A/N: Greetings! Happy July! :)
If you haven't seen it, I posted two new chapters on "Good Girl, Bad Fox" since I last updated this story. I also posted another one-shot called "Foxes Can Be Donuts, Too!"
This chapter goes back and forth between Rang and Ga Eul's POV (with section breaks in between). It's long, so hopefully that makes up for me not updating since the end of May (!). There's a lot of dialogue, but I needed to set up some things going into the last half of the story. The next chapter I post will solely be a flashback, and then the chapter after that will move forward in time so that we can get to more fun stuff ;)
Korean terms:
Sabumnim : a guide or instructor for taekwondo
charyot : come to attention
*There are many more Korean terms used in taekwondo, and from my understanding, it's normal for schools outside of Korea to use the Korean terms for all the stances and movements...However, for clarity's sake, if I write any sparring scenes in the future, I'm going to use the English translations since it makes it easier for me to keep track of what's happening (and I assume it would make it easier for people to read). Sorry if that's cheating lol*
Of course, Rang hadn't really expected Ga Eul to eat hearts and livers. He'd been testing her as much as teasing her to see how she would respond.
He still wasn't quite sure what she'd meant when she'd said she liked him the way he was. It could mean she liked what she'd seen of him so far, which only scratched the surface, really, of what he was capable of. That was a start. A refreshing start. A wonderful start. That was more leeway than most—or any—humans would have given him. But he didn't know how far he could push her generous estimation of him, so he'd decided to slowly feel her out.
In the meantime, Rang was surprised, but pleased, that Ga Eul wanted to learn to defend herself, and not only because Rang had a genuine love for martial arts and would fight anyone at any time for any reason. He was glad she'd taken to heart his lesson about protecting herself.
Also, he could find plenty of excuses to touch her while they were training, and he could only imagine how she'd look once she got all sweaty and out-of-breath. And there his thoughts had to end before he got too excited.
"So," Ga Eul began enthusiastically, "what do we do first? When can I start kicking your butt?" Dressed in a loose set of workout clothes, she stood in the middle of his living room, which had been cleared of all furniture. Rang was used to fighting in close quarters, and there was nothing in his apartment that could seriously injure him, but he didn't want Ga Eul somehow hitting her head on the edge of the couch and ending up in the emergency room with a concussion. Or any number of things he imagined could happen to an inexperienced human practicing taekwondo forms.
Yes, as excited as he was, he was also a bit nervous. He'd never taught a human before. Yu Ri had been completely inexperienced when he'd gotten her, but at least she'd had the strength and bodily toughness of a fox. Comparatively, Ga Eul was starting from both skill level zero and stamina level zero. He would have to be careful.
"First, you learn your basic forms, and you practice them over and over." Rang smiled. "You won't be kicking anything but air for a good long while."
"Are you going to teach me what you learned as a kid?" Ga Eul asked, fixing her ponytail.
Rang shook his head.
"Not exactly. I thought it would be easier for you to learn something popular in modern times, so you're going to learn taekwondo. You can research it online like you do everything else."
"Ah, I see." Ga Eul nodded. "How many types of martial arts do you know?"
"Anything that has a name. Hand-to-hand combat is my specialty, but I also like to play with swords, knives, axes..." Rang pouted and kicked at the floor with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "No one plays with swords anymore," he lamented.
"Is that what you do all day while I'm at school? Practice your fighting techniques?" Ga Eul cocked her head curiously.
"I used to practice all the time. Now I practice when I feel like it. Enough questions. Class has begun."
"Yes, Lee Sabumnim." Ga Eul bowed respectfully.
Rang laughed.
"Sabumnim? I like it. You should call me that lots of times."
"Yes, Sabumnim," Ga Eul repeated, amusement in her eyes.
"Stand up straight, arms at your sides, palms open. Your heels should be together, but your feet should be spread at a forty-five degree angle." Ga Eul complied with Rang's request—or tried to—and he walked behind her and nudged her feet a little further apart with his own foot. He pulled her shoulders back. "Stand a little straighter," he murmured. "Now you are at what's called 'attention stance.' When I say 'charyot,' that's what you should do." Stepping away from her, he surveyed her position, gauging whether the stance was up to his standards.
When he was satisfied, he commanded her to spread her legs, using her left foot to move out and slightly forward.
"I didn't know we were having this type of lesson," Ga Eul mumbled jokingly, blushing, yet dutifully spread her legs.
Rang stared at her, unblinking, and answered coolly, "A little farther. Your legs should be shoulder width apart."
Ga Eul complied.
"Good. Stop. Now watch. At the same time that you step out, you're going to bring your hands to the front of your body like this." He demonstrated the motion, keeping his palms facing the floor as he brought his hands to his waist. "Then you'll bring them up like this." Rang slowly brought his hands up to his sternum, turning his open palms up as he did so; he closed his hands into fists, then turned them downward and brought them back down to his waist level. "It's an eight-count motion," he explained. He went back to attention, then demonstrated the movement again, counting aloud as he went. Ga Eul tried to copy him, though her timing was slightly off.
"This is called 'ready stance,'" he said.
"Ready stance," Ga Eul echoed.
"For ready stance, both your head and body should face forward. Now show me attention again. Charyot!"
Ga Eul snapped her heels together and moved her arms to her sides.
This time, Rang came around behind her and placed his hands on top of hers.
"Spread your legs again," he murmured.
Ga Eul did so.
"Now move your hands with mine. I'm going to count," he said, and he did, chanting the numbers in her ear as he brought his hands up with Ga Eul's, then curled her small fists into his larger ones and held them as she brought them back down.
"One...two...three...four...five...six...seven...eight."
He removed his hands once her fists were at rest, only to gently crook her arms at the appropriate angle. "You want your fists to be the length of one fist away from your body, and your arms should be slightly bent, like this," he murmured in her ear, then whispered, "Good fighting technique requires precision."
Ga Eul giggled, and he stood so close to her that he felt her body shudder.
"What's so funny?"
"Are you actually going to teach me, or are you going to flirt with me the whole time?"
"Both." He tapped her arm. "Now straighten up. There's no laughing in taekwondo."
"There's no flirting in taekwondo either."
"There's no talking back to the instructor." Rang rounded on her, and Ga Eul chose that moment to mimic him. Her mouth moved soundlessly with the words: 'There's no talking back to the instructor.' She bit her lip as he stared at her in shock, a laugh bursting at the seams of her mouth.
