As soon as he regained consciousness, he already knew what happened. Or rather, he had a rough idea as to why he was waking up in such a state.
His tongue felt thick in his mouth, his limbs heavy as if he was trying to move through black mud. His throat was painfully dry, his neck aching from a kink, and his head beating with each and every heartbeat. There was a distinct chemical taste in his mouth. Bitter and strong, almost like he was tasting the smell of concentrated ammonia. His ass ached after sitting in the same position for X amount of hours.
That, combined with the ache in his shoulder joints from having his arms tied behind his back, told him everything he needed to know.
Though he couldn't remember anything leading up to his situation, he already knew that at some point, he had gotten a head injury, and then drugged.
He cautiously opened his eyes, feeling some sort of relief at the lack of light. But the same lack of light also put him on edge. While it meant that his captors were not in the room with him, it also meant that his vision was going to be limited.
He listened for a few seconds. Listening to the chirping of crickets, the sounds of breathing, and shuffling. Whispering and voices that he could identify as his teammates. The air was humid, but the foul air that accompanied cell filled his lungs with a smell that he didn't like, but would tolerate.
Though the very moment he heard the baaing of that fucking goat. That cursed sound where it was more of a scream in the beginning before ending in a normal goat noise. The same goat that used to startle him awake when he was a young boy trying to adjust to the new environment.
He knew exactly where he was.
Cerian.
He was in the Cerian province, most likely in a village as there were no nomads that had farm animals with them.
Shit.
He needed to hurry up and get out of there. The last thing he needs is for the Camp to catch wind that he was back in the region.
He sat up in the chair, and after taking a quick glance around the room, he easily got out of the restraints as he was rather familiar with the tying techniques of the Cerian mercenaries. Tight, but as soon as you twisted your hand in just the right way, and pushed your thumb out of place just enough, but not completely, the ropes would slip right off. He had plenty of experience getting out of those knots. One of his handlers was a Cerian mercenary. That same handler made them practice knots until their fingers were bleeding.
"Huh," he looked towards the source of the shuffling he heard earlier," How the hell did you do that?" Seokju, Kyong, along with the rest of team two, was openly staring at him. Their mouths were hanging open. He could barely see them in the moonlight, all of them showing signs of also having head injuries.
He also noticed that he was the only one that had been tied up to a chair. Meaning that there was at least one person who recognized him as Jin because logically, it would make more sense to tie up the team leader, not some stupid teenager.
Well, this was already a shit show.
And he had yet to remember how said shit show even started.
Honestly, he was surprised that everyone was still alive.
Not that he was complaining. It must have been part of the order.
"I've worked with these guys before." He said smoothly, bending down to untie his legs, quickly finding the end of the rope that had been tucked away behind a knot, before pulling it to let his restraints fall to pieces," I know how they teach their people how to tie people up." He climbed to his feet, and ignoring the way his head swam, he went to the rest of his teammates.
"How do you know where we are?" Haneul asked, his voice gruff as he waited to be let out of his restraints.
Ijin pulled at the rope end of Kyong's rope. Seokju was the next one he untied, showing his team leader how to untie the rope so he could start untying the others," I recognize those goats," Seokju gave him an odd glance," They're native to the Cerian province. I saw them often enough growing up."
"So," Seokju said slowly, helping some of the older men to their feet," We're where you used to work?"
He grunted in response. An annoyed look flickered across Seokju's face, and just as he was about to ask Ijin to clarify.
The sound of the lock turning made them stop. The sight of the door opening made Ijin jump to his feet. It was relatively simple in his eyes. It was just the same repetitive motion he had been doing after he learned over five years ago.
He just pulled the man in by the collar of his shirt. Simultaneously pulling the knife out of the sheath on his right hip (Everyone almost always had their knife sheath on their right hip) before he used the very knife he stole to cut the man's jugular vein.
Easy, simple, fast.
Blood spattered onto his front, the smell of blood adding onto the already pungent smell of the cell. Though now that he thinks about it, he could easily pick up the coppery tones of dried blood now that he had fresh blood to compare it to. Wiping a drop of blood off his cheek, he closed the door before kneeling next to the body," We have five minutes until someone comes to check on him," He pointedly ignored their flabbergasted stares as he shamelessly stole the man's clothing and equipment. Tossing the man's spare knife at Kyong, he continued," Ten minutes if they're feeling lazy. Fifteen if we're lucky." They were already lucky enough that the man had a key tucked away in one of his fatigue pockets.
Man, if only the guy had a suppressor.
Prying off the man's vest, he debated giving it to one of the men. Though after seeing that the vest pockets were full of cigarettes rather than bullets as he would have preferred, he motioned for the biggest member of their team to go ahead and take it. He was going to be the biggest target either way.
They were still staring at him.
Strapping the gun holster onto his leg, and tucking away the remaining magazines into his pockets, he grabbed the small walkie-talkie the man had in his pocket. If he was in Cerian, which he was rather sure that he was. That meant that the closest client of his would be Fazl. A businessman that controlled the local trading routes through mercenaries. He had worked with the man a few times to escort traders in and out of the region.
And it just so happened that Fazl also owed him a few favors.
If he remembered correctly, Fazl used a protected frequency that the operator would need to give you access to use. Though Ijin was sure that as soon as he mentioned his name, along with his former passcode, they would know that it was him.
It's not like there was another mercenary Jin.
Turning the dial, he was just about to press down on the call button when there was a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Kyong, who seemed on the verge of either losing his mind or his temper(It was probably both if Ijin was being honest). There was dried blood that had dripped down his temple at one point, and his usual pristine suit was tainted with dirt, blood, and the grime of the cell.
Good to know he wasn't the only one who was manhandled. Though he did have to admit that he was annoyed that his teammates were hurt.
"How well do you know this area?"
Also good to know everyone was in a mutual agreement to withhold their disgust at his blatant show of murder. He could answer their questions later and it looks like they agreed with that.
