#korea service area

[jmdbjk]

Cannot wait...

Still a month away from watching these two be their adorable goober selves together:

I keep telling everyone around me I'm going to be insufferable for a while, with Jimin and Muse coming soon and then these two together, week after week ... makes me giddy. Sorry, not sorry.

We'll get teasers. I'm going to squee over all of those as well. Again, sorry, but not very sorry at all actually.

All of it takes me back to when I realized JK's 2022 Vlog was going to be centered around camping. Honestly? I was a little surprised. He has never come across as the outdoorsy type to me. But he'd never had the chance to express much of what interests him outside of BTS and outside of what we saw on various content through the years either!

This series of vlogs helped us see each member doing things they chose to do on their own and helped kick off the "solo" era in 2022.

Jungkook's delight in stopping at Korea's version of Buc-ee's and buying gas station food and eating to his heart's content was oddly satisfying. Maybe because I take great pleasure in doing such simple things too, after all, the best part of a road trip is stopping to buy snacks along the way, am I right? The service area where they stopped is called the Gapyeong Service area on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway (60). These places are like a food court/mini mall. Just like Buc-ee's.

I am already laughing at the thought of he and Jimin stopping at a grocery store to buy deli pizza in Connecticut... IT'S GOING TO BE WOEFULLY SUBSTANDARD I FEAR!

In his 2022 vlog, Jungkook helped set up the camper he slept in and cooked and sat around the campfire drinking. And we know in past Bon Voyage seasons and other content, they've pitched tents and slept outdoors. All of these things he must have immensely enjoyed if we might be seeing them again soon with Jimin.

Then there's the recent story going around about someone spotting he and Jimin returning their rental car in Japan and learning Jungkook was driving... Jungkook got to drive on the "wrong" side of the road in Japan! He put that international driver's license to use finally!

From the preview clip the other day, it appears Jungkook also got to practice his motorcycle handling skills. Handling a Harley Davidson is a bit trickier than handling a smaller motorcycle. Those things are heavy. And it's a little different when you have a passenger sitting behind you. The two Harley helmets we saw sitting on the edge of his sofa last year... yep, he's had practice.

TMI: I was today year's old when I learned that motorcycles are banned on major roadways in Korea.

Are we going to see how Jimin scraped his knuckles while snorkeling on Jeju?

And that nekkid-in-bed live when Jungkook was begging him to come over and Jimin told him to look at the photo he sent... did Jimin get a black eye from being elbowed when they were sleeping?

And as I was running through my blog posts, I realized all of these things I previously said last year:

Me wondering if their trip to Japan was unstructured and spur of the moment...

I wondered if Closer Than This was a pre-release to an upcoming album...

I'm thankful to Tae for bringing JK along with his Wooga friends to that ski resort back in 2022. We can't know if JK had ever snowboarded before that but it appears he loved it enough to want to stick around long after they left him there. And now he had the chance to do it again with Jimin! I know they had so much fun together. At the beginning of this year, I pointed out some fun facts about Sapporo...

Skiing? Snowboarding? All of the above?

And save this for future reference, it's the onsen resort image we heard about and I mentioned in a weekly Bangtan report this past February....

Maybe none of the above will be accurate, but thinking about how much fun they had anyway has me very excited for August 8.

[reasonsforhope]

"Of South Korea’s countless kilograms of annual food scraps, very few will ever end up in a landfill. This is because of two reasons—the first is that it’s been illegal since 2005, and the second is because they have perhaps the world’s most sophisticated food waste disposal infrastructure.

While representing a significant burden on the economy, the food waste disposal nevertheless produces ample supplies of animal feed, fertilizer, and biogas that heats thousands of homes.

As the New York Times’ John Yoo and Chang Lee reported from Seoul, South Korean cuisine tends to lend itself to creating food scraps, since many staple dishes come with anywhere from a few to a few dozen sides.

With the culture erring on the side of abundance rather than restraint, many of these small dishes of tofu, kimchi, bean sprouts, and other bites would be tossed in the landfill if it wasn’t illegal to do so.

The government put the ban hammer on it because the mountainous terrain isn’t ideal for landfill construction.

Instead, restauranteurs and street hawkers pay the municipality for a sticker that goes on the outside of special bins. Once filled with food scraps, they are left on the road for collectors in the morning who take 90% of all such waste in the country to specialized collection facilities.

At apartments and among residential housing areas, hi-tech food waste disposal machines are operated by a keycard owned by residents under contract with the disposal companies.

Once taken to the recycling facilities, the food is sorted for any non-food waste that’s mixed in, drained of its moisture, and then dried and baked into a black dirt-like material that has a dirt-like smell but which is actually a protein and fiber-rich feed for monogastric animals like chickens or ducks.

This is just one of the ways in which the food scraps are processed. Another method uses giant anaerobic digestors, in which bacteria break down all the food while producing a mixture of CO2 and methane used to heat homes—3,000 in a Seoul suburb called Goyang, for example. All the water needed for this chemical process comes from the moisture separated from the food earlier.

The remaining material is shipped as fertilizer to any farms that need it.

All the water content is sent to purification facilities where it will eventually be discharged into water supplies or streams.

While one such plant was shut down from locals complaining about the unbearable smell, many plants are odorless, thanks to a system of pipes built into the walls that eliminate it via chemical reaction.

It’s the way South Korea does it. Sure, it costs them around $600 million annually, but they have many admirers, including New York City which hopes to implement similar infrastructure in the coming years."

-via Good News Network, June 15, 2023

[808airsoftbros]

Missing 411 (Female Idols)

Author: This special chapter is also posted on my wattpad and decided to post it here too to help revive this dead Tumblr account. Also if you want to see more check out the Masterlist.

Y/N's POV

It's been ten years since that stormy night... Where everything went to hell... Awakened something that was never supposed to be in this world. What is it? We will never truly know and perhaps it's for the best.

Now you all must be asking what I'm talking about. I don't know much since I'm a foreign government agency from America to help with the Korean National Police Agency.

All these accounts and stories are based on reports filed by the KNPA, witnesses, and survivors of their encounters with this... thing.

I cannot disclose everything as this case is classified and under investigation by the Republic of Korea National Military and the National Intelligence Service.

It all began ten years ago on August 19, 2019, when a massive typhoon struck the Korean peninsula turning Seoul into a rubble mess than ever in history.

Everything was in total devastation, small businesses, and homes were destroyed, and families pretty much lost everything so much so that even K-pop idols began lending a hand, and those who were on tour or elsewhere donated money.

I will start with the first case... The unsolved case of the disappearance of Jennie Kim and Jeon Jungkook...

~

Flashback

Date: August 21, 2019 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Jisoo's POV

It's been two days since the massive typhoon struck the city of Seoul, I was in the safety of the dorm when it struck and thankfully nothing was damaged or lost but the same cannot be said for the unlucky ones.

Some were caught in a bad time and the street vendor's property has been damaged beyond repair including those I always visit.

"I can't believe mother nature is capable of such devastation..." I muttered looking at the rubble of fallen trees, flipped cars, and broken street lamps.

"Well, that's nature for you, come on, those people need all the help they can get," Chaeyoung replied and I nodded.

Walking around the streets, determined to help those in need as much as possible, other idols have joined us in our efforts helping where they can, and offering assistance to the rescue operatives.

The streets were flooded in some areas, especially the underground parking lots, the sewer systems were overflowed and clogged causing the sewages to flood the streets.

Everyone worked hard to guide the survivors to shelter camps to tend to the wounded and sick. My arms and legs ached like hell but if it's for the people, I must keep going.

"Jake said this is all we can do for now until firefighters and Coast Guard crews clear up the debris in the heavily impacted parts, I'd say we take a break," I explained to the girls and they nodded.

As we sat down under the shelter camp, we saw BTS covered in mud and sweat approaching, they all looked equally exhausted and worn out.

"Ah, I see you boys managed to make it, I thought you all were on a tour," I greeted and Namjoon chuckled.

"Hey, this city is our home, we can't just simply watch by as the people suffer. We lend our hand wherever we can," Namjoon replied.

"Right, there are so many children lost from their parents, I heard some of them didn't make it out," Jennie mentioned and he sighed.

"Real shame, I pity those poor souls, nobody could've expected a typhoon like this, throughout my years, I have never seen anything like this," Jungkook commented.

As the boys joined us under the tent, Taehyung was kind enough to give us water to quench our thirst, and I couldn't feel more relief as I sipped down the water.

Suddenly, Jungkok and Jennie stood up but before they could walk away from the tent I stopped them.

"Hey, where are you two going?" I asked curiously.

"I overheard there are some cabins in the woods, possible someone could've been sheltering there during the storm and will see if we can help or not," Jungkook answered and I nodded.

"Alright, be safe out there," I warned them and they nodded.

"Don't worry Jichu, we're always careful~," Jennie assured and walked away with him.

Though I had a bad feeling about it, I shrugged it off as I didn't have much time to think about it as the fire chief called us over requesting our assistance with the water pumps.

In the next several hours as the sun was starting to set and dusk was approaching, however, Jennie and Jungkook had yet to return.

"Hey, you heard from Kookie any chance?" I asked Jin and he shrugged.

"No idea, no call on the radio or anything, I was about to ask you," Jin answered unsurely and I was growing concerned.

Deciding to investigate the cabins as a group, we went to their last known location which is the cabins in the woods, we kept our guard up for any wild animals that may loom in the area, and as we reached the cabins, I felt dread as the cabins were dead quiet.

Looking around, there was no sign of any wild animals or birds in the trees anywhere and the area wasn't as damaged as the rest of the forest.

"I don't like the looks of this..." Suga commented.

"Yeah, it's too quiet for my liking, I feel like something is gonna pounce on us at any second," Hoseok replied.

"Let's make this fast and find those two before it gets dark," Namjoon said and we agreed.

Immediately, we began searching the cabins and the surrounding nature but as time went on, we couldn't find a single trace of them anywhere or signs of life.

I was now growing even more worried as they somehow disappeared like they never existed... Until...

"Hey, I think I found something!" Lisa called out and we went up to her.

"What is it?" I asked.

Lisa showed us Jennie's phone and wallet along with Jungkook's wallet containing his bank cards and IDs inside one of the bedrooms in the cabin.

"Is there anything else?" I asked and she shook her head.

"Nope, not any sign of footprints or traces, it's like they vanished like a ghost," She sighed and looked at the time it was getting dark.

"Will report this to the police when we get back, for now, there's nothing more we can do for them until morning, it's too dangerous to search at night," Namjoon explained and I felt devastated.

"W-We can't just abandon them, they're like family to us," I begged and he shook his head.

"I understand how you feel, Jisoo, and I feel the same way for Kookie but will be no good to anyone if we're attacked by predators," He replied in a sympathetic tone.

Reluctantly agreeing, I felt shameful and guilty as I felt like I had to abandon Jennie as she could be seriously injured or God knows what I knew Namjoon was right but it was my fault for letting them go in the first place.

"I should've stopped them..." I muttered to myself as we left the cabins.

~

Present

Y/N's POV

Since then, the group went to the nearby police station which was still intact, and reported a missing person case, a search was later held the next morning but despite their best efforts, no traces were ever found besides their wallets and Jennie's phone.

We couldn't turn it on as the screen was cracked and it was damaged but we did manage to extract the data but found nothing out of the ordinary.

The search went on for some time until...

~

Date: August 30, 2019 Location: Seoul, South Korea

Y/N's POV

Arriving in Korea at the airport, I was greeted by one of the agents of the NIS and he drove me over to the police station in Seoul.