"Is that what you teach your students to do in your class?" he managed, their faces a hand's width from each other.
"No. That's what you do. All the time," she accused, then mimicked him again: 'Is that what you teach your students?' She giggled again, merriment forming crinkles around her eyes.
"Hey! You...stop that!" he blustered, trying to appear intimidating, but Ga Eul didn't stop. She broke her stance to cover her face with her hands, but when she'd recomposed herself, she fell back into the last position he'd shown her.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't resist giving you a taste of your own medicine," she informed him. "I'll be a good student now. Promise. Can I just ask one question? Permission to speak, Sabumnim?"
Rang squinted at her but allowed her question, mainly because she'd been cute while antagonizing him.
"Did you teach Yu Ri like this?" she ventured, and he could tell she was trying to make a joke of it but didn't quite succeed. He knew jealousy when he saw it, even the little bit that Ga Eul was capable of, and he liked the feeling that Ga Eul might fight someone over him though he didn't want her to worry. He only had eyes for her.
Still, he let the silence linger long enough to be uncomfortable. That was what she got for talking back to him.
"No," he answered as a shadow of disappointment crept into Ga Eul's face. He winked at her, attempting to make her smile. "That's what makes it fun," he half-whispered, as though he were letting her in on a secret.
"Oh," she said, with no elaboration, but he could tell his response pleased her.
"Now, charyot!" he instructed. "We're going to do that transition again. Watch me."
Ga Eul had enjoyed her first self-defense lesson with Rang, even though they hadn't done any actual fighting. It was nice to see him in his element, doing something he enjoyed and excelled at. He often complained about being bored, so Ga Eul hoped that teaching her would be fun for him. It was a harmless activity for him and another way for them to bond besides going on dates, which Ga Eul could sense were wearing on Rang.
Well, it had been his suggestion to go on endless dates for a month. If he was tired of human activities, he had himself to blame. At least, he had been enjoying their shapeshifting game—she hadn't figured out who he was this week, again. Maybe they could do more fox activities in the future. Ga Eul wasn't sure what 'fox activities' would entail, exactly, or if she'd be comfortable with them, but she wanted to try. It didn't seem fair for them to only do human activities, though she definitely drew the line at carving up someone's organs. She felt that was fair. Rang drew the line at lines themselves—long lines, that is. He hated waiting for anything longer than five minutes—and sometimes less than that.
They were slowly learning and adjusting to each others' quirks, especially since Ga Eul had been staying at his apartment almost every night during the past two weeks, and though the process was challenging at times, Ga Eul also found it fun. She was learning more about her soulmate. So far she'd learned that he was extremely ticklish in a certain spot behind his ears. He preferred his naengmyeon with mustard and extra eggs. He preferred sleeping without bedcovers. He took daily naps. He didn't like eating early in the morning—not that he liked being awake early in the morning to begin with. But, despite his general laziness, Rang kept his apartment much cleaner and tidier than Ga Eul did hers, though that may have had something to do with the maid that came twice a week while Ga Eul was out. Even so, she could tell he liked everything to appear immaculate—from his pressed suits that got delivered by a laundry service to the expensive dinnerware they used even if they were only eating cup ramen Ga Eul had mixed with leftovers.
Today being Saturday, they'd spent a lazy morning in bed; then, after their taekwondo lesson in the afternoon, they'd headed to Lee Yeon and Nam Ji Ah's house for an intimate dinner between the four of them. Ga Eul wasn't as nervous as she'd been going to the party the previous week, and she was eager to get to know Rang's brother and sister-in-law better. She could tell they were friendly people.
As if to prove her correct, when they first arrived at the house, Lee Yeon expressed a great interest in her class taking a field trip to the botanical garden he'd begun volunteering at, describing in impressive detail all of the different flowers, plants, and trees they had there.
"Oh, that would be great with spring coming!" Ga Eul replied as she took off her purple coat. The marks on her neck had cleared up, and she felt less self-conscious today in her light blue blouse and gray skirt. "I'd have to put in a request with my boss, but I always try to take my class somewhere like that when we do our lessons on plants." Ga Eul smiled. "Thank you, hyeongnim."
Lee Yeon beamed, seeming beyond pleased that she'd liked his idea.
"If you come with me, I can give you some materials to show your boss," Lee Yeon continued enthusiastically. He gestured for her to follow him down the hall, and Ga Eul glanced at Rang, who shrugged. He'd worn all black to dinner, except for the tiny white dots patterning his dress shirt.
"We'll meet you in the kitchen," Nam Ji Ah said. "I still have to set the table anyway."
"Ah, okay," Ga Eul replied. "I'll be right back," she said to Rang.
"Have fun talking about plants," Rang called after her.
Lee Yeon led her past the baby's room—Ha Eun was out with her grandparents—and into a small study. Packs of diapers and an assortment of other baby items, including a stroller, cluttered half of the room. The remaining space contained a wide white desk, on which sat a laptop and a bunch of recording equipment that she assumed was Nam Ji Ah's. Lee Yeon pulled some pamphlets out of the desk's middle drawer and handed them to Ga Eul. They spent a few more minutes talking about the garden; then a strange expression came over Lee Yeon's face, as though he wanted to say something else but was hesitant.
Soon enough, the truth came out.
"Miss Ga Eul, my brother said you have a charm," Lee Yeon began. "That's how you two found out that you are soulmates."
"Oh, yes, that's correct." Ga Eul nodded.
"Would it be possible for me to take a look at it? I'm curious about something."
Oh? What would he be curious about?
"Of course, but...I'm sorry. I don't have it anymore. I gave it to Lee Rang. I could ask—" She turned to go find Rang, but Lee Yeon cut her off.
"No, no, don't trouble yourself. It's fine. I can ask him myself later." Lee Yeon smiled.
"May I ask what you would be looking for? It's just a regular talisman. There's nothing special about its appearance."
Lee Yeon nodded. He glanced to the side, then back at her.
"But you must know it's a real talisman, not one of those replicas circulating around these days. Let's say I have a fascination with enchanted objects. I would like to determine its origin."
"Oh, I can tell you that," Ga Eul offered. "I got it from a fortune teller. Ki Yu Ri went with me."
Lee Yeon perked up, his eyes lighting with interest.
"A fortune teller? What did he look like?"
