Link to article: Die Fighting, than to Lose Living.
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[[>]] [[module Rate]] [[/>]] It's two in the morning. Eunhyeok finds this time the hardest not to fall asleep at the guard post. However, today, he is more alert than ever. "No abnormalities sighted during operation, ma'am! I am Corporal Park Eunhyeok, stationed at guard post █-1. Thank you for visiting our standby post, Captain Yeon Soha. I will now report on the current status of the GOP security operation. The surveillance area of post █ includes···" Corporal Park started briefing an officer who came without notice. Sitting next to him was Private Lim Seunghoon, nervously fixing his vision to a mountain outside the window not to look around. "Mt. ██ is located █.█ kilometres in front of this post. There is the enemy GP No. ███ located on ridge No. █ to █ of the mountain. TOD observation suggests unusual enemy activity, which led to heightened security. Next, friendly territory terrain···." Seunghoon, being the nervous wreck he is, started shivering. Eunhyeok wasn't sure if he was cold from the rain that poured down during the night, or if he was worried that Captain Yeon who was being debriefed would ask a surprise question to him, or if he wasn't yet used to his first GOP operation, which bothered the corporal. Nevertheless, a drop of sweat ran down Sunghoon's face, who was clenching his fists. "···That's the end of the report. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask." That was it. Captain Yeon looked satisfied. "Nope, I don't have any. You did amazing," she said, ticking some boxes on her binder. Seunghoon glanced at it from the corner of his eye: "Workplace Attendance". It must be "Very Good", judging from the short but absolutely stunning report the corporal gave. Just when the curious private was about to turn his head to have a better view of the binder, Captain Yeon also looked at him. Three diamonds. "I never saw this one before. Who is he? Are you new?" Seunghoon, looking into the captain's eyes in an awkward posture, identified his rank and name in a flustered voice. "Oh, Yes, Ma'am, Private Lim Seunghoon, reporting for duty! Uh, yes, I am new here, Ma'am..." "Hehe, it's his first job ever. No wonder he's nervous. I'll take good care of him." Eunhyeok said. "Yessss, well, I trust in you." Captain Yeon said as she was preparing to leave. Then, she looked at the green epaulette attached to Eunhyeok's shoulder and pretended to slit her throat with her hand. "Especially since you're squad leader now." "Ugh, Corporal Park Eunhyeok, reporting for duty." They seemed like old friends. "Good. Now, new guy, tell me today's password." Seunghoon couldn't answer. The atmosphere went tense, but Captain Yeon kept her smile. That wasn't true for the corporal, though. When she left, Eunhyeok took some time to "educate" the private. ---- "Nervous? I mean, it is your first time here." Eunhyeok said, went down the stairs on the patrol route first. "Yes, sir. I still can't look over the fence. It feels like something's going to jump me." Sunghoon replied, following the corporal. The security lights barely illuminated the metal fence, leaving it pitch black at night. On top of that, the fog grew denser, leaving the private's imagination to conjure up all sorts of horrendous stuff. Eunhyeok understood, as he, too, pulled some false alarms when he was new meat. "I should get used to this, though. Like you, corporal... Oh, you were amazing. You know, the briefing." "Give it a hundred or thousand nights, piece of cake. Oh wait, staying here a thousand nights means I'm already discharged." "Phew, it doesn't seem easy." The private sighed. "Nope, not at all." The corporal nodded. The gradually thickened fog surrounded the two soldiers. Park felt like he was trapped in a white dome thirty metres in diameter. As he was visualising the image, a raindrop fell from above. It kept raining, but nobody noticed until it was pouring. When they did, it was already too late. "Damn, it's raining." Eunhyeok worriedly looked at the sky. They were too far away from the guard post to bring their raincoats. He wished it had started raining sooner. The private who was following him stopped and took a good look around him. "Forget it; we're too far from the post. Let's hurry up and finish this patrol." "Yes, sir." The two soldiers climbed down the stairs a bit faster. Eunhyeok was worried he would catch a cold. They say when it rains, it pours. As they saw rain seeping into their rifles, the thought of cleaning it off from their guns weighed on them. Eunhyeok and Seunghoon didn't say a word. Only the sound of pouring rain filled the grim silence. After unconsciously walking for who-knows-amount of time, they saw guard post ██-1 from afar. They've reached the end of their coverage area. From now on, it was guard post ██'s patrol route. "The patrol includes reaching the rendezvous point of the other post and returning, which is here, in our case." Eunhyeok pulled out the patrol report from the guard post and handed it to the Private to fill out. "Do you have a pen? Ah, thanks." As he filled out the form, the corporal picked up the telephone and started reporting. //Kzz-Kzzt- Beep, click.