Days passed slowly for Minjun as he tried to pretend his thoughts weren’t elsewhere.  He wasn’t completely distracted, he knew, but flickers of light in his periphery became fleeing sprites and the musical chiming of the wind in the trees reminded him of the forest man who refused to be forgotten.  For the moment, it was easy enough to keep playing the recovering fool whenever Taecyeon or Nichkhun seemed to notice his distraction, but Minjun knew that defense would only last so long.  Nor did it really hold up around their wives…

                Whereas his friends were happy enough to about such a ‘condition’, both of the women went into badgering caretaker modes, much to Minjun’s dismay.  In Mrs. Horvejkul’s case, it gave her even more reason to dig about his past and try to figure out just why he wasn’t wed yet.  Obviously, he ‘needed’ a wife to help take care of him if this was how he was going to react to any little accident.  Of course, she would pull Nichkhun into the conversation at that point and comment on their vastly different recovery speeds until Minjun almost thought it might be worth it to admit he didn’t care.  Almost.  And at least Nichkhun would rescue him when it became obvious he was drowning…

                And in Mrs. Ok’s case, it meant additional hints and suggestions about her younger sister who fancied him and would be the perfect young woman to tend to his little ‘episodes’ as he was recovering.  It made him wish to escape even sooner.  And for longer periods of time.  But Minjun also knew that might well have the opposite effect in turn: they’d become even more overbearing in regards to his whereabouts.  Everyone would.

                Resignedly, he put up with the near stifling attention of his friends when courtesy demanded it and finally consoled himself with the decision that he would be returning to investigate the spring further the day after the next.  In the meantime, he would also continue practicing and perfecting, as much as he could anyway, the song he’d partially heard the first time.  His home was filled with marks and notes and little jotted messages of what he was trying to bring to life and he was just as excited to have a chance to actually play it as he was to get away from the village.

                Fall was just starting to set in and he would have more of an excuse to patrol before long as well.  Creatures got hungry when it started to turn cold and he would be needed to keep an eye on any errant predators stalking their livestock.  That wouldn’t be for a little while yet but that didn’t stop him from using it as an excuse to escape the village that much earlier.

                By the time he finally managed to carve out a whole day for patrolling, Fidget was more than ready to run too.  Minjun let him go, frolicking down the time worn trail as they returned to the familiar edge of the territory.  The green of the forest was just beginning to shift into shades of red and gold and orange.  Little patches showcased how things would be in a few week’s time and Minjun smiled, ignoring the morning chill as he got off his mount and walked him down the slope this time.  He felt bad about leaving his horse by himself at the top and the forest was almost as safe as the ridge, so far as he’d seen.  Maybe the forest man would react differently if he had the horse with him this time?

                “Easy boy,” Minjun soothed, keeping a firm hand on the reins under his horse’s chin as he ran a soothing hand over the soft nose.  He took a second to secure his sword to the saddle so it would be near at hand but not on him – the last time he’d worn it in the woods was still quite fresh in his mind.  Fidget whickered and shook his head, stamping in place while they lingered near the edge of the forest.  “Nothing’s gonna hurt you,” Minjun promised, rubbing under the overgrown forelock.  His horse butted him with his nose, nearly nudging him forward, and Minjun laughed.  “Come on then,” he grinned, carefully beginning to lead the way into the overgrowth.

                Fidget did not like the immediate change, dancing nervously as they got closer, but as soon as they cleared the edge of the tree line, he calmed down and plodded along behind Minjun with ease.  His rider quirked a brow at the shift in behavior but didn’t question it.  He’d take whatever small blessings he could, to be honest.

                Like before, the wind played a serenade in the trees, musical notes fluttering between the leaves while the birds and insects added their unique sounds to the choir.  It made Minjun want to join in but he held his tongue, straining to hear a different song instead.  He felt at his hip to make sure he had the small panpipe attached and continued forward with a determined smile.  It wasn’t much but it would let him play the song he’d heard the first time he’d seen the other man.  Minjun was kind of hoping it would give them some sort of common ground, if nothing else.

                Picking his way carefully, the spring appeared before Minjun like it had before: almost magical in this setting.  “Hmm,” he hummed, not entirely surprised when he didn’t notice the other man immediately.  He hadn’t really expected it to be honest.  “Behave,” he commanded Fidget as he dropped the reins on the ground, giving him room to nibble and drink at his leisure.  Fidget ignored him and promptly started to eat the lush greenery at the edge of the spring, stomping his feet and swatting at imaginary flies, as per usual.  “Ungrateful beast,” Minjun chuckled, sniffing once as he turned his attention back to the surroundings.

                It looked almost the exact same as the previous time.  The waterfall was still giving off a faint misty rainbow, the waters were a sapphire blue, and the small cave-like opening continued to beckon on the other side of the shore.  Looking around warily, Minjun tried to make sure those bloody sprites weren’t around.  They were the ones that had managed to land him in the water the first time anyway.  He didn’t see them but doubted very much that meant they weren’t there.  The little things were ridiculously fast…

                Gathering his courage though, he carefully made his way around the edge, keeping enough distance that he shouldn’t slip in like last time if they did show up.  It felt almost like a trap really.  He half-expected something to show up the closer he got to the opening which proved to be larger than he had thought upon first glance.  There would be more than enough room for him to step inside if he wanted to.  And while every curious bone in his body wanted to take that step inside, something made him pause at the edge.

                What if the other man was inside?  What if he wasn’t supposed to be in there?  What if there was some kind of magic or something?

                While he was musing, Minjun inhaled softly when a familiar sound hummed nearby.  Glancing to the top of the opening, he flinched when he noticed the two little sprites squatting as if they’d been there the whole time.  “You’re back!” he gasped, staring at them as if they might disappear if he blinked.  He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else, but they beat him to it.

