Clearing up the path, getting rid of all the people who stood in the way or posed danger to Eun Soo, the General finally reached his destination.
Holding her tight, Young was afraid to let go. He logically knew that the ordeal was over, that she was no longer poisoned, but his heart was still anxious. He tried to relax by inhaling her scent, settling with a deep sigh into her shoulder. They went through so much in the last few days, at any given moment something bad could have happened. The emotional intensity of watching her take the poison, sitting by her bedside, then having her kidnapped, chasing after her, all of it done without allowing himself to stop for a second, wounded him up so tight, that it was hard to change the hipervigilant mindset.
There were so many times he thought she would be gone… He was afraid to let go, on alert for someone to come busting through the door. But it was quiet and he needed to believe that they were safe. She was in his arms, the safest place he could imagine for her. It was also the safest place for him to finally be just a man with his woman, to forget about all the other roles he has to play and stop worrying.
Eun Soo broke the silence, "Can we stay here for a while? I think we both need a break."
"Of course", he smiled, still holding her in his embrace, "Shall I get you some food?"
"Don't go." She tightened her hands around his back, "I do not want to lose sight of you."
"Are you afraid?"
"No, I'm just happy."
He made her happy. He could not really make her laugh, he was no good with words or jokes, but he would definitely settle for happy. "You are still weak, you should rest."
"Only if you are next to me," she was not about to let him go. For the first time there was no obstacle for her to stay, not in his mind, so he would not be pushing her away. She wanted to be next to him all the time. She did not risk everything, including her life, to be left alone in a room waiting for him again, even if it was to fetch food.
"How about we go together?" he proposed.
They found an inn owner and ordered the food to be brought to the room. "It's called room service." Eun Soo never missed a chance to teach him some heaven talk. While in the past, he would have been annoyed, now to his own surprise, it was adorable. In fact, everything she did was cute, sweet, adorable, beautiful, wonderful, pick any description, and it would fit… She could do no wrong in his eyes. He was a man in love.
He put her into bed and laid down next to her, making sure she was comfortable.
"Why don't you sleep a little?"
"OK," she peacefully closed her eyes.
He settled so that he could watch her, she was so pale now. He put his hand on top of hers, keeping her warm. He thought about all the instances he could have lost her and how much time they had to spend escaping, hiding, surviving, fighting, and yet sneaking in moments of peace and quiet. I want to make her happy every day. I would like to do things for her that she enjoys. I will buy her all kinds of clothes and jewelry, pretty things, and of course tasty food that she likes so much. He smiled at his own thoughts. How did it even happen that he now had a woman? Not any woman, but her?
He closed off his heart a long time ago after the tragic death of his fiancé, living a Spartan life in the barracks, surrounded by men, he never even bothered to look at women. Nobody ever offered to set him up, and the only living relative, his aunt, never approached him with this topic because she knew he was not looking for companionship or marriage. As he existed day by day, secretly hoping for death to find him, it did not occur to him that what he actually needed was living. When he saw this strange auburn haired woman dressed in white for the first time, something about her stopped him in his tracks. When the guards took him away, he was still looking at her and their eyes met for a moment. She was curious about him then. And now, she does not like to take her eyes off him. A confident smile broke out on his face. He even got butterflies in his stomach for a second. She is a touch away, right here, right now. She is his!
He flashed back to the time when she said she would take poison. He felt so powerless. She was so strong and brave, but for him it would mean that she might never wake up. The weathered General, who survived countless battles and faced comrades dying, could handle anything, but his life never prepared him for that. Grasping his head, he was mortified, listening to the instructions she was calmly giving out, he could not even look at her. The only reason he pulled himself together was because he promised to be there for her and because he needed to be there with her.
While she was fighting for her life, he was thinking about all the things he should have said, all the things he should have done for her, all the times when he told himself to stay away, instead of being next to her. Choi Young was beating himself up for not recognizing how precious each moment with her was. And then, the one time when he stepped away, she was kidnapped. "I feel like I'm dying, right now", he told his aunt. Till he went through the door of the inn and saw her standing alive and unharmed, he was dying inside. Now he could live. They both could.
"Water," her lips were dry.
He checked her forehead for fever, comparing to his. She did not have any. Relief.
"Right away." He carefully got up not to disturb her and ran to bring the water. When he came back and sat her up to drink, she held onto his hand all the time, and asked, "Come back to bed."
This time she turned toward him, their faces barely an inch away, so close together.
"I know you were watching me sleep. Be fair, now it's my turn. Close your eyes."
He obediently did. For a man who made a living fighting, he had a surprisingly peaceful and graceful face. As a plastic surgeon, Eun Soo's eye was trained. He was very photogenic. With such excellent bone structure and nice proportions, he could be a model; and to top it off, he had long eyelashes. She could not help herself, but to run her finger across them. Instantly, he grabbed her hand so quickly that she lost her balance and fell on him, lips on lips.
The closeness was unexpected and startled both of them, making them laugh; they were suddenly self conscious of how free they were to love each other... Her red hair covered his face, as she tried to lift her head, but he pulled her back. This time the kiss was meant. Slow, gentle, and deep, the kind of kiss that made them smile at the same time.
Tenderness washed over him as Eun Soo kissed the tip of his nose and the two small smile lines formed near his mouth. She carefully kissed the tips of his lashes and the forehead bridge above his nose, caressing the curves of his brows, and returning to place another kiss on his eyes.
All this time, he stayed still. He was registering how her slightly dried lips were extremely careful on the touch, the warmth of her breath, and the rise of an overwhelming tenderness in his throat. He just opened his lips a little and she was already kissing them.
Choi Young wondered, how could he have survived without her next to him before? He could not fathom the thought.
She laid her head down for a break and he hugged her softly. They both fell asleep for a while. It got cooler at night so he covered them with a blanket. It was comforting that there was no need to rush with anything or anywhere at least for a few days.