// | "This is Leader of Guard Post ██, Roger." "This is Corporal Park Eunhyeok from Guard Post █, Roger. Lieutenant Song, we're here on patrol." "Patrol? What the hell are you talking about? Don't you know there's a situation going on?" "Uh, what- please wait a second." Eunhyeok went numb for a brief moment. With his keen - albeit far overdue - decisiveness, he snatched the radio from the private's chest and checked the battery. Dead. Eunhyeok felt his heart skip a beat. Seunghoon, now aware of the situation, handed out the spare battery to him. As soon as he changed the battery, noises and frustrated voices could be heard reporting and giving orders. The sudden loud noise startled the private. While he was tapping repeatedly on the [-] button, the two soldiers heard someone calling for them in the chaotic jumble of voices. "Team C! I repeat, Team C! Report back to base ASAP!" ---- "Huugh- haah- ugh..." The once-silent soldiers were now panting as they rushed up the stairs. The downward slope that felt like a highway to heaven now felt like a stairway to hell. They had to run three hundred metres up the stairs from post ██-1 to post 13, past post numbers 16, 15, and 14. It was a nightmare for the corporal and torture for the private. The rain kept sucking into his airways as they breathed in, and the howling winds hindered breathing it out. Eunhyeok snatched the rifle and magazines from Seunghoon, who kept lagging and kept running, pushing him forward. "I- belch- I'm fi- huegh-" Seunghoon tried to form a word but kept suffocating from the pouring rain. Eunhyeok now knew what "clenching one's teeth" meant. His molars pressing onto each other felt like it was going to crush. The butt of the rifle smacked onto his shin as he made every pounce. At last, the seemingly endless stairway ended, and the two soldiers were soaked in a mixture of sweat and rain. Eunhyeok didn't know how long it took to run over the hundreds of steps, but he was sure they made a record. They could see post 13 not far away and the defector operations team guarding the wing-shaped barricade next to it. As the guard asked for the keyword, Seunghoon, out of breath, blurted out the password. "[CLASSIFIED]?" "[CLASSIFIED]." "Who are you?" "Team Mill two." "Identity confirmed." At that moment, a message could be heard from the radio. > 100m in front of post no. █-13, one unknown individual identified. Said individual is heading south. I repeat, 100 metres in front. Over. ---- Eunhyeok and Seunghoon were the surveillance team of the defectors operation team. The private, keeping his eyes fixed on the front, helped the corporal load the machine gun behind the barricade next to the post. It was his first time opening an ammo box, which reminded him of the movie "Rambo". The stranger was now within 100 metres from here, basically in front of their eyes. The foggy darkness on the other side of the northern fence reminded him of his panic when he was a private. His lips were dry, and as he opened his mouth to moisturise it, he noticed he was extremely parched. Hallucinations that reminded him of a mirage filled the corporal's sight when, at the corner of his eyes, he could see Seunghoon. The private was shaking vigorously, scared. "Fuck." At that moment, the immense feeling of responsibility crashed down on Eunhyeok's chest, breaking his fear, panic, or whatever it stood in its trajectory. Now, he had to take care of his teammate more than himself. The corporal said as he grabbed firmly on the private's shoulders: "Seunghoon, don't be fucking shaking. Do you know how many rounds per minute the gun you're holding can fire? If something happens, turn them into minced meat before they can even touch you. Show them who's boss." The private nodded and wiped the mixture of rain, sweat, and tears from his face. Then, he fixed his eyes to his front and fixed his posture to fire at any second. Now, he looked like a proper gunman. "Good." Then, a shout. "HELP ME!" Everyone heard that. The battle squad leader, Staff Sergeant Yu Gyeongmok, gestured for the team to stay low. A figure pushed through the withered twigs and branches. They could see it right in front of their eyes. The figure was bony thin, his shirt stripped and being waved in his clenched hands, and shouting- A North Korean defector. The post leader and the battle squad leader at the front approached the southern fence. Everyone was holding their breath, quietly watching how the situation unfolded. The first one to break the silence was the post leader. "Halt! Hands in the air! One wrong move, and we will shoot!" The defector raised his hands high up in the air. "We are the military police from the free Republic of Korean Army. Do you wish to surrender? Wave your arms if so!" The defector waved his bone-thin arms. "Is there anyone else you've brought? Wave your hands if so!" No response. He just stood there under the rain. It was time for the next question. Everyone knew what the post leader would ask, and they all hoped to hear "no" as an answer. The post leader gulped once and carefully asked: "Are you being followed? Wave your hands if so!" The defector waved his hand. It was an answer nobody wanted to see. The signalman on the radio