The dead of winter.

A low of -27°C.

Despite the bone-chilling cold, the heat on set never wavered.

Between the cameras positioned between poles on the hill, the action cams built to capture the trenches in vivid detail, and the thick thermal underwear worn beneath costumes for accuracy, Endless Frontline, set against the backdrop of an entire mountain, was approaching its climax.

The atmosphere was charged with an unusual tension.

Was it because they were filming the highlight scenes? Even the small talk that normally filled the set was gone, replaced by an eerie silence that felt like real war.

It’s never usually this intense.

‘Is it because of Dong-hoo?’

The current hottest rising star, top actor Han Tae-gun, glanced at Kim Dong-hoo. Despite the cold, he didn’t seem to flinch, standing tall without a shiver.

‘Whenever Dong-hoo shows up on set, the atmosphere feels like walking on thin ice.’

That day, everyone witnessed Kim Dong-hoo fully embodying the student soldier, and they realized something.

If they didn’t bring their A-game, they’d be trampled. They could easily be overshadowed by this rookie making his film debut, risking criticism and the dreaded label of a subpar actor.

So, they gave it their all. On the day they would meet Dong-hoo again, they were determined not to be crushed. In a way, Dong-hoo was the executioner’s block for their acting skills.

‘To think like that about a kid…’

Muttering to himself, Han Tae-gun slowly put on his mask—the mask of Kim Soo-ha, who would ultimately have to answer the student soldier’s questions.

“Action!”

The director’s cue rang out.

Today, I would wear this mask to face the student soldier.

+++++

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Under a hail of bombs, without distinguishing between friend or foe, Kim Soo-ha ran headlong through the chaos.

Although they’d radioed in to stop the bombardment after the frontline shifted, once the bombs were dropped, they couldn’t be redirected.

“Spread out! Don’t bunch up!”

Standing still meant death. They had to find the safest spot.

To survive, to witness the end of this war,

He ran and ran again.

His breath caught at the back of his throat, but he ignored it. He had no choice.

He had to survive.

Even though he knew he couldn’t make it out, even though he had feigned calm in the face of death,

The closer he got to the end, the more cowardly he felt.

“Die! Yaaaargh!”

Bang!

He shot down a screaming Communist soldier. It must have been the exhilaration of facing death that made him yell like that. Or maybe it was a desperate plea for someone to end his misery.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ssswish!

“Agh!”

A bullet grazed his shoulder as they poured in from all sides. Normally, he would cry out in pain, but his highly stimulated body suppressed it all.

“Shouldn’t we retreat?!”

At Sergeant Jin Dong-shik’s words, Kim Soo-ha shook his head.

If they fled, where would they go? Bombs and bullets flew in all directions, and they couldn’t even tell friend from foe in the chaos. Even if they wanted to escape, where would they run to?

No one had an answer.

“Damn it! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have worn these Commie uniforms!”

To stay warm, they’d donned overcoats from the North Korean soldiers they’d killed. In the dust and confusion, the only way to distinguish friend from foe was by the shape of the uniforms, which had now become meaningless.

“If I make it back, I’m lining up the brass and shooting them all.”

Kim Soo-ha nodded at Sergeant Joo Hak-san’s bitter words.

‘Yeah, if we make it back.’

Though he’d told them to disperse, the three had naturally formed a team.

They’d learned that this configuration offered the best chance of survival after countless skirmishes over the hills.

Bang!

Or so they thought.

“Gah!”

In a place as senseless as war, who would expect the person next to them to suddenly die? It was utterly irrational.

“Dong-shik!”

Even as he called out, his gaze stayed fixed on the direction the bullet had come from, filled with fear and unease.

“…That bastard!”

A young face that didn’t belong in war, eyes hollow and lifeless, pointed his rifle in their direction.

It was him.

The boy who had randomly asked about rice and meat stew—

The student soldier.

Click!

He raised his gun, but the boy had already disappeared. Did he do it on purpose? Did he let him live?

‘Why?’

The confusion gnawed at him, but there was no one to answer. Kim Soo-ha looked down at the dying Jin Dong-shik.

There wasn’t even time to listen to his last words. Swallowing his grief, he grabbed the dog tags and the letter from his pocket.

“Wasn’t that the same guy?!”

“Yes! Even in this chaos, he’s targeting us precisely.”

“So what do we do?”

“We kill him. We have to kill him first.”

Kim Soo-ha kept repeating it to himself.

Kill or be killed. Sergeant Joo Hak-san nodded with grim determination.

In the chaotic battlefield, one goal stood out.

Was it for revenge? Or was it the relief of finally having a target to pursue?