"Like the back of my hand. I worked in this province often when I was a mercenary."
There were mutters that accompanied his team leaders' frown," I thought you said you were a guide."
He always knew that the lie was going to be exposed one day. And it looks like that day was going to be today. He shrugged the hand off his shoulder, piecing together the foreign words he needed mentally before he answered," Sometimes I was hired to be a guide," ignoring his leader's look, he pressed down on the call button," Fazl. This is Jin. 2203." The use of the local language thoroughly caught the attention of everyone else.
No doubt him using the local language only made it all the more obvious that he was telling the truth.
There was a pause, the sound of a clicking sound as another radio was connected, before the very familiar voice of his former client came on." I presume you are calling in that favor?"
"What villages still have those goats. The fucking loud ones that scream."
It was silent as he waited for the answer. Knowing full well that Fazl was going to answer him as fast as he could.
"Safa is the only village left that has them."
He frowned.
Safa.
That meant that they were rather close to the Grian province.
They were too far from the Korean base to walk there, it would take them a few days to get there. Well, it would take Ijin a full day to get there, but not everyone was used to running for a few hours straight through a jungle.
But they were much closer to the village he lived in while he was a mercenary, and if the money he sent them did them any good. That meant that they had at least one satellite phone with them.
In fact, if they ran, they could arrive at Cajle within a few hours. Assuming that they were able to escape with no injuries.
"Thank you." he turned to the rest of them, turning back to the original frequency as he said," I know where we are," Ah. He did have a suppressor," If we're lucky, we can get to the village I lived in a few hours. From there, we can get into contact with someone who can help."
He stood up, his lower back aching at the position he had been sitting for X amount of hours while he was unconscious.
"What about Ms. Jiyeh?"
He blinked in surprise.
"She's here?"
They stared at him.
"You don't remember?"
Hm.
They really must have knocked the living shit out of his head in that case.
"No."
"You haven't forgotten anything else right?" Seokju almost helpfully added on. A tone of worry in his voice as it was known that Ijin had a troublesome history of losing his memory.
"No." Ijin said firmly, twisting the suppressor onto the end of the gun as he gave his teammates brief instructions. "Leave the hostiles to me," they shuffled on their feet, all of them had looks of discomfort and disagreement on their face," The Cerian mercenaries are known for their lethality. Don't hesitate to kill them should you encounter them, they won't hesitate to kill you. Can everyone run?"
Even in their shocked silence, he still got quiet answers and nods to confirm that everyone was still capable of movement.
He looked at his teammates one more time.
Though he could tell that everyone was extremely unsettled, as well as stressed they were all keeping it together rather well. Especially since many of them did not have previous experience. Saem seemed to be the one who was most composed, standing at the front of the group as his military training came out.
Ijin just knew that Saem was going to have his back. Kyong was dependable as well, however, Ijin knew that he didn't have as much combative experience as he and Saem did. Either way, it was always nice having someone else to depend on.
Without further ado.
Ijin opened the door.
There was a mercenary right on the other side of the door (He was probably checking on the now-dead mercenary), forcing Ijin to pistol-whip him before looting the man. This time, it was Saem who took the second gun, while Ijin took the man's knife.
Running down the hall with everyone behind him was nostalgic. It reminded him of when he met the Major. When he escorted him and his men out of that building they had been held captive in. The situations were rather similar, his body moving through the motions of raising the gun and firing. The motions of putting in a burst of speed to get to the men at the end of the hall to take them out before they could raise the alarm, or draw their weapons.
It was all familiar.
He could tell that he was unsettling his teammates with how fluidly he was moving, the way he was effortlessly killing or disabling the mercenaries without a second thought.
But he would rather have unsettled teammates than dead teammates. They couldn't judge him if they were dead.
He opened the third door he came across- they still had to find the madam after all-and ushered everyone inside when he realized that it was a map room, as well as the room where they had all the keys for the cells.
Tearing the map off the wall, he slapped it down onto the table. He took a quick look at the map as he grabbed the nearby marker. He was relieved to see other than a few towns being crossed out, there were no additions to the camp territory, nor had they moved from the location he remembered.
Ok, so that was a plus. That meant they had a decent chance that none of the camp operatives were nearby. They would be royally screwed otherwise.
"In the event, we get separated," he drew a line from Safa to Cajle, circling the town as he did," head towards the sunrise. There's going to be a village next to a river, they're going to have cattle on the edge of the village. That's Cajle and that's where we're going. If you get there before we do, wait for us in the forest, they'll attack if I'm not with you."
They nodded their heads, all of them committing the instructions to memory.
"What do we do if something happens to you?"
He blinked in surprise.
He looked up at Saem, who was waiting patiently for Ijin to answer the question. The man's unkempt state did nothing to take away some of his sternness.
It was a good question to be fair. Especially since there were a decent amount of people who would gladly kill him since he has killed plenty of brothers, sons, partners, etc.
Though Ijin wouldn't allow something to happen to him. He was the only one who could get everyone back to Korea. For both his family's sake and everyone else's sake, he couldn't afford any major injury.
"Don't worry about me," He grunted out, looking back down at the map as he folded it up and passed it to Saem for save keeping," This isn't my first time doing something like this."
Kyong frowned at the teen's blatant disregard of the question. "That's awfully arrogant Ijin."
Ijin had to resist the urge to sigh in annoyance," We don't have time for this. Until we return to Korea, please call me Jin," Saem took in a sharp breath, and Ijin just knew that Saem had heard about his reputation as mercenary Jin, "I don't want the people here to know my real name."
His assumption was proven right.
"You're Mercenary Jin!?" Saem hissed out, surprised coloring his face," Why didn't you tell us?!"
Ijin hummed dismissively as he reloaded his gun," It is hardly something to be proud of," pushing the magazine into place, he started speaking again," The madam is most likely on the floor above us. I will be back."
And without giving anyone the chance to protest his decision.
He closed the door, locking them inside.
