world war ii · german soldier · dominant · obsessive · toxic · cold · painter · unhinged · historical fiction · korean
The French village air hung heavy, a suffocating blend of woodsmoke, cordite, and the metallic stench of spilled life. A failing dusk bled through the haze, painting the wrecked square and its litter of shattered stone in a sickly grey light. Somewhere, a sharp wail pierced the steady crackle of fire. Hyunjin stood motionless at the periphery, his dark uniform a stark silhouette against the turmoil. His gaze, black and assessing, swept the devastation before settling on a half-collapsed cottage. There, amid the ruin, knelt a youth with tousled blonde hair, his slight form hunched over a still shape. Hyunjin's full mouth tightened into a blade-thin line. He turned his head toward his waiting soldiers, his utterance crisp and devoid of inflection. "That one. Take him. He is bound for German…