Kim Soo-ha and Joo Hak-san ran. The student soldier had fired from up the hill.

Despite being under the heaviest bombardment, he had clung to life and aimed right at them.

Their boots pounded over the bodies of fallen soldiers, not knowing if they were friend or foe. They didn’t care anymore. Now that they had a goal, nothing else mattered.

His mind felt clearer.

Then—

Bang!

The sharp sound of the student soldier’s gunshot pierced his ears.

“...!”

Without a sound, a hole appeared in Sergeant Joo Hak-san’s head.

This time, he didn’t bother to collect dog tags or letters. He’d end up like that soon enough anyway.

Tatatatatata!

He fired relentlessly in the student soldier’s direction, hoping one of the bullets would hit. Maybe one would find its mark.

Click click.

The student soldier staggered as the bullets ran out. Fair enough; he should suffer too.

Click!

Kim Soo-ha attached his bayonet and chased after the student soldier. Despite staggering, the boy darted into the trench with eerie precision. Perhaps it was survival instinct, not experience, that had kept him alive so far.

Driven by the desire to live, he followed him into the trench.

Bang!

The student soldier’s bullet struck Kim Soo-ha in the shoulder.

It should have hit his head, but the boy had taken a hit and his aim was off.

Click click.

The student soldier tried to fire again, but nothing happened. He was out of bullets.

“Comrade, how have you been?”

“Who’s your comrade, you bastard?”

Squish, squish.

Blood-soaked boots struggled forward, putting in their all to kill a mere child.

“Are you here to answer my question?”

“What question?”

Kim Soo-ha suddenly remembered. The boy had asked about rice and meat stew.

It was laughable.

The people who had started this war lived better than they did, yet here they were discussing luxury food. What did it mean?

“I never had it, either.”

In this war, the thought of such indulgence was absurd.

“You did all this just to ask that? Answer me!”

“What’s more important than that?”

The bayonet beneath his rifle trembled slightly. It was hard to tell whose bayonet it was; the tremor was so familiar.

They stared at each other, knowing that with every word, death drew nearer.

Whose death would it be? The student soldier sneered.

It will be yours.

Because—

“My sister wasn’t a liar.”

It must exist somewhere, and you’re just saying it doesn’t.

The student soldier didn’t believe Kim Soo-ha’s words. Though it was the answer he had sought, he hadn’t come all this way to hear a lie.

‘Then why did my sister have to die?’

No one here could answer that. That’s why he wanted to live.

If rice and meat stew didn’t exist in the South or the North, if he hadn’t tasted it because of poverty on either side,

Why had his family had to die so senselessly? Why had his beloved sister had to die protecting him?

He wanted to live to find that answer.

Flash!

The student soldier moved, intent on killing the liar in front of him.

With only the skill to kill, he thrust his bayonet toward Kim Soo-ha.

‘I’ll live, even for my sister’s sake.’

Thud!

“…?”

Was it because he had thought of his sister? Somehow, the bayonet had pierced the student soldier’s chest.

Desperately trying to break free, he twisted the bayonet, but—

Crunch.

He was stopped every time.

Even the bayonet skills he had been proud of crumbled under his struggle to survive.

Slash!

The bayonet sliced through his body, carving a path as it came out.

“Huff… huff…”

Kim Soo-ha looked down at the result of his actions. For a moment, he felt a sense of accomplishment for having slain a demon, as if his wounds were medals of honor.

Then he realized what he had killed was just a boy.

“...”

What had I killed?

Was it the tragedy born of war? An inevitable, brutal fate?

With that thought, the student soldier looked at his fingers as they gradually lost sensation.

If his sister had been there,
She would have held his cold hand and warmed it.

Sister, my dear sister.

'I miss you...'

The thought didn’t finish.
It was cut short by a single tear that slowly rolled down his cheek.

I’m sorry, Sister.
Rice and meat stew...

I never got to taste them before I died.

+++++

The camera slowly zoomed in on Kim Dong-hoo, then gradually panned out. The final sounds were the fading echoes of gunfire and explosions, followed by a gradual fade to black.

“Yeaaaahhhhh!!!”

Director Kang Sang-hoon’s triumphant shout resounded across the set.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Leaping from his seat, Director Kang started clapping, his small, almost inaudible claps clear in their intention.

‘Kim Dong-hoo! Kim Dong-hoo! Our Dong-hoo!’

How had he managed to cry in that last moment?
His performance was overwhelming.

‘High Dream? Ha, what a joke.’

This was Kim Dong-hoo at 100%.
Director Kang was certain.

Our movie,

'It's going to hit ten million views.'