Chapter 5: Can I Stay by Your Side?
Author's Notes: I'm late again. Okay, you guys might be right about the future thing. I've had a hard time writing this chapter that I wanted to skip to the next one. I don't know about ordinary, I think complicated is a much better word to describe it. This chapter has turned out to be a huge headache. And it's pretty long too. But Thanks Hikari Urania for looking forward to it, your comments urges me on.
Anyway, I found out something amazing while I was doing research, so it seemed grass never grew on Choi Young's grave until 1979. I did some math, the movie date was 2012 and Eun Soo was 33 years old. That means she was born on 1979. Cool huh?
edits: Changed the capital name of Goryeo from Kaesong to Gaegyeong. It's still the same place but it seemed to have been called that during the Goryeo period. So I rewatched the series and realzed they really used that name. My mistake.
-same disclaimer as previous chapters-
...
As soon as she regained consciousness only one thought came into her mind. And as she opened her eyes she immediately sought his face. But he wasn't there.
Eun Soo sat up worried. Immediately a sharp pain began to register on her side. She winced but decided to ignore it. Her fever was gone and her breathing had returned to normal. The pain was something she could endure.
As she tried to get off the bed she noticed there was an ivy in her wrist and she was severely tempted to pull it off so she could leave. That amused her a bit. She'd always seen that in movies but in her many years as a doctor she had not met a patient who had done that yet. Not purposely at least. Her amusement turned into a smile as she imagined Choi Young in her position. Yes, he would definitely pull it off, no doubt about it.
A nurse came in while she was contemplating on whether pull the ivy off or not. "You're awake." The nurse said smiling. "How are you feeling?"
"The man who was with me, have you seen him?" Eun Soo asked instead of answering. Eun Soo knew Choi Young came with her to the hospital. She had regained consciousness multiple times on the way to the emergency room. He had been on the ambulance with her and had followed her up to the operating room doors.
The nurse had a blank look at first but then her face brightened seconds later as she realized who she meant. How could she forget. The nurse had been there when Eun Soo was brought to the hospital. All the nurses who saw him noticed him. He had on odd black robes which made him look like he just came out of a sageuk movie. But that wasn't what drew their attention. They worked at a huge hospital thus they had their share of weird patients. But this man was mind-blowingly handsome. For some reason the old fashioned robes looked so good on him it was hard to imagine him wearing anything else. And all the way to the operating room not once had he taken his eyes off the patient. He had not said anything but the way he held her hand and the concern in his expression, it was like his soul was linked to hers and that he would not be able to exist if she would not survive. At that moment they would have given anything to be on her shoes, even if it meant taking a bullet.
Then her expression clouded as she remembered what happened later. "The police took him." The nurse said with regret in her voice. "We had to report the gun shot wound and the police came later and arrested him. We thought for sure he was your husband so we were really surprised when the police said he was a suspect for attempted murder and kidnapping."
Whatever color had come back into Eun Soo's face began to drain away. "How long have I been asleep?" She asked as panic slowly crept in.
"Two days." The nurse replied then her eyes widened in shock as Eun Soo tore off the ivy from her wrist and got off the bed in a rush. She experienced a moment of dizziness and she had to hold on to the side of the bed until it faded but the moment it was gone she started looking for her clothes and shoes ignoring the growing pain on her waist.
"You should be resting." The nurse said in concern. "You just got out of surgery, you should not be moving around."
But Eun Soo wasn't listening. She grabbed the phone on the bedside table and dialed out to her office giving explicit instructions for funds to be wired into the hospital to take care of her bills. Then she faced the nurse. "Tell the doctor assigned to me that I will sign a waver of discharge against medical advice." Eun Soo instructed knowing that they would not allow her to leave otherwise, as she herself would not advice it. "And please get me my clothes." Then remembering what she had been wearing she changed her mind. "On second thought don't bother."
She called a boutique in Gangnam for clothes to be delivered to her room. They did not normally do delivery but the owner was her friend and client. Then she called her office again for payment to be wired to the boutique. It took about an hour for her to process everything, including her release papers. It felt like the longest hour in her life.
...
Inspector Park Shin Hwa was beginning to get really frustrated. The suspect had not said a word since they've arrested him and it didn't seem like he would budge. It didn't seem like he didn't understand either. He looked at them as if he was just being patient and was bidding for time. He knew they could not hold him forever.
It also didn't seem like he was crazy as they had first thought when watching the videos of the crime scene. His partner had suggested that maybe he might be mute but seeing the intelligent look on the suspect's eyes Shin Hwa was more inclined to believe he was merely being smart by maintaining his silence.
The problem was that they could not identify him. He didn't have any IDs and his finger prints and profile didn't match anyone on their database. He did look exactly like the person who had committed the crime, that they had been really confident when they made the arrest. However there was one problem. This person sported a stubble of a beard that the person who committed the crime in the videos did not. And they had arrested him that way two days ago just a few hours after the kidnapping. It was impossible to grow a beard like that in a matter of hours. His partner had actually checked to see if the beard was fake in which that was the only time they saw a real expression on the suspect's face. For a moment he thought he saw murder in his eyes but then the expression was gone in an instant that it was easier to believe he was just seeing things.
