Lol it's been forever since I updated this but I hope this massive chapter makes up for it. Krys said I should cut it short because if I added everything I wanted to, it would be well over thirty pages long lol. Thank you Krysyuy. Honestly, I don't know how many chapter this is gonna be. Possibly more than four. Cheers :)
How's everyone's summer been? It's so goddamn humid and hot here. Plus mosquitoes are making my life a living hell.

Hope you're all having a marvelous June!

Soo wrinkled her nose as she woke, annoyed that her happy dream ended abruptly. But as soon as her sleep-addled memories faded, a new day began and she slowly opened her eyes, scooting just a bit closer to So and smiling when his arms subconsciously wrapped around her, protecting her from the cold that surrounded them.

Her breasts pressed against his bare torso, and Soo sighed in content, closing her eyes as the rabbit blanket that covered their bodies tickled her skin. There was little to do in the winter, so they slept in.

Soo looked up at her sleeping lover and traced his scars with her eyes. A short beard made itself known on So's face, and even though it was the dead of winter, he shaved every morning to maintain a well-groomed appearance. Soo thought he looked handsome with or without the beard but quietly preferred his clean-shaven face. It was nicer to kiss.

"Spying on me while I'm sleeping… how rude of you." So muttered. Soo giggled when his hand moved into her hair, pulling her head closer to his chest. Her nose bumped his skin, and she pressed a kiss to his torso. Sleep filled his voice, and his eyes remained closed.

"I just like looking at your handsome face because I know that it's mine now."

"You sound like you're planning on stealing my face." So leaned back to stare at her through bleary eyes, giving Soo cause to shake her head at him. "Am I sleeping with a changeling?"

Soo made an offended noise in the back of her throat but shrieked with laughter when So pulled her on top of him, her arms and legs falling on either side of his body. Their skin met, creating friction and warmth to ward away the cold winter outside their covers, and Soo looked down at her tired lover with kind eyes.

"That was mean," she murmured, kissing the tip of his nose. She traced butterfly kisses against the scars on his face and easily complied when he pulled her down for a kiss… and another… and another.

"Will you miss me while I'm away?" asked So. His hands lightly drifted beneath the blankets and Soo whined when his large palms caressed her skin.

"I always do," Soo replied. She laid her head against So's shoulder, her own hands slipping into the warm covers to touch her lover's body.

With cold weather came slow mornings, but neither complained—not when they had each other to devote their plentiful hours.

Soo shivered and stirred the pot, frowning at the steaming soup that released the most delicious scent into the open air. There were few ingredients she had left to work with other than dried herbs, dried fish, and the occasional fox or wolf. Few things lived in the winter, and even fewer were edible.

Around her, white snow covered everything in a soft pillow of fluff. Aside from the areas around their house that she and So walked about to get their chores done, the snow remained untouched. From the fence that surrounded their land to the bare vegetable patch, everything now sported a new layer of frost that glimmered in the radiant sunlight.

Sighing, Soo brought the wooden ladle up to her lips and blew on the boiling broth before taking a tentative sip. The hot liquid immediately warmed her and as the wind rustled the tall trees that protected their home, Soo felt safe even without So present.

A quick look at the sun, and Soo decided So would return soon. The need for him to go into one of the surrounding towns for supplies increased as winter dragged on, so Soo picked the berries he traded for the goods they needed, and So came back to her as quickly as he could.

Birds no longer cawed in the forest; they had all flown off for warmer districts, and Soo missed them at times. She giggled whenever she thought of her naivete just months prior, when she had first stepped foot into the forest she now called home.

"I'll have to pick more berries," she mused into the open air. So had taken every last berry they had, and because Soo knew he would buy rice cakes as a small treat for them both, she wanted to surprise him with mashed winterberries they could put on their snacks.

Soo took the pot off the fire and covered the flames with dirt from the bucket beside her. She carried the pot to the snow and dug a spot for it, hissing at how numb the frost made her fingers. Once the pot was secure inside the snow, Soo dusted herself off and briskly walked to the small shack near her garden. She unlatched the bolt on the door and slid it open to collect one of the baskets they kept locked inside to avoid clutter.

Already in the cloak she had sewn from the young wolf So had shot for her, Soo carried the basket beneath her arm and pushed her weight against the door, grunting as she shut it.

Her new leather boots made her trek through the snow somewhat easy. Singing to herself, Soo looked around the lush trees with a smile, knowing there were no wolves around when the only thing to eat was winterberries.

When Soo arrived at the best patch of winterberries in the whole forest, she crouched close to the snow, squatting in front of dark green bushes that poked from the blanket of white that left even the red moss looking festive and pretty.

