Waterfalls || Yeonbin

chapter 29: leave

August 25, 1940

"Should we wake them up for breakfast?" I whispered as Yeonjun and I tiptoed down the stairs.

"Not sure. Maybe we should let them rest." Yeonjun replied, almost at the bottom of the stairs.

We both scrunched our eyebrows when we reached the bottom, looking into the parlor. They were both up, packing their backpacks like they were in a hurry, "Hey..." Yeonjun said, making Sunghoon and Jake turn to us, "Didn't expect you two to be awake. Do you like eggs and toast?"

Sunghoon waved his hands, "No, no. We don't need anything. We'll be out of your way in a few minutes."

I tilted my head, "Why would you leave?"

Jake and Sunghoon looked at each other for a moment, sighing as Jake replied, "You've done a lot for us, so we don't want to bother you any more than we already have."

"You're not bothering us..." I quickly said, taking a few steps closer, "You can stay here as long as you need."

"We don't want to intrude. It was really kind of you to help us, but—"

"You must stay at least until Sunghoon-ssi's ankle heals. He cannot possibly get around in this state." I cut him off. I just wanted to make sure they were alright. And I can't see two people just like Yeonjun and I be on the streets in a foreign country.

"You really don't have to do that." Sunghoon replied, playing with his fingers out of anxiousness as he sat on the couch.

"You're staying..." Yeonjun said from behind me, making all of us turn to him. He crossed his arms over his chest, adding, "I'm making breakfast and you two are going to eat. End of story..." He remarked before walking away, heading for the kitchen, "Speak up if you don't like eggs and toast!"

I smiled for a moment, turning back to Jake and Sunghoon. I reached my hand out, "Would you like some help to the dining table?"

Sunghoon hesitated before grabbing my hand, muttering out a small, "Thank you." As I helped him up.

. . . . . . . . . . 

Yeonjun's POV:

"Tomorrow, you will begin a journey. A new chapter of your lives..." I said, looking up and down from my speech on the podium to the recruits sitting in front of me, "I'm not saying it will be easy. In fact, this will be the most difficult era of your entire life. What's important to remember is where you came from. You are all Britons at heart and soul, regardless of ancestral heritage from generations past. We all have stories of how we got here, and you will now take those same stories and carry them with you into this horrid war..."

I finally spotted Soobin in the crowd, along with the rest of my colleagues. We locked eyes, seeing him give a little smile and a thumb's up, telling me that I was doing good. I've been practicing this speech for over a week, and Soobin has been my audience. I tried to hide my soft smile as I continued, "Hitler is the highest enemy, and you should take with you the realization of the destruction he has caused throughout the once peaceful Europe. The years spent rebuilding after the Great War have become useless; the countries that had been granted independence and land have now been take over by the Germans. We must aid them in this fight and protect the homeland of our small island..."

I paused for a moment, my eyes floating back to Soobin again like a magnet. He was still smiling at me as if he was proud of what I was doing. The thought made my chest flutter, "I am extremely proud of all of you and what you have accomplished over these last three months. Every single one of you have shown the strength, intelligence, and bravery. I can now say that over our short time together, I have watched you come here as boys, and you will now leave here as men worthy of the title of true soldiers in His Majesty's Royal Navy..."