"So, I was told I would be briefed on this investigation, what do we have?" I asked.

"Well, two idols vanished without a trace just a week ago when they were helping clean up the city after the typhoon hit, they went up to the cabin area in the forest but never returned and the group decided to investigate themselves to find nothing but few of their belongings," The agent explained and I nodded writing them down in my notepad.

"I see, what about the search party? Any news?" I asked and he nodded.

"After several days of searching, we did find their remains... It's quite a grizzly and disturbing sight, to say the least, and it's hard to describe it so it's better if you look at them yourself," He answered.

The rest of the drive was silent as we went into Seoul giving me the chance to look around at the devastation the typhoon had caused and it was surreal than the pictures on the news.

Once we finally made it to the station, I walked through the backdoor leading downstairs to the evidence lab, and I was led into the forensics lab.

One of the experts bowed before leading me into the lab, laying on the operation table were the bodies of Jeon Jungkook and Jennie Kim and my eyes widened as it looked like their souls were sucked out of them.

They were skinny to the bone, there was no blood within them, and they looked almost skeletal making this the most disturbing case I've ever worked in.

"What the hell happened to them...?" I asked shocked at the sight.

"We're not sure, we ran all the tests in the book but found nothing out of the ordinary or pointers of how they died, no wounds, scratches, nothing, just their souls sucked out dry," The expert explained grimly.

~

Meanwhile...

Jisoo's POV

I couldn't sleep well ever since Jennie's disappearance, we always missed her and it didn't help that the police already found her dead body not far from the cabins along with Jungkook.

YG and BigHit sent condolences letters to their families and the funerals were held as soon as the rubbles were cleared from parts of the city.

Their remains were cremated to ashes with Jennie to be sent home to New Zealand in her hometown and Jungkook to the family cemetery.

"O comforting One, compassionate One be with us all when we suffer loss and ache with the pain of grieving. Give us a glimpse of the way it will be when love will never be taken away, when life itself will not be diminished when all that we hold most precious will live and remain with us forever. Amen." The priest said his prayer as the urn of the ashes of Jungkook was slowly lowered into the hole dug before his gravestone.

The funeral was small only consisting of myself, Lisa, and Chaeyoung, along with BTS and Twice who had just returned from their tour, and of course Jungkook's family.

To this day, I still feel guilty as I could've stopped this all from happening, now two idols were lost to the Heavens, and everyone grieved their deaths.

Jin who would always boast about being flirty and ladies man was now all silent, I can tell the loss of what he considered a brother deeply affected him.

"T-Thank you for coming, Jihyo, I didn't think you'd show up," I thanked her and she nodded.

"Hey, this is more important than our idol lives, I knew them both and they were quite exceptional and talented individuals, it's a shame they went out like this," Jihyo replied and I sighed.

"Are you okay?" She asked conerningly.

"No, not really, I could've prevented this from happening, Jennie and Jungkook would still be alive if I hadn't stopped them from going to the woods alone... I'm such an idiot..." I grimly answered and shed a tear as the guilt became too much to bear.

Instead of an angry reaction, as I expected, Jihyo gave me a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault, my dear, none of us expected anything like this would happen," She assured and I sighed.

"Speaking of which, they never disclosed their cause of death nobody knows what happened to them, they found no wounds or indication of how they died considering they were young and healthy at the time," I mentioned.

"Well, all we can do is leave it to the authorities to handle this, I am confident they will find a trail eventually and we can soon get to the bottom of this and hope Jennie and Jungkook will be the last victims of this mess," She explained and I nodded knowing she was right.

After the funeral was finished, we all left for our vehicles, our driver picked us up and drove us back to the YG building as we needed to discuss some things about our upcoming comeback.

We headed to the top floor of the building where YG's office was located and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He called out and we opened the door.

"Please have a seat you three, we have urgent matters to discuss," He instructed and we sat down in front of him and he sighed.

"As you all may know, Jennie was found dead, now not only has this heavily saddened the Blinks and fans around the world, but it also hurts our business as our comeback is scheduled to release soon, and without Jennie to finish her lines, we might have to cancel it and start from scratch without her or one of you will have to take her place," He explained.

"Sir, are you going to find a trainee to debut and replace her...?" Chaeyoung asked and he shook his head.

"Not anytime soon, none of the trainees so far have the skills or talent or experience like hers to substitute her absence and this will surely tank the reviews and our income, that is why I'm asking you all what you wish to do at this time," YG explained and we pondered.

As we all discuss among ourselves how we're going to finish this comeback or if will just cancel it entirely, I cannot help but feel like I'm being watched, and when I glanced out the window my eyes widened as I saw... Jennie standing on a platform...

She was unrecognizable, her body was skinny to the bone, her eyes were white and her skin was pale like she was a ghost, and was staring directly at me.

"Jichu...? Are you okay?" Lisa asked waving her hand across my face snapping me out of my trance.

"H-Huh?" I stammered as I regained my senses and when I looked out the window all I saw was the cleaner wiping down the windows.

"Is there a problem, Miss Jisoo?" YG asked.

"N-No, sir, I'm fine... Just tired is all..." I nervously replied and he nodded.

"Alright, how about this? I'll leave you all to rest for the day, and by tomorrow you all can come into my office with your final decision, is that okay with you all?" YG asked and we nodded.

As we are dismissed from leaving the YG entertainment building, we head over to the dormitory to gather our thoughts and hopefully my sanity as I feel nothing but dread.

There is much pressure added to us now that Jennie is gone and Rose and Lisa were thinking about splitting the extra work evenly but that will be difficult as fans will feel disappointed about the comeback without her.

That night, my sleep was anything but peaceful, I woke up in a grassy land, and there in front of me was Jennie wearing a white dress and Jungkook wearing a black tuxedo. They were both warmly smiling as if nothing ever happened.

"K-Kookie? Jen? What are you two doing here?" I nervously asked.

"Hello, Jichu... We are waiting for you..." Jungkook spoke but his voice sounded off.

"We are waiting for you Jichu, join us... And you will be free of guilt..." Jennie spoke up.

Without warning, I woke up panting out of breath, I was covered in sweat trying to figure out what I just dreamt of but I didn't get a chance when I heard strange crackling noises like bones cracking.

I looked around, my stomach dropped seeing what appeared to be Jennie in that same white dress walking disfigured to the front entrance.

"J-Jennie... Is that you?" I softly called out as I got out of bed.

Quickly I got dressed in casual attire grabbed a black mask so nobody knows my identity and followed Jennie out of the dorm quietly without waking up Lisa and Chaeyoung.

I followed Jennie around the city which was strangely quiet and desolated as people are superstitious about walking at night, but I can't help wondering why Jennie was walking so awkwardly like some of her bones are broken or worn.

Eventually, she led me to what appeared to be an abandoned mine long forgotten to time.

"Why the hell is she going to a mine...?" I asked myself as I watched her from the distance in the bushes.

All of a sudden, the entrance of the mineshaft was glowing crimson red yet Jennie continued walking but she stopped right at the entrance and came out of what seemed to be what I describe as the gate to hell.

Coming out of the entrance was Jungkook in that same black tuxedo from my dream but his eyes were anything but normal as it was all white, he reached out his hand and Jennie took it before walking together through the mineshaft entrance.

"Dear Lord you are our shepherd and defender please protect me from all evil..." I prayed as I decided it was time to leave.

I continued repeating the prayer all the way back to the city and I saw some planks on the ground and decided to seal off the entrance to the best of my ability.

After the work was done, I ran the hell out of the forest as fast as I could until I reached the safety of the city and the dorm.

What I witness is just something I cannot explain nor could anyone and I do not want to go near that God forsaken mine ever again.

~

Present

Y/N's POV

And that is the end of the story of what the people and the authorities know... However, what Jisoo said in the interview isn't exactly clear and straight-up bullocks to most.

The military dispatched a company of soldiers to investigate the mine and sealed off the area with electric fences and barbed wire to keep everyone out... Or something in.

I don't know what the military is doing at those mineshafts to this day as the reports are all classified and they want nobody going in there.

Jennie and Jungkook were declared dead after their bodies were found but idols do report seeing them at night or in their dreams similar to Jisoo.

Sadly... Those two would not be the only missing victims...

[city-of-ladies]

Sent to a foreign country as a tribute, Lady Ki (c.1320- after 1369) carved a place for herself and became a powerful empress, the last of the Yuan dynasty.

From maid to imperial consort 

Lady Ki, also known as Öljei Khuduq, was born in Xingzhou, Gaoli (present-day Korea). The Korean state used to send a tribute of women to its neighbor, the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, who controlled most of modern-day China and its surrounding areas such as present-day Mongolia. 

Lady Ki entered the palace and was assigned to Toghon Temür's service. Described as beautiful and clever, she quickly caught the young emperor’s attention and was elevated to the rank of consort.

The empress Danishiri was hostile to Lady Ki but was executed in 1335 or 1337 for having tried to protect her brother who was involved in a rebellion.

Toghon Temür then tried to name Lady Ki empress, but his decision was met with extreme hostility. Indeed, no Korean woman had held the dignity so far. Most empresses came from the Mongol Khongirad clan. He ultimately relented and chose a Mongol empress: Bayan Khuduq. 

A powerful favorite 

Lady Ki’s position was strengthened when she gave birth to a son, Ayushiridara (future emperor Zhaozong of Northern Yuan, r.1370-1378). Bayan Khuduq's son died young. Having a frugal and effaced personality, the empress was furthermore no match for Lady Ki. Ayushiridara was thus made heir apparent in 1355.

Empress Ki was influential and involved herself in political and military affairs. She for instance protected the high-ranking official Toqto'a but withdrew her support when he opposed the installation of her son as heir apparent. 

She liked to read the Women’s Book of Filial Piety and sought examples of past empresses she could emulate. When a famine struck in 1359, she showed her generosity by having the officials distribute porridge to the hungry, using her own funds to have thousands of corpses buried and hiring monks to perform funeral services. 

Lady Ki used her influence to promote her family’s interests. Her kinsmen in Korea were granted official ranks and titles. They repeatedly abused their power, which led the Korean king to execute Lady Ki’s entire clan. 

When she learned about it, she asked her son to avenge her family and raise a force of 10,000 soldiers. The military campaign was a complete failure and the entire force was routed. 

Empress before the fall

Bayan Khuduq died in 1365. No obstacles stood in Lady Ki’s way and she received the empress’s seal. It seems that she tried to make up for the mistakes of a poorly-performing emperor. Later historians indeed wrote that Toghon Temür preferred focusing on wine and women, though this could be an exaggeration to justify the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. 

The government’s structure was disintegrating. Empress Ki conspired to force the emperor to abdicate and put her son on the throne but failed. She faced little consequences and was simply put under house arrest for 100 days. Her agressive defense of her son’s interests was in keeping with Mongolian political culture, which recognized the influence of strong women. 

The Yuan dynasty fell in 1368 when the armies of the future Ming Emperor Hongwu entered the capital. Empress Ki fled to the north with Toghon Temür. What happened to her afterward is unclear, but she likely died the following year.

Her life was the inspiration for a 2013  Korean television drama, Empress Ki.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be much appreciated.

Further reading 

Buell Paul D., Fiaschetti Francesca, Historical Dictionary of the Mongol World Empire

McMahon Keith, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing

Robinson David M., Empire's Twilight: Northeast Asia Under the Mongols

Xu Shindan, “Öljei Qudu”, in: Hong Lee Lily Xiao, Wiles Sue (ed.), Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644

[boltvolta]

A (non)comprehensive evolution of the US Army field jacket, from 1945-2007. These are all original specimens, with or without optional items, and thus is incomplete before 1945, because using reproductions is never 1:1 and is cheating. (Unless its SMWholesale.)

