There was the world meeting. The handle was pointing to 1 o'clock. Yong-soo leaned on his chair, waiting for it to end. When he spoke, no one listened anyways, they just told him to shut up. He started playing with the corner of some hand-out paper he received. It was about saving earth, but how ironic, it's written on dead trees. Everyone else should just do it like him and just melt off the gold out of products, and not mine for it. And since they were mostly chopping off trees for living space, they should just stack huge houses together, like a hotel, but a whole house per floor. He had ideas, but no one listened. Oh well, they were going to regret it later on. The clock slowly moved, and yong-soo, still fumbling with the paper, wished it to go faster.

3

Yong-soo flicked off some dust on his pants.

2

He scratched a spot on his chin.

1

He's too tired, he let go of the paper, and just slouched. Yao frowned at his brother's behavior, and lightly poked him.

0

Suddenly Yong-soo's eyes were wide open. Yong-soo slammed on the table and stood up, toppling over his chair. All eyes were on him. America, talking about saving trees by doing recycling, and asking everyone to participate in it, shut up also.

"Um, Yong-soo, is there something you would like to say?" Alfred said. Yong-soo's eyes wheezed about. He was thinking. Did it really just happen? Was what he felt real? Yong-soo could feel it, the screaming, the feeling of danger they felt. His eyes were blood-shot in mere 5 seconds, and he whispered,

"I…I'm sorry, excuse me." And he ran to the door. He pulled it open, and charged out. He barely even heard the voices behind him calling for him. 'It couldn't be happening, There's just no way, There's nothing wrong at all.' He thought. But he was wrong. It was happening.

Yong-soo was in his airplane, heading to South Korea as fast as he could. He didn't notice, but when he checked his cell phone, there were more than 10 missed calls from Kiku, Yao, and Alfred. But his throat was too dry to speak. Soon, the three had the brains to text to him instead. His phone vibrated, and he read the text from Yao.

'Why the pandas did you just run out of there? Do you know how embarrassed I was? Get back here immediately!' Yong-soo decided to ignore the message. It would take too long to explain, and there was so little time. He asked the pilot to fly faster. His phone vibrated again. This time, it was from Kiku.

'Yong-soo, what's the matter? Are you ok? Where are you right now?' Yong-soo didn't like it that his China hyung sounded mad at him, but Kiku was the one that actually sounded worried. So he also ignored this message. There was the last one from Alfred.

'Hey, Yongs, what's the matter with yah? Because of you, the whole Asians are in frenzy. They're all worried about you. Yes, even Yao. Now come back.' He usually did not disobey America. But this time, was an exception. There was a reason, and this exception was needed. But he had to at least reply.

'I apologize to cause trouble to everyone. But I cannot go back right now, Jones-nim. I will be back for the next meeting, I promise that. I apologize again.' And he shut off his phone after sending it. Soon he was home.

After Yong-soo left, Yao secretly with Kiku took a jet and followed Yong-soo. Where ever HE was going, he wasn't just leaving the two of them behind.

After landing in the airport, he took a taxi to the port. No one else seemed upset, or horrified. No one knows yet. Or maybe nothing happened. Yong-soo hoped it was the second reason. But it cannot be confirmed until he saw it himself. He told the drive to go to the port.

Yao and Kiku arrived just in time to see Yong-soo heading to the entrance. They also took a taxi and told the driver to follow the taxi Yong-soo as riding in. The driver gave them a funny look, as if he was thinking, 'what are these psychos, do they think they're shooting an action movie?' but he nodded and drove. Yao and Kiku looked at each other worriedly now. What was Yong-soo doing dashing here after ditching the meeting?

Yong-soo came out of the taxi, and ran to the sea. He looked around hurriedly, but he couldn't see anything. He groaned, and jumped into a big fishing boat. He heard voices behind him, and turned around. He saw his brothers, calling out to him.

"Yong-soo, what do you think you're doing! Did you ditch the meeting to go FISHING aru?!" Yao screamed, while running over to him. Yong-soo didn't reply, but turned on the boat's engines. Just before Yong-soo left, the two managed to jump in the boat with him.

