"Don't! Don't lie to me anymore! I want the truth!" Korea demanded with a shake of her head, taking a step forward with a pained expression.
Russia merely turned his head to fully face her, something like a sneer quirking up the corners of his lips as he muttered out, "I don't think you can handle the truth..."
"Well I don't want to be denied of the truth either!" Her voice began to increase in volume as she shook her head, her usually composed nature gradually deteriorating away. "What has happened to you...?" The words came out in a whisper, almost pleading for his answer.
"Nothing has happened to me. You're just not my top priority anymore. You shouldn't have been in the first place, I don't know what I was thinking..." The Russian sighed quietly, not choosing to dwell on that specific train of thought too long because it held no valuable answers. "No matter... If you want the truth so badly, then you can hear what I have to say without feeling the need to raise your voice at me."
'No, this can't be Ivan... He's not like this... He could never be this cold hearted... Not after I've known him all these years...'
Her inner voice continued to repeat over and over, trying to convince her that what she was hearing was not the real Russian. Try as she might, the Korean was having difficulty keeping herself together, throat constricting and making it nearly impossible for her to speak without her voice betraying her. She simply nodded without a word, biting on the insides of her cheek to keep herself composed.
"Alright." He paused after noticing her nod in response, slowly articulating his words as though to make it as clear and concise as he could for her to understand.
"Well, what I have to tell you is that starting today, I am no longer wanting to be in contact with you unless you join the Communist side with me. It is non-negotiable and my boss has been demanding this of me for quite a while and I didn't see why he pressed until now. The way things are being run at this point is... Not what is needed to fix my problems and I finally know what it is that will help my country for the better. If you cannot take this positively, then I will not hesitate to forget about you entirely. So, what will it be?"
"W-what... ? C-Communism...?" She gave him a bewildered look, eyes wide as she tried to comprehend everything that he had said. "I-Ivan, have you lost your mind? Communism won't make your land better for your people, it'll tear them, your government and yourself down!" Those words sprang out of her mouth as continued on, still in complete shock.
"Ivan, you must wake up and open your eyes!" She was begging by this point, trying to do all that she could to convince him or shake him out of whatever nonsense his leader had driven into his already fragile mind for the sake of his people, and even, her.
"I knew you would react this way, so I'm willing to give you an ultimatum in order to keep our ties as is," He continued throughout her frantic speaking, utterly nonplussed about the words she had said or the pleading in her tone. What he saw her as right then was a possible obstacle if she so chose to be by not cooperating with his government's efforts, not a fellow country or even a person. At this point in the campaign, she was either his ally or his enemy.
And speaking of enemies...
"I am quite awake, Seon-Hyeong, and I mean it. I am going with what is right for me and if you don't feel capable of taking this path, then I will not force you to come. But, eventually, everyone will be communist anyway, so I am only trying to spare you the late transition by helping you through it now. Now, tell me, what do you choose? Are you with me or are you against me?"
Her brows knitted together, shaking her head slowly as she still couldn't accept that the Russia that she once knew and loved was no longer there. As much as she wanted to deny that fact, somewhere inside of her knew that it was true, the way that he was speaking and the look in his eyes all so real. "I-I... I..." Her voice was trembling, unable to stay stable any longer.
The Korean wanted with all her heart to stay with Ivan, to keep the promise they exchanged decades ago. But she also knew that joining and accepting communism was out of the question, suicidal even if it were to happen. She was already weak and vulnerable, especially after just being released from Japan's rule and she wanted to keep her people from suffering any more
"That is not an answer, Korea. Tell me your decision now. I do not have all day to waste here." Ivan almost growled out in his annoyed state, the sneer turning into a dark and heavy frown, such a saddened expression passing over his face for a short few moments, something hidden trying to escape to the surface before being pushed back into the void while his countenance steeled itself to betray no emotion whatsoever.
"Yes or no. That is all I need to know. Please, make the right choice, then we can stay happy for ever and ever. Like we promised each other, da?" His words came out syrupy sweet like sticky honey, clinging to his every inflection as though it pained him to speak at all, still his emotions stayed buried under the ravings that had been expertly planted into his mind, never to fully become free in his deviously planned trance.
Seon-Hyeong took slow, shuddering breaths, closing her eyes and letting a few moments to pass. She looked back up to meet his gaze, her facial expression a complete opposite of the other nation as her eyes reflecting conflicting emotions ranging from anger, guilt, betrayal and despair.