1943-1953: M1943 Field Jacket, Civil Defense.

Pictured here is a Civil Defense variant, which outlived its military counterpart in service life. (This one is here because I haven't gotten around to focusing my autism on collecting them yet.)

1950-1953: M1950 Field Jacket.

An update to the M1943 with interior buttons for liners, a swing-out arm gusset and other improvements, mostly for making it more presentable for dress uniform. The M1950 makes its debut in Korea, is found wanting for actual combat, and within a year is superseded.

1951-1970s: Early M1951 Field Jacket.

A more field use oriented jacket, the M1951 introduces a zipper and snaps to the field jacket, while still retaining button in liners. The M51 survives Korea and enters Vietnam. Later production M51s can be discerned by white labels and green buttons, whereas early M51s have an ink stamp and brown, WW2 production buttons.

1965-1990's Early/Vietnam Era and Post-War OD M1965 Field Jackets.

The M65 iterates further on the field jacket, while adding additional features and simplifying manufacturing. most notably a stowable built-in wind hood and velcro wrist cuffs with stowed flaps to extend over gloves. The early Vietnam era M65s are distinguished by having 2 white cotton inkstamped labels, one on the neck, and one behind the right lower pocket, alongside aluminium zippers like the M51. Post-1973 M65s have brass zippers and either still retain the 2 labels, or have a single, larger label at the neck. (The Vietnam Era one here was acquired in Vietnam and was used in the war, and was repaired numerous times by many people until it found its way to me.)

1981-2008: Early and Late Woodland pattern M1965 Field Jackets.

The only significant difference on the early woodland M65 from its predecessors is its change to camouflage, entering service with the BDU in 1981, but served alongside the OD M65 all throughout the 80s and 90's, never fully replacing it. Early and Late Woodland M65s can be differentiated by a change from brass Talon zippers to green coated YKK zippers, and from white letterpressed or inkstamped labels to green letterpresses labels. (There is also the change of using woodland fabric to OD fabric in the hip pockets but that varies by manufacturer.)

1989-2008: 3 Color Desert M1965 Field Jacket.

A contract of 3CD M65s were made in 1989 for potential actions in desert areas around the globe, made to the same cut as the Late Woodland M65s with tan coated YKK zippers. Few made it in time to be issued in Desert Storm, among with the DCU, but saw more extensive issue in the rest of the 90s, and in Desert Shield, Iraq and Afghanistan. Another batch was made in Contract Year 2003, and changed the cut to the final iteration of the M65, without shoulder or nametape velcro. (I am too lazy to photograph this one right now.)

2004-2008: Universal Camouflage Pattern M65.

The last breath of the M65 in service to the US. By the time it was issued it was no longer competitive with other cold weather clothing systems, and many commands did not authorize them for dress uniform. Other parts of the M65 system were made in UCP, but befell the same fate. Velcro for shoulder patches and nametapes were added, and liners in the same color were even made for them. Only a single contact year was ever ordered, and by 2008 the M65 was phased out of service. Maybe, someone high up might get nostalgic, and order new ones to be made in the current camouflage for dress uniform, but if ever that happens, the story ends here.

[kanmom51]

So guys, I guess this is it.

I guess this is the big public reveal of Taenni.

Make no mistake here.

This is not coincidental, they weren't caught by accident on camera by a paparazzi photographer who happened to be in the area.

This is planned and executed by them in correspondence and approval of their companies.

Tae and Jenni just strolling comfortably on the street holding hands, their managers five steps behind them, then being also filmed going to their car, together - that was their doing. That happened only because they wanted it to happen.

According to the paparazzi he was there by chance.

But they weren't. They weren't walking the streets hand in hand out in the open thinking they won't be recognized. They knew they would be. It was a given. Them being who they are, with the entourage and the security.

The manager, knowing they were being filmed, did not send him on his merry way, but only had him move a little further away, after confirming their identity and getting his permission to film them!!

And then you have the French paparazzi laws and regulations.

Oh, they were definitely aware they were being filmed, and showed no issues with it. No hiding, no letting go of hands, quite the opposite. A confident walk hand in hand down the Paris street, all being filmed, all while knowing this is going to spread like wild fire.

Add to that the speed in which Elle posted this:

They sure did get their confirmation real fast.

There is zero doubt in my mind that this whole thing was orchestrated (as in them knowing someone is going to get them on film and the whole thing will blow up) and is their way of going public. Not in Korea, in Paris, for the whole world to see.

To see them walking hand in hand on the streets of Paris, the city of lights, the city of romance and love.

To see them with their staff, just to make sure there is no mistaken identity and no "this is cosplay" or "it's not Tae, it's someone else" or "it's just a random Asian couple" (like seriously? A random Asian couple? Can we be any more racist? And that random Asian couple happen to have staffers and security following them and protecting them too?) or the rest of the delusional farts we've been hearing for the past few hours.

This was not a 2 second clip. This was getting them from several angles, following them as they walk down the street, go back to their car.

This, my friends, is what GOING PUBLIC looks like on their own terms, in their own time.

This happened now, in Paris, because that's what they wanted.

The two have been together for at the very least 18 months now.

My guess is that there needed to be some kind of clarity of intent from Tae's side before enlistment, as Jenni is expected to wait for him to finish his military service and I assume she expected some kind of commitment from him.

What surprised me was the timing.

I kind of thought Tae and Jenni would make it public before his enlistment because of the above mentioned, but I never in my wildest dreams expected him to do so before his solo album.

Fuck, man is brave.

Cause let's be real. He knows. He knows exactly how fickle and vile TKKs and his solos are. He knows that there will be a price to pay. And he surprised me, he really did. I admit so here fully.

I guess the cards are already starting to fall into place.

It's being discussed on K-media.

In an article published on Naver by reporter Hyun-deok YG AND HYBE chose not to make a formal statement only saying:

"We do not know because it is the artist's private life."

Come on now. This is as good as a formal statement saying they're together.

We saw how fast YG were to deny dating rumors attached to Rose, Hybe too when there were pics involved.

And there are definitley pics involved.

Also, I suggest you read the article. Because it as good as confirms them being a couple as is.

For example:

"V and Jennie were spotted traveling together on Jeju Island in May of last year, and dating rumors were raised."

Not edited pics, not people think they might have seen them. This is confirmation to the validity of those photos.

I guess now we wait and see.

I really do believe this was them saying "here we are and we are together" for the world, for their fandoms.

We will wait and see if the agencies do make official statements about it, but possibly they want to wait a little longer before doing so, or maybe, just maybe, this is a new era, where the companies just let their artists be (not betting on that one though).

There has been talk about a Dispatch couple reveal coming up. Idk where it's coming from or if there is any truth to it. If, by any chance this is true, it will be interesting to see if Dispatch got exclusivity on the big reveal, and that's where we'll be getting their own statements, coming from the companies, but the two of them confirming it out loud.

I've seen TKKs spaces, they are going absolutely feral. One thing I see repeated is that if Dispatch says it's true, then it's true. If there is something, anything, that can get them to just STOP, stop their vile behaviour, stop their hate, just stop, then I'm all for it, as long as it's on Taenni's own terms. And their night stroll in Paris kind of tells me that if it happens, it's their decision, it's them giving the green light to go ahead and let everyone know.

I would love to see a Cannes red carpet couple. Too much? Perhaps. But a gal can dream.

[mariacallous]

This week sees the one thousandth day of the war launched by Vladimir Putin in February 2022. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest European conflict since World War II, and one of the first major wars to be covered in real time on social media. Audiences around the world have watched in disbelief as the Russian army has advanced into Ukraine, reducing entire cities to rubble and displacing millions of people. For almost three years, this unfolding tragedy has been the world’s leading news story.

Few expected Ukraine to reach this week’s grim milestone. Indeed, on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the consensus was that any organized Ukrainian resistance would likely crumble within a matter days. In retrospect, it is now clear that both Vladimir Putin and the vast majority of international observers were equally guilty of underestimating Ukraine.

While their country has surpassed all expectations, Ukrainians have little to celebrate as the war passes the 1000-day mark. The Russian invasion has inflicted unparalleled suffering on Ukraine, with hundreds of thousands killed and more than fourteen million people forced to flee their homes. Huge numbers of Ukrainian service personnel and civilians have suffered life-changing injuries. For the men and women defending the country on the front lines, the physical and psychological toll from almost three years of relentless fighting has been immense.

Beyond the battlefield itself, the Russian invasion has plunged the entire Ukrainian population into a mental health crisis that will last for decades. Almost everyone has experienced some kind of personal loss or wartime trauma. In towns and cities across Ukraine, people have grown used to the daily routine of air raid alarms, bomb shelters, and electricity blackouts, all accompanied by gut-churning news of the latest Russian atrocities.

Despite the many horrors and hardships, Ukrainians have remained broadly united by a shared sense of purpose. While most people are understandably desperate for peace, there is also widespread recognition that Ukraine is fighting for national survival and faces destruction if Russia’s invasion succeeds. This has been made abundantly clear by the actions of the Russian army in areas of Ukraine under Kremlin control, with thousands of potential dissenters abducted and children sent for indoctrination to rob them of their Ukrainian heritage.

Most Ukrainians acknowledge the need to fight on, but there are growing concerns over continued international support. During the initial months of the invasion, the watching world was awed by Ukrainian courage and tenacity as the country fought back against the might of the Russian military. This helped convince Western leaders that arming Ukraine was both morally right and worthwhile. However, as the war has dragged on, grumbles over the cost of supplying the Ukrainian military have grown louder, as has the chorus of voices calling for some form of compromise with the Kremlin.

Every time Western leaders delay the delivery of military aid, the cost can be measured in Ukrainian lives. These delays enable Russia to bomb Ukrainian cities and advance further along the front lines of the war. Shortfalls in military support are also making it significantly harder for Ukraine to mobilize new troops for the army, with many potential recruits left alarmed by the prospect of being sent into battle without adequate weapons or armor.

While Kyiv struggles to convince wavering Western leaders, Moscow is creating an axis of autocrats to bolster the Russian war effort. Since the start of the full-scale invasion almost three years ago, Putin has strengthened ties with China, Iran, and North Korea, receiving a range of support including sanctioned high-tech weapons components, attack drones, ballistic missiles, and vast quantities of artillery shells. This alliance is playing an increasingly direct role in the invasion of Ukraine, with North Korean soldiers recently appearing on the battlefield.

Donald Trump’s election victory is now fueling anticipation that the war is about to enter a new phase, with the incoming US administration expected to push for a negotiated settlement. Nobody wants to end the war more than Ukrainians, of course. At the same time, there are mounting concerns that Western efforts to pursue peace from a position of weakness may lead to Kremlin-friendly terms that would end up emboldening Putin and setting the stage for further Russian aggression.

Ukrainians have particularly painful memories of the failed peace process that followed Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. For eight years, Russia refused to even acknowledge its direct involvement in hostilities, insisting instead on noncombatant status. This farcical situation made it virtually impossible to achieve any meaningful progress toward peace. It is now clear that while Moscow was pretending to engage in diplomatic efforts to end the war, Russia was busy preparing for the full-scale invasion of February 24, 2022.

