Forever 25: The love story of School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego.

[Aris]

 

"Love in this life, Joon Hee Lee. Admiral will never retire. 1998-2023, Eric "

-The gravestone eulogy of Sergeant Joon Hee Lee of the Republic of Korea Army, Daejeon National Cemetery, Seoul.

 

Eric's diary:

September 22, 2021.

University of California, San Diego. School of global strategy and policy. Sunny

 

The first lesson, Korean Security, is in line with my expectations. Oh, the Korean guy named Joon Hee sounds interesting. His English is far better than other Asia dudes, while he is a little shy guy.

 

Joon Hee Diary:

October 13th, 2021.

The things that should be sent have been given to Eric, and one day I will explain everything to him ... The folk class representatives are really excellent! ! !

 

Eric's diary:

October 12th, 2021.

God, Joon Hee gave me such an expensive thing? Ancient Korean cultural relics? And what exactly is written on the paper? Jesus, he clearly knows that I can't read Korean, but it doesn't affect my future as a famous professor at GPS, hahaha!

 

Joon Hee Diary:

April 12th, 2022.

Eric is so cute. I really want to be with him more... but have go back to Korea to serve in the military after graduation.

 

Eric pretends to be a "rational actor", but when he learned that Joon Hee was going back to South Korea as a soldier, he couldn't help but look gloomy.

 

"Hahahaha, your country is one of our islands, and every pebble on Baitou Mountain belongs to Americans." "Hey buddy, don't be complacent, there is no official peace agreement in the Korean War so far, and it will take a few minutes for DPRK to bomb your hometown in Los Angeles." These daily conversations of friends and friends in Professor Hager's Korean security lecture, but now, it only brings infinite melancholy and sadness to Eric.

 

"Eric, let's give it a last hug." Joon Hee's expression is still so natural. He smells good. "Damn it, what is wrong with your mind?" Eric couldn't help cursing himself.

 

Before hanging out with Joon Hee every day, the days couldn't be happier; Now, as long as Joon Hee hasn't sent a message for more than a week, he will become impatient and anxious-he knows that his best friend is in the army, and he knows that since May 2022, the Korean nuclear test, which was almost forgotten by the world, has started to mass-produce rumors and fears in the air of the peninsula.And Joon Hee may be transferred to the northern boundary or even to the front line at any time ... The first round of small-scale military confrontation has started again.

 

Years later, when Eric was in a daze in the face of Joon Hee's love-filled relics, he must have thought that Joon Hee's class in vice admiral was full of ecstasy because of his casual glance. But at that time, he never thought that Joon Hee would like him like this, beyond friendship. But now all this is pale in the face of facts:

 

The last what's app message was fixed on July 11th, 2023. "NLL has a special mission. All the troops near DMZ have been assembled. Take care, and don’t forget treat me in San Diego after my goddamn military service term!"

 

For a long time afterwards, Eric selectively forgot about July 14th, 2023. As the youngest and good-tempered teaching assistant of GPS, he obviously won't refuse the students' request to watch the live news before class-however, he doesn't know whether to curse or thank for this behavior:

 

"The North Korean side suddenly opened fire, and five officers deployed in front of the South Korean patrol queue were shot. The Cheongwadae spokesman has announced the identity of the dead soldiers in the emergency press conference ..." "Major Park Sung Man; Sergeant Lee Joon Hee ... "

 

The next memory fragment, for Eric, is like a hangover getting worse in the disgusting black fog: he won't remember fainting in class, which student called 911, which students carried themselves to the first aid, and taught QM1 lecturer, best friend and admiral how to carry themselves back to the apartment.How did the GPS teacher group drag themselves to the first flight to Seoul the next morning? ...

 

 

"This is the relic of comrade-in-arms Joon Hee. Please take care. "

 

Eric swore that he must have been wrong, in other words, he would rather deceive himself into being absolutely wrong.

 

In his diary, Te amo and the mountains are the two most important words.

 

His Joon Hee, who almost fainted when he saw mathematics, would rather write 100,000 QM 2 programming assignments, and never dare to say anything.

 

 

"What exactly does the birthday card you gave me say?" "Guess, I'll tell you if I guess right."

 

The School of Global Policy and Affairs is always busy day and night, but time is obviously busier, leading Professor Eric all the way to the age of 35. Yes, time won't make him forget that both of them were 24 when he last hugged Joon Hee.

 

Joon Hee was 25 years old when he and Professor Eric Haggard published sensational papers about the situation on the Korean Peninsula. In the eighth year of Eric's teaching, Joon Hee was still 25 years old.

 

Most of the alumni of the GPS class of 2022 started families, but Professor Eric never got married. A good friend sent a message to invite himself to the wedding, knowing clearly that there would be waves in his heart, but he went anyway. That friend named asshole Aristotle, he and his lover ... Well, this guy didn’t marry himself eventually, that was out of my expectation.

 

Professor Eric is afraid of Valentine's Day, and he is afraid of it all his life from the bottom of his heart, his eye and his bone marrow.

 

But every Valentine's Day, there is no shortage of roses and forget-me-not on Sergeant Joon Hee's tombstone. On this day, the Seoul Military Cemetery always welcomes an American man dressed professionally and decently as a professor.

 

 

 

His desk is as messy as Einstein's, but the picture frame with black-haired youth and blond men is always spotless,stunning and shinning like the light from his eyes the first sight Jone Hee ran into him outside of the classroom.

 

"Professor, your graduation ceremony in 2022 slays! Who is this handsome Asian dude besides you? A friend to you is him?"

 

Guess, I'll uncover the veil if your guess was correct. Eric laughed it off.

 

It's his holiday, the secret he and his tacit understanding, the secret code and riddle of life and death.