She rolled the berries between her fingertips, careful not to crush the delicate fruit. Soo picked the berries while singing to herself, enjoying the brisk evening air and keeping an eye on the sun to be sure to get home by the time So returned with his purchases.

Song after song, berry after berry. In no time, Soo carried a basket that almost overflowed with fruit, and she wondered for a moment if she had picked too many.

"You sing beautifully, my dear," said a sweet voice that Soo ached to remember.

She swung around immediately, spilling part of her harvest in her haste to see where the voice had come from. Soo stood her ground as Shin Myung appeared from behind a tree, carrying her own basket under her arm.

"Hello, my dear."

"You," Soo whispered. Sudden memories of terror swept over Soo's body as she remembered So's stories about his mother's cruelty and how Shin Myung had left her for dead all those months ago.

"I apologize for leaving you, child," the old woman said. She used a hand to swipe her long, graying hair away from her bony cheeks before turning away and kneeling in the snow to collect her own harvest. "But you must forgive me… after all, I fed and cared for you with my own stores and supplies. I gave you my belongings and allowed you to rest in my home."

Wrinkled hands reached into the bushes and fished out plump, juicy berries, uncaring of the young woman that stared. Soo could not understand what the older woman was going at, but she refused to lower her guard. Soo had trusted Shin Myung once, and the woman had left her to So with the intent of killing her. Soo would not trust Shin Myung again.

"We're alike, you and I." So's mother continued, her voice clear and strong in the silence of the forest. Soo believed none of her words, closing herself off from the old woman's snakelike whispers.

"I'm nothing like you."

"No? Well you may not believe it, but seeing as how you've opened your legs to that monster to stay alive, I beg to differ. You're a survivor… just like me." Shin Myung's smile looked almost… proud. Soo's stomach lurched. "You harnessed the Beast's more carnal side. I commend you. It never occurred to me that you'd open your legs for that monster, but here you are; alive and free.

"Darling, you know what this means?" Shin Myung's eyes lit up and Soo took a step back in horror when the old woman produced a long knife from her sleeve. Soo's heart stopped beating, but Shin Myung offered the knife by the hilt, her fingers holding the silver blade that reflected her murderous intent.

How did she get that? Soo thought instantly, her eyes locking on the shining weapon. So scoured Shin Myung's home every other week for any weapon other than the knife she used to cook with, but this seemed to have evaded his search, and now Shin Myung offered it to her.

"When you see him tonight, let him have your body… and when he's tired himself out and fallen asleep, kill him and come to me. Then we can both be free."

"You are a monster," Soo spat back, anger burning into her palms at the way Shin Myung referred to So. "So isn't a beast, you are. How could you ask me to kill your son? How could you be so heartless as to hurt him or wish any injury upon his body?"

Shin Myung's eyes widened in surprise before she began to glower at Soo, but Soo stood her ground, unwilling to move even as her lover's sadistic mother walked towards her, her once welcoming demeanor turning outright terrifying. The frosty winter air around them seemed to drop in temperature, and Shin Myung approached on steady feet, her cloak dragging along in the snow.

"You love him." Shin Mung's voice reflected her absolute disgust, but Soo did not flinch, even as the anger in her stomach became fear. Shin Myung turned the knife around in her hand so that the serrated blade and needle-like tip faced Soo. "Idiot. Foolish, stupid, idiot girl. Do you think he's capable of love? Of emotion? He's a beast. All he does is kill and bring misfortune."

"You're the one that makes him do it," Soo uttered, her voice losing confidence. She forced herself not to shiver even as Shin Myung's claw-like nail reached to touch her cheek, the yellowed spike oh so gently tracing the curve of Soo's cheek before moving to pat her belly. The knife followed, and Soo took a step back into a tree as the sharp blade tore the smallest of seams from her winter dress.

The icy bark pressed more chills down her spine and Soo stared, unmoving. "You," she hissed, mustering any courage she could to defend So, "are the one that sends men to kill him. You could lead them away, but whenever men enter the forest, you house them and lead them to our home. You're the reason he has to kill!"

"I wonder why he hasn't killed you yet," said Shin Myung. Soo hated how the woman ignored her outburst and instead looked over her as if she was a cow at the market. "Perhaps you've proved your worth to him? I'm just looking out for the both of us… so how about I help you?"

Soo shook her head and looked around for anything she could use as a weapon, sweat falling from her brow as the knife popped another seam from her dress. Shin Myung's eyes grew wide, and the hairs on the back of Soo's neck stood straight up when she saw the madness behind them. A cruel, cold sickness festered behind the lonely eyes of a woman locked in prison for ten years.