Ahead of any peace talks, Ukrainians will be hoping their international allies have not lost sight of the huge costs they will face if they fail to stop Russia in Ukraine. The invasion launched by Putin one thousand days ago has already transformed the geopolitical landscape and led to the emergence of a formidable authoritarian alliance that shares a common commitment to ending the era of Western ascendancy. Russian success in Ukraine would dramatically strengthen this alliance, with alarming ramifications for the security situation everywhere from Central Europe to East Asia.

As the world reflects on one thousand days of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the Ukrainian nation is exhausted but remains determined to end the war on terms that will allow the next generation to live in peace. This will not be possible without continued international support. Putin was wrong to assume that Ukraine would collapse in the wake of his invasion. Western leaders must now convince him that he is equally wrong to believe he can outlast them in Ukraine.

[channieskies]

The Perfect Storm [HJS]

Pairing: Non-Idol|Han Jisung x Pet Groomer|Reader (She & Her pronouns used)

Genre: Fluff

Synopsis: The storm brings in more than one unlikely companion to help you weather it.

Warnings: MC may suffer from some form of anxiety, more than likely, social.

Word count: 1,900 + [Reading time 8 minutes]

A.N: I wrote this a very long time ago for a friend and decided it was time to revamp it and put it out there. Thanks, @infamouskem , for letting me redo this.

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To quote Sophocles;

"Laziness is the mother of all evils."

At least, that's what she told herself as she worked tirelessly. After spending two years learning a language, she finally worked up the courage to move to another country- South Korea. She had been there six months and had secured herself a job she loves and an apartment that served its basic functions at least. I mean, who really needed a stove when food delivery service was just one click away? 

There were only a few more hours before closing time, then she could go home to bask in the comfort of her plush hoodie, bearded dragon, Mushu, and very her comfortable fuzzy socks. The bell above the door rang, indicating a customer had arrived. The owner greeted them, which meant she didn't have to, making her sigh out of relief. But she still watched the interaction through the large picture window that gave customers a look into the grooming area.

“I'm dropping my dog off for the first time. This place was recommended by a.. friend of mine.” The customer placed the dog on the counter. It was a cute little bichon frise with a red hoodie on. She couldn't help but smile at how it sniffed around, wagging its tail happily. She was in it for the pets and not so much for the human interactions. She was shy and mostly anxious, so being in the back made her comfortable, which is why she and her boss had come to an understanding. She groomed the pets, and her boss took care of the customers.

Once the cute bichon Frise, whose name she found out was Bbama, was checked in, her boss brought him back for her to attend to. “His owner should be back in two hours, and since we don’t have any more appointments, I’m going to head out with my son.” She said as she placed the cute dog into her employees' hands. “He says I never have time to do stuff with him, so I’m taking him to a movie. But don’t worry, I’ll be back before the customer comes back to get Bbama.” She put a reassuring hand on the girl's back before turning and leaving out. She locked up the front, leaving the girl and the dog to themselves. 

Y/n put on some music before moving back over to the little dog. She took off his cute little red hoodie and put it someplace safe. She started with clipping his hair and nails before moving to wash and dry him. Before she knew it, time slipped past. She had easily bonded with the friendly dog, his presence making her miss the pets she left back at home in her country. “You're really cute, you know that.” 

It was as if he really understood her as he stood up on his hind legs, his short little paws on her chest as he licked her face, giving her a kiss. She chuckled only for her time with him to be interrupted by a knock on the front door. Her music was low enough for her to be able to hear when her boss came back, so that's who she expected it to be. She grabbed Bbama and carried him in her arms to the front, but it was not what she was expecting at all. 

She stopped dead in her tracks at the midway point between the swinging door that led to the grooming salon and the fence that was next to the front desk. She began to panic. Usually her boss took care of things like this, but here she was alone, her boss nowhere to be found even after two hours. It was pouring down outside, and she felt so bad for the young man who was trying his best to stay under the small awning. 

She sighed, pushing all her anxieties to the back of her head and heading to the door to unlock it. He rushed in with a charming smile on his face. “For a second there, I thought you weren't going to open the door.” He laughed as she bit down on her bottom lip. “Is he ready?” He asked, nodding his head towards Bbama, whom she was still carrying around. 

“A-ah yeah.” She nodded, handing the slightly damp man his dog. “I’ll check you out.” Her words resounded in her head, making her rethink them. Yes, he was very attractive, but she wasn’t trying to let him know she thought that. “I-I mean, I’ll… uh… I’ll help you cash out your bill.” She swallowed the large lump in her throat as she scrambled to the cash register.

“Cute.” He spoke under his breath as he leaned against the counter, putting Bbama down on the surface. Her face heated up, though she was skeptical if he was referring to her or his pet. She looked over his paperwork and quickly inputted the information into the computer, but just as she was about to press the checkout button, the lights went out. She left out a scream as the room went dark. The whole block was powerless. “Are you okay?” He asked. His smooth melodic voice somehow managed to comfort her, though she was scared out of her mind. 

“I-I’m fi-fine.” Her shaky voice revealed her true feelings. She and the small dog were both rattled.

“I don't want you to take this the wrong way… but you don’t sound fine." There was still a little light outside, making it easier for him to scope out his surroundings. "How about we get away from these big windows, I don’t think they are helping you.” Lightning stuck as he talked, lighting the small store front of the salon. Normally she would object, but she was too scared to stay up front, she couldn’t send him and Bbama into a storm like that, and she didn’t know his owner well enough to just leave him in the front with valuable merchandise. 

“Follow me.” She shuffled to the door with the help of her phone's flashlight and held the door open for him. She took him to the employee break room where the windows were small and up high so they would know when the rain stopped but wouldn’t have to deal with seeing so many strikes of lighting. He kept his dog close as he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs at the break room table.

“I guess I should introduce myself, I’m Jisung.” He chuckled awkwardly. The light of her flashlight kept the room from being pitch black. It also helped her to see him avoiding her eyes as she did the same.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Y/n.” She mumbled, finding a spot and keeping her eyes focused on it.

“Bbama really took to you. He usually isn’t that trusting of strangers. But he seemed like he almost didn’t want to come back.” He spoke softly as he rubbed th dogs' freshly washed and dried coat. She smiled to herself. 

“He’s a cute little guy.” She admitted softly. Jisung's presence was surprisingly comforting. He seemed almost, if not, equally as awkward as she was. He just had a better way of hiding it. "I've taken to him too." She reached out and rubbed the dogs fur, her soft touch causing him to wag his tail.

They talked for a while about Bbama, how he came to adopt him, how long he'd had him, and ao on. Then, they found out they had similar tastes in a few other things like games and their love of Japanese rock and anime theme songs. Though she wasn’t normally talkative, she found it easy to converse with him. Her attraction to the beautiful young man just kept growing. 

There was a loud and sharp lightning strike nearby that caused the corpuscular room to go white, the whole building shook with the loud thunder that came right after. She whimpered, scared to even open her eyes at this point. Jisung reached across the table and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Bbama cowered into a ball, hiding himself in Jisung's sweatshirt.

“It’s okay, just focus on the sound of my voice.” Jisung started off humming, filling the space with a soft melody. But slowly, he started to get into it, noticing just how much she seemed to relax. He changed songs, giving words to whatever random thing he was singing. His mellow voice flowed into her ears, and his voice made her feel as if there were no other singers in the world. There was only Jisung and his beautiful voice. He scooted closer to her, now taking both of her shaking hands into his. 

With their knees now touching, it made it easy for Bbama to move from Jisungs lap to hers, where he found just as much comfort. “It’s okay, Y/n. You aren’t alone.” It was like her fears slowly melted away from the presence of this man and his cute little dog. If you asked her, there was no way this random guy visited her store and was able to make her warm up to him like this. 

No, Jisung had to be an angel of some sorts. He drew closer to her, his face mere inches away. “See it’s not that bad. It’s just a little storm.” She didn’t know what came over her, but she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. He made an attempt to wrap his arms around her, only for her to pull away quickly, flustered.

“I’m so sorry!” 

He paused, almost failing to process the abrut exit from his personal space. He started into her eyes, getting lost in them. "Please forgive me. I was startled, and I- you were just so comforting that I kind of lost myself for a second. Oh gosh, I hope you don't think Im some kind of weirdo that hugs randome guys who sing to her. Im so sorry." She covered her face as she stopped her rambling, her mind running at the speed of light. He didn't say anything. He just pulled her hands away, his lips quickly covering hers in a quick, dreamy kiss. 

She was so shocked she looked like a fish out of water as she blinked wildly at him. She often made fun of the clueless girls in drama’s but now she had joined the ranks of the girls she had made fun of over the years. He pulled back with a shy smile on his face. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me.” She shook her head, feeling just as shy about what just happened. Silence took over the room, the storm soon dying down. 

The lights flickered back on, but the silence still remained. Soon enough, her boss came rushing in, apologizing for being caught up in the storm.

Too embarrassed to move, Y/n sat there while her boss saw Jisung and Bbama off. She soon came back in the back with a small piece of paper in hand. “Here, he left this for you.” Y/n looked at it confused before opening the small folded paper.

 “Maybe next time we can have a date before we kiss? Bbama’s dad, Jisung.” His number was scribbled right below his name. She squealed, not believing something like that had happened to her. She tucked the paper away safely, looking forward to the day they would meet again.

FIN

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A.N: Please reblog or leave a like or comment to let me know how you feel. I'd love a little feedback. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.

[Rewrites, Reposts, and Translations are Prohibited]

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[jasfhercallejo]

The National Museum of Korea is the most representative and extensive museum in Republic of Korea. The museum holds an immense collection: it has more than 410,000 historically valuable and highly aesthetic relics ranging from the Paleolithic Age to the early 20th century, and more than 12,000 masterpieces of its collection are always on display in its permanent exhibition hall.

The museum also houses a Children's Museum, where visitors can learn more about the nation's history through educational programs and experiences. The outdoor grounds feature pagodas and other stone artworks too large to be on display inside. In addition to galleries with a wide array of national and international pieces, the National Museum of Korea is a stage for a number of cultural activities related to collection, preservation, research and analysis, social training, academic publications, intercultural exchange programs, concerts, and more.

The museum has six galleries: Prehistory and Ancient History, Medieval and Early Modern History, Donated works, Calligraphy and Painting, World Art, and Sculpture and Crafts Galleries.

The National Museum of Korea was established in 1945. In 2005, the museum extended and reopened on a site of 307,227㎡ (building area: 45,438㎡) in Yongsan, Seoul. Since its rebirth as a “cultural complex,” the National Museum of Korea not only to preserves and exhibits precious relics, but also provide various educational programs and cultural events.

The National Museum of Korea has a number of important cultural materials related to Silk Road (both land and maritime) from Central Asia, East Asia, and Korea. In particular, its unique collection of Sinan Undersea Relics which is a valuable source of information for study of ancient trade between China, Korea and Japan. A sunken Chinese trading ship was discovered in 1975, in the Korean southwest coast near Sinan, Jeollanam-do Province. The ship, carrying trade goods produced on orders from the Kyoto area, sank on its way to Japan from Ningbo in Zhejiang Province, China in 1323. About 30,000 maritime Silk Roads objects were excavated; they are 14th century Chinese goods, including celadon wears, coins, metal artifacts, medical artifacts, and many other types of objects.

Visitors can appreciate its vast collection; numerous national treasures of Korea are exhibited including Pensive Bodhisattva (a Korean National Treasure), Goryeo Celadon Openwork Burner, Ten-Story Pagoda from Gyeongcheonsa Temple Site, and Gold Crown from Silla.

