Jae-ha listened without interruption. She watched his expression change from rapt attention to heartbreak and sorrow. There was still no sign of pity, she was thankful for that. "How are you feeling now?"
Rensa was glad he asked, there was so much she was feeling. So much had changed within the three days she had been with him. She was so thankful to him for opening her eyes and convincing her to look up. "Different. I want to live here. I won't let them treat me cruelly anymore. I want to fight." She exclaimed with conviction. As she spoke a warm smile spread onto her face.
He smiled too. "I'm glad to hear that."
"It's thanks to you, Jae-ha." She said, leaning towards him. "Thank you."
He tilted his head and leaned towards her too. "You're welcome."
Rensa stared into his eyes, she felt warm and happy.
The moment was interrupted by the usual banging on the door and walls of her home. She glanced away from him and let out a short laugh. He stood abruptly, ready to march over to the door.
"I guess I should start with this. Will you help me up?" She reached up for Jae-ha, stopping him from walking away. Without hesitation he leaned down and slid his arms around her, pulling her up to her feet. She winced from the soreness of her back and shoulders. He helped her limp over to the door.
Rensa opened it and found two kids right at her doorstep. They gasped and backed away.
"Good morning." She greeted them lightly, with a small smile.
The boys glanced at each other nervously, unsure of what to do. Answer, or run away? Politeness seemed to win out. "Good morning." One of them, with brown hair answered, perhaps a little grudgingly.
"What brings you to my home?" She asked with some humor, teasing them. She knew what they were doing, and they knew that she knew too.
The other boy stepped forward just a single step, just as the rest of his friends ran from around the side and back of the house to rejoin them. They skidded to stops when they saw her standing in the doorway. All four of them were holding large sticks in their hands. "My mother and father say we should treat others from the way that they are. Our family is strong, we are good to the people with strength. You are nothing but a cripple living off the honest work my parents do. That's what mother and father say." He placed his hands on his hips, speaking boldly and honestly.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Jae-ha glare at the boy. She squeezed his arm to let him know she was not hurt. The boy was not to be blamed for what his parents taught him. But he needed to know the truth from her.
"Do you know how I was crippled?" She asked him.
He flinched like he was expecting her to yell at him. Then he shook his head with a sheepish expression.
She reached down and pulled her skirt up to above her knee, revealing her injury.
All of the boys gasped.
"I got sick and my leg had to be removed. I try to work, but it's hard since I can't walk like you can." She explained. "And when I try, the other villagers don't let me."
One boy who had come around from the side, shook his head. "That's not true. You're lying. Come on guys, she's just a cripple."
"Wait." The boy with brown hair halted their departure. "I don't think she is."
"What?" They all asked in succession.
"You have been working, I've seen you with the visitors."
"Yes. With the help from my friends I am able to help with the Harvest." She smiled at Jae-ha and then down at the boy.
He turned to face his friends. "Our parents have been mean to her. We have been mean to her. We need to stop." He announced.
Some of the boys agreed, the others groaned and denied, still saying she was tricking them. He turned back to face her. "We still stop bothering you."
A few of them ran off, throwing their sticks to the ground. Before the last two turned away, called their attention back.
"What are your names?" She inquired.
The brown haired boy was the one who responded. "I'm Shion and this is Han-wi."
"It's nice to meet you both. My name is Rensa. Thank you for listening. Maybe I'll get to help you with the Harvest soon." She grinned and held her hand out for them to shake.
They did so with smiles of their own before running off.
When they had disappeared through the houses, she sighed. "That went well, don't you think?"
"The people of this village need to be taught a lesson." He growled. "Why would they teach their children to act so horribly?"
"Maybe they just don't know any better. Being so far away from other villages, you have to be able to take care of yourself living here. We don't have the resources unless all of us work hard." Rensa explained, though as she did so he shook his head vehemently.
"Working together as a large group should build bonds. Strong trust comes from laboring alongside each other. You learn to rely on each other." Jae-ha argued back, ducking his head to draw her eyes to him. She knew he was speaking from experience. That was what he had learned from living with the pirating band of fishermen he had decided to call a family.
"That is a good lesson to learn." She finally murmured her agreement.
His violet eyes were captivating when they were filled with what he was passionate about.
The same moment from before they had been interrupted by the children enveloped them, she tilted her face up, desiring something but not knowing what. She briefly wondered if he had been talking about their bond. After just a few days he had broken down her walls and saved her, earning her complete trust. She hoped he trusted her too.
Then she gained a new realization from something she had said to Shion. She was only able to work with Jae-ha's help. He was the only one willing to lift her into and out of the trees so she could pick the fruit. He was a traveler. He was just staying for a short amount of time. Her face fell, and she began to feel worried, and afraid, and… abandoned, even though he had not left yet. Even though he was right there with her. Had she been too quick to rely on him? She supposed she could ask for help from the villagers, though she knew they would not be so willing. Once he left, they might even make another attempt on her life. Rensa did not know how she could do anything without him.
She had become too reliant. She was no more self-sufficient than she had been before he arrived. She suddenly felt pathetic.
Her gaze dropped from his, and she shifted her body away from where she had pressed into him for support and to keep him calm. She liked being in his arms, she felt safe. Though that was also quickly becoming a problem.
"What's the matter?" He questioned, alarmed at her sudden change in attitude.
She debated about whether she should answer him honestly or come up with an excuse. Deciding she did not want to break any amount of trust he had in her, Rensa told him the truth. "I'm afraid." She pulled away from him, leaning her back against the doorframe for support.
"What are you afraid of?" He allowed his arms to drop, and leaned against the opposite side of the frame, keeping his eyes on her.