"If I make it so you can't have children… So that you don't have to carry his whelp. You'll be his little toy forever, but you'll be alive."

Soo whimpered, feeling the blade's gentle push against her abdomen. "Please," she whispered, dread pooling in her gut as Shin Myung's knife let a single, fluffy piece of spun fur fall from Soo's belt. "So would never hurt me. Stop, please."

"He'll keep you locked up here the same way he—"

"Hae Soo!"

An echo bounced off of the trees and Shin Myung pulled back with a panicked yelp, retracting the knife back into her sleeve. Soo leaned back against the tree as a reverberation of So's voice made his mother panic and scramble. Shin Myung picked her berry basket up and bolted for thicker woods.

Soo did not follow her, instead falling against the trunk and holding her stomach, gasping in relief as her heart stammered from the terror that suddenly exited her body. Unable to believe her luck, she could only wait, all strength leaving her body.

When So arrived, he knelt beside her and asked why she was sitting in the snow. Soo looked up at his radiant smile. His scarred face gazed at her with the kindest expression and his large hands gently helped her off of the snow, brushing her bottom off before wrapping her into his wolf cloak and against his chest. Warmth surrounded Soo's tired body, and she held onto So with all of her remaining strength.

"Darling, I bought you your… are you alright?"

The comfort of safety washed over Soo, and she clutched So's arms, exhaling sharply as she buried her face into his chest and shivered. Too distraught, she could only think to remind herself that So would protect her. His mother was wrong to ever assume he was a monster.

"What's the matter, Soo?" So asked, his palm caressing her cheek. Worry coated each of his words and he pressed her for answers when she did not initially reply. "Why are you so scared? Did you see a wolf?"

"I saw your mother." Soo spoke with tremors in her voice, pressing one hand to her belly and shuddering at the thought of Shin Myung's knife pressed against it. So's body tensed, and Soo winced when he held her at arm's length, his eyes worriedly scanning her for injury.

"Did she hurt you? Did she speak to you? Is she still—" He stopped and glared around, his menacing gaze scanning their immediate area.

"She asked me to kill you," Soo said, looking up at So's lovely features. His expression morphed into something unreadable, but Soo continued even as he grasped her arms. "She saw us… she knows that we're together… so she asked me to kill you in your sleep, but when I refused, she said she was going to keep me alive by…" Soo took a breath and So narrowed his eyes. "I think she was going to try to prevent me from having children," Soo stated, holding So's wrist and averting her gaze. She opted to not meet So's furious expression, instead choosing to look at the torn seams on her dress. They were mishaps easily fixed, but Soo could not shake the fear of having motherhood torn from her.

"What do you want me to do?" So asked. "Tell me what to do and I'll take care of it. I won't have my mother jeopardize your safety or health. You know I'd never hurt you, right?" His voice reflected the turmoil within and Soo looked up to match his gaze. She nodded her head.

"I trust you, So. I know you'd never hurt me. You're a good man… but So, she had a knife – and not the one she uses to cook with."

"That's impossible. I check her home for weapons every other week. You know that."

The look in her eyes must have convinced him, for So nodded his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'll check again," he murmured against her skin. "It's cold, Soo. Being out here isn't good for either of us, so let's go home. We can sort the things I've bought and then rest, alright?"

So released her from his embrace, and Soo watched with loving eyes as he turned away to pick the basket of berries off of the snow before walking to her side.

They took a short route home, and Soo never strayed from So's side, too shaken up to do her usual exploring while under his protection. She walked beside him, close enough that their cloaks brushed and overlapped, agitating the snow.

But even as they walked together, Soo could not shake the sordid and ugly feeling of having a pair of eyes on her back once more. Her spine tingled and her scalp prickled as her instinctive need to run suddenly kicked in the way it had when she had first entered the forest she now called home. When Soo looked back, she saw no one in the bright forest, yet the fear in her body remained, multiplying and spreading. Someone was watching her, and Soo knew who it was.

"Let's hurry home," Soo murmured to So, holding his arm. He gave her a small frown before nodding and placing an arm around her shoulders. "We're safe there."

"Alright." So rubbed her arm as they walked and Soo finally felt herself smile when they she caught sight of their home. "I bought that tea you asked for. The one that prevents you from getting pregnant. And I got us rice cakes. All kinds. We can toast them on sticks and eat them with the berries."

He always knew how to make her feel better, and the idea of sitting next to a warm fire and burning their fingers on sticky rice cakes, Soo finally smiled.

They walked past the large barrier that So made to prevent animals from entering their home, and Soo nudged her forehead against So's arm before thanking him. She could already see the large packs he had brought using a carrier that he wore on his back.

