We woke up to soldeirs trying to figure out whether we were dead or alive. The sudden sight if them frightened us momentarily since we recalled very clearly that they weren't there when we fell asleep.
"Are you all alright?" One of the soldiers asked, earning a late nod from all of us.
"We have to get them out of here," The same soldier turned his head around and shouted over to his peers who were scanning the area for other survivors. I looked over the soldier's shoulder and saw three huge military and one first aid helicopters landed safely on the muddy ground. The sudden sight of the soldeir first thing in the morning took all my attention and I never noticed that the storm had stopped and that the sun was shining as bright as it possibly could over us.
"Come on. We have to leave," The soldier told us and then started helping us one by one to stand up. His eyes softened at seeing our wrists tied up together, and he tried helping us get out of the rope, but we stopped him and told him that we are going to stay tied together until the very end, until we are sure that we are all safe.
We walked in one line behind the soldeir, who was leading us to one of the military helicopters. It was still chilly, but the sun helped us feel a little bit warmer than we previously were. The area around us looked more like a battlefield. There were a lot of dead, injured bodies scattered around on the muddy ground, which didn't fail to stain our pants as well. The wind blew very gently against us, probably assuring us that everything is fine now, that we don't have to worry anymore. As we were walking, I heard something that I thought I would never hear again: a melody so sweet, the chirping of birds. I raised my head in the direction of the sound as I walked and saw a whole group of birds flying together. The random pattern of their movement made them look like they were dancing against the gentle wind, making my heart flutter and a smile form on my face.
It wasn't long until we entered the helicopter and sat down next to each other, hand in hand, waiting for whatever was next to come. In to time, we heard the sound of the rotor blades as they rotated rapidly. It was my first time riding a helicopter, so the feeling of it was kind of weird. I held onto both Yoongi's and Jungkook's hand tight in fright when the helicopter shook a bit, making them both look at me. They smiled slightly then held my hand tighter than I held theirs.
I looked out at the view beneath us. There were still a couple of trees standing, and some buildings weren't destroyed that much either, so it wasn't as messy as the towns I've been to in my journey.
We sat in the helicopter for what felt like an hour before we heard a soldier say," Only a couple of minutes left before we reach the base."
For some reason, my heart started beating faster and I felt nervous. The amounts of butterflies that suddenly flew in my stomach caused it to ache, and I had the sudden feeling of crying. Reaching the base meant that everything was going to be over, but didn't I want that? Didn't I always wish for everything to stop? Then why was I scared?
Just like the soldier had told us, in a couple of minutes the helicopter was landing slowly on the military base. It took a couple of seconds for the rotor blade to stop rotating the moment the helicopter was stable on the ground and then it was safe for us to exit the helicopter. There was a huge, open meeting area and it was very crowded. I assumed that this was where the found survivors were.
"You see this crowded area? That's where you are going to head first so the nurses can make sure you are alright and so you can register yourself. After you get this done, you can head to the building on the right. That's where the found survivors are, so I suggest you look for any family members there," The soldier told us before ascending the helicopter again.
"Oh! And inside the building there will be papers stapled to a board on your right. Those are the names of the already registered survivors. They get changed every hour, so make sure to check it out," The soldier shouted at us over the loud noise of the rotor blade. We all looked forward at the crowd of people and got reminded with the emergency camps. This was our second and most probably the last time we were going to get saved. We all stood in a horizontal line next to each other and clenched our fists against the ropes that tied us together. We looked at each other for a moment before our other hands found their way to the rope and one by one we started releasing our hands from the rope. The moment my hand was released, I rubbed it as gently as I could. The rest of the members did the same too before we all walked towards the crowd, hand in hand, not wanting to let go of each other even if the rope was off.
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Life had gotten a bit easier than it used to be. The members found Bang PD and most of the staff inside the building. Most of them got injured as well, but they were left to recover slowly alongside the members. As for me, I had found only one friend of mine. The feeling that overcame me the moment I recognized who she was was indescribable. It felt as though my life wasn't as destroyed as I thought it was. We all stayed in the military base until some of the buildings got repaired. It wasn't too hard for our country to get everything repaired, so it didn't take so long. A year had passed in the military base, and it was safe for everyone to leave the base and go back to their houses. There was no use in going back to my old house, since both my parents were gone and most of my stuff most probably got washed away, so I knew I had to start anew. The day the members were leaving to their building, we met again. We all shared hugs and promises. They promised that they'll always be there for me, that they will remember me in every step they take, and in every look they take in the mirror. They say good bye moments are the worst, and they truly are. I shared my final moment with the member that I spent the most time with, Namjoon. He was the one with me when I entered the operation room back at camp, and also the one who stayed next to me during my recovery time. He was the one who helped me look for Jungkook, the one who endured many sleepless nights to keep me safe. There was no way I would've been able to let him leave without sharing a final moment with him.
"Thank you Namjoon. For everything," I remember telling him.
"If there is anyone to be thanked, then it is you. You brought us back together safely, and I'm grateful towards you," He said then pulled my gently into his embrace.
"Take care of yourself Seo Yeon," he said in the embrace, his voice cracking. I closed my eyes and held him tight, knowing that if I let go of him, I would never get to see him again.
"You should take care of yourself too. Sleep well, eat well and don't stress yourself out. And don't overwork yourself. Your health is important," I told him, and at that moment, he pulled away from the hug at hearing his manager call for him.
"I guess I have to leave now," he said before taking my hand in his.
It felt as though there was a lump stuck in my throat and I had to gulp it down or else I would've cried. My vision was already starting to get blurry due to the accumulated tears in them, so I blinked a couple of times to clear them away.
"Good bye," he said and his hand slipped away from mine, making it feel cold all of a sudden. He waved at me as he walked in his manager's direction.
"Bye Seo Yeon!" I heard the rest of the members shout in my direction too. I let out a sad smile before waving at them, my eyes filling up with more tears.
I watched Namjoon walk away until he entered the van along his six brothers. It was the most heart wrecking moment I've been through, and I don't think I want to be through it again.
My friend and I left after Bangtan did by two days. The two of us decided that we will live in our university's dorms. Everything went back to normal. My friend and I studied together, sat for exams, and passed them together. I kept the promise that I made to Jimin in mind the whole while. I tried to do the best I possibly could and prove myself in my major. I guess I started developing a liking for it too since it was one of the reasons why I saved Taehyung in the first place.
As time passed by, things just got better and better. I passed my third year in university and was about to start the fourth. My friend and I coped with life, and knew how to deal with things together. I found myself a part time job and so did she and worked to provide ourselves. I did inherit money from my deceased parents, but I decided that I will just keep it aside in my bank account and that I will work to provide for myself. That was what Bangtan taught me anyway: to work hard.
As for Bangtan, they produced many albums. They released Map of the soul: Persona, then released Hoseok released a song named Ego, the members released another song named ON, and I was shook.
There was nothing better than hearing their music after so long, after having to go through a lot of troubles and it was certainly the best thing ever.
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Hello my lovelies!
New update!
(this chapter is dedicated to MoonSunSweetie)
We are very very very close to the end now... at least the ending was happy after a lot of difficulties...
See you in the next update!
Don't forget to take care and love yourselves,
Thank you all,
I love you,
-R 💜💜