03 - Rescue Plan

I slipped on the ladder. The friction burned my hand as I descended toward my moms and the soldiers imprisoning her. I saw the vast sea of snow. I felt my nervosity formed into sweat. And I saw the stupidity in what I was planning to do: sliding at full speed in a dangerous place guarded by armed soldiers. They stared at me with their AKM, and I regretted being here.

I put down my boots on the white sand. I looked behind me, and my two comrades pressured me to keep going, nodding with their heads. These bastards. It was easier to cheer on me than walking steps after steps towards this death camp.

I approached myself, so they made their rifles click. Those soldiers weren't joking. Fitting for professional killers of the state.

One of the soldiers guarding the execution zone looked at me, then put his weapon down, "Come closer..."

I did.

"But you're a kid !" He scrutinized my outfit from tip to toes, "You're supposed to be at the military service. What are you doing here?"

The soldier and his colleague then all scrutinized my face, searching for the answer. It looked like the answer to their question was written all over my face. Then where was it? On the moles on my cheek? My bushy brows? They looked at me so hard I actually doubted why I was here for a second!

I couldn't answer their question without them attacking. The only solution was to attack them first. This solution was the only one possible. It was logical. But fighting was too much. I've never done it before. The only people I've fought were my kindergarten classmates when I was four: and I was the one beaten up! I grabbed the gun hidden inside my pocket with all my might. I mocked myself internally for breaking my promise in a few hours: wasn't I supposed to stay away from guns?

"I don't want any problem anymore..." I said. "I want my mom back."

The guard soldier arched an eyebrow, "How old are you, lad? Are you the son of..."

"My mom! Please!"

Without thinking, I shot a bullet into the sky.

The expression on their faces changed immediately. looked like I threw one of the Pilot's bomb on their faces. They suddenly were alert and ran toward me. I froze. What should I do? Fight? Against professionals? I aimed at the muscled soldiers with my pitiful gun. Jieung-yong would shoot them without thinking, but I didn't know Guns 101.

I preferred having the semi-automatic gun inside my pocket. So I hid it back where it came from.

"You're a dumbass!" Jieung-yong shouted from the sky.

Whatever. the defense was my always my specialty anyway. And when a group of men was racing toward me like crazy horses, I'd rather avoid them than confront them all. All I had to do was to focus. Analyze their movement. Find a way out.

I jumped high enough to land on their shoulders and jumped again towards to door. I dashed toward my doomed mom.

She turned her head toward the noise I made and saw me come, "Song-ho!"

"Mom !"

A huge noise broke my ears inside. For the second time, I flew in the air, being proposed toward her a little bit more. The contact of my body with the cold snow burned my skin. I think I just swallowed some in my throat.

I looked behind me. Another fire barrier was burning the guarding soldiers and those who were guarding my mother. Jieung-yong, from the helicopter, threw the head of his grenade and gave me a thumb up.

I gave him a thumb up back then gave all my attention to my mommy. That was perfect. I felt bad for the soldiers, of course, but my mom had to be saved. I joined her :

"Mom! Look at what they did to you! You're so hurt." I took her in my arms, "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have let you down, but now it all end. We're getting out of here and we're going to France, to Paris, like we always said we would! Ok?"

She moved her arms but was unable to hug back with her handcuffs made of rope.

"Ah yes, wait just a Lil' bit." I took out a knife from my other pocket and cut the rope out of her wrist, "You see this helicopter? I know them. We're going there and we're going out of this nightmarish world."

She gave me one of her cocky smiles, "Going out of here? But honey, the War isn't finished here."

"But it is up there! Didn't you want peace?"

"I don't want peace for me. I want it for my people."

Well, that was Mom for you. Always thinking about other people.

I didn't know what to say anymore, "Are you... are you're saying I shouldn't have come for you?"

"Exactly." A voice from the computer screen said.