"You bought so much," Soo said as she counted the parcels he had brought. Their short trek through the once pristine snow led them to their front doorstep, where various packages, some wrapped in pink and gold silk, and others tied with thick, brown leather, sat around.

"Of course I did." So set the basket of berries down onto the dais on their home. Soo pursed her lips when he reached for her hands and pulled her close. She gave a soft laugh as his lips pressed against hers, making her fears fly away in an instant. "Our first winter together… I want you to be as warm and comfortable as possible. The berries sold for quite a lot, and I have the leftover sums, so we can save to buy something more useful someday… maybe a cow or a horse."

Nodding her head, Soo closed her eyes and let herself indulge in one more kiss. She loved her new life with him, and could no longer imagine home being anywhere without him.

One spring morning, Soo sat on the red blanket she had first worn into the forest. She laughed whenever she thought of the stupid rumors and superstitions meant to keep So away. Wearing red had only brought him closer to her, and after having lost a footrace against him, Soo knew that she would never be able to outrun her lover.

Breathing in the fresh air and finally able to wear thinner clothes again, Soo sorted through the spring herbs she and So had collected just hours before. Too tired to do much but sit around and do housework, Soo wove through the piles of plants organizing them into the sacks she kept around her. She had initially blamed her bouts of lethargy on the recent warm weather, but her body begged to differ, and Soo gave her still-flat belly a discreet pat.

She looked up when So approached her and flopped down behind her, laying out onto the blanket and reaching out to hold an arm around her waist. Soo frowned when she noticed he wore no shirt, but decided from his wet hair that he had come back from bathing.

"Were you at the lake?" she asked, tossing a bunch of perilla leaves into their designated sack.

"I pushed some men in my mother's direction. Four men in black clothes." So's voice hummed against her side and Soo paused her work to shift towards him and lay beside him, using his bare arm as a pillow and gazing up at the scarred face she loved. "And yes, I did bathe."

Warm sunlight coated them and when Soo smiled up at her tired lover, he leaned down to kiss her. "Hae Soo, I've been thinking," So said, his arms going around her. Soo laughed when he pulled her closer and looked at her with a glimmer in his eyes. Her heart fluttered at his expression, and Soo gave the smallest of gasps when his hand met her abdomen, slowly sliding down her front. "Let's a have a baby."

"What?" Soo immediately snapped out of her lovestruck reverie, rapidly blinking as So's earnest smile remained. "A baby?"

"You and I are of age to be parents, we're in love, and I don't think we're going to ever leave each other… so why not?"

Why not? Soo mulled over his question as she sat up, slowly blinking. So was right when he said they loved each other. Soo adored So, and he was also right when he said they were never going to leave each other, yet Soo could not tell So she was already pregnant because of the very reason they lived in the forest. Constant threats to their livelihood kept her from revealing her condition when she had first missed her cycle and when she had missed her second one the following month.

She did want children, and she wanted them with him, yet something kept her from sharing his joy. Soo refrained from touching her stomach even as So's knuckles drifted over where she already held their child inside her.

"I don't… I don't know." Soo's voice quivered, and though she hated keeping secrets from So, she knew she had to come to terms with her own fears before telling him of her condition. Her battle was only a matter of time.

"Think on it, won't you?" So asked, also sitting up and lifting his knees so he could rest his elbows against them. His caring grin never disappeared and he reached out to hold her hand. Soo let her fingers clasp his calloused ones and she nodded her head. "I love you, Hae Soo."

"I love you," Soo echoed, turning to return to sorting her herbs. She changed the subject before they could continue any talks of children. "Will you be going out into the woods again?"

"I have to, don't I?" So said with a yawn. "My mother will inevitably lead the party I took to her towards our home. Can you pack me something to eat? I don't plan on returning home until these men are gone, and I want to scout the area and see where the snow left mud."

Nodding her head, Soo brushed her hands off and tossed the remaining herbs on her blanket into their bags before tying each one off and standing. "I can make you rice balls and maybe find some dried meat too."

She picked the herb bags up to carry home as So folded the blanket and tucked it beneath his arm. "That sounds good. I'll get dressed, then. How have you been feeling? Still tired? You don't look very well."

So's hand pressed to her forehead and Soo closed her eyes as he felt her for a fever. If Soo was grateful for one thing it was that So did not know of any symptoms involving pregnancy. His education came from the books he read and none of them had any details about the female body, leading Soo to teach So most of what she knew.

After storing their herbs in their usual jars, Soo went about preparing So's food, sitting as much as she could and remembering what her mother had done while carrying her siblings.

