Twicetopia| Utopia: At The Other Side

Title: At The Other Side

One shot story

#twicetopia

Jihyo

"Stupid brats!", a man shouted while we were running away with a corn cobs at our hands.

We reached our hideout from inside the mountains and took a rest there. My arms were full of bruises but I'm really hungry and so as my sister. I can't die in this place, I promised to take Dahyun to a wonderful place were we won't see any friend dying before our eyes or even scrape every last piece of corn on a cob.

"Let me see your arms, Jihyo.", Jeongyeon said putting a dirty cloth around my arm were there are bruises.

I stared at the wires that prevents us from leaving this place. I tries to cleared my sight for me to see the other side clearly, but I failed, it was a long way outside.

"Did you ever wanted to leave?", i asked out of nowhere.

"Huh? What do you mean leave?", Jeongyeon said.

"There. At the other side...", I said pointing towards the open field.

"I don't know, Jihyo. It might be even worse there...", she answered.

"Many have risked their lives going to the other side, maybe it is beautiful there, maybe we won't be able to scrape any dirty foods anymore, and maybe we will finally be free.", I said and heaved a sigh.

"I don't want to die yet, Jihyo...", Jeongyeon said.

"I'd rather die trying..."

Dahyun tugged my clothes and put her hands together at her cheek.

I laid Dahyun at my lap and hums her a song until she fell asleep. I glanced at the borders again before sleep conquered me.

_________

We heard a loud bang all over the place that made us wake up from our sleep. We hurriedly came down the mountain to see what was happening. Before we can even go to the crowd, we stumbled upon a thin bald man clutching at his tummy.

"H-help...me.", he barely said between his breathe.

"What happened?", I asked while the three of us pulled him to a shed.

"Do you need water?", I asked again.

"N-No need. I am dying. I can't speak...anymore but I want you to know the truth.", he said then gasped for air.

"What truth?", Jeongyeon asked while holding on to him.

"I-I am a guard at that...border once. I already saw the...other side. But I was too old and my family already died.", he said. We listened carefully to what he was saying. Curiosity crawled all over our body.

"It's beautiful out there...save yourselves. I know it will risk your life but I wanted to make the promise that I gave...to my family. That I will get them out...", he said then continued telling us the way to get out. We can barely hear him but we tried our best to understand what he was saying.

"I c-can take a rest now...", the old man said before letting go of Jeongyeon and Dahyun's hand.

And soon, he finally closed his eyes. We stood up and paid respect to him before leaving him at the shade. Another loud bang was heard, so it didn't took us a minute to go where the crowd is and saw the bloody mess all over the ground.

________

"Hey, Jihyo."

"Yeah?"

"I want to be free...", she said.

Dahyun nodded as if she was telling me that she wanted it too. That was when we found ourselves holding on to each others hand, holding on to our dear lives. We are ready to risk our lives, they were no more hesitations inside our hearts and the only thing on our mind is to escape and live to the other side. At the other side where we don't have to scrape every piece of rice or corn, we don't have to bow and cry our hearts out just for foods, and we don't get to see a friend dying before our eye. But suddenly, we heard a loud gunshot.

And then after another one...

_______

I woke up at an unfamiliar room, my body twitched as it felt like it was being torned apart and head felt like it was being hammered. The only thing I can was being dragged by two men inside a car, they are wearing some kind lf uniform but it was different from what we see.

"D-Dahyun...Jeongyeon..", I tried to get up but my bones felt like it was being crushed.

"Miss, yu still cannot stand. Do you need anything?", a woman wearing a white clothing said.

"W-where's my sisters?"

The woman was about to speak when the door opened and a man, wearing white clothing as well, went inside.

"How are you feeling?", he asked and then checked something with the machine beside me.

"My sisters...where are they?"

"They're fine...do not worry too much. We are taking care of them."

"Where am I? Why are you doing this?"

"This is South Korea, where freedom lives and we are proud of you for being so brave. Now, we will take care of you so you will be healed fast. ", he said before leaving.

_______

We wander the flower fields in silence, each taking a second to take in and swallow what happened, running away from home to this wonderland. We reminisce the  individual journeys and hardships we faced to come out triumphant to start a new life together.

It's been two months since we got here, we are slowly learning with the help of good people. We made lots of friends already. The bruises we got just to reach this freedom slowly healed but the scars were still here.

For the first time in our entire life, we saw a place full of flowers instead of pool of bloods and birds flying freely at the sky. The past still hunts us, the scars reminds us the nightmare but at the same time, the success of risking our lives.

"Home. ", Dahyun said for the first time.

Yes, indeed. We are finally home.