"Ohh", Eun Soo, stretched her arms, yawning, and rolled off Choi Young's chest, still with her eyes shut. She stretched again, now her whole body, elongating her legs and torso. "I had such a good night sleep," she murmured, still unaware that she was dangerously close to the stranger who was completely motionless in bed next to her. She did not want to free herself from the holds of the dreamy blur, surrounded by exquisite sensations, whispers and caresses. Her mind already awake, trying to recall one of those dreams that would never materialize, just on the tip of consciousness. Either way, she felt very rested after having slept in her own bed for a change. With a slight turn of head, she bumped into something hard, a man's shoulder. "Ouch!" she rubbed her forehead vigorously. Then she actually saw him right next to her. He was still under the covers, eyes shut, pretending to sleep, obviously… She felt goose bumps and noticed her blouse hung loosely, bra straps slid off and lace crumpled as if pulled by force beneath exposing her to the chill air. All of the buttons were opened, and the two lay carelessly on her side of the bed. She never slept with the bra on because it made her suffocate. I guess I pulled it down at night. She fixed it and quickly covered herself with a sweater, cursing the blouse for playing tricks on her again. I should stop wearing this one, it is too tight. Hoping that he never witnessed any of it, she called "Stranger", but he was truly asleep, apparently still immersed in a dream. His cheeks were blush, his lips full colored and the face reflected extreme happiness and peaceful contentment. She shook him gently at the shoulder and whispered into his ear "Stranger…", trying to wake him up. He only smiled in response and held onto her hand, lovingly, pressing it against his heart. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open and he turned to her, looking around genuinely surprised.
Eun Soo was pretty flustered. As usual, she played with her hair unconsciously, red locks tangled and individual hairs sticking up, like she never touched a comb.
Choi Young lifted his hand pointing to her head, as if trying to fix it, then pulled it back.
They were sitting up in bed, staring at each other, not a word between the two of them.
"Good morning, Imja," afraid to look her in the eye, timidly said Choi Young.
"Good morning, stranger," she replied also looking down.
They never said anything about this sleeping arrangement. Eun Soo quickly got up to "make some breakfast and bring him tea" and after she left the room, Choi Young was frozen, shaken to the core. He could still feel his skin on hers and hear her moans echoing in his ears. He slowly uncovered himself, looking at his body, showing the signs of him possessing her. Dream or reality, which part was what… After he stood up, he straightened himself, pulling the shirt down, as much as he could, so that he is more presentable.
"You can use the bathroom if you want." He heard her voice from a distance. "I will bring you a towel". He stuck his head through the bathroom door and decided to wait till she came in. She awkwardly explained that the white bowl on the floor was called a toilet and that he needed to press a button after he finished. She also showed him how to turn on the water in the sink and got out a brand new toothbrush from the drawer. Using her own, she demonstrated how to brush teeth. He was learning and observing, nodding as the lesson went. "You still can't take a shower, but you can freshen up, if you wet this towel" – she gave him a small one – "than you can wipe your body off, just do not go anywhere near your wound." "Don't worry about me. I'll use the other bathroom, my roommate is not around." She grabbed a towel and a fluffy robe off the hook and left.
The warrior was trained to adapt to any environment, but this was a bit tough. He recited in his head the instructions and followed directions to the tee. When it came to cleaning himself, he happily took of the scrubs, not liking strange bright blue clothes. He has never seen himself in a mirror, full height. Choi Young was astonished by how clear the image was, he could touch himself. It reminded him about the reflection in the water of a still lake, only it was much brighter and looked real. He could see all the wounds and scars and how beat up his body actually was. Turning, he twisted, in attempt to see his back – there were old scars on his back also. Scars everywhere.
