A.N. - I'm sorry for how long it's been since I updated it. I assure you, I am still working on it and planning things out, but life, writer's block, and other things get in the way at times. But I'm so happy and grateful that people are interested in this! Thank-you so much!

Also, there are two cameos in this chapter from two other k-dramas I've enjoyed, Legend of the Blue Sea and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God aka Goblin. Let me know if you've watched them!

Without further ado, enjoy!


"What do you mean, I have to sleep on the couch?"

Bi Ryeom looked offended by the very suggestion. So-ah raised her eyebrow at him.

"Well, where else are you going to sleep? I'm declaring Habaek's room off-limits, and as for my room -

"I could sleep there," Bi Ryeom interrupted, grinning like a fool. "I mean, Habaek probably sleeps there more anyway, right? You'll probably be cold now that he's gone!"

"That doesn't mean you get to replace him!" So-ah put her hands on her hips. "Are you serious right now? You do know Habaek is my boyfriend, right? Still my boyfriend? And what about Mura? How would she feel if I told her what you were saying?"

Bi Ryeom put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright, I get it. Fine, I'll take the couch." He still shook his head, as if in mock disappointment. "Honestly though, a gods' servant making a god sleep on the couch? And when he's trying to protect her, too! Jeez, the gratitude of mortals these days!"

"Be lucky I'm giving you a pillow and a blanket," she retorted, picking them off the chair she had thrown them on; the sight of them had been what set Bi Ryeom off in the first place.

"You are a terrible hostess."

So-ah threw the pillow at the god, which he deflected with his arm, and turned away, heading upstairs. "It's been a long day, so I'm heading to bed now. If you need something from the kitchen, just get it - but don't leave it a mess! And unless there's another attack or something, try not to wake me tonight, okay?"

Bi Ryeom snorted. "Your wish is my command, Your Highness," he replied, before plopping down on the couch, still in his day clothes. At least he had taken off his shoes.

So-ah ignored him and went upstairs, dressing in her pajamas and settling into bed.

She was tired, but after tossing and turning a bit, she gave in to the fact that she would not be falling asleep any time soon. It made sense, of course, as without Habaek, the bed was emptier and colder. Not to mention her worry over his well-being. And what if some Sky Country god - Bi Ryeom excluded, of course - came to the house? Chun Hoo, maybe, come to finish the job and hurt So-ah, and consequently Habaek, even more?

So-ah groaned. These questions were not helping her sleep. She wondered if she should go down and get some tea, or some warm milk, to help her calm down, but she didn't feel like going past Bi Ryeom. His presence was somewhat comforting, especially since his declaration to protect her, but she had a feeling if she went back downstairs, they would simply be up the rest of the night.

So, So-ah simply laid there, occasionally closing her eyes, and willing herself to sleep.

And, eventually, she did.

...

When So-ah woke up the next morning, it was to see a face leaning over her.

For a moment, all she could recognize was that the face was not Habaek's, and so she gave a startled shriek and pulled away. Her heart pounded against her chest, and it took a minute for her to realize that it was just Bi Ryeom.

The wind god raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on, now, So-ah, I can't be that ugly, can I? No, wait, don't answer that."

So-ah's breathing quickly turned back to normal, and she glared at him. "Wh-what are you doing? Why are you in my room?" Then she realized, standing behind Bi Ryeom, was another person, also in her room, and she let out another shriek. "And who is that? And why is he in my room?!"

Bi Ryeom rolled his eyes. "Relax, will ya?" He moved aside to reveal the person behind him. "It's just Jin Geon."

The tall, thin minor god, dressed in a nicely pressed black suit, bowed slightly in greeting. So-ah did her best to bow back, considering she was still sitting in her bed.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Alright, that answers the who. But still not the why. Explain yourself."

"So suspicious, jeez." Bi Ryeom rolled his eyes once more. "Listen, I have to...do some reconnaissance, if you will. But I promised I wouldn't leave you alone, so, whenever I'm away, Jin Geon here is going to fill in for me." The wind god gestured to his friend with a flourish, looking pleased with himself.

So-ah stared at them, taking in this new information. She didn't know much about Jin Geon, beyond his tragic past with Hu-ye and that he was extremely loyal to Bi Ryeom. She felt that she could trust him, and she knew that Bi Ryeom wasn't simply shirking his promise to her, especially if he was putting Jin Geon on the job.

So she nodded. "Okay, I understand."

Bi Ryeom beamed, pleased. "Wonderful! Perfect! I'll leave you both to it, then."

He then promptly disappeared into thin air.

So-ah and Jin Geon stared at each other for a moment more, before So-ah awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Ah, Jin Geon...um...do you mind waiting outside? I need to get changed for work."

