When she returned to Cangdi, everything had changed.
The war in Cangdi City ended completely in early May this year. Two months later, the city has not yet recovered from the ruins. Scaffolding and construction materials are everywhere on the roadside. Bulldozers and cranes rumble. The whole city is like a huge construction site.
Only the white Tsangdi Temple stands silently on the eastern horizon without any damage; even the outline of the marble dome looks so soft, and it is magnificent when reflected under the blue sky.
“Can I go and take a look?” she asked suddenly, leaning against the car window.
Major Harvey followed her gaze and understood: “Of course it’s no problem.”
After the terrorists left, the Tsangdi Monastery was cleaned inside and out and has now been restored to its original state. Many locals came to worship and pray, and foreign faces were mixed in the crowd. I don’t know if they are reporters or tourists.
Song Lisa walked along the long entrance. Cangdi Temple was magnificent and snow-white. The natural marble was shining with tiny fluorescence in the sun, like an exquisite treasure box placed under the blue sky.
She took off her shoes and walked into the temple on the cool marble floor. The air became cooler and the light was a little dim.
Colourful beams of light project down from the skylight like a waterfall.
She looked up. On the 50-60 meter high dome was a painting of King Cangdi and his queen, surrounded by various gods. The sunlight shone on the huge round colored glass, which was colourful and dazzling.
Many civilians knelt under the dome and chanted scriptures.
Song Lisa walked up the stone steps to the fourth floor and found the observation deck behind the temple.
It was a very small cubicle. The bloodstains on the marble wall had been cleaned, but there were absorption lines on the natural stone surface. Large chunks of dark bloodstains silently and irrevocably seeped into the patterns on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling, like splashed ink.
The wind rushed In through the window, making her heart feel cold.
She went to the window and looked down. It was very high, and she felt a little dizzy. She tried to remember something. But after being hit that night, she had no consciousness at all and could not remember anything.
Behind him, Major Harvey asked, “Are you feeling sick?”
“It’s okay.” Song Lisa turned around, “Let’s go.”
Song Lisa quickly settled down in Cangdi, but finding a job was not easy.
She walked through the refugee camps in Cangdi City, searching house by house; she saw the faces of countless refugees and disabled soldiers, but there was no sign of Li Jungkook , not even anyone who had seen him.
She found it ridiculous that he had given so much to this city, yet no one knew or remembered what he looked like.
She continued her search, with Cangdi as the centre and radiating to the surrounding cities.
Time passed quickly, from the beginning of July to the end of July, and there was still no news about Li Jungkook .
On July 30, a government army launched a siege against a terrorist stronghold on the 80-kilometer national border in the north of Cangdi. Song Lisa rushed there upon hearing the news.
The stronghold was destroyed and the government forces rescued some of the prisoners.
The prisoners had been tortured beyond recognition and were unconscious. Song Lisa looked at their faces, looking for them one by one, and asked one by one: “Have you seen an Asian man?”
No one could answer her.
When the last prisoner of war was brought out, Song Lisa ’s heart plummeted.
The government soldiers who came out told Harvey that there were still many bodies of prisoners of war inside, who were just killed by some terrorists when they escaped.
Song Lisa followed Harvey inside, walking through the cells, dark rooms, and dungeons. Enduring the chill, she searched the ground covered in blood and torture instruments, turning over the bodies of the dead one by one.
No, still no.
Luo Taehyung said he disappeared.
It was as if he had really disappeared, without leaving even a trace.
On the way back to Cangdi, Song Lisa was so tired that she closed her eyes for a while, but during this moment, she dreamed of a dark cell, mottled bloodstains, and his low crying in the darkness.
She opened her eyes immediately, her forehead covered in cold sweat.
All the way back, in silence.
As the car drove into Cangdi City, she suddenly said, “Colonel, thank you for your help this month, but you don’t have to accompany me anymore.”
Harvey was stunned: “Aren’t you going to look for it?”
“I will continue to look for it, but perhaps it will take more than one or two days to get results. Just go do your work and don’t waste your time here.”
Harvey hesitated for a moment, and finally said, “I’ll leave on Monday. If you need any help in the future, please be sure to contact me.”
“I will.”
The next day, on August 1st, Song Lisa heard that a new shelter had been built in the western suburbs of Cangdi, which accommodated many people who had recently wandered from the battlefield in the north.
She hurried there immediately.
The shelter stank to high heaven, and the volunteers did not have time to clean up for everyone. Soldiers and civilians fell asleep on the floor, half-naked and covered in mud.
The weather was hot and flies were flying.
She looked around but couldn’t find Li Jungkook , so she asked everyone one by one: “Have you seen an Asian man?”
She even asked questions of people who had mental problems and slurred speech.
