Chapter 6: He who Protects the Future Part I
Author's notes: Thanks everyone for the comments. This chapter took longer than expected to write and it became too long that I had to divide it into two parts. I'm sorry for that. Sorry because the more exciting part is mostly on the second part, but I'm almost done with that so the next update will not be too long.
To:alwaysfaith Thanks a lot for your input. You caught me there. The problem about me is I'm plot-centric and bad with details, mostly the events that happen are there to cater to the plot and a lot of the little details gets left out. It's not awesome I know, and I'm glad you pointed that out. I might edit chapter 5 for more details with the amusement park as well as the dinner, but for now I would like to proceed with the story. As for a Goryeo wedding, I'm reserving that thought for the late chapters. But I really enjoyed reading what you said about the sofa thing, yeah that definitely would not make sense. But knowing Choi Young and Eun Soo's personality, sharing a bed will not get us much more than what we have already seen unless I go OOC and I'm trying to avoid that. This couple needs a push and shove first. Which I'm trying to do my best at. Aja! :D
To:faith2012 About ES and CY's characters, I'm glad you think so because I worked really hard to not go out of character. I love them so much I don't want them to suddenly feel like different people. And about them getting interrupted, sorry, I'm doing that on purpose... for a reason. But don't worry we will get to that.
To: Hikari Urania I'm glad the plot looks visible, I love plotting. haha! This is a fanfic I made for ES and CY but more than that, it is a story.
Disclaimer: Events about Choi Young's life will coincide with the movie series and not with real history. Most of his achievements are based on history but the timeline is greatly off. Please note that this is done on purpose and is not a mistake. Also I am not Korean and I don't watch a lot of Korean movies so Korean culture and geography is not my forte, so if I make any mistakes, please point it out so I can correct them. Also the same disclaimer from previous chapters apply.
...
Eun Soo opened one eye and slowly moved her head to the side to check if he was sleeping. His eyes were closed and the slow rise and fall of his chest assured her that he was.
It was already past midnight but the moonlight was shining brightly through her window. Eun Soo opened both eyes and slowly turned to lay on her right side so she could stare at his sleeping face. She was careful not to move her right hand which lay on the bed between them covered by Choi Young's left. He looked so young when he slept, devoid of the worries and concerns that rested on his shoulders whenever he was awake. He looked so peaceful and totally adorable.
Unbidden her left hand rose to touch his face. Catching herself, she clenched it into a fist instead and slowly placed it back down. Although asleep, Choi Young was always alert to his surroundings and she did not want to wake him.
She suppressed a sigh as she continued to watch him. She felt guilty for not telling him about Taizu. Once more she was keeping things from him and she knew he didn't like that. If she told him, his temper would flare for sure but it wasn't his temper that was stopping her. She knew his anger stemmed from fear for her safety and as a person whose response to trouble was a frontal assault, feeling helpless was not something he dealt with pretty well.
What really scared her was his over protectiveness. If he found out Taizu had threatened her life if she were to return to Goryeo she wasn't sure if he would still take her with him. Her safety had always mattered to him more than his desire to be with her.
She drew the hand holding hers into her chest and enclosed it with her other hand. Then she closed her eyes to find her determination. I will tell him once we get back to Goryeo. She decided. She can endure his wrath later. If Taizu wasn't lying about being the one who opened the gate then she was sure they would be able to go back soon. They needed Choi Young back in Goryeo, so all she needed to do was to make sure not to get separated from him.
She opened her eyes to find him watching her which startled her. "You're... I... I thought you were asleep."
"I was." was Choi Young's amused reply. He had moved to his side as well and thus they were facing each other. "But apparently you are not."
His eyes fell into the hand she was clutching and upon realizing where the hand had landed she immediately brought it back down to the bed. Color stained her cheeks and she began nibbling her bottom lip in mortification, unable to meet his eyes.
They had slept in a single bed together countless times but that was all they did. He would hold her hand and they would sleep. Choi Young was always a perfect gentleman that there were times she wondered if he found her desirable at all. But just having him beside her gave her so much comfort she never really dwelt on it.
"Imja." His voice sounded hoarse that her eyes immediately flew to his to check if he was in pain. But she found his eyes had focused on her lips. "Stop doing that."
Eun Soo's eyes widened and she immediately stopped biting her lip and clamped it shut. Her reaction elicited a chuckle from Choi Young which made Eun Soo narrow her eyes at him. She punched at his right shoulder. "Stop teasing me."
Choi Young raised his brows at that. "You think I'm not being serious?" In fact Choi Young had been very serious. He had no qualms about kissing her and the only thing stopping him was the fact that they were both lying on her bed, and he was fully conscious about them being alone not just in her room but as well as in the entire house. If he kissed her now he wasn't sure if he had enough self control to stop with just kisses. But he couldn't resist challenging her. "Why don't you try it again and let's see how serious I am."