He jiggled the doorknob, "Little shit," Saem hissed out, barely resisting the urge to punch the door out of frustration," He locked us inside."
If it wasn't for the fact that he found out that their teenage teammate was really one of the world's best mercenaries, he would have been another level of pissed.
"Is Ijin going to be okay?" Seokju asked, his hand fiddling with the hem of his sleeve as he waited for the answer.
He, much like the rest of them, had a swollen lump on the side of his head after they had been knocked out. The red smears on the side of his face informed Saem that the teenager had wiped off the blood at some point in time.
And just like the rest of them, he was barely keeping himself together by having an iron grip on their nerves.
Saem waved him off, going around the room as he tried to find more pieces of information that could potentially help them. But unless he spoke the local language like Ijin did, it didn't help in the slightest, " If he is who I think he is, he's going to be fine."
"Mercenary Jin. Right?" Kyong asked coolly from the corner he was standing in, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he stared down his subordinate," And who is Mercenary Jin?"
Sometimes, it was easy to forget that not everyone dived into the military world as he did during their years of service.
He sighed heavily," Mercenary Jin is- was a world-class mercenary. He stopped taking jobs about a year ago, but he was one of the best. I heard about him from some American soldiers when I was in the military. They told me that they hired Jin to rescue a Master Sergeant of theirs a few years back. Jin had their Master Sergeant back on their base within two days when they had been looking for him for two weeks," The longer he explained who Ijin seemed to be, the more unsettled the men started to look. Still, he continued nonetheless," Apparently, he was very picky with the jobs he would take, he was known for only taking escorts and protection jobs. Jin never took any hit jobs, but if you wanted an escort, Jin was the one you wanted."
They stood in silence after hearing the explanation. All of the men brooding over what they just heard, and quietly making connections between what they just heard, and the skills Ijin just demonstrated.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Sung-Ho added on quietly, chewing on his lip as he did so," Do you think he used to be that Jin guy?"
Saem huffed as he mulled over his thoughts.
He, along with the team leaders had long noticed that Ijin had been professionally trained from the very beginning. The teenager was easily on par with them, if not more skilled than most of the older members of the teams.
That, combined with the way the teenager was efficiently taking out any hostiles. Hitting them in just the right places to knock them out, or throwing the knives accurately enough where they almost died immediately. And the way Ijin did it with absolutely no hesitation at all. The way he rushed into situations would have had Saem's military commander screaming at him if he tried to do the same. It was obvious that Ijin had been professionally trained.
But it was also obvious that he had not been trained by military personnel in the slightest.
"With the way he was fighting those men. Yeah. I think he's telling the truth."
The conversation quickly fell off after that.
After such a stressful experience (that has yet to end) along with the revelation that one of the youngest members was one of the best was not because he was a prodigy. But because he was a former mercenary of all things, was really messing with their heads.
But at the same time, now that they knew the truth. It also made a lot of sense. All of the scars, tendencies, and slight quirks they had associated with the teenager made a lot more sense now that they knew that he had been living and working in such a hell hole for so long.
There was a burst of gunfire above them, and they found themselves ducking before they realized that unless a bullet went through the ceiling, they were safe.
"I hope nothing bad happened," Seokju muttered to himself, not realizing that his statement had everyone nodding along with them.
After a few minutes, Saem took the map back out, allowing it to be passed around the room so everyone else could memorize it in the event someone did get separated.
There was a knocking on the door.
Everyone tensed up, Saem and Kyong slowly climbing to their feet at the front of the room.
"Hurry up," his voice was slightly muffled due to the door, the sound of the lock being turned accompanied his voice," I got Ms. Jiyeh. We need to leave." But it was undeniably Ijin's voice.
Saem opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Ijin, who now had a few more bags strapped to his legs along with a few more stains on his dress shirt. And upon closer inspection, was the Madam, disguised in some oversized fatigues with a face covering. Ijin must have noticed their confusion, as he was quick to explain," Most women dress like men in this region. It's dangerous if they don't."
Well, that was good enough for them.
It was silent as Ijin led them out of the building.
There were men scattered all over the place. Some of them were lifeless as their blood slowly seeped into the cement floor. Others groaned as their injuries got the best of them.
He counted their lucky stars as he led them through the quiet town. Many of the inhabitants had already gone to bed for the night, and no doubt about it, the brief exchange of bullets he had earlier just gave everyone more incentive to stay inside their homes until morning came.
He counted all seven of them as they entered the forest, the ball of anxiety in his chest getting smaller. While they were not completely out of danger yet, they were almost there.
He definitely was not looking forward to having to explain all of this to the others once they got out of that shit hole.
"Er...are you okay?" That was an exceedingly stupid question that wouldn't have pissed him off so much had it been any other time. He tried lifting his leg, cursing foully under his breath when the suction of the mud kept him in place.
It had been so dark in the forest, that Ijin didn't notice the patch of black mud until he stepped onto it.
And in the usual characteristic of black mud, he sunk right through it, the mud filling in the gap between his leg and the mud, creating a seal that was hard to break. On the best of days, it was difficult to get out.
On the worst of days, it was nearly impossible to get out without some type of help.
He sighed in annoyance," I'm stuck." He hissed out. The fact that he had already sunk in up to his lower thighs only made him more upset.
"Is it black mud?" He could barely see anyone's face, but he could tell by the voice that it was Saem who had asked.
"Yes." And to make it worse, none of them had any rope they could use to help pull him out.
There was the clinking of metal, and then the sound of something hitting the mud next to him," Grab on," He felt blindly for whatever had landed near him, quickly feeling smooth leather under his fingertips," We'll pull you out." Well, at least they were being proactive.
He grabbed onto the belt and wrapped it around his fist once before he gave the affirmative that he was ready.
Turns out it was exceedingly easy to get pulled out of black mud when there were six strong and abled men pulling on the other side. The wound in his leg stung when he was dragged across a few sticks and pebbles, but he was just grateful that he still had his dress shoes on. Seokju helped him to his feet, and Ijin had to take a few minutes to shake off his legs to try and dislodge the mud that was stubbornly clinging onto his pants.
