Chasing Ghosts | Jensoo au

Writing's on the wall

Titled after Sam Smith Wrinting's on the wall

°°°°

Nine Years Ago...

"Kim!"

Jisoo jumped in alarm as she sat at the end of her cot. "Sergeant," she addressed urgently, rising to her feet and saluting.

"At ease, soldier. What are you doing all cooped up in here?" the older man asked as he looked around the quarters.

"Needed some alone time, sir."

"It's Christmas Eve, Kim. Shouldn't you be acting like a hooligan like the rest of your fellow soldiers?" he asked gruffly as he scratched the facial hair on his cheek.

She shrugged. "Not really my favorite holiday, Sergeant."

The man sighed before pulling out a flask from his chest pocket. He took a seat on her cot, causing the soldier to look on in shock. He glared up at her and smacked the cot next to him to signal her to sit. She quickly followed orders, watching him take a swig of whatever liquor was in the metal container.

"Being away from home is hard for some on the holidays," he said, holding the flask out to her. She stared for a moment before hesitantly taking it.

"To be honest, sir, home is kinda the last place I'd want to be today," she responded as she took a drink from the flask. The liquid burn down her throat caused a coughing fit. Her superior began patting her back as he took back the flask. She never really drank. She never felt the need to. But whatever she just drank tasted like regret.

"Well, you're not the first soldier to enlist because you were running away from something," he commented, taking another sip. He started to pull out a pack of cigarettes.

Jisoo furrowed her brows. "I wasn't running away from anything," she corrected in a tone much too inappropriate for her superior officer. Her eyes widened when he stared at her with a lifted brow and a cigarette hanging in between his lips. "I'm- I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean-"

"You're a hell of a soldier, Kim," he interrupted as he lit his cigarette and took a long drag. He offered her one, but she simply shook her head. "You've been here for about six months. It's obvious how much you put into it. It's respectable," he took a drink from his flask before handing it off to Jisoo again. His eyes then locked with hers.

"I've seen a lot of men and women come through here. They all have their own reasons for wearin' the uniform. And those reasons can either fuel 'em or break 'em." He took a drag from his cigarette as Jisoo forced herself through another drink. "Denial is strong thing. Hell, it's what prolonged my much needed divorce," he joked.

"Sir, I'm not in denial-"

"Your eyes and posture give you away," he cut in. He sighed and adjusted his hat. "My job has been to maintain structure, to build it up nice and strong, and fix the weak spots when I see 'em." He nodded toward the flask and motioned for her to take another drink. "I see what you're made of. You've got strong bones. Your senses are always ready when necessary. You can think creatively on your feet. You're a God damn legend in the making," he said in amusement. "But I can see where the joints are weak. That fire behind your eyes... Most see that as determination. I see it as something dangerous that's waiting to combust."

Jisoo felt her chest caving in. She took a longer drink from the flask.

"Two days ago, you ran into that burning building without a second thought. A bomb had just gone off in an attempt to kill our entire squad, and you ran in without fear of another detonation," he explained firmly. Jisoo's jaw clenched. They were doing a training exercise outside the nearby village and went into town to speak to some of the locals. As they were exiting the building, it went up in flames. None of the soldiers were hurt, but villagers had been. And she heard the little boy, that had smiled at her only moments ago, screaming.