In addition to the programs and contents respects mentioned above, the National Museum of Korea would be one of the best museums in the world, in terms of the size of the museum (biggest one in Asia and sixth in the world), the annual attendance figures (1st in Asia, 10th in the world in 2009), additional facilities (a theater, a cafeteria, a museum shop, education hall, conference rooms), and digital services for the exhibition (PDA, MP3 and kiosk system).

Opening hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday & Sunday : 10:00 am ~ 6:00 pm (Final entrance at 5:30 pm); Wednesday & Saturday : 10:00 am ~ 9:00 pm (Final entrance at 8:30 pm)

[usafphantom2]

B-2 Stealth Bomber Demoes QUICKSINK Low Cost Maritime Strike Capability During RIMPAC 2024

The U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit carried out a QUICKSINK demonstration during the second SINKEX (Sinking Exercise) of RIMPAC 2024. This marks the very first time a B-2 Spirit has been publicly reported to test this anti-ship capability.

David Cenciotti

B-2 QUICKSINK

File photo of a B-2 Spirit (Image credit: Howard German / The Aviationist)

RIMPAC 2024, the 29th in the series since 1971, sees the involvement of 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel. During the drills, two long-planned live-fire sinking exercises (SINKEXs) led to the sinking of two decommissioned ships: USS Dubuque (LPD 8), sunk on July 11, 2024; and the USS Tarawa (LHA 1), sunk on July 19. Both were sunk in waters 15,000 feet deep, located over 50 nautical miles off the northern coast of Kauai, Hawaii.

SINKEXs are training exercises in which decommissioned naval vessels are used as targets. These exercises allow participating forces to practice and demonstrate their capabilities in live-fire scenarios providing a unique and realistic training environment that cannot be replicated through simulations or other training methods.

RIMPAC 2024’s SINKEXs allowed units from Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, South Korea, and various U.S. military branches, including the Air Force, Army, and Navy, to enhance their skills and tactics as well as validate targeting, and live firing capabilities against surface ships at sea. They also helped improve the ability of partner nations to plan, communicate, and execute complex maritime operations, including precision and long-range strikes.

LRASM

During the sinking of the ex-Tarawa, a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet deployed a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). This advanced, stealthy cruise missile offers multi-service, multi-platform, and multi-mission capabilities for offensive anti-surface warfare and is currently deployed from U.S. Navy F/A-18 and U.S. Air Force B-1B aircraft.

The AGM-158C LRASM, based on the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile – Extended Range (JASSM-ER), is the new low-observable anti-ship cruise missile developed by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy. NAVAIR describes the weapon as a defined near-term solution for the Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) air-launch capability gap that will provide flexible, long-range, advanced, anti-surface capability against high-threat maritime targets.

QUICKSINK

Remarkably, in a collaborative effort with the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber also took part in the second SINKEX, demonstrating a low-cost, air-delivered method for neutralizing surface vessels using the QUICKSINK. Funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the QUICKSINK experiment aims to provide cost-effective solutions to quickly neutralize maritime threats over vast ocean areas, showcasing the flexibility of the joint force.

The Quicksink initiative, in collaboration with the U.S. Navy, is designed to offer innovative solutions for swiftly neutralizing stationary or moving maritime targets at a low cost, showcasing the adaptability of joint military operations for future combat scenarios. “Quicksink is distinctive as it brings new capabilities to both current and future Department of Defense weapon systems, offering combatant commanders and national leaders fresh methods to counter maritime threats,” explained Kirk Herzog, the program manager at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

Traditionally, enemy ships are targeted using submarine-launched heavyweight torpedoes, which, while effective, come with high costs and limited deployment capabilities among naval assets. “Heavyweight torpedoes are efficient at sinking large ships but are expensive and deployed by a limited number of naval platforms,” stated Maj. Andrew Swanson, division chief of Advanced Programs at the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron. “Quicksink provides a cost-effective and agile alternative that could be used by a majority of Air Force combat aircraft, thereby expanding the options available to combatant commanders and warfighters.”

Regarding weapon guidance, the QUICKSINK kit combines a GBU-31/B Joint Direct Attack Munition’s existing GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance in the tail with a new radar seeker installed on the nose combined with an IIR (Imaging Infra-Red) camera mounted in a fairing on the side. When released, the bomb uses the standard JDAM kit to glide to the target area and the seeker/camera to lock on the ship. Once lock on is achieved, the guidance system directs the bomb to detonate near the hull below the waterline.

Previous QUICKSINK demonstrations in 2021 and 2022 featured F-15E Strike Eagles deploying modified 2,000-pound GBU-31 JDAMs. This marks the very first time a B-2 Spirit has been publicly reported to test this anti-ship capability. Considering a B-2 can carry up to 16 GBU-31 JDAMs, this highlights the significant anti-surface firepower a single stealth bomber can bring to a maritime conflict scenario.

Quicksink

F-15E Strike Eagle at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. with modified 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions as part of the second test in the QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration on April 28, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo / 1st Lt Lindsey Heflin)

SINKEXs

“Sinking exercises allow us to hone our skills, learn from one another, and gain real-world experience,” stated U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Wade, the RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force Commander in a public statement. “These drills demonstrate our commitment to maintaining a safe and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Ships used in SINKEXs, known as hulks, are prepared in strict compliance with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations under a general permit the Navy holds pursuant to the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. Each SINKEX requires the hulk to sink in water at least 6,000 feet deep and more than 50 nautical miles from land.

In line with EPA guidelines, before a SINKEX, the Navy thoroughly cleans the hulk, removing all materials that could harm the marine environment, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), petroleum, trash, and other hazardous materials. The cleaning process is documented and reported to the EPA before and after the SINKEX.

Royal Netherlands Navy De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate HNLMS Tromp (F803) fires a Harpoon missile during a long-planned live fire sinking exercise as part of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024. (Royal Netherlands Navy photo by Cristian Schrik)

SINKEXs are conducted only after the area is surveyed to ensure no people, marine vessels, aircraft, or marine species are present. These exercises comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and are executed following permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.

The ex-Dubuque, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was commissioned on September 1, 1967, and served in Vietnam, Operation Desert Shield, and other missions before being decommissioned in June 2011. The ex-Tarawa, the lead amphibious assault ship of its class, was commissioned on May 29, 1976, participated in numerous operations including Desert Shield and Iraqi Freedom, and was decommissioned in March 2009.

This year marks the second time a Tarawa-class ship has been used for a SINKEX, following the sinking of the ex-USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3) during RIMPAC 2006.

H/T Ryan Chan for the heads up!

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

@TheAviationist.com

[jmdbjk]

BTS Military enlistment thoughts...

These are my thoughts and opinions. Information is out there if you seek it yourself. Nothing has been confirmed by any of the members or the company.

News media says Korean male citizens Kim Namjoon, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin and Jeon Jungkook will be enlisting soon: Dec. 11 for the first two and Dec. 12 for the latter pair.

And that Jimin and Jungkook seem to have chosen the companion enlistment option. Yes, "option" because they could have chosen to go in separately.

Koreans who are familiar with how this all works, have tried to explain the process. From what I understand, the companion option allows them to serve their entire enlistment together.

They weren't forced and this wasn't their only option for enlistment. They chose this themselves for a reason, for personal reasons, that none of us can know because we aren't them.

Many speculate but NO ONE KNOWS their reasons!

According to various sources, they will be at the same training center as Jin. There are many groups doing ongoing training there. But I don't believe they will be in the same company that Jin serves as assistant trainer. Credible sources say that Jin's unit at the training center is not accepting recruits on Dec. 12 which is the supposed date that Jimin and Jungkook will enter the military but we don't know for sure. But being at the same training center would allow them to see each other when they have time.

This reunion:

We won't know for sure until it actually happens.

Many are throwing around wild speculation regarding the fact Jimin and Jungkook are the only two with tattoos and therefore had fewer options. But they aren't. All the members have tattoos now. The Korean military needs all the manpower they can get, they aren't excluding men with tattoos, they are just limiting the situations they can serve.

The options are limited (and only slightly) for them because very visible tattoos, especially on the arms and hands, would allow them to be identified too easily. This is a consideration and criteria that is regulated in militaries and law enforcement around the world and is not isolated to Korea. Criminals are identified by their tattoos. Military personnel can also be identified by visible tattoos. In a situation where it is imperative that enlisted remain anonymous, hand tattoos would be a dead giveaway for identification. I'm sure there are other reasons for no tattoos allowed in certain assignments.

The application process began months ago and is the same process all Korean male citizens would go through to be approved for the companion program.

No one is really discussing Tae and Namjoon, everyone is going batshit crazy over Jimin and Jungkook. Let them do their service in the manner they wish. None of you have any say-so in it so shut up.

No one is capable of or even wants to step back and consider the big picture which is more telling.

Regarding Tae and Namjoon, I would venture to say that after basic training, its possible Namjoon will serve in some capacity with the Defense Ministry's Agency for KIA Recovery & Identification which he was named ambassador for earlier this year. That office is located in Seoul I believe. The fact he is well-known publicly and he can speak English would enhance his success in an assignment of this sort. This agency recovers those who lost their lives in action during the Korean War in which American soldiers also perished.

Recovering those KIA happens near or in the DMZ.

IF the hearsay about where Jimin and Jungkook might be assigned after training has any truth, they are supposedly headed to this area as they also perform minesweeping when searching for KIA remains. Again, none of this is confirmed, I am just employing critical thinking...

Tae supposedly has chosen the Special Task Force of the Army's Capital Defense Command. That seems like it implies he'll remain within Seoul during his enlistment.

It's all speculation, but I think these men carefully considered their options and the ramifications. None of this was done on a whim, from Namjoon's ambassadorship and the possibilities of it, to Jimin and Jungkook's companion enlistment and why they chose that option, NONE OF IT WAS DONE WITHOUT CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. They had to apply MONTHS ago for the options they were allowed to choose. They are not the only men in Korea enlisting this year, there are tens of thousands of others.

No one is considering, IF Namjoon is in Seoul during his enlistment, he would have something in common with Tae. And Yoongi. And Jin will be discharged in June, Hobi will be discharged in October... the implications, the connections... their target is 2025. Nothing is a coincidence. They can't be working while enlisted, however reuniting briefly with friends over dinner and drinks is allowed... what they talk about during their get togethers is none of our business.

ALL THAT BEING SAID... Hybe did a tremendous job this past summer with the 10th anniversary Festa celebration, involving various municipality governments, procuring large corporate sponsors and communicating to news media in the almost month long series of events. They elevated the general public's awareness of BTS's impact and therefore instilled value and pride for their continued success.

No military commander would want anything to happen to the members while under their watch.

NOTHING IS A COINCIDENCE.

P.S.: The idiots sending in emails to the Defense Ministry are hurting EVERYONE. The level of lunacy knows no bounds with certain people. They suffer from a pathological psychosis. Don't engage, don't acknowledge.