"You're really not going to tell us who you are?" His partner Kim Je Woo was asking the suspect. They were back in the interrogating room with the suspect sitting with hand cuffs on the other side of the table and both the detectives on the other. The impassive expression on the suspect's face had not changed. "You are just making things harder on yourself." he continued. "We don't really want to keep you here if you are innocent. If you were not the one who committed the crime two days ago, just say so. Give us your identity and tell us where we can contact you and we will let you go, easy right?" He looked to be genuinely concerned about the suspect's welfare.
Unlike Shin Hwa, Je Woo was kind of a softie. He was always calm and understanding and he wanted to believe the best out of people. He also enjoyed his work and never complained about anything. He was a rarity in the police department and the only reason he had his position was because for some reason his approach had garnered him a lot of confessions from criminals that it was kind of spooky. Those who had tried to imitate his way of investigating never got the same results.
It didn't seem to work on this particular suspect though. Nothing was working on him. This placed Shin Hwa in a dilemma. In one hand, he was free to hold the suspect until they found out his identity, in another, it seemed that it would just be a waste of time as he haven't shown any signs of wearing out in the last two days. There was a possibility that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and they were just pursuing a dead end.
Outside the investigation room, Jung Joon Kyo, who was Shin Hwa's subordinate experienced another kind of dilemma while talking to the lady who was insisting on seeing the inspector in charge of the kidnapping incident two days ago. On further inspection she seemed to be telling the truth. She looked exactly like the woman who was kidnapped just as he had seen on the television news. She had even showed him her IDs that proved her name was Yoo Eun Soo, the same name that was broadcasted as the plastic surgeon who was the victim that night. However, Shin Hwa had given him explicit instructions never to bother him when he was interrogating a suspect.
"Please, I have urgent information regarding the incident." The lady was saying. "I'm sure he will want to see me."
Joon Kyo looked uncomfortable as he tried to make a decision. "I can just take your statement right now and pass it on to him when he is available."
"You think I can just tell anyone?" The woman's voice was now getting hysterical. "Do you want your case solved or not?
Joon Kyo glanced at the investigation room which was a mistake. The moment Eun Soo got a hint on where the inspector was, she immediately ran past Joon Kyo into the investigation room he was eyeing. She passed by the window and saw Choi Young on the other side which spurred her to open the door in haste. When she found the door locked, she banged on it a couple of times that Shin Hwa stood to open the door to see what was going on.
Joon Kyo who had followed Eun Soo in haste grimaced apologetically at Shin Hwa as the door opened. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop her..."
Seeing Eun Soo at the door Choi Young immediately stood to go to her. Je Woo tried to stop him but was pushed aside easily by Choi Young who he noticed in surprise no longer had cuffs. He fell into a chair which capsized into the floor.
Shin Hwa immediately blocked Choi Young's path, shielding Eun Soo with the intention of protecting her from him. But Eun Soo pushed him aside and Choi Young stepped closer to her, holding both her shoulders with his hands. "Imja, are you okay?" He was clearly concerned.
Eun Soo nodded, happy to see him. She inspected him to see if he was hurt anywhere then seeing he was fine asked. "You didn't get into any fights, right?"
It was Choi Young's turn to nod and Eun Soo let out a huge breath of relief. At first she was worried that he had resisted arrest and had gotten shot by the process. But then knowing his resiliency, she began to worry that he had harmed someone, because then it would be hard to fight for his release if he had. She faced the inspector who she had pushed aside. "You have the wrong person. This person saved me. He is the one who rescued me and brought me to the hospital."
Shin Hwa looked at her curiously. "And you are?"
"Yoo Eun Soo." She said, now fully facing him, making Choi Young drop his hands. "I was the person kidnapped and reported shot."
Shin Hwa looked at Joon Kyo for confirmation and Joon Kyo nodded. "She showed me her IDs."
"I might not be well versed with police laws but I don't think its legal for you to be holding an innocent man like this." Eun Soo said indignantly. "Do you even have any grounds to charge him with?"
"We got a warrant of detention." This came from Je Woo who had now stood up and was fixing his suit calmly. "The suspect has no identification and is refusing to give us any. We have advised him of his rights and he has not asked to seek counsel. In lieu with the possibility that he can just disappear without a trace, we can detain him as long as we want. We are not just talking about a kidnapping here Ms. Yoo. This case also includes attempted murder."
"And I'm telling you, he is not the same person." Eun Soo interjected. "I wouldn't be sticking up for a person who kidnapped me now would I? And if it's contacting him that's the problem then I can take responsibility for him. I will give you my apartment address and phone number. You already have my work phone and address I believe."
"He is staying with you?" Shin Hwa looked at her in surprise.
Eun Soo sighed. "Yes, and there is no point in asking him questions anyway, he has amnesia." Eun Soo replied thinking quickly. "The kidnapper had taken him first before me, that psycho has this obsession with the Goryeo period and dresses his victims in that time period's clothing. I think he's mentally ill."