Eun Soo frowned as she pulled her hand away from his and turned her back on him. She winced as pain registered on the left side of her waist but she refused to face him.
Choi Young smiled wryly. Then he moved to lie on his chest as he pulled on Eun Soo's right shoulder so she lay on her back. "Be careful of your wound." he reprimanded. Eun Soo looked at him still frowning, noticing that his face was now hovering over hers.
Choi Young could not help smiling at her. She looked so captivating, whether she was smiling, or angry at him like she was now, or even when she was lost in thought and messing with her hair. Shifting his weight into his left arm, he reached out with his right hand to comb through her hair.
Her breath caught at the tenderness she saw in his eyes. Her frown disappeared and she raised her left hand to caress the hair that had fallen over his right eye. When she withdrew her hand he removed the hand on her hair to capture hers and laced his fingers with hers. Then in one swift motion he moved to lie on his back drawing her with him.
She stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. A third of her body was now covering his with her red tresses falling all over his chest. With his other hand, he pressed the right side of her head onto his chest. "Now go to sleep." He commanded. Before I start thinking about more dangerous things than your sweet lips and soft hair. He continued in his head.
With her ear pressed to his chest, Eun Soo could hear the beating of his heart. It was definitely beating faster than normal. A small smile covered her lips as she listened to the rhythm of his heart. How was one supposed to sleep with your heart beating that fast? But it wasn't long before the sound lulled her to sleep.
Choi Young however was still awake trying to think of other things besides the feel of the woman in his arms. Jung Min had said something about working for a man who was Eun Soo's guardian. He also said the man had powers. But why would such a person want to get rid of him? Yet he was drugged instead of killed which meant they wanted to keep him alive. But what was his aim? It didn't seem like the person intended Eun Soo any harm though which relieved him somewhat. The more pressing problem was getting the gate to open.
No. Choi Young thought as he closed his eyes. I'm not going to think about that. For some reason Eun Soo seemed to be really good at reading his feelings and whenever he worried about something she would always be concerned for him. The gate will soon open and then they would go back to Goryeo together.
For now, this was the order in which he will do things, first he was going to marry Eun Soo and do everything in his power to make her happy. And while he was at it, he would enjoy the time spent with her without worrying about the palace. Then he will find this person who had ordered him to be taken, since he had powers that Jung Min did not understand then he must be somewhat related to his world. After which, he was going to work with Eun Soo to find a faster way to get back to his King, that is if the gate has not opened by then. With that in mind he fell asleep.
...
"We need to make up a story about where you are from and what you do as well as other stuff about you." Eun Soo was telling Choi Young. They were both having breakfast which Eun Soo had prepared. She wasn't much of a cook but she had lived long enough by herself to actually make something palatable. They were sitting opposite each other on her small kitchen table discussing about meeting her parents whilst eating.
"I know you find lying troublesome, but in this case you just can't tell my parents the truth." Eun Soo continued. "I mean, I don't think they will believe you if you tell them you are really the great general Choi Young from the Goryeo period and you have come to the future to marry their daughter. They'll think you're crazy."
Choi Young thought about what Eun Soo was saying. He had never thought about his merits as a husband. Choi Young was born of a noble aristocratic family. His grandfather had been the teacher of the past King and Choi Young had been serving his King and country at the age of seventeen. At twenty-two he was the captain of the Wu Dal Chi and at twenty-nine he had been given a position as a general. He then had served as the Grand General of the King's army in many battles, taking back various towns that had been taken by the Yuan.
However, Eun Soo was telling him that he could not tell her parents that he was a warrior. But if he wasn't, then what was he?
"I guess we can stick as close to the truth as we can." Eun Soo was speaking between mouthfuls. "Maybe we can tell them you are a soldier of the ROK Armed Forces." Eun Soo suddenly beamed brightly as the idea came to mind. "My father has never gone to war because of his weak heart condition so he would not know a thing about the army. That would be perfect!"
"You have wars?" Choi Young asked in confusion. Although he had recently learned that her world actually had more powerful weapons than a stick it was still hard to believe that this place where everyone seem to simply enjoy life could actually be ravaged by wars.
Eun Soo actually laughed at his surprise. "War is something our world can never escape from no matter what era it is." She was still about to say something more when her phone rang. Choi Young's gaze followed her as she went to the living room to answer the call.
It really amazed Choi Young how people in her world can communicate long distances simply by the use of one small object. It eliminated the need of carrier pigeons and made communicating really fast and easy. If they had something like that on earth, rallying troops as well as communicating with spies could be done with no effort at all. But aside from that, it seemed that this small tool which everyone in heaven seemed to carry, can also tell the time, play music and even capture the details of one's surroundings, like an instant painting.
His line of thought reminded him of Gi Chul. Had that person been able to enter heaven he would have brought back tons of that stuff along with him back to the ground. But although Choi Young could see the advantages of it, in the hands of an enemy it could be very dangerous.
