The Soldier No One Else Could See
"Are you alright, patient?"
At the nurse's words, the young man who looked like a student slowly opened his eyes.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"There are police officers waiting outside, so we'll need to take a few statements from you first."
"Yes. I understand."
"You're fully conscious now, right?"
"Yes…."
The nurse glanced out of the room. "Then please come in."
The moment the nurse finished speaking, two police officers strode in with heavy footsteps.
"Hello."
"Ah… yes…."
"There's no need to be frightened. We're only here to gather your personal information. We'll just ask a few questions. Since you're a student, we don't have any records on file for you."
The two officers, who looked like veterans, stared at the boy with rather grim expressions.
"What's your name?"
The older-looking officer spoke in a mildly scolding tone.
"Ha Sunmoon."
"Where are your parents?"
"They aren't around."
The officer flinched at Sunmoon's blunt reply.
"When you say they aren't around, do you mean they're unavailable? Or…."
"I've never seen anyone I could call a father since the day I was born, and my mother abandoned me. So in every way that matters, they're not around."
"Hmm…."
"Oh dear…."
When Sunmoon spoke so matter-of-factly, the two officers exchanged a brief look that clearly said, What are we supposed to do with this?
"Student… I'll choose to believe you're not lying. We've confirmed your situation is difficult."
"Yes."
"Even so… jumping from a bridge like that is not something you should do."
Sunmoon quietly regarded the officer for a moment.
"Yes. I understand."
"Aigoo… my head is killing me."
Incidents like this were far more common for the police than most people realized. Runaway teenagers getting into trouble happened every day. While Sunmoon hadn't caused serious harm to anyone else, his actions still couldn't be viewed in a positive light. Still, because it was a clear case of parental abandonment, the older officer understood the boy's circumstances. Young people without the protection of a warm family were bound to run into problems.
No, hold on… this runaway might be lying too….
The senior officer quickly collected himself and once again calmly asked for the boy's details.
"Student, you said your name was Sunmoon, correct?"
"Yes."
"In cases like this the hospital might waive the fees, but they can also choose to bill you. Do you have any relatives, or perhaps a guardian who's been looking after you?"
The officer desperately hoped someone—anyone—would appear to confirm the boy's story.
"Um… well… I don't think I have any relatives… or maybe I just don't know about them? Anyway, I've never met any."
"Then how have you been living all this time?"
"Oh! The owner of the house where I used to live let me stay in one of the small rooms."
"A small room?"
"Yes."
Seeing a faint ray of hope, the officer pressed for more information about the landlord.
"Could you give us the landlord's phone number so we can hear their account?"
"Ah… I feel so bad for the landlady…."
The officer coaxed him gently, and after a long hesitation Sunmoon finally gave them the number.
"Exactly! He left a suicide note and money for the rent and then disappeared. Oh dear! The poor child…."
"A suicide note… I see. Understood."
Outside Sunmoon's hospital room, the landlady who had rushed over was speaking with the two officers.
It's not like I was struggling. I just didn't want to live anymore… And I stayed there for nearly three months, so of course I had to pay before leaving.
Sunmoon watched the conversation outside with detached indifference.
Then he noticed a foreign soldier in full uniform walking down the hallway.
Wow, that uniform looks amazing.
The uniformed soldier was trying to speak to several people.
But for some strange reason, everyone ignored the foreign soldier.
What? He speaks Korean perfectly.
"Sunmoon's telling the truth. From the moment his mother first brought him here, there was no father. She raised him completely on her own."
"Did he attend kindergarten or school?"
"Yes! He went to Suseok Elementary School right nearby."
"But how could the student suddenly be abandoned? Did she run away without warning?"
If the school system had been functioning properly, a situation like this should have surfaced immediately.
"Well… Sunmoon was exceptionally good at soccer."
"Soccer?"
The sudden mention of soccer left the two officers struggling to follow the thread.
"He was so talented that in sixth grade he left to study soccer overseas."
"Ah! So after the boy went abroad… she left."
The landlady nodded.
"That's correct. I don't know where she got the money, but after Sunmoon left she said she was moving. Even after he came back, she never showed up again."
