Thank you all for so many responses. This is probably my favorite part... It might make some of you happy (Lauren and others who asked).
The crowd gathered around finally caught their attention. Eun Soo was the first to break the kiss. "All those people," she whispered, blushing. Choi Young only noticed now; he hid her face in his chest, covering her with his arm, as if protecting her from the curious eyes. "I HAVE to leave," he whispered back. Eun Soo tore herself off him. "The portal," she exclaimed.
He turned – and felt … strangely relieved. Then worried, then guilty to be so selfish, than happy. He grabbed Eun Soo, lifting her in the air and kissing her with delight all over her face. The pain reared its ugly head unexpectedly, and he screamed, as his arms almost dropped her down. He bended in half, grasping at his ribcage and crouched to the ground.
"Stranger!"
"Give me a second, please."
The crowd started to dissipate, as the main highlight of the performance was over. Among the spectators, one figure stealthily moved behind the bushes, only a tip of the wide brimmed black hat showed from behind the tree trunk.
Luckily the pain subsided quickly and sensing danger, instinctively, he quickly got up positioning Eun Soo behind him. He scanned his surroundings, not noticing anything suspicious, he took her hand and said, "Let's go home."
They traveled in silence, he was hugging her on the ride home in taxi, and she trustingly put her head on his shoulder.
Her roommate has gone out, so nobody was home, and after they came in, they headed to Eun Soo's bedroom.
Choi Young felt tired and collapsed on the chair, closing his eyes. He wished to rest before he could think about everything and decide what to do next. If the Hwata's gate closed, was it fate that brought him in the first place to meet Eun Soo? The words of the oracle came to mind "Cross the time, cross the space, find your faith and keep it close." Was meeting Eun Soo the meaning of this prediction? Is this woman his destiny? But what of the sacrifice that seer spoke about? What will he have to sacrifice to be with her?
He did not even realize she was watching him till she came up to him and asked, "Are you hungry? We did not eat the whole day." She sounded apologetic, "How can I be so careless with a patient?"
He reached out and she placed her palm in his hand. "I don't need much, I can go without provisions for a while," he reassured.
"I'll bring something quickly," and she went to the kitchen.
He will have to go to the gate again tomorrow to see if it opens again, what if it never does? This thought never even occurred to him till he saw it close before his eyes. How much do they have together? A night? A day? A week? A month? A lifetime? A lifetime may be enough, he decided. Anything else seemed awfully short.
She came back with a tray of rice, seaweed, leafy kimchi for him and the cubed radish for self, some fermented beans and a two bowls of miso soup. "Sorry, that's all I could do on short notice," she apologized again.
"It's more than enough. Did you say you don't cook much?"
"Come to think of it, I never made a night snack for a man before, either," she patted his hair. Although still shy with touching him, she has become more comfortable after the whole day of progressive hand holding, hugging and kissing. And also there was that vivid dream at night when she gave herself to him. Goosebumps shook her slightly as her body responded to the memory… At first, she could not recall the details, but during the day when he brushed against her accidently or when she felt his hand against hers or when they kissed passionately in the park, the dimmed memories started to take shape more clearly. And with that came desire, a longing to experience it again. How can a dream seem so real?
Lost in such thoughts, which did not coincide well with eating, Eun Soo's was holding for too long her now empty chopsticks mid air, eyes glazed, chewing mindlessly a few pieces of rice she managed to put in her mouth.
"Imja is not hungry?" He picked up a cube of kimchi, put it in her rice bowl, spooned a small mound for her. "Have some." She opened her mouth, eyes still wondering.
"Remember I promised to teach you about affection?"
"Yes. I have been waiting for a lesson."
"Here is one. Using your own chopsticks to put food on the other person's plate is a sign of affection."
"What about sleeping with that person?"
Eun Soo, choked on the last piece she has not swallowed yet, coughing vigorously.
Choi Young rushed to give her soup to drink, which she gulped frantically, still coughing.
After this little incident settled, she got up.
"I will bring us tea".
"You always go for food or tea whenever I want to talk you. Have you noticed?" he held onto her. "Will you please sit down."
"But…"
He conjured courage to finally ask, looking deeply into her eyes, "Imja, why did you sleep on the same bed with me last night?"
"Because I wanted to be next to you." She answered with the same deep look, as if drinking the dark liquid of his eyes with hers.