with HQ reported to the post leader in a low voice. "Sir, observation shows that the enemy tracking team was last seen thirty metres north of the MDL[[footnote]]Military Demarcation Line - Translator[[/footnote]], and they are not detected now. The battalion commander decided they had failed to track him down and ordered us to start a guidance operation. The post leader shut his eyes and steadied his breath. "Shit. Fuck it. Let's roll." ---- "So why are you not letting me go?" Director Yeon snapped at the person on the screen. "Post 13 is not that far from the base camp!" It was no use. The Administrator on the tablet screen held his ground. "You signed up for this. There is a limit on when the Foundation can intervene. Plus, your South Korean nationality could significantly harm our neutrality." "So you're gonna leave him like that? You know what 823-KO-1 can do! Why? Why don't we help other people even though we could?" The Administrator of Site-██ sighed and said: "Politics isn't as simple as you think, kid." Director Yeon turned her head up and closed her eyes. After a deep breath to calm down, she made up her mind. "Screw politics." She ran out of the room, grabbing her firearm and megaphone. She was so fast that none of the agents at the lounge could react. ---- As the squad leader unlocked the gate, two soldiers headed in. Two other guards went further north of the defector's location. They positioned themselves a distance away at the side of the defector, forming a triangular zone between themselves and the corporal and private, with the defector lying down on his belly in the middle. Next came the squad leader and three guiding team members. The group assumed formation without any delay. Sergeant Yu Gyeongmok skillfully apprehended the defector, and the medic, who came in last, did a medical check on the North Korean. The signalman reported their live situation. "Defector identified and apprehended. Personnel, equipment, ammunition norm-" ++ //BOOM!// A roaring explosion flung dust and dirt across the southern fence, blinding the soldiers. Shouts followed. "SHIT, WHAT THE FUCK?" As the dust settled shortly, Eunhyeok soon identified the source of the explosion. The now blown-up claymore tied to the northern fence created a huge hole in the metal wiring. But why? Why did it go off? Men groaning in pain were struggling across the fence, blown away from the claymore's explosion. Before he could even feel queasy from all the agonising screams, the searchlight suddenly went off. Then again, ++++ //BANG!// A loud, unfamiliar gunshot sound zipped across the men's ears. The post leader shouted: "Bogey inbound!" Eunhyeok quickly pulled down his night vision goggles on his helmet. Three or four more shots could be heard. Only after that could the South Korean soldiers be heard firing. During the skirmish, Eunhyeok quickly checked on his comrades across the DMZ. On the defector's forehead were two bullet holes. Human-like figures thrown on the ground could also be seen with their torso blown away from the claymore's blast. Three. There were only three men conscious enough to shoot at the enemy. Gunshots continued. It was then that Eunhyeok saw the North Korean commies. An unrelenting sorrow engulfed him. Rage like he never felt before enthralled his mind. "Brotherhood", a concept so unfamiliar, spouted from his chest. Seunghoon, too, checked the situation with the night-vision equipment on his firearm and pulled the trigger without delay. ++++ //RATATATATATATATA-// A short tap on the trigger fired around 80 bullets. An enemy soldier hiding behind a tree became shredded pieces of meat. The squad leader shot down another one. The remaining enemy quickly covered himself behind a boulder. Eunhyeok pulled the pin from the grenade as he read in the field manual - use plunging fire or grenades at a covered enemy - and looked towards his front. However, he saw another grenade flying towards him. "Oh shi-" Eunhyeok pushed Seunghoon away from the barricade and threw himself on the ground. Explosion. +++ //BOOM!// The explosion shook their guts. Fortunately, the shrapnel did not get them. However, the barricade and guard post were completely destroyed, leaving the survivors in plain sight. The ringing in Seunghoon's ears was even bigger than the explosion. Seunghoon, also lying flat on the ground, was saying something, but he couldn't hea- Seunghoon snatched the pinless grenade and threw it far away. Shortly after, it exploded. Seunghoon stood up in shock and saw the enemy dead in the eye. His eyes, the enemy's muzzle, and the enemy's eyes formed a straight line. He did not need night vision goggles to know what was coming: certain death. Then. "Everyone stop! Halt!" It was the sound of a megaphone. Who is that? Weird noises filled the private's mind as he started feeling lethargic. The corporal, the private, and the North Korean solder across the fence, too. Everyone there entered a "stabilised state". A familiar face in unfamiliar attire was running towards them from afar. Eunhyeok squinted to see it and soon identified who she was. It was Captain Yeon Soha. As the strange noise from the megaphone grew louder, Eunhyeok's consciousness drifted away. The captain, marching