Meanwhile in the living room one of Eun Soo's fears just came to pass. Her mother was on the phone and her voice was bordering on hysterical. As they lived far from the city, Eun Soo had hoped her parents had not heard about her kidnapping. They didn't usually watch television and Eun Soo wasn't even sure the television in their house still worked. But it seemed a neighbor had asked about her welfare and that was how they found out.
At first Eun Soo had planned to just send them a letter before she left, telling them not to worry about her and that she was safe. She had not wanted to meet them because then leaving them behind would become so much harder. However, she could not say no to Choi Young wanting to meet them. That and she really wanted her parents to meet this person who had captured her heart.
"I'm fine eomma." Eun Soo was trying to reassure her mother. She was glad that her being shot had not been broadcasted. Her mother was worried enough with just the kidnapping. "It was just a few minutes and then he just let me go without harming me."
"Your father and I are going there to see you." Her mother insisted, wanting to see for themselves that their only daughter was really safe.
"Eomma, we were just on our way to come see you, so you don't have to do that." Eun Soo replied patiently.
"We?" Her mother asked in surprise.
"Yes." This was as much better time than any to prepare her parents that she was bringing home a man. Maybe it will take their minds off from worrying about her. "I am bringing a man over, and you better treat him well because I am serious about him. If you scare him away, I will cry a river." She continued in a pouty voice that she often used with her parents to get what she wanted.
There was silence on the other line. Song Seo Yun could not believe what she was hearing. They had met men who Eun Soo had dated before but mostly they met the person in restaurants on grand hotels. Not once had Eun Soo actually brought someone into their house. Her daughter had always dated professional men who were used to the city life. Eun Soo was a city girl herself, life in the farm had never suited her. She looked back at her husband who was watching her with a worried expression. But unlike her, he was calm and although she knew he was curious about what their daughter had said, he patiently waited for her to tell him without asking her anything.
"Eomma?" Her daughter's voice brought her back, away from her thoughts.
"When are you coming?" she asked.
"We are coming over today." Eun Soo answered. "I was just going to call you to let you know, but you called first."
The fact that Eun Soo hadn't given them notice weeks ago meant it was a spur of the moment decision and Seo Yun didn't know what to think about that. She had talked to her daughter on the phone every week and the last time was about five days ago. She never even mentioned dating someone, in fact she had complained about how hard it was to meet someone who could at least meet 10% of what she looked for in a man.
"You are not pregnant are you?" She couldn't stop herself from asking which made her husband look at her in aghast.
"Eomma!" Eun Soo exclaimed which made her hold the phone away from her ears. "If you ever say something like that in front of him..." Her voice trailed off as a male voice could be heard over the phone.
"Imja, is something wrong?"
Seo Yun pressed the phone closer to her ear. Wasn't Eun Soo in her apartment? Was her daughter already living with this man? She almost swooned at the thought. She knew her daughter was thirty-three and was way past the age where most Korean women married. But to actually live with a man outside of marriage, no, she had raised her daughter better than that.
"Eun Soo-yah, you have a lot of explaining to do." She managed to say sternly. "So you better start packing and be here in a few hours."
"Ok, I'll talk to you later." And then the line was dead. Eun Soo sounded distracted and not even a bit contrite which made her mother glare at the phone. Then she looked at her husband who was still looking at her worriedly.
"She's bringing home a man." she said half in anger and half in disbelief. "Someone she's probably just met because I've never heard of her dating anyone recently."
"She's fine then?" Yoo Ho Jun was first and foremost worried about his daughter's wellbeing rather than some man she was dating.
Seo Yun waved away her husband's concern as if there was never a need to worry, forgetting that she had been fretting about their daughter's welfare just a few minutes ago. "She sounds as energetic as ever and they are coming over today."
Ho Jun frowned. "You said she never mentioned him until today?"
"That's right." His wife confirmed sharply. "And he is already staying with her."
Ho Jun narrowed his eyes. "Did she say that?"
"No, but he was obviously there. I could hear him speaking. And it's early in the morning." She spoke as if she had everything figured out.
"Since they have plans to come over, he could have just dropped by early to pick her up." Ho Jin suggested. "Anyway, your daughter is old enough to make her own decisions please don't do anything to embarass her."
Seo Yun faced her husband with wide eyes. "Me? I'm merely concerned for our child. How could you say such things. She's never brought a man home before. You remember the first time she was ever in love with someone? She followed him around like a lovesick puppy and posted a picture of him in her bedroom wall. What if she'd gone crazy over this person and he doesn't feel the same for her. It could scar her for life. Or worse!" She exclaimed, wringing her arms dramatically as if she had been insulted beyond repair by his comment.
Ho Jun maintained an impassive expression, too used to his wife's theatrics. "He is willing to travel over here to meet us. Why don't we meet him first before we judge anything. Besides if our daughter cares about him as much as you suspect then doesn't that mean we need to give him some credit. That incident you mentioned was too long ago when she was but a teenager. If you haven't noticed, our daughter has never really opened her heart to a serious relationship, not even with that doctor collegue of hers who she's dated for more than three years. When he left her for another woman she didn't even shed a tear, and I don't think that's normal."