"Do you remember anything?"
"My dream, was it real?" her eyes reached the innermost of his heart.
He nodded.
"That's why", her voice acquiring a velvet quality, while her hand ran unconsciously where her blouse would have been opened, and across her breasts; she touched her lips and looked at him with curiosity. "Did we?" "But how?" "I could feel you like we were actually…." Taking the time to produce each phrase, she was revealing her thoughts as they came.
"I don't know. It has never happened before. I think it's because you and I we have this connection."
"This connection that cannot be explained, like when you touch me,"
"You can feel my energy inside you?"
"Yes, I can feel you inside me, even without…" "Come…" she took him by the hand, as he neared her, she requested, "I want to try it again, can we do it again?" She recited slowly like a poem, slightly closing her eyelids, her lashes fluttering, her breathing getting deeper and more sensual as she immersed herself in the story of the last night. "The truth is I could feel everything, and it was so tantalizing, so invigorating that I was afraid to open my eyes so that this fairytale dream would not end. I thought that if I did, and it was not real, then I would never get to experience it again. I wish you could have been inside my body. What you did - it was like swimming in the love waters."
"I was inside your body, Imja, I was swimming with you."
"This time I want to keep my eyes open so that I can see you. I need to make sure it was not a dream, it was real, please."
"Imja…" that's all he could say.
Eun Soo locked the door to her room and dimmed the light.
"I want to know," she said assertively. "Please, before you leave, I want to be with you."
She was asking him to repeat the last night. He closed his eyes, remembering…
Eun Soo took off her jeans and the heavy sweater. She was left in a t-shirt and lacy panties, matching set to the bra, the same one she wore last night. She started taking her t-shirt off, when he opened his eyes and stopped her, "Wait, wait, please." He came up to her, closed his eyes again, and just by touch found the t-shirt and rolled it up, while she was lifting her arms, he slid it off her, as she gracefully swayed her curves, exposing more flesh. Eun Soo shook her head, straightening her back, her hair, freely falling down to her shoulders.
Still by touch only, he found her hair and stroking it with one hand, he found her lips with another and ran the fingers on top them, marking the spot, then leaned in for a kiss, a moist open mouthed, languid kiss, making her release whimpers into his breath.
"Can I now?" she freed her lips. "Don't open your eyes."
She opened up a button on his jeans and unzipped them, then pulled the t-shirt out and asked him to carefully lift his hands. She took the shirt off him, just like he did with her, only with much more care, as he was still injured. She had to get up on toe tips, barely able to pull it off his head, since he was so tall. He felt it and leaned forward, to help. She pulled his pants down seeing how large he has grown in response to her touch, and took his hand, guiding him to step out from the pant legs.
"Do you want to open your eyes now?" she asked.
"No, I remember you vividly. I can still feel exactly how your were from the last night."
She put on the shirt, the one that did not button well, and walked him to the bed. They lay on it together, she snuggled up to him, like before, holding his hand.
"Imja… Do you really want it to be like it was yesterday?"
"Yes, just like yesterday."
So it was, he touched her and kissed her like yesterday, only she watched him all the time, her body awaiting each next thing to come and responding the same way to the pleasure delivered, yet everything felt brighter, sharper, stronger. He felt his KI pulsating powerfully with each move. And as he was kissing her stomach, just like last night, uncontrollable desire overwhelmed his loins.
"Imja" he exhaled and pressed his skin against hers, only tiny pieces of cloth separating them now, and like yesterday, she felt him entering her. She gasped with the abandon of force pouring into her body. She felt the sense of oneness with him, the tension was building up and they both moaned fulfilled… till the release. Their bodies lit up, a beautiful glow emanating from within and then the light dissipated as the heat slowly escaped, only leaving the warmth and love they gave each other.
"That was amazing", she ran her hands along her stomach and hips, curving her limber body in a mesmerizing dance-like fashion, tensing up pelvic and abdomen muscles trying to hold onto his energy still pulsing through her, but slowing down and lessening with intensity and could only stop moving till the last beat subsided.
Choi Young watched and felt everything like he was inside her, each move echoing within him, also sending the KI along the most sensitive spots of his body, a soft moan rising from his chest. Only when she stopped, his energy retuned to its regular level. He kissed her hand and put it on his heart, still beating fast. He wanted her to hear it.