"Stop!" South yelled.
They had reached the Yalu River, which was the border between Korea and China. The enemy forces had hastily retreated using it, and so South had no wish to continue.
"Let's leave that for another day. We had a goal, and achieved it. Now let's turn back." He said.
North looked to his brother. "I agree, you already did enough for me." Secretly, he wanted to take revenge on Soviet for taking his land, but he didn't want to burden South.
He pulled South to the side. "I'll stay behind in the north to try to regain control. My people look wary for sure."
"Okay. I'll return back to my own land now. For now, I'll leave some of my men to patrol around here since this is technically my territory. The remaining men need a break." South smiled.
"You too. I don't think the enemy will come back for a counter invasion, we dealt a brutal blow. I'll still be on high alert though." North replied. Although he felt like he would fall down any moment from exhaustion, he needed to sort things out first.
South nodded, started to direct his army back South.
North wanted until they were completely out of sight, then looked at the "phone" South had given him.
"What the hell is this thing?" He mumbled. South had given him basic instructions on how to use it, but it still seemed completely alien to him. How does this tiny contraption turn on with just one push of a button? And what are all these things like "Settings", "Bluetooth", and "Mobile Data"?
He shook his head and put the phone in his pocket. He'll learn about it later.
He started towards the government building, which was miraculously not destroyed. Kim Il Sung Square, he had named it.
Inside, to absolutely no one's surprise, was no one. But North knew that government officials were there.
He started towards the bunker and opened the hatch. Inside were the government officials cowering in fear. But the moment they saw North, their fear turned into shock.
"You! The country that betrays their own people! Have you finally came back only to realise that the USSR's forces are too powerful for you? Have you come to take refuge in this bunker? Well too bad, you can't stay here." One jeered. " Once Soviet catches you here, you will be done for."
"I don't think so. I would let you look outside, but I wouldn't want you running away." He grabbed the government official's collar, fury in his eyes. "Do you know what happened to me?"
"I don't give a fuck what happened to you. You were so much better before you ran away. Where is the cruel North?" The official taunted.
North dragged the official out of the bunker and put his gun to his stomach. The official's eyes widened in fear.
"Wait- please-" Was his last words before North shot him, blood splattering everywhere.
Chaos erupted in the bunker, every one of the officials trying to run away. North shot each and every one. By the time it was over, the room was splattered in crimson red blood and North himself was covered in the stuff.
"They were annoying anyway." He muttered.
He turned around to leave, and went to the bathroom to try and clean himself up. He stared at himself in the mirror.
His face was worn and covered in a mixture of blood and dirt, and his eye still a black hole, looking like a window to his soul.
"You really look terrible."
"AH!" North spun around. There was the Asian country, leaning on the door, with his arms crossed. He looked very different compared to North. He had wiped off the blood and looked presentable at the least. "What the hell South? And why are you even here?"
"I left the job to the military General to go back, and Japan just quietly slipped away. I'm not sure where she is, but she is surely somewhere in the peninsula. Then I followed you here. The bunker looks a mess." South replied, standing next to North.
"Yeah.. that's going to have to be cleaned." North said.
The brothers, despite being twins, couldn't look any more different.
They didn't even look like brothers. South was snowy white with the flag pattern on his face. North, on the other hand, was dark blue with an eyepatch and crimson red colors. South didn't look that bad at the moment, whereas North didn't even have the chance to clean himself up yet.
"So what are you going to do now?" South asked as his brother wet a tissue and started wiping his hands and face.
"I'll probably try to rouse people to the square, which shouldn't be too hard considering the amount of fear they have for me. Honestly I'm just planning on giving this big ass speech and hope for the best." North replied.
"The people are scarred, North. You need to do something to get them to convince you." South reminded him.
North thought for moment, then nodded. "I'll try. I think you should head back though. I can handle things on my own."
"Okay, but if you need me, use the phone. You remember how to use it right?"
"Er.. yes." North lied. "Also, I'm not a child, I'm older than you. I can handle things on my own."
"Just good for someone to have your back. See you." South replied, then left.
North looked into the mirror again. He wiped off the blood, washed his face, cleaned his eyepatch, put it on, and crammed his military hat on his head. He looked okay now.
He went outside and looked around. It was eerily empty, but that was fine. He saw one man sweeping the area and told him to tell everyone to come to the square.
A couple hours later, everyone was there. People from all over the country came.
(I know this is unrealistic but honestly I have no idea how to like make people from all over to listen to North so.)
They all stood as still as statues, none of them daring to do anything but cry. Cry because their glorious countryhuman was in their presence.
North was disgusted. How could this be a rule in the North Korean society?
"Everyone, please stop crying. It makes me feel awkward." He said.
The North Koreans stared at him in disbelief. Many thought that this was a test to see how loyal they were, and so they continued crying.
North sighed. "Are you all disobeying your leader?" He asked, trying not to cringe at his tone.
The North Koreans immediately stopped crying and stood as still as statues again.
North looked around the crowd, and picked one man who was trembling violently. "You, come up."
"Y-yes sir.." The North Korean stammered.
"What's your name?" North asked.
"Cho Byung-Ho, sir." The North Korean replied.
"Well Byung-Ho, I ask you to do one thing. It isn't hard, but you must do it." North ordered.
"W-whatever you say, sir." Byung-Ho said shakily.
"Say everything you have against the regime." North said sternly.
"O-oh sir! I don't know if I can do that, sir. It's against the law." Byung-Ho said in surprise.
"Don't disobey your country's orders. Say it. Honestly." North said.
"I-if you insist, sir." Byung-Ho said uncertainly. "Well.. I hate all of it. I hate how the regime doesn't let us speak our mind. I hate how the leaders get all the food while we all statve. I hate that we need to save the Leader's portrait in a burning fire while our children are dying. I hate how you restrict us from the outside world. I hate how you don't let us travel freely. I hate.."
A whole stream of "I hate" was coming out of Byung-Ho's mouth. He was growing more confident. The entire time, North was silent.
After a long while, Byung-Ho finally finished. The crowd held their breaths, ready to witness yet another execution.
But instead, North just nodded his head solemnly. "I agree with you, Comrade Cho." He said softly, so softly that the North Korean could barely make out what he said.
"W-what? You're not going to execute me right here for treason?" Byung-Ho asked in disbelief. "Why did you call me 'comrade'?"
"Why would I execute you, when all you did was talk about the things you didn't like? We need to fix that." Then he turned to his people.
"I know that for the past seventy years, I have kept all of you locked in this dreadful place and ruled over you all with an iron fist. That is going to change." He said. "Does anyone else have anything to say? Insult me, mock me, say everything you hate about the Democratic People's Republic Of Korea."
Instantly, the North Koreans started to spew out a shit ton of words that are too much to be repeated. North nodded at all of them, taking in all of the criticism quietly.
After the people had finally calmed down, North started to speak again. "I need new government officials and a leader to run this country. The former leaders are not with us anymore." His eye darkened. "This country needs to be changed. You all deserve a break. From now, you may say anything you like. And for all of you who are privileged enough to afford a good house and food, help the ones who are struggling. Donate food and amenities to them." Few of the richer North Koreans groaned at this announcement. "It may take a while, but with all of you supporting each other and all of us working together, North Korea will be back on track!"
The upcoming cheer was so loud that North was sure even South could hear it in the south. Even the South Korean soldiers who were on patrol duty in the north cheered.
North Korea was finally free.