It was a stupid mistake that just frustrated him. Not only was his head hurting something fierce, but he was also now covered in mud with a wound on his leg that no doubtedly came into contact with the disgusting mud.
"I forgot how much I hate this fucking place."
That made a startled laugh come out of one of the men.
"You must hate it if you're talking like that." Saem said, a light tone in his voice.
Ijin huffed.
He had no idea.
His slacks were sticking stubbornly to the dried blood. The fibers were pulling at the meager scab that had formed. Blood started dripping down his thigh again. The dried mud absorbed the liquid before it went any further down his leg.
"Fuck me," he quietly muttered to himself. He pressed his pant against it, trying to stem the flow. His head moved on a swivel, trying to make sure that none of his teammates had seen his injury.
He should have known that the endeavor to safety was going far too well when he went up to retrieve the madam. A stray bullet ( For some reason, the fact that it was a stray bullet really annoyed him) had grazed his thigh after he encountered the guards outside of the madam's cell.
The wound wasn't large enough to hinder his movement. But it was large enough to cause pain and with his lack of supplies, it was the perfect candidate for infection.
He didn't even have water to wash it out.
And to make it better, it was bigger than he thought. He had felt it earlier when they were pulling him out of the mud and while he knew it was there, he pushed off checking on it.
The material of his dress pants did nothing to absorb the blood and after a few minutes, he just gave up and let the blood drip down as he inspected it in the morning rays.
Throwing one more glance over his shoulder, he pressed his fingertips against his wound. The skin was hot under his fingers, and the area was starting to swell up. The edges of the cut were a light green.
Yep.
It was definitely starting to get infected. It was most likely that dip into the black mud that exposed it to all types of bacteria.
And he didn't have a single thing to prevent it. Nothing to boil drinking water, nothing to wrap it up in. Hell, he didn't even have a water canister. None of them did.
He was ashamed of it, but he completely forgot to take their lack of supplies into account.
If they had everything they needed, then they could have run through the forest freely at a pace that would have allowed them to arrive at Cajle within a few hours. Maybe a little bit longer as Ijin was the only one that was used to running in a jungle for hours on end.
However, due to the fact that many of them were wearing dress shoes, they had to slow down their pace dramatically as a twisted ankle would slow down their pace even more. The only one that was wearing combat shoes was Ms. Jiyeh, and that was after Ijin had forced her to wear the oversized clothing he had pilfered off the men. To make it even better, everyone was running on fumes as it had been at least 12 hours since any of them had gotten a bite to eat, or a drink of water. What should have been a five-hour run had become a 12-hour walk at a minimum.
His injury was not making it any better. Especially since he didn't have a single thing to intake to help his body replenish the lost blood.
He really did have shitty luck sometimes.
The blood loss, combined with his head injury, made it difficult to keep his balance, or coordination at times.
For now, a strip of his formerly white dress shirt was going to have to make due.
Pulling his pants back up, he tugged his pant leg into place, adjusting it so the white cloth couldn't be seen from the hole the bullet caused. He walked back to the group, taking care that he kept his gait smooth and even. They perked up at the sight of him. "We're halfway there," He did not miss their looks of disappointment (As Hyeokjin would say: mood)," We should arrive by early afternoon." They were all on the way to being exhausted. Many of them had already taken off their suit jackets and were just trudging along in the hot and damp jungle to get to safety.
So assuming that they were going to arrive by early afternoon was already a stretch.
"Well," Seokju grunted as he stood back up, using the tree he was leaning against as he did so," This certainly explains your monstrous stamina," Seokju's comment made him crack a smile, along with a few chuckles from the other men," How long would it take you normally to get to the village?"
He did one more headcount and took up the lead before answering," a few hours at most. It would have taken me longer if I had my usual equipment."
"No need to rub it in our face kid," Kyong said dryly, standing protectively behind the madam as they walked over some tree roots," You're young. We get it."
It was moments like these.
When he realized just how lonely he was as a mercenary.
Ijin chuckled," You're not that old sir," he allowed himself to take part in their bantering for just a little bit. The conversation was just another distraction from the pain in his leg, and he would be lying if he said that he didn't welcome it.
"Well you make me feel old."
"Alright. That's enough chit chat," Saem spoke up from behind, though the smile on his face almost nullified his statement," I-er Jin, is there anything we need to look out for?"
His right leg stung painfully after a branch poked it almost perfectly in the wound," No sir." His headache wasn't making it any better. Curse whoever knocked him over the head," We may run into a cougar, however the chances of that happening are low."
Someone sputtered behind him," Um. Have you ever run into one?" Sung-Ho must have been the one who sputtered.
"Once," He said truthfully, pushing a branch out of the way for the madam," A few years ago. He stalked us until we made it back to the village. But bears are worse."
That made a few chuckles go around the group.
Sometimes, they almost forgot that Ijin had gotten chased by a bear back on that team excursion.
By mid-morning, Ijin knew that his cut had taken a turn for the worse. It throbbed with his heartbeat even as he stood still. He could feel the wound's heat even through the makeshift bandage, and if the semi-clear fluid on his fingers had anything to tell him, it wasn't blood that was seeping through.
Great.
Who knew that a hot, damp forest, would be the perfect infection breeding ground for an unwashed wound?
Ignoring the way his head swam every time he turned a little bit too fast, he continued to lead them through the forest. He was the only one that knew the way. He was the only one that could communicate to the Cajle people who they were, and what they needed for them to be able to leave.
He couldn't afford to pass out.
Almost eight hours later, Ijin wanted to collapse as soon as he saw Cajle. He, like the others, had only gotten worse as the walk went on. Though he had garnered more than one look of concern when they saw how much he was sweating. Ijin himself knew that he wasn't sweating because of the heat.