Seo Yun looked contrite. "I just don't want her to end up like Joon Ha."
Ho Jun's expression hardened at the mention of his brother. Then his expression eased as he took his wife's hand in his. "That's not going to happen. Our daughter is strong. She has your strength."
...
Eun Soo paid the fare for the cab while Choi Young grabbed the designer duffel bag that contained both their clothes and a small paper bag that held something Eun Soo bought along the way. They needed to walk a small trail before reaching her parents house. Her parents lived in a small village in Gurye and they had to take a train to the Seoul Nambu bus terminal from the Gangnam District, then a three hour bus ride before taking the cab.
After experiencing the rides in the amusement park Choi Young took the train ride in stride. Eun Soo had briefly entertained the idea of taking the plane instead but she felt that it would be too cruel. Although Choi Young had proven to be too resilient and she had been severely tempted to check his limits.
She couldn't help snickering at the thought which made Choi Young look at her curiously. Looking at him made her laugh out loud. At the moment he was wearing pants and a shirt which made him look like any other person from the 21st century but it wasn't hard to imagine him in his Wu Dal Chi armor and she was really curious now at how he would react to riding a plane.
Looking at her laughing face Choi Young wondered if she had placed something untoward on his hair once again. But when she spoke he instead wondered at her sense of humor. "I was just thinking that we should take what you call a 'flying carriage back home to Seoul, it would be fun."
Choi Young shook his head in amazement. Until now he still found her puzzling, to say the least. The things that made her laugh and cry... he didn't think he would ever figure her out.
Eun Soo was walking ahead still laughing when the house came to view. Suddenly she felt really nostalgic. It was just a few hours to travel home but she hadn't really been back for a long while. The slow pace of the village had never really been her style. The excitement of a career made her feel more alive. Then she had been too busy with her work to even think about going home. Especially since she bought her new apartment, she had to work twice as hard as she was paying for that every month, and then she had to put a lot of her funds into her savings to start her own practice.
But now all of that didn't matter and she had expected to feel a sense of regret on leaving behind the things she had worked so hard for. But she felt nothing of the sort. Instead she felt relief. As if she had been chained all her life and now she was finally free. And suddenly the farm house that she had been avoiding seemed to be the only part of her life that she would miss. This house and the people that lived in it.
Choi Young saw her stop in front of an old house, just staring at the place. She looked as if she was memorizing every corner of it. There might be a lot of things he could not understand about Eun Soo but there was no denying the pull in his heart as he watched her standing there. She had missed this place.
He went to stand beside her and with his free hand he took hold of her right hand and squeezed it. This made her look up at him with a smile. He gave her a small smile back. And with that Eun Soo stepped forward and knocked at the door.
The door slid open as soon as her knuckle collided with the wooden frame as if her mother had been standing behind the door just waiting for her to knock. Eun Soo released Choi Young's hand to fling herself into her mother's arms.
Her mother looked bewildered at her reaction. Although Eun Soo rarely came home, they had been travelling to Seoul quite a lot, hence it wasn't as if they haven't seen each other for a long time. But the way Eun Soo clung to her, it was as if they haven't seen each other in years.
After a few seconds Eun Soo stepped back smiling brightly. "Eomma, this is Choi Young." she said gesturing at him with one arm. "And this is my lovely eomeoni." she continued now gesturing with both arms at her mother.
Choi Young bent forward at the waist to give a polite greeting. "Pleased to meet you."
Seo Yun observed the young man critically. He seemed to be really well mannered and she had seen them both standing outside the house smiling at each others eyes. Although the curtain had hampered her view so she had not been able to see their expressions clearly.
Just then Eun Soo saw her father at the living room and she hastened to remove her shoes almost stumbling in the process. Instinctively, Choi Young steadied her in which he was rewarded with a sheepish smile before she rushed inside to hug her father. Choi Young's eyes followed her, smiling slightly at her exuberance. She had so much energy and life that just watching her was like bathing under the sun.
"Abeoji!" Eun Soo hugged her father tightly. "You look well. I guess eomma has been feeding you right."
Seo Yun however was still studying the man Eun Soo had brought home and her breath caught at her throat at the way he was looking at her daughter. She knew that look. She had seen it before. "Why don't you come in." She made room for him to enter. "Forgive my daughter's manners, she's lived alone for so long it seems she has forgotten everything we taught her."
Eun Soo freed herself from her father's embrace to glare at her mother. "Eomma, I heard that." But she went to Choi Young, took the duffel bag he was holding and placed it on the floor before taking his other hand in hers, walking him forward to meet her father before releasing it. "Abeoji, this is Choi Young."
Choi Young gave another low bow, saying the same greeting. But before he even finished bowing Eun Soo grabbed the paper bag he was holding and gave it to her father. "There, we bought that for you and eomma. It's your favorite wine but don't drink too much of it at one time."
