Stolen Pain

ACT ONE PART: CHAPTER ONE

A/N: 2,864 words.

"Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain."

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Haneul's POV

"I never stood a chance did I?" I asked the love of my life, gasping on my breath feeling close to death.
"Hey. No. You always did. You always stood a chance. Don't ever think that you didn't stand a chance because you did." Caesar replied, his voice cracking ever so slightly.
"Did I? Really? I don't believe it. I'm at the end of my time. I love you." I said, coughing up blood.
"No. No you're not. You think I'm going to let the love of my life die? I don't care that you're in my arms and it's the best way to die. But you're not going to die." Caesar said, tears streaming down his handsome face. He puts his hands on my stomach, trying to stop the blood.
"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." I said, my breathing slowing and my eyes slowly closing.
"Hey. No. Open your eyes. HANEUL. OPEN. YOUR. EYES." Caesar says, well, what I think he said.
I just opened his eyes, not knowing what else to say except for I love you. My midnight black eyes looking up at the love of my life with hurt in his eyes. I can't even close myself, just wanting to stare at my lover until I die. Which will be soon.
"Hey. You. Are. Not. Dying. You can't die yet. You can't leave me. I love you too much." Caesar replied, his heart breaking into a million little pieces, not ready to admit that he loves Haneul, and not ready to accept the fact Haneul never stood a chance.
"You never answered my question. I can't leave you until you answer my question." I say, closing my eyes for the last time.