"We received a report that you actually came back minutes after the kidnapping dressed in weird clothes but that you left in a hurry after taking medical supplies." Je Woo said curiously.
"Right. That crazy person said he would harm him if I didn't do what he said." Eun Soo responded quickly. "Look, I'm really tired. I just got out of the hospital. Can we have this conversation at a later time?" Then she gave him a slip of paper with her address and phone number. "Here, you can reach me there or at my office at any time."
"Wait." Shin Hwa took the paper. "You said he has amnesia. So you don't really know him as well right? Are you sure it's safe to harbor a stranger?" He looked at Choi Young suspiciously as he said this. "Do you even know his name?"
All this time Eun Soo was speaking with the inspectors, Choi Young was merely watching her. She was making excuses for his presence and although he was loathe to make her do all the work he didn't want to say anything that could ruin her plans. She always had plans.
"His name is Choi Young." Eun Soo's response was immediate. Both inspectors looked at her with amusement. Joon Kyo's eyes widened in surprise.
"You are joking right?" Shin Hwa scoffed. "Choi Young, like the legendary general Choi Young?"
"Treat gold like stone." Joon Kyo quipped in a singsong voice.
Finally Choi Young took his eyes off Eun Soo as he looked at the inspectors with curiosity and some amazement. It was now Eun Soo's turn to watch him, and as he looked back at her, her eyes sparkled with amusement as if saying. I told you you were famous in heaven.
She kept her eyes on Choi Young as she explained. "It's a name the psycho kidnapper gave him. He has amnesia and I don't know where that psychopath hid his belongings." Then she faced Shin Hwa again. "But if ever his memory should return, I will make sure to notify you."
There was nothing else they could do. Shin Hwa gave Eun Soo his card. "If anything suspicious comes up at all, don't hesitate to call." He said, his eyes on Choi Young.
Eun Soo took the card and nodded. With that she took Choi Young's wrist and proceeded to leave. "And don't leave the country." He added before they left.
Je Woo picked up the cuffs on the table and inspected the burnt key holes. As Shin Hwa turned towards him, he quickly hid the cuffs on his pocket. "I guess we are back to square one."
...
Eun Soo unlocked the door to her apartment which was located on the 6th floor and went inside followed by Choi Young who looked around the place curiously. After placing her bag on the living room table Eun Soo headed towards the fridge and took a bottle of soju, opened it and drank from the bottle. She immediately felt better. She took another bottle and offered it to Choi Young who remained standing in the living room. He shook his head as he looked at the bottle knowing instantly that it was alcohol. He'd never met a woman who liked to drink as much as she did but he didn't stop her. She must have gone through a lot after not finding him with her when she woke up.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Those people had taken him after the doctor had assured him Eun Soo was safe which was the only reason Choi Young managed to follow her instructions and not kill them when they tried to take him away from her. But still, her condition had been really bad two days ago and now she was walking around as if nothing happened.
Eun Soo placed the bottle down on the kitchen counter and walked to Choi Young with a smile of assurance. "I feel perfectly fine. The wound hurts sometimes but nothing a few aspirins couldn't suppress. Staying in your world must have made me more resilient." Then she couldn't help chuckling as she looked at him standing there in his black robes. He looked so out of place in her little modern apartment. "I don't know when the gate will open again, but I think we need to get you some appropriate clothes."
That's when Choi Young noticed she had on clothing that was similar to what she had been wearing when he first saw her, except that the lower garments fit snugly into her legs unlike the last time. And her top was a shade of dark and light yellows and had a really huge neckline which had slipped into one side baring her left shoulder. He immediately looked away in the pretense of checking her furniture. He had held those shoulders just a few hours ago, but at that time he had been too concerned about her to notice that they were almost bare.
Seeing him look away, Eun Soo fixed the neckline of her shirt to cover as much as she can. She'd never met a man like him. He was bossy and had a huge temper and yet at times he was also so sweet and eager to please. He was also a man of his word, someone who would rather die than break his promise. She had been really scared when he hadn't been there when she woke up. She never wanted to loose sight of him again. She remembered the fortune teller from before saying that not everyone was fortunate enough to meet their heaven sent man and that she would find hers from the past. She had never expected it to be so literal. But since she'd managed to find him she decided to never let him go.
With that thought, Eun Soo took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting the left side of her head on his chest. As she was wearing indoor slippers her head barely reached his shoulders.
Choi Young looked down at her in surprise. Then as he wrapped his arms slowly around her careful of her wound, she closed her eyes and snuggled closer.
The comfort she felt being in his arms was something that would have alarmed her in the past. She had never really allowed herself to care this deeply about someone and it had nothing to do with a wound from her past or anything dramatic like that. It was just the way she was. If she would use what she'd learned in psychology to diagnose herself, she would say she was scared of falling in love. But it was too late to back away anymore. This person had taken a hold of her heart and she would probably not survive loosing him.
"I'd like to show you my world. Do you want to go somewhere while waiting for the door to open?" Eun Soo asked, listening to the steady beat of his heart. "I believe the door is an anomaly resulting from a sunspot, thus if it happens again we will surely hear it on the news.