I didn't use to see one, and usually, it was my mom who stole and used them. On the screen, two men decorated with epaulet and kepis were facing us. One of those men was the Chief of the country, and the other one was the Prime Minister. The dictator stared at us with his non-expressive black eyes. In the background, his Prime Minister's white hair was flowing out of his cap.

"Allow me to talk, Supreme Leader." The Prime minister kept saying.

The former nodded.

"You're disturbing our fight, sonny. It's between her and us. So you're going to kindly let her alone and go back to your military service. It's a bad thing to disobey, you know."

I clutched my teeth, "Mom, don't tell me you agree with this man! Let's run away, the helicopter won't stay for long."

Jieung-yong threw grenades as an endless supply of other guards kept going at him. He tried to protect himself from the bullets.

The helicopter, flying with less ease, fled from the battlefield and went above our heads.

Jieung-yong gestured at the rope, "We can't do it anymore, come and get your ass up here!"

The surviving soldiers shot at us.

"Your back should be straight, Song-ho." Mom took the gun from my pocket and shot the head of an attacker from sixteen meters, "Grace and precision. I told you like, one hundred times."

"Happy to see you again, Mom."

She gave me another smile with her pink lips. Two soldiers shot bullets at us. She took her dress and revealed her pointe shoes. She turned five times in a pirouette, making her untouchable by the soldiers. She shot one in the dick and the other in the head, "Oops I made a mistake. Whatever both aren't pleasing."

My mom was gracious in her moves without ever losing her mind. That's why I loved everything she did. That's why I wanted to be like her, to dance like her.

"Give me your grenade honey!"

I gave it to her without hesitation.

Jieung-yong stared at her in awe. She was his idol, after all.

The last soldiers came. She threw them the grenade while grabbing the rope and holding me. Even the computer screen exploded, immortalizing the shocked face of the authorities.

The helicopter flew again above Death's hand. As we were flying higher and higher, we entered the vehicle.

My mother thanked the pilot and Jieung-yong for their help. The latter couldn't move nor talk without stuttering beforehand.

"Mission accomplished. Now all of us can go to France!"

Yoh Chihye chuckled, "Honey I was serious. Thanks for the help, but I'm going back."

I blocked the door with my body, "No, Mom, you're going nowhere."

"Song-ho, stop acting like a kid."

"I'm not acting like a kid, I don't want you to die! There's maybe some soldier calling corporals to search for you in the whole country. If you get out of here, you are playing a disadvantaging game."

"You're right," She sighed. "Miss, Get me to Hyangsan, I need to find a place to sleep and to contact the others of my survival."

"Don't you understand? You're not getting down."

She sighed again and put off her pointe shoes. Then she tied it to my waistline, "They cost me a lot. Use them on the Opéra of Paris for me." She put on a parachute, "Live on, youngins! And don't let anyone destroy your dreams. If you want to rebel dancing, go for it. But for me, Freeing Korean people is my priority."

At that moment, the helicopter shook. An attack? We turned our heads toward the pilot, "I...I am confused...It seems these soldiers knew where to shoot after all. I can't fly with that many people."

"I understand." Mom said. "It's been a pleasure to meet you. It's gonna be a bit tougher, but I will find my way don't worry."

"No- no! stuttered Jieung-yong. "Song-ho is the one jump-jumping and you'll be able to go to Hyangsan this way. You will have more chances to find your members of your tribe."

"Me? Why not you!" I said.

"This is not my job! I didn't get the chance to be her son! I'm sure you are delighted to help your mom that way."

No, that wasn't possible. One of us was going to go down? I wanted to live. But alone and without help in the snow desert, I'm dying in two secs.

My mom will be able to survive longer...But last time, she was going to be hanged.

"What do you want to do honey?"

"Song-ho, sacrifice yourself for your mom and your country!"

"I am sorry, the vehicle has a problem."

The arguments and words were turning around my head, "I'm going to...I want to...I just wanted to dance!"

My mother and Jieung-yong widened their eyes.

She was the first one to smile, "It's fine Keep on living." She pulled me inside the helicopter, opened the door, and jumped.