FOUR MONTHS EARLIER

It was a normal day for my father and I, well as normal as it could be. You see, my mom left my father and I when I was a little kid. I don't remember her much, so I don't really miss her. My dad and I are so much better off without her from what I can tell.
My dad has a huge farm, so me being the nice son I am, I help him out on the farm. Well I was voluntold from my dad. We're technically poor, but not poor enough to be homeless. I think that's why my mother left, she never talked about her family to my father from what he said. But I heard from him that she was from a rich family, and just wanted to go back to being rich.
Anyway, back to me and my dad. My name is Haneul, and my dad's name is Ji-Yoo. He is extremely sick, so I always try to help out wherever I am. We have a shop downtown Seoul, where we sell all of our crops and foods. He is currently at the shop, so I can do all of the heavy lifting for the farm. Business has been good.Well until six months ago.
Six and a half months ago, England decided to hire an assassin to kill our King, Byeong-ho Choi, and had the audacity to lie about it. All of Korea knew that the English king really did try to kill King Choi despite the facts going around. Then six months ago right to the dot, the war between Korea and England started.
Ever since the war started between us and England, our king has started to make any well-being male from the age to 18 to 30 years old enlist into the military. Half of our soldiers started dying because of the war, so business and war has been bad. It sucks that people aren't getting to see their family again. I don't know what would happen if I never saw my dad again.
Nobody ever knows what to expect in war. Who's going to win? Who's going to die? Am I going to die? Will I have to leave my father because I have to serve in the army? Is my father going to die? What's going to happen during the war?
My dad and I don't even get enough supplies to feed our animals, especially ourselves. We're already becoming skinnier, well I am. I give my dad 3/4th s of my food so he can eat more and get more healthy. Nobody knows what's wrong with him, the doctors can't figure it out, and I don't want my father to die if I can help him. It also doesn't help that Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, and Jeonju are getting bombed. Oh and to mention it the bombs are getting closer to where my dad and I live which is in the countryside of Seoul.
I know that my dad isn't able-bodied so he wouldn't be drafted, but I still have so much anxiety for my dad. It gets to the point where I can't leave him alone unless I have been where he has been. It makes no sense. It's not fair. I shouldn't have to worry this much and parent. I'm not my father. I shouldn't have to take care of my dad when I'm 18. I never asked for this. But yet, here I am. Too afraid to disappoint my father, even though I already do.
Sometimes I just wish the war would take me away, so I don't have to deal with him anymore. But if the war takes me away, then who would take care of him and the farm. Nobody, but the farm is all he has. It needs to be taken care of. It's his child. Not like I'm his own child at all I don't know what you mean. But if the war takes me away I can finally see the world like I'm supposed to.
I'm currently at the farm going through the vegetable and fruit fields behind our house. I'm making sure that the fields aren't getting attacked by weeds or anything of that sort. I don't necessarily like this job, because the majority of the time the weeds like to tangle with the roots of our vegetables and fruits. When the weed roots or just the weeds, in general, tangle with the roots of our vegetables and fruits, we have to pull the vegetables and fruits. During war, we can't afford pulling the vegetables, fruits, and the weeds. Not to mention its 95 degrees, and very intensive labor work. But we have to do the hard and intensive labor work to survive. That's called life unfortunately.
Was I using any gloves or anything? No, why? Cause I'm lazy and I like dirt. Anyway. I'm pulling stupid weeds as I grumble to myself about how stupid weeds are. As I'm pulling said stupid weeds, I hear a bunch of footsteps coming towards me. I tense up, standing right up getting ready to fight. I relax for a split second when I realize who the footsteps belonged to.
It's the king's soldiers. To be specific, the ones for military drafts. There's a group of soldiers that go to the person's house personally to tell you the news. Whether you take the draft alert as good news or bad news it's up to you. As they get closer, I realize something. None of them have their weapons. That's weird. Wait. They're here. That must mean... Am I getting drafted?
"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Chung Haenul?" The closest one asks, who I'm assuming is a girl. But I can't be one to assume genders.
"Yea... Why?" I said, obviously I know why they want to talk to me. I just need them to say it.
One of the soldiers scoffed, "Seriously? Have you been living under a rock?"
"Eun. Behave. He's just a boy." The person who talked to me first said, which is weird seeing a stranger sticking up for me.
"It's okay. He's just hiding behind his pain by pretending he's better than everyone." I say rolling my eyes. I chuckle, as the girl puts her hand in front of Eun.
"Don't Eun." She said her voice full of power and control, which even made me stand up straighter,
Eun stands down and steps back. He still glares at me, and I glare back. He doesn't scare me. I've seen worse things than him. My own mother left me, I'm more scared of seeing her then some puny soldier. But then again, when you live on a farm, nothing scares you.
I take a deep sigh and look at the girl. "So? What did you need?"
"I think you know. But we have sent for your father. He's on his way, well I hope. Do you want us to wait for your father or tell you now?" The lady asked.
"You can tell me now." I doubt he's coming anyway, "But you know my name. What's your name?" I ask the lady.
"My name is Kim Ae-Ri. Nice to meet you, Haneul. This is Park Ji." Ae-Ri says bowing thirty degrees, and so does Ji. I also bow thirty degrees to Ae-Ri and Ji.
"Nice to meet you. Let's come inside so we can talk." I say and walk towards my house.
The three follow me as I walk towards my house. I head up the steps up to my house, picking up the farmer tools as I go. We have a huge brick farmhouse, with a black roof. In front of our house, along the pathway we have Mugunghwa trees. We used to have a bunch out by our pond, but they all got burnt mysteriously. I shift all the tools into one hand, and open our front door.