Soo made rice balls and wrapped a dried fish, dates, and a few leftover chestnuts into a cloth, tying everything into a handy package that she passed to So as he donned his wolf cloak. The top of the massive beast's skull fit over his head like a cap, creating the illusion that So's head was an actual wolf's head, and the long fur that cascaded from the hood covered him from chin to toe. Soo sighed at the idea of a thirteen-year-old boy taking on the largest predator in the forest to secure his place within its territory as the alpha wolf.

"Feel better please," he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her. The wolf's head descended upon her as if it wanted to devour her, but Soo smiled and pursed her lips as So kissed her. "Rest while I'm away. Don't do anything strenuous. Just… try to feel better."

"Be safe, So. Come home soon."

They parted ways and Soo heaved a sigh as the black shadow of So's cloak slunk past the wooden barrier around their home and back into the forest.

Two days passed and Soo kept a keen eye out for So's cloak or for any sound that might signal his proximity, but she was only met with silence.

Keeping herself busy helped to dull her fears, but she shuddered at the idea of being alone when Shin Myung lurked about, whispering in men's ears and leading them to where Soo and So lived. Soo had endured with So because she knew that together, they could face his mother and whatever dangers sent their way.

However, with a baby inside her, Soo abhorred the idea of her child being exposed to someone like So's mother. Soo might be able to keep their baby close, but children rebelled and loved their freedom. She would never be able to live with herself if her baby got lost in the woods. So might be able to find their child if he was quick, but the very thought of Shin Myung's gnarled hands coming anywhere near So's child left a sour taste in the mother-to-be's mouth.

Soo heaved a sigh and let her fingertips glide over the smooth wood of her loom. Through the taut curtain of soft strands she wove into silk to make a new shirt for their baby, Soo looked out at the sunlight forest, wondering what death and havoc might be occurring beyond earshot. She had no use for details, but her heart ached every time So left her to protect their home.

Continuing to work on the soft material that would clothe the child in her womb, Soo put all her concentration into making sure the cloth came out as pretty as possible, singing under her breath and gently picking out errors when they appeared. There was no need to worry when she was safe at home. So always led searches and hunting parties far away from them and disposed of bodies away from where they lived so she would not ever see them.

"You must be her."

Soo screamed at the sudden voice and immediately stood, her body locking in fear as the stool she sat on spun and collided with the loom, knocking it over with a deafening crash.

"Who are you?" she demanded as her arms instinctively wrapped around her middle.

A large man dressed in red approached, his expression triumphant. Soo stared in terror as a stranger approached her, trampling over any notion of safety she had. The sun shone behind him, causing his dark shadow to cast over her as she trembled. "You're the witch, the monster's bride."

"What?" Her voice was a mere squeak and Soo took a slow step backwards, her eyes resting on the sword at the man's hip. He seemed not to be looking for So, and his red attire vastly contrasted the usually dark colors worn by people that searched the forest. "Why are you here?"

The man paused his walk towards her to look her over. His narrow eyes scanned her with contempt and Soo swallowed the nausea and anxiety that threatened to make her sick. "I've heard the stories, sorceress. You're the owner of the great beast that eats men… your blood can save my wife."

Ice ran down Soo's spine and her breathing slowed at the man's suddenly hopeful gaze. She knew exactly what laid behind her, but Soo doubted her ability to run and find So. She needed to save herself and her baby, yet her roads of escape were limited and her ability to fight was nonexistent. "The old lady in the cottage said she'd lure the beast away long enough for me to kill you. If I kill you my wife will live." He drew his sword and Soo held her middle tighter as the shining metal flashed in her eyes. At lon last, Shin Myung had sent someone to kill her… and it was all based on a lie.

"Please," she begged, "please, I'm with child. Please." Tears filled her eyes and Soo shouted when her foot caught on her fallen loom, forcing her unto her knees. Holding her stomach, Soo prayed that So would live happily even if she was gone. She sobbed in terror, too dizzy and nauseous to run or hide.

"My wife is with child," the man ground out, stalking towards her with determination in his eyes. "I'm willing to sacrifice you for their lives."

"Soo!" Tears dripped from her eyes and Soo looked up as the rushing in her ears masked the sound of another sword meeting the man's as it swung down onto her.

Black fur flew as So threw his cloak off and roared, savagely swinging his sword and pushing the man away. Soo shouted in relief, but her happiness was short lived. The two were unequally matched, and even to her novice eyes, Soo could see So easily fending the man off.

She screamed when the man's sword hand fell to the ground, cut off in a single swipe of the steel claw that moved as an extension of So's arm. A river of blood flowed from the open wound, but before the man could react to being maimed, a flash of black whirled past him.