"Really, what do you think you're doing?!" Kiku shouted to him, losing all the composure he had. He seemed to do that a lot, losing him composure, when it came to him. Yong-soo did not reply and sailed on, until he knew-this was the place. He stared around him. The sea was calm. There was a light breeze. But the water was murky, and the air smelled of smoke. It indicated. No, it proved. A ship had sunk. There were various tiny bits of metal floating around. He stared at it. He heard it ringing in his ears. But just barely.

'Help me.'

Yong-soo screamed. Yong-soo screamed, and felt his legs give out. He fell on his knees, and screamed. He saw his brothers with alarmed scared faces, but he didn't care. Then, the thought came to him-he needed to save them now. It wasn't too late. Yong-soo took off his suit jacket and his tie. He took off his belt and got ready to jump off the boat. But he felt strong arms grab hold of his arms and legs. He turned around, his eyes like a madman, and saw his two brother, his two older, caring, brothers that had no idea what was happening. No idea what so ever what was happening underneath those murky waters.

"LET GO!" He screamed. He thrashed about. But those old nations were strong. They held on to him until he wore out. They tossed him back into the boat, and tried to meet his eyes.

"Alright, Yong-soo, I've had enough aru! You'd better explain what's happening right now this instant aru! Or you'll get a good beating to go and ditch the meeting!" Yao yelled. Kiku, who usually stopped Yao from yelling at him too much, yelled also.

"What were you thinking by jumping down there?! You could have hurt yourself! Don't you ever think of what you're doing before you take action?!" Yong-soo stared at the two of them, frowning, out of breath from yelling at him. He felt his eyes water.

"…ship…." Yong-soo said weakly.

"What?" Kiku asked.

"….There was a ship. The military ship. There were so many young men…..I…..I need to save them….They….I can feel it….they….they're still alive…" Yong-soo stood up again. He once more edged to the end of the boat, but his brothers held him back. But instead of pulling him out of the water, they hugged him. They hugged him tight. Yong-soo could feel it. They were thinking that the men were already dead, that there's no way they could have survived. But Yong-soo could feel it. Their hearts were still pounding in that deep sea. They were still alive, screaming for help! But Yong-soo also knew there was nothing he could do right then, in his fishing boat, with his bare hands, there was nothing he could do to save them. Yong-soo turned to his brothers and felt his hot salty waters flowing from his eyes. He let his heart open, and cried out. They pat him on the back, they murmured comforting words. He let himself be comforted, letting himself believe there was nothing he could do, and that there's no hope. That it was a lost cause.

Yong-soo stared at the TV. The people were screaming. The mother, the wives, the daughters, the sons. They wanted their sons, their husbands, their fathers back. 'They need to be rescued' they cried. Yong-soo allowed the procedures to help the ship get lifted back up, but he knew, or so he thought-it was hopeless. He shut off the TV, and hummed a tune. He shut off the screams he heard in his head. He knew the screams weren't from the men on the ship. They were dead. It was a lost cause.

Yong-soo stood on the funeral, in front of the closed coffin with his eyes wide open again. What was he thinking, to just use people, his OWN PEOPLE, as shows, to show he was working to save the dead people in the ship? The coffin was surrounded by white flowers. Behind him were the silent people. Here was another man, who tried to do something, who actually tried to do in something he himself did not believe would work. The man, this man who lied in the coffin now, was a better being. He actually tried. He wanted success. He kept on believing. Yong-soo stared at his white flower. He felt the guilt, the painful shame. He didn't deserve to put the white flower next to the man's body. But he did, and he bowed his head. He stood there silently, staring at the portrait of the man again. He felt the hot water flow down his face again, and his throat getting closed. He wiped the tears. He knew what this man would say-tears wasn't for men, and tearful men wasn't for the military. Yong-soo stepped down from next to the coffin. That was it. The search was closed down. No more dead people.

Yong-soo was in his work, and walking to get his lunch, when he overheard two men talking to each other.

"How long is the president going to keep this up? I feel sorry for Yong-soo-nim to be the only one to not know this."

"Can't be helped, can it? It's only a guess too. And anyways, the North Koreans DID say it couldn't have been their bomb that triggered the explosion." Yong-soo's mind went blank. North Korea. Im Yong-hwan. Democratic People's Republic of Korea. His brother. The criminal. The killer.

Yong-soo went to his home in the 38th parallel. It was hidden to people, but the house was right on the 38th parallel and his brother and he lived on it together. Contribute to both their government and bosses. Yong-soo opened the front door and slammed the door closed. He knew his brother was in there. Sure enough, North Korea walked out of his room looking ticked off.

