Should I be worried? I did not get any reviews yet, so I'm assuming that maybe the chapter was not as exciting or interesting... But I am hoping to hear some of your voices. I will still post and wait patiently, but I'm a bit glum, thinking that the story is losing its appeal. Please, review if you are following.
"Young-ah," Eun Soo stirred closer to her husband, seeking the heat from his body in the coolest hours of the dawn right before the sunrise, when the earth finally puffed out the last remnants of the prior days' heat, fully embracing the chilly fog before the sun dispersed it.
"Hm," he murmured in the throws of sleep, pulling her against his chest and wrapping his arms tighter.
"I can't sleep," she complained.
"Shhh, just another hour, Imja," he whispered, kissing her and nuzzling against her neck with his hot breath. "Sleep, please."
She exhaled slowly, containing her disappointment. She had to talk to him about what had been on her mind. Half an hour later, she turned and flipped and moaned and groaned enough to cause him grumble with frustration, "What is it?"
She quickly set up, pulling up the blanket up to her chin and scooted over to the wall for support. "It's about that girl."
"I told you Imja, you don't need to be jealous. I promise." He mumbled annoyed that this was the reason to steal the sweetest moments of his peaceful sleep.
"I'm not jealous. Do we even have a right to interfere between her and Jae Su?" Choi Young squeezed his eyes before tearing them open and propped himself. His body was awake and his mind was wiring up quickly. "I was thinking about it. When the girl woke up, Jae Su was like a puppy looking up to her, if he only had a tail, he would be wagging it. It is sad, really. I want to help him so badly, I could not sleep."
"Eun Soo-ya, what is purpose of this conversation?" he tensed up, knowing all too well where she was going.
"Am I allowed to speak with her and steer her in the direction of our young lover? Or do we sit idly waiting till your younger self waltzes into her life, sweeps her off her feet with the charming smile and beautiful almond eyes so that poor Jae Su does not stand a chance?"
Choi Young snickered and blushed at such description. He was not so suave or a lady killer in his younger days, neither was he now for all he knew, but in the eyes of his wife, he did feel sexy and dashing. Only this was not the time to tap into that sexiness of his she so much admired. "My mission is to let Jae Su know about possibilities, but I can't directly influence the future, you know that."
"Have you decided what you want to do?"
"I'm still not sure." Choi Young was pensive. Now that he had met the master, Mae Hee and Jae Su and confirmed that there were at least a couple of years before all the events took place, he did not need to hurry for their sakes. However, for the sake of his wife, who was forced to live in substandard conditions and be torn away from the comforts of her home and the job she loved, he needed to take care of his business and return back to Seoul with her sooner than later.
As if reading his mind, Eun Soo touched his arm and glanced at him from the corner of her eye, with apprehension. "I have a feeling that we won't be returning to my time any time soon. I am thinking at least for another year."
"Why?" he looked alarmed. Was there something she knew that would keep them from going back?
She looked away and biting her lips, whispered, "You have to trust me that for now, we should stay put. I think that you need the time to make right decisions and..." She considered her next words carefully, before stating, "I've grown to like this place."
"I don't believe you!" He forcefully turned her head, hooking her chin with a finger. "Imja, what is it you are hiding from me?"
"I can never hide anything from you, at least not for long," she responded with a small smile. "I believe we are meant to be here longer. Call it woman's intuition."
Something fluttered in her eyes, something warm and promising that gave him reassurance to stop the inquisitive intrusion. He felt deeply connected to her at that very second, a strong wave of affection overtaking him and he kissed her temple with so much feeling, he felt their KIs jumping with electrical tickles. "I love you so much," he murmured into her ear. Everything she's ever done or said to him was right, he trusted her completely and if she wanted to stay here longer, then his hope for a baby would also have a better chance to come true he thought fleetingly, but dismissing his desires to the side was not that simple.
"I am afraid to change things because I'm selfish," he revealed with great shame. He could not even admit it to himself, he was astounded the words just flowed out of him freely as if her presence beckoned nothing less than absolute sincerity and disclosure. "I don't want to touch anything in this timeline in fear of fracturing what me and you have in the future. I'm willing to sacrifice everything..." he heaved the next words, "but I'm not willing to make it so that I may never love you. The thought of us not being together is simply unfathomable to me." His eyes lit with deep passion, with soaring ache, and guilt for being a subject to his own desires and needs.
Eun Soo experienced one of those rare moments when she was rendered speechless. Not only she could feel all of his raw emotions and sense his thoughts, but she also felt bound to him at the moment, their KIs tightly woven even without physical contact. As miraculous as it might have seemed to her before, her current condition somehow made it seem normal.
"I understand and I don't judge. I will never judge. The burden is always yours, although I wish to help you carry it," she responded softly after her heart settled, overflowing with empathy and hurt for him. "Maybe, the whole point of us coming here was to simply travel through the gate. I'm not sure how I know it, but a large part of me is certain – that was the main purpose."
He looked at her intently, waiting for an explanation.
"Something you said a while ago, something made me think about the mystery of the gate. From the scientific perspective, in order to move from one point in time to another, I imagine we get to be disassembled to atoms and then somehow reconstructed back. Although, it might not be exactly how it works. What if it helped? What if this was needed for us to..." She bit her lip and lowered her eyes, as if searching within herself how to deal with such a delicate topic. It seemed she decided to stop right there, and an abrupt silence hung between them unexpectedly.
Choi Young eyes flickered with confusion and he frowned heavily, lines piercing across his forehead and brows joined in tension.
