3
A veterans’ café in Seoul, one week later. The café is a sanctuary of memory walls adorned with sepia photos of soldiers, their smiles caught in time like fireflies. A jukebox hums a trot ballad, its notes weaving through the scent of barley tea and faint cigarette smoke. Jimin and Hoseok sit across from Min Yoongi, 47, a retired sergeant with a face etched by years and a voice like worn velvet. His eyes, sharp yet tender, carry the weight of a past he both cherishes and mourns.
Jimin shifts uncomfortably, a stranger in this world of grizzled veterans. Hoseok’s notebook is ready, pen poised, his journalist instincts sharp. The letter, still sealed, is hidden in Jimin’s jacket, its “To Tae, from J” a secret he guards. He leans forward, adopting a practiced confidence, his lie ready.
Park jimin
*clearing his throat* Mr. Min, I’m Park Jimin, a journalist. I’m writing a report on a soldier from the DMZ, Jeon Jungkook. Heard he was a hero in ‘05. You served with him, right? Can you tell me about him?
Yoongi’s gaze sharpens, then softens, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face. He leans back, sipping his tea, and his voice begins to weave a tapestry of Jungkook’s light, each word a brushstroke of memory
Min Yoongi
Jungkook… yeah, I served with him. My lieutenant at the DMZ, ‘05. Calling him a hero doesn’t do him justice. He was an orphan, you know lost his family as a kid, raised himself in grit and heart. Only 25, but he led like he was born for it. Two years, countless missions—patrols through minefields, chasing smugglers, facing North Korean scouts. He saved our squad once, carried a wounded kid through a sniper’s range, took a bullet graze and kept going. Never asked for glory.
Jung Hosoek
That’s incredible. What kind of missions? Any stand out?
Min Yoongi
🙂Too many. We rebuilt villages after floods, escorted civilians through hot zones, saved a school from a landslide. Jungkook was everywhere handing out his rations to hungry kids, fixing farmers’ roofs, singing with locals by firelight. After one mission stopped a border clash that could’ve sparked war the country went wild for him. Letters poured in, hundreds of them. Kids drew him stars, elders called him son. He’d sit in the barracks, reading every one, his smile so big it lit the room
Jimin’s heart skips, imagining Jungkook alone in the world, yet giving it all surrounded by stacks of envelopes, his orphan heart warmed by strangers’ love. He keeps the letter in his jacket, its weight a silent vow, and nudges Yoongi toward more
Park jimin
That’s… amazing. Sounds like he was loved by everyone. Did he have anyone special? Someone who stood out?
Yoongi’s eyes soften, and the café’s hum fades as he speaks of Tae, his voice wrapping their love in a glow that feels sacred
Min Yoongi
Yeah… Tae. He came into his life like a comet. Showed up in ‘05, Tae sent him letters, different from the others. No return address, just ‘Your Star, Tae’ in this flowing script. Jungkook would read them by lantern light, his face… God, it was like he’d found paradise. Tae wrote like they were married, like Jungkook had left him for the military and he was aching for him missing his laugh, dreaming of his touch, promising to wait forever
Hoseok’s pen pauses, his eyes wide. Jimin feels a lump in his throat, picturing Jungkook in the barracks, Tae’s letters his only warmth, their love and a melody in the DMZ’s gray. The hidden letter burns against his chest, its “Tae” echoing Yoongi’s words.
Jung Hosoek
They were in love, then? Those letters sound… intense
Min Yoongi
Love doesn’t cover it. It was… magic. Jungkook was happy, really happy, with Tae’s letters. He’d carry them in his jacket, read them before patrols like they were armor. Tried to find Tae—asked villagers, checked mailboxes but no luck.. It was the kind of love you don’t forget
Jimin’s breath catches, Tae’s “Your Star” glowing in his mind a love so vivid it feels alive. He wants to reveal the letter, but his lie holds him back, and he presses for more
Park jimin
That’s beautiful. What happened to them? Did Jungkook ever find Tae?
Yoongi’s face clouds, his voice heavy with regret
Min Yoongi
I don’t know the whole story. Things got rough jungkook was quieter, like something broke. I left the military in ‘05 when my dad passed, so I missed the end. He was on some big mission, and Tae…. Never knew what happened..
Jung Hosoek
Any idea where Tae might be now? For the report, you know, to get the full picture
Yoongi scribbles a number on a napkin and slides it across, his eyes narrowing but kind
Min Yoongi
No clue where Tae is. It’s been 20 years. But seokjin.. Friend of jungkook... might know something. He was a singer back then... childhood friends with Jungkook. He’s in Busan. Tell him I sent you. And… if you’re writing about Jungkook, do him justice. He was more than a soldier
Yoongi hands Jimin a faded photo Jungkook in his uniform, a stack of letters at his side, his smile soft as if dreaming of Tae. Jimin stares, struck by the warmth in Jungkook’s eyes, an orphan who loved beyond the world’s scars.
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