The house was old fashioned and the living room had a huge mat with a large low table, although there was actually a couch on two sides of the room, pressed to the wall.
Seo Yun took the paper bag from her husband to store away in the kitchen. Unlike Eun Soo's apartment, the kitchen looked to be in a separate room and was completely closed off. The living room also served as the dining room thus the low table was empty of furnishings.
They all sat on the mat facing the table, with Eun Soo and Choi Young on the other side and her parents opposite them.
"So what's this about you being kidnapped and not telling us about it." Ho Jun voiced out the topic that concerned him the most.
"It was nothing serious, really." Eun Soo responded, downplaying the event. "The person mistook me for a famous doctor and when he found out he was mistaken, he simply let me go."
Ho Jun studied his daughter's expression to see if she was lying. But Eun Soo was really good at hiding her feelings so despite the sincere look on her face Ho Jun still had his doubts. "They said the person who took you actually injured the head of security and had even attacked the police."
Eun Soo couldn't resist looking at Choi Young to see his reaction. He looked as if he wanted to apologize but she had warned him to never tell her parents that it was his doing as no amount of apology will ever make them understand.
Feeling her gaze on him, Choi Young turned to meet Eun Soo's eyes. The concern he saw there was almost his undoing. He could just imagine, had they been talking about another person taking Eun Soo away, he would probably never let her out of his sight until that person was dead. But the knowledge that it was him that had placed her in such danger crushed his heart more. And the fact that he could not even apologize for it made it all the more heavier. But all this heaviness in his heart just made her worry about him and he didn't want that. So he decided he would make up for all of it for the rest of his life.
The fierce protectiveness in Choi Young's eyes made Seo Yun turn away as a pain that had long ago been forgotten seared her heart. She had been watching the both of them like a hawk and at that moment she concluded that she had been wrong. There was less to worry about her daughter being in a one-sided love. She was more worried about that young man's heart.
"No one died and I'm fine." Eun Soo spoke with her eyes still on Choi Young's. Then she turned to look at her father. "Besides we are not here to talk about my kidnapping."
Ho Jun sighed knowing he would not get anymore information from her daughter than what she was willing to let them know. So instead he faced Choi Young. "So young man, where are you from?"
Choi Young answered all of the questions as honestly as he could without revealing the fact that he was not from this world. He told them his father was a teacher and that his mother had died when he was young. His father also died a few years later and since then he had been serving the army. Eun Soo provided most of the more complicated information, like how they met and when. She was really good at thinking quickly and coming out with a plausible lie which surprised Choi Young at how good she was at lying.
Then it was almost dinner time and Seo Yun asked Eun Soo to help in the kitchen. Choi Young stood the moment Seo Yeon had risen, and gave a polite bow. Eun Soo stood to follow her mother but was quite reluctant to leave Choi Young alone. The anxious look in her eyes made him want to cup her cheek in reassurance but he stopped himself knowing her parents were watching and gave her a small smile instead. He watched her disappear into the kitchen before sitting back down.
The moment Eun Soo entered the kitchen her mother enclosed her in a hug as she cried. Eun Soo wrapped her arms around her mother in shock, patting her on the back, not knowing what had caused such a break down. Was she still worried about the kidnapping?
"Don't ever let him go, Eun Soo-ya." Her mother said softly much to Eun Soo's surprise. "Whatever you do, don't let him go."
"Eomma what's wrong?" Eun Soo asked in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Seo Yun released herself from her daughter's embrace to look her in the eye. "If you let him go, you will regret it for the rest of your life. So promise me you will hold on to him no matter what happens."
Although still confused, Eun Soo nodded. It was an easy promise to make as she never had any plans to give up on Choi Young. Not for anything. She knew it was selfish of her to think this way but she accepted that as well. If she were to be punished for her selfishness, she would take whatever punishment that came her way as long as she could be with him.
Seo Yun wiped her tears away and began pulling out the vegetables they needed to cook for dinner without saying another word. All this time she had worried that her daughter would be like her father, and that she would be punished for her lack of trust through her daughter. But now she understood, Ho Jun was right. Her daughter was a lot like her. She just hoped she wouldn't make the same mistakes she did.
In the living room Ho Jun was looking at Choi Young seriously and asked the question he didn't want to ask in front of his daughter. "Let's speak plainly young man. What are your intentions towards my daughter."
"I plan to marry her and protect her for the rest of my life." Choi Young answered without hesitation.
Although Ho Jun was a bit taken aback by his forwardness he didn't dislike his answer at all. The person seemed to genuinely care for his daughter and he didn't mince with words. He liked that.
"So you have met my daughter only a year ago, and you have merely seen her a couple of times since then, but you know you want to spend the rest of your life with her?" Ho Jun didn't hold back the doubt in his voice.