"This isn't just your house. So respect it." He said crossly. Yong-soo saw his proud face and couldn't control it anymore. He tried so hard to appease to him, so they could be together again, be one again. To be bigger. Be more successful. But he couldn't handle it anymore. He threw a punch right across his face.

"You. YOU, KILLED MY PEOPLE!" Yong-soo screamed. Yong-hwan regained focus from the punch.

"Just figured it out? I kidnapped them from you quite a while ago." He said. Yong-soo punched him again on the other side.

"I MEAN THE SHIP! THE SHIP! YOUR BOMB WAS THE THING THAT EXPLODED MY MILLITARY SHIP!!" Yong-soo screamed at Yong-hwan's face. Yong-soo didn't realize Yong-hwan moved until he felt Yong-hwan's hand around his throat, and squeezing it hard.

"Shut up. My BODY, isn't your property. So respect it. And I think I told your idiot people already, it's not my bomb." Yong-hwan said softly. Yong-hwan saw Yong-soo's face going redder, and let go of his throat. "And, even if it was my bomb, where your military ship was, was in a location dangerously close to my territory. I don't like anyone getting close to me." Yong-hwan said.

"You're lying. It's your bomb. I can tell!" Yong-soo said, but quieter. His head spinned from the dizziness of getting chocked.

"My bomb? What if it WAS my bomb? What are you going to do about it, kill me? Hmm? Not give me food? Stop helping me? IS THAT A THREAT?" Yong-hwan said. Yong-soo winced. Yong-hwan saw who had the power now. Yong-hwan smiled and took Yong-soo's chin, pulling it towards him so their eyes met. "So, let's say it was my bomb. It couldn't have been made recently, could it? It's all about nuclear these days, and I really don't see the point in randomly throwing away bombs that I made so carefully to you. It was probably made from a long time ago, per say, 60 years?" Yong-hwan said with a grin. Yong-soo stared horrified. 60 years back, 1950. That's a touchy period for two of them. "Why do you think I would make bombs back then? I don't think we particularly had any enemies…Oh, I remember now, there were two I had, one was….America, and the other was Japan." Yong-soo hwan faked an innocent smile. "It's been a while since I saw anyone except for you and Yao. So anyways, they were my enemies. But I wonder why America was my enemy? ....oh yes, It was because we were ruined, and he tried to kill me, a communist, to support that other government you have. And why were we ruined?" Yong-hwan grinned crazily. "It's all Japan's fault. He ruined us all, and forced me to make weapons to protect myself, and you just happened to stumble upon it. So if you want to find someone to blame, go find Japan." Yong-hwan saw the fear, and hesitation in Yong-soo's eyes. Yong-hwan let go of Yong-soo and walked away. But Yong-soo said to Yong-hwan,

"Stop trying to make me like you!" Yong-hwan whipped around.

"What?" He said, dangerously soft.

"Stop it! You're just trying to make me hate everyone, and not see the joy in life, like you!" Yong-soo yelled again. "Stop blaming Kiku for all your problems! It's not his fault!" Yong-soo said, but his eyes told it all. Just a little push, and he'll fall. Yong-hwan said softly,

"Why are you calling him Kiku?"

"What?" Yong-soo said, caught off guard with the question.

"Why don't you call him hyung like you do with Yao?" He saw it, just one more push… "I know. You still refuse to say that he's your brother out loud, that he's someone you know, but not your brother. You still hate him, deep inside you! I'm not making you hate him, you hate him yourself! And, what would be more comfortable to yourself, blaming it on yourself for getting close to my territory, or blaming it to Japan for it? I think blaming it to Japan would be a better, comfortable option, don't you think?" Yong-hwan said. He saw it. The ruined, hopeless expression he saw before when they were just born, in the 1950's. When they were one of the 3rd worlds. "So, fill up your hate again, blame him. It'll take a whole lot off your shoulders." Yong-hwan whispered to Yong-soo and walked away.

I thank the 46 brave sailors that unfairly lost their life that day. Even thought they probably hated Yong-soo. Sorry it sounds so dark, and/or crappy. I saw the Korean Times, and there was the front page with these men, starting with the age of 19, to 40's. All DEAD. It's suspected that it was a north Korean bomb that triggered it, but they deny it.