NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38
Winter’s harsh grip!
Lowest temperature -27°C.
Despite a cold so intense it felt like bodies would freeze, the excitement on set refused to cool down.
From the cameras set up between power poles atop and below the hill,
to the action cam crafted to capture the trench’s vibrancy,
to the costumes for accuracy and the thick thermal underwear beneath them—all of it.
The set of “Endless Frontlines” had turned one mountain into a bustling studio, now approaching its climax.
A strangely tense atmosphere hung in the air.
Was it because they were shooting the highlight scenes?
Today, there was a palpable frost in this place that usually buzzed with casual banter, a stark reminder of war.
But really, was it this serious?
“Is it because of Donghu?”
Currently riding high as the top star,
Han Tae-geon shot a glance at Kim Donghu.
Youth clearly triumphed here, as he showed no signs of shivering even in this cold.
“Whenever Donghu shows up, the atmosphere on set gets a bit icy.”
That day, everyone witnessed Kim Donghu embodying the student soldier,
and they realized one undeniable truth.
If they didn’t bring their A-game, they’d be stomped on.
Now, a newbie making his film debut might just eat them alive,
leaving them to wallow in the disgrace of acting talent debates.
Thus, they poured their hearts into their performance.
When they met Kim Donghu again, they’d better not get trampled.
In a way, Kim Donghu was the guillotine of actors’ skills, wasn’t he?
“This kid is spouting nonsense.”
Han Tae-geon muttered inwardly as he slowly donned his mask.
He had to respond to the student soldier’s questions—not Kim Soo-ha’s mask, but his own.
“Action!”
The director’s cue echoed.
Today, I will wear this mask and face the student soldier.
+++++
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Under explosions that distinguish no side,
in a front line where no one knew who was dominating, Kim Soo-ha sprinted forward.
He-radioed for the front line to change and called for a ceasefire,
but the fallen bombs had no intention of changing course.
“Spread out! Don’t cluster together!”
Staying still meant death.
He needed to find the safest spot.
To survive,
to learn the end of this war,
he ran and ran again.
His breath surged to his throat, but he ignored it.
He had no choice but to ignore it.
He had to live.
Even knowing he might not survive,
pretending to be indifferent in the face of death,
when life’s end finally came knocking, it turned every man into a coward.
“Die! Ahhhhhhh!!!!”
Bang!
He shot the incoming red freak who had lost their mind and were charging at him.
The thrill of facing death made them scream.
Maybe it was a cry for someone to end their life.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Swoosh!
“Ugh!”
One of the bullets raining down from all sides grazed his shoulder.
Normally, he’d be writhing in agony, but his body was so hyper-stimulated that it subdued all pain.
He suppressed it.
“Shouldn’t we retreat?!”
Kim Soo-ha shook his head at Sergeant Jin Dong-sik’s words.
If they ran away, where exactly would they escape to?
Bombs and bullets were raining down from all directions, and in a battlefield where one couldn’t even distinguish friend from foe.
If they had to run, where would they go?
No one could give an answer to that.
“Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have put on the commie bastard’s uniform!”
On top of that, it became a problem that he had put on the North Korean uniform for warmth.
In the swirling dust, the only thing that could be recognized was the shape of the uniform.
And even that was hard to distinguish, so nobody knew who the enemy was.
“If I make it back alive, I want to line up the higher-ups and take a shot with a pistol at them.”
At Sergeant Juhaksan’s words, Kim Soo-ha nodded automatically.
“Yeah, if I make it back alive…”
They had been told not to huddle, but naturally formed a group of three.
It was the method that had the highest survival rate, learned from countless skirmishes on the ridge.
Bam!
Or should I say, it was a method.
“Cough!”
Is there a space more absurd than war?
No one would think the person next to them would suddenly die.
That was utterly unrealistic.
“Jin Dong-sik!”
While he voiced out his concerns, his gaze anxiously followed the direction from which bullets flew.
“…That bastard!”
A youthful face unfit for war.
A pair of vacant eyes devoid of focus pointed the gun this way.
That guy.
The one who had suddenly asked about rice and soup.
The Student Soldier.
Click!
He quickly raised his gun, but the guy had already hidden himself a while ago.
Was it on purpose? Did he spare my life?
‘Why?’
Confused, but no one was there to provide an answer.
Only then did Kim Soo-ha slowly look down at the dying Jin Dong-sik.
Now was not even the time to hear one last word.
Swallowing his sorrow, he took out the letter of last will and dog tag from his pocket.
“Isn’t that the guy back then?!”
“Right! Even amidst this chaos, he’s targeting us precisely.”
“What should we do?”
“We have to kill him; we need to kill him first.”
Kim Soo-ha kept muttering those words.
They had to kill him. They had to kill him first to survive.
At that resolution, Sergeant Juhaksan nodded.
The only goal that had emerged from the wanderings on the battlefield with no purpose.
Was it for revenge?
Or was it the joy of finally having a direction?
Kim Soo-ha and Juhaksan dashed off.
The direction the Student Soldier had fired from was up the ridge.