"Um, middle-aged, I guess, or slightly older. He wore dark circular sunglasses. He had a tent set up in the park near where Soo-oh goes to school. I would tell you to go there, but the only time I've ever seen his tent set up is when I got the charm, and I like to walk through the park to clear my head sometimes. It's kind of strange he just happened to be there on that day." Ga Eul smiled. "But lucky for me, I guess."
Lee Yeon mulled that over for a moment, then smiled and leaned in conspiratorially.
"But mostly lucky for my brother."
Ga Eul laughed.
Once Ga Eul and his brother had disappeared into the study, Rang accompanied Ji Ah to the kitchen, where he surveyed the food that had been prepared: soybean paste stew with pork and vegetables, steamed rice, and an assortment of tasty side dishes. He wasn't sure about leaving Ga Eul alone with his brother—who knew what he was saying about Rang?—but arranging a school field trip sounded as tiresome as the actual trip must be, and Ji Ah had insisted that Rang join her in the kitchen so he could help her with a surprise birthday project for Yeon. Apparently, Rang's brother was hitting a human milestone soon—age forty—according to his newly minted birthday. Ji Ah wanted to get Rang's opinion on the menu for the party and the birthday present she had in mind, and Ji Ah never wanted Rang's opinion on anything unless she wanted to argue with it.
"So why am I really here?" he asked while she wrote down Rang's contribution to the food list as they sat at the kitchen table. He guessed that she'd enlisted Yeon's help in removing Ga Eul so she could talk to Rang alone, and though he didn't care to help her complete her quest, he was curious.
"I wonder who she could be," Ji Ah stated without missing a beat. Her pen swept swiftly across the open page of her notebook.
"Who?"
"Your girlfriend. She's not an evil spirit like that juice lady, is she?"
"You think she's an evil spirit?" At that, Rang barked out a laugh. "Have you looked at her?"
"You tried to fool me by looking like a schoolgirl." Ji Ah looked up at him and capped her pen. Undeterred by her penetrating stare, Rang slouched down in his chair and crossed one leg over the other. For once, he had nothing to hide.
"Ga Eul's not an evil spirit. She doesn't have an evil cell in her body, so leave her alone."
"If that's so, then what is she doing with you?"
"She thinks I'm cute," Rang answered flippantly. "Like a cat."
"Ah, let me rephrase. What are you doing with her?"
"Are you accusing me of something?"
"I'm just trying to determine what you're getting out of this." Ji Ah squinted at him, setting her pen and notebook aside. "You're the type of fox who never does anything if he's not getting the better end of the deal."
"You're right. I am getting the better end, but I'm not telling you why, so you can keep worrying your head over it." Rang gave her a smug grin, and Ji Ah leaned back in her chair and said nothing for a long time. She gave him one of those searching looks he didn't like, that look she'd always given him before she said something that blew up everything he'd been working towards.
Sure enough, after a minute, she noted calmly, "You're more like your brother than I thought you were."
"What does that mean?" Rang injected no small degree of offense into the question.
"It means"—she gave him a triumphant grin—"you're in love with a human."
Love?
Rang scoffed and stammered out an expression of disbelief.
What was she doing now? Putting words in his mouth? He'd never said anything to anyone about being in love with Ga Eul.
He liked being her boyfriend. And her pet. He liked that he belonged to her, and he liked that she belonged to him. He liked that he could show off that she was his.
And, okay, he liked her...a lot.
He liked going on dates with her and sleeping next to her. He liked the way she fiddled with things when she was nervous. He liked the way she petted his hair and the way she said his name and how she raised her eyebrows when she thought he was being ridiculous. He liked how she smiled when he shifted into animals and how she frowned over her school papers. He liked it when she woke him up in the morning, how she shook him and shook him and said his name over and over, like that would make him want to get up.
All right, maybe it did make him want to get up, just a little, and maybe that was because he was in love with her, but that wasn't any of Ji Ah's business. It wasn't even Ga Eul's business, if it ever would be.
He wanted to see what would happen first. He wasn't taking things an hour at a time anymore, but he wasn't taking them a year at a time either. He wasn't going to plan a date six months from now. He was still going to be smart and not get his hopes up too much. He didn't feel panicked, but that didn't mean he felt completely safe.
And he despised the smirk Ji Ah wore, like she'd won a prize in a game she hadn't been playing. This was none of her business, but he didn't get a chance to say that before Yeon's and Ga Eul's voices drifted into the kitchen as they approached.
A moment later, they both poked their heads in, none the wiser.
"Dinner ready?" Yeon asked.
Indeed, Rang had never felt readier for dinner.
Unfortunately, once the food had been laid out, Rang was forced to sit opposite Ji Ah so that Ga Eul could sit across from his brother and the three of them could play twenty questions. That was something Ji Ah and Ga Eul had in common. They loved questions. And long, honest, wearisome explanations. And stories about the past. And Yeon wasn't much better, helping them along. Rang scarfed down his food with abandon when he realized the direction the evening was going in. He already felt exposed every time Ji Ah glanced at him, and he hated that he hadn't replied to her accusation with a short, witty retort.
Love? Hah!
If his quietness bothered Ga Eul, she didn't show it. Or perhaps she was simply too engrossed in the stories his brother was telling her. Stories about him.
It seemed that Yeon had decided to let slip every embarrassing incident of Rang's childhood while Ga Eul hung onto every word like Yeon was revealing the secrets of the universe to her. They were talking and laughing and making jokes at Rang's expense, and if anyone should be making jokes at anyone's expense, Rang should be making fun of his brother. Not the other way around.
"When Rang started living with me," Yeon was saying as dinner came to a close, "he didn't know how to distinguish a rabbit from a tiger. Every time he heard anything rustling in the grass, he thought a tiger was coming to get him."
"Really?" Ga Eul's eyes were bright with amusement, and Yeon's expression was equally jovial as he leaned in towards her.
"He used to come running to me, crying, 'Hyung! Hyung! The tiger's going to eat me!' He would have tears running down his face." Yeon laughed freely.
"Oh, honestly, why would I be crying?" Rang protested.
"I'd run to where he said the tiger was, and there'd be baby rabbits about this big." Yeon held up his hands to demonstrate.
Ga Eul giggled, holding her hand over her mouth.
"The tiger was gone by the time you got there," Rang insisted.
Yeon shot him an incredulous look.
"Why should you be scared of a tiger, anyway? Couldn't you run faster than one?" He turned back to Ga Eul. "I'm telling you, Miss Ga Eul, he used to cry about everything. Grandpa Mangtae almost took him so many times. I couldn't turn my back on him for even a minute." Yeon shook his head. "He was so stressful to take care of, like you wouldn't believe."