"Of course, Lady So-ah." The minor god bowed to her again, and then walked out of her room, carefully closing the door behind him.

When So-ah was done getting dressed, she went downstairs to see Jin Geon waiting in her kitchen. He stood by the table, arms folded behind his back, not quite rigid but alert. So-ah eyed him strangely as she filled a glass of water.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.

"No, thank-you."

So-ah nodded awkwardly, and prepared her breakfast. Glancing at the minor god, she asked, "Do you...want something to drink? I have juice, milk, tea, water..."

"No, thank-you."

Oookaay... So-ah thought. This might be even worse than Bi Ryeom.

So-ah set her plate down and pulled her chair out. Jin Geon was still just standing there.

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No, thank- "

"Just sit down."

Jin Geon sat down.

So-ah ate her breakfast in silence, eyeing the god as she did so. He simply stared back at her, quiet, respectful. He's probably going to be like this all day, So-ah thought, sighing inwardly. Really, she should appreciate a god who didn't interfere in her life like they owned it, but it didn't feel right, somehow.

Eventually So-ah was ready for work. Sang-yoo was going to be released from the hospital today, or so Hyun Sik had texted her. So-ah had offered to be there, but Hyun Sik had assured her they had it covered, and So-ah decided to honor her wishes. She could always send a fruit basket or something. As long as her friend and nurse was alright, that was all So-ah wanted.

So-ah knew that the minor god could probably keep tabs on her unseen all day, and was just as capable of teleportation as Bi Ryeom. But still she asked,

"Jin Geon, would you like a ride?"

He stared at her for a moment. "If it would please you, Lady So-ah."

So they drove to her practice, not quite in silence as she had the radio on. There was still some police Caution tape clinging to the sides of her door frame, and many of her patients or their caregivers had elected to postpone or reschedule their appointments until more progress had been made on the case. So-ah would probably have an easy day today.

So-ah got herself comfortable at her desk, having already placed her white coat on the coat rack. Jin Geon stood in the middle of the room, eyes roaming, a rare look of emotion on his face - curiosity. So-ah smiled to see it, but quickly hid it, in case the minor god saw and became formal once more.

"You can sit in the chair if you like," So-ah told him, motioning to the cushioned chair near her stairs. The police had done a good job of cleaning up after the attack, having taken numerous photos and scouring the place for any usable evidence. So-ah had been afraid she would find working in her office traumatic, but felt no panic or fear yesterday nor this morning, so she hoped the trend would continue.

The morning passed slowly, for, just as So-ah had predicted, she had virtually no patients. In the afternoon, however, she had two patients back to back at 1pm and 2pm, both, interestingly enough, complaining of similar issues. The first, a middle-aged woman named Mo Yoo-ran, said that she felt as if she was missing significant memories, and worried over what she should know but didn't. No significant head trauma had occurred, and she had no idea why she felt that way.

"Perhaps I should just let it go," Ms. Mo had said during their session. "I mean, other than that, I'm very happy with my life. I've been reunited with my son, whom I haven't seen in years, and he seems so content. In fact he just proposed to his girlfriend, a lovely young woman I like very much. Should I ask for more?"

So-ah had assured Ms. Mo that it was perfectly reasonable to feel such things and there was nothing wrong with going to a doctor. "Mental health is very important, just as important as physical health. That's what I'm here for," she'd said.

The second patient, a young college student named Ji Eun-tak, was also experiencing memory loss and didn't know why. She also obsessively carried around a note in her handwriting that she didn't remember writing but knew was extremely important. So-ah was more concerned about this case, as Eun-tak was clearly distraught by her memory loss and had depression over it. So-ah had talked with her past the 3pm end point, and promised to do what she could until their next meeting.

After Eun-tak left, So-ah had looked over her session notes and dove into research, reviewing her files, books, and online articles to see what might be ailing her patients. After a while searching and not finding anything particularly useful, she sighed and looked around her office, giving her eyes a break. When she caught sight of Jin Geon, perched politely on the edge of her cushioned chair, an idea came to her.

"Jin Geon," she said. The minor god's head swiveled towards her, expectant.

"Do you...well, in your long life, have you come across anything like these cases?" she asked, briefly summarizing her patients' issues.

Jin Geon was silent for a while, as usual. Finally he said, "Do you want the truth, Lady So-ah?"

So-ah was taken aback. "Well - yes, of course I do. Please, tell me."

"You can't help either of those women."

So-ah blinked, startled. She was very confused, and also annoyed. "Wha - what do you mean? Are you saying I'm not a good enough doctor? That their issues can't be helped? Listen, Jin Geon, mental illness can be treated. It's not like these women are insane or a danger to anybody. They need help, and support, and compassion, not somebody brushing them off as if they can't be saved!"

