At Long Last

Guilty

The lake mirrored the sky above, both of them the kind of brilliant blue that was seen mostly in tourist brochures.

Se-ri sat on a bench by the bank of Lake Lungern, holding three envelopes.

One was opened, two others remained sealed.

The chilly breeze that ran over the rippled turquoise surface of the water tousled her long hair, whipping loose strands and locks all over her face.

Retrieving a scrunchie from her bag, Se-ri tied her hair up in a messy bun, just so that she could focus on the contents of the letters.

Jeong Hyeok had taken the car and gone out early in the morning to Brienz, where he was supposed to be meeting the professors who had taught him during his days as a music student here in Switzerland.

With Jeong Hyeok away, she could finally have some alone time to read the letters from North Korea.

Initially, she had thought to read them in the comfort of their bedroom.

But knowing how it was likely a very emotional experience, she decided to head out to where the lake was, where the beauty of nature would surely soothe her better than the four cold walls of a bedroom could.

At the very least, the sparkling waters of the lake would receive her tears. Minuscule would be her tears in comparison to the beauty that was the vast expanse of Lake Lungern.

Resuming from where she had left off, she could almost hear Eun Dong's voice in her mind.

"Comrade Se-ri, my dearest sister, how are you? I do not know for certain if this is going to be the last letter I will ever write to you, but if it is so fated to be, I will use it to pen my sincerest wishes towards you and Captain Ri. You looked so radiant and beautiful in the photos from Switzerland."

"Should anything major happen, do not worry about us. I might not be able to grasp the concept fully as yet, but Comrade Joo Meok has been explaining to me. He said that with friendship, we do not have to be physically around each other to feel happiness."

Even Eun Dong - young, obedient Eun Dong - was encouraging the two of them in this direction.

"Of course, we will miss Captain Ri dearly. But good Comrade Joo Meok also said that good thoughts can traverse any amount of distance. With that, I wish you well. You must take good care of yourself, even if I am no longer able to write to remind you to do so - Geum Eun Dong."

Next up was Kwang Beom, in his usual dignified, classy demeanor. The handsome young man had always reminded Se-ri of Jeong Hyeok - similarly, born into the upper classes of the North Korean society, exuding an air of aristocracy despite being in the military.