When he didn't answer, she raised her head up without removing herself from his embrace. He was looking down at her with concern. "Are you sure you are well enough to be going around, don't you need more rest?"
Eun Soo grinned at that. "You are such a worry wart. If I ever feel tired, you could always carry me." The truth was that Eun Soo was actually trying to find ways to preoccupy him, afraid that he would be constantly thinking about the palace he had left behind. Choi Young had a strong sense of duty and thus he would be devastated if anything happened to the King while he was away. She wasn't sure when the door would open and she didn't really know what would be the effects of their prolonged stay in her world so she couldn't reassure him about those things. However, she did decide to purchase a history book just to keep track if anything had changed.
Choi Young surprised her by agreeing. "If you promise not to do anything strenuous, I'll go anywhere you want."
Eun Soo pulled back a little to stare at him. "Really?" She had expected to cajole and push just to get him to agree as he'd never really expressed any interest in her world. When he nodded Eun Soo smiled brightly, her eyes shining with excitement. "I actually get to date my boyfriend." She teased.
Choi Young looked at her curiously. "What does that word mean?"
"Boyfriend?" Eun Soo looked upwards to think on how to describe it to him. "Uhm... I guess it's quite similar to partner, except that partners don't do this." She stood up on her toes and gave him a light smack on the lips. Then she walked away to the kitchen with Choi Young looking after her in surprise.
She took the soju bottle she had placed on the counter and drank from it. "I've always wanted to go on a date to an amusement park but I've been too busy and the people I've dated weren't really the type to go there." She took another swig from the bottle. "You don't look like the type either, but I am finally on a leave of absence because of my wound, and you've never been to my world before, well except for when you kidnapped me, anyway I would like to take you somewhere fun..."
Her voice trailed off as she realized Choi Young had moved to stand behind her. He took the bottle off her hands and placed it back on the counter. Then he fixed the shirt which had dropped off her left shoulder again and laid a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. She didn't feel hot which assured him a little. "Let's do all that tomorrow. First you need to get some rest."
Eun Soo leaned back on his chest and nodded. Surrendering her heart to someone didn't seem to be so bad at all.
...
Eun Soo took back her statement from before. This person would definitely not end up being alone in her world. She thought wryly. She woke up the next morning to find he had shaved which made her a bit apprehensive as it was the only thing that could prove he was a different person from the one who kidnapped her. "We will be gone before they come." was his only answer. She didn't have the heart to contradict him.
Then they went to get him some clothes. She didn't have any male clothing in her apartment, as her apartment was fairly new and she had been living alone since she got it. So they went to her friend's boutique, and not really one for male fashion Eun Soo left the decision to her friend. And just like that he came out looking like a male model from a magazine.
"What?" He asked as he looked at the thoughtful expression on her face.
Eun Soo crossed her arms on her chest as she continued to study him. He was not really wearing anything special, just simple black jeans and a checkered button up shirt in shades of gray. It wasn't the clothes that made him stand out. Wearing everyday modern clothes made his personality meld into the background and for the first time Eun Soo was actually able to focus on his appearance. He was heart-stoppingly handsome that he would probably make a sack look like model material.
Eun Soo merely shook her head in response to his question. She was wearing a short sleeved pearl top with dark blue pedal jeans that went down to her knees. And she had on a pair of black high heeled sandals. She had purposely worn something that showed off her legs as to prepare him of what he would be seeing outside. But he didn't say anything as to her clothes. He didn't complain about the clothes he was wearing either, although she knew he must feel uncomfortable with them as he wasn't used to such clothing. He was adapting better than she thought he would.
Then she went and hailed a cab. The taxi was also one thing he had adapted to pretty well. On the way to her apartment she had been afraid he wouldn't get into one, but although he looked uncomfortable with it, he went inside after her without saying a word.
The amount of people in the park took him a bit of getting used to. He looked tense as if he had to protect her from the throngs of people. Eun Soo pulled at the hand holding hers to get his attention. "No one is trying to harm me here. I'm no one special, I'm just like any one of them."
Choi Young looked at her as if he couldn't believe it. Didn't a carriage filled with doctors come rushing to her after she had notified them of her situation. And the guards, they actually sent an army of them to save her when he'd taken her. And those people who took him, weren't they also trying to protect her as well. If she had that many people trying to protect her in this world then how was she not special?
"Look, you trust me right?" Eun Soo insisted. "Everyone here, they are just trying to have fun. And so are we. So stop worrying too much, okay?" She smiled so prettily at him that he had to smile back. She wouldn't really put herself at risk so if they had to be careful she would not have said otherwise.
Trying to free himself of his worries, he looked around and studied the huge different structures that the place was full of. They all seem to be some sort of vehicle that went nowhere and was there for people to ride for amusement. There didn't seem to be anyone driving the things and he wondered what power the people in heaven used to make them move. Whatever it was, it looked like people in this world had a lot of ingenuity. They also seem to have a lot of time to waste.
