My dearest readers. It has been way too long since my last post. I hope you are still around and wil be commenting and reviewing. I'm sure this chaper will raise some questions, so please ask.
Thanks to all of you who left reviews for the previous chapters. Even when I struggled with writing, the fact that you wanted to see what happens next kept me going.
P.S. for those of you who are waiting for another chapter of "A matter of marriage", I'm working on it. I promise. Just wait a bit longer. We are two reviews shy of the goal, so if you have not left one, please do ):
It was in his blood. It was his family's curse and its saving grace – the ultimate sacrifice.
"Appa, when are you coming back?" A precocious 6 year old targeted his eyes with her deep chocolate eyes with a prominent almond shape. Her reddish hair, tangled as usual, made the man smile.
"Come here, pumpkin." He pulled his daughter closer and ran his fingers through the mess on her head.
"Ouch," she recoiled. "You pulled my hair."
"Sorry, my princess. Appa is sorry." He gazed into the child's eyes, reaching down into her young soul, which eagerly longed toward him, "You know you father loves you more, than anything or anybody in this whole world."
"You tell me this all the time, Appa," she smiled, revealing a toothless gap in the front. She was at the age, when her baby teeth were changing into the prominent set.
"Well, but when you grow up and one day you might feel angry or upset with you father, I want you to remember this day and what I said, promise?"
"Yes, Aboji. I will remember," she laughed without care. "Here, take this," she handed the man a teddy bear.
"But it is your favorite. You were dragging it along ever since you were a little baby. You would not let your mother wash it, only if it were to take baths with you."
"I know, Appa. But I want you to have it. When one day you might feel angry or upset with me, look at this teddy bear and remember that I love you more than my favorite toy," She announced with a lot of determination.
"Are you sure?" he unwillingly took a scruffy toy away from his child's arms. I can't cry. She can't know. "OK, then. You gave it yourself, don't you come back asking for it tomorrow."
"I won't. I'm a big girl now. I don't need a baby's toy," she explained with serious expression and marched away.
. . .
He could not really tell whether he would be gone for long or will return shortly. He hoped he would see her darling face soon, but his intuition demanded him to be more honest with himself. It might turn out to be a one-way trip. All the calculations pointed to the fact that it was possible to travel back in time in increments, but jumps forward were only theoretical.
The family annals spoke of such a person, whose abilities were so powerful, he could move across time, even against the direction of the time current. In simple terms, that ancestor could move forward ahead of the present into the future as well as jump back into the distant past at will.
The man had not made the choice lightly. The decision fell onto his shoulders. He could have lived out his life with his wife and daughter without worrying about the past. But he studied too much and he had too much knowledge and understanding of cause and effect to simply close his eyes. He submitted a proposal to the time counsel. He stood before them, judged by the people who had no personal investment in his endeavor, yet without him achieving his ultimate goal, their existence might have become obsolete.
. . .
The sun set over Goreyo, bathing the country of many hills and streams in crimson purple. Soon the moon presided over the vast land, watching it with a strictness of a ruler, who was both a loving parent and an unwavering disciplinarian, objective and impartial most of the time, but sometimes erratic and passionate, pulling with its magnetism people's emotions, just like the tide of the seas, manipulated by the gravitational pull.
As the night descended, the cool moonlight opened up the road in front of the two travelers. A tall and dark male form and a slender female one next to him. They walked the path holding hands, their footprints left in the dust.
"Welcome to my world, Imja. I shall be your guide. You can rely on me not to get lost," He pronounced solemnly.
"Do you know, where we should go?"
"If I remember correctly, this road will lead us to the town, where we can get our bearings."
"Stranger, are you sure this is the right place?"
He chuckled without answering. His sight took in the scenery around them. His lungs filled with crisp clean air and aromas of wild grasses and fresh dirt. Yes, it was the right place. It was his home.
"Is it the right time, I meant to ask."
"I don't know. First, we should find shelter for the night."
"But I like this romantic stroll under the stars. No background noise, no light pollution from electricity of the city. It is how it is supposed to be – just us and the night."
The man stopped, turning to face her. Their bodies linked for a hug, a comfortably fitting position, familiar and intimate. Her face lifted up as his dipped down, their lips joined and they shared a long kiss. From a far, what occurred next looked majestic and mystical: the blackened out forms began glowing as electrical lightening traveled between them, sparkling to create a halo, accentuating their contours. As if leaves in the wind, they swayed and shuddered, holding onto each other before they lowered to rest, as their bodies, softly bended toward warm dust of the earth beneath them and they continued to embrace, as the man gave the woman his broad shoulders to place her weight upon.
Breathless, they gasped still gathering their bearings after such intense encounter.
"If we never return home, can we survive here?" She asked, her voice hiding fear under the layer of hope.
"Imja, together we can survive anywhere. We just have to stay together, no matter what."
"Then don't leave me, Young-ah."
"I shall not let you out of my sight."
. . .