Even though that was where the bombs poured down first,
He was desperately surviving even while targeting them.
They marched powerfully, stepping over bodies from which they didn’t know whose side they were.
Not knowing if the red or blue was just passed by, they pressed on.
With a clear target ahead, nothing else mattered.
Their minds felt clear.
And then.
Bang!
The deafening gunshot of the Student Soldier echoed in my ears.
“…!”
Without even a scream,
A hole appeared in Juhaksan’s head.
This time, I didn’t pack a dog tag or a will.
After all, I’m going to end up like that anyway.
Tatakatakataka!
The gun blazed as rounds were indiscriminately sprayed at the Student Soldier.
Surely one will hit; someone will get hurt.
Was that thought effective?
Clack-clack.
Just before the last bullet ran out, I could see the Student Soldier’s body wobbling.
Yeah, you should feel pain too; that’s only fair, right?
Click!
Kim Soo-ha attached a bayonet to his gun and chased after the Student Soldier.
Even while staggering, the kid managed to get into the safest trench.
With skills like that, it’s no wonder he’s survived this long at his age.
It wasn’t experience; it was instinct.
Driven by the one desire to live, the moment I entered the trench’s mouth alongside him.
Bang!
The Student Soldier’s bullet pierced through Kim Soo-ha’s shoulder.
Normally, it should have been a headshot, but
thanks to an injury, the shot veered off course.
Clack-clack.
The Student Soldier pulled the trigger again, but the answer came back empty.
The bullets were gone.
“Comrade, how have you been doing?”
“Who the hell is your comrade, you bastard.”
Slosh, slosh.
The blood caked onto the muddy military boot trudged forward with great effort.
This is the moment when I give it my all just to kill a mere kid.
“Did you come here to give an answer?”
“What answer?”
Kim Soo-ha belatedly realized what the answer was.
Wasn’t it about rice and soup or something?
What a ridiculous notion.
The ones who were better off than us started this war,
so what does it even mean to discuss good food?
“I didn’t get to eat either.”
In the midst of this war, what business do we have with such luxuries?
It was laughable.
“Did you go through all this just to ask that? Answer me!”
“What could be more important than that?”
The bayonet attached to the gun quivered with a nervous shake.
It was amusing to think about whose bayonet it was.
As we looked at each other,
with every exchanged word, I felt death creeping closer.
Whose death was this aimed at?
The Student Soldier grinned sinisterly.
It’ll be your death.
Because,
“Our sister doesn’t lie.”
It surely existed, but they wouldn’t want to admit it.
The Student Soldier didn’t believe Kim Soo-ha’s words.
It was the answer he desperately wanted to hear,
but he didn’t come all this way to listen to lies.
‘Then why did our sister have to die?’
No one here could answer that question.
Thus, I had to survive.
If there was no rice or soup in the South,
if I had never tasted any due to poverty in the North,
then why did our family have to die so futilely?
And why did my beloved sister have to die while protecting me?
Why did I have to die while trying to protect myself?
I wanted to live to hear the answer.
Kaboom!
The Student Soldier moved to kill the liar in front of him to survive.
The only technique the Student Soldier learned was killing, and his great sword swings straight for Kim Soo-ha to end his life.
“Sister, I’ll definitely live for you too.”
Thud!
“…?”
Could it be that he thought of his sister for a moment?
Before he knew it, his great sword had pierced through the Student Soldier’s lung.
Desperately attempting to fight back, he moved the great sword this way and that.
Clang, clang, clang.
Even the swordsmanship he was confident about crumbled desperately under the urge to survive.
Swoosh!
The great sword lodged in him drew a line and pulled out.
“Huff… huff…”
Kim Soo-ha looked down at the results of his actions.
The feeling of achievement from killing the demon turned the wounds on his body into badges, if only for a moment.
It was then that he realized he had killed a small boy.
“…”
What had I killed?
A tragedy born of war? A horrific fate that was inevitable?
Under that question, the Student Soldier slowly looked at his fingertips that were coming to a halt.
If my sister were here, she would have warmly held my hand, saying it was cold.
Sister, my beloved sister.
‘I miss you…’
The thought could not continue.
A single tear, replacing the unspoken words, flowed down his cheek.
I’m sorry, sister.
I died without being able to eat rice and soup.
++++++
Jing!
The camera slowly zoomed in on Kim Donghu before pulling away.
The sound of gunfire and explosions gradually decreased, fading out.
“Whaaaaaat!!!!!!!”
Director Kang’s passionate shout echoed throughout the filming set.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Director Kang leapt up from his seat and began to clap energetically.
A soundless, tiny clap.
But the intent was clear.
“Kim Donghu, Kim Donghu, Kim Donghu!!! Our Donghu!!!”
How did he manage to shed those last tears?
To think about crying in that situation…
Director Kang struggled to contain his overwhelming emotions.
‘Hydream? Ha, that’s hilarious.’
This is truly 100% Kim Donghu.
Director Kang was certain.
Our movie,
“It’s gonna hit ten million.”