Since Han Rong wasn't feeling too well, he asked for a half-day rest. Yuqin and the others went back to their hotel after spending nearly two hours on the bus. She went back to her room and she took a nap before it was dinner.
About an hour later, Yuqin received a call from Han Rong. She was surprised that he was waiting for her at the lobby. She quickly got dressed and only put on simple make up. After getting to the lobby, she saw Han Rong talking to another person. He looked familiar but Yuqin wasn't sure who he was.
She waited until he finished talking. Han Rong came up to her after a few minutes.
"Sorry for making you wait. I actually wanted to bring you somewhere. Did you eat yet?" He asked. Yuqin shook her head.
"I have some pre-made meatball and rice, and lentil soup made my one of my team members. It's in the car. I wasn't too hungry so I thought about you. Would that be okay? You can take your time to eat while I drive." Yuqin nodded and replied, "Let's go, then. What are we waiting for?"
Han Rong held her hand as they greeted Sam at the entrance. Sam looked at them and smiled, "Officer Han Rong, take care of her. Bring her back safe and sound." Han Rong placed his hand on his shoulder, replied, "Of course."
***
Yuqin carefully ate her dinner in Han Rong's car as he drove down the sandy road. As the sun starts to set, Han Rong turned on the headlight while he carefully drove into the horizon. Yuqin looked outside but she couldn't see anything but pitch darkness. Han Rong stopped the car and asked Yuqin to wait inside. She saw him talking to an employee and he gave Han Rong a piece of paper.
"Han Rong, where are we heading to?" Yuqin asked him.
"To the chapel right ahead. I would like you to meet someone."
"To the chapel? It's been a long time since I've gone to church. What's the occasion?" She asked out of curiosity.
"You'll know when we get there." He smiled and continued to drive for another ten minutes.
As they parked the car outside, Yuqin wore her jacket and took her phone with her. She followed Han Rong to the chapel and it was a beautiful church. Outside of the chapel, there was a statue of a woman holding a baby. Han Rong took her hand and explained, "This chapel used to be a hospital but as time went by, many people left this area. A lot of these houses you see down the streets were abandoned. Several years ago, they built this church as a safe haven. More and more people began to stay here. One of my teammate's father was a doctor when this was still a hospital. He saved a lot of people affected by these conflicts around here."
"Where is his father now?" Yuqin asked.
"He committed suicide after hearing his son was killed. After he committed suicide, one of his patients was a priest back in his old church, made this chapel a memorial for the dead. This chapel is located near the place where I saw my old teammates being blown up. When this chapel was opened, only the priest remained."
Yuqin took a seat on one of the front benches while Han Rong sat beside her. In front of them was a cross and around them were stained glass. In the middle, was a memorial for the dead soldiers, officers, civilians, and other personnel who passed away.
"All these months when I was away from you, I would visit the place but I couldn't bring myself to see their names. I would sit here and stay silent for a minute or two." Han Rong looked down and Yuqin slowly reached out her hand. The two of them stayed silent for a minute. Just then, someone else entered the chapel. It was an old man dressed in traditional priest clothing called vestments.
"Officer Han, long time no see."
Han Rong and Yuqin looked back. He stood up and greeted the priest.
"Father."
The priest smiled and looked at Yuqin, "Who is this beautiful lady?"
"My fiancee. Yuqin, this is the priest I was talking about earlier. I'm sorry I came so late to visit you."
"Not at all. I was talking to someone earlier but you... I haven't seen you in a while. How is everything?" The priest was a kind man with a gentle smile. Yuqin stayed silent while Han Rong was being asked a question.
Han Rong stayed silent for a while then said, "I... I don't know. I just... don't know what to say." He tried not to cry but tears streamed down his face. Yuqin held his hand to remind him of her presence. The priest sighed and nodded, "Officer Han, it's not your fault. Witnessing death can be hard on anyone. It's been a few years since that incident, right?" Han Rong slowly nodded.
The priest held onto his free hand and said a word of prayer for comfort and sadness. After he finished praying, the priest looked at Yuqin.
"Young lady, you and Officer Han are a great match. I can see you really love him." The priest continued on, "Some pain can't be erased easily but there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel." The priest took both of their hands and linked them together.
"May you two be blessed. Officer Han, take as long as you need. The chapel will always be opened to you. I need to see another person now. I'll take my leave first." Han Rong and Yuqin waved goodbye.
Yuqin looked at Han Rong again and said, "Han Rong, how about we look at them together? I'll be with you." She held his hand while he slowly walked in front of the memorial. His hands started to tremble and his breathing became faster. Yuqin held his hand tightly while trying to calm him down.
"Han Rong, I'm with you. Don't be afraid."
Han Rong slowly opened his eyes and he saw his dead teammates names on the memorial. He couldn't control his emotions then dropped down. All of the memories came flashing back, the explosion, dead corpses, screaming, crying. Han Rong covered his ears while Yuqin was trying to comfort him. She embraced him without saying a word. She was cautious with him.
"Han Rong. I'm here."
"Yuqin, I'm sorry."