Soo could not utter a sound when So stabbed his sword into the man's neck and pulled downward, ripping him open from neck to navel. Not even his red clothing could mask the gush of blood and organs that soiled So's boots. A corpse collapsed to the green grass, spattering everything around with drops of shining red.

At the scent of raw meat and blood, Soo's once manageable nausea became too much for her to handle. Fear, relief, disgust, and utter confusion all melded together as she fell onto her hands and knees and emptied her stomach onto the blood-soaked grass.

She did not recall So picking her up and taking her to their home. All she remembered was how gentle his hands were as he rinsed her face and hands with a cold rag, and how his clothes reeked of blood.

Soo woke in her bed, her eyes opening as So's hand gently cupped her face. His worried face appeared in her line of sight, and Soo stared, lying still as exhaustion made her delirious. So sat beside her, yet Soo could not feel him through the blanket that covered her to her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" she heard him say. Soo numbly blinked up at So and exhaled when his lips touched her forehead. "Why didn't you tell me you're with child?" So asked softly, his thumb caressing her chin. His voice was filled with adoration, yet Soo could not share his happy sentiments. Her stomach roiled as she replayed the day's earlier events in her mind, unable to erase the sheer terror she had felt as well as the utter disgust that had filled her as she watched the man she loved tear a man open.

Her answer was all too clear, and Soo pressed a hand to her eyes as her nose itched and her throat closed. Her other hand covered her mouth a she sobbed, tears trickling into her unbound hair. Soo berated herself for the melancholy that forced its way out.

"I want to leave," she uttered through her tears. "I can't stay here any longer. I can't raise our child here."

When she opened her eyes, Soo wanted to close them again at the sight of So's anguished expression. The scars on his face contorted into an agony Soo had not seen since she had first asked him of his childhood, and even more shame piled onto her. "You don't mean that. Hae Soo, you've stayed for a year now… you can't leave me because you're with child. Please."

She slowly sat up, gazing down at her belly as So's hand caressed it. He scooted closer to her, sitting so that their thighs touched and their eyes were level. The love Soo felt when So's warmly touched her womb made Soo wish, yet she knew he would not agree.

"Leave with me. Come with me. Leave your mother behind and follow me out," she pleaded, holding his sleeves and begging. "You've punished her enough, haven't you? Free your soul of her… come with me. Raise our baby with me."

He stared at her as if she spoke a different language, uncomprehending. So reached and grasped her arm as if he wanted to hug her, yet he held her at arm's length and blinked in his search for answers.

"Darling, I have to stay." His voice was soft and kind, his eyes pleading for her to stay. Soo frantically shook her head at his gentle words, trying to convey her frustration and fear. "I damned myself and my mother to these woods ten years ago. I will not return. You know how villagers will treat people with a face like mine."

"I almost died today," Soo immediately replied, desperation clouding her voice and making it crack. "Our baby almost died today."

So's eyes flashed and Soo released his sleeves when his hand rose to pull her grip away. He never raised his voice at her, yet Soo could see the anger behind his eyes. She could feel the turbulence in his heart, and it hurt to see him so conflicted.

"I protected you. I protected our child." So's deep voice reverberated around the wooden beams of their cottage and Soo looked down as his hand never left her stomach. "I was here to save y–"

"But what if you aren't?" Soo demanded. Tears welled in her eyes and she moved forward, tossing blankets off of herself in her haste to be nearer to the man she loved. "What if you aren't? I thought nothing could hurt me if I stayed home and if I stayed quiet, but your mother sent that man to kill me. He came with the sole intention of hurting me, and if you hadn't been near enough to hear me scream, I would have died."

They stared at each other and Soo wondered if it was selfish of her to ask So to leave all he had ever known behind for her and their baby. Would the existence of their child be enough to pull So away from his life of solitude?

Soo stayed in bed as So brought her a bowl of rice porridge with finely chopped vegetables in it. She seemed to be able to eat the porridge, but she gagged at even the slightest mention of anything remotely fishy. Soo attributed her newfound hatred of fish to her pregnancy, but every time she thought of the baby inside her, she worried for its future.

She felt safe and protected when So was with her, but Soo knew So was not always with her. He left often to scout the terrain, he travelled into towns and villages to buy and sell goods, and when Soo wanted something from the forest, So always left to retrieve it for her. Soo knew how often she was alone at the house, and she knew that though So always knew where his mother was, Soo did not, and she would never truly understand the mind of the woman that had birthed her lover.

Their day moved on without much conversation. Whenever Soo tried to bring up leaving, So shot her down and told her in the kindest, most desperate voice that he would protect her and their family with everything he had. He claimed he would die for them, but that was what scared Soo the most. She also would not mind dying if it meant forever freeing So and her child from Shin Myung's schemes, but Soo knew she would never be able to live with herself if So or her child were injured because of her own negligence and inability to protect them.

