A/N: Chapter Two is here! Like my other two stories, I will respond to reviews in the A/N.

Onto reviews; I'm glad you loved it! And yes, sorry about that, but I did fix it! Thank you for telling me! Overall though, I'm glad you enjoyed it (faithling)!

Onto business; This chapter took a while due to busy schedule and other factors, but it was enjoyable to write. It is slow, I will admit, and it may be confusing-this includes Choi Young's part. If you have any confusion, let me know, and I will clear it up. Ask questions as well, and I will answer. But enjoy, and feedback is greatly appreciated! Let me know what you thought.

"You should rest," murmured a voice behind her.

The voice didn't scare her nor worry her. Doctor Eun Soo felt safe for once, strangely enough. Perhaps it was because the calm had finally arrived. Gi-Cheol and his pledged brothers and sister were now officially deceased. In better terms, they were dead. Killed without hesitation or mercy. She already witnessed the deaths of Gi-Cheol's two pledged brothers, and from Dae Man's stories, his pledged sister collapsed from being stabbed in the back by Lady Choi. She ended up dying alone, without even a glimpse of either of her siblings before her unexpected death. To Eun Soo, they were temporarily safe from the monstrous Prince of the Court. But despite their deaths and her newly found "freedom," Eun Soo couldn't help but feel awful.

"I don't need rest," came her short response. She was currently sitting in a chair next to Choi Young's bedside. He had been asleep for a while now, only waking up to receive water and food daily to help with the recovery. How many days had it been? Several days since everything went down, and a few from when they had a real chance to speak. But since that day, and for every time he woke up, she kept the talking at a minimum. More than anything else, she wanted Choi Young to rest up as much as he could so that he would recover more quickly. Eun Soo was desperate to see him working again. If he could regain his energy and strength to fight, then that meant everything would be okay again. And to see this through, Eun Soo relayed the message to Lady Choi to give to the King, which she did without question. And he seemed to understand, seeing as he didn't try relaying any other message back.

He's grown to be patient…

A small smile curved Eun Soo's lips. Out of nowhere, a hand was placed on her shoulder. She shifted her exhausted gaze over at Doctor Jang who stood beside her, looking as calm as ever with his other arm folded behind his back. Despite his blank expression, she knew he was going to be persistent.

"Your eyes say otherwise," he told her in response to her previous statement. "It's clear you are exhausted, High Doctor. Please, rest, and I will watch over the General in your place." When it seemed as though she were about to object and start arguing, he went on, "If you were to pass out from exhaustion, you will be helpless to the General."

He was right. Reluctantly, Eun Soo sighed heavily before nodding her head in agreement. As she forced herself out of her seat, she kept her gaze lowered as concern flooded over her. Just as she moved past Doctor Jang without a word, he spoke up again.

"Don't worry. If something comes up, I'll inform you."

His reassurance was comforting. If she could trust anyone in this unusual place in Goryeo, it would be a fellow Doctor who shared similar ideals. A part of her wanted to ask questions, to talk to him about certain things, but her mind was far too exhausted for her to even want to bother. Instead, she flashed him a brief and small smile before turning away once more. Despite Doctor Jang's encouragement to rest, she still knew it would be difficult to do exactly that. Resting while someone else was in dire need of her help did not sit well for her, and she definitely didn't want to try sleeping on those types of thoughts. Instead, she left the barracks she shared with Choi Young and made her way outside where she was met immediately with a fresh gust of air. On her way out, she was met with several guards who did nothing—said nothing—but watch her with sympathy, curiosity, and faith. It wasn't one, but all three. She could see it in their eyes as she walked by.

The sympathy was for having to struggle with the obvious-by-now love of her life being close to death. The curiosity was clearly the wonder of whether or not their General would survive through this—which he would, but because his case was extremely critical, they were unsure. And the faith—that beautiful faith that held everything together—was the belief that she, High Doctor Eun Soo, could save the life of their general one way or another. Even if it meant resorting to CPR, which they knew little about. What they did know was that Eun Soo had power in her hands—an extraordinary power to save lives, even if it seemed impossible. How they could have that sort of faith in her was beyond her. If anything, she, too, had faith in herself. But she also had that small doubt that she could have failed. It's possible she could still fail.

No, she told herself quietly, you will not fail. You can do it. If you can save the life of the Queen, you can save his life too. No matter what, I made that promise; both as a doctor that's devoted to saving lives, and as a lover that is determined to protect.