"I-Ivan... I-I'm sorry... I... Don't want to do this... But I cannot..." She tried to swallow pass the lump that had appeared in her throat, her voice cracking as she continued.
"Y-You have to understand... T-That I love you more than anything in this entire world... T-That I would do anything, even risk my own life to be with you... B-But... But I can't afford to let my own people down..." By the time she had finished, hot tears had already slid down her cheeks.
"Then what is it you are saying? You are... you are not serious, are you...?" All at once the fearless bravado his conscious flimsily fabricated had faded into dust after the true depth of her words slowly sunk in. His body heaving shaky sobs up his throat without his permission while he covered his mouth to try and stifle the horrid sound, the Russian taking small steps back from the scene as if to try and escape the horrible reality of this forced farewell, everything happening too fast for his steadily unraveling mind to take in and hide like it was normally used to doing.
"N-no... No...! Y-you... I... You can't..." Ivan shouted in clear disbelief, fists clenching reflexively to avoid tugging at his scarf as he stared at her with a tumultuous gaze, his head unknowingly shaking back and forth quickly as he continued more quietly, "...Not to me... Not to u-us..." His eyes held unshed tears, miraculously held back for the time being.
Through her blurred vision, Korea could only stare at the other nation, watching as his stoic façade washed away to leave him back to the Ivan she knew. But a sense of hesitation kept her from wrapping her arms around him and just holding him, wishing for the nightmare to end.
'But what if this was simply an act? For her to fall into his trap and join the communists?'
She doubted that he would be capable of tricking her like that, though the same could not be said about his boss who could've ordered such a terrible act. More tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she snapped her eyes shut, trying to weigh the options and make up her mind, to make the right choice...
For her people or for her and Ivan...
To risk having both her land and herself from regretting the choice or not.
"I-I don't want to... I really, really do not want to... But... W-We're nations and our job is to do what is best for our people... Meaning disregarding relationships if it gets to that point... A-And... If you truly wish to continue on the path towards Communism... T-Then go for it... But I'm afraid... That I would have to leave..." She whispered, the pain in her chest intensifying with each word that left her mouth.
"I-I'm sorry..."
As those crushing words landed blow after blow on Russia's already weary heart, shock languidly started taking on the form of another, if not more intense, emotion that caused all traces of his actual self to disintegrate from within and crumble into nothingness beneath his lifetime's worth of deceit, hurt and subsequent distrust of everyone, including himself, the once more broken man beginning to stammer almost unintelligibly.
"No... No, you..." Precious memories of their time together began flashing past his eyes, every little tender moment and heartfelt confession from one to another being played and rewound without pause, backward and forth again, those previously treasured pieces of their history all turning into nothing more but elaborate deceptions in his mind's eye.
"You are... n-not sorry at all! You were never sorry at all!" Again, seething hatred emit from the Russian's eyes, but this time not from any of the numerous untruths his boss might have spewed apathetically to make him appear as just an innocent messenger. Oh, no, this look of utter loathing was one of his own. One that told of each and every feeling on the wide spectrum of unwanted emotions he had to experience throughout the unforgiving centuries and centuries of his immortal life. Those hardening him to the core so that he felt numb, as he did right now to protect himself from sustaining any more heartache.
"I thought my boss was wrong when he first talked about you, but now I know. He was right about you all along...!" Ivan had kept his vehement stare on her the entire time he ranted what he believed to be true before turning to leave, no longer able to stay in the suffocating environment that he unwittingly created as he spat out miserably, "Fine. I will go... And never come back since that is what you so clearly want..."
"Do you... Do you really think that I want to leave like this...?!" Seon-Hyeong questioned, her voice sudden a shout as she snapped her head back up and blinking away the tears to see his back towards her and walking away; walking away from her and all the memories and everything she had held dear.
"That I would throw away everything simply because I want to?! I don't know what your boss has told you, to think that I am someone that you thought I was not, but I do know for a fact that the Ivan-nim I know, would never succumb to his leaders' words and bring down his people... But you are not that Ivan... You're a different Ivan... To me, a stranger." Taking a step forward, she continued on, though with a quieter tone, "You can go on and create your supreme communist empire and pull in other nations down with you... But no matter what, I'll resist. I'll fight... And I'll wait... For Ivan... My Ivan... To return..."
