A/N: Chapter Four, finally here!

Sorry for the slow update, but it's here at long last. Not an exciting chapter, so apologies for that! Also, I hope that the characters had their correct portrayals. Overall, this was still a fun chapter to write, so I hope you all enjoy and thanks for the patience!

She ended up falling asleep in the outside corridor of the palace. Outside where she could relax peacefully, thinking about the day when she could speak to Choi Young again. That would be anytime soon, but since Choi Young could sleep for days at a time without waking up, it was hard to say for certain. While he did manage to wake up very few times, just barely long enough to have an intake of something to drink and a small amount of food, his body was still fighting to recover from the injuries he received during the final battle with Gi Cheol and his household. This time was the longest he had been in a deep rest, one where he didn't wake up for so long. It was as if, despite everything, his body had been fighting to survive; but perhaps his mind believed differently. It couldn't be that he still had the mindset as he previously did, where he could care less if he survived? That was what worried her most, because even though he managed to wake up very few times, for as long as his eyes could stay open—which wasn't very long—his mind was still questioning his will to live. And these deep sleeps he still had to this very moment were where the real battle begun, while his body took the time to recover. It was a battle within the mind, one he had to unfortunately do alone.

One even Eun Soo could not help with or assist in. She did all she could for his physical body as his Doctor.

Before she was persuaded to rest by Doctor Jang, Eun Soo often spoke to Choi Young in his sleep. For what felt like hours, she would talk to him so that he would remember she was waiting for him. Even at times, she found herself in tears, expressing her doubts and urging him to "leave" the deepest depths of his mind; encouraging him to survive this battle she worked so hard to save him from. But never did he make a single movement. It was if he weren't living at all—almost as if it were just his corpse lying in the soldier barracks. But that wasn't the case and Eun Soo vowed that it never would be. Last she checked on him—before Doctor Jang took over—he was still warm and looked like a sleeping person. Surely that was enough to reassure her that she was doing absolutely everything in her power to keep him alive and breathing.

It distressed her.

This was one of her few fears as a Doctor. It was a fear every Doctor faced. The thought of losing someone under their care was terrifying; it was almost like unintentionally killing them. Wouldn't she be branded a murderer for allowing Choi Young to die in her care, under her watch? Would the King—and everyone else—feel like she didn't try her best to heal their strangely, favorable General?

This wasn't even just about losing the life of the patient, although it still worried her relentlessly. But it was more so about failing to save the life of the General she grew to genuinely care about; not just as her patient, but as something much more. Something she could not describe. But to lose him, would be to lose something much greater.

It was frightening to think about.

Why was it she lacked confidence when she needed it most?

This was one of the rare occurrences where she lacked confidence in her own ability, when in reality, there was absolutely nothing to doubt. She was the great doctor, wasn't she? Her title in the Palace was High Doctor, after all. If she weren't that great—to where she was considered as high as the King himself—then she wouldn't have been there to begin with. She wouldn't have saved that General's life the first time.

If I can do it once, I can certainly do it again, and again, couldn't I?

Even in her light sleep, these kind of doubtful thoughts plagued her mind. The terrors of reality haunted her sleep. The usual life of a Doctor, she assumed. Just when she believed those pesky thoughts left her mind for long enough so she could rest properly, she heard footsteps racing in her direction. Opening one eye slightly to see who decided to come and talk to her now, she was surprised to see two of the Woodalchi—specifically Dae Man and Deok Man—approaching her with great haste, while also wearing expressions of concern. Blinking slowly, Eun Soo forced herself up onto her feet, peering over at the two worried soldiers as they slowed to a stop in front of her.

"What's wrong?" It was her initial response to seeing their expressions; whatever was on their mind, it certainly wasn't good. Eun Soo didn't like it.

Both of the Woodalchi exchanged an uneasy glance between one another. Deok Man was the first to speak up and inform her of what was going on, "It's the General. Doctor Jang says it's.. not necessarily urgent, but suggested that you should come right away."

"He co-couldn't come because, uh.. Because he needed to stay by the General's s—side," added Dae Man with a firm nod.

Now that she discovered what worried them, she—too—felt the same exact concern; perhaps a concern even greater than their own. Was that even possible? Eun Soo nodded her head in understanding before she pushed past the two Woodalchi soldiers. At first, it was a fast-paced walk heading back to where her patient was at, since she didn't want to worry Choi Young's comrades further, but eventually she gave up on persuasion and began to jog hurriedly to the General's corridor. Normally Doctors had to try and keep calm during these type of situations, especially not to worry anyone close to the patient, but now was not the time to be just any typical Doctor. It may not have been an urgent request, and while Eun Soo trusted Doctor Jang to handle any situation, she really couldn't afford taking her time. Woodalchi General, Choi Young, was much more than just a patient to High Doctor Eun Soo now.

Once she reached Choi Young's corridor, and upon entry, she spotted Doctor Jang standing beside Choi Young, who was tossing and turning. She rushed beside Doctor Jang, glancing over at him hastily while speaking in a strained and worried tone.

"Doctor Jang, what's going on?"