"Yes." Was Choi Young's forthright answer. Ho Jun waited for the young man to say more and when he didn't he gave out a small laugh. He had expected to get avowals of love and destiny, after all, that was something the young people of this time was getting addicted to. But that Choi Young had not proclaimed such actually pleased him.
The man was obviously smitten by his daughter. He would have to be blind not to see that. However, despite his daughter's many faults Eun Soo had always been an attractive woman and she had her fair share of smitten men. The fact that Choi Young did not declare the depths of his love so easily meant he was not the type to fall in love so quickly and that was a good sign.
"Then can you promise me that you will never hurt my daughter?" Most parents would be asking their potential son-in-laws about their future plans and how they would provide for their daughter, but Ho Jun was not that kind of man. He had never approved of Eun Soo's money grubbing attitude as well as her superfluous ambitions. He was content to leave his daughter to someone who would care for her.
But the question actually staggered Choi Young to speechlessness. As the person who kidnapped their daughter and forced her to stay in a foreign land filled with danger, how could he dare make such a promise? He had hurt her deeply when he had decided to send her back to her world after finding out that her antidote was gone. Many times she had cried because of him. The problem was, he knew he was going to do anything to protect her even if it meant hurting her. When it came to choosing between her heart and her life, he would always choose to save her. Her heart would mend in time, but he could not bring back the dead.
Ho Jun raised one brow seeing as it took Choi Young a long time to answer. Although he was pleased that the man did not give out his promise so easily, this also worried him a bit.
Ho Jun sighed, he had never thought to share this insight about his daughter with anyone, but he decided this man needed to know. "I'm sure you have noticed this, my daughter has a strong heart, she is a survivor like her mother." Ho Jun said this with pride but then he chose his next words carefully. "However, that strength is simply a wall she has built around her. You see, when she was eight, we had a pet dog that Eun Soo loved so much. When the dog died she buried him herself but she would not accept any ideas of another pet, and this never changed until adulthood. It wasn't because she could not risk another loss, Eun Soo is not someone who is scared of loosing. It's just that to her the pet was special and could never be replaced." He looked at Choi Young straight in the eyes as he said this.
"In that aspect she is a lot like my brother. He was someone who could not do anything halfheartedly. When he wanted something, he would devote his heart, his soul, and his entire life to it. What he didn't have was Eun Soo's pride, and that pride has protected her for a long time." His face showed his concern at his next words. "But with you, I do not see her walls. And this scares me."
Choi Young was looking down at the table taking in all that Ho Jun had said. This insight on Eun Soo didn't really change much of anything for Choi Young. He already knew Eun Soo had a heart capable of caring so deeply that the things she was willing to do sometimes both astonished and exasperated him. But he also knew that she held another strength that came from caring. The same strength that made him survive all those years of waiting for her. It was faith.
Yet Eun Soo's father still needed his answer and he deserved a truthful one. "I can't promise I will never hurt her." The statement made Ho Jun look at him in surprise but he continued. "But I can say this with all honesty, every time she hurts, it pains me a hundred times more. And when she bleeds, I am in agony. When she cries, my heart bleeds." Then he looked up to Ho Jun with a small smile. "To me, she is the air and the sun."
Coming from anyone else Ho Jun would have scoffed at such a declaration. He was not really a romantic at heart, it seemed his brother had taken all the romantic bones in the family. But for some reason, coming from this person, he believed it. After all he could have easily promised never to hurt her instead.
With that his decision was made and he took something from his pocket and pushed it towards Choi Young. "That belonged to my brother. He got it for the woman he was going to marry."
Although Choi Young wasn't well versed with the customs of this world, Eun Soo had briefed him on some of the details and looking at the size of the box her father was offering, it could only contain one thing. The fact that the ring was with Eun Soo's father and not with his brother's intended wife could only mean the wedding never took place. "What happened to them?"
"She married someone else and he..." The story was just too painful for Ho Jun to retell so instead he pushed the box once more to Choi Young. "I'm sure he would have wanted you to have it. To see Eun Soo wear this ring would have made him happy."
Choi Young accepted the box, respecting the older man's feelings. "Thank you." Then he made an earnest request that made Eun Soo's father smile. "Can you tell me more about Eun Soo as a child. I would like to hear more about her."
Ho Jun was still telling Choi Young about some of Eun Soo's escapades as a child when dinner became ready. Eun Soo who heard them talking as she came back complained about it to her father but in truth she had been really happy to see them conversing in such a light-hearted manner. During dinner, her parents talked more about Eun Soo to her chagrin, but she delighted at Choi Young joining in the conversation that she let it go. He acted a lot like when he was with the Su Li Bang and he even teased her when her mother spoke about her cooking abilities, or her lack thereof.
They continued conversing way after dinner time until Seo Yun started yawning and Ho Jun realized the couple must be tired as well as they have just been on a long trip. He asked Eun Soo to show Choi Young to his room. Eun Soo had already placed the duffel bag into the room while they were still in conversation so she merely asked Choi Young to follow her.
