What Happened to Enos' Little Girl?
by KayCee1951
Part One
Mount Jiri, South Korea
Theme Song:
You Are the Reason
by Calum Scott, Singer/Songwriter
Chapter Four
The Hanok House
Still August 3, 2022
"So, where will I be staying?" Esme asked, breaking the tension that seemed to have manifested around them. She addressed the question to François, who turned to Min-jun for an answer.
"There must have been a plan in place…n'est ce pas?"
The Lieutenant didn't answer the Frenchman. "I'll show you the way," he said to Esme.
"But I still get dinner, right? I mean, wasn't that the point of all that hoo-ha this morning? I'm starting to get hungry."
"Yes, you'll get dinner. But first, I will show you to your quarters."
As they made their way through the gardens of the temple without a name, there was little conversation except for the Lieutenant's explanation that François was responsible for the meticulous maintenance of the gardens surrounding the temple grounds. He seemed different than the morning...more introspective, more serious.
Once out of the mystical wonder she'd felt at the temple she had named Shangi-La, the landscape changed to the natural beauty of Mount Jiri. It wasn't long before they reached a late Joseon-era Hanok that looked like a hurricane had blown through and totally wrecked the building. In fact, if one did not look closely, the house looked abandoned. And that's where the Lieutenant stopped.
"The sun is about to disappear behind that peak. Do we have time for sightseeing?" And it suddenly hit her. "That's NOT where you plan for me to stay, is it?"
"I know it looks like it went through a dust storm in the Gobi desert and according to the building's provenance, it has gone through the equivalent. But don't worry, François and I worked on the living spaces first so we could stay here during the renovations," he said. "I promise you'll be comfortable."
The house's interior was beautiful, not just because it was pretty to look at…it was. No, it was beautiful because of the meticulous attention to detail and the evident care and thought that went into the authentic restoration. It was 180 degrees from what she'd expected, regardless of what Lieutenant Kim had said. He walked behind her as she explored the renovated rooms, explaining some of the features and the difficulty of finding authentic materials. His hands were clasped pensively behind his back, Spock style…as if he was waiting for her approval.
"You look deep in thought. Anything you want to share?"
"Uh…n-no," Esme said, visibly shaken. "Nothing…nothing. Tell me, if I'm staying here tonight, where will you be sleeping?"
"My room is over there," Min-jun said, pointing across the small courtyard and then at the room where she would be sleeping. "You'll be on this side. I'm afraid a plush pallet is all this B & B can offer. I left a set of clothes for you on the bedding. It would be best if you got some sleep…Esme? Are you listening?"
"Yes, I heard you."
"Are you concerned I might-?"
"No...I'm not, Lieutenant."
"Will you ever be comfortable calling me by my given name, Esmeralda?"
Esme caught her breath. "I don't know...Good night, Lieutenant."
The bedding in her room was soft and thick, and embroidered with gold and white silk thread in a pattern of lotus flowers and snowy white egrets on silk fabric of pure crimson…too feminine for François. It was almost as if they knew she would be there…as if it had all been planned. Before Min-j...the Lieutenant stole her bike. Before they met…formally, that is. A look around the room cemented that hypothesis. The night clothes did not match François' gray pajama-like tunic and pants. They were an updated version of the royal nightwear she'd seen on countless historical kdramas while growing up.
Oh, yes. Her being there was planned before their fateful meeting over the stolen bicycle. She wondered how long Lieutenant Kim had been planning this little…get-away. He was much too good-looking for the need to resort to luring women to his home. And there was no doubt in her mind that this was his house. But that didn't make sense because the temple-with-no-name's abbot, or High Priest, also knew of her pending visit. The Lieutenant had spoken to him about her. She was beginning to get lost in the intricacies of the plot…and worried she would get carried away with it.
She shoved the feminine clothes into an empty cabinet, then rooted through the other cabinets for something less revealing and suggestive. What she found were clothes that François had left behind. The Lieutenant might have wanted to see her in that sexy Joseon-inspired nightie, but what he would get was oversized gray pajamas. She had to roll the pants up five times and the sleeves up four times. She looked like a kid playing dress-up. And the Lieutenant would get an earful in the morning about the sleeping attire he had provided.