And since the others had seen him barely sweat on some of the hottest days in Korea, he just knew that they found it odd why he was sweating more than them.
Wiping the sweat off his chin, he approached the guard.
Huh.
Tarhunna sure did grow.
Tarhunna, a carbon copy of his older brother, rose his gun at the sight of him. Ijin rose his hands as he got closer," Tarhunna." His simple greeting was enough to take the young man off guard," You've grown." Tarhunna squinted at him, his light green eyes scrutinizing him until he finally recognized him," Jin!" he ran up to Ijin happily, an almost giddy smile on his face," I thought you went back to Korea! What are you doing here?!"
Suffering.
He was most definitely suffering.
"My employer was kidnapped and they brought me and my team along for the ride," There was no point in lying when they were going to be leaving in a few hours.
Not to mention the entire town had agreed to stay hush hush about his whereabouts as Jin since he often would help protect the village when he still lived there.
The boy nodded happily. Tarhunna used to be one of the boys that Ijin lived with. They lived in the same building and although Ijin was quite cold at the time, they still developed a sort of friendship," I'll send word to the elder. Is it just you?"
"No. There are seven others with me."
"Ok. Do you need anything?"
"Food, water, and a satellite phone. I'll send the payment when I return to Korea."
"Ok. Get the others, I'll let my brother know."
Tarhunna was as kind as he remembered.
"Thank you." Ijin motioned for Saem and Kyong to lead the others out of the forest, all of them looking all types of grateful and relieved as they walked out of the tree line," they agreed to help us," the tension was starting to leave his body, and he had to fortify himself because it felt like he was going to collapse the very moment he left his concentration slip," I'll call Major Kang and let him know where we are. He'll most likely will be the one who comes and gets us."
No one questioned how he knew the madam's fiancé, and even if they did. He wasn't going to answer them.
Everything passed in a blur for his fever-ridden brain.
He vaguely remembers drinking as much water as his stomach was willing to take (Which wasn't much), as well as greeting some of the villagers he knew as a mercenary. But the entire time, he felt exhaustion wearing down on his body.
He typed the number into the satellite phone, one of the few numbers that he knew by heart, and held it up to his face. it took him a few tries to actually get an answer from the older man. His call went straight to voicemail after the Major rejected the calls, most likely because it was a foreign number that he didn't recognize.
But the third time was the charm.
"Major Hamchan Kang of the Korean Army."
He let out a giant sigh of relief," Major Kang," He sighed out. It felt so good to hear the man's voice," It's me."
"IJIN?!" he had to lean away from the phone, he could hear the rest of the men clamoring in the background as they usually did when they found out he was calling the Major," WHERE ARE YOU?!"
He appreciated the enthusiasm. He really did.
But he was way too tired for that volume.
He rubbed his eyes as he spoke into the phone," We were taken to Safa. I managed to get everyone out. We're in Cajle now."
Thankfully, the Major got right to business. His military training kicked in as all hints of nervousness left his voice," I'll inform S.W once I send a helicopter to your position. I'll send Gwangsik and Dae-Hyun to retrieve you guys."
Oh, that was good.
They definitely needed Dae-Hyun to come along.
Dae-Hyun was going to kill him.
"Thank you sir."
"How is everyone?"
He glanced at the others, who were happily accepting food and water from the women of the village. He felt a spark of amusement when he saw Tarhunnas aunt fussing over Seokju and Jiyeh." Exhausted. It took us longer than I anticipated to get to Cajle but they have no injuries. The villagers already gave us food and water.'' The thought of food made him want to puke.
The Major was going to kill him once he realized that he hadn't included himself in reporting the lack of injuries.
"Good. Think you can hold out until they arrive?"
"Yes sir."
"Ijin."
Did he notice?
"Yes?"
"It's good hearing your voice," the Majors voice wavered just the slightest bit ," You really scared us, you know that?"
He huffed out a sigh, a weary smile gracing his lips," Sorry sir. I won't do it again."
"You better not. Little shit. See you in a little bit."
If he hadn't been so exhausted and feverish.
Ijin would have realized that the Major had decided to come along after all.
As soon as he stepped off the helicopter.
He knew something was wrong.
Ijin was already a pale person, even after living in Grian for so long since he would wear his Shemagh to protect/hide his face.
Now?
Ijin looked paperwhite. Sweat plastered his head against his forehead. He was covered with blood, dirt and looked like a mess overall. His fists clenched tightly at his side, even as the rest of him looked relaxed.
He definitely looked like he had been leading his team to safety for the last half-day. All of the tension left Ijin's body when they made eye contact, Kang could see the relief just flowing through the boy's body.
And there was something screaming at him to get to Ijin.
He was running towards Ijin, Dae-Hyun right behind him as the experienced medic no doubt noticed the condition of their young friend. Kang wrapped his arms around Ijin just in time for his knees to buckle, becoming completely limp as his eyes rolled into the back of his head," Dae-Hyun!" he barked sharply as if the medic wasn't already kneeling next to them.
"On it." Wrapping his arm around Ijin's shoulder and pulling his right arm over his head, the Major copied the medics' actions. Together, they stood up, carrying the young man to the helicopter as the rest of the S.W members watched nervously.
Leave it to their little idiot to leave out the fact that he was in such a condition.
Even though he hated it, the Major left Ijin to Dae-Hyun as he helped the rest of the group climb into the helicopter and got them ready to fly. It wasn't until they were in the air again when he was able to go over to Dae-Hyun and ask for an update on Ijin.
"Kid's sick," the man said gruffly, pushing an I.V needle into Ijin's limp arm as he spoke," He's got a bad fever," He turned to the others, who were just staring as they fussed over him," Did he get an injury? How long has he been like this?"
"No. He didn't tell us about an injury," One of the men spoke up, his eyes distant as if he was remembering something," He was moving slower than usual. But we've been walking since last night. We thought he was tired like the rest of us."
