Desert • Flower | TaeJin || BOOK 3#

V. Give goodbyes and welcomes

"Is the war already over?"

"Yes, it's over already. Yesterday it did" Taehyung gives a faint smile, holds tightly the wrinkled and shaking hand. "And everyone's celebrating, they're going to have lots of games at night, they're going to set off fireworks... maybe it'll bother you a little when you're sleeping."

"Ah, that sounds wonderful I'd like to see them, but I know I can't... Go over there, enjoy them for me and..."

There is an extended silence that Taehyung dares not break, he allows the man his time to respond to formulate the whole sentence in his mind and say it. It takes quite a while, the people in the room are also getting impatient, all workers very close to the master of the house.

"Ah, yes, yes, fireworks" he says with a huge smile and one of his half closed eyes shows him very tired, but he is happy. "I wouldn't want to have left you in a world of war, that would be very terrible... because imagine if I had had to bury you!" he blurts out scandalized and Taehyung gives a soft smile as he squeezes his hand affectionately. "How I buried my dear Jinri.... Jinri... I love her very much you know? I love her too much, she will be my beautiful and eternal wife."

"I know, dad, I know.... Do you want to rest for a while?" proposes Taehyung sweetly, some of those present gives a stifled groan.

They know that he will not wake up that rest, however, he will stop suffering from the illness that was afflicting him these days.

"Yes, I want to rest a little, but when I wake up we will watch the fireworks together Do you think so?"

"I'll be waiting for you. I'll be here until you wake up." He promises with a broken voice and a fake smile.

The senior falls asleep and not two hours pass when he finally stops breathing. Taehyung places his hands together on the lap of the man who remains serious and peaceful at the same time. He winces, gives a slight sob and smiles weakly. He did not think that the day would come when his father would die, let alone that it would be a day between the war, just any day when they could attack. Still, it makes him happy that it never had to happen. That his dad never had to live through it. It pains him to have lied to him before he left, yet isn't it better this way? That he left believing that the empire is at peace and no one is at risk. That was his biggest worry: that everyone here would end up at enormous risk because the war continues. A senseless war against Japan.

They have been extremely fortunate that, despite being close to the coast, no troops have arrived here. Mainly because the territory is very complicated to use for landing. The doughnuts along the coast are very high and large, and anyone is in danger. No one in their right mind would go through there with a big boat as is the case with Japan and its troops. Taehyung admits that he had his hand in the matter, he was not going to let it be an easy entrance. He had the seabed raised a little and although it took a lot of work, he was satisfied.

On the other hand, there was always the risk that some squadron would arrive here and demand that they take the territory. His father inherited everything from him, even before he became seriously ill. This place is now his, the workers now obey him and they all depend on him. Taehyung knows he can't fail, he has to do everything he can to avoid misfortune. Taehyung feels burdened by it.

He may be twenty years old and yet he feels unprepared for this. In reality, no one can be prepared for a war out of nowhere. It has a certain amount of time and still, they don't get used to sleeping with one eye open because at any moment someone is going to arrive.

"Start the funeral preparations, please. We have to see my father off as he deserves, regardless of the situation." announces Taehyung and people bow to him.