At the end of her speech, she huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the god. Jin Geon didn't appear moved at all by this outburst. As calmly as before, he replied,

"You can't help these women, not because of any inadequacy on your part, Lady So-ah, or because sickness of the mind is incurable, but because their memory loss each has an otherworldly cause, not a biological one."

So-ah stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I was here, watching you, and watching them," Jin Geon said. So-ah frowned at that; when Jin Geon had disappeared at her patients' appointments, she'd hoped he was respecting their privacy, but apparently he had just decided to stay out of sight. "I could see the cause of their memory loss immediately. The woman, Mo Yoo-ran, has been touched by a mermaid. And the younger one, Ji Eun-tak - well, she is the Goblin's bride."

"Wha - what?" Mermaids? Goblins? They were real? "But...but what does that have to do with memory loss?" So-ah asked, bewildered.

"Mermaids have the ability to erase a human's memories with their touch," Jin Geon explained. "Other supernatural beings - gods, other mermaids, and the like - can tell when someone has been touched by a mermaid. And the girl, the Goblin's bride, she is bound to her Goblin and he to her, but he has disappeared from this world. Such a thing is like a gaping wound on her soul, and no doubt that is the cause of her memory loss and anguish."

The idea of a human woman being the bride of a dokkaebi, or goblin, boggled So-ah's mind, as well as the fact that it existed at all. Though, after all she's been through, it shouldn't be that much of a stretch for her to believe. "But - but there must be something we can do! Can we find Ji Eun-tak's goblin? Bring him back somehow? I can't let her continue to suffer, not when she is under my care."

Jin Geon shook his head. "Their fates are not ours to meddle with," he answered. "They are under the power of gods much higher and more powerful than we." He paused. "Though, if you really want to do something, Samsin Halmoni may answer your prayer. She has always had a soft spot for the girl."

So-ah sat back in her chair, feeling defeated. Another person caught up in the game of gods and fate - though, perhaps everyone was. Still, it did not make her feel any better, especially when she had promised her patients she would do everything she could for them.

With a sigh, So-ah stood, deciding that a walk to clear her head would do her some good. When she reached the top of the steps that led to the lobby of her practice, she heard a knock on her door. By habit she turned to answer it immediately, but then paused before she reached the door, hand hovering in the air before the handle. A strange sense of trepidation washed over her - what if this was a trap? Powerful creatures like the one that had attacked her coming to try again? Her mind flashed back to the other night, the tornado spontaneously forming in the middle of her office, sending her flying around the room and injuring her. What could she do to protect herself against that? Without Habaek?

The knock came again, more frantic, breaking So-ah from her thoughts. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She could do this. There was nothing to be afraid of. And Jin Geon was here, as well.

So-ah opened the door - and smiled at who she saw.

"Hu-ye!" she exclaimed, opening the door wider to her friend.

"So-ah!" the CEO replied, looking paler than usual, a look of concern on his face. He took her by the shoulders and asked urgently, "Are you alright? I only just now heard what happened, that there had been a break in or - or something at your clinic! I'm so sorry it took me so long to come! Is there anything I can do? You weren't hurt, were you?"

"Hu-ye, calm down," So-ah told him, gently removing her hands from her shoulders. "I'm alright. I - I admit, it was a bit of a scare, but everything's going to be fine. I was cleared at the hospital; Sang-yoo was more badly injured, but he's recovering nicely."

"Oh, that's good to hear," Hu-ye replied. He looked past her to see the empty waiting area. "I only really found out because I heard some of my employees who go to you still talking about the clinic being closed. I thought that was odd, since you hadn't mentioned any vacations or renovations or anything the other day, so I asked them why." He shook his head, as if in disbelief. "How terrible this disruption must be for you. Are the police any closer in figuring it out? Did the thieves take anything?"

So-ah thought about her answer. She didn't want to worry Hu-ye, but he was one of the few people in her life who could understand exactly what had happened, someone she didn't need to keep any secrets from, regarding the supernatural company she kept. "Why don't you come inside?" she said instead, stepping away from the threshold.

But Hu-ye shook his head. He glanced once more around the room, seeming uncomfortable. "I - how about you and I go for a walk? It's nice weather outside, and perhaps it would be good for you to get out."

Well, So-ah had planned on going for a walk, after all. "Okay. Let's go together, then."

Hu-ye smiled at her, a sweet, lovely smile, relieved at her decision. He offered her his arm, and with a small laugh, So-ah looped her arm through his, and they began their walk.