Although the house was small, it still had three bedrooms. And Eun Soo brought Choi Young to the one she had been using as a library when she had been in school. The room had been her uncle's bedroom, but according to her father, her uncle never used the room anyway as he was always cooped up in his research and slept with his books.
Eun Soo opened the door and gestured for Choi Young to go in. Choi Young went inside and immediately noticed the shelves of books. There were about three tall shelves full of them. Eun Soo stayed at the door entrance. "I'm sorry about the books." Eun Soo said apologetically looking at the shelves. "I don't know where else to put them." Then she gestured towards a small closet opposite the bed. "But you can use that closet over there, I placed the bag with your clothes inside, some of my clothes are still there but I'll pick them up lat..." Her voice trailed off as she faced him. He was looking at her curiously as if wondering about something.
Eun Soo narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
"Come here." He gestured with his hand. Although confused, Eun Soo closed the door and moved to stand in front of him. To her surprise Choi Young stepped forward to close the gap between them and took her in his arms in a light embrace. He closed his eyes to savor the feel of her in his arms. "You have a wonderful family." Choi Young said a few seconds later.
She looked up at him with a smile, her arms still encircling his waist. "You are my family now. It seems I am so lucky to have another wonderful person in my family."
Choi Young's eyes misted at her words and he clutched her back into his embrace. "How did the heavens ever allow me meet you?"
Eun Soo smiled into his chest. "I guess there is no sneaking into your room today." She said jokingly to lighten the mood.
"Your parents will kill me." Choi Young answered seriously.
"They will probably do that in a few minutes if I don't get out of here soon."
Choi Young released her with a chuckle. "Don't they know I'm good with a sword?"
"Ha! They probably won't care." Eun Soo quipped. "Eomma's tongue can be sharper than a sword you know."
Choi Young actually threw back his head to laugh. "I get who you take after."
Eun Soo tried to punch him on the chest but he caught her wrist. The laughter was gone in his eyes. "Imja."
Eun Soo looked at him with concern but he only motioned his head towards the door. "You need to move now while I can still let you go."
Eun Soo took a hesitating step back. She should go but her legs felt like wooden blocks. Somehow the feeling felt familiar. Then she remembered the the first time Choi Young had tried to uphold his promise. He had tried to send her back through the gate at that time. Yes she had her doubts about going through some warp hole but it hadn't been that which made her legs so wooden. Had her heart already known what she had refused to acknowledge for a long time? That she belonged with him.
But this time it would not be a parting, and she felt like laughing at herself for being so clingy. "I'll see you in the morning." She said as she turned to go. But he didn't release her wrist, instead, to her surprise he drew her towards him and held her from the back. His right hand that still held her right wrist snaked around her waist bringing her arm along with it, while his left arm held her across her chest, holding her securely in his embrace. This would be the first time they would be sleeping apart since she had come back to him. He rested his right cheek on the side of her head and held her tighter as if he could not bear to let her go.
They stayed like that for a few minutes until Eun Soo reluctantly pried his arms away to face him. "I'll see you in the morning." she repeated. If it were up to her, she'd have stayed in his arms 'til morning, but she didn't want her parents knocking at the door. When Choi Young didn't say anything she stood on the tip her toes and planted a soft quick kiss on his lips. Then she gave him a sweet smile. "Goodnight."
She turned to look back at him before she exited the door. The eyes that looked back at her made it so hard for her to move, but she forced herself to go. Choi Young watched the door close behind her.
...
"In a week?!" Seo Yun exclaimed in disbelief. "You cannot prepare for a wedding in a week. Besides there wont be any wedding halls available for bookings in such short notice."
"I'm not going back to Seoul for a wedding eomma." Eun Soo explained. "We plan to just have a small wedding in the village."
Seo Yun didn't really dislike the idea of that but where did the girl with all the fancy wedding dreams go? Eun Soo had always loved pretty things and as a teenager she would talk about having a grand wedding in a luxurious place. As she grew older she had stopped talking about weddings but her love for luxury had not diminished. This person talking about a small village wedding seemed like a total stranger to her.
"I'm not going for traditional, but we don't need anything extravagant." Eun Soo had thought the wedding plans through, and she definitely didn't want anything that would just be similar to a wedding in Goryeo. Since they were getting married in 'heaven' then they might as well have something Choi Young would never see back on 'earth'. But at the same time, they don't know when the gate would open. Taizu could show up at anytime, she wasn't even sure they had a week.
They were talking about the wedding plans with her parents sitting on a long couch in the living room and Eun Soo and Choi Young sitting on the other much smaller one. Eun Soo had told her parents that Choi Young's only living relative was an aunt who was overseas and that she was out of contact at the moment. In most families such would have been met with disapproval but Eun Soo's parents seemed to have adopted him instead, sometimes even making decisions more for his convenience rather than hers.
