Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Piercing Through the Darkness (3)
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The two of them lay flat, holding their breath for a moment before quietly casting Invisibility Magic.
They'd walked for hours without using magic, so casting it now wasn't much of a burden. The problem was that pushing through the tall grass would leave traces behind.
Tae-jin and old man Richer might not see them, but the sight of the grass flattening and then springing back up would be crystal clear.
Still, they couldn't just stay put. If they waited too leisurely for the soldiers to close the distance, they'd either trip over someone's foot or get spotted by suspiciously flattened grass—and that would be it.
Tae-jin spoke to Richer. The wind was strong, but it didn't hinder their conversation much.
"Sorry to drag you through all this trouble. You could've made it easy on your own."
Richer always had a smile ready. Even in this tense situation, he grinned comfortably.
"You finally get it, huh? Starting to appreciate me now?"
Instead of saying I've known that for a while, Tae-jin just smirked.
"Appreciate? Nah. Just giving you a heads-up since you'll have even more headaches ahead. Get ready for it."
"Come on, a simple 'thank you' would've sufficed."
Invisible, the two stood still, waiting for the wind. Moments later, a fierce gust swept through.
Whoooosh—
Before the wind-whipped grass could spring back up, Tae-jin and Richer bolted, trampling it underfoot. When the wind died down, they froze in place.
Whoooosh—
Another gust came. Hunched low, they ran.
They repeated this several times. But even so, it wasn't enough.
They could only move in short bursts when the wind blew, while the soldiers marched on heedless of it. The gap was inevitably closing.
Rustle, rustle. The sound of soldiers pushing through the grass grew louder, sending chills creeping up Tae-jin and Richer's spines.
It would be perfect if the soldiers passed by oblivious. But if they spotted half-crushed grass or tripped over their toes, it was game over.
If the soldiers caught them, Tae-jin would be stuck by the Gate, waiting years—maybe a lifetime—he didn't know.
Tae-jin glanced back, face taut with tension. Had to be some way out. Any gap to exploit?
As he scanned, he spotted a familiar silhouette.
Taller than most by half a head, skinny build, square jaw.
His head was narrow side-to-side but elongated front-to-back, making his helmeted profile look like an upward-pointing arrow.
No mistaking that height and ridiculous head shape. It was Hong-cheol.
The one possible breakthrough here.
But was it a good bet? If Hong-cheol didn't back him up and just whispered to someone, the plan was toast.
If it doesn't work, then it's fate.
If he got nabbed before even lasting a night, maybe he should just accept his lot.
Besides, just days ago, Hong-cheol had secretly signaled him. If he couldn't trust Hong-cheol in this, who could he trust?
He'd done all he could. Time to leave it to destiny.
The deliberation was brief; the action swift.
Tae-jin sent telepathy to Hong-cheol while maintaining his Invisibility Magic. Using two spells at once took focus, but he pulled it off smoothly.
"Hey, Hong-cheol."
The sudden telepathy startled Hong-cheol; Tae-jin saw him flinch.
"Just listen. Behind that small bush a bit to your right from where you're looking. Yeah, right there. Me and old man Richer are hiding behind it."
Tense as he was, Hong-cheol forgot the 'just listen' part and gave a tiny nod.
"Can you keep the other soldiers from coming this way? Sorry. Always hitting you with heavy asks."
Hong-cheol glanced around, then slowed his pace, clearly racking his brain.
Suddenly, he sped up, striding quickly toward the bush.
Tae-jin's heart shrank, pounding wildly. Was he just going for it? For the credit? Had he been too naive?
A young soldier's voice came from behind Hong-cheol.
"Sergeant, where you headed?"
"Couldn't even hit the john earlier, and now my gut's ripping apart. Fucking sucks in the dead of night. Should be sleeping."
Hong-cheol grumbled. From the looks of it, he was leading a few privates—no other officers around.
Lucky break. His platoon leader must be on leave, leaving Hong-cheol, the deputy, in charge.
