difference in status, and so he had rushed out to find him. Hearing that he couldn’t let someone who had even hemorrhaged once suffer in a place like this, she too felt sorry for the young man and had hastily followed him, shabbily dressed, but… Usually, when it comes to someone you ‘like,’ you don’t use expressions like ‘come out willingly on their own two feet,’ do you?

“Lieutenant Na has arrived at the entrance, Brigadier General.”

At his subordinate’s report, Gi Taejeong flicked his hand towards the back. The watch strap, lavishly studded with symbols representing the national flower and the air force, gleamed dazzlingly under the harsh light.

At the same time, people, who knew where they had been hiding, began to move busily, and lights flashed on near the harbor entrance as if lightning had struck. Even from a considerable distance, the scattered, continuous movement made it seem as though an explosion had occurred.

The ships floating on the sea and the area near the harbor entrance were brightly lit, making it easy to forget it was night. Only the block where containers were stacked, likely where Sehwa was hiding, remained dark.

This looks less like someone coming to meet a lover and more like someone coming to apprehend a criminal… Ms. Song couldn’t say a word, only stealing glances at Gi Taejeong’s profile. Then, belatedly, she realized. This beautiful man had only ever curled the corners of his lips; his eyes hadn’t smiled even a little.

Where, where should I go right now… I need to hide for at least a little while.

Sehwa leaned against a container, gasping for breath. He felt nauseous, probably from the sudden sprint, but all he could do was clench his mouth shut and endure it.

The breathlessness and dizziness would subside soon, but… he was worried about his ankle, which he had twisted when he fell just now. It felt unusually bad. If he had braced himself by putting his hand on the ground or maintaining his balance, he might have been less injured, but rolling while clutching his stomach had made things much worse.

Carefully lifting his right ankle, he saw that its axis was subtly twisted. It didn’t seem broken, but… running any further was definitely impossible. It hurt more than words could express, but… at least his little sprout seemed unharmed, so that was a relief.

He bit his lips hard, trying to suppress every sound, every groan, and soon drops of blood were trickling down his chin. He should have held onto the patch. So he could at least threaten him until the very end.

By the way, how did he know I was here? Both the temp agency and the restaurant owner seemed suspicious, so I asked an ordinary employee to find me a job. Then, could it be… was Aunt Song also a surveillance agent placed by Gi Taejeong? Or…

Sehwa shook his head as if to stop. Everyone at the restaurant could have been Gi Taejeong’s pawns. He had told himself not to trust anyone, yet he felt pathetic for quickly growing fond of his aunt. It was true he had no choice, but he could have remained wary until the very end. There was no need to laugh and chat idly with her the whole ride over.

And now, he truly hates Gi Taejeong. For nearly three weeks, he had never for a moment thought he had perfectly evaded his pursuit, but… he hadn’t expected to be manipulated and observed like a pebble in the palm of his hand.

“…He treats me like an idiot to the very end.”

Sehwa put strength into the tips of his fingers gripping the container wall and slowly moved his feet. He couldn’t stay here like this. The only place to hide was inside a container, but he would endure as long as he could.

Given that he had arrived with a helicopter and many soldiers, the news must have reached others. For example, General Oh Seonran, or Lieutenant Kim… If it were the latter, it would literally just extend his life by a little, but if it were General Oh Seonran, the situation might change.

At any rate, Gi Taejeong wasn’t making any significant moves for now, and the number of containers and pallets stacked here was considerable. He couldn’t burn them all, so it would take a good amount of time to search through each one. Thinking that way, it wasn’t entirely hopeless.

Then… which container should he hide in? Sehwa stared blankly at the large logo carved into the side of a pallet. It was fortunate that it belonged to a well-known large corporation. He probably wouldn’t dare damage it. …No, Gi Taejeong wasn’t someone who cared about such things. He might even destroy it more recklessly since it wasn’t military property.

After deliberating, Sehwa first untied the straps of his gas mask. It was so cheap that visibility was already difficult, and now that it was dark, even identifying friends from foe was impossible.

He wiped the sweat that poured like rain and lifted his head. A warm, salty breeze tickled his nose. It was completely different from the refreshing scent he had smelled with Gi Taejeong at the department store. It was damp, salty… and mixed with an acrid smell of gunpowder.

The outskirts of the 2nd Ring, from the coastline where the sea stretched out, certainly had less hazy particulate matter in the air, but… it still wouldn’t be good for his body. He could only hope that his body, without the patch, would filter out even the black toxins. No, it didn’t matter if his body broke down. He just wished his little sprout would be fine. That would be enough.

Clutching his almost immobile right leg, Sehwa limped forward. It was night, and surrounded by container blocks like giant walls, he felt as if he had been abandoned alone in the darkness.

All his senses sharpened acutely. He could even vividly hear the sound of light switches being turned off and on in the distance. Sehwa took a few steps and then kept looking up. He felt as if snipers were aiming their rifles at him. Or perhaps Gi Taejeong would suddenly drop from the sky and hunt him down like a bird of prey.