The clothing was arranged prior to the trip by Lee Min Ho's people. The costumes, although not perfect replicas of the period, were close enough not to arouse suspicion. Choi Young gave Eun Soo many instructions on how to behave, even how to walk. She was forbidden from using Heaven's language or acting in any way as to draw attention to herself. He explained that her version of Hangul was different stylistically and in vocabulary and therefore, she would do better to defer to him in conversations, unless she was to respond with simple "yes" or "no".
The small boarding house was on the outskirts of a large town; and after giving a gold coin to the owner, Choi Young went on reconnaissance mission, leaving Eun Soo in their small room to wait and work out her frustrations on her own.
She was curious to death about everything: What, when, where, how and why. And of course, who.
She looked over their possessions, amazed at how much could fit into a small carrying bag. It was in stark contrast to her huge luggage she used to pack for days before a trip: just two extra pairs of undergarments, wool socks and cotton socks, an overcoat and hair ties. She also brought a ring and a pair of earrings which were presents from her parents. She was not allowed to even bring a pair of shoes or any of her clothes with her. Choi Young only took an extra set of robes for himself and a pair of walking shoes for her, which were also made by the costume designers. The rest he said they would buy at the market, so that she could have a change of clothes. One set! He said it was enough. And this was a man who started to enjoy changing his shirt daily and even had a suit and a couple of pairs of jeans in his possession, still hanging in her closet, waiting patiently for their owner to return.
She sighed, mentally caressing all of her clothes, pretty dresses and expensive heels. Her comfy hoody and a sweater, along with her own favorite pair of jeans were all left behind. She sighed again. It was not that she was so attached to the material possessions, it was just that not being able to have her things signified that she was going to a place where she did not belong. She began to sense that each moment spent in the past would help her understand what it was like for Choi Young. She always had empathy for his ordeal, but only having experienced a similar transplantation, she could truly begin to understand.
On the inside she was still the woman from the future, but on the outside, she had to adapt and meld to fit into his world now. It was only fair that she would do that for him.
Choi Young found her curled up on a sleeping mat, fists under her cheek and knees tightly pulled against her stomach. She seemed so little, so delicate, he was moved to wrap around her for protection, to stay like that in this inn, together and shielded from reality which they were about to face. Just one more time.
"Imja," he kneeled beside her, stroking her hair, which fell in discord against her pale features. "Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
She moaned and mumbled incoherently in her sleep, her lips moved, needing his warmth to cover them. So he provided that warmth as she required. Just one more time.
. . .
Choi Young made a decision not to be surprised by anything related to time travel. He consciously chose to accept whatever happened as a sign that it was how it was supposed to be. There was no use in wondering how it was possible that he would land at the appropriate destination, the year of his choosing. So when he received the confirmation that it was indeed the time prior to his joining "Red Crescent Moon," he did not pursue the time-wasting intellectual exercise of exploring how it came to be.
As soon as he stepped out of the Hwata's gate and his feet tasted the rough stones that remembered his earlier departure, something awakened within him. That duality he struggled with on a daily basis about his identity in the new world of Seoul began to loose its potency. Here he was who he's always been, Choi Young of the clan Choi, and if he arrived as he planned, he was yet to become the General of Woodalchi. Still, this world was his true home. The origin where it all began. He wondered if his parents were still alive and his heart yoked. He thought of Mae Hee and it clenched. He recalled the blood shot eyes of his master who bled to death in his arms and his heart twisted in pain. No longer these were the memories of the distant past. That was his life now and he had come back to claim it for himself.
If he, indeed, succeeded in changing the destiny, one thing he was not willing to change – Imja would always be by his side. That's what they promised each other. Their vows simple and short, said in front of only few witnesses. They held hands and looked into each other's eyes, vowing to love and to cherish each other as long as they should live.
"I promise to have you as my wife and be your protector, guardian and partner. I will be your lover, so please stay by my side, Imja." That was his commitment.
"I will stay by your side as I entrust my life fully to you. I give you my heart and will be your partner in life. I'm yours, Choi Young."
Slim rings were placed and a stern man in a grey suit announced with a rehearsed smile, "I pronounce your husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."
He glanced at Eun Soo's parents and then to Hee Jun and Ha Na, not comfortable with the idea, but his new wife took charge and offered a soft kiss for his lips, sending him waves of electrical charges, which he absorbed, trying to contain the rising storm of passion inside his body, releasing himself in a kiss, with the spectators reverently watching as if it was some special act deserving such undivided attention.
He knew that this marriage was a legitimate excuse for those in attendance to let Eun Soo go with her husband. She would not be questioned and this ritual would provide assurance to her family and friends that she would be taken care of wherever and whenever they would go.
Here he was. The air smelled of fir trees and rain and earth carried history of his ancestors. There was no asphalt or cement to cover up the tangible sense of connection between a man and his land. And he liked it. He felt the return of something essential that he was willing let go of when he decided to stay with Eun Soo in the future. For the sake of their love. If they could love and be together now, then collecting the lost pieces of self would only be a bonus.