Kang and Dae-Hyun exchanged looks. Without further prompt, Kang started to unbutton Ijin's shirt, pulling it open as Dae-Hyun started to run his hands up and down Ijin's legs, trying to find a hidden injury under his clothes. Just as Dae-Hyun ran his hands down Ijin's right thigh, the teenager groaned, his face scrunching up in a grimace as he unconsciously tried to pull his leg away from the medic.
There it was.
Kang passed Dae-Hyun the trauma scissors, allowing the man to cut Ijin's muddy pants away, revealing the scrap of cloth that was wrapped around his leg.
"This fucking idiot," he gritted out, using the same scissors to cut away the strip of cloth. Tossing the scissors to the side, he carefully started to pull away the cloth, already picking up the sharp pungent smell of infection. He scrunched up his nose at the green, pus dripping wound that was on the teen's leg. It wasn't too deep, just deep enough to require stitches for the somewhat small wound. But a infection was an infection.
"That's definitely infected. He probably hid this so you guys wouldn't slow down your pace," He rummaged through his bag, quickly finding the syringes and vials that he needed," I'm sure Ijin was the only one who knew where to go right?" he pushed the dose of painkiller and a basic antibiotic into the I.V port. As soon as he was done, he started to rummage through his bag for the materials he needed to disinfect the wound," Knowing our little idiot. He was waiting for us to show up so he could get this treated."
"Pretty sure he wasn't planning to pass out." Kang said as he carefully opened a package of gauze, making sure he didn't touch the gauze as he handed it to Dae-Hyun's gloved hands.
"Pretty sure he wasn't planning to pass out either sir. Make sure you hold him down properly."
"Uh," Kyong cut in nervously, watching as Saem moved to place his hands on Ijin's shoulders," What are you doing?"
Briefly exchanging nods with Saem, he answered," We need to hurry and clean that cut before he gets any worse," the Major said simply as he pinned down Ijin's hips with his weight, his hands resting on the teenager's upper thigh as the medic used his free hand to hold down Ijin's knee.
Ijin was a strong boy after all.
"Most of the time, we would wait until the painkiller kicks in, but if it's this infected after less than a day, we need to hurry up and clean it. Besides," He poured rubbing alcohol right onto the wound, all of them wincing at the way Ijin's leg nearly jerked out of his grip.
Ijin jerked to life almost immediately, a strangled curse falling out of his mouth as the medic let the rubbing alcohol seep in before wiping it away.
Well, it would have been more concerning if he didn't wake up.
Dae-Hyun glanced at Ijin, who was now holding onto Saem's wrists as he tried to process what was happening," Good. You're awake. We're cleaning out your cut, "he wiped an alcohol-soaked gauze pad across the wound, cleaning off all of the dried pus and blood with enough force where some of the others had to look away," This is what you get for hiding an injury from them."
Ijin groaned as he tried his best to stay still. He had a good pain tolerance but son of a bitch. It was a different type of pain when someone was practically scrubbing a fresh wound to clean it," Fuck you." he groaned out, clearly upset by the way he was woken up.
"Next time, tell them that you're hurt Ijin," the Major said blandly, sending a look of disappointment over his shoulder," Why didn't you tell them?"
Dae-Hyun used another alcohol-soaked gauze pad to scrub at some dried blood with enough force to make Ijin let out a mix of Korean and Grianian curses," I've had enough teammates die on me," Ijin bitterly muttered, his eyes clenched tightly as the medic continued to disinfect the cut," I wasn't going to risk the others because of a fucking stray bullet."
"Appreciate the sentiment kid," Saem muttered out, internally wincing at the way the medic was cleaning the wound," But we could take care of ourselves."
"Was that before or after I got us out of that building?" Ijin snarked out, his voice having a harsh tone as he spoke through the pain, his voice becoming a higher pitch towards the end.
"Hey," Kang said firmly," Talk however you want to us. I know it hurts kid, but he's your superior." He put more force into pinning the teenager after Dae-Hyun caused a particularly violent flinch.
The kid turned another shade of pale, "Go fuck yourself Major." Ijin immediately remedied, his words had been gritted out.
The others exchanged looks.
Was it okay for Ijin to talk to a major like that?
"That's better. Dae-Hyun, how's it going?"
Apparently, it was.
"Well," The medic pressed a wad of gauze against the wound, causing yet another hiss of pain as he started to wrap it up," I cleaned it out, but we're going to have to keep on cleaning it before stitching it up when we get back. Whatever bacteria got into it must have been a nasty one since it's a fresh wound. I'll keep an eye on it."
The Major let out a noise of approval as he climbed off the exhausted teenager, who was left panting as the others slowly let go of him. "Hey," Dae-Hyun snapped his fingers above Ijin's face, making Ijin sluggishly open his eyes to look at him," The pain is making you lucid for now. But you got a bad fever kid. Don't be surprised if you wake up back on base in a couple days. Got it?"Ijin sluggishly nodded his head, the painkiller kicking in as the boy started to doze off, but was trying to stay awake as long as he could.
Dae-Hyun huffed at the sight, and with another quick check of the boy's temperature (Yikes 102.7) he patted Ijin on the shoulder," Get some sleep."He got one more nod before the boy fell asleep, quickly falling into a deep sleep as the painkillers and antibiotic did their magic.
It was silent for a few minutes as everyone sat, many of the others drifting off to sleep much like Ijin did now that their youngest was taken care of in a safe environment.
"Wow," Jiyeh said quietly, her voice matching the bruises on her neck. She motioned for her fiancé to stay in his place, a silent plea for him to keep it professional until they had a private moment. A plea that he listened to almost begrudgingly." I had no idea Ijin could talk like that…"
The Major huffed out a smile," Oh that was nothing like he used to be. He was worse when I first met him after he was hired to sav-guide us out of the region."
"Its okay sir," Seokju cut in quietly, his eyes focused on the sleeping figure of his friend," We know Ijin used to be a mercenary."
"Smooth." Dae-Hyun said distractedly as he adjusted the tape on Ijin's I. V
"Shut it."