He remembered how he got those: he was scouting a Japanese camp and was captured. He was young back then and was not smart enough to find a way to escape before they came back for him. His body was suspended from a beam, hung by a rope and his clothes were taken off. He was scared and completely at the mercy of the enemy, exposed to their abuse. They lynched him slashing across his back with a spiky whip till his flesh sprayed blood; then they stuck thin knifes between his ribs, twisting them to get the most painful effect. While it was happening, Choi Young tried to focus on the faces of the people he loved: his mother, his father, his friends, his teacher, his fiancée. The pain was not meant for a human being to bear, it was supposed to drive him to the edge of madness, so that he could beg them and be saved by killing. Only he knew that was not possible, they wanted to get information from him, and for that they needed him alive. Tittering on the outskirts of consciousness, he recalled a conversation with a seer, whom he saved from the bandits. Seer offered to tell his future, but Choi Young refused, "I do not wish to know my future. I would like to build it with my own hands." The seer nodded, but added, "I can see it, even if you don't want to. Your KI is powerful, you will master it. Use it wisely". Nobody, besides his teacher knew about his KI training. Choi Young was intrigued. "I have something else to add, will you listen?" The seer waited till the warrior approved. "Live by the sword you are not, live by the love you will. Fear no death, fear no loss, your future's star is shining bright. Fulfill your purpose through sacrifice. Cross the time, cross the space, find your faith and keep it close." He has not thought about those words for many years. A lot has happened since then. He lost everybody he loved, his parents, his teacher, his pledged brothers and his fiancée. He was used to being alone and the words about living by love did not hold much meaning for him. He lived by the sword and he would die by the sword. That was his destiny. Only for the last few days something inside him slowly started to change. Like the first spring buds, a part of his soul opened up tentatively, he could feel it healing along with his wounds. This doctor cared about him, without any particular reason. She did things to shield him and protect him. He was the one who protected others. His entire life. That was his job, that is all he has ever done. Nobody ever protected him, nobody. But this delicate woman had a warm heart, which started to melt his defenses. A man, looking back at him from the mirror, was not the same man who crossed into her world through the Hwata's gate. Spring has entered his soul. His senses were awakened, his body came alive, wanting to experience what it was like to be with her, his dreams were filled with desires and longing - he began dreaming of the future.
"Stranger", her voice interrupted the flow of his thoughts.
"I'm in the bathroom."
"Are you done? Breakfast is ready."
Breakfast, she even made him breakfast. No woman besides his mother ever did, and she died when he was young.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes. I do not have clothes on."
"Just cover yourself with a towel." At this point she was not affected by the site of his bare skin. Something changed practically over night. Inexplicably, she felt as if they have already been intimate, as if that step was taken and it was no longer obstructing the bigger picture. Unbeknownst to her, the crush on a handsome stranger has transformed into something important, growing within the essence of her soul. She was no longer just taken by his masculine physicality, and it was not his handsome features that made her weak in the knees, it was the vulnerable, sad part of a man, who did not seem to know about it himself. It was the nobility that she could see in him, not the fake kind, but the one that was based on meaningful values. It was his gentle consideration and his wiliness to do whatever it took to complete his duty. It was a lot of things. But in a matter of days, despite all the conventions, Eun Soo fell in love with a man from a different time. She did not want to admit it yet, but she could feel it.
Both of them stood there, separated by a door, lingering, preparing to hide their feelings deep inside in order to carry on with the commitments they made: him to return home, her to help him get there safely and quickly.
Eun Soo entered, not looking up, she stretched out a hand, holding man's clothes, "I got this clean from the closet. It belongs to my roommate's boyfriend. There is a shirt and jeans, socks and underwear, brand new pair, I promise. And a sweater, it is a bit cold." Choi Young stood there modestly wrapped in a towel, not hearing a word she said, looking at Eun Soo, he wondered why this woman was so stunning. Her skin glowed after the shower and with her hair still wet, a few strands were falling over her eyes and one stuck to her cheek. Choi Young slowly raised his hand and like it was a long standing habit, comfortably and tenderly cleared the hair of her face. Her heart stopped during that moment, his touch was so gentle and intimately familiar. She lifted her eyes in surprise.
"I thought it was bothering you," he stumbled. Choi Young was acutely aware of his powerful attraction toward her. It is as if they switched: what started her infatuation - now infected him, and what drew him to her initially -became the basis of her growing feelings. At first it was her kindness and the warmth, but now a possibility of something more boiled his insides with excitement, KI flow increasing as he could only see the supple breasts and the curves of the hips, the delicate neck, covered by the unnecessary constraints of her garments. He could see her skin vividly through the layers and hear soft moans of pleasure she granted him when he was one with her. Losing touch with reality he tried the last resort of mind control. It required sharp focus on a specific object, preferably something that had no emotional attachment, when he thought of it.
"Thank you," he took the clothes off her hand. "What is this?" he pointed to the packaged man's briefs. This "thing" did the trick, it triggered curiosity, redirecting his attention.
How do I explain it? "It is called underwear. It means you wear it as a first layer under your pants. I can't really show you," she laughed breaking the weird mood. He smiled in response, "I suppose I would figure it out myself."
He changed, marveling at how strange and tightly uncomfortable all the clothes were. He preferred his tunic and pants that allowed free movement.