But not.
No one had ever seen an Asian man.
No one has ever seen her A-Jungkook .
On the way back to the hotel, Song Lisa made a decision. She planned to pack her bags and go further north, where there must be more shelters like this one.
When they entered the hotel, Harvey was waiting for her in the lobby.
Song Lisa : “Are you here to say goodbye to me?”
“No,” Harvey said. “Someone’s been looking for you for a long time.” He pointed behind her.
Song Lisa was startled and turned around, but it was Morgan.
Their eyes met, Song Lisa ’s eyes were filled with tears, and she walked towards him quickly.
Morgan gave her a hug. The black tough guy, who was over 1.9 meters tall, had red eyes at this moment. He lowered his head and choked up and said, “Lisa, I’m very sorry.”
“It’s okay. How are you doing, Morgan?”
“Not good.” Morgan smiled with wet eyes, “Lisa, I must apologize to you in person.”
“Don’t say that…”
“We are all guilty, Lisa.” Morgan stared at her and insisted, “That night, Lee suffered a lot. When he saved us and saved the building, you were held hostage, and none of us, his comrades, could help him. When he cut the wire, I can’t imagine the pain in his heart at that moment. But later when he went to save you alone, none of us could help him. Later he disappeared, and we couldn’t do anything. But he went, he…” Morgan’s lips were pressed down, and he shook his head with heartbreak and pain, “He suffered inhuman abuse, but none of his comrades could save him. We are guilty, Lisa, we are guilty.”
Song Lisa said tearfully: “Morgan, this is not your fault. You are also hurt in your heart, you need the help of a doctor.”
“I know. My mental condition has not been very good.” Morgan lowered his head and wiped his eyes vigorously with his big hands. “I tried to commit suicide. Because of my condition, my girlfriend broke up with me. I always wondered, G died, B died, L also… why am I still alive? Why?” His big black eyes were filled with tears. “Maybe K and S, they think so too, so we don’t contact each other anymore. It’s too painful.”
“Morgan.” Song Lisa held his hand tightly, “Listen to me.”
Morgan raised his eyes. This powerful man who had always been fearless on the battlefield now had regret and pain in his eyes.
“You are blessed by fate to be alive, Morgan. Being alive is a very good thing, not a sin. Do you know how I felt when I saw you? At that moment, what I thought in my heart was: It’s good to be alive. It’s great to be alive, Morgan. You don’t know how happy I am to see that you are safe and alive.”
Real.
How happy she is at this moment.
Morgan’s tears fell: “Thank you, Lisa, you can’t imagine how much your words mean to me.”
Morgan said that he came this time because he saw her Twitter. A week ago, Song Lisa went to Surui City and posted a street photo, which was the place where she and Li Jungkook first met. Morgan had been following her and when he knew she was back in the East, he immediately contacted Harvey to find her.
“Lee left some personal belongings in the team. B had them before, and he gave them to me when I returned. According to the rules, the belongings left by L must be handed over to his relatives. I sent you messages many times, but I couldn’t get in touch.” Morgan took out a small army green cloth bag, “I didn’t want to go back to the East Country, but his things must be handed over to you in person.”
Song Lisa opened the small cloth bag and found a harmonica, a pen, and a black notebook inside. They were exactly the same items she had seen in his drawer when she went to his dormitory to borrow a comb in the peacekeeping army camp.
The paint on the harmonica was peeling off, and the cover of the notebook was also faded. She stroked them gently, feeling a little comforted, and said, “Thank you for sending them over. They are very important to me.”
…
Song Lisa returned to the room, sat at the table and turned on the desk lamp.
She felt unexpectedly calm and gently opened the notebook. Li Jungkook ’s handsome handwriting appeared before her.
The date on the first page was September of the year before last, the day she met him again at the camp and asked him to borrow a comb.
Just two short lines:
“Begin peacekeeping mission.
I met reporter Song, what a coincidence.”
After that, every day was just a few lines, briefly recording the day’s schedule and tasks. From time to time, her figure was mixed in a few pages.
“I teased reporter Song while clearing the mines.”
“Reporter Song looks different from her appearance.”
“Reporter Song is very serious about her work.”
“Reporter Song likes to blush.”
…
“Reporter Song is kind of cute.”
Song Lisa tried hard to recall, but couldn’t remember clearly. She wondered if it was the day she threw mud at him.
She flipped through his unremarkable records until she came to the day he went from Garo to Harpo:
“I saw the white olive trees today, with reporter Song.
Very special.
Now in the East Suburbs Military Camp,
I feel something is not good. I am worried about her safety…”
It was followed by three uneasy periods.
“I met reporter Song again today. She said she wanted to give me a red string. Her hands are very thin.”