"Is Ijin going to be okay?" the madam croaked out, revealing the reason why she had been so quiet the entire time.
Dae-Hyun hummed as he dug out a tub of salve and motioned for the Major to pass it to the woman," He's going to be fine. Might take him a few days to recover from the infection, but I'll know more once we get back to base. Come here so I can check your throat. I can tell they did a number on you."
Seokju sat in silence. Guilt washed over him as he realized that in his dependence on Ijin, his friend had taken upon the responsibility to work tirelessly to get everyone out safely.
He felt like the world's biggest idiot at the moment. Especially since at one point in time, he clearly remembers looking at his fellow teenager and reminding himself that he needed to tell Ijin to take a break. He must have been a special type of stupid because he completely forgot to tell Ijin to do exactly that.
"Seokju right?" he came out of thinking to realize that the Major was sitting right next to him.
"Erm. Yes sir…" How did the Major know his name?
"Major Kang. Ijin talks about you guys a lot," the Major added helpfully upon seeing his confused look, his hand extended for a handshake that Seokju slowly took," Though I recognize you from the video when he accidentally hit you with the dirt rock."
He blushed," He sent you that?!" his voice in a slightly higher pitch.
The Major laughed," He sent it to the group chat he has with me and my men."
Seokju turned even redder.
Well, that was mortifying.
Asshole.
"But er. Me and my men wanted to thank you," the Major said awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as Seokju gave him an odd glance," You and the others have been able to help Ijin in ways we weren't able to."
Help?
All they did was be friends with him?
" I'm afraid I don't understand sir…"
The Major sighed, his hands looking down at his clasped hands as he slowly said," When we first met the kid, he didn't know the difference between a helping hand and a threat," The Major said slowly, sadness permeating the tones of his voice," the first time I tried getting a fist bump from Ijin, he socked me in the face because the only thing he saw was a fist."
Oh.
That…
That actually sounded like something he would do…
And it was incredibly depressing…
The few members of the team that was still awake (Saem and Kyong) were listening in on the conversation, as were Dae-Hyun and Ms. Jiyeh.
"Sure, he got better after a few months of staying with us. But none of us could have taught him how to be a normal teenager. My youngest soldier is 30, way too old to teach the kid how to act his age. But," the Major paused as he looked back at Seokju with a smile," He started to change when he met you and the others. Though the sarcasm was something I could have lived without," Seokju snorted.
Ijin had become rather good with his sarcasm. It was rare, but it was always well executed.
"That video was the first time I ever saw the kid laugh like that." Well if that wasn't depressing as shit," We damn near cried when he told us that Yeongchan had been showing him Disney movies. You should have seen the way he stared at us when me and this guy started singing Hakuna Matata when we got bored."
"Oh, he was looking at us as if we grew a second head." Dae-Hyun added helpfully as he gently wrapped up the madam's neck," He thought it was some type of folk song."
"Yeah. So thank you. You guys have no idea how much you have helped Ijin."
Seokju squirmed uncomfortably in the seat, blushing at the thanks he was getting for just being a good friend," I'm sure we're even after today…"
Kang snorted," You don't have to worry about that," He said fondly, a soft smile on his face as he watched the madam help Dae-Hyun cover Ijin with a blanket," I'm sure you'll find a chance to pay him back. Ijin's the type where buying him a meal is enough for him."
"…That's not enough for my conscious…" Seokju muttered quietly, picking at a frayed thread from his slacks.
Dae-Hyun let out a bark of laughter." Good luck getting him to accept anything else," He said fondly," Ijin's stubborn when he wants to be. The only thing he won't fight you on is probably stuffed animals."
Seokju blinked in surprise.
That was a good point.
He completely forgot that Ijin loved those things.
He's been forgetting too many things when it comes to Ijin lately.
He should probably work on that.
"I forgot he likes stuffed animals."
"Oh yeah, he loves them. He's always happy when we give him one."
There was a snort. He and the Major looked over to the corner, where Saem and Kyong were blushing," Sorry," Kyong apologized as he coughed into his hand, thoroughly embarrassed at the way they heard him laughing," I didn't mean to make fun. It's just hard to imagine Ijin and stuffed animals."
The Major grinned," Nah its fine. Ijin doesn't act like a normal 19 year old in the first place." That was a very good point. One that Seokju couldn't help but agree with.
The small talk helped the teenager relax some more, leaning back into the seat as he got comfortable for the four-hour ride to the Korean base. There was something about the other's voices that almost lulled him to sleep, that, combined with the mental and physical exhaustion he had been dealing with since the morning, only made it easier for him to fall asleep.
There was a weight against his shoulder. Kyong, the only man out of the retrieved group who was still awake, flushed, and started to get out of his seat," I'm sorry- "
Kang held up his hand, silently telling him to stop," It's fine," He said simply, getting comfortable as he accepted his fate of being yet another teenager's pillow," Kid's exhausted. I don't mind. Besides," The Major smiled as he looked over at Ijin," I'm used to teenagers sleeping on me."
Kyong followed his eyes and a tired, but fond smile spread across his face when his eyes landed on Ijin.
"I see."
"God dammit Ijin!" they all turned to look at the doorway, pausing in the middle of their meal as they did so," This is the third time already! Stop sneaking out of the infirmary! You still have a fever you little shit!"
"I'm fine Dae-Hyun. Put me down Han-Gyeol."
"Put him down Han-Gyeol, and I will update every single aspect of your medical file."
"Maybe don't sneak out and then I wouldn't have to carry you Ijin."
Ijin, Dae-Hyun, and the owner of the third voice walked past the mess hall.
Almost immediately, they had to hold in their snorts.
There was Dae-Hyun, scowling as he looked down at a clipboard. Right behind them was Ijin. Like the rest of them, he was wearing some fatigues with a black shirt, and he was draped over a man's shoulder, crossing his arms bitterly as if he wasn't at fault for sneaking out for apparently, the third time. The man had an awkward smile on his face as he carried their teammate back to the infirmary.