"Hyung." Rang ground his teeth.
"Ah, that's right. He's still stressful to take care of, isn't he?" he asked Ga Eul, who laughed more as she glanced up at Rang's scowling face.
"I don't know if I should answer that," she confided to Yeon.
"Don't answer it," Rang said. "Don't answer anything he says. He's just spinning stories."
Ignoring Rang, Yeon said to Ga Eul, "I hope I'm not boring you with all of this."
"Oh no, I love your stories. Your brother doesn't say much about himself." Ga Eul gave Rang a meaningful look, which Rang pointedly ignored. He picked at the last of his stew.
"Ah, really? Is that so?" Yeon asked. "Should I tell you another story then? Should I tell you Rang's childhood nickname?"
Rang shot his brother a warning look.
"Oooh, I'd like to hear that one," Ga Eul said, not helping.
"It's—"
"Hyung!" Rang protested.
"Bedwetter," Yeon casually informed Ga Eul.
"What?" Ga Eul laughed.
"Hyung." Rang growled the word.
"Hey, it's nothing to be embarrassed about," she said, patting Rang's arm. "Plenty of children wet the bed, and anyway, it was a long time ago. Six hundred years."
"You would wet the bed too if you were being chased by zombies in your sleep!" Rang snapped, realizing belatedly that he had never meant to share that information with Ga Eul.
"Zombies?" she wondered aloud. "Does such a thing really exist, that you knew about them way back then?" she asked anxiously.
"Of course, they exist. They lived in a section of the forest, and I happened to be caught by them once. Of course, after that, I had some nightmares. But that was six hundred years ago. I don't know why my brother's bringing it up now." Rang glared at Yeon. "You're next. I'm going to tell your wife every embarrassing thing you've ever done in your life."
"Oh, I'm sure that will be a very long list," Nam Ji Ah answered.
"What list?" Yeon asked, laughing as though he'd never done a single thing to embarrass himself.
Lies.
"All right, I'm sorry for bringing it up," Yeon continued. "I didn't realize you were so sensitive."
"Sensitive?" Rang scoffed. "Why you—"
"If it makes it fair," Ga Eul interrupted, "I'll tell you all my childhood nickname." She laid her hand on Rang's arm again. "It's also a little embarrassing."
At her touch, Rang calmed slightly, and he sunk back into his chair when he noticed he was already halfway out of it.
"I'm not embarrassed," he protested. "I just...You should tell us your nickname then."
"Okay." Ga Eul smiled. "I used to take fishing trips with my best friend and her family when I was growing up, and when I was really little I always felt sad for the worms that we hooked to use as bait. So one time I grabbed all the bait from the car when people weren't looking, and I emptied the worms out into the water. Of course, later I realized they probably got eaten anyway, but I was six, and I thought that was the best place to hide them. I got called 'little worm' for several years after that." Ga Eul laughed shyly, and Yeon laughed with her.
"'Little worm?' I'm going to call you that from now on," Rang informed her.
Ga Eul gave him a combative side-glance but explained, "It started out as 'savior of the worms,' and then it got worse."
"Oh, that's too cute," Ji Ah said. "You should tell us more about yourself."
"Ahhhh...What else can I tell you? I'm not really that interesting."
"Trust me, you might as well start talking," Yeon said. "If my wife wants to know something, she won't stop pestering you until she finds it out."
Ga Eul chuckled.
"Well, I'm a third grade teacher, like I told you. Before I started teaching, I worked at a porridge shop while I went to school...I can make intermediate-level pottery."
"Oh, you should show us some of the things you make," Ji Ah said. "Do you sell any of your pieces?"
"No, I just make pottery with my students for the most part. It's part of their art curriculum. School is my life for most of the year. It's challenging, but I enjoy it," Ga Eul finished with a smile, and Yeon and Ji Ah smiled back at her.
There was a pause in the conversation then, and Rang hoped that meant everyone had run out of questions, but of course Ji Ah had one more left.
"Ah, Rang told us you have a special power," she mentioned. "Would you mind if I ask what it is?"
Rang regretted not killing Ji Ah, once again.
"A...a what?" Ga Eul asked.
"Isn't that what you said? She can do something you can't do?" Yeon gave Rang a curious look, and Rang could tell he'd begun to think Rang had been lying about that little detail. If he had ever believed him at all.
Ga Eul turned to Rang with a perplexed expression. Ji Ah and Yeon stared at him expectantly.
Rang laughed.
"Ah, why should she tell you a thing like that? Let's talk about the forest instead."
Rang grabbed Ga Eul's hand under the table. With his fingertip, he traced 'tongue rolling' on her palm while his brother admonished him to let Ga Eul answer for herself.
"Oh, um…" Ga Eul glanced between Yeon and Rang. "Sorry, I didn't understand what you last said." She kicked Rang under the table. "Could you please repeat it?" Ga Eul shoved her hand into Rang's again, and he realized she meant for him to repeat the characters.
He did so, as his brother elaborated, "He said you have a power, something humans can't ordinarily do. But also something foxes can't do. You don't have to share if you don't want to."
"We're both just curious," Ji Ah chimed in.
"He made it sound very awesome," Yeon added.
Ga Eul glanced over at Rang once more, then refocused on his brother and Ji Ah.
"I'm sorry," she began hesitantly. "I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at." She offered them a nervous smile.
Rang internally groaned.
Oh, really, was it that hard to make out what he'd written?
Losing his patience, Rang leaned over and whispered in Ga Eul's ear, "Tongue rolling." He was grateful that his brother's newfound human limitations wouldn't allow him to hear.
Ga Eul jerked her head around, and her eyes met Rang's.
"Oh," she managed.
"Sorry, what was that?" Yeon asked.
Ga Eul maintained eye contact with Rang for a moment, then turned back to Yeon.
"Oh, now I know what you're talking about." She laughed, and Rang thought she was going to out his exaggeration and tell Yeon the truth—because, of course, Ga Eul was a good human, through and through, and she would consider lying to be morally wrong. But she didn't out him. Instead, she answered, "To be honest, I don't like showing people my power. Actually, I used to get in trouble for it when I was little. It's...sort of embarrassing because it's...a physical power, and it's...not really appropriate to do in public. I hope you understand."