He promptly changed his mind about the ingenuity of heaven after managing to get into three rides. These people were crazy. And Eun Soo had berated him for not valuing his life. At least he was fulfilling his duties when he risked his life to fight Gi Chul, and he was also protecting her. But the people in heaven appeared to like risking their lives for no apparent reason. And they actually labelled it as fun after screaming in fear the entire time.
But Eun Soo seemed to be enjoying herself, and she was now smiling happily as she sipped on some beverage she had bought. He hadn't touched the one he was holding although he had accepted it when she gave it to him. The food in heaven had a lot of flavors that he wasn't used to.
He liked seeing her this carefree. Although she still smiled a lot back in his world he'd never seen her this happy. Her stride had an almost skip to it and she swung the hand she was holding as if her entire body was just so full of life to keep still. His heart lifted just by looking at her. He'd endure a thousand more of those rides if it made her this happy.
Then she suddenly stopped.
"Eun Soo-yah?" A man with a girl clinging on his arm stopped walking as he saw her.
"Seonbae?" Eun Soo said in surprise. It had been years since she'd seen him. Jung Min had been her boyfriend for 3 years and 4 months but they had broken up because he had wanted to date some woman whose parents were so rich they planned to build a hospital just for him. She wondered if he ever got that hospital built or if the woman in his arms was still that same person. She glanced at the woman holding his arm and saw that she was very pretty in designer jeans and a red blouse. He had told her the woman he was leaving her for was really ugly so this was probably a different person.
"How have you been doing?" Jung Min asked. "I heard you quit the hospital and became a plastic surgeon."
Eun Soo nodded with a smile. "I haven't heard from you for a long time. I didn't expect to meet you here of all places."
"Yeah, I moved to a different city." Then he realized they both have someone with them. "This is my fiance Seon Hye. She's the one that brought me here." The woman smiled at her and Eun Soo nodded in her direction and gave her a smile back. "Eun Soo was a co-worker of mine at the old hospital I worked for." he told his fiance.
"This is Choi Young." Eun Soo introduced. Then she gestured at Jung Min "My Seonbae Jung Min."
"Choi Young?" It was Seon Hye who spoke in surprise. "Like the general Choi Young, hero of Goryeo?"
Choi Young gave them both a courteous bow with just his head. "Yes, the exact same name." Eun Soo replied with amusement.
"Wow, your parents must be quite the history buffs to name you after the great general." The woman sounded excited about it though. "I love history myself, but I've never really thought of naming my kids after historical icons." Then she blushed a bit as she glanced at Jung Min. "I doubt he would agree to that anyway."
"That would be silly." Jung Min replied, his eyes on Eun Soo. "No offense intended." He added addressing Choi Young.
"I guess we should get going." Said Eun Soo. "We were just on our way to get dinner, and it's getting late."
Jung Min laughed at that. "And you should never be late for food." Then he smiled. "We were also on our way to have dinner, why don't you both join us?"
When Eun Soo hesitated Jung Min pushed. "Come on, we haven't seen each other for years. I'm offering dinner at a five star restaurant. The Yoo Eun Soo that I know would never say no to that. "
Eun Soo looked up at Choi Young and he looked down at her with a smile. "I'm okay if imja wants to go."
"Then it's settled then." Jung Min acted as if Eun Soo had already agreed. "My car is over there." he nodded to the direction of a private car park. "I'll drive us."
He moved through the crowd of people expecting them to follow. Eun Soo laced her hands with Choi Young's and followed.
...
She was laughing at Jung Min's joke about a policy in the hospital he worked at. Seon Hye, who Choi Young understood was the woman Jung Min was to marry laughed as well when Eun Soo added her own quips to the joke. Eun Soo was really good with people. She made people feel comfortable with her. Even in his world, she befriended everyone effortlessly. At the moment she was eating the food on her plate as if she was enjoying every morsel of it. She looked really happy.
Suddenly doubts clouded Choi Young's mind. It seemed like in this world she was completely safe. She had people who protected her. People who wanted her company. And all these buildings that were built where she could have fun and enjoy good food. Was it really fair for him to take her away from all of these.
Eun Soo was a bit concerned. All the way back to the apartment Choi Young seemed to be deep in thought and when she asked if there was anything wrong he simply smiled at her. After changing into more comfortable clothes Eun Soo found him standing in the balcony. He was leaning on the railing while watching the city. She moved to stand beside him. "Going to the gate would be this way." She said pointing to the direction of her office which was miles away.
Choi Young looked at where she was pointing then moved his gaze to look at her. Eun Soo gave him a smile. "Do you want to go check on whether the gate has opened?"
He looked away and watched the lights on the billboard of one of the buildings straight ahead. "You said that if it happens you will know, so there should be no need."
Eun Soo took hold of the railing with both hands and with both her feet on the balcony incline she stretched her arms bowing her head downwards, . Then she glanced up at him again. He was looking at her curiously. She chuckled at the expression on his face.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself." Choi Young observed.
Eun Soo beamed a smile as she leaned on the railing the same way he did. "I am happy." She sounded content. He gave her a small smile then went back to gazing at the city.
