Chapter 290: Chapter 290- Earth At War (Part 3)
The night was dark and rainy with the sound of lightning striking in the outside world. Floods of water invaded the destroyed cities of the world, sweeping whatever was left intact of them. The only cities left intact were the ones that were restored by the survivors.
Hyun-Jae and the rest of the group were able to quickly take over the major cities and slowly expand their control before the world was completely turned upside down. After the expansion, things didn't calm down at all.
Earthquakes were basically a daily occurrence. One second, it would be raining as if there was no tomorrow, and the next second, the weather was hotter than that of the desert in the middle of the summer.
However, everyone had already grown accustomed to that and were able to live their lives. Granted, some couldn't handle this change and grew sick, and some of the older people even died. But, it was all expected with how the world was.
No weak creature would be able to survive on this new Earth and it seems the expansion's entire goal was to eliminate those weak creatures. Even if that was at the cost of the entire world going into jeopardy.
The world was becoming hell and yet... Nobody wants to leave.
***
*DROP*
The rain was pouring heavily on Hyun-Jae's head. Even her umbrella could barely keep her dry from all the downpours. However, she was standing alone outside, looking at the gloomy dark sky silently.
'It's going to be hard to travel in these conditions. But, Busan cannot be taken away from us or we won't have any chance of trying to contain their forces.' She thought to herself with a cold glare.
She knew that most of South Korea was now a huge mess except for the cities they took over. The streets that link them were already destroyed beyond recognition. But, time was tight, and they had to act quickly if they wanted to stop this invasion.
Hyun-Jae had clear intentions, and she was ready to execute them no matter what.
"President..." At that moment, she heard Chin-Hwa's voice behind her. She didn't turn around as she had already felt his presence approaching.
"Is everyone ready?" She asked.
"... For the most part. They still need to check the conditions of the vehicles and prepare them for the trip." He said as he stepped forward and stood next to her. His eyes were locked on Hyun-Jae the entire time even though she wasn't looking at him.
The two stood there for a few moments before Chin-Haw finally opened his mouth to speak. However, at the last moment, he hesitated and then went silent again.
"Speak." Hyun-Jae seemed to notice his perturbed aura and asked him to say whatever he wanted to say.
"... I... I was just being nostalgic. Remembering the past when we used to have a peaceful life, working and studying without a care in the world." He said. "I never thought things would change this much in such a short period of time. In a few months, we are not the same people at all.
I'm not the same... And you've changed completely, president." He said with a sad expression.
For the first time since Chin-Hwa approached her, Hyun-Jae looked away from the sky at him and then said. "Did you expect me not to change?"
"No, of course not. If one doesn't change in these times, then they're done for. This world isn't the same."
"..."
"What I'm saying is... You have become something else, president. I can..." Pursing his lips with a frustrated expression, Chin-Hwa decided to finally break the ice and be honest. He had enough remaining silent this entire time.
His friends had tried to tell her that she was destroying herself countless times and yet she didn't listen. She simply continued going downhill every single day. She was now a dark, gloomy, and yet an impressive leader and an even more powerful monster compared to before.
She had become the perfect leader and ironically, as much as Talon's spot was a huge loss, she was able to fulfill it and even expand their power to almost every single part of South Korea.
Yet, all of that was at the cost of her own mental health and body. She was growing stronger extremely rapidly, soaring beyond everyone else. However, she was also losing whatever made Hyun-Jae... Hyun-Jae.
"I don't think what you're doing is right at all, president. No, it's far from right. You are simply going downhill and simply won't last long if you continue with this stubbornness. If you think this is going to make things better then you're far from right." He said with an angry tone but still very respectful.
Even when he was displeased with his president, he could never raise his voice or speak to her disrespectfully. "I understand that you were dealt a huge blow when that happened. We were all devastated. But, we had to move on after several months. This world isn't going to wait for us and it certainly won't wait for you. We never know how long we're going to live.
If he of all people died, then we certainly have no possibility of escaping death if it comes for us."
Then, he went completely silent as the rain and lightning raged around them. Hyun-Jae was staring directly at Chin-Hwa with a blank expression. Even he couldn't read her expression at that moment. Then, he slowly started realizing that his words might've hurt her and he was about to try and explain what he meant.
However, Hyun-Jae looked away before she slowly put the umbrella down, letting the rain pour on her head.
"Preside-" Chin-Hwa was surprised and tried to give her his umbrella, but her next words made him stop.
"I tried..." She muttered. "I have tried countless times to think about moving on... I know that I'm going down the wrong path. But... I can't. I cannot for the life of me simply move on." Her voice was the same as usual, but Chin-Hwa noticed the emotions lying within it.
The despair, sadness, self-loathing, and regret. They all merged in her words and it made his eyes widen.
"I have thought about death a lot. For countless nights, I couldn't sleep thinking about him. Whether he's watching over me or not. Whether he's in a better place or not. Hey, Chin-Hwa, have you ever felt the pain of your chest being ripped open and your heart being stolen?" She asked.
The latter couldn't answer that question and the reason was simple. He had never felt that kind of pain yet he knew it sounded like a horrifying thing.
"That is what I felt when I realized that I will never see him again... I cannot move on because I was never meant to move on. The only reason I'm still here and alive is because of him and I'm not going to waste that. But, if I didn't have that within me... I would've never stayed a second in this shitty world." She added with a completely calm tone as if what she said wasn't extremely terrifying.
"..." Those last words were like a bombshell that fell on Chin-Hwa's head. Looking at the president's side silhouette and all he could see was just plain reality. He instantly knew that she meant every single word she just said.
'... She... She meant it... She had truly thought about ending it all.' He thought to himself as he blinked. Staring at the girl with a dark expression under the rain. He felt that crushed look on her face.
That was when he realized that he had truly underestimated how much Hyun-Jae cared for Talon.
He had seen how she slowly fell for him, how her attitude toward him changed day by day. Yet, he had never truly thought that it was more than an infatuation at most. He had thought that it was simply a feeling she gained because she saw a capable person in Talon in a world where people desperately looked for comfort.
Yet, at that very moment, Chin-Hwa realized that it was far more than mere infatuation. At some point, Talon had become Hyun-Jae's life and goal. He was the reason she even though vigorously and when he died, she had lost everything.
Everything she was doing now was simply her fulfilling his wish of creating a safe world for everyone to live. If that goal comes to an end one day then...
Chin-Hwa couldn't even finish that thought without feeling a shudder running through his very spine.
"President, that..."
"Leader!"
Before he could even speak, a person approached them in a hurry carrying a communication device for Hyun-Jae. The latter turned around and looked at him with a frown. "What?" Explore more stories with m,v l'e-m|p| y r
"The... The invaders! One of them wants to talk to you!"
Hearing that, Hyun-Jae frowned visibly as she took the communicator. "They want to talk to me? Did they already..." Muttering to herself, she tapped the button.
That was when she heard it, a very subtle breathing.
"Who is it? Speak."
A//N: Thanks for reading.