"Ah," Yeon answered, nodding. "Not appropriate. I see."
Rang could tell that Yeon very much did not see, and his inner fox delighted in the fact that Yeon would probably be up all night scratching his head over what Ga Eul's power could be, that it was so inappropriate she couldn't show them.
"You see, it embarrasses her. That's why I didn't tell you what it was. Honestly, let's talk about something else." Rang said, playing the concerned boyfriend. Secretly, he was impressed with Ga Eul's loyalty and, also, dying with laughter inside. Of course, his brother would never suspect Ga Eul of deceiving him. She had such an innocent face.
That could be useful, Rang realized, smiling to himself.
"Oh, of course. My apologies," Yeon said, still looking bewildered.
"No, no, I'm sorry I can't satisfy your curiosity," Ga Eul replied earnestly. "If there's anything else you'd like to know about me, though, please ask." She smiled in that way she had that softened people towards her, and soon enough, she'd steered them towards another topic, her secret power forgotten.
After dinner, Rang and his brother went outside to have, according to Lee Yeon, 'some brotherly bonding time,' while Ga Eul and Ji Ah washed the dishes together.
"All right, I already know what Ji Ah wanted. Now what do you want?" Rang asked once they were standing in the garden together. It was obvious that the two of them had conspired to separate Rang and Ga Eul at every possible opportunity.
"I'm surprised you haven't asked for these since you went through so much trouble getting them." Yeon produced a pair of glasses from his pocket—the Tiger's Brow. He wagged them at Rang. "Don't you want to know who your soulmate is?"
Rang flinched from the glasses as though they might burn him; he hoped Yeon didn't notice. Of course, the thought that Ga Eul might be someone from his past had crossed his mind—fate always looped back in on itself that way—but no, he didn't want to know who she was. Not in the slightest. He knew how damaging looking into the past could be. Hadn't that been his intention when he'd given the glasses to Ji Ah?
He couldn't say that to his brother, however.
Wordlessly, Rang pocketed the glasses as he glanced back at the kitchen window. Thankfully, Ji Ah and Ga Eul looked too absorbed in their conversation to be paying the brothers any attention.
"Thanks for returning my property," Rang said, trying to appear nonchalant about the matter. "I've been meaning to get them, but I've been otherwise occupied." He smiled, hoping his brother would drop the subject.
"That's the human who had the charm, isn't it?" Yeon probed. "The one you wanted destroyed."
Rang shrugged.
"I changed my mind."
"Do you know who she got the charm from?"
"Ki Yu Ri gave it to her," he said, and Yeon's eyebrows rose. Suddenly, he looked insufferably amused, the way he did when he knew something Rang didn't.
"That's not exactly what your girlfriend told me."
"You asked her? Why?" Rang narrowed his eyes.
"Relax. I was just curious. Apparently, the two of them went to a fortune teller in the park near Soo-oh's school. And I have a suspicion. If it was that fortune teller, it means your fate has changed."
That fortune teller? The tenth god of the underworld? The one who'd sold him those damn glasses?
Well, that didn't bode well. The gods hated Rang.
"Changed from what?" Rang scoffed. Yeon looked excited by this development, and Rang didn't understand why.
"Half-foxes aren't born with soulmates," Yeon explained, in his all-knowing manner.
"And yet, clearly, I have one." Rang smirked.
"Will you listen for one moment? I used to be a god, so I know. Half-foxes aren't born with soulmates because they aren't supposed to exist to begin with. Yet, as you've pointed out, here you are. So my suspicion is, she wished for a soulmate, and you were available, and they gave her to you. This is the first time that charm has existed in this world. You didn't have a soulmate until last year."
Rang raised his eyebrows. He didn't think Yeon's theory held up. There was no reason for the gods to reward him with a soulmate after he'd spent all this time breaking their precious rules.
"All right, so suddenly I have a soulmate," he replied tiredly. "I'm already dating her. What's your point?"
"Are you sure you don't want to rethink your stance on being reincarnated?"
Ah. Of course, this was where Yeon had been heading all along.
"Not tonight."
"But—"
"Hyung."
"The underworld gods aren't usually so generous. They won't stay in a giving mood forever."
"You keep saying that. Do you think I care about anything the gods have to offer me? They never wanted me here. If they made a clerical error and put me with her, I'll gladly accept their mis-addressed gifts, but that's it."
"Why does it have to be a mistake? Maybe this is a test, to see what you do with a human soulmate."
"I'm not talking about it anymore."
Lee Yeon sighed.
"Fine. I have another idea. We'll have a sparring match. If I win, you'll at least think about being reincarnated."
Rang studied Yeon. He hadn't fought with his brother since the whole 'becoming human' thing. It could be interesting.
"A match? What happens if I win?" Rang asked.
"You'll get the pleasure of beating me at something for once in your life."
Rang laughed.
"You're on."
Ga Eul stood next to Nam Ji Ah in front of the kitchen sink, drying the dishes while Lee Yeon's wife washed them, then handed them to her. She'd enjoyed hearing all of Lee Yeon's stories over dinner, and she'd decided to start keeping a notebook of everything she learned about Rang since she doubted, having heard something once, that she would hear about it again. Rang was a mystery she'd have to unravel piece by piece. Speaking of mysteries…
"You had a show about supernatural beings, right? I mean, before you had Ha Eun," Ga Eul commented.
Nam Ji Ah nodded.
"I've always found the supernatural world fascinating, so I tried to learn all I could about it. I would go chasing down any phenomenon I thought might lead to a story."
"You must be really brave to do that. Whatever is out there, I think I'd rather it leave me alone. I don't think I could go chasing after it."
"But you're with Lee Rang. You must be a little brave."
"Oh, that...That's not because I'm brave. I just knew him for a long time before I discovered he was a fox."
"Ah, I see. You were close back then?"
"More like well-acquainted...But I had a bit of a crush on him, and apparently he had one on me too," Ga Eul admitted, smiling at the thought.
"Lee Rang is very handsome," Nam Ji Ah noted, handing Ga Eul another dish.
"Yes," Ga Eul said simply. Truthfully, Rang was one of the most handsome men Ga Eul had ever seen up close, and considering that she knew the F4, that was saying something. She sensed that Nam Ji Ah was feeling her out, though—maybe that was the documentarian in her—and Ga Eul didn't want her to think she was only dating Rang because of his appearance, so she tried not to look dreamy-eyed. Ga Eul could tell Lee Yeon's wife was a very curious person. She'd been studying Ga Eul all during dinner.
