My dear readers, I have to bid you farewell a bit earlier than anticipated, as I will be taking time off for RL to enjoy the holidays. I will resume posting after the New Year's.
My challenge still stands. Please give me your ideas, wishes and suggestions, they do help and keep me excited and more creative.
Happy Holidays.
"Can we do karaoke again tomorrow?" cheerfully asked Choi Young.
"Anything for my son-in-law," murmured the mother.
"MOM!" Eun Soo was too tired to keep arguing about the same thing over and over again. "Is his room ready?" she yawned.
"There is a problem, ondol is not working there properly. He will stay in your room for tonight."
"Have you lost your mind?" Eun Soo could not believe her ears, her own mother was putting her in the same room with a man for the night and happily so. "Isn't it inappropriate?"
"Why? I did not say you have to do anything," and she winked at Choi Young; a fast wave of crimson blush covered his face, while he tried to manage anxiety rising in his stomach. "I just said that you will be staying in the same room. I, of course, will give you separate mattresses and everything. Look at it like camping, but at home. People do it all the time," she continued in a very convincing tone.
Eun Soo almost choked at this comment and began coughing loudly and uncontrollably.
Did not Eun Soo tell him the same thing when he first stayed the night at her house? So it seems that in this world people do like camping in doors and women and men can sleep together in the same room with their parents' blessing without being married. He started to really like this world and the rules that allowed so much flexibility and brought so much unexpected happiness to him.
"Omoni, I will make sure, she will camp comfortably."
"You do that," and the old woman snickered into her sleeve. "Go on, go, check the room."
Still not fully recovered after her cough attack, Eun Soo was amazed at how much her mother and she were alike. She showed Choi Young a traditional ondol room and explained that the floor is heated, so it is always warm. "It used to be my room when I was a kid. My desk used to be there, by the window and the bed was in this corner. I had the cutest Cinderella chandelier, with crystal shoes instead of glass to reflect the light. Look up," and she turned off the light. "They never took it off." The ceiling was covered with stars which formed real heavenly constellations and a bright round moon was lit in the corner. "I got those stickers when I was into astronomy. They are specially made to glow in the dark. Lie on the floor." They both prostrated on the floor, which was pleasantly warm, even hot from ondol and holding hands watched the night sky shining brightly.
"Imja, if I wanted to kiss you right now, would that go against the camping rules of this world?"
"If you are wondering if Mom will be upset, I'd say it's the opposite, she would probably give you some kind of a medal."
"I don't know what a medal is, but I know that if I don't kiss you right now, I may not be able to sleep."
And right there, on the floor of her parents' house, Choi Young kissed Eun Soo.
After they got the bedding and said goodnight to Mrs. Yoo, Eun Soo set up the mattresses next to each other on the floor.
"Is there a lock on this door?" asked the man.
"Let me check. No."
"Then you will have to sleep at the other end of the room," and he began dragging his mattress to the window.
"Why, what is the matter?" Eun Soo grabbed another end and pulled it back to its original spot.
"Because your father is sleeping in the other room and I can not guarantee that I will be "just camping" next to you," pulling the mattress again, insisted Choi Young.
"Don't worry. When he is drunk he usually sleeps late in the morning and he is dead as a log. He won't hear a thing even if we were screaming here." And the mattress was pulled again by her.
They stood both holding the opposite ends of the mattress, determined.
"Will you trust me, please, I know my own parents."
"Your father has a sword and I think he might even know how to use it."
"The good news are, so do you."
"But I could never use it against him."
"Then just use it in defense." Eun Soo found this very amusing. They talked about swords like it was normal. Her life took a pretty crazy turn lately.
"Can we please go to sleep."
"Sure," and he let go of his side of the mattress, giving into her.
At first they honestly tried to stay on their backs and fall asleep, then, as if on command, both of them turned toward each other and moved a bit closer, then a little more till they were close enough for a kiss.
"Imja", breathing heavily admitted Choi Young, "I want more than that. Am I too greedy? I can usually control myself very well, but around you…"
"You are not the only one," she whispered in a soft tone. "We are lucky, we don't even need to take the clothes off to make love, if we wanted to," and she touched his hand.
His hand moved involuntary, his KI pulsating underneath her palm. After proclaiming with self-confidence that he would be responsible for control for the both of them, he tried really hard to avoid anything that would make him lose the very control he was trying so hard to maintain. "I did not even think about it," he was surprised at the idea that it was even in the cards tonight.
Eun Soo felt like an idiot, completely embarrassed, she pulled her hand back and pulled a blanket over her head.
"Imja", he lifted the blanket, looking at her. "Why did you take away your hand?"
"I…I…" how could she explain that her idea of 'more' was making love, while his – apparently not.
"What I was hoping for is to be able to hold you. You are so close, even if I can kiss you, it does not seem enough. I feel the need to touch you, now that we have exchanged our KIs, you are always with me and I - with you, but this connection makes it more difficult to stay apart. The way I feel about you, the way I crave your body next to mine… To be that far, while you are so near - it is too painful. All I ask for is a simple touch, and if I may, an embrace."
"Do you know how wonderfully exceptional you are?" she asked opening up her blanket, inviting him to move next to her.
"I don't understand," he was honestly confused about her reaction.
"I know."
"What did I ever do to deserve someone like that?" she whispered to herself.
"Imja." That's all he could produce, that's all his mind could handle, as he felt her warmth against him. He hugged her tenderly, finally feeling at ease. Hiding his face in her hair, feeling her heart beat close to his, he relaxed and all the stress and excitement of the day dissolved momentarily…
"Ah, Ah…." Choi Young was in pain. His stomach was churning, he was nauseated, his head was throbbing and he was even more miserable than when he first woke up from the surgery at the hospital. He really tried to be quiet; he rolled over to a separate mattress; twisted, holding his stomach, he stuffed a pillow in his mouth to kill the groans. Why was he so violently ill?
"Young-ha?" she was already beside him, stroking his hair. "What is wrong, sweetheart, tell me."
"My stomach and my head, it's horrible, I can't move and I need to throw up, but cannot get up," he pushed the words out in between painful groans.
"Hangover," diagnosed the doctor. "I told you there would be a price to pay, I'm surprised it did not start earlier."
"I drank before in my life and it was never like that."
"Yes, maybe rice wine, but this is soju, it is a whole different animal. If you can hold on, I'll get you something."
She went into the bathroom and gathered aspirin and anti-nausea medication and fed it to him. She brought him a bucket to throw up and rushed to the kitchen to make some very strong tea to help settle his stomach.
She heard rustling on the coach. "Daughter?"
"Appa? Are you OK?"
"Is the young man sick? I am sorry, I made him drink too much."
"He is, I need to get him some tea."
"Come here for a second." Eun Soo sat next to her father and he took her hand. "I think he is very special. I approve. Hold onto him, Eun Soo-ya, you will never find another one like that, I lived long enough to know."
"Appa," she responded softly, "I know."
"He is a man with a secret and a past, I do not know what he is hiding, but whatever it is, you have to trust that he is a good man."
"I know," repeated Eun Soo. She could not tell her dad that she knows his secret and that he is really hiding something, but it is not the kind of past her father might be imagining.
"Go on, take care of him."