Prologue
People say to fear the worst.
But what if the worst is already yours.
A sixteen year old boy in the army, lying about his age.
Jeon Jungkook was apart of the Asian army.
The sun had only just risen in the year of 1943.
But the only question people were wanting to know the answers to was, when would this war be over. It had been years full of deaths and loss of family.
Jungkook's dad had died a brutal death on the sidelines of no man's land.
Missing in action.
It was Jungkook or Jeongguk to next represent their family in a bloodbath of terror.
Jeongguk was two years older than Jungkook, why couldn't he go?
Unfortunately, Jeongguk was paralysed as he began training to join one of the Asian armies but during training he hurt himself.
He never spoke about the incident, it was a constant reminder that he was yet again second place to his younger brother.
Jungkook was always the 'most loved son', in Jeongguk's opinion. Jungkook has everything, captain of the football team, physically strong, good looking, humble, smart and generally kind to everybody.
But Jeongguk always had his suspicions of Jungkook hiding something.
He became extremely shy around girls, wouldn't blush at the comments or anything. Just nodded and continued his day.
Any other person in his shoes would be loving the attention.
One day Jeongguk noticed something that changed his view on his younger brother.
Jeongguk saw Jungkook kissing a boy.
It's 1943 and it was the weirdest thing he thought he had seen.
The boy he was kissing was slightly smaller than him, actually a lot shorter than him. He had blond hair that covered the tips of his eyes and plump luscious limps.
Jeongguk knew what to do, use this information against the younger.
"Jeon Jungkook, who would guess you were a fag," Jeongguk laughed evilly glancing over at the younger, "What a slutty boy, you and that whore you were doing shit with."
"Don't you dare talk about Jimin that way," Jungkook angrily shouted back.
"You fucking faggot," Jeongguk screamed, "wait till everyone knows about this, you won't be perfect Jungkookie, you will be discarded, you won't be able to join the army, why would they let a gay boy be surrounded by men."
"Please, I'll do anything, don't out me," Jungkook's eyes were brimming with tears, like a cup overflowing.
"Anything, huh?" Jeongguk sniggered, "number one, stop acting like the golden son. Number two, as dad is dead and I have to join the army you will take my place."
"What the heck, I'm 16 they won't let me." Jungkook looked confused at his maniac of an older brother.
"Lie." Was the short, but definitely not sweet, answer returned, "number three, you will get a girlfriend, maybe she can straighten you out. You're such an embarrassment. Number four you will break Jimin's heart. And, well, what should I make you do for number five?"
Jeongguk was out of ideas.
"Last but not least, once you leave for the army, don't bother coming back."
Jungkook tried his best to complete the tasks.
Now the younger of the Jeon brothers started getting into trouble at school. He started dating a beautiful girl named Seulgi. He never found emotions for the beautiful girl. His heart was always set on Jimin, but as his brother had practically demanded them to end whatever they had.
"Jungkook, is it true you're dating Seulgi?" Jimin glanced over to the muscular boy.
"So what?" Jungkook huffed, trying to keep a strong persona.
"I guess, I meant nothing to you," Jimin's eyes were covered in a layer of tears as he looked at the boy he once loved, maybe even still did love. How much Jungkook wanted to run and embrace the other, apologising for his stupidity.
One thought stopped him, "I'm doing it to protect both of us, if Jeongguk was to out me he would probably out Jimin as well."
And that was how Jungkook lost his first love.
One of the options on the list was hard to complete.
Jungkook had to some how get into the army. However, his mother had already signed Jeongguk up to take his father's place on the front line.
Jeongguk was one step ahead.
"If I fake an injury then you can take my place," Jeongguk felt like Einstein after that idea. It seemed right that he could do that.
And that was how now Jeongguk sat in a wheel chair, acting upset as he waved of his younger brother to war.
Seulgi was crying, tears embedding her gorgeous face as she waved of the boy she thought loved her.
"Kookie, when you come back I will marry you," Seulgi announced, this encouraged a grin onto Jeongguk's face.
Jungkook waved and plastered a smile on his face as he waved of the girl, he was convincing himself to love.
It's the 1940s people often were already married before they were twenty the average marriage age being around eighteen.