Sure enough, Nam Ji Ah continued, in the tone of a question, "He can be exciting too."
"He's a lot of fun," Ga Eul agreed carefully. "He makes me laugh."
"Is he your first boyfriend?"
"Kind of." Ga Eul toweled off a glass and set it aside. "I had a 'boyfriend'"—she made air quotes—"in middle school and one boyfriend in high school, but those didn't last very long."
"No one in college?"
"I was more focused on my studies. My mother was a teacher, so I always wanted to be a teacher too. I really like working with kids."
"Well, Lee Rang is the biggest child of all. But you already know that, right?"
Ga Eul laughed.
"Yes."
"I must admit, you're different from how I thought you would be." Nam Ji Ah handed Ga Eul a bowl.
"Oh?"
"I was imagining someone scarier."
"Well, you don't know me that well yet." Ga Eul twisted her towel inside the bowl. "I could be scary. Like someone you wouldn't suspect."
"I don't know. I'm pretty good at reading people, and I don't see it in you. But feel free to prove me wrong."
"I'll wear my power suit next time. And stilettos this tall." Ga Eul set the bowl aside and demonstrated with her fingers. "And I'll have knives in my hair, ready to attack at any moment."
"I want to see that. Lee Rang would probably like to see it too."
Ga Eul giggled.
"He's teaching me self-defense."
"Oh?"
"But we just started today," Ga Eul rushed out, "so I don't really know anything yet."
"Ah, I see."
"Can I ask you something?" Ga Eul ventured, seeing how well the conversation was going.
"Yes?"
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but your parents don't seem to like Lee Rang much. Why is that?"
Nam Ji Ah laughed.
"He trapped them in a Chinese lantern plant for twenty years."
Ga Eul's eyes widened in alarm.
"He trapped them inside a plant? How?! Why?!"
Nam Ji Ah only laughed again, and Ga Eul supposed it was a good sign that she could laugh about the situation.
"Lee Rang hasn't told you the story? About how we first met?"
Ga Eul frowned and shook her head; she felt kind of embarrassed, like Rang didn't trust her with information, though she knew it was more likely that he just didn't want to talk about the past. Or maybe, in this case, he didn't think she would like to hear that he'd kidnapped someone's parents and trapped them in a plant. She'd noticed he was highly selective about what he told her, based on how he thought she would react. On some level, she understood why he did that—they weren't exactly on the same side of the morality scale; at the same time, he didn't want her to leave him—but it was still frustrating when she felt like she only knew half the story.
"Like I said at dinner, he doesn't talk about his life much," she explained. "Don't worry. I know the basic stuff though. I know what type of person he is. I know...he did a lot of bad things to humans in the past."
They passed a moment in silence after that statement, scrubbing and toweling the dishes.
Finally, Nam Ji Ah replied, in a more sober tone, "It's not just stories. He really hurt people. Some of them he killed, and some of their lives he ruined in other ways. I'm not saying he has any ill intentions towards you, but he's not the type of fox you want to cross. Everything a nine-tailed fox should be from the legend, that's what he is. Cunning. Deceitful. Selfish. Dangerous." She said all of this in a warning tone, almost in a sisterly way, and Ga Eul appreciated her concern, but there was really no need.
Ga Eul knew all of this, of course, and still, she trusted him. Perhaps she was crazy, but she trusted him.
"You don't seem bothered by him though," Ga Eul observed.
"He doesn't bother me because he's never been able to outsmart me." Nam Ji Ah gave her a sly smile, and Ga Eul smiled back at the thought of her outsmarting Rang—and how frustrated that must have made him, poor baby fox. Then Nam Ji Ah's expression grew serious again.
"Just be careful," she cautioned. "It can be easy to think he's not dangerous because he's not showing his teeth." The older woman peered out the window, and Ga Eul followed her gaze to where Rang and Lee Yeon stood out in the garden, playfully arguing about something Ga Eul couldn't make out. Rang had his hands stuffed in his dress pants pockets and was giving his brother a one-eyed squint, his face contorted in obstinate glee. Lee Yeon talked for a bit, his posture and expression calm, until Rang interrupted him with what were, no doubt, a few biting remarks, followed by an arrogant smirk.
Watching Rang's familiar over-the-top gestures as he began arguing again, Ga Eul smiled without thinking. Her fox was always so dramatic.
"Can I tell you what I like about him?" she asked quietly, inclining her head towards Nam Ji Ah.
Her companion nodded eagerly, and Ga Eul took a newly rinsed plate from her and lowered her eyes to it as she spoke.
"He can be selfish, but he's not callous. From what I can tell, he feels everything very deeply, and if he truly cares for someone, he's very loyal to them. He made a lot of mistakes at the beginning with me, but he's tried very hard to make up for it, and I would rather have someone who tries that hard to be with me than someone who seems perfect." Ga Eul finished wiping the plate in her hands and set it on the stack of dried dishes. "Please don't judge him too harshly," she added. "I don't think he's had much practice living normally."
Nam Ji Ah seemed amused.
"You must like him an awful lot to defend him so much."
Ga Eul blushed and picked up a bowl. She began wiping it down.
"Uh, um, well…"
"Ji Ah?" Lee Yeon appeared behind them, coming through the door to the kitchen with Rang following soon after.
Oh god, had Rang heard what she'd said?
"Yes?" Nam Ji Ah turned around.
"My brother insists that you both join us outside so you can watch us spar."
"What?" Nam Ji Ah replied.
"Don't worry. I promise I'll go easy on him," Rang supplied.
Lee Yeon scoffed.
"I might be human, but don't forget that I taught you everything."
"You didn't teach me everything." Rang gave his brother an annoyed look. "How do you think I survived all those years without you?"
"The point is, I could beat you before with one hand tied behind my back, and human or not, I can certainly beat you now."
"We'll see."
"Wait, wait, wait," Nam Ji Ah protested. "You can't afford any more trips to the doctor. Do you know how many injuries you've gotten since becoming human?"
Rang raised his eyebrows interestedly.
"How many?" he asked.
"It's nothing." Lee Yeon waved both of them off.
"No, no, I want to know." Rang perked up, looked positively joyous at the thought of his brother injuring himself.