towards him, was wearing a gun he had never seen before. Her uniform looked even more cool. The captain snatched the radio from Eunyheok's chest and started shouting. He couldn't make out a single word she said, but he was sure she was shouting out all sorts of slurs filled with rage. As Yeon crossed the fence, turned on the megaphone again and played the weird noise again, the North Korean soldier returned on his own feet. Seunghoon couldn't believe his eyes. As the noise ended, so did the "stable state". Seunghoon collapsed, his legs shaking and powerless. Eunhyeok, after all that adrenaline rush, couldn't move his legs either but managed to crawl towards his comrades and grabbed their icy, cold bodies. The persistent ringing in his ears blocked out the sound of Seunghoon crying. Everyone, except for the two soldiers, died. The surging survivor's guilt made the corporal want to throw up. Captain Yeon remained silent at the sight. She just stood there, watching, and pulled out a cigarette. ---- "So, you did it, Yeon." An angry voice with a British accent blurted. "It ended well. Just make sure to wipe their memories." Yeon said as she threw her battle gloves on the sofa in the camp. "You're mistaking something. What you made is a fake peace. Hey, Yeon, remind me of the three mottos the Foundation." "Secure, contain, protect." "And yet you controlled them as if you were their master! Such arrogance!" The man banging his fist on the table played loudly from the tablet speaker. Agent Josh, who was bringing a freshly warmed piece of toast, some jam, and milk, almost spilt the milk. Yeon let out a deep sigh and complained in Korean. "//As if they pay well. Fuck this shithole job.//,,돈이라도 많이 주던지, 망할 직장.,," Of course, the British Administrator J. couldn't understand that, but anyone with a lick of common sense would know she was complaining. The attitude agitated him, but he decided not to respond. The news he's soon about to deliver will surely wipe the smirk cleanly away from that arrogant face. "Overwatch sent me a letter for your actions. I'm sure it's in your inbox, too. Care to take a look?" Obviously, disciplinary action or suspension. Yeon knew exactly what was going to happen. "To me? Um, let me take a look." Soha found the unread email from her inbox and clicked it. "To. Site-███ Head of Research Yeon Soha. Hmm... Yada yada, all your actions have been observed and recorded from start to end. It is unacceptable to use Foundation SCP objects without permission." The Administrator was thinking of clever quips to gloat at Yeon. "...Nevertheless, you showed remarkable boldness with creativity and courage. Also, we acknowledge your finest performance, including dealing with the situation as mentioned earlier. As such, we promote you from head of research to ...deputy Administrator of Site-███? What the hell!" The Administrator frowned. Yeon picked up the toast and took a bite out of it. "Uh... Did you read it yourself?" The Administrator also opened his inbox and quickly read through the email. Yeon's reading was word for word. J. sighed. "That nutjob's gonna be my..." "Yours truly! Hard-working, exquisite leadership, genius, beautiful, and a great warrior at your hand!" The Administrator let out a groan and ended the video call. Yeon took another bite of the toast. ---- > **Experiment Proposition 19.3** > > **Summary:** To prevent potential harm that SCP-823-KO-1 may cause to Korean military operations, a critical audio hazard is sent to the subject to cause semi-permanent damage. > > **Note:** The proposition is under discussion. ---- //A week later, 17:00.// It was another peaceful, ordinary evening. Suddenly, someone kicks through the barracks door. It was Captain Yeon. "Attention, troops! All salute the chicken burger!" The first sergeant, who was friendly with the captain, started playing the Imperial March. "Woah, what the hell?!" The troops watching TV all stood up, surprised. "Language, fuckers!" Captain Yeon said mischievously. She was holding a huge box to her side. The first sergeant said loudly: "Gift from the higher-ups for compensation. Keep that in mind, and dig in, boys!" "Yes, sir!" Everyone was excited. Soldiers rush behind Yeon, grabbing packs of Coke cans and pizza boxes. "Help yourselves, you giant swarm of ants. Well, there goes my holiday bonus." Yeon complained, though her facial expression was brighter than ever. After finishing the burger, we grabbed a few cans of leftover coke. We would drink it to wash down the snacks we'd be eating during night duty. We left the cans between the double windows to cool it down while letting in some fresh air. A cool breeze seeped through the open window. A couple of crows were flying in the sky, and under it was a mountain range fully covered with pine trees. I felt a slip of sorrow hitting me for no reason. It looked like the cans weren't enough, but there were just enough. Was our platoon this small? It was a particularly cold day. I closed the window. [[footnoteblock]] [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box |author=Bangja, translated by fluxman]] > **Original Article:** https://scpko.wikidot.com/ifideadiwontlose [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box-end]]