[nightlyforrest]

I actually fucking despise the british government

I've just seen Rishi Sunak's election ad and it is the most primal rage enducing, self entitled, egotist, arrogant, patriot dick riding, careless, lazy, disgusting absaloute piglet fucking thing I have ever seen. The fucking balls he must think he has to claim we have a stable economy to fight for, to pretend he's the reason we got through covid and to try and pander to young people as if he hasn't done anything but ruin our fucking lives since he's had a shred of power, I actually fucking hope the most horrific thing happens to that man he is VILE. To claim you want a safe, sustainable future for people's children and then in the same breath say you want to push refugees out, ride isreal's fucking cock like netanyahu is his daddy, deny the palestinian genocide and toss around the idea of forcing young people to conscript to military service the same fucking way they have to in places like korea. completely and utterly despicable. As if he has ever done fucking anything other than fuck us youngsters over. fuck no I would sooner fucking kill myself infront of the sorry prick and hope it scars him for life. he deserves a bit of trauma to match the fucking rest of us. I wont even call him a pig anymore he doesnt have the meat on his bones or the spine to hold it up to deserve that fucking title, he's a joke, a rich, entitled prat who thinks he's owed everything in the world for putting in the least ammount of effort in to keep his image clean. Fucking disgusting, I would say imagine putting your own kids on the front line but I know by now that would make no difference he doesnt fucking care. That's not even mentioning the damage he's already done, like crashing our economy, cutting taxes for the rich while freezing benefits for the poor and disabled, cutting funding for the nhs just to line his pockets and pour more money into our fucking equally disgusting, useless police force just the other week I had to kick off at a bunch of piglets just wandering around while a bin poured out thick white smoke. Like how fucking inept can you be to just stand there and gawk and gossip fucking call for backup and remove the children from the area you fucking useless pig. And how fucking dare our MPs complain about fear for their safetey, they deserve to be fucking scared. maybe they should try living in the run down housing estates they've been packing with veterans and disabled parents for years see how their own kids turned out. because I guarentee they'll be cutting themselves and doing drugs like nearly every other normal kid I fucking know. Truly a pathetic runt of a man I'm so fucking sick of this country, I hate it I hate it I hate it. The rich deserve more fucking axe cuts.

[todaysdocument]

Naval Speedletter from Charles Iarrabino to the Chief of Naval Personnel Regarding Recommendation to Award John K. Koelsch with the Navy Cross

Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval PersonnelSeries: Official Military Personnel FilesFile Unit: Official Military Personnel File for John K. Koelsch

USE FOR URGENT LETTERS ONLY NAVAL SPEED LETTER DO NOT CLEAR THROUGH COMMUNICATION OFFICE (One box must be checked) X REGULAR MAIL AIR MAIL SPECIAL DELIVERY REGISTERED MAIL CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED IN REPLY REFER TO TO: Chief of Naval Personnel Attn: Pers-B4b Navy Department Washington 25, D.C. DATE 3 June 1954 NAVAL SPEEDLETTER- Permits dispatch or informal language. May be sent (1) with enclosures, 2) in a window envelope (size 8 7/8” x 3 7/8”), if contents are not classified as confidential or higher, (3) to both naval and nonnaval activities. Is packaged 500 sheets of white or of one color: yellow, pink, or green. (Fold) Subj: LT John Kelvin Koelsch, U.S.N., 424476 (Dec); recommendation for award of Navy Cross Ref: (a) BuPers spdltr Pers-B4b-MCG/jc of 20 May 1954 (b) Professor of Naval Science, Univ. of Nebraska spdltr P15 ser 328-54 of 12 May 1954 1. As requested by references (a) and (b), specific data substantiating the recommendation of the award of a Navy Cross to LT John Kelvin Koelsch, U.S.N. (Dec) is submitted herein. 2. LT John Kelvin Koelsch was very well known by me, personally, both before and during his entire period of service in the USS PRINCETON (CV-37). I was his commanding officer, when he was on duty in Attack Squadron 75 and I was Air Officer in the PRINCETON during his period of service in that vessel. I agree wholeheartedly with the comments of Captain W.O. Gallery, U.S.N. with request to LT Koelsch contained in reference (b). I, too, firmly believe that LT Koelsch was a real naval hero. I believe that LT Koelsch merits the award of the Navy Cross (posthumously) for repeated acts of exceptional heroism as a helicopter pilot attached to the USS PRINCETON during the period from late October, 1950 to June, 1951 and, subsequently, as a pilot of a helicopter, while attached to a helicopter unit (designation unknown) operating in Korea. 3. LT Koelsch reported to the PRINCETON as officer-in-charge of the helicopter detachment of Helicopter Squadron ONE about three weeks prior to the PRINCETON’s departure from the United States, on 9 November 1950, for the Korean Theater. The PRINCETON operated five days in the Hawaiian area for operational training COPY TO CAPT W. O. Gallery, U.S.N. Professor of Naval Science University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska ADDRESS: CDR Charles A. Iarrobino, USN, 814807 Department of Aviation U.S. Naval Academy Annapolis, Maryland SENDER’S MAILING ADDRESS Address reply as shown at left; or reply hereon and return in window envelope (size 8 7/8” x 3 7/8”), if not classified as confidential or higher. CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED [see link for complete transcription]

[eleni-cherie]

a thief's end ✨ || bts • myg - chapter 1.6

"so eager to be in a headlock again?"

"only if it's by you."

he thought he was done with the criminal life and ready for some peace and quiet. but his plans collapsed in the form of a strange girl who was in trouble. © 2023 | eleni_cherie

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masterlist: here

— genre: thief au, gangster comedy, adventure, romcom, humour, angst, fluff, sexual tensiON, slowburn, mutual pining, strangers to lovers s2l

ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE. CHARACTERS NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THE REAL PERSONS. ALSO VERY UNREALISTIC PLOT LOL - JUST PRETEND READING A MANGA/COMIC OR WATCHING A FILM, REALLY.

SUGGESTIVE THEMES. MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE & BLOOD (BUT NOTHING TOO GRAPHIC, IT'S STILL A COMEDY!)

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a/n: THIS IS FOR ALL US EMOTIONAL BTCHES AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT. 21 MONTHS OF PUBLIC SERVICE, WE CAN DO IT!!

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Daegu, South Korea

After over three hours of being on the road, with only a small break at a town to eat something, the motorbike came to a halt. An ivy covered stone wall in a sparsely inhabited area gracing the view.

Yoongi turned off the engine and got off, Soyeon lowering her helmet and following suit. It felt nice sensing the stable ground underneath her feet again. "Where are we?"

"Need to pay someone a visit first," he simply stated and made his way towards the iron gate which was standing widely open. And only when they entered inside, she realised where he had brought them to.

A cementary.

Her lips parted, but noticing the affliction on his face she pressed them back together. Choosing to let him explain when he felt like it. She already had an idea who they were visiting anyway.

They walked through the silent paths with lined up grey stones. Some gravestones looking newish, some battered from the years and weather. Lonely flowers covering some of them. A breeze passed by and the leaves surrounding them rustled in the air.

She was so immersed in the gloomy yet serene atmosphere that she hadn't noticed Yoongi stopping in front of a grave. Lightly bumping into his arm, she quickly stepped back. Seeing him with tranquil eyes looking at the gravestones in front of him and she straightened herself beside him.

They stood there in complete silence. Her not knowing what to say and him being too absorbed in his own thoughts to think of explaining.

Soyeon wasn't sure how many minutes passed, it could've been two, it could've been twenty. It almost felt like back then, when he'd tried to teach her how to meditate. Only now it didn't feel boring, rather solemn and like a deferential moment.

Eventually, Yoongi stepped forward and walked to the side of the grave. Placing a hand on the cold stone and closing his eyes. It almost looked as if he was paying. He let go then and began walking back, brushing past her. "Alright, let's go."

Blinking perplexed, she quickly followed occasionally peeking at him with worried eyes, she shoved her hands into her pockets. Unsure of how to bring her thoughts up.

They reached the gate and Yoongi was about to put his helmet back on, when her voice made him pause.

"This was your uncle's grave, right?" She already had a feeling it'd be him, but then she'd read the dates and was certain.

Averting his eyes from her, he breathed out and nodded with a heavy heart. He knew it'd have been easier to tell her beforehand but he simply couldn't bring himself to talk or even mentioning him.

Soyeon understood, giving him an empathetic smile. She could tell he was silently struggling. "It's alright, you don't have to talk about it."

"Thank you," he whispered, meaning it. Feeling a lump forming in his throat when all the wrought-up feelings and memories crawled back. 

He was quiet now that they were back on the bike and he started the engine. Reaching behind him and grabbing her hands to put them around him once again. Her fingers intuitively got the sign and held onto his jacket, only to feel him shiver against her for some reason.

Perhaps it was the lightly damp clothes and chill atmosphere, the smell of rain along with dark clouds following them anew. Perhaps it was because of how emotionally drenched he felt all of a sudden. Perhaps it was just the mere sense of her touch and the realisation he had her beside him in that moment.

"Sorry." She pulled away, only for him to grab them again and this time holding them in place.

"Keep them here," he quietly demanded, his hands still over hers. And she hummed, letting him know she wouldn't move.

And they drove off.

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They reached their final destination eventually, Soyeon realising they were in front of a path that was leading up a dense foliated hill now. Two stone lions guarding the entrance. She quickly got up, partially because she still hadn't got used to riding a motorbike and her initial fear of it hadn't simply disappeared. It'd  only subdued by holding onto Yoongi.

She neared one of the statues with curious eyes then. It looked like the entrance to a secret place or a temple and she wondered what he wanted there.

He kicked up the kickstand, securing the bike before walking past her into the path.

"Come," he called out as he climbed up the small steps that appeared every few metres on the ground. Leading higher up the hill and deeper into the forest.

"I assume you won't tell me where we're going," he heard Soyeon mumble behind him, causing him to lightly chuckle under his breath.

"My family's home, if you don't mind." And he could feel her baffled stare digging holes into his back when saying that. 

He had left over a decade ago and last time his parents had seen him was a few years ago when he'd learned about his father's condition. Now, after years again and with him not knowing if he'd ever get the chance again, he decided to return home. If he could even call it 'home' anymore. And like every time he stepped closer to the residence, he felt uneasy.

Truth was, he hadn't planned to ever take anyone there. However, since he had taken her to this trip to make up to her, it wouldn't make sense to exclude her now and leave her somewhere alone for hours.

Maybe having her with him wasn't too bad after all. She was distracting him a bit from the chaos inside him. And frankly, it somehow felt nice sharing his background with someone. No one but Taehyung and Jimin - and perhaps the interpol agents after them, if they'd done their research correctly - knew about his roots.

"So.." Soyeon spoke up then, breath heavy as she was struggling with the incline. The humidity of the rainy weather making the leaves on the ground slippery which only added to her struggles. "We're visiting your parents?"

He hummed in response, fearing she might feel uncomfortable. She didn't though, she simply had many questions. More than before. Her curious side shining through, which Yoongi found amusing. "How many years has it been?"

Contemplating for a moment, he looked up at the rustling trees covering the grey sky. The dark green blanket looking narrowingly threatening. As if the forest told him he wasn't welcomed there. He frowned, shaking his head. "Too many," he sighed and she folded her lips. 

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Your 'it's too dangerous' excuse again?"

He scoffed. "It's not an excuse, it's a fact."

She exhaled deeply, shaking her head when they finally reached the top. "You need to stop pushing people away like this.." she muttered. Brushing past him with fast steps. And he stifled a laugh when seeing her expression turning into awe, taking in the huge house in royal architecture style.

She glanced at him then with furrowed brows, confusion written all over her features. "Is your family rich or something?"

With an eye-roll, he rang the doorbell. Shaking his head. "My ancestors built it as a peaceful place for swordmen to train. It got passed down from generation to generation. Now it's just my parents and domestics living here."

Soyeon was about to ask more, but the clicking of the door caught their attention. A woman with short dark hair with streaks of Grey in between, opening and Soyeon immediately recognised her eyes. It was the same small sharp ones she had come to adore so much.

The woman gasped when seeing him standing there and she instantly engulfed him with her arms. Squeazing him tightly. "Where have you been? I was so worried something happened to you," her voice cracked and she had to surpress the judging tone in her voice.