That was her resolve in the end. To save and protect. Choi Young promised, that if she stayed beside him, he would do the exact same thing. Little did he expect her to return the sweet gesture. He probably didn't even know she was going to go through with this resolve, or that she even thought it up. But he would definitely be surprised when he woke up.

If he wakes up..

At the thought, she shook her head.

No! He will wake up! This is not like the past where he didn't have a reason to live. He's more persistent to live now. He will wake up.. He will wake up… He will wake up..

After strolling around the outskirts of the barracks, she found herself nearby their meeting place. Where they said they would meet up and discuss the end of their day. She had wanted to go through with that plan, it was an idea to get closer to him. But now she no longer needed to go through with it, since she began staying in his room. No matter how hard she tried to relax her mind from the stress, her thoughts kept returning to that cursed man. Choi Young. It was as if she couldn't keep from thinking about him.

Why?

Is it because I..

"No. No, no, no. That is not the reason! It's all simple! Plain and simple. I keep thinking about him because he's hurt and… and I'm a doctor, right? So I need to be worried! He's my patient, and if he dies on me.." she began mumbling to herself, pacing and back and forth along the pathway as she folded her arms across her chest. She wouldn't dare think about that again. Or like that. She slapped both palms of her hands across her face, hiding behind it in frustration. "I will not.. think like that.."

"Think.. Think like w-what?" asked a voice above her.

Eun Soo jumped at the sudden interruption. Above her, on top of the roof, she saw Dae Man's head peeking down at her. She almost had the urge to scream in surprise, but she didn't. By now, she grew too used to these types of acts. Back at home, in current Korea, she would never see something unrealistic as Dae Man.

"..Nothing," she replied quickly before glancing away momentarily. After a few seconds, she rested her gaze back on the younger soldier before smiling a bit. "And just what are you up to, watching people and popping out of nowhere?" she scolded.

He jumped down from the roof, landing before her in a crouching position. Then he stood up. "I.. I was, uh.." He shifted nervously in front of her, parting his lips several times as he tried to find the right words to speak. Eun Soo already knew his stuttering problem well, but that didn't mean she couldn't understand him any less. Instead, she remained patient with the boy who grew up differently from everyone else. Finally, he found the words he wanted to say, but they did not come without a stammer. "I was w-watching over, uh, you.. High Doctor.."

Her gaze softened at his words. She, again, smiled softly at him, though it wasn't a hundred percent sincere. Not because she didn't appreciate what he was doing, but because she was just a bit sad. Sad for reasons she didn't know. But instead of telling him a sob story, she thanked him for the gesture.

"Thank you, Dae Man. I'm grateful that you would look out for me," she told him.

But it seemed as though that wasn't all. He nodded his head rapidly, scratching behind his head when he spoke up again in a nervous and stuttering manner, "Is, uh.. Is general going to be.. be okay?"

It should have been clear that this is what he wanted to know from the start. He was closest to Choi Young, more so than any other Woodalchi. And it made her sad to consider how the young Woodalchi felt. To come close to losing someone so close. She closed her eyes momentarily, clearing her throat and chest of any emotions that she felt flooding over her. Within a few seconds, she reopened her eyes and smiled brightly at the Woodalchi.

"He's going to be better than okay!" she told him enthusiastically. "When he wakes up, he'll be as good as new. I'll make sure of it, since he's my patient!"

This earned a tiny smile from Dae Man as he listened to her reassuring words. "I hope h-he wakes up soon, uh, then..!"

"Dae Man!" a stern voice called out from within the barracks. Eun Soo recognized it as the voice of one of the Woodalchi soldiers. It seemed as though their little chit chat was cut short, but no further words were necessary it seemed. By his expression, it was clear he was happy; with the grin that curved his lips and the reassurance that gleamed in his dark eyes. His features no longer led her to believing that he was sad or worried, but instead that he was filled with great relief. And it brought some relief to her as well to see how much of an impact she and her words had on others. She didn't need to lie either, because she knew that Choi Young would be refreshed, with less worries burdening him. She had faith in his return. Within seconds, Dae Man bowed to Eun Soo in gratefulness and respect, only then sprinting off towards where he was being summoned.

After being left alone once more, Eun Soo found herself standing alone in silence now. She took this chance to listen to the blowing wind, the chirping of birds, even the footsteps of nearby Woodalchi who were presumably on duty. The silence was welcoming for once. But that still didn't help her with resting. Instead, she slumped against the scarlet fence and rested the back of her head against it. She closed her eyes slowly, feeling some of her exhaustion run through her body. But despite the urge to rest for once and all, her thoughts kept trailing back to not just Choi Young, but the sorrow in her heart; the ache in her chest.