Soo rested as much as she could, only leaving the house after So had carried the dead man's corpse away and used a bit of their water to rinse his blood and organs off of the lush grass that bloomed with the spring. Once that was done, So washed by the well, and Soo left their home to sit with him in the sun, holding his hand and breathing in the calm air as they waited for night to arrive.

Soo assumed So had been coming home from disposing of the men sent to kill him when he had heard her first scream. Knowing that So was also shaken up by the incident only made Soo wish that there had been measures in place so that it had never happened at all. But they had already done everything they could to keep their home safe and shrouded from the eyes of unwanted visitors, both animal and human alike.

So's hand cupped against her stomach and his thumb rubbed a circle into her dress. The silent evening brought peace and serenity around them, and Soo ached at the thought of what she had to do in order to protect her baby.

She reached her decision as they sat on the red blanket she had worn when first meeting So. Leaning closer to the man she loved, Soo nudged her cheek against his shoulder and reached to caress his cheek and pull his lips against hers. Soo kissed him for as long as she could, savoring each kiss and tasting him as if it would be their last time together. All the while, So's hand never left her belly, and Soo silently thanked him for becoming her family and helping her create a new person to join them together.

They had supper beneath the stars and Soo stayed close to So, sitting flush against him and spending as much time in his warm embrace as she could. The amount of pure and utter adoration she had for him was outmatched only by the love she had for their babe.

After picking through an already meager portion of dinner and fighting nausea the entire time, Soo accepted a kiss from So as he told her to rest while he cleaned up. Soo refused to let him do all the work and washed their bowls while So wiped and stacked them. They spoke quietly or not at all, and once they completed their evening chores and washing with water warmed with the last embers of their fire, Soo held an arm around So's waist and let him lead her home.

Soo took her slippers off and held So's hand as she stepped onto the dais of their home. She opened the door to their small cottage as So also stepped to her level, and they entered together, quickly shutting the door so bugs would remain outside.

Warm, orange walls of dried clay greeted them along with the white and gray bed Soo had not folded after waking up. They stepped around the blankets and Soo closed her eyes when So held her from behind. His chin dipped against her shoulder and Soo leaned away to bare her neck as his lips trailed soft kisses up it and his hands moved to her belly once more.

"Thank you, Hae Soo," he murmured, giving her a kiss on her lips. Soo's eyes sprang open at the pain that stabbed into her heart. "For giving me a family I can be proud of. For staying. I love you."

No, don't thank me. Don't. Please don't. Don't make it hurt more.

Turning in So's arms, Soo gazed up at his scarred, beautiful face and reached upwards to pull at the back of his neck, slowly kissing him before untying his hair and taking a step back. So's eyes showed his confusion, but Soo let herself smile behind the gut-wrenching agony of her choice.

Untying her belt, she let it fall, easily slipping out of her coat and shirt. Her skirts were the next to go, and while Soo undid all her clothing and slowly bared herself to So, she never took her eyes off of him, wanting to memorize him and forever keep him in her heart. Finally, she stood before the love of her life in nothing. There was need in his eyes, and Soo could not deny the slowly rising want that rose from her core.

"You're acting differently." So stepped closer to her and Soo tipped her head back as his fingers slid through her hair and his lips hungrily captured hers. His voice was a hoarse growl as his hands glided up her skin. "Should I be worried?"

"I want you," Soo breathlessly replied between their kisses. Her body was still changing to accommodate even the idea of being pregnant, and when the rough material of So's outer clothing scratched against her sensitive breasts, she pulled back with a hiss.

He noticed her discomfort and slowly fell to his knees before her. Tears welled in Soo's eyes as he nudged his forehead against her belly, pressing the gentlest kisses onto her skin.

Soo held the back of So's head as he slowly removed his own clothing while kissing her body. She quickly closed her eyes before he could see the desperation and pain behind them.

Soo wriggled out of So's embrace, pulling their blanket over his naked body as she crept away from their bed in the dead of night. Her head ached with the clamor of a million drums at the lack of sleep and the fatigue that their copulation had left on her, but Soo only moved forward.

She pressed her bare feet to the cool floor with care, making sure not to let a single creak past her. Each tiny step brought her just a bit closer to the small stack of clothes she had prepared. Soo easily found the stack in the dark, but she held her breath and moved slowly as she lightly shook out each article of clothing, never taking her eyes off of So's sleeping form.

