Suddenly he felt dizzy, dark patches flashed in front of his eyes and the room began spinning. Holding onto the wall, he moaned in pain, slowly sliding down to the floor.

"Hey," Eun Soo kneeled beside him. She tried to prop him up, but his body was quite heavy. His head dropped on her shoulder and she caringly embraced him at the shoulders, still on the knees in front of him. "You'll be OK. Come on, let's get you back to bed."

Momentarily, he lost consciousness, reacting to the piercing pain, but her voice rang in his ears: "It's OK. Come on." Choi Young lifted his head, facing Eun Soo so closely, they could feel each other's breaths. Their eyes met and locked. Staring, both unable to look away, they searched another person's eyes, trying to get deeper, to find the answers to the questions they both had at this moment. Inside the brown well of her irises he read worry, fear, concern and tenderness, and there was something else, something that was hiding behind these more obvious emotions. And his chocolate almonds reflected a need, a profound yearning, hope and sorrow at the same time.

Eun Soo was the first one to snap out of it. She lowered her eyes and moved her head, her hands still hugging his shoulders. Getting up, she tried to raise him with her. The man, groaning, stood up, holding one hand to the wall. Her arms released as he stood so tall, she could no longer reach him comfortably.

"Can you walk? You can use my shoulder," she pointed to her small and fragile looking shoulder.

"How can I lean on a woman?"

"Not a woman, a doctor. You are injured, I'm just helping you get back to bed."

What she said was true. She was a doctor. But she was also a woman. After such close encounter, Choi Young was highly aware of it. He could not shake the strange feeling, it was hard to pinpoint what it was, but he was grabbed by her eyes, the eyes that so easily penetrated into his soul.

The general put his hand on her shoulder, trying to keep as little weight on it as possible.

"Don't worry, I won't break. I'm not as weak as I look."

He responded by shifting the weight more toward her, which made her sink a bit to the floor.

In a few steps, he was next to the bed and could let go.

"Is my injury that serious? How am I recovering?" he asked with a serious concern.

"Let me check," she skillfully unbuttoned his pajama shirt.

The patient did not protest, just watched her intently. Her red hair covered some of her face and she moved it to the side, holding a strand behind her ear. Some of the hair brushed against Choi Young's face and he felt a quick jolt of electricity move through his body, making him shiver.

"Are you cold? I just need to check your stitches and the other injuries. I'll be quick and we can get you under the covers."

"I'm not that fragile either," the man needed to regain some of his pride. She already took enough care of him and now was even treating him like such a weakling.

"I did not mean that," her smile brought tiny wrinkles to the side of her eyes, stopping all of his thoughts. "Your immune system is busy dealing with the injuries. It is very easy to catch a cold. You do not have a fever, based on the readings, but your temperature is still high, meaning you have an infection. I'm going to add a course of antibiotics for you."

She squinted, looking closely at the site of the wound after she lifted off the bandage.

"Wonderful, as I predicted, healing nicely. I'm good," she praised herself, proudly. Choi Young scoffed at her boasting.

"I'll come back later. Get some rest. Oh," she remembered something, "so should I record your name as Choi Young?"

"That is my given name."

"You still want to stay anonymous?"

"What does anonymous mean?"

"Hidden, unknown, inconspicuous…"

"If possible, I would like to vanish like I was never here. It seems for the best, since I do not belong here anyway. If you must tell somebody that I'm conscious, than do it. I would not want to get you in trouble. You have been nothing, but kind to me," respectfully, he lowered his head.

"My professor wondered about your recovery. You need to get your story straight. The best one, they always use it in dramas, is amnesia. You hit your head, do not remember who you are or where you came from. Make sure to answer like that. Also, do not let anybody see your sword, if you want to keep it. Just hide it under the bed or something. Got it?"

"I understand. I appreciate all of your help."

"You are thanking me a lot. You are either very polite or feel indebted. I already told you many times, you do not owe me anything."

"I understand that as well," Choi Young responded, humbled. Looking at the doctor, he saw a woman who cared for him, not just somebody who was doing her job. He was not crazy, he knew what it felt like when she talked to him and held his hand in the darkness; he felt that it was more than doctoring, it was her warmth that stayed with him.

After she left, the general let out a loud moan and collapsed onto the bed. His whole body felt like it wanted to expel him from within, poking and cutting, pain was shooting in all directions, muscles and bones twisted in pain, his head was throbbing, and he felt drained.

How come I did not feel so awful a minute ago? Maybe, it is her magic touch. That thought was pleasant. Closing his eyes he recalled little wrinkles by the side of her eyes when she smiled, it brought a smile to his face and he descended into healing sleep.