Captain Yoo Sijin/"Big Boss"
Goodness, it wasn't as if he didn't already have things to do. Returning from the DMZ with that annual kerfuffle under his belt had meant endless meetings and explanations, and because it was black ops meant no reports could be written - which he was mighty glad of - but also meant that everything had to be verbally rehashed again and again through meetings. Sijin was heartily tired of it, and was glad to get a couple of days' rest from the bureaucracy. Ironic how a couple of those despised written reports might have actually saved him some time this time around. Oh well.
Only to have this petty thief come into the picture, and whom his brother-in-arms decide that he would pick up and adopt the stray.
Sijin sighed as he lay in his tent turning over the last few days in his head. He understood where Daeyoung was coming from, he really did. It's just that they were both brothers for a reason: they held similar belief systems and responsibility for one's actions being somewhere at the top of the list. And Sijin knew that once he had made a commitment - even in his head to himself - he would honour it. And thus so would Daeyoung.
"I wonder how much easier life would be if we weren't so responsible," he asked himself as he tossed again to find comfortable position in bed.
At least the whole escapade hadn't gone completely to waste. There was that lovely, spunky doctor they met. Who had mother-henned her patient, and had nearly called the cops on him for suspected gang activity - he had to smile at that memory - and then who had blushed so prettily as she found out he was telling the truth, and then sewed him up again after she found out he busted his stitches in that gang fight with Daeyoung's new stray's gang.
He had felt the spark of attraction when they first met - and had turned on the charm ('thanks mom for teaching me' he thought in a silent lightning prayer to her) - and of course secured a first date with her. He figured he would count it as a first date, even if she had stood him up.
She probably felt obliged to give him the second date since she left him hanging the last time around, and he could have worked with that advantage, except but he managed to screw up the second all on his own, no thanks to this damnable Afghan mission. Which brought him back to the present situation he was in now, mission completed and sleeping outdoors in a sleeping roll waiting for the next morning's pickup.
He figured he would have another chance with her once the week was out. After all, she DID agree to a movie with him, away from the hospital.
He gave up trying to sleep and opened his eyes, and saw a meteor shower pass by. 'Shooting stars,' he murmured. Ever since he was old enough, dad had brought him on camping and fishing trips where they would camp - the car about 20m away - and fish - without catching anything - just spending time together. There on those trips he had learnt about the Bortul Scale for measuring darkness from dad.
"Light pollution is less of a problem in rural areas or in the wilderness, so it is best to stargaze when on a mission to really rural backward places," dad always told him. "Look up on occasion when on missions, don't be so focused on what you are doing that you forget your place on earth, and why God has put you here. Protect beautiful women, children, and the elderly."
When Sijin was younger, he always secretly felt that dad was over-exaggerating, and being just a tiny bit cheesy. But as he grew older, lived life, loved and lost - he knew his dad's principles were right, and consciously began to adopt and articulate them.
He hoped that would be impressive enough for this doctor, who took her job seriously and protected strays, and who volunteered in Africa. And who smelled nice, really nice.
Sijin closed his eyes again. "I hope she doesn't already have a boyfriend," he thought as he felt sleep claim him. " That would be a sticky problem."