Cry Pretty When You Come Back - Chapter 1

The flash seemed to awaken the eyes. In the darkness, the man blinked rapidly, trembling with his eyelids.

The sound of rapid breathing filled the room, and his chest rose and fell vigorously. Noel, who had been catching his breath for a while, blankly looked up at the swinging lamp hanging from the bare ceiling.

A sense of coldness permeated the air. He couldn’t tell what time it was because of the blackout curtains covering the window. Slowly sitting up, he felt the cold air touch his damp back. He rubbed his neck lazily after getting goosebumps.

His mind had been foggy, and his vision blurred until now. Trying to clear his mind, he suddenly sharpened his gaze.

A keen sense of alertness spread throughout his body. An uncomfortable feeling brought by the stillness. Creak, creak. The lamp continued to make an eerie noise as it swayed. Noel hurriedly got under the bed.

Was it an air raid? No, it was too quiet for that. He opened the navy-blue curtains to check outside the window.

“Ah…”

His dilated pupils contracted, and a relieved sigh escaped him. He saw a familiar dawn landscape filled with thick fog, just like any other day. Broken corners and worn-out buildings, narrow roads covered in rocks, dust, and dirt… a desolate scene resulting from a brutal war.

He scanned the desolate landscape and then stretched his body. Then he checked the clock hanging on the bare wall. Five in the morning. It was early.

Even though it’s the beginning of a day that is no different from usual, he can’t erase the uncomfortable feeling. Noel stood before the sink, staring intently at his reflection in the mirror. Water droplets ran down his chiselled features and landed on the tip of his sleek chin.

“I look good.”

Under his thick black hair, his pale face had tightly closed crimson lips. He met the blue-grey eyes in the mirror and lowered his gaze.

The colour was uncomfortable. Noel recalled a vague dream as he wiped his face with a towel. A wrinkled hand patting the head of a child in a rocking chair. What colour was the sweater with worn-out sleeves?

All he remembered was that it burst at the seams and had a lot of lint.

[“The war won’t last forever. Just like peace doesn’t last forever.”]

[“Time will solve everything.”]

There was someone who used to say that. There were people who dreamed of ideals even in harsh circumstances. However, the reality was a time of despair and frustration. A space filled with equal loss and destruction.

Peace was a lie. He knew that hope was all empty words.

“This feels disgusting.”

The hand holding the towel dropped to the ground. Noel recited a low curse and nervously pushed the mirror. The palm print was clearly left behind the wet fricative. The man who turned away from himself in the mirror left the bathroom as if he were running away.

***

About 100 years ago, as soon as the continent was divided into a total of five countries, each country fought over its interests. It was a matter of course for a human being with a relentless desire.

If God were to watch, even He would be appalled by the cruel war, but after 100 years of fierce battles, it surprisingly brought about a stranger order. Some countries grew up sucking blood from across the border, while others declined. Just as there are trampled people under those, who stepped on them.

Among them, Waltane became a powerful nation after countless power struggles. They had a great influence and could manipulate other countries with just a breath. However, Waltane had one problem.

North of the Waltane border was a small country called Lautrec. Ironically, Waltane had been struggling against Lautrec for 50 years. Both ends did not let go of the string pulled taut. From Waltane’s perspective, being entangled with Lautrec insulted their pride, so they poured all their resources into conquering it.

As if Lautrec had some kind of magic power, it stood up persistently even after consecutive attacks, invasions, plundering, and massacres. The rest of the world used to say in unison that even if Lautrec held its breath as if it were about to get extinguished and would emit flames like embers, so their strength was commendable.

Other remaining countries would talk behind Waltane’s back, acknowledging Lautrec’s resilience.

“As you can see, it’s a barren land. Our people are innocent. Can’t we just leave them be? Waltane already has sufficient territory and power!”

Lautrec’s former head, Owen, who appealed so much, was murdered. The other countries maintained a selfish neutrality, not wanting to restrain Waltane’s ruthless violence but refusing to cooperate. They couldn’t stand by and watch Waltane expand its power further.

And thus, the terror of the great powers and the mourning tears of the small country continued for several generations. The feeble war only brought harm to innocent citizens on both sides, and gradually, both sides deteriorated.

“Waltane Border Area Special Unit 2.”

Noel belonged to a frontline unit where large and small battles never ceased. Multiple encounters occurred daily; each time, the unit members killed terrorists while evading bombings.

Having crossed the desolate, dusty sand, Noel arrived at the base and headed straight to the barracks.

“Oh, you’re here.”

The crew member, who had just been wearing a combat helmet, was hiding. He greeted Noel with a smile, but someone else came up to Noel and patted him on the forearm.