Was it just her or did his smile look a bit sad. Eun Soo studied him as he watched the tall buildings. He didn't seem to see them as he appeared to be really lost in thought. At first she thought he might be worrying about the palace, but now she believed it was something else.
Choi Young felt guilty. It had been wrong of him to have taken her out of this place. And then he had promised to return her to her world, but he had selfishly broken it by asking her to stay. He thought of going back without her. He felt like someone was squeezing his heart until it was too painful to breathe. She wouldn't agree to it anyway. She had risked her life to stay with him and had ventured into a different world just to find him again. He thought about staying with her in her world instead. She would not agree to that either. And he had also left behind a kingdom at war and a King who expected him to come back. The King had trusted him to let him go and return, how can he even think of letting down such faith.
Eun Soo gazed at the same direction he was looking at, trying to guess at his thoughts. "Do you know why I'm happy?" She asked softly.
"Your world seem to have a lot to offer." He said instead of answering, not looking at her. "Even at night, the lights are so bright you never need to light a candle. And they prepare good food and lots of entertainment. You also don't have to worry about being sick because you have plenty of capable doctors. And you never have to walk to where you need to go."
Eun Soo kept her gaze on his face as he was speaking. When he stopped she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I am just happy I got to spend the whole day with you. You are always so busy it is hard to even see you. But I don't really want to take you away from doing what you believe in. As you can see, the people here adore you, and so do I. I like you the way you are. It's just that, I am happy we get to have this moment at least. I don't really care where we are, as long as I can stay by your side."
Choi Young looked at the woman whose head was resting on his shoulders. He had taken her to his world against her will. She had been in many difficult and dangerous situations since then. And just a few days ago, she almost died because of him. Yet she didn't seem to regret anything and neither did she harbor any doubts about going back to a world that would place her in danger again. Just because she wanted to be with him.
He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him but there were no words. He was never really good with words. Just then she raised her head to look at him, her lips parted as if she was about to say something but stopped when she found him staring intensely right back at her. The movement changed his focus to her lips. He still remembered the feel of those lips on his. Before he knew it, he was lowering his head to claim those lips.
Eun Soo's heart skipped a beat, then it raced in anticipation of his kiss. But just then her phone rang which startled the both of them.
Eun Soo looked towards the living room where she had left her phone inside her bag. Who would be calling her at this time of night? She had bought the phone before going to pick Choi Young up at the police department knowing they would be asking for her contact number. She raised her index finger and gave Choi Young an apologetic look. "Give me a minute."
It was the director at the clinic she was working at. Something urgent had come up and she was needed at the office but he refused to tell her what it was saying he needed to tell her in person. She contemplated about resigning then and there. Since she had no plans of staying in this time period there was really no point in keeping her job. But then courtesy forced her to agree to the meeting. She should at least resign in person and not over the phone.
Choi Young had followed her inside and as soon as the call ended she took a hold of his wrist and dragged him to sit at the couch. Then she turned the television on. He looked surprised as the screen came to life, but he was more interested in what was going on with her than the magical box she had just activated.
"I need to go meet my boss, he said it's urgent." Eun Soo said with a sigh. "That," she said pointing at the television. "is what you call a movie. They are just moving pictures and the people there are not real." She said not really wanting to explain about actors and such. "People in my world make it to tell a story."
Then she went to her room and hurriedly changed. When she picked up her bag Choi Young took his eyes from the screen to look at her. "I'll be back fast." She told him.
Choi Young stood up. "You are going out alone? I'll go with you." He moved towards her intending to do just that.
Eun Soo shook her head. "I don't know what he has to say but I doubt you would be allowed to sit in. And I don't want to have to leave you there alone. So just stay here and don't worry about me. I have lived here by myself for many years, I'll be fine."
Choi Young could not argue with her. He didn't really know much about her world and he didn't want to give her unnecessary difficulties. Still he couldn't help worrying.
"Hey," She said smacking his left shoulder. Choi Young narrowed his eyes at her and Eun Soo laughed. "Enjoy the movie, I'll be back before you know it." And then she was gone.
Choi Young sat back on the couch and looked at the television screen. The man in the movie was in one of those things Eun Soo called "cars" and was following a girl who seemed to be intent on just walking. She got mad at him asking why he was following her which he denied although it was too obvious that he was. Choi Young wondered how the people in this world could be interested in such stories. He leaned back, his head resting on the couch backrest and closed his eyes. He was asleep in mere seconds.
He was awakened by a loud banging on the door. He got up and turned the knob to open it just as Eun Soo had taught him before. It was the same man they met and had dinner with, he remembered him being called Jung Min.
"We need to get to Eun Soo fast. I think she's in trouble." Jung Min seemed to be out of breath as if he had been running up the stairs.
Choi Young was immediately on alert. He got out and followed Jung Min who was leading the way in haste. "What happened?" Choi Young asked as they walked in a fast pace.
"I'm not sure." Jung Min seemed really troubled. "But she called me and told me something bad has happened and that I should get you."
They were now in front of Jung Min's car. He unlocked the driver's seat, got in and opened the front seat door for Choi Young. Choi Young immediately got in and Jung Min started the engine driving fast. Choi Young frowned worriedly. What could have happened that she would call for him. Was he wrong about thinking that she was safe in this world?