“She finally came to the bar.”
His notes were very simple, without recording any inner emotions from beginning to end, and were very plain.
There is a blank page after 926. When we turn the page, it is February of the following year.
“Met her at the airport. She seemed fine.
That’s good.”
In the days that followed, “she” appeared frequently.
“It was snowing, and I met her again. She was holding a big black umbrella.”
“I walked to Liangcheng TV Station without realizing it.”
“I met her in the middle of the street.”
“The jumping case is a bit worrying.”
“I went to her house to warm myself by the fire today.”
“She came to our house to cook today.”
“I confessed my feelings today, and I’m a little nervous.”
After that, there was another long blank, and time jumped again. The next note was last September, the day he flew to Gama to join Cook’s armed forces, and the day she sent him a text message.
There are only two words on the note.
“wanna die.”
Then there was a long record of Cook’s soldiers. On which day, Cook’s companions died tragically; on which day, he heard how many people died in battle; on which day, he was training; on which day, which explosive devices were made; on which day, which stronghold was blown up.
Until December,
“Lisa came to Ale and sent a tweet.”
Ale was probably in a hurry during that period, so he didn’t take many notes. After arriving in Cangdi, he returned to his daily record, occasionally interspersed with her appearance:
“I want to go home, to be with her.”
“Student Xiao Song today is like a young wife.”
Last mentioned:
“My New Year’s resolution is to marry her.
Nothing else is needed, just this one thing, and it should be possible. “
He wrote it on the morning of New Year’s Eve, before he left for her house.
Turn the page again, there is nothing;
There was a large blank space left in the notebook, with nothing in it.
Because after that he went into the hospital and never returned to the camp.
Song Lisa didn’t cry. She spent an entire night reading his records slowly and carefully.
In fact, most of the content in that notebook was related to military missions, and only a few words mentioned her. But it did not prevent the notebook from giving her great comfort.
She held it as if it were a treasure. When she was about to go to bed, she turned on the desk lamp and lay on her side on the pillow, reading his handwriting until she fell into a drowsy sleep without realizing it.
On the morning of August 2nd, Song Lisa set off for a city further north.
Major Harvey saw her off for the last time, and Morgan also followed her on the journey. He was worried about Song Lisa being alone, so he insisted on accompanying her. He said that if Song Lisa had an accident, he would not be able to face Li Jungkook , let alone forgive himself.
When leaving, Song Lisa saw the dome of Cangdi Temple from a distance and said, “Can we take a detour over there? I want to give you a bouquet of flowers.”
Song Lisa bought a bunch of red roses, held them carefully in his arms, and went to Cangdi Temple.
She entered the temple, went up to the fourth floor, placed the red rose in the small compartment overlooking the temple, and stood there for a while.
Outside the white marble window, the olive grove stretched endlessly. The wind was sobbing, and she remembered his low cries in her dreams countless times.
A-Jungkook , can you give me some inspiration?
However, the sun was shining, the hot wind was blowing, and the temple was quiet except for the sound of soft chanting coming from the bottom of the first floor.
Song Lisa went downstairs, left the temple, walked along the long ramp, and headed towards the SUV parked on the side of the road.
As she walked down the stairs, she heard a commotion behind her
Song Lisa looked back and saw a group of shabby homeless people scrambling for food around the altar beside the approach road. That was the local people’s offering to the gods.
“Those are ‘lone ghosts’,” Harvey said. “They are wanderers who lost their loved ones in the war and suffered trauma. There are hundreds of thousands of them in the East now. They make a living by picking up garbage and snatching offerings near temples. There are simply not enough shelters.”
The war seems to be over, but the scars it left behind are far from healed.
Song Lisa responded and continued to watch. Those people were dirty from their hair to their bare feet, with hunched backs and skinny bodies. Some of them could not even be identified as male or female.
They looked more like beasts than humans, frantically and disorderly snatching the cookies and cakes on the altar.
There was only one person, holding a piece of rice cake in both hands, with his shoulders hunched, his head lowered, and he was chewing it silently.
As she was still watching, Harvey said, “Song, let’s go.”
“…Okay.” Song Lisa walked to the car door and looked back. For some reason, she suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
At this time, a patrol of government troops passed by. The soldiers shouted at the group of people and drove them away. The group of vagrants huddled and moved away holding the food.
The lonely ghost was obscured by the shadows and could not be seen.
Morgan rolled down the window and asked, “Lisa, what happened?”
“It’s okay.” Song Lisa said, “I was wondering if there was any food in the car for them. They are all poor people.”
As they were talking, an Asian girl ran over to ask the soldiers on the roadside for directions, saying she wanted to go to the Grand Bazaar. The soldiers pointed to the bus stop in front and said they could take the bus there.