“I couldn’t even get a wink of sleep last night.”

“Why? Afraid of an airstrike?”

“That’s not it at all. New girls joined, and it’s fantastic. I thought your d!ck was all worn out there.”

“Don’t exaggerate. We all know you’re a pervert.”

“Ugh, this b*st*rd is so annoying! Why are you talking like a commercial?”

Raw conversations that remained true to instincts continued in a place filled only with men. The exchange of curses between them lasted only for a while. The stiff atmosphere broke when the old radio made a static sound.

Frontline. The movement of the remaining forces on the right side of the border is unusual.

• All unit members, initiate the force. 

• Kill them.

With a simple command, the radio was abruptly cut off. The unit members exchanged glances and clenched their teeth, shouldering their assault rifles and loading their magazines.

“I’ll go first.”

As one member stepped forward, others followed behind. The tense expressions on their faces surveyed their surroundings as they rushed toward the border.

About twenty members, all of them, exited the barracks. Tang, the sand bounced with the noise of bullets cutting through the air.

“Spread out!”

From that point on, bullets began to rain. There were many things that were unintentionally struck when there was a bullet that missed with a sharp noise. The unit members hid among the bushes and only exposed their heads to assess the situation.

• 500 meters ahead, they’re scattered throughout the forest edges.

• Roger that.

As one member relayed the enemy’s position via radio, those skilled in marksmanship exposed their gun barrels and aimed at the centre of their scopes.

Tang― The sound of gunfire made birds fly off in panic. Following that, the sound of bullets piercing flesh echoed. It seemed like the desperate enemies pulled out their machine guns.

“Argh!”

RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT

The sound of rapid-fire filled the air as bullets flew from various directions. Noel quickly hid behind a large tree to get the magazines, and then he saw two comrades falling from the position he had been standing. He gritted his teeth and continued to advance. Every time he cut through the bushes, the twigs scratched his old military uniform and hat, but in the end, he succeeded in recapturing the forest entrance.

– Sh!t. These b*st*rds childishly hid and shot.

– Quiet.

Silence fell when Noel spoke up. They crouched even lower and silenced their movements. He slipped to his feet and hid himself under the grass.

In the meantime, intermittent gunfire still resonated. Noel tightened his grip on his rifle and squinted his eyes. While remaining vigilant of his surroundings, he spotted a target and took aim at an enemy reloading his machine gun against a tree.

‘Effective shooting range – 500 meters. More than enough.’

Noel placed the rifle on his shoulder. He aligned the target in the centre of the cross and held his breath. Now was the time. In the instant he was about to pull the trigger, he sensed rustling sounds behind him and froze for a moment. A cold sweat broke out on the back.

He won’t even last a second.

In less than a second, Noel turned his rifle half a rotation and aimed it at the approaching enemy.

“Ah…”

He didn’t just pull the trigger. He let out a pathetic whimper. The expanded pupils of the man trembled with great turmoil.

The gazes of the two collided in the midst of the chaos. The woman stood in a humble, surrender posture, barely keeping her balance. He scanned her from top to bottom.

Ginger-coloured hair braided into two pigtails, a loose dress that Lautrec civilians would wear, and a blush that contrasted with the pale complexion spread around the eyes. Even in hot weather, the woman fell like a person trapped on an ice wall and was so defenceless.

“You’re a Lautrecian.”

The docile eyes widened. Noel’s eyes brightened, and he tightened his grip on the gun, raising it with a sharp click.

‘What are you hesitating like an idiot? Just shoot.’ 

As always, with hatred towards the Lautrecians. All you have to do is put a bullet in that woman’s forehead. But why…

Fill that woman’s forehead with a bullet, as he always did with his hatred towards Lautrecians. But why…

Without hesitation, Noel aimed the gun at the back of the woman.

Bang— the bullet precisely hit the enemy’s forehead, and the body let out a whimper before falling backwards.

The woman also lay flat in the grass. With a soft breath, her spine shivered. Slowly, she lifted her head, gazing up at him pleadingly.

Her irises glistened with a desperate lustre. It looked like a teardrop about to spill over in the blink of an eye. Noel held his breath for a moment, waiting. The man’s blue-grey eyes sparkle threateningly through his thin eyes. As a result, the strange confrontation lasted unusually long.

“How the hell did you get here?”

As he moved his eyes to check the movements of his enemies, the woman moistened her dry lips.

“Sa-Sah, save me.”

“…”

“Please… save me.”

Noel’s index finger on the trigger trembled slightly. His excitement surged. A tense, nervous encounter ensued, but the woman continued to say clumsy Waltane with innocent eyes.

“Save me.”

As if that was all she should say.

***