The Line Between Us: Part II

Chapter 2: Crossing the 38th Parallel

A brief moment of chaos-
Joon-seok, crouched behind a tree, gave the command.

"사격 개시!"
("Open fire!")

Then came the burst of rifle fire from the grass.

North Korean soldiers positioned along the perimeter unleashed a wave of bullets.

Ratatatatat!

The sound of PPSh-41 submachine guns tore through the air.

Some South Korean troops convulsed violently, blood bursting out as they collapsed to the ground.

The rest counterattacked with M1 Garand rifles and machine gun fire-but it was too late. The North Korean unit had gotten too close.

The hill erupted in a storm of gunfire.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Ratatatatat!

From below, Joon-seok's men hurled grenades upward toward the barricades-flimsy defenses made of loose sandbags, patched-together wood, and old crates.

BOOM!

The explosion shattered the hilltop-planks and sacks of sand blasted apart, opening gaps in the South's defense line.

In the middle of the chaos, Joon-seok-face streaked with mud and sweat-shouted:

"계속 전진하라! 멈추지 마라!"
("Keep advancing! Don't stop!")

He climbed the hill, submachine gun rattling in his hands-short, sharp bursts aimed at the South Korean defenders.

Ratatatatat!

Several soldiers convulsed as the bullets hit-blood sprayed through the air before their bodies dropped lifeless to the ground.

Meanwhile, on the western ridge near Munsan-
Major Han Byung-chul's battalion was on the move.

Under the edge of dawn, the 1st Battalion advanced across broken ridges and low brush, heading for the high ground west of town.

Suddenly-
Grenades rained from above. Explosions rocked the slope-dirt and shrapnel flying as the soldiers scrambled for cover.
One North Korean soldier was torn apart mid-sprint, his torso flung backward in a burst of blood. Another clutched his leg, screaming, as shrapnel lodged deep into his thigh.

Major Han Byung-chul raised his fist-then pointed.

"저 놈들 진지다! 박살내라!"
("That's their position! Wipe them out!")

Mortars were launched from the ridgeline. One shell slammed into a South Korean foxhole-blasting apart the soldiers inside. Flesh ripped, bones shattered, and blood sprayed as limbs flew into the air.

"고지를 확보하라! 놈들이 재정비하기 전에 밀어붙여!"
("Secure the hill! Push before they regroup!")

His men charged up the slope, exchanging gunfire with entrenched defenders. A grenade exploded near one South Korean soldier-blasting him apart. His body landed in pieces near a shattered sandbag wall.

Byung-chul moved quickly through the smoke and debris, his uniform already soaked with sweat and dust.

"문산으로 가는 길은 여기서 열린다. 한강까지 밀어붙인다. 서울은 바로 그 뒤에 있다!"
("The road to Munsan opens here. We push to the Han River. Seoul is right behind it!")

Across other major fronts-

In the flat fields outside Kaesong's old city walls, the 4th Division advanced. North Korean soldiers fired rifles and hurled grenades as they stormed through the open ground toward the town.