Yoongi awkwardly hugged her back, a guilty expression on his face. "Sorry for disappearing.. again.."

The woman shook her head and stepped back, lightly hitting his chest. "I don't understand you, making us worrying sick.." She sounded hurt, which made him feel only worse. She grabbed his face then, inspecting it as her thumbs brushed over his cheek. "Look at you, you lost so much weight. Haven't you been eating?"

"Mum.." he groaned, grabbing her wrists and lowering them, "I'm fine and I eat enough. Please stop worrying."

The woman frowned when her eyes landed on the short girl who was unintentionally hiding behind him. Her eyes growing wide. She looked back at Yoongi before taking a better look on Soyeon. "Who's this? Your girlfriend?"

The short girl's eyes widened, realising she was talking about her. "H-hello, I'm Soyeon but we aren-"

"Oh, Soyeon! Such a nice name!" his mother smiled, interrupting her. She grabbed her son's arm and pulled him inside then, gesturing for her to follow, "Come, come, you two. It's rather cold outside. Come inside."

Soyeon blinked and walked in as well, arching a brow at Yoongi, silently asking him why he wasn't correcting his mother. He simply shrugged, however, seemingly unphased as he took off his shoes and walked into his childhood house.

"Oh, do you two want to eat something?"

"No, mum, it's alright."

"No, no, you need to eat, you lost too much weight," she argued, making him internally groan.

"It's alright, we won't stay for too long."

She sighed, taking a seat. "So how have you been? Why didn't you contact us in so long, did something happen?"

"It's been complicated," he sighed, giving her an apologetic look, "You know I've been travelling a lot."

Soyeon had already assumed his family didn't know about his actual occupation, but she wondered what lies he'd told them over the years to keep them from worrying.

"This is not an excuse," his mother huffed, shaking her head, "I thought I raised you better than to think not even calling us and let us know you're well would be okay."

"That's kinda what I told him, too," Soyeon mumbled under her breath but his mother still heard her.

"You should listen to your girlfriend."

"I'm n-"

"You're right and I'm sorry," he said, holding his mother's hand, "I promise it won't happen again."

Both, his mother's and Soyeon's brows rose at this. His mother beaming with joy at his words. Honestly, he wasn't certain to what degree he could keep his promise but he wanted to believe that he'd be able to. And besides, it calmed her.

With a cough, he looked around then. Acting non-chalantly about his following question. "And.. where's dad?"

Truth was, he didn't know what reaction to expect from his father when randomly showing up there after years. His father was a rather complicated person. Similar to his mother when it came to worrying about basic things like whether he was eating enough or not, but totally different when it came to showing affection. Or anger.

"Oh right, I should get him! He'd be upset if missing your visit." She was about to get up when Yoongi placed his hand on her shoulder, preventing her from doing so and instead stood up himself. "It's alright, I'll do it."

And with that he left the room, leaving Soyeon with his mother alone. It was alright when Yoongi was there and did the talking but now she'd have to do it and it made her anxious. Avoiding eye-contact at all costs.

"So, tell me.." his mother began then, causing her eyes to grow. Fearing of what kind of questions she'd be asked.

Maybe his mother didn't like her. Maybe she knew she wasn't actually his girlfriend. Maybe his mother wanted to ask details about his job or whatever lie he had told her otherwise, and she wouldn't know how to answer. 

"Y-yes?"

A sigh left the lips of the older woman, her gaze falling. "Is he actually doing alright? He says so, but I don't believe him. He's probably just saying this so I'm not even more concerned."

Soyeon's relaxed, her smile softening when realising she only wanted to know about her son's well-being. Uncertain of how exactly to answer though. "It's not like he's telling me everything either, probably for the same reason," she truthfully said then, "But he's doing alright. He's just a bit stressed lately, but I'm sure this will settle soon."

She saw the woman exhale in relief, nodding. "Why's he stressed, is it the job?"

The panic shortly returned, but Soyeon managed to keep her cool. "Y-yeah, in a way you could say that," she awkwardly giggled, "It's partially my fault, too, though. He tried helping me with some.. family matters."

"I hope nothing serious."

Would being chased by some rich italian family because of a stolen necklace be considered serious? Probably, but she wouldn't tell her that.

"N-no, no. He's just concerned for me." Her smile faded as her eyes fell to her lap. "He's always concerned for me, even though I tell him not to."

She didn't see his mother's soft smile when hearing her words, only when she spoke up again she was met with her joyfulness. "Do you know each other for a long time?"

"Not really, no. It hasn't been too long."

The two grew quiet and Soyeon's leg nervously bounced up and down, unintentionally looking at the direction he'd left earlier. Secretly hoping he'd return soon although it wasn't likely if he went to talk to his father. The two probably having a lot to discuss. So she took a long breath and decided to make the best out of it, remembering her initial plan of learning more about him.

"Yoongi had mentioned coming from a family of swordsmen, but he never mentioned having such a nice house," she smiled then, looking around. Her eyes resting on the big window behind her that was looking out into the guarden in the patio.

His mother seemed stunned by this. "I'm surprised he even mentioned it. He never seemed too happy about it. I remember him always being displeased when his father made him train."

"He's still training though, every morning! He's even tought me a bit," Soyeon said, feeling a little proud of herself.

His mother's eyes lit up and she was glad having told her this, not understanding why he wouldn't. It made her obviously happy. 

"That's nice to hear, at least one of our children continued it. His older brother didn't, you know. Much to his wife's delight as I believe."

Soyeon blinked, taken aback about the new piece of information. So Yoongi had an older brother who was married. She wondered if he had stayed in contact with him or disappeared on him as well.

"And is he still living in that apartment in Seoul?"

Soyeon's brown eyes widened, her fear of such a question coming up eventually coming true.

What was she supposed to tell her? That he actually not only didn't live in Seoul but not even in this country? Was she allowed to tell her that? "Uhm, you know he.. he.."

"I live in Taiwan now."

His voice took both by surprise, seeing he had returned and taking his previous seat. Ignoring his mother's questioning look.

"Taiwan? That's so far away! Why do you live there?"

"Job," he mumbled, "And it's not that far away. The plane ride's just 2.5 hours."

The older woman huffed, looking utterly dissatisfied. Folding her arms in front of her chest. "No surprise we don't see you around!" Her exaggarrated to Yoongi reaction making him chuckle.

"And where's your father?"

"We argued."

She sighed, shaking her head. Not looking surprised at all. "I'll talk to him." And before he could counter anything, she had already disappeared into the corridor.

"Why did you argue?" Soyeon carefully asked, afraid of overstapping. However, Yoongi didn't seem to mind the question, it was just draining him.

He shrugged, leaning back. "Wasn't so pleased to see me again after disappearing with no word.. Can't blame him, though. I probably wouldn't be either."

"Yeah, you really can't hold it against him.."

He peeked at her with a sad glance, before averting his eyes from her again. He knew what he was doing wasn't fair to anyone, but it'd been the safest option in the past. Now he was beginning questioning it.

"You wanna see my old room?" he asked then in an attempt of changing topics and his plan seemed to work as her face beamed. She nodded vigorously, making him smile. She always made him smile so easily.

So he led her to the back of the house where the bedrooms were located, passing by old paintings and furniture. "It's nothing special," he said then as he opened a door and they entered a sparsely filled room, "But it is what it is."

Letting her gaze wander around, she caught an old basketball laying in a corner. Wondering if he'd used to actively play or just owned one like every child owned at least one ball, whether they used it or not. So she pointed at it. "You played?"

It seemed like her first assumption was right as she watched him nod with a nostalgic look. "Was pretty good actually."

"Is that so?" she smiled to herself, looking at the orange ball, "Wished I could've seen that.. you might be telling a fib after all."

He huffed at her teasing tone. Puffing out his chest with folded arms. "I was pretty epic, believe me." His unusual boasting made her laugh out and he couldn't help but chuckle along with her.

Soyeon stepped further inside, a staple of cds in a shelf earning her attention then. Curiously she picked up some. They were all rap and hiphop, which she found interesting. Humming to herself as she herself liked some of those artists.

"Oh, I know them," she said then, holding up one of the cds, "See them around the label sometimes."

"You.. you what ?" His jaw dropped, which made her giggle amused, not having expected such a reaction to her random comment. "What do you mean you 'see them around'?"

"We work in the same label," she shrugged non-chalantly like it wasn't a big deal, "I haven't worked with them, but I've seen them around." Yoongi's astonished expression made her fold her lips, preventing herself from bursting out giggling more.

"You don't understand, they were my childhood idols. When I told you I'd have become a producer if it wasn't for my family, it's because of them! And you just casually meet them at work?" He was whining. Min Yoongi, the cool katana-using thief chased by interpol, was actually whining to her.

She was dumbfounded to say the least.

So he was a fanboy, she concluded, never having guessed this. It was quite a different image of what she knew about him. It was an interesting but also adorable twist. And she felt like she knew a little bit more of him now, of the mystery that still was Min Yoongi.

She stepped forward then, poking his cheek. "See, there're perks of knowing me! And they're really nice. If you.." She cut herself off, her grin fading when realising that her next words would never come true. "..if you ever visit me at work, I could introduce them to you."

Yoongi's smile fell as well. "Yeah, that would be nice.." His voice not above a whisper. And they grew quiet, an awkward silence building up between them when he cleared his throat. "We should probably go ba-"

"What will happen afterwards?"

Her sudden question taking him aback. "What do you mean?"

In search for the right words, her brows furrowed. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "After this visit. What will happen afterwards?"

"We'll return to Seoul."

"And after that?"

He frowned, pretending not understanding what she meant.

"I'll go to Japan on monday a-"

"No, I mean.. you know what I mean."

He stood still, his features turning into a stoic glance. "Nothing. That's it."

Again. Again he wanted to drop her like that. Like she didn't mean anything to him. She scoffed in disbelief.

She knew he most likely would try keeping his promise to his mother or at least she hoped he would, but he wasn't willing to promise her the same. Not even just to comfort her. And she was sick of him breaking her heart and pushing his feelings away like it was nothing.

Yoongi knew what he was doing was hurting her all over again, despite him taking her to this trip to reconcile, ironically. However, he didn't see any other option for the time being at least. Even if it was breaking his own heart, he couldn't risk it. And so it was simpler to pretend than explaining himself all over again. Because he wasn't sure if he could even convince himself, let alone her, even if he tried to.

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It was late afternoon when they walked the slippery path back down to the street, leaving his parents' home.

They remained silent as Soyeon trailed behind him. The distance between them not only physically bigger as she stayed further in the back, afraid of slipping on the foliage, but also emotionally.

At least this trip hadn't been entirely pointless. He did reconcile with his father after all, with a little help of his mother. And besides, they got to have a tasty meal after his mother kept insisting on feeding them. Which was nice considering Soyeon hadn't had a home-cooked meal in awhile.

She couldn't forget, however, how all this time she'd had to bite her tongue whenever his parents referred to her as his girlfriend, an anew piercing ache shooting through her chest. Having enough of this ridiculous charade, she abrubtly stopped in her tracks.

"Why did you start calling me 'angel'?"

She didn't mind it, she just didn't see the purpose of a pet name as affectionate as that if it didn't actually match his feelings or intentions. If he was just gonna dip and disappear from her life again after this.

Yoongi paused and glanced over his shoulder, seeing her standing still and not looking like continuing. Her long hair swaying in the strong breeze as he faced her. The ghost of a smile on his lips. Feeling shy and flustered all of a sudden. "Because you saved me, twice. I thought it'd fit, but I can stop if you don't like it."

