GB 128

“I’ll show you that landscape.” An overly optimistic and romantic promise that couldn’t be fulfilled right away. A promise unlike Yoon Moo-hwa. 

Knowing this, Haero burst out laughing and shook his head. “What are you saying? I know it’s not possible.” 

“No.” Yoon Moo-hwa murmured, unable to take his eyes off Haero, specifically off his eyes. “I want to see you standing there.” 

“…” 

“You make me…” 

No. He shouldn’t say this. The words are too heavy. Yoon Moo-hwa swallowed what he was about to say and buried his lips in Haero’s cheek. He continued to kiss his neck, jawline, and ear before capturing his lips. They tasted sweet yet bitter.

He had been called a hero. But he never wanted that title, nor had he ever felt proud of it. Isn’t a hero someone who saves the world? He had neither such passion nor sense of mission.

But the moment he saw Haero’s eyes, that passion and sense of mission was born. Haero made him want to be a hero. Made him want to become one.

Yoon Moo-hwa took the ice cream container and spoon from Haero’s hands and placed them on the side table. 

“…I won’t get to finish it again.” 

“It’s okay.” 

“I’m telling you I can eat it…” 

“If you ate any more, you would have gotten a stomachache.” 

“How would you know…” 

“I know. I know everything about you.”

Yoon Moo-hwa, who had pushed Haero away earlier in the day, now did exactly the opposite, pouncing on him. If the entrance was still swollen, he would carefully probe and lick until Haero cried thoroughly and finally released clear fluid. 

‘I’ll do anything for you. I know everything about you. I’ll do everything for you. Please let me…’

Because his feelings were too heavy, because he hoped Haero wouldn’t have to bear that weight, Yoon Moo-hwa swallowed his emotions. Like a whale burying itself in the depths of the ocean, trapping massive amounts of carbon dioxide and methane within its body.

✼✼✼

The naval vessel that Yoon Moo-hwa and Haero boarded was named “Narwhal.” The warships that no longer belonged to any single nation were named after extinct marine animals like this.

The Narwhal successfully rescued an injured sea lion.

The biggest drawback of the artificially created Arctic glaciers was their extremely sharp edges. This was due to the salt, potassium chloride, in the seawater. Many marine mammals were injured while climbing onto or passing by these sharp glaciers. This was also why they had not yet attempted to restore the ecosystem through genetic replication.

This sea lion too had its side torn for the same reason. Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep, and they were able to rescue it alive because it had managed to rest its body on a very small natural glacier that had formed along with the artificially created ice by forcibly lowering the water temperature.

“What’s the situation, Lieutenant?” Yoon Moo-hwa asked, reverting to his official tone in front of others.

Haero, examining the sea lion’s wound alongside a medic with veterinary training, replied, “It can make it to the protected species center, sir.”

That was a relief. Whether veterinary specialists should be recruited as medical officers was still under debate, and for now, the only talent available was volunteers from around Northern Europe. Since these experts couldn’t board military vessels due to security issues, Haero was greatly relieved that this sea lion’s chance of survival had improved.

“We just need to get back safely then.” Haero sent a smiling glance toward Yoon Moo-hwa.

He always speaks so ominously. Of course, Haero knew that Yoon Moo-hwa wasn’t the type to make careless promises about things that weren’t 100% certain. But surely it would be much safer than when they passed through the African Sea.

“We will certainly complete the mission safely.” Yoon Moo-hwa added, not needing to read Haero’s thoughts, having no intention of unnecessarily worrying his subordinates.

“We’ve been delayed, so let’s hurry back,” Yoon Moo-hwa said as he turned away.

It was winter in the Arctic Ocean. The daylight hours were extremely short. Moreover, the polar night was approaching, a period when the sun wouldn’t rise for days, leaving only continuous night. While this was the optimal time for Arctic restoration, it was also a nightmarish time for the navy protecting the Arctic Sea.

Haero looked through the round window of the infirmary. Indeed, the sun was already setting. While the quartz was dazzlingly beautiful and the Arctic Ocean with its occasional auroras was fantastic, the reality wasn’t as beautiful as it appeared from a distance.

“The bleeding has stopped, so let’s dress the wound and put it in the fish hold. Close the lid securely.” 

No one knows what might happen, but it never hurts to be cautious.

Haero went to the rescue fish hold where the sailor was finishing preparations and greeted the sea lion. “I’ll make sure you heal completely.” 

Though it couldn’t have understood, it looked at him with large eyes. They were big, innocent eyes like those of a child.

They fired a Barracuda missile, named after a fish species that still survives and is commonly used for food. Despite the name, it had no lethal capability. As it moved forward, it spread ultrasonic waves through the ocean, identifying potential dangers in the dark Arctic waters. Its maximum range was 5km forward and 1.5km backward.