Suddenly the car stopped and Choi Young immediately reached for the car door thinking they had arrived. But the door wouldn't open. That was when he felt a prick on his neck. He turned towards Jung Min and saw that he was holding something that looked like the weapon that almost killed Eun Soo. There was fear in Jung Min's eyes and the hand holding the weapon trembled. In anger Choi Young reached for him but his vision clouded. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened it again to try to clear it but the wooziness didn't subside and then there was total darkness.
"I'm sorry." Jung Min said in a trembling voice as he watched the man Eun Soo was dating slump into the car seat fast asleep. "I had no choice." He dropped the tranquilizer gun and reached for the phone in his pocket. He quickly dialed a number. "It's done." He reported in a voice laced with fear. "I... I have him."
...
Eun Soo climbed the stairs to her apartment slowly while deep in thought. The apartment building had an elevator which Eun Soo never used as the unit she owned was only on the 6th floor and it was usually faster to just use the stairs than wait for the elevator to come down. But mostly it was to avoid people who she had to greet and talk to when she was tired from work and just wanted to be alone and drink beer.
At the moment, she was a bit confused. She was sure the number that had registered on her phone was her boss' office number and it was definitely his voice that she heard on the phone. But when she got to the office no one was there and when she called him, no one answered. She even tried his mobile number with the same results.
She reached her room and opened the door. The television didn't seem to be turned on as she couldn't hear sounds coming from it so she wondered what Choi Young was doing. She stopped on her tracks as she saw a man was sitting on her living room couch. It wasn't Choi Young.
The man was lounging comfortably with his arms crossed and his legs crossed at the ankles. He had on black pants and a black long sleeve shirt. His long hair was tied neatly into a queue on his back and he was sitting on the couch facing the door. Eun Soo stood still as she saw him. She didn't have her knife with her, she never thought she would need it here.
He raised both hands up seeing that Eun Soo was glaring daggers at him. "I mean no harm. I just want to talk."
"Where's Choi Young?" This was Eun Soo's first concern.
"He already left." Taizu shrugged nonchalantly. "I opened the gate for him and he left."
Eun Soo didn't believe him for a second. "Stop lying. Where did you take him?"
Taizu sighed as he changed position to sit properly. He gestured to the seat on his left. "Why don't you take a seat and we can talk calmly?"
"Calmly?" Eun Soo scoffed. "You tried to kill me. How can I be calm when I'm facing a murderer."
Taizu actually looked apologetic at that. "Look, if I wanted to kill you, you would have been dead. And as for Choi Young, I don't want him dead either. I merely sent him back to his world where he belongs. And you have to stay here where you belong. He understood this and so he left. Now you need to understand as well. You can't just go changing the future as you please."
"I don't believe you." Eun Soo replied, her voice surprisingly calm. "I've done my research and based on the theory I was following, the gateway is related to the sunspot, but you are actually saying you are the one who opened the gate? Do you have some sort of time magic too?"
"Not magic, science." Taizu countered easily. He stood up seeing as she won't take a seat. "If you don't believe me, what other explanation is there for Choi Young's absence. You really think I could beat him in a fight?"
"You must have tricked him." Eun Soo stood resolute in her belief. Choi Young would never leave without her. And if for some reason his honor would force him to do such a thing, he would never leave without saying goodbye.
"Trick or not, he is gone." Taizu was beginning to get impatient. "And if you want to live, you should just stay here in this time. There are people out there who would do anything to fix history and save the future. At some point you were a part of the fix but your role is done. Anything else you will do in that time period will just ruin the future."
"Who are you?" What he was saying seemed so absurd, like a plot of some sci-fi movie.
"It doesn't really matter who I am." Taizu replied. "What is important is that you know that if you go back the future of Korea will be ruined. Or do you want to see your country go down in ashes? You might no longer be here to experience it, but what about your family? Your friends? Can you be so selfish to not even think of them?"
"Have you seen it?" Eun Soo was looking at him with hard eyes which Taizu had not expected. He had thought his statement would at least plant a seed of doubt in her heart.
"Seen what?"
"Korea in ashes." There was a challenge in her voice. When he didn't reply she continued. "If you have, then tell me what I did in the past that could create such a disaster and I shall endeavor to avoid it." When he still didn't answer Eun Soo stepped forward to where Taizu stood and looked at him unflinchingly in the eye. "You don't know, do you? All these predictions, you are just afraid of what I might do which is not part of your plans. But you don't really know the effects of my actions for sure. Well I am tired of worrying about what might happen, I will simply follow what my heart tells me to do. I have learned to do that in the year I was in Goryeo. I bet you did not expect that as well."
Taizu was looking at her as if he didn't know whether to be proud of her fearlessness or frustrated by it. "Leave now." Eun Soo commanded when he still remained silent, she pointed her index finger at the door for emphasis.
Taizu sighed and for a moment she thought there was a sadness in his eyes. "Seems like you cannot escape fate." His voice was almost a whisper as if he was talking to himself. And with that he left.