She did not meet his eyes again. "You're going to have to leave. I… don't know what I'd do without you." She admitted softly, slowly raising her face to rest her eyes on the pattern of his clothes. She felt pathetic and embarrassed. "I know I've lived on my own for a long time. But I rely on you. I trust you. And I'm afraid that was a mistake because you're going to leave, and then I'll be right back where I started." Her syllables slurred together as the words rushed out quickly. Rensa wasn't sure if he understood her. "I need you, Jae-ha."
And then Rensa realized it was more than just trust or reliability or need. She cared about him, and wanted him to stay with her. That was why she had been asking if he loved Yona, she did not want to get in the way of that, and then she was pleased when he denied that being the case. With this new knowledge, this new change, those new feelings, she raised her eyes to meet his again.
He was still watching her, his violet eyes were filled with emotions and focused with intense attention on her.
She felt sad and was still nervous to speak her feelings, but did it anyway. "I don't know if it's possible, since Yona is your master, but I want you to stay with me. I care about you, Jae-ha." Her voice broke and her lips trembled, tears sprang to her eyes and overflowed, falling down her cheeks. She didn't know exactly why she was crying. Was it because she realized her feelings? Or because she realized that he could not be with her? She just kept becoming more and more pitiful.
His eyes widened and his lips parted.
"I know I'm weak, and have a lot to learn. And you may not want me because of my leg. But I want you. And I want you to stay." She sobbed, raising her hands to her face to wipe away the tears. "But I also know you can't be imprisoned, and I don't want to be what chains you to the ground. You need to be free, Jae-ha, and I know that."
She couldn't stop crying, and laughed a little through the tears at that fact.
Jae-ha's P.O.V.
Jae-ha was shocked at her confession, and even more surprised that she started crying and sharing her thoughts and insecurities. He was happy she trusted him enough to talk with him about such things. He wanted to stay with her too, but was torn because he needed to follow Yona, that fact would never change, not for as long as he lived. But he wanted and needed Rensa too, he cared about her as well, possibly deeper than she felt. The need to find her, to make sure she was safe after she had been taken, was intense. He had been willing to do anything to bring her back.
She continued speaking, still sharing her thoughts and doubts. "I envy you, Jae-ha." She whispered like she was hesitant to speak, but wanted her thoughts to be known. "I didn't want to tell you, jealousy is an ugly emotion, but it's the truth." She wiped tears away only for them to be replaced by more. It saddened him to see her crying.
"Why?" He asked softly, though he guessed that he already knew the answer. He had what she didn't. He could understand why that upset her.
"You have the opportunity to see sights I'll never get to see in my lifetime. That power you have is a blessing. I hope you never take it for granted." She spoke the feelings he already knew to be true.
He knew she had come a long way since they had met. She was now full of confidence, willingness to accept help and love from others, and a desire to live. He liked watching her learn how to look up from the ground. "I'm not leaving yet. Please don't be sad." He murmured, reaching for her shoulders and pulling her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.
"Yet… still means you're going to eventually." She sniffed.
He laughed quietly, a little painfully, because she was right, and he didn't know what to do when that time came.
He had a feeling telling him to do something. "Would you like to see the world Rensa?" He asked suddenly.
She pulled away to stare at him, her eyes tightened, filling with confusion, and maybe a little pain. "You know I can't. I can never leave this village, I'll never survive on my own. And I can't go with you and the others, I would only be a burden." She said softly, dropping her gaze once again. She always did when she was emotional and feeling like a burden.
"That's not what I meant." Jae-ha's arms tightened around her..
"What do you mean then?" She asked, not lifting her eyes.
"You are held captive to the ground. I will be the one to set you free." She gasped as Jae-ha hoisted her up like her weight was nothing to him. A few steps away from the doorway brought him out into the open with a clear view of the sky.
Bracing his legs against the ground he launched into the air. The wind was cool against their skin though the day was bright and warm, as they flew high into the sky. The wind dried her tears, and she could not keep the smile from her face as she gazed in wonder out over the vast mountains and forests surrounding her village, and her home, looking so small and insignificant from so high above, though it was still home, and it was hers. She crowed a laugh of pure joy.
She did not see the violet eyes that were on her, taking in her beauty as the wind whipped her hair around. Her clear blue eyes were bright with exhilaration and the truest smile he had ever witnessed rested on her lips.
He said her name, though it was carried away with the wind. She turned her head to look at him, the smile becoming a wide grin.
Jae-ha had never seen anything more beautiful than Rensa in that moment. He gathered her closer to his chest, capturing her mouth with his in a short, sweet kiss.
Her grin was still there after the kiss, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as they plummeted back towards the ground. Her long black hair whipped around them. He landed gracefully. She did not tense at all, he believed it was because she trusted him completely.
"It was beautiful up there, Jae-ha, thank you for showing me." She laughed, her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold wind and she was breathless. "Everytime I see the world you live in, it makes me want to stay with you." She said, recalling a little bit of the sadness, though joy was still the prominent emotion.
He chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere right now. So don't worry." He assured her.
She nodded and laughed too. "Alright."
He carried her back to her hut, placing her gently on her feet, she steadied herself against the doorframe again and watched him retrieve her crutch for her. "We've got work to do, right?"
"Yes we do. We still have a long way to go before the Harvest is done, and the weather keeps getting colder. We do not have much time left." She explained.
"I guess I have to work harder, don't I?" He said and they started walking side by side to the other side of the village where there were shouts from the people as they proceeded close to where the orchards met the town.
"You and me both." She sighed.