"You've broken your ankle. You've sprained your wrist. You've gotten a mild concussion." Nam Ji Ah counted the items on her fingers. "You've pulled your muscles several times trying to pick up things that are too heavy. Like the baby's crib. And you never move out of the way fast enough when things are rushing towards you because you think you still have time. One day, a car's going to fly around a corner and…" Nam Ji Ah gestured helplessly. "You're not a fox anymore! You can't just do anything you want!"
"Ah, and you always wanted to be human so badly. Guess you didn't read the fine print. Well...if you want to sit this one out," Rang commented, "I understand."
"You're not helping." Nam Ji Ah narrowed her eyes at Rang. "Admit it. You just want to show off for your girlfriend."
"Why not? Ga Eul likes it." Rang winked.
Everyone glanced at her, and Ga Eul laughed nervously. She neither confirmed nor denied the shameless statement.
In the end, the two brothers overruled Nam Ji Ah, and the four of them went outside where the match was held, with the two women sitting off to the side on patio chairs. Ga Eul was quite impressed at how well Lee Yeon out-maneuvered his younger brother, using Rang's superior strength and speed against him, and it gave her hope that one day she would, indeed, be able to kick Rang's gorgeously shaped butt. She did feel sorry for Rang, however, who had obviously been trying to show off for her, as Nam Ji Ah had suggested.
Rang fumed, then sulked. Then he claimed that he had been going easy on his brother due to his 'frail human condition.' Typical baby fox.
When they got into Rang's white Mercedes to go home, he was sulking again, his disheveled hair and clothes making him look all the more like an oversized toddler as he pouted.
"You never told me Kim Soo Oh is the reincarnation of your childhood puppy. I mean, I know you don't like talking about yourself, but how could you not even mention that?" Ga Eul teased, hoping to draw him out.
Rang said nothing. He was even driving slowly, his car crawling along below the speed limit.
"It's okay. You'll win next time. I enjoyed watching you fight anyway," Ga Eul tried. She smiled encouragingly and tried to pet him, but he batted her hand away. Not harshly, but in a don't-bother-me-while-I'm-throwing-a-fit way.
Ga Eul knew how closed-off Rang could be when he got in his sulking mood, but she also knew his mood would flip pretty easily if she found the right inducement, like how a toddler throwing a tantrum will suddenly forget what they are crying about if you offer them ice cream.
"Ji Ah didn't even let me break something. How is that fun? I wanted to break something," Rang complained. "At least a window."
Oh. That gave Ga Eul an idea.
"Want to go shopping?" she suggested.
"Shopping?" Rang looked at her like that was the most idiotic idea she'd ever expressed.
"For something to break," Ga Eul explained patiently. "I know where we can get lots of cheap dishes, and they should still be open if we hurry...Of course, there's nowhere to break them." She frowned, realizing the flaw in her idea. Rang had neighbors—neighbors who would surely be either pissed off or concerned if they heard a lot of glass shattering in the middle of the night. For that matter, the police might be called.
So she was shocked when Rang replied, "What about the living room? We haven't moved the couch back yet."
"Oh, but...wouldn't your neighbors complain about noise?"
"I'm sure I can persuade them to be okay with it," he said, flashing her a charming smile. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed. He sat up straight and confident, turning smoothly onto the next street and increasing his speed.
Persuade them? Ga Eul looked out the window. Did he mean bewitch them?
Well, he didn't say that. He didn't say, specifically, that he was going to bewitch them, but...she had to consider that as a possibility. He could mean he was going to pay them off, but the type of people who lived in Rang's apartment complex didn't need money. If anything, they'd raise hell about Rang's late night activities simply because of their entitled sensibilities. Ga Eul knew the types of cars they drove—F4-level cars. Whenever she got into the elevator, she always ran into a lady carrying a small dog in designer clothes or a man wearing a Rolex that would have paid for her university tuition. Nope, those types of people would be insulted if Rang bribed them. Maybe that was judgmental of her, but she'd simply been around too many people that had too much money to have sympathy for them anymore.
Nevertheless, Rang seemed unfazed by the possibility that he might offend someone. This led Ga Eul to believe that he most certainly was going to bewitch them. And why wouldn't he, she supposed? As long as he did his mind witchery, he could wiggle his way out of any consequences.
Oddly, instead of upsetting her, this thought made Ga Eul feel reassured. Because he hadn't taken the easy way out with her. He hadn't taken shortcuts. This made Ga Eul smile as she looked out the window at the lamplit shops.
She should probably care more that one or all of Rang's neighbors might have a gap in their memories tomorrow morning, but apparently she wasn't as good of a person as she thought she was. Or, perhaps, she was tired of being so good all the time, not stepping a toe out of line while other people stepped over her without regard, and she wanted to be a little selfish and have a little fun. Just a little bit. And maybe if she could be open-minded with Rang, he'd be more open with her. She still wasn't sure if she only theoretically wanted to date a bad guy, but she knew she wanted to date him; maybe she should find out what dating him actually meant, outside of her dragging him on human dates and him trailing after her like a lost puppy because he wanted to be in her company. She didn't know if she could stay with him for a long time, but she wanted to find out. She wasn't going to go fully dark and start eating people, but aiding and abetting the breaking of dinnerware seemed harmless enough. Having seen Rang in action for what was, really, the first time, she couldn't help but want more.
At the discount store Ga Eul suggested, they carried out bundles of plates and bowls packed into cardboard boxes, and the shop workers carried out even more vases and dishes and other ceramic objects. Ga Eul and Rang packed them up in Rang's car and headed to his apartment with much more speed than before. An electrified, restless energy radiated off of Rang; suddenly, he couldn't stay still. He picked up Ga Eul's hand and toyed with her fingers the rest of the way home.
"Okay, I have to ask," Rang said once they were in the elevator heading up to his apartment, their arms laden with boxes. "You really got in trouble for rolling your tongue? Or was that a story for my brother?"
Ga Eul giggled.
"No, it's true. I had a teacher I didn't like in first grade, and sometimes when her back was turned, I'd stick my tongue out at her. Only I rolled it because I thought it was cooler than sticking out my tongue normally."
"No way. I thought you were a model student."
Ga Eul shrugged.
"I was for the most part. But, you know, if someone really annoys me, I can let my emotions get the best of me."
"Wow. I must have really annoyed you in the beginning."
Ga Eul thought about it.
"You did."
Rang laughed.
"Can I ask you something too?"
He nodded.
"Did you shapeshift in front of Nam Ji Ah?"
"Why do you ask?"
"She mentioned that she outsmarted you. Is that it? Did she figure out who you were?"
