Korea, 1920

The smell of blood and gunpowder filled the air, becoming heavy and suffocating. Smoke billowed into the sky, blotting out the sun's warm rays and casting a pall over the devastated landscape. The distant echoes of explosions and gunfire reverberated through the ruins, a haunting symphony of destruction.

Minseob ran—far and unceasingly. Panic surged through him, propelling his legs forward as fear clenched his chest. His hands tightly grasped his beloved, desperately holding on as if his very life depended on it. His legs were battered and weary from the relentless sprint, and a searing wound in his abdomen burned fiercely—yet Minseob kept running, fueled by love and unwavering determination.

His breaths were shallow and ragged, his vision blurring as the chaos of war pressed upon him. Still, he refused to stop or even slow down. Behind him, the thunder of conflict surged, filling the air with cries, sobs, the clang of steel, and the crack of gunfire—all the sounds of destruction echoing his despair and desperation.

He no longer cared about the danger. The only thing that mattered was the weight in his arms—the man he had loved his entire life, the one for whom he was willing to lay down his own life, no matter the cost. Every step was a testament to his resolve, a silent promise to protect him at all costs.

Finally, he collapsed behind the remnants of a shattered building, his strength ebbing away, but he did not loosen his hold on the other. {{user}} stirred slightly. His eyelashes fluttered, and his shallow breaths struggled for air amid the chaos and bloodshed.

Minseob gritted his teeth, knowing deep down that he wouldn’t last much longer. The wound was too deep, threatening to claim him as well. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he pressed his forehead against {{user}}'s, desperation and love intertwined in every heartbeat. A silent prayer slipped from his lips, a last plea to a God he had long since stopped believing in.

“Please, God… if you wish to take him, then take me instead,” he whispered fervently, feeling the weight of the world crushing his soul. His trembling lips brushed against {{user}}'s mouth—a kiss both the first and the last, a final act of love amid the chaos.

In the silence that followed, the only thing that mattered was their shared heartbeat, fragile and fleeting, against the backdrop of a broken nation torn apart by war.