"Don't interfere. Don't tell me what you know any more. Don't speak to others about it, unless your intuition suggests so. I would advise this..." she paused looking almost frightened, and mumbled out quickly, "but I had already done something and I think it is too late to stop it."
"What did you do, Imja?" He asked very carefully studying her face for the answer. Anger flared in him as quickly as he extinguished it, realizing that the only type of interference would have been of a meddling kind.
. . .
"Wait," Jae Su run after the girl. She turned, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Guarding you." He responded quite seriously.
"Guarding me?" she laughed. She was taking a walk in the middle of the day by the river. It was close to home and she came here frequently. She did not need any guarding.
"You almost died." He lowered his head and dug his toe into the ground, making a circle with it.
"I was poisoned because I ate a wrong mushroom. And I was at home."
"I know," he continued stubbornly staring at the deepening circle in the dirt.
"Jae Su-ya, if there is something on your mind, come out with it," she nudged him playfully on the arm. "But I don't need you to act as a guard. I can take of myself."
"I like you," said the boy courageously, looking up at her.
Her eyes got wide and then she laughed, bright trills picked up by the passing wind.
"I like you," he insisted more forcefully, and his eyes grew angry. He was confessing his heart and she just laughed?
"I like you, too. You are my best friend and my brother."
"I'm not! Stop calling me your brother. We are not blood related at all. Just because we grew up in the same house does not make us a brother and a sister."
"Sorry." Now she spoke softer, having offended him and knowing what she had said might have stung him in the heart.
"I like you as a man likes a woman," he frowned stubbornly. "This is an offering of my heart. Will you accept it?" He outstretched his arm and opened up his clutched fist, revealing a thin, round, polished ring with a small shining stone. It caught the light so beautifully, the girl was mesmerized for a second.
"What is it? I've never seen anything quite like that before." She picked up the delicate item, as if forgetting the meaning behind the gift. She slid it onto her finger and lifted it up to her eyes, turning to allow the sun hit its tiny polished sides. It shone brilliantly.
The boy's breath hitched. She took the ring! But then immediately he got nervous and the dark feeling in the pit of his stomach rose.
"Where did you get it?" She asked again, curious about her new beautiful decoration.
"A fairy gave it to me. She said if I confessed to you with this ring, you will be mine," he admitted gaily, with an impish smile.
The girl looked at the ring on her finger and then at the boy. Her face lost its twinkling mischief and she turned serious. She slightly blushed and then getting up on tiptoes, leaned forward and pecked his cheek. "I love it. Thank you."
He was so stunned, his limbs refused to move, he only blinked rapidly and mindlessly, watching as she shyly lowered her head.
"So, then my heart?" he whispered.
She did not say anything, stroking her new possession, she stared at the ring silently. "I took the ring, but..."
"But?" The boy could not handle this anymore. She took the ring, but was refusing his heart, obviously she was just playing with his sincerity. What kind of cruelty was hiding under her angelic face?
He was taller, than the girl, and stronger. His shoulders were bigger and his arms longer and possessed more power. He could just hug her and hold her so that she had no more choice, but instead he only lowered his head, trying to read her eyes. His lips hovered close to hers and he saw the color of her blush deepen and her breathing seize. He continued to descend toward her lips, waiting for when she would realize she still had time to turn away or simply run, but she did not move till he finally touched her. It was much better than he could ever imagine – kissing a girl – her lips were very soft. He had no idea what to do next, so he lingered, feeling so happy his eyes shut, but then her lips moved slightly and he felt her fingers grabbing onto his sleeves, pulling him closer. Something hot and almost boiling started inside of him and he pulled her close, letting his arms envelop her and press against his body. His lips started moving and his tongue moved forward as if it had to taste more of her. Her mouth did not protest and her lips parted, allowing him in.
That was both their first kiss. Neither of them knew when and how to stop, but eventually they required to come up for air. Jae Su was afraid that she would never even look at him after this and probably would punch him, using one of those moves her father taught her well. But she did not. She only stood quietly in front of him, playing with her ring.
"What is the name of this stone?" she asked as if it was the most important thing right now, not that they kissed.
"Lady fairy called it a diamond. She said that it is a ring that signifies engagement among fairies."
Mae Hee laughed again. She did not know Jae Su to have such vivid imagination. But she still liked how brightly the ring sparkled and how strong the stone was. She had not idea why she took it so easily or why she did not push him away when he violated her lips with a prohibited close contact of a kiss. She did not think she liked Jae Su that way, not ever. She was so confused by her own behavior, she could not believe what she had just done. If her father ever to find out about it, he would probably cut the boy's head off and put it on a spike. And she would be punished locked inside the house all by herself till the day she turns into an old woman.
"We can't." She mumbled. "It is wrong. I am sorry."
"It's right, don't you see it?" After the kiss Jae Su gained so much courage it was bursting out. "Don't say this. Please. If you are worried about your father, I will ask him properly when he returns. For now, don't say no."
"But..." he grabbed her hand with the ring and touched it. "You accepted my heart. Even if it is the magic of the ring, like the fairy predicted, I don't care. Just never take it off." And then he turned and darted quickly, afraid to hear anything else signifying rejection.
. . .
Jae Su felt as if wings grew on his back, carrying him above the ground. Maybe, the magic fairy ring gave him some newfound powers to fly free like a bird. He was hurrying to tell the beautiful red-haired fairy that her promise came true and that Mae Hee accepted his heart, or at least did not reject it. He halted before the gate and straightened his messy clothes, clearing the dust off. Sir Fairy was great, but would he let Jae Su speak with his wife and enter the house, as if he was family?
"Jae Su-ya," waved Eun Soo. "Come in."