He stepped aside, revealing Choi Young with a distressed expression on his features. This came as a surprise, even Eun Soo could see it in Doctor Jang's eyes. It was rare when Choi Young expressed any emotion whatsoever; and while Doctor Jang was rather close with the General, it was clear by his current expression that even he rarely saw Choi Young distressed in his sleep. This was the first bit of emotion that was displayed upon the General's features.

"I didn't mean to concern you, High Doctor," apologized Doctor Jang with a slight bow of the head. "But I did promise you that if anything came up, I would inform you immediately. It seems as though he may be ill; he's a bit feverish."

That much was clear to Eun Soo. Earlier, she left Choi Young in a deep sleep. Now he had a slight fever and kept moving—twitching—in his sleep. To help with his fever, Doctor Jang had placed a wet cloth on the General's forehead. Eun Soo took a seat beside Choi Young, reached for his wrist and began checking his pulse. However, the second she touched his cool hand, he jerked slightly in his sleep; his face still scrunched up in an expression of distress.

"Choi Young," murmured Eun Soo as she clutched onto his hand tightly. "You're.. scaring me, acting like this. You're really worrying me and everyone else. So stop this ridiculous behavior of yours, and wake up soon." It was probably best he get some sleep, but she was almost worried that resting wasn't doing him any good; that his deep sleep was only making his condition worse. He barely had any exercise whatsoever, let alone rarely ate or drank apart from the few times he woke up. That couldn't have been healthy, sleeping it through. "I've done all I can to save you.. So why.. Why do you refuse to return to me? You'll really kill yourself, if you keep this up.." It was hard for Eun Soo not to feel teary-eyed. His condition was worsening it seemed and he was only further away from waking up. His life was really in her hands and everyone believed in her. Even she believed in herself moments ago.

Doctor Jang was watching from the distance, as he prepared some herbal medicine for Choi Young while Eun Soo watched over him carefully; doing her best to encourage him to wake up. It wasn't her choice for him to wake up—it had to be his own will. But did he even have it? Those promises he made… could he really keep them? Just as she closed her eyes momentarily, lowering her head, ready to check his pulse once more, she felt a slight movement. Her eyelids fluttered open and her eyes watched as Choi Young stirred in his sleep.

"Imja.." Words fell from his slightly parted lips in the form of a mumble. It was astonishing he was able to speak a single word at the current moment in his condition. Clenching his jaw visibly, Eun Soo watched as he forced his eyelids open.

"Choi Young!" Eun Soo swallowed thickly, peering over at the General with the same concerned expression and teary-eyes. But as she met with his dark gaze, she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Despite having slept for so long, it was as if he didn't rest at all. But now it was obvious to Eun Soo that he had been fighting all along; fighting the fever, while also fighting to remain alive. He fought to wake himself up from this dreadful sleep that scared everyone. "Stupid.. You had me worried.."

Gazing up at her exhaustedly, his pale hand extended out to her and his cool hand rested on her cheek; his thumb brushing the tears away from her eyes before they could fall. "Even.. in the real world, I bring imja to tears.."

"The real world?" she repeated quietly, taking his cool hand off her cheek and into the both of her hands. She rubbed the front and back of his palm to provide some kind of warmth. "You make no sense, Choi Young.. You've been asleep for a while—you had me scared!"

"Imja? Scared?" Choi Young's eyelids fluttered shut. A tiny grin was forced onto his lips. "There was no reason to be worried over me.. I promised to protect you if you stayed with me, didn't I?"

That reminder caused her to bite back her next words. Instead, she cleared her throat. "I'm your Doctor, remember? And you're my patient.. I have a reason to be worried!" she retorted, a little humiliated by her previous display of emotions. "If you died, then that would have been on my hands.."

"..I'm a little glad imja worried over me," Choi Young murmured, ignoring her previous statement. "It's selfish.. isn't it?" Before she could respond, Choi Young tossed the cloth off his forehead and forced himself up into a sitting position, grunting slightly. Because he had a fever, Eun Soo already knew he probably felt some aches in his muscles. It was to be expected. But despite his overwhelming condition, he went above and beyond for Eun Soo. "I'll be okay."

"You.." Eun Soo sighed heavily, realizing that despite being his Doctor, he would always disregard all of her suggestions and requests. There was no point in fighting. That was how strong Choi Young's will was. It was also the very reason he survived the nights he fell into his deep sleep.

Fortunately, Doctor Jang had left the room momentarily to go and retrieve more herbs to complete his herbal medicine for Choi Young. Now the two were left alone. The stubborn General and the determined Doctor. What a peculiar combination. Suddenly, Choi Young reached a hand out to her and behind Eun Soo's head, bringing her head closer to his until their foreheads were pressed together and the two were left staring into each other's eyes.

"Imja helped me through this, again."

"It was just medicine and medical aid.. You did all the work yourself. It was up to your will to survive in the end," she mumbled, averting her gaze. In the end, she really didn't do anything.

"That's not true," murmured Choi Young, catching her attention easily now. Her eyes met with his once more, curiosity glimmering within them. "Because of imja, I was able to find a reason.." He cleared his throat, obviously new to this kind of openness. But regardless, he did it and remained truthful while doing so. "All because it's you in my life, I was able to find a reason."

And then, the unexpected happened.

Being as close as they could be, the bold and confident Choi Young closed the space between them by pressing his lips against hers for a brief kiss.