She slipped her feet into a pair of socks and then pulled her underclothes on, following those with soft trousers to cover her legs. Her skirts came next, and Soo cringed as the shift of fabric created what felt like the loudest rustles she had ever heard.

Keeping her eyes on her sleeping lover, Soo bit her bottom lip to keep any noise from leaving her. Her eyes filled with tears as she gleaned the silhouette of his back. She wanted to lay back down beside him. Her heart pined for the man whose embrace she sought out for love and comfort, but her fingertips fluttered over the baby in her womb and she found a new energy to suppress her urges.

This was to protect their baby. Nothing else.

Soo tied her belt around her waist and walked on the tips of her socked toes, holding one hand in front of her to prevent herself from crashing into any of their meager furniture. Her breathing came in short, soft pants and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up with every tiny shift or shuffle that reached her ears.

Just a bit closer to the door and she could slip out. Just a bit. They would never be safe living in the forest. No matter how hard So tried, he would not be able to protect them both.

Soo froze when the blankets shifted, her fingertips just barely brushing against the door. Her nail grazed the pine frame, and when she turned to look back, she shrieked at the eyes that stared at her.

"Where are you going?" So asked tiredly, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. Soo's heart pounded and sweat pooled in her palms and fell down her forehead as she tried to come up with some reason as to why she was dressed and leaving their home.

"I… I'm just…" she flailed beneath So's sleepy gaze, feeling herself pull away from the door to be with the man she loved.

She stopped in her tracks before she could even take a step back towards So. "I'm going to get some air. A bit of water, maybe."

She held her belly as she lied, holding their little one in an attempt to give her voice strength. Soo begged So not to stand. "G-Go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."

"Do you…" He paused to yawn, his mouth opening to reveal pale teeth that almost shined in the dark. "Do you want me to go with you? I can… sit with you."

Soo found herself smiling. Tears welled in her eyes and Soo looked down at her feet before swallowing her emotional response to So's love. "It's fine," she choked out. "I'll be back soon, my love."

The lies singed her very soul, leaving it screaming at the prospect of further hurting one that had already endured too much. Soo gave So a smile as he nodded his head and remained sitting up.

"Go back to sleep, So."

"I'll wait for you."

When Soo closed her eyes, the tears that had welled fell. Her hands trembled at the pace her heart thrummed. So gave another yawn and his head lolled as he dozed off, righting himself before he fell onto the blanket.

"Thank you." She whispered the words, knowing full well that if she spoke them any louder, she would lose herself and cry. "I love you."

"Be careful, love. Run home if you see anything."

Soo opened the door before her and shut it behind her. Exiting the safety of their home, Soo lifted her chin to the cool air that could have made the summer evening enjoyable. Stars sprinked the dark blue–almost black–sky and the full moon gleamed. Cicadas sang and the tops of the pine trees that surrounded their home greeted her like an old friend, yet Soo could not brush off the looming sense of danger that forced her away from her home and into the forest she had once entered in terror.

Her slippers brushed over soft grass as she briskly walked towards the fence that kept predators away from their home. So would be asleep and he would wake to find her note left to him explaining why she was leaving him. Everything he had done for her, she was grateful for, and every new milestone they had passed together, she held closely in her heart. Yet, in that very heart, Soo knew that enduring her parents' abuses and raising her baby in the safety of society was infinitely safer than taking her chances in a place where men actively tried to murder her child's father… and by default, her child.

Just before she passed the fence, Soo looked back at her home. For the past year, she had known nothing but happiness, and though danger had always been present, Soo could not imagine a life better than when she could sit in So's arms and enjoy the sun.

"For you," she whispered, touching her belly.

Soo closed her eyes when she turned back towards the bleak forest, absorbing the lack of the sounds that had first terrified her when she had been forced into the woods.

One step.

Another.

Another.

The birds slept in their nests and only cicadas hummed their summer anthem. The red moss on the trees looked like fluffy pillows in the dark, and though she could barely discern the shapes of the trees Soo knew each one by heart. An hour of walking would lead her to the edge of the forest, where Yeon Hwa and Yo had kicked her into what she had thought was eternal damnation.

Now, Soo left with her own two feet, knowing that in the dead of night, no one would be prowling the forest while she fled.

Soo marched on, expertly stepping past roots that had once tripped her and caused So So to laugh before helping her up with gentle hands. Soo's eyes prickled with tears as she remembered the happiness So had given her. Everything they had done together in the past year had been filled with light.

The adventures they'd had together now culminated into their most beautiful creation, and, holding her belly, Soo looked back one last time to where she could just barely see the leaf-covered fencing around their home.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before turning to face the trees and continuing towards the outside world.

Bet you didn't see that coming~
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