"Then after his return…"
"I let him keep using that small room the whole time. He was working part-time jobs, doing what he wanted, and I thought he was living bravely… Who could have imagined something like this would happen…."
The conversation outside made Sunmoon feel embarrassed and a little uncomfortable. But what was done was done, and there was nothing he could do about it now, so he decided to simply lie back down.
"Hmm?"
Then he felt an odd gaze on him. When he turned his head, Sunmoon couldn't help but freeze in shock.
Gasp!
The foreign soldier he had seen earlier was now standing inside the hospital room.
What? When did he come in?
As Sunmoon stared at the foreigner in astonishment, the soldier looked back at him with an equally surprised expression.
The soldier then floated toward Sunmoon, hovering in mid-air.
"Uwaaa!"
Watching the soldier drift straight at him, Sunmoon fainted on the spot.
"Are you alright, patient?"
The nurse woke Sunmoon, but he only peeked out from under the blanket, eyes darting around nervously to check his surroundings.
He must be gone now, right?
"Patient? Are you okay?"
"Um… excuse me, nurse."
"Yes~?"
"Was there a soldier in uniform… or whatever you call it… walking around in here earlier?"
Sunmoon's voice trembled slightly as he asked.
"No, there wasn't anyone like that."
Gulp.
Sunmoon swallowed hard.
"Then… is it possible to see things after jumping into water? Like hallucinations from the shock?"
"Hallucinations?"
"You know… like ghosts."
The nurse stared at him for a moment, then gave a small smile and began speaking without really listening to anything he said.
"The doctor said the test results show no major problems. You're being discharged, so we'll help you prepare to leave right away."
"No… I really saw a ghost."
"Yes! We'll get you discharged right away."
Her face clearly said she had dealt with plenty of kids like him before.
With a clean bill of health, Sunmoon left the hospital and headed home with the landlady.
"Here, Sunmoon."
She handed back the envelope he had left for her.
"If I accept this, it will only make me more uncomfortable. So never give me something like this again."
"But… still…"
"And this as well."
She returned the suicide note he had written.
"Tear this up and throw it away. A child as young as you shouldn't be thinking about leaving the world. Never think that way again. Understand? I'm begging you."
"Yes…."
The landlady looked at him as though he had betrayed her, and Sunmoon felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.
"Sigh… Yes, you must have been carrying so much pain… As I told you before, how about going back to school?"
"I won't go. I don't really want to make friends."
"I see… Very well. Then rest for a few days with that money and think about what you want to do next."
Since she was not his family, the landlady could not force him to do anything. She could only pray he would find his way and wait patiently.
"Then go on inside."
"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry, and thank you for coming today."
She looked at him with pity before going inside. The old door hinges screamed in protest as they turned.
"Whew…."
Sunmoon stepped into the house.
The now-familiar space greeted him. Everything existed within a single room, with only the bathroom outside—this tiny unit was his home.
He spread out his bedding and lay down again.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
Still weighed down by complicated feelings, Sunmoon turned on the TV.
"Hello, everyone. We are about to begin coverage of the match between Manchester City and Liverpool, the two strongest teams in the 2018/2019 Premier League season."
Has it already gotten this late?
Sunmoon checked the time. Night had fallen without him noticing, and it was time for the overseas football broadcast.
The Manchester versus Liverpool fixture. For someone who had played soccer himself, a clash between the Premier League's two most powerful sides was pure joy.
Sunmoon completely forgot the events of the day and lost himself in the match.
"Wow… they're incredible."
World-class players battled fiercely on screen, and Sunmoon watched every moment in awe.
Huh?
A chill ran down Sunmoon's spine.
There's no one else in the house… Did someone break in while I was out?
His body went rigid, but he slowly turned his head to locate the source of the voice.
Where is it?
The room was tiny. He scanned every corner but saw no one.
Only then did Sunmoon realize the voice was coming from above.
Gulp.
He looked up and saw the foreign soldier stuck to the ceiling.
"Uh…."
Thud.
Sunmoon fainted once again.