With each derogatory word entrenching itself further into his substiantially low self-esteem, the newly established Soviet chose to bite back with all of the venom he had by this point. The result of this being lies that held the slightest of truth coming forth in bad taste.
"Have it your way, Корея... But, just know that the Ivan you knew, he will never return to you. He is deceased and irretrievable to you and all other people he has ever thought to care about. He will never come back as long as I stand in his place." The last statment was the only thing proven to be valid by this man's presence, his uncaring stare and unshakable arrogance very different compared to Ivan's gentle gaze and near apparent self-loathing.
The female nation returned his gaze steadily with her own tear-glazed yet strong-willed, determined look. "In that case... Without a doubt, he will return... Even if it is not to me specifically, he will return to his former self... Kind and smiling..." She murmured quietly, mustering all of her remaining but diminishing strength to keep her voice from wavering and smile, to show that she was certain that she believed that the Russian was not completely gone.
Pressing her lips into a grim, thin line, she moved past the other nation, adding with a whisper, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Farewell..." She grabbed her coat that hung on the coat hanger, slipping it on before stepping out into the bitter cold, the frigid air cutting at her cheeks as she walked further and further away from the mansion, fighting with all her might to keep her sobs at bay and the tears that threatened to fall again.
He remained silent during her entire speech up until the time she left the large mansion, the Russian more than happy to close the door behind her and imagine the tear-stained face she must have right now. The thought of this causing him tremendous glee while he walked back into his living room to sit down and think about the future, the new future he was hoping to achieve with everything he envisioned coming into place.
'Well...'
Almost everything, but that was not to be thought over again. Rising up from his seat and rushing over to the curtains, the last bit of energy Ivan had left in him went to looking out of the window at the Korean with unfathomable desperation, a single tear slipping out of now light lilac eyes before he was no longer himself, but Tomik instead.
The trip back to her homeland was long, cold and miserable... No, that was would be an understatement, at least for the Korean.
It was late at night when she did arrive but instead of going to her small home she was currently occupying in the capital, she went into a nearby sul-jip, succumbing into the temptations to drink. In most circumstances, Seon-Hyeong would stay away from drinking sul unless it were huge celebrations like at festivals or celebrating with her emperors back decades ago, but at this point, she couldn't care less. There were no more tears for her to shed and no energy for her to cry in anguish, the pain in chest having dulled and numb for her to feel anything in the slightest.
Around the same time, her northern twin had begun to organize and plan his own motives. Hearing about the idea of Communism, it seized his interest, on top of his own boss pursuing him to look into and, perhaps even accepting, this form of government for their people.
Pulling himself back from the now-gone Russian's grasp, Tomik shook his head as he quite quickly wiped that single tear from his cheek and shed his old military garb to put on the darker one's his boss had recently given him, staring at himself in the mirror as he felt all control being given to him.
The very victorious feeling that came with it leaving him laughing cruelly as he went into his study to plan his next move, as the Russian civil war was not yet over nor had the Bolshevik Revolution been won, but it would all-too soon for his citizens and when it did, he would be there to approve of this terrifying treatment of his fellow humankind with a blind eye.
He only had his best interest at heart and this much was apparent when he began calling his closest neighbors, part of the Baltics and others he didn't have the courtesy to remember and told them of their newly honored positions in the growing collection of the Eastern Bloc, also soon to be known as the Soviet Union.
When morning came, Korea found herself laying down in her bed in her little home, head pounding painfully like drums thundering away ceaselessly. She couldn't remember anything but she assumed that after becoming quite intoxicated.
She stumbled around until her subconscious state was able to find her way home. "Ugh... What was I doing drinking..."
She trailed off as she remembered the events from the day before, flooding into her mind all at once and causing her headache to worsen. "So it wasn't a dream..." She murmured disdainfully, curling up into herself to keep herself from trembling and falling apart into more fragmented pieces then she already had.
Aforethought:
sul-jip - A small shop that sells alcoholic drinks and place for men, specifically to hang out
Tomik is the result of the Marxist regime creating a split personality of Ivan's, one associated with extreme loyalty to Lenin and, later, Stalin's communist ideals and known for unmatched apathy to emotional appeals because of his sociopathy. This particular story was taken from a prompt before being converted into Hetalia historical RP with the help of my friend Pocchy as her OC, Fem!Korea.
Thank you for reading!