The girl waved and ran away, just In time a bus came into the station.
“That’s it!” the soldier yelled. “Run!”
At that moment, the lonely ghost beside the altar suddenly rushed over like the wind. His left foot was inconvenient, and his running posture was weird, but he rushed down the stairs at a very fast speed, covered the Asian girl’s mouth, grabbed her neck, and ran to the middle of the road.
Everyone was stunned and had no time to react.
Morgan immediately got out of the car to protect Song Lisa .
The soldiers drew their guns in an instant, aimed at the lonely ghost, and shouted, “Let her go!”
“Let her go!”
The lonely ghost had unkempt hair, ragged clothes, and was covered in mud. His left foot seemed injured, and he limped. His long hair covered his face, so his expression could not be seen, but he was in extreme fear and alert, holding the girl tightly and trying to escape. He looked back at the soldiers in fear while limping and dragging the girl forward, as if the soldiers behind him wanted to kill him.
The girl whimpered and struggled, but he lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against the girl, as if to comfort her.
“Let her go! Or we’ll shoot!” The soldiers chased after her, yelling and firing at the concrete ground.
With a “bang”, the bullet shattered the cement at his feet.
The lonely ghost became more and more panicked and immediately tried to protect the girl behind him. However, he blocked the girl but left himself completely exposed.
“boom!”
One shot hit him in the calf.
He suddenly fell to the ground, but hurriedly pressed the girl under him, using his body to shield her so that the soldiers’ bullets could not “aim” at her.
Both of his legs were injured and he could not walk, but he held the girl tightly, struggling, using his hands and feet, and desperately crawling forward.
“Let her go!” the soldiers shouted, “or we will shoot!”
“I won’t miss your head this time!”
“I’ll count down to five!”
“5!”
Song Lisa ’s heart tightened, and she rushed forward and said to the soldiers: “You can’t shoot! He has no weapon at all!”
“4!”
“He has the power to strangle that lady.” The soldier took aim and shouted, “Let her go!”
“3!”
But the man refused to stop, he held the girl and crawled forward desperately, his legs oozing blood, leaving a long and horrifying trail of blood. He struggled and squirmed on the ground, looking as miserable as a dog.
Song Lisa : “You can’t do this! You can’t shoot!”
Harvey rushed out of the car: “Song, we can’t control this matter.”
“2!”
At that moment, the ghost probably realized that his doom was coming. He supported himself on the ground with his elbows, and tried his best to drag his thin and weak body. He pushed his legs and knees hard, and moved forward inch by inch. But he could not crawl far. He still refused to let go. He looked up at the sky with sorrow and grief, and suddenly a desperate roar came out of his throat: “Ah!!”
“1—”
In an instant, Song Lisa ’s heart seemed to be torn apart by that scream. She was shocked and suddenly threw away Harvey’s hand and rushed towards him like crazy.
The soldier who was aiming had no time to react and had already pulled the trigger. Morgan, who had caught up with him, grabbed the pistol and raised it up.
With a “bang”, the bullet hit the sky.
Song Lisa rushed to his side and saw him hugging the Asian girl with his head down, covering her neck. His shoulders were shaking, his body was heaving violently, and tears were falling one by one, as if the girl in his arms had died in the gunshot just now.
The girl was covered with her mouth by him and was terrified.
Song Lisa stared at his right hand blankly. His wrist and palm were terribly thin, and his fingers were cut in two. She could no longer tell them apart.
Song Lisa ’s eyes slowly moved upwards, staring at him intently, his dirty hair covering his face. He cried silently.
She reached out and tried to push his hair aside. The moment her fingers touched his forehead, he trembled violently, as if he wanted to hide, but he froze in an instant and did not dodge.
He suddenly stopped moving, and his arms slowly relaxed.
The Asian girl screamed and cried, finally breaking free and crawling away.
There were only him and her left in the empty street.
Song Lisa ’s whole body began to tremble, even her breathing was trembling. She suppressed her emotions and restrained herself, finally slowly pushing away the dirty hair that was blocking his view.
In an instant, she was hit by an unprecedented pain, as if carrying a weight that her life could not bear. Her heart was instantly torn into thousands of pieces, and she was in so much pain that she almost died.
“ah!!!”
She let out a shrill cry like an animal, rushed over and hugged him tightly in her arms, crying loudly,
“A Jungkook , I’m Lisa . I’m Lisa !
YOU ARE READING
White Olive Tree
Romance"Ah Jungkook, I am Lisa." No person is an isolated island, except for you. That day, he looked outside the window and saw a white olive tree in the open field. *** Reporter Song is quite different from her appearance. Reporter Song works very dilige...
