It’s been 2 months since he left.
It’s been over 2 weeks since he last sent a letter or called.
Every time someone knocked or rang the doorbell, her heart sank, seeing that it wasn’t him.
She sent all day and night watching the news and reading the newspaper, expecting to see his troop number mentioned somewhere, anywhere.
It was a Thursday evening and Sooyeon, Soojung’s sister, was sitting next to Soojung in the living room of her small apartment.
Sooyeon was talking about boys.
Or maybe it was something about dance practice.
Or maybe she was moving again.
Soojung wasn’t really paying attention, all her focus was on the evening news.
“Quiet quiet quiet!” Soojung waved at her sister and reached for the remote to turn up the volume but put it back down when someone rang her doorbell.
“I’ll get it.” Sooyeon said, getting up and walking slowly to the front door.
Sooyeon looked back at her poor little sister, watching the evening news and sighed before opening the front door.
Sooyeon lost her breathe when she saw an older man standing in the doorway, he was wearing military jacket with more metal badges than Sooyeon would care to count.
“C-c-c-ca-” Sooyeon coughed, trying to speak normally again.
“Can I help you, sir?” Sooyeon said very slowly, quite embarrassed with her stuttering that had just occurred.
“Does someone by the name of Jung Soojung live here?” The general said in a deep voice, wondering to himself if having to do this will ever stop hurting.
“I’m her sister,” Sooyeon said, not taking her eyes off the envelope that the man had in his hands.
“Jung Sooyeon.”
“Is everything alright?” Soojung asked, walking up next to her sister.
Sooyeon was at a loss of words.
She didn’t know much but she knew without a doubt in mind what was in that envelope.
“I think I’ll get going.” Sooyeon said, pushing her way past the man in the doorway.
“Bye Jungie!” She yelled while running down the hall.
The man just stared at Sooyeon running down the hall, shaking his head at how she couldn’t stay there for her sister.
Or maybe he wasn’t upset at her.
He just didn’t want to have to break the horrible news by himself, like he has so many times before.
They say it gets easier with time but after 10 years, he’s still waiting for the heartbreak to go away.
“Are you Soojung?” He asked, escaping his thoughts.
“I am but..” her voice stopped mid sentence as the man handed her the envelope, she just looked at it not grabbing it because deep down she knew what was in it.
“No..” She mumbled looking back up at him, her eyes full of tears.
The man felt a tug at his heart seeing this.
Why so young? he thought, holding back all his emotions. why, to such a young lady? why?!