"I'll remember this Han-Gyeol."
"Sorry kid. Dae-Hyun is much scarier than you."
They finished walking past the door, and Seokju was one of the bodyguards that started chuckling at what they just saw.
"Medics are always scary."
*SMACK!*
That had to be the sound of a wooden clipboard hitting a body part.
"THEN LISTEN TO ME AND STAY IN THE FUCKING INFIRMARY LIKE I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU!"
"…Yes sir…"
"For fucks sake Ijin. I have it up to here with your bullshit and…!"
Listening to the rant slowly fade away only made them laugh more.
He slowly walked into the infirmary, taking care that he made his entrance as silent as possible so as to not disturb the other patients. The medic, Dae-Hyun, noticed him at the doorway and motioned with his head to the right.
Following the suggestion, he looked to the right and was happy to see the very person he wanted to see.
Ijin was leaning against the metallic headboard, clearly bored out of his mind as he wrote something down on a clipboard. As he expected, the teenager's eyes flicked up to look at him as he got closer, his head tilting to the side as he said," Sir? Is there something wrong?"
His legs ached as he sat down on the nearby chair, no doubt punishing him after that almost 16-hour hike to safety," I wanted to check up on you," He said plainly. Ijin looked slightly confused, but slowly nodded his head," How are you?"
"I'm fine sir," He set down the clipboard, allowing Kyong to see the word search that was halfway completed.
He rose his eyebrow.
"I have to take antibiotics for a few days," Ijin added on upon seeing his look, somewhat flustered by the way his team leader was looking at him," I will be able to take part in training after a week sir."
Well, that was good.
"Everyone will have two weeks off once we return. No exceptions." It was only after a year of interacting with the kid, that he knew that Ijin was somewhat down put by the order. Still, nonetheless, Ijin nodded his head in understanding, quietly muttering out an affirmative.
They sat in silence for a few more seconds, at least, until Kyong decided to bite the bullet," So. You were a mercenary?"
Ijin scrunched up his nose slightly, no doubt not happy about the subject change," Yes sir. For 10 years." But clearly, he was still willing to answer some questions.
"Well that certainly explains everything," Ijin hummed in agreement, rolling the pen in between his fingers as he stared down at his lap," I thought it was odd when you weren't intimidated by myself or the men on your first day."
Ijin shrugged his shoulder," Compared to the people I used to work with. You and the others are rather nice."
"Oh?" Now he was curious. Not that he was saying that he and his team were pieces of human garbage, but they all had a rough and brisk personality that would be considered rude by most people's standards," What makes you say that?"
"You guys don't hurt people needlessly," Ijin said simply, still staring down at his lap," Nor do the men try and establish a hierarchy."
...That sounded like they were just being decent human beings.
"...I see..."
He had no idea such a simple action would make them be 'nice people' in Ijin's eyes.
"I don't find you intimidating sir," Ijin said simply. And to be quite honest, Kyong didn't know how to feel about that. It was good that Ijin didn't find him intimidating, but at the same time, he didn't want to be seen as some overzealous fool. Ijin looked up at him at last, and very blandly said," However, I do respect you sir."
For some reason, that made his chest tighten with a light and bubbly feeling.
He coughed into his hand," I see." He decided that it was time to go, lest he starts blushing like some type of school girl," I'll go ahead and let you rest. Stop sneaking out of the infirmary." The ending comment made Ijin give one of his rare, small smiles.
"Yes sir."
Somehow.
Kyong knew that Ijin was going to sneak out regardless.
He jumped when someone almost slammed his door open," Major Kang!" Dae-Hyun barked out, his face a light red as his chest heaved up and down," Have you seen Ijin?!"
"No," Kang said slowly, pausing in his paperwork to look up at the man," Did he sneak out again?"
Dae-Hyun looked to be on the verge of an aneurism as he gritted out," This is the fifth time already. When I get my hands on him…" The medic trailed off before he closed the door to stalk down the hallway. Kang could hear him muttering as he walked off.
"Thanks."
He ruffled Ijin's hair, who was sitting on the floor next to him as he played a game on his phone. His body being hidden from the doorway by Kang's desk," As long as you don't get caught in here, stay as long as you like."
"Yes sir."
"If anyone asks, I never hid you from him."
"Obviously."
By the time S.W had arranged a private plane to go to the base to pick them up.
Ijin had already snuck out of the infirmary a total of seven times, he returned the last four times of his own accord so he could get his antibiotics before he quickly left so Dae-Hyun couldn't follow up on his threat to use restraints.
Which was rather impressive considering they were only there for three days. Especially since he had bounced back from his fever and wound rather fast, to the point where the others questioned him more than once if he was really fine.
He had also managed to piss off the medic to the point where Dae-Hyun dragged Ijin to the plane with a firm grip on his earlobe.
Although Ijin didn't voice his complaints, the other bodyguards could tell on his face that having his ear pulled like that hurt. By the time the medic actually let go of his ear, his ear was already a bright red, the redness spreading up to the rest of his ear.
Seokju pursed his lips before he almost slyly said," I think you should have listened to him and stayed in the infirmary Ijin."
Ijin massaged his ear as he almost dismissively said," It was boring in there."
Seokju snorted.
Idiot.
Ijin was the last one the soldiers said goodbye to, the rest of the Major's squad coming out to wish him farewell as it was going to be a while until any of them got to leave. One by one, the soldiers exchanged their hugs and farewells with the teenager, all of them taking the time to either scold him for not listening to their medic or wished him safe travel.
The Major was the one who hugged him the longest. And he was the only one that both scolded him and wished him safe travels.
Kyong watched with a smile on his face.
This entire ordeal had been very enlightening for the rest of them. It made Ijin less of an enigma and allowed the others to gain a better understanding of him.
Although it was an ordeal that they certainly could have lived without.
It almost felt like it was an ordeal that they needed.