The sun had set. During the great war in the Arctic Ocean, many devices that disrupted GPS signals were scattered on the seabed. It was estimated that half had been removed, but half remained. Because of this, ships in the Arctic Ocean frequently had to be steered manually due to the level of danger. Moreover, navigation was challenging due to randomly occurring and drifting artificial glaciers.

Yoon Moo-hwa’s artificial eye glowed with an otherworldly light. It resembled an aurora. But auroras are beautiful when they hang in the sky. In a person’s eye, it created a severe sense of dissonance and discomfort.

Yoon Moo-hwa, who never cared about others’ approval except for Haero’s, then or now, directed the Narwhal to move forward slowly, pointing the way.

“What about the wolf-fish?” 

“None detected at present, sir.”

“Wolf-fish, with its strong teeth and developed jaws, was one of the threatening creatures inhabiting the Arctic Ocean. Their pack behavior was troublesome enough, but the real problem was their significantly increased size and more developed jaws and teeth compared to before. The largest wolf-fish discovered so far reportedly bit through a launched torpedo. Of course, it disappeared when the torpedo exploded.

The most concerning issue was the characteristic they developed to survive in the warmed water temperatures.

The main feature of the threatening marine life remaining in the Arctic Ocean was that their bodies were covered with ice-like foreign substances. Because of this, even vessels couldn’t identify them as foreign objects. Being too small to be considered icebergs, they often passed by without triggering warnings. If they got caught in propellers, bit torpedoes, or collided with ships, they became deadly weapons themselves. They were among the decisive reasons for ultimately abandoning the Arctic Ocean and stopping the war.

“Still, don’t let your guard down,” Yoon Moo-hwa murmured, his eye fixed to the telescope.

It wasn’t far to the Goodall Base, the protected species center where they needed to transport the sea lion. Yoon Moo-hwa was more sensitive than usual. Not particularly because of today, but he had always been this way since boarding the Narwhal. Only Haero didn’t know this because Yoon Moo-hwa acted normally in front of him. In reality, Yoon Moo-hwa was a very difficult superior officer.

‘War could break out at any moment,’ Yoon Moo-hwa repeated to himself.

‘Most wars have warning signs. It’s right to stop it before the trigger goes off, but it’s important to end it without casualties even in the warning stage.’

He was on high alert to protect Haero.

And now an additional weight had been added that he had never carried before: his own survival.

Yoon Moo-hwa had no intention of leaving Haero to live alone. Yet he had given up and regretted too much to surrender Haero to someone else. Haero should be in his arms even when taking his last breath. Yoon Moo-hwa planned to survive and claim Haero’s entire life. A plan that wouldn’t end as just a thought, but one he would ultimately achieve.

They encountered the wolf-fish pack only when they had almost reached the Goodall Base.

The bases in the Arctic Ocean had built circular wall-like bulkheads to prevent damage from artificial glaciers. They only opened when military vessels or research ships entered port, then closed afterwards. The very heavy steel bulkheads blocked the wolf-fish pack that charged with their entire bodies.

The mutated wolf-fish were so threatening even to regular marine life that it was clear they would hinder ecosystem restoration if left alone. However, there was a dilemma about whether it was right to add another species to the countless ones humans had already driven to extinction, so active eradication measures were still under discussion.

Of course, Yoon Moo-hwa was in favor of eradication.

But ecosystems were not an area he could intervene in.

Yoon Moo-hwa stood at the path where Haero would exit after handing over the sea lion, smoking an electronic cigarette. Leaning against the wall and exhaling odorless smoke, he listened to a top-secret report. It was set to automatically self-destruct after one listening, so he had to commit everything to memory.

With one ear not plugged with an earphone, he heard the door open and close. Yoon Moo-hwa had such sharp hearing that his peers, including Alyosha, would jokingly ask if he had “artificial eardrums too.” Considering that most naval personnel had poor hearing due to the constant engine noise, his hearing was indeed remarkably good.

“Thank you for your help. I appreciate it,” came Haero’s bright greeting. It seemed the animal they rescued today had a good prognosis.

Yoon Moo-hwa, still listening to the nearly finished report, removed his cigarette and placed it in a portable ashtray. After putting everything in his pocket, he sprayed disinfectant all over his body, which also removed nicotine.

He could hear Haero approaching. Just as Haero rounded the corner, Yoon Moo-hwa put the disinfectant back in his pocket.

“Captain?” Haero stopped, looking surprised.

He looked around and then, with a mischievous smile, ran over to Yoon Moo-hwa and stood very close.

“Were you waiting for me?”