Her eyes widened for a brief moment, sensing the hint of a blush on her cheeks. "That's not it. I do like it, a lot. Just.. ugh." Squeezing her eyes shut, she threw her head back and let out a long frustrated groan. Tempted to kick a stone away. "I'm mad, I'm so damn mad at you right now."

His brows knitted together in genuine confusion. "Huh, why?"

"Are you serious right now?" Perhaps 'fck off' might be too kind. "'Cause of whatever is going on between us right now," she exclaimed, shaking her head then. Her voice lowering. "Perhaps you mistook me being so open about my feelings to mean I'd be easy to get, always running after you like a puppy. So I want to make clear that I am not easy to get and I don't run after anyone."

The crease between his brows deepened as he stepped forward. "I'd never think of you of being easy to get or a puppy. Why would you think that?"

"Because.. because you keep giving me these mixed signs." He remained quiet, allowing her to rant out her build-up emotions. "And I don't like this kind of games. Just say straight to my face that you don't feel the same, that you never will and let me move on."

When he saw that she'd finished and had nothing else to add, beside fierce eyes frowning right back at him, he decided to finally speak up. "I'm not a fan of beating around the bush either.." He stepped closer then. "Although I thought I made it clear that I do have feelings for you."

"Well, sometimes it's not clear." She stood firm, still too mad to enjoy his little confession. "One moment I feel so close to you and you call me 'angel' and let your parents believe I'd be your girlfriend and next.. next moment it feels like you don't want me near you and just use the 'danger' excuse to push me away."

He breathed out, not having expected he'd be making her feel this way. It was never his intention leading her on. He wished she'd just break his nose and tell him to go away instead of asking questions and forcing a smile while a angry tear rolled down her cheek. And he wiped it away with his thumb. Looking at her with pain in his eyes while cupping her cheek, tilting her face up so she'd look at him.

"Soyeon, I like you. That's why I try protecting you. I regret not being able to do so back then in Taiwan, and I still feel terribly guilty about it. I don't want that to repeat. Don't you get it?" He felt his pulse picking up while speaking out his feelings for the first time. "I fear I'm even falling for you at this point and I fear even more the consequences of that. You already got in danger once because of your grandfather, because of one of us. You shouldn't risk getting in danger again because of another lousy thief like me. I'm not worth the risk."

She swallowed as he lowered his hand and she grabbed it. Her soft feline eyes somewhow calming his racing mind.

"Yoongi, don't you realise how contradictory you sound?" she softly laughed out, squeezing his hand in hers. Moved by how deeply he cared for her well-being to the point he was willing to neglect his own feelings. "Don't you realise the only times I've been in danger were when you were not around? I feel and am save when I'm with you. And your sword."

He laughed under his breath, causing her smile to widen in an almost teasing way. His eyes wandering to the tree branches above them. Observing them swaying in the wind which was picking up. An approaching thunder roaring in the distance. "I've never had a normal life or any normal relationships for the past ten years.." He looked down, holding her gaze that was still resting on him and he couldn't help but falling even deeper into those dark brown eyes listening patiently as he was pouring his heart out. He swallowed. "This.. this is the closest I've ever had to normality. And I'm scared of both, losing and having it.. of losing and having you."

Her lips curved into a smile as she wiped away a raindrop that had fallen onto his warm cheek. And another one. It started raining again. And Yoongi huffed, wiping the droplets away that had fallen onto her own face with his sleeve when she grabbed his cheeks, pulling him down to her level with a grin as she felt a sugar-rush-like feeling  flowing through her every fiber.

"You know, normality is terribly overrated." 

And she kissed him. Holding onto him in the pouring rain.

»»»

next chapter: 1.7 here

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[day6source]

[@ STAR1] DAY6 “A turnaround, a pleasant burden… We will continue to make ‘music that never gets old’” [Star@Style]

Reporter Hwang Yeon

An 'unbelievable' welcome return. DAY6, who finished their military service, proved their potential as the representative K-pop band by taking the 'Best Band' and 'Best Rock Ballad' trophies at 'ASEA 2024' all while simultaneously making their comeback as a full group. DAY6, the protagonists of 'You Were Beautiful' and 'Time of Our Life' shot to the top and shined as of recent. All the songs on their new album 'Fourever' charted, and achieved the top spot on major music charts in Korea with the title track 'Welcome to the Show'. Their 1,064-day hiatus has now been overshadowed. DAY6 is continuing in 'work mode' as if to quench their thirst, and expectations are high for the brilliant second page they will write.

Q It was the first award ceremony as a whole group after being discharged from the military. How do you feel about winning two awards?

▲ It was a huge honor to be invited to the first ASEA 2024 awards ceremony, but we're so thankful that we won the Best Band award. Thank you to NewsN and @ Style for giving us such a great award. Above all, we want to say thank you and love you to My Day (official fandom name) for always showing great love and support. Young K also received the 'The Best Rock Ballad' trophy with his first full solo album released last year. We're so happy to receive this precious award not only as a group but also as a solo artist at the first ceremony as a whole group after being discharged from the military. Thank you very much once again.

Q How does it feel to be performing performances that are not alone like the lyrics of the new song "Welcome to the Show" after the full comeback?

▲ It's been a long time since we attended an award ceremony as a whole group, and it's been about 5 years since we performed in Japan, so we were even more excited. It was a huge feeling to be able to sing DAY6's representative songs in front of those who love and care about K-pop. These days, with our loyal members and fans, we couldn't be happier or more full of love. Like the lyrics of 'Welcome to the Show', we plan to continue to run as DAY6 as we give it all, so we hope you continue to stay with us.

Q. Since you released an album after 3 years of hiatus, I think this comeback was a time to quench your thirst. How do you feel about the whole group?

▲ The entire group has been waiting for this comeback just as much as the fans. You'll never know how happy and excited we were when we were working on this album. We worked hard with the mindset of repaying the fans who waited for us for a long time.

Q If you were to score the result of this album, how many points would you like to give?

▲ Since it's been a while since we released a full group album, we had a lot of musical greed and what what we wanted to fulfill. We tried our best to embody all of them. As always, we made it with all my heart with the attitude that any of the songs could become the title. We're so proud that you all love the songs on the album, including the title track 'Welcome to the Show'. There are so many things we're thankful for along with the release of the album. The score for this album result…we want to give i 100 points (laughs).

Q Since you were together with the members for the first time in a long time, were there any new aspects you learned or areas where you felt you had grown?

▲ We definitely felt relaxed and felt that we got to meet again in a healthier way. Especially so is our attitude towards music. While preparing for this album, we tried to make the bass, drum, keyboard, and guitar sound richer, and tried to give it more depth in terms of genre as well. Hopefully the listeners felt that the sound was more detailed and detailed than the previous ones.

Q The team's status changed drastically during the hiatus. During the military enlistment period, 'You Were Beautiful' and 'Time of Our Life' recorded unusual chart rankings, and I wonder how you felt when you encountered the love?

▲ When we first heard the news, we thought, "Is this real?" and "What's going on?" We were definitely surprised and amazed. We're so thankful that we can receive such great love. Please look forward to DAY6's new music that made with a pleasant sense of pressure due to undeserved love!

Q What do you think is the secret behind Day6’s songs being able to 'turn around'?

▲ From the beginning of our debut, we promised to make 'timeless music' together, but that was only possible because of our efforts. Rather than focusing on the results while working on the music, we focused our hearts on the music we making at that time. Thinking like that, the music we've made as DAY6 has really been able to touch the heart of listeners.

Q. When it comes to DAY6, I think of being a "Step Band" and a "Growth Textbook." Were you sure that the day would come when you see such bright lights?

▲ I think we're growing more beautifully than we could've ever vaguely dreamed of in the early days of debut. We had faith that good music would work someday. We also had pride and confidence in our music, so there were always expectations that people would recognize us someday and that more people would sympathize with our songs someday. Now that our expectations have become a reality, we're just grateful. We will continue to grow as DAY6.

Q It seems you're as close to your family as you are to each other now, what do you mean to each other?

▲ We like to describe it as the most precious 'everything' in our lives. It felt like we were 'a place to stay' for each other. It was thanks to the members we never felt lonely even when were traveling and keeping busy. We spend more time with each other than with our parents, so we feel like we are 'home' to each other.

Q This year marks the 10th anniversary of your debut. Can you give me some ideas on your future plans?

▲ The new album ‘Fourever’ is a bit of an album that serves as a bridge between DAY6 of the past and DAY6 of the future. We're grateful to be able to present a meaningful album 10 years after our debut, so thank you. Next year will already be the 10th anniversary of our debut. We're looking forward to seeing what DAY6 will look like when as we turn ten. We'll will work harder and busier to repay the love of our fans.

Q The military enlistment time is over, and you've have renewed your contracts. Act 2 of DAY6 is just beginning. What kind of music do you want to show in the future?

▲ There won't be any major changes, but we definitely plan on show how we're moving forward. Our music was able to be known and loved so much thanks to the fans who recommended DAY6 music to their acquaintances. We'll continue to make music that our fans are proud to recommend. Thank you. ♥

[lheslie]

Military Training

Taehoon's father skipped this one. By trying to assassinate someone from North Korea. And just like his father Hansu. Taehoon was made a way to skip the Military Training.

It was your turn to have a military training.

"Would you like me to help you skip this one Y/N?" Hansu asks you.

"No, I want to do this." You tell him. Weirdly enough all students who were approaching age would be nervous even scared to get this notice about joining the military service.

"That's odd most children would definitely say yes." Hansu says.

"Weird thing is. I can't skip it. My family has been in the military for decades and became well known soldiers. So every family memeber is required to train to produce more soldiers or even Generals."

"Oh is that so." He said.

"Yes, You don't have to worry about me. I've been trained before I would even Join the Military." You told Hansu.

"Ya trained before?" Taehoon asked.

"Yes, I did. I was trained by my Dad, my Mom and my Different Relatives who's in the Military." You told him as you were sipping a glass of water.

"How come ya don't fight often?" Taehoon asks.

"Well the more I fight, the more people would know me at the streets I can't cause a ruckus for myself. It'll make me a target at the service." You say.

After talking with Taehoon and his Father you went home.

It was a few days before oyur military service. And you said goodbye to the Hobin Company and to Taehoon.

"Why are ya saying goodbye?" He says

"I'm going for the service and we won't meet each other?" You told him.

Taehoon was carrying a bag. "I'm coming with you dipshit." He said as he took yours and carried it.

"But your dad went all the way to get you to skip this?" You tell him.

"He doesn't give two shits."

Taehoon in the Military. This man would be a major target.

- He has great appearance.

- Cocky attitude.

- He doesn't like to follow orders.

The one who's Teaching Taehoon would be angry at him. Most definitely.

His room mates would try and bully him but unfortunately Taehoon won.

He became the boss of his Area. And no one messed with him.

But they would try and set him up. Thankfully Taehoon's Father Hansu had a friend who was a soldier. With experience of training in the military.

He was lectured on how to survive the service before even entering.

Taehoon would make ways for you both to see each other. Even if it costs huge punishments.

Even though Taehoon's Instructor loathes him. Taehoon is the best one in the field when it comes to physical combat.

He stubbornly doesn't want to learn other martial arts. He said he'll use Taekwondo which he got mocked for.

But he humbled them.

When it was time that the service ended. The Instructor and his room mates. Were very happy never to see him again.

"That man is the devil" One says.

"I'm gonna get him back" Another says. They try. But Taehoon still wins in the end.