The sorrow was there because despite being enemies with the Prince of the Court, his death was strangely saddening. This only angered Eun Soo. After having been through great trouble because of him, and after almost losing the man she cared about, she still felt sad for him. She couldn't understand why. It didn't make sense to pity a monster such as him. But for some reason, her heart disregarded the horror she went through because of him and his pledged siblings. Her heart decided to feel sad for him, for some peculiar reason. And as she thought more about it, she found herself further from understanding.

"Why.. Why, why, why.." she whispered to herself as she finally drifted off into sleep.

Throughout his not-so-peaceful sleep, Choi Young often found himself longing to wake up. But he couldn't. His body refused to obey his deepest desires and wishes. He wanted to wake up, not remain asleep. He wished to open his eyes, but his eyes remained closed. He desired to hold that person in his arms, but she was nowhere to be seen in his conscious mind. In the world his conscious mind generated, she was nowhere to be found. He couldn't even remember her face or her name. All he knew was that she—that person—was important to him. He could search and search every inch of his "dream" world, and he would only be met with dead ends.

He met with the Suribang gang, who teased and messed with him relentlessly. He also met with villagers who didn't even know his name. His face was unknown to them—not that he was surprised. Barely anyone recognized him. And during his travels within his conscious mind, which turned out to be a replica of Goryeo, he came to meet some of the fallen Woodalchi warriors. As he passed by them to greet them or ask them questions about the mysterious woman haunting him, he noticed something different about them. All of them—all of those who passed—weren't the clean warriors he once knew. They were bruised, beaten, broken, and bloody. They were a horrifying mess. He recognized many, and especially the one who helped his return to the King when he was falsely accused. A dreadful feeling passed through Choi Young as he stopped in his tracks to face the fallen Woodalchi. The ones he failed to save. The ones who lost their lives when he should have been the one to lose his. He cleared his throat, parting his lips slightly as if there were words to say. But none came out. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, nor did he know what to say to the men who died bravely. Finally, he spoke to them.

"I'm sorry," was all he said to the fallen warriors. It was all he could say. What more could he say to the dead? Nothing would make up for their unnecessary deaths.

No.. They weren't unnecessary, nor did they die in vain. They died in honor and courageously. They died in battle protecting our King. There is nothing to apologize for about that. But what I do need to apologize about is my failure to help make a stand.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, finally making eye contact with the dead in front of him. His arms were by his sides as he remained utterly still. "I'm sorry for being unable to be by your sides when you fell those days. I was incapable of defending you all, including the King. I left you all trapped and alone. But you all died with honor, and I am.." Choi Young cleared his throat as he spoke words he rarely said, "I am proud of you all who fought bravely under our King. Your deaths weren't in vain, nor were they unnecessary. You all did exceptionally well.." These words were sincere, and Choi Young spoke them with great pride in his comrades; both fallen and alive. It was rare for the Captain to show such emotion, but he also felt it necessary. To be able to see his fallen comrades, even if they weren't real, was a blessing. It was a chance to speak the words he was unable to say to them. Perhaps they would receive his messages. Or maybe they wouldn't. But either way, real or not, they were standing right in front of their General, looking lifeless and brutally killed; the way their corpses were when they fell in battle. But after Choi Young bowed in respect and gratitude to his fellow comrades, he found himself staring at the same exact comrades who were killed, only that now they were glowing with life. They now appeared the way they were before their deaths; looking alive and well. Just as he had last seen them..

And before he knew it, the glow surrounding them grew brighter. Brighter to the point Choi Young had to shield his eyes with his forearm, but even as he did so, he caught a glimpse of his old comrades fading away. Almost as if they weren't even there to begin with. Once they all faded away, Choi Young lowered his arm, blinking slowly as he scanned the area to confirm their departure. Confirming that, Choi Young glanced around slowly. Unlike before when he held a dreadful feeling in his chest, his chest now felt...lighter than before.

As if a burden was taken off.

I hope they're finally at peace.

Now brushing off those thoughts, Choi Young decided to move on and return to his search. He wasn't about to forget his current mission:

Find her—that person—and remember her face, her name; everything. And eventually wake up to reality. Unlike before when he once never wanted to wake up, he now felt the strong desire to return to his world where he promised to survive and protect her.

A/N: Your thoughts?