Finally after having lunch Eun Soo and Choi Young was able to have some time alone as they went out for a walk. It was early autumn in Korea and the cornelian cherry flowers were still in full bloom. Although a lot of the other villages were well known for its abundance, their village didn't have much of the trees as it had vast farm lands of wheat and rice instead.
They had been walking in silence both lost in thought when suddenly Eun Soo grabbed Choi Young's wrist. "I just remembered there is something I want to show you." She said whilst pulling him to the direction of a large greenhouse just up ahead.
The greenhouse was owned by neighboring farm owners including her parents. It was protected by a combination lock and when she tried the old combination it still worked.
Choi Young looked at the various plants inside in awe. The place would put the Palace herb garden to shame and it was indoors. "We do this so we could grow seedlings all year round." Eun Soo explained. "Our village main source of income is farming so this is very important to us."
Then she led him farther to the back. "Here my parents plant herbs for making soaps and such. My father is into organic stuff thus we would always make our own soaps and shampoos. Until now, he still goes to Gangnam with eomma to provide me with homemade toiletries."
"So this is where you learned how to make those stuff you were always passing around in Goryeo." Choi Young said. "I've always wondered how a doctor who could not even make her own medicine was so knowledgeable about making soaps."
Eun Soo smiled at him brightly. "I should show you a pharmacy, that is where people buy medicine. We have pharmaceutical companies who manufacture medicine for us. They are monitored by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to make sure the medicine is reliable. So not just anyone can make medicine."
Choi Young nodded in understanding. He had learned to quickly filter words he could not understand and just interpret her whole sentences to its closest possible meaning. It actually made sense to him that there would be officials that would regulate the production of medicine to test its safety first. In her world where they seem to have a cure for everything, he can see where that would be important.
"Oh there is something else I want to show you." Eun Soo was now leading him out of the greenhouse into a small shack near it. Eun Soo got a key hidden underneath a flowerpot and held it up in triumphant glee, happy that it was still there. But she was greatly surprised when she opened the door.
She had expected the place to be dusty but it was as clean as when she had left it. Although she had visited the farm a few times in the past few years, she really had not the time to visit this place. She touched the desk where she would usually study for hours just to get into a good college. The desk was squeaky clean.
"This place was my uncle's study." She motioned to the stacks of diaries in the table. "He was a genius they said. He passed away when I was three, I cannot even remember what he looks like."
"Your uncle, he was your father's brother?" Choi Young asked remembering the conversation he had with her father.
"Yes." Eun Soo answered. "I used to come here to study. I hated studying but I knew I had to do it if I wanted to get into a good school to become a doctor. And this place calmed me somehow. It was like, when I come here, the doubts of what I wanted for the future seemed to disappear and it gave me the determination to work hard for what I wanted."
The place was just a small room filled with self bound books. It didn't have much furnishings except for a desk with a single chair, and a sofa bed on the other corner.
"I tried reading one of his diaries but I could not understand a single thing of what he wrote." Eun Soo said with a laugh. "He had so many formulas I have never seen in textbooks. I was thinking he must have wanted to create something awesome."
"People in heaven seem to love creating new things." Choi Young observed.
Eun Soo laughed at that. "We are not any different from the people of Goryeo, we just have more means to do so." Then she faced him with a serious expression. "I know I have told you about this before, which you seem to ignore all the time. But this is not really heaven. You see, this place is the same place you live in except that time has just moved forward and people have learned to do more things."
Choi Young merely stared at her with a blank expression and she sighed. Then an idea came to her. "I know! I'm not sure if you have ever gone to this place but lets go see Hwaeomsa temple. I know it was constructed way back when Goryeo was still named Silla and it wasn't burned down until the Japanese invasion towards the end of the 16th century so it should still be standing during your time. It has been rebuilt to look as closely as the old one during the Joseon period so you might recognize it."
Hwaeomsa wasn't exactly a walking distance to where they were so they had to take a short ride on a bus to get there. Eun Soo had visited the temple a lot of times and was sure she wouldn't have any trouble finding the place but she stopped short in her tracks when the area stopped looking familiar. She was so sure the place they were standing on should be the entrance to the temple but instead what she saw was a place filled with modern houses.
She stopped a passersby to ask about the temple but the woman merely gave her an odd look. The third person she asked seemed to be more knowledgeable about history and looked at her if she had gone crazy. "Hwaeomsa temple was burned down during the Japanese invasion hundreds of years ago."
Eun Soo started to tremble at the implications of what he was saying. That meant the place had never been rebuilt. But she was so sure it had existed before. She had learned about it in history and had seen the place like a dozen times during her childhood.
Eun Soo had gotten pale and Choi Young grabbed her shoulders in concern. "Imja, what is wrong?"
"The temple is gone." Eun Soo looked at him in fear. "It was supposed to be here but now its gone. I think we have changed the future."
-End of Part I-
...
Author's notes: I'll try to update with Part II by the end of the week as this part wasn't really meant as a stand alone chapter.