As Jeongguk was eighteen he would soon be marrying his girlfriend Rosé. Jeongguk's marriage would be better than Jungkook's because Jeongguk had always liked women and Jungkook was the only gay person he knew, well apart from Jimin.
Jungkook's mum was crying as she waved of her youngest son.
This was the end.
The younger knew he would never return, even if he survived his brother would out him if he came back.
"Goodbye Busan," Jungkook whispered looking around the town and admiring all of the scenery before glancing across to his only known friend.
"It will be okay Jungkookie," Namjoon said glancing at the boy.
Unlike Jungkook, Namjoon was at the legal age to join the army. Originally, Namjoon was Jeongguk's closest friend but after going through training for the front line he had grown a strong relationship with the younger Jeon brother.
"Jungkook you're an anomaly." Namjoon spoke.
"What?" Jungkook glanced up, confusion painted, as if a canvas, on his face.
"You stick out like a swore thumb amongst all of the men here, Kook you are still a boy."
"Boy I may be of age, but a man I am of nature."
"You know we're heading to Germany, that place gives me chills. Apparently they have gathered all people who are Jewish, go against the government, homosexuals-."
"Homosexuals?"
"Yep they took gay people as well and now they are tortured."
"You are the first person I know to not call them faggots."
"Jungkook," Namjoon sighed, "they're still people they can't choose, it's just a preference. We all walk this Earth and someday Homosexuality will be a thing celebrated, but that good be decades maybe over seventy-five years."
The thoughts had Jungkook thinking, he would never be able to be gay for seventy five years, he would most likely be dead by then. Maybe someday he would return to Busan, if he married Seulgi even if he did get outed he would have a beautiful wife to show how he wasn't gay.
Germany was far away, a lot of people had to be taken by the planes to the front line. Some unlucky people would be taken by boat, or even worst by the crappy machines people called cars.
Luckily for Namjoon and Jungkook they got taken by a plane.
The general saluted his men as he stood three hundred meters away from where evil thought evil.
"This time tomorrow, half of you will be dead, what am I kidding you will all be dead." The general stood not giving the best pep-talk, "just remember we're doing it for our country."
All the men cheered at the comment except Jungkook who gazed at the man, possibly in his mid-forties.
"I Bang Si-Hyuk, may not be known as the most successful general but if you guys fight well all our names will be known throughout Asia, maybe the world." Bang spoke glancing at the troops.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori," were the general's last words to his troops.
How sweet and fitting it is to die for ones country, the words once said in Latin repeated in Jungkook's head.
Fond memories of him and Jimin studying it at school flooded his brain. When Jimin tried his best to speak the Latin but failed. They laughed so hard there stomach killed. How they hugged each other for hours after. Jungkook craved Jimin's touch, he misses the sweet scent of his hair, the way his eyes scrunched up when he laughed.
The poem about dying at war became a memory of his love towards Jimin.
He remembers the first time they kissed.
How their lips slotted together like a puzzle piece finding the correct spot. Everything felt right. Jimin was the perfect height for Jungkook, their arms naturally found their place in a secure hold around each other.
Everything with Seulgi felt wrong.
Their was no desire in their kisses, a short peck and that was it. When they hugged it was different, Seulgi was slightly taller than Jimin, not by much though. Their bodies didn't fit together right.
Sure, Seulgi was a nice girl and Jungkook always knew she deserved much better than him. When he saw her looking at another boy it never sent anger or jealousy through his veins. It felt almost comforting.
He never got worried when the bad boy of the school would flirt with her. Min Yoongi. Jungkook never hated him.
Min Yoongi was also one of Jeongguk's friends and had also been recruited for the army the same time as Jungkook. They would be fighting together.
Jungkook knew that if he didn't survive, Min Yoongi would make Seulgi happy, happier than Jungkook ever did.
Despite all this Seulgi still had her heart set on marrying Jungkook.
But Jungkook never knew why.
Jungkook loved Jimin, he knew their love was never permanent. They could never marry, kids were a clear no.
Things seemed easier with Seulgi, but things seemed better with Jimin.
"Tomorrow will be the day you show your country who you are," Bang spoke his last words, "think of the women you have at home and fight for them."
Jungkook wasn't fighting for a woman, he was fighting for a man.
Park Jimin.
"I love you," Jungkook whispered to himself and glanced over a the other men, approximately one hundred.
"Te amo."
