The Forgotten War

Chapter One

It was late.

I kicked off my shoes, walked inside and slowly closed my door.

The house was dark and quiet.
Good.

I needed some head space.

Rolling a mat out across the wooden floor of my room, I fell down softly.
Lying on my back and staring into the darkness.

I was tired.
Really tired.

Today had been my first World Meeting, and it had drained me to the point where even the gravity-defying curl in my hair looked droopy.

Other than being stuck in the same room for what felt like hours on end, the actual meeting hadn't been too bad.

There was the all usual trivia and arguments that I was used to hearing over the radio, so nothing new.

Japan did seem a little awkward with me around, but I couldn't blame him.
I had been his little servant boy that no one had known about.

I would've felt awkward if I were him, too.

Besides, in my opinion, he had been too weak to attend that meeting in the first place. He was still healing after being bombed by America.

I closed my eyes, thinking back to the meeting.

"We have a new country joining us today." America turned to me and smiled. "Dude, don't be shy! Introduce yourself."

I pushed my chair back and slowly stood, dragonflies flying heatedly inside my stomach.

"Hello everyone. My name is Korea."

There were a few murmurs amongst the other countries, whilst others just looked me up and down.

I instantly felt self conscious.

Compared to all these Western countries, I knew I wasn't much to look at.

"Thanks, dude." America smiled, nodding.

I quickly sat back down.

I saw China looking at me strangely. But when I tried to make I contact, he just looked away.

Also, I noticed that Russia was staring at me. I instantly felt shivers run down my spine.
Russia didn't scare me.
He terrified me.

I gave a weak smile, hoping that he wasn't upset with me about something.

He smiled back, giving a small wave with his gloved hand.

Halfway through the meeting, someone slapped the back of my head.
I turned around and saw China standing a few feet away, his face without emotion.

He then turned and walked back to his seat.

I chose to ignore him.

I knew that I couldn't expect any love from him or Japan.
Not right now, at least.

WWII was still fresh in everyone's memory.

Besides, I wasn't exactly being friendly to them, either.

America personally introduced me to a few other countries after the meeting ended.
I tried to seem pleased and happy, but I honestly was too tired to care at that point.

Acting polite around others, regardless of how tired he was, was Japan's speciality.
Not mine.

The house was so still and quiet.
I liked it.

It had been so long since I had had my home to myself.
The Japanese occupation still felt so recent.

I closed my eyes, enjoying the peace.

I was about to fall asleep when I heard the bedroom door slide open. I heard soft footsteps, and then felt someone lie down next to me. I turned to face him, reaching for his face and finding it.

"O-oh, sorry. I didn't wake you, did I?"
His voice was as kind and innocent as ever.

I chuckled softly, caressing his cheek.

"Of course not."

"Good. Um, I know you had a tiresome day...so I think you should sleep now."

I felt him try and push my hand away. I smiled. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on staying awake the whole night, was I?"

I felt him stiffen, and I giggled.
We lay in silence for a moment.

Shifting forward slightly, I kissed him on the forehead. He shivered as I touched him, but he didn't pull away.

"Goodnight." I whispered softly into his ear.

He turned his head to face me, and I could sense he was smiling.

"Goodnight, hyeong."