Eun Soo walked forward towards the couch and gave in to the weakness she felt on her knees. She clutched at the backrest to steady herself. Then she took a huge breath and rushed towards the door. The gate, she had to go there.
...
While unconscious, Choi Young's system fought off the effects of the tranquilizer. His lightning powers ran through his entire body and even without conscious thought it worked to negate the effects of the dose. And just like that Choi Young awoke an hour after he was shot which Jung Min had not expected.
He had remained in the car as instructed waiting for someone to pick Choi Young up, so he was surprised when his victim suddenly had his left hand on his throat, anger burning in his eyes. "Where is Eun Soo?" Choi Young squeezed his throat tighter as he asked this. Jung Min immediately tried to reach for the tranquilizer gun but he froze the moment he saw Choi Young's right hand. Lightning had started crackling in his hand and Jung Min became too afraid to move.
"She should be back in her apartment by now." Jung Min replied, stuttering in fear. "I was just told to knock you out and wait here, I don't know anything else."
"Who?" Choi Young asked, his anger unabated. "Who told you to do this? Tell me or I will kill you."
"I don't know!" Jung Min cried out. "I've only met him once and he never introduced himself. He must be Eun Soo's guardian of some sorts because he always seem to be watching out for her. He was the one who threatened me to break up with her when I had been planning on proposing. He was really scary. He had some sort of powers just like yours, I couldn't do anything but do what he said."
Choi Young released Jung Min in frustration then he drew back the lightning on his right hand and punched him on the neck to render him unconscious. He opened the car door and got out intending to walk back to Eun Soo's home. But as he looked around he realized he didn't know the way. The place looked familiar though and he noticed he was near the building where he had met Eun Soo for the first time.
If we get separated just go back to the gate and I'll come find you.
The words she said came back to him and he started running to the gate.
...
Eun Soo had taken a taxi to Bongeunsa Temple but when she got there the place was empty. And the gate like before was closed. It was really late and the night was cold. She felt like crying. She still did not believe he had gone through the gate, however if he wasn't here then something bad must have happened. She should have forced Taizu to tell her where Choi Young was. But what could she do, the man had powers, and she had nothing to bargain with.
She slumped on one corner of the Buddha statue. He would come, she believed he would. Taizu was right, he could not defeat Choi Young, and if he couldn't then there was no one in this world that could hold him. Thus he will come. She just needed to wait. She curled her legs and hugged herself to ward off the cold.
Choi Young stopped running as the statue came to view. It looked empty. His breathing was jagged from running and he forced himself to take easier breaths as he started walking towards the statue. He had not thought about not finding her here. His heart raced in apprehension at the thought that she might really be in danger. He was not well-versed with her world. He would not know how to find her, much less save her.
It was Eun Soo who saw him first. She was flooded with immense relief at the sight of him that she had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying as she didn't want to worry him. He worried so easily. She stood and took a few steps forward to meet him.
The instant Choi Young saw her he started to run once more then grabbed her in a huge hug the moment she was within reach. The relief he felt with having her back in his arms was so powerful he felt his whole body weaken by the force of it.
"I'm so glad you're okay." It was Eun Soo who first spoke. "I thought they took you, but then I thought that if it was you, then surely you would escape. You always do."
Choi Young didn't answer as he continued to cling to her as if he never wanted to let her go. After awhile it was him who disentangled her from his embrace. He held both her shoulders and looked her in the eye. The serious expression on his face made Eun Soo wonder as to his thoughts. "How do people in heaven get married?"
The question surprised Eun Soo and she stared at him speechless. When he inclined his head asking for an answer she stammered. "Uhm... we meet the family... take vows... then have a ceremony... and stuff."
"Let's do that." was Choi Young's immediate reply which surprised Eun Soo further. He then moved to go expecting her to follow. When she merely stood there staring at him, he took her wrist to pull her forward.
But Eun Soo stood her ground, which made Choi Young look back at her. "It's not that easy." Eun Soo finally got her wits back and started to explain. "We need to get registered, and have rings and clothes and..." Her voice trailed of as she looked at his expectant expression. It was futile to explain to him all these things.
But Choi Young seemed to have realized something. "I haven't seen your parents at your home." He looked at Eun Soo curiously. "Where do your parent's live? Don't you live with them?"
Eun Soo kept staring at him as if she still could not believe what was happening. "You want to meet my parents?"
Choi Young looked at her earnestly. "Since I will be taking you away from them forever, it would be polite to at least let them know you are safe."
As Eun Soo looked at him she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Immediately Choi Young became concerned. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Nothing." Eun Soo sniffed as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Nothing's wrong. You've just made me really happy."
...
NEXT Chapter 6: He who Protects the Future – Choi Young and Eun Soo are getting married in heaven and Choi Young even gets to meet Eun Soo's parents. But darkness looms in the midst of their happiness. The future seem to be changing and Choi Young is given a chance to fix it by going back, without Eun Soo.
Author's notes: That premise might have to be changed. I've been researching about Korean weddings and its a huge pain in the arse. I don't know... I'll find a way.