Rang sighed.
"I did it twice, and she figured out it was me both times." He scoffed. "Ridiculous."
"Why were you shapeshifting in the first place?"
"It's a long story, but I was trying to kill her."
"Kill her?!" Ga Eul exclaimed. "Why?!"
"She took my brother from me," Rang said defensively.
"Oh...I see," Ga Eul said after a long pause. She sensed there was more to the story than that, possibly whatever had made him trap Nam Ji Ah's parents inside a plant, but as always, Rang rushed away from the subject.
"Anyway," he said, "in the end, I decided if anyone's smart enough to outsmart me, I suppose they're good enough for my brother." He paused a beat then added, with emphasis, "You're not to repeat that to Nam Ji Ah. Ever. Understand? You're loyal to me, not her."
"Of course, I'm loyal to you. You're my boyfriend."
Rang eyed her suspiciously.
"I won't repeat it. Ever. I promise," Ga Eul added gently, then continued, "You'll see. I'm the most loyal girlfriend in the world."
"Hmm, what if I killed someone? Right now?"
Ga Eul frowned over her boxes of plates.
"Well, I wouldn't appreciate it since you explicitly told me you wouldn't. And I won't help you hide the body...But I wouldn't turn you in to the police either." She rested her chin on the top box with that statement.
"The police?" Rang laughed. "You're cute."
Ga Eul stuck her tongue out at him, rolling it.
The elevator doors slid open, and they disembarked on Rang's floor, one of the top floors of the complex. Rang set his boxes down long enough to open his apartment door, then removed Ga Eul's boxes from her arms. He set everything inside the living room. Then the two of them made one more trip for the rest of the boxes.
Rang set everything up in the living room while Ga Eul changed into her pink plaid pajamas, and when she emerged from his bedroom, there were stacks of unwrapped ceramic and glass objects everywhere, similar to the piles of dishes she and Ji Ah had washed earlier.
"Watch this, watch this!" Rang urged, and Ga Eul sat against the wall at the opposite end of the room from Rang, arms around her knees, and watched as Rang threw plates and vases up in the air only to shatter them in the same breath with a well-timed kick or punch, one after the other, until ceramic and glass shards littered a large chunk of the wood floor in his living area. She couldn't believe the jagged edges didn't hurt Rang's feet when he stepped on them, but he insisted they didn't.
At one point, a neighbor knocked on the door complaining about noise, but Rang quickly sent them away—he told her he'd 'incentivized' them to go away—and resumed his show. About halfway through, she'd stopped worrying about the neighbors and started focusing on how attractive her boyfriend looked when he was smashing things mid-air, so powerful and graceful at once.
When he finished his demonstration, she clapped, and he beamed at her the way her students did when she complemented their artwork.
"Did you like it?" he asked, his chest heaving through the open collar of his black dress shirt. Sweat glistened on his neck, and with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, she could see the sinewy muscles of his forearms. As he panted in front of her, Ga Eul thought he'd never looked so hot and so childlike simultaneously. She said 'childlike' because there was a hopeful gleam in his eyes that was hungry for her approval; it reminded her of the look her students gave her when they'd completed a tricky assignment and wanted her to be impressed.
His eyes said, 'Look, I destroyed everything! Please say I did a good job!'
Not for the first time, Ga Eul wondered how often he'd been given genuine praise for something.
"I liked it very much," she answered, smiling as she stood. She petted his messy, sweaty hair and added, "My impressive fox," and he dipped his head down so she could reach him more easily.
Beyond Rang's imposing figure, Ga Eul surveyed all the glass and ceramic he'd broken. She hadn't known destruction could be an art form until she'd watched him deftly maneuver his body to hit each object at exactly the right angle. All of his movements were precise and perfectly timed, like a well-executed dance. She'd noticed that when he'd been sparring earlier too. There was a dark beauty to it, the way a lone flame is beautiful, even if it can start a fire, and fires could destroy, but fires could also bring warmth.
So when Ga Eul saw the jagged shards and then she saw Rang staring down at her, all she could think was that she hoped Rang would love her with as much passion as he put into smashing every single one of those tacky plates. Like a dance. Like fire.
Just be careful. It can be easy to think he's not dangerous because he's not showing his teeth, Ji Ah had warned her.
Little do you know, Ga Eul thought, I kind of want him to show me his teeth.
I'm just trying to determine what you're getting out of this, Ji Ah chanted in Rang's head.
"I liked it very much," Ga Eul repeated, raking her fingers through his hair, but what Rang heard were her words from two weeks before: I like you the way you are.
Rang smiled.
"I like your smile too," she said, smiling herself. "Especially the other one."
"Other one?" Rang asked, confused.
Ga Eul blushed and dropped her hand. She fiddled with the drawstring of her pajamas.
"When you're teasing people, like your brother, you get this smile on your face like…" Ga Eul tilted her head. "It's like…I don't know how to describe it exactly...threatening?"
"You like being threatened?"
"Um, well...I…" Ga Eul glanced down, twisting the drawstring.
She didn't deny it.
Interesting.
"Like this?" he asked, and Ga Eul raised her head.
Rang smiled again, but this time, he made the lines of his mouth harder, made the smile unnaturally bright. At the same time, he increased the intensity of his stare, as though he had Ga Eul cornered and he knew it—to be fair, he did have her sort-of trapped against a wall—and Ga Eul's cheeks colored as she slowly smiled back.
"Yes, that one's my favorite," she admitted quietly, and her expression was so innocent that Rang immediately laughed. Of course she did. His little human who liked being a little scared. Of course she preferred the hostile grin he gave his victims over his natural smile.
"You're such an odd human," he said fondly, mussing up her hair.
Such an odd human.
His human.
His human who liked his smile.
He didn't want to know who she had been in her past life. He didn't want to know what he might have done to her. He only wanted her to look at him like that, just like that, and keep on looking. He'd hidden the glasses Lee Yeon had given him in his nightstand drawer with her charm and her list of tasks, and he didn't intend to use the glasses ever. For all he knew, he owed her a debt from her previous life, and that was why the fortune teller had stuck them together when she'd wished for a soulmate. And whatever he'd done to owe her a debt couldn't be good.
Yes, that was the only possible explanation as to why she was in his apartment, beaming up at him as he carefully patted her hair back into place. That or some divine error. He couldn't fix the past, but he could do little things like this. He could do whatever she liked and hope it was enough.
