𝕎𝔸𝕐 𝔹𝔸ℂ𝕂 ℍ𝕆𝕄𝔼 ||𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋||

Chapter - 19

The assembly room buzzed with anticipation and unease as the students gathered in neat lines, forming a sea of restless bodies. Yeon-hwa took her place among her classmates, her eyes scanning the room, observing the mix of apprehension and curiosity etched on their faces. The atmosphere was thick with a sense of foreboding, as if everyone knew that something significant was about to unfold.

At the front of the assembly, the lieutenant colonel stood tall, radiating authority and strength. His gaze swept across the room, commanding the attention of every individual present. The silence settled like a heavy blanket as he began to speak, his voice carrying a weight that demanded respect.

"The military and the people are well aware of your hard work," the lieutenant colonel started his speech. "There have been sacrifices along the way. But you're the proud sons and daughters that protect this nation from alien beings. Have pride in it."

Despite the lieutenant colonel's powerful words, a sense of restlessness permeated the room. Whispers, like soft gusts of wind, escaped from the back rows, betraying the students' inability to fully grasp the significance of the moment. Their conversations, though subdued, created a hum of distraction that danced amidst the air of solemnity.

Tae-man's hushed voice reached Yeon-hwa's ears, drawing her attention. "Hey, what do you think he wants that it takes so long to build up?"

Hee-rak, equally discreet, responded with a hint of intrigue in his voice. "Maybe... he's sending us home?"

Tae-man's disbelief rippled through his whispered reply. "Seriously?"

Il-ha's skepticism was evident as he chimed in, his voice laced with doubt. "No way."

Yeon-hwa sighed softly, her brow furrowing slightly. She understood the lack of attention and the conversations happening around her. They were high school students, caught between their responsibilities as soldiers and their longing for the lives they once knew. It was a delicate balance, one she herself grappled with daily.

As the lieutenant colonel's speech continued, the students' attention continued to wane, drifting away like petals caught in a gentle breeze. However, Yeon-hwa remained steadfast, her focus unwavering, her ears attuned to every word spoken.

Then, the lieutenant colonel's words took an unexpected turn, shattering the disinterest that had settled among the students. His announcement hung in the air, pregnant with the weight of its implications.

"At 0700 hours of the succeeding day," the lieutenant colonel declared, his voice cutting through the room like a sharp blade, "the reservists of the second platoon, class 3-2 of Sungjin High School, will carry out an operation of eliminating the spheres."

A collective gasp rippled through the assembly, followed by a flurry of startled whispers. Shock and confusion danced across the students' faces, their expressions mirroring the tumultuous storm brewing within.

"What?"

"An operation?"

"Are we going to war?"

"What is this nonsense?"

"I thought we were going home."

The room became a tapestry of anxious voices, each thread of uncertainty interwoven with the next. Yeon-hwa watched as her classmates grappled with the sudden shift in their reality, their eyes darting around, searching for answers that seemed elusive.

Yeon-hwa's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. For so long, she had yearned for this moment-the chance to confront the spheres that had taken the lives of her loved ones. But now that the lieutenant colonel's words hung in the air, uncertainty and anxiety washed over her.