Perhaps due to tension, his vision kept blurring. The sections divided by containers, those neat rectangular lines, would greatly enlarge and then sway as if dancing. Even the sound of tiny pebbles crunching under his shoe soles echoed in his ears like thunder.

Now, the pain in his stomach wasn’t just a dull ache. It felt like a heated iron rod slowly stirring inside him. Sehwa wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead and nose. The moisture on his hands had a sharp, sour smell. It was a foul odor, like overripe, mushy sour fruit on the verge of spoiling.

Suddenly, he thought that something might really go wrong. His body, which had been fine even after drinking drugs like water, was experiencing these sensations for the first time. A warning from deep within that he had reached his limit, that he was in danger.

He had known from the beginning that he couldn’t escape Gi Taejeong’s pursuit. He just wanted to hide until the trial was disrupted. Or at least until he could safely get his sprout out. But it had only been three weeks… Perhaps Gi Taejeong had been holding back until the date he was supposed to meet Oh Seonran.

“…I don’t know.”

Sehwa leaned his back against a nearby container wall and slumped to the ground. His ankle hurt, but his stomach was pulling too much. It felt like his sprout was pleading, “Daddy, save me, I can’t take it anymore,” and he couldn’t move.

“I don’t know. What do I do, sprout…”

But then… just as he thought he heard an unpleasant ringing and static from all directions,

– Is this where I’m supposed to talk?

Aunt Song’s innocent question echoed like a round song through the speakers installed throughout the harbor. Startled, Sehwa looked around. He couldn’t tell where the sound waves were originating from. A sudden rustling, from above his head or from the ground he was sitting on… like creeping vines, tightened its grip on Sehwa’s breath.

– Yes, ma’am.

Ah.

Sehwa scraped the concrete floor, unaware that his fingernails were breaking.

From deep within, a low, wonderful voice that had made his heart tremble since he first encountered it in that shabby warehouse, a voice he would probably never forget his entire life…

– Can you hear my voice, ma’am?

…It was the voice of the man he had loved.

– Yes, I can hear you well. Your headphones look interesting.

– Good, then you just need to repeat what I say. He must know I’m here… but it seems our Sehwa still has no intention of showing himself.

– Repeat after you? It’s not difficult, but… well, I don’t think I’ll be much help…

“…Our Sehwa?”

He let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded. And what kind of show was this? He was broadcasting his own voice, yet pretending not to be to his aunt?

– Sehwa.

– Sehwa.

– You’ve been upset enough, let’s go home now.

– You’ve been upset enough, let’s go home now. …Right, I don’t know about anything else, but I didn’t know young Sehwa was pregnant. He must have been very troubled before the wedding, but still, how could he think of getting on a boat so suddenly?

His aunt, who had been repeating Gi Taejeong’s words like a parrot, then started nagging him worriedly. Sehwa chuckled hollowly where he sat. He no longer had tears, so he just laughed.

He held no resentment towards his aunt, who was repeating Gi Taejeong’s words as instructed. Now he saw that she didn’t truly understand the situation between Gi Taejeong and himself, and had simply followed him here out of the typical meddling nature of a kind-hearted person. But…

– Even if it’s been over three months now, you know you’re weak and need to be careful.

– Over three months… no, really, it’s been over three months? The young man was so thin…

– Yes. Well over.

– Oh dear, this is serious… Young man. The Brigadier General says it’s been over three months, you’ll really be in big trouble. Why didn’t you say anything, why…

– Hmm… It still seems he has no intention of seeing me. Then, could you also relay this, ma’am?

– What is it?

– Sehwa, I’ll give you 5 minutes.

– …Sehwa, I’ll give you 5 minutes…

Ms. Song hesitated, sensing something was off, as she repeated Gi Taejeong’s words.

– But Brigadier General, isn’t that a bit… too much like bullying?

Sehwa crouched on the floor like a broken sapling, quietly listening to their conversation. He had forgotten the sensation of pain. Even the good memories that occasionally surfaced and pained his heart were now gone.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why he was being treated this way by Gi Taejeong.

I was just living in the gutter outside the castle, because I was born there, I had no choice. I just… loved you with all my heart. I didn’t even demand that you love me back. Why are you being so cruel?

– Young Sehwa seems cornered right now, maybe you could call him a little more gently…

– No way. Our Sehwa is tougher than he looks. He’s not budging even with this, is he? Even though he clearly knows what’s going on.

– Brigadier General…

– I’m telling you, it’s true! He’s the one who gave me medicine, as if he didn’t care if I died, and said he’d rather go to another man. That’s our Sehwa.

– …Huh? What… what are you…

– Enough, now you have 3 minutes left. Are you listening?

Ah. Sehwa squeezed his eyes shut.

– This is your last chance. Crawl out on your own two feet, Lee Sehwa. Unless you want to see everyone here die.