"Guys, I gotta take a shit real quick. Keep going without me."
Hong-cheol reached Tae-jin and Richer's spot, dropped his pants, and squatted. Muttering under his breath about the humiliation.
"Fuck... fuck... I don't know your exact spot, so dodge good... Life's such bullshit..."
A twinge of guilt rose in Tae-jin. He spoke softly to Hong-cheol.
"Hey, sorry. Really."
Hong-cheol, head bowed low, muttered back.
"Fuck it, what choice do I got... Ah. Feels like the battalion commander suspects something. Already on edge."
"Suspects?"
"Just a hunch for now. I'm the soldier closest to you. You catching on early and bolting looks fishy. Few days back, I crashed at your place for that 'birthday party' excuse. Yesterday, we talked, walked to your house together—battalion commander saw me coming back."
"No proof, though."
"Fuck, you know how army life is. If this blows up, the officers play hot potato, and nine times outta ten, it lands on me. Low-rank sergeant, no pull, buddies with you, talked to you recently. Fuck!"
Hong-cheol grumbled on, never once hinting at Tae-jin's position or claiming credit.
One Found him! and he could dodge this mess, snag a big break.
"Sorry."
No matter what Tae-jin said, Hong-cheol kept his head down, muttering.
"Highest odds of eating the bomb, fucking up my promotion. Worst case, dishonorable discharge or court-martial. Fuck, ruin my life and you better come back to fix it."
Inappropriate as it was, a habitual joke slipped out.
"Fix it? That line sounds dogshit."
"You fucker, joking even now. Already pissed showing my ass in front of you. Wanna get fucked over?"
"Sorry, bro."
Quick apology, and Hong-cheol covered his face, chuckling softly. Tae-jin pressed on.
"What if I can't come back? You're banking on nothing, man."
"What can I do? Not like I'm stabbing you. Fuck, I already went all in. You have to come back. Got it?"
Something surged in his chest, but Tae-jin tamped it down. Not the time to get emotional.
"Got it. Hang in there, even if it sucks. I'll come back and help for sure."
"Fuck... I believe you. For real."
Hong-cheol murmured, pulled up his pants, and dashed forward, yelling at the soldiers.
"Hey, spread out! Big bro's here."
"Whoa, deputy platoon leader, you stink. Got TP?"
"No way he wiped with the grass next to him."
"Yo, you fuckers see this shit?"
Hong-cheol made a fuss joining the line, met with chuckles as they reformed and marched on. Flashlights swayed lazily side to side with their steps.
Huuuh. Tae-jin exhaled deeply. Crisis averted, it seemed.
Tae-jin and Richer moved a bit with the next gust, then leaned against a rock to rest.
Sweat soaked them; the strong wind chilled as it dried. But their minds eased, soothed by the chirping crickets.
For now, the star-studded night sky didn't grate on him.
But dodging one crisis didn't solve everything. The Great Plains lived up to its name—vast, endless. No telling how far they had to go.
"Old man, how much farther?"
"Beats me. Never crossed the Great Plains on foot. Haven't seen any fool try."
"Usually people take carriages, right?"
"Yep. Carriage or horse."
"We can't..."
"Obviously. With soldiers tailing us, they'd check carriages first."
"Damn, no way around this?"
Richer pondered.
"How long you think those soldiers'll pursue?"
"Timeframe? Not sure."
"Say we slip into a Kaiso Kingdom city—would they follow?"
Worth considering. But they probably hadn't reported up yet, hoping to handle it quietly—like any unit covering its ass.
"Not right away. Can't just barge into foreign cities."
"So later they could search inside?"
"With Kaiso kissing up to Korea? Depending, yeah."
"No city dash now, no carriage. What now?"
"Rest first. Think later."
Dawn was breaking, visibility rising. No mountains or cover anywhere—just endless grass.
Actually perfect. Lying in the tallest stuff, impossible to spot them.
They found the thickest patch and lay down. Exhausted, over a day without sleep, slumber hit fast.