As we walk inside, you can see polished wood all around the house. It instantly makes me relaxed, but also stiff. There's display cabinets by our fireplace of animals my father forced me to hunt and kill. Not for food, but for fun. So he can make me a murder, well an animal murder but still a murder none the less. He's fucking crazy.
As you look around the main room of our house, you can feel the love and comfort that the house shares. But you can also feel the trauma, hatred, and pain in the house. You just know it's from someone who carries so much burden, depression, anxiety, things this person shouldn't carry. But then you meet his father, and you realize why his mother left, and why their son is so fucked up in a way. Oh by the way, hi. It's me. I'm the problem from what my father has told me.
I look back at Ae-Ri, Ji, Eun and jester at the chairs for them to sit at. I look back at them and grumble under my breath. I knew if I didn't offer them anything, my father would beat me shitless. "Want anything to drink?" I offer them, making eye contact with Eun to spite him the most. I'm most definitely going to spit in his drink.
"Thanks. But we're good." Ji announces and the three of them move to sit on the couch.
Damn, I can't spit in Eun's drink. I move to stand across Ae-Ri, leaning against the wall. I cocked my eyebrow slightly, waiting for Ae-Ri to explain why she, Ji, and Eun are at my house. What I'm most excited to know is why they think my father will show up when he won't. I know him, they don't. I don't need to hear their useless ideas, beliefs, and opinions.
"Why don't we wait for your Appa?" Ae-Ri asked, and I groaned.
This again. "He isn't going to show. My father is busy working. I guarantee you 100% that he will not show up. Can you just tell me." I hiss at them, trying to understand their thoughts when I clearly don't care at all.
Eun sighs and he straightens up, "You are aware of the war going on between us and England. Because of the war, our wonderful king," I gag a bit, "has decided to make a mandatory military enlistment for all able-bodied men from the age 18 to 30 years of age. You just turned 18 yesterday am I right? Happy birthday." Eun said very sarcastically for the happy birthday part.
It was like his ego got even more worse when he went on the spiel of telling me that I got drafted into the army. Like dude I know. I know that's why you're here. I'm not fucking stupid thank you. I roll my eyes and I look over at Ae-Ri, who is looking at the door.
Wow, it's like she's my sister. This lady has the audacity to think my father will show up. Like I know she wants to think the best over the worst, but right now she needs to accept the fact that he won't show up. I'm fucking 18, obviously and I don't think the 18 years I have been alive my father has once said 'I love you' to me. At. All. It is what it is.
"Okay? I know. I guess I'm going to go pack then?" I say and start walking past everyone. I stop once I feel someone's hand on my arm.
"I'm so sorry your father never showed up. I told him and I don't know why I expected him to show up when you even told us he wouldn't. I'm sorry." Ae-Ri replies in full genuineness.
I look back at her shocked, for why a stranger would be sorry. But then I guess it makes sense, when you are raised properly then you're actually nice to people. I shrug and just walk off, not bothering to respond to her. I don't have the mental capacity to actually respond and let myself feel things in front of strangers. That's not who I am and who my dad raised me to be.
I walk back to my room, and grab all of my necessities and throw them into a bag. I have tears in my eyes, threatening to spill. I refuse them to fall. I'm not supposed to feel things. I can't. My father will kill me. I don't deserve to feel things. It's probably my fault why my mother left us.
I look over at my desk with a photo of my mother holding me and my father standing behind her, looking at us with love in his eyes. I grab the picture frame and throw it onto the ground, it shatters. I fall onto the ground picking it up crying. I wish we could go back to when I was a kid and always thought that my father really did love me and that I deserved to feel things and to be human.
I numbly sit on the ground holding the damaged family photo. The photo frame broke, and just left the photo without any protection. The blood from my hands falling onto the picture staining everyone's faces. Of course I had to be the one who damaged the picture. The only picture we have of my mom. The only picture we have of a family. Are we even a family? Probably not. I know for a fact my father and I aren't a family anymore. I don't think we ever were. Why is it me? Why do I have to fuck everything up. Nothing is safe, even the things I look at and breathe towards I fuck up.
Oh well. I stand up, grabbing some cloths and clean up my wounds. Once my wounds are cleaned up, I grab my very small suitcase. I head back towards the three people that are either going to save me or make me even more fucked up. Wouldn't it be ironic of they saved me and fucked me up even worse. Who knows.
"Hey. You okay? Ji asked me, looking at my bandaged hands.
I roll my eyes, scoffing. "Yea. None of your business." I'm just glad nobody noticed my scars. I'm just glad nobody noticed my scars. "So what now?"
Ae-Ri stands up and walks over to me, "We leave. Follow." She said.
I roll my eyes but I nod my head. We leave the house, as I walk towards the carriage in front of the house. We have one carriage, for four people to fit in. Damn it's going to be cramped. Fun. I let Ji, Ae-Ri, and Eun get into the carriage first then I get inside. I sit next to Eun, looking out the window. As we ride towards the castle, we sit in awkward uncomfortable silence. I look outside of the carriage, as the view runs by. All of the houses and stores blur by in a way. It's like they are fading behind me, showing that my past is going to be forgotten and nobody will remember me.
I sigh and we slowly come to a stop in front of the base and we slowly get out of the carriage. I just finally realized what the carriage looked like, it was black with some red markings around the edge of the carriage. Pretty.
"Follow me and I'll show you around." Ae-Ri says and walks inside the base. Well this is my new life I guess.
I sigh and we slowly come to a stop in front of the base and we slowly get out of the carriage. I just finally realized what the carriage looked like, it was black with some red markings around the edge of the carriage. Pretty.
"Follow me and I'll show you around." Ae-Ri says and walks inside the base. Well this is my new life I guess.