                “You’re a strange one, human,” the shorter of the two spoke, expression intense and brow furrowed under his blonde hair.  It seemed as if he was trying to puzzle something out with little success.

                “Or daft,” the second one shrugged, his facial features calmer in comparison to his companion.  They looked similar in color and both had what looked like dragonfly wings on their s – that explained the humming sound – but his nose was more prominent and he didn’t look like he frowned as much.  Maybe.

                “He did hit his head pretty hard the first time,” the first sprite agreed with a knowing nod, tapping his bottom lip with one finger.

                Neither spoke as if Minjun was paying any attention and that bothered him.  “No thanks to you,” he muttered, wondering at the situation that would have him even talking to what he assumed were sprites.

                “You’re the one that fell,” the first retorted smartly, crossing his arms over his chest.

                “Because you pushed me,” Minjun muttered crossly, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

                “No I didn’t,” he snapped back, wings fluttering once in agitation.

                “Actually, you pulled his-” the other started to speak before a glare silenced him.  He fell quiet and shrugged with a neutral expression.

                “What are you doing here, human?!” the smaller one snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at Minjun with an imperious look on his face.

                Once again, the situation was almost comical and Minjun struggled not to laugh.  He doubted that would help him in that moment, but he still didn’t have much of a good answer.  Glaring mildly at the little men, he scratched the back of his head, looked over at Fidget who was pretending as if none of them existed, and then focused on the figures again.  “I came to see him,” he finally admitted, knowing that sounded odd and vague and not sure what they would do about it.

                Immediately, both creatures stood up and pulled their swords out, tiny tips pointing at Minjun intently.  “Why?” was the dual response, bright brown eyes narrowed suspiciously.

                Minjun did snort then.  He couldn’t help it.  As figured, it made them glare harder.  “I’m curious,” he explained, biting his bottom lip.  “It’s kind of hard not to be,” he added with a shrug and a glance towards the water.  They followed his gaze and then looked at each other with wry twists to their mouths.  “Why did he save me?” he wondered aloud, clearly confused by that.

                “You think he’d want your rotting corpse fouling up the spring?” the shorter creature scoffed with an amused laugh.

                While that made sense as soon as he said it, Minjun wrinkled his nose and frowned at the little man.  “Why didn’t he kill me?”

                Another scoff followed.  “And have your dirty blood staining the ground around the spring?”

                Again, Minjun wrinkled his nose and leveled a glare at the pair.  “What is he?”

                “We’re sprites,” he answered immediately, ignoring Minjun’s question.

                “I kind of guessed that…” Minjun mumbled with a slight frown, wondering at the sense of having a conversation with creatures that were supposed to be dangerous – or mere stories made up to keep people out of the forest.  He was pretty sure it was the former.

                “Feh!  How do you know what we are and not know what he is?!” the shorter one scowled, his expression calming slightly when the taller of the two pat him on the head in a soothing gesture.

                “You fit all the stories,” Minjun laughed once, pointing his finger at the shorter one.  “Small, big mouthed, and troublesome enough to have caused me as much grief as one could expect from something like you.”

                “Ugh!” the littler one flailed, waving his sword at Minjun threateningly.  “And you’re nothing but a big, bumbling, smelly human!”

                Minjun’s mouth partially dropped open, confused about how to respond, but then a gentle laugh made all three of them look towards the spring.  Minjun’s eyes widened and he couldn’t help but stare as he saw the man from the other day calmly rising – literally rising – from the water to stand on the bank.  “It’s not often I hear Junho riled so easily,” the stranger smiled, keeping his distance, though he let his gaze travel between all three of them seamlessly.

                “I’m not riled!” Junho defended himself immediately, stuffing his sword back into the scabbard and crossing his arms over his chest with a glare at Minjun again.

                “It’s okay,” his companion promised, patting his shoulder this time, further deflating Junho’s ire.

                “Hi…” Minjun finally managed to whisper, all other thoughts simply falling from his mind.  The stranger was even more beautiful when he wasn’t looming over him with the silent promise of death if he so chose.  Standing in the rising sunlight, his partially see through wings glowed a light blue color as they cascaded down his back in silken folds.  Water on his mostly bare, incredibly toned body glistened and though his face was not smiling at Minjun, the hint of amusement on his lips took away almost all of the potential threat from his features.

                “You came back.”  There was no question there.  It was merely a statement of fact.  One that he was obviously unsure about.

                Once again, words refused to help Minjun and he didn’t know how to answer the silent ‘Why?’  He knew he must have overheard them but apparently he was looking for something else.  Something that Minjun didn’t know the answer to yet.  So as the words refused to come again, he fumbled at his waist without breaking eye contact  The stranger watched him intently, obviously ready to react if needed, but he waited as he saw Minjun freeing the instrument there.  Eyes widened slightly in recognition of what it was and his head tilted to the side just a bit, the barest sign of curiosity.  Minjun placed the panpipe to his lips and closed his eyes as he blew into the holes, recalling the music he’d first heard that day.

                He didn’t see the way the stranger’s eyes blinked in surprise.  Nor the way his mouth partially dropped open as he exchanged glances with the sprites.  He also missed the subtle relaxation in the tense frames as the trio settled in to listen, hesitant but intrigued and reluctantly delighted.  Light and airy, lacking the soothing charm of water, the wind instrument still managed to mimic and compliment the original sound, teasing the notes into existence between them.  Minjun let the memory and the sound play through him, a mere conduit to the essence of the music that had been plaguing him.  Only it was slightly changed.  He did not know the whole song and so had to improvise with his own; not to mention his fingers were unsure of the notes, having not practiced it yet.

                And when he was finished, he sagged and let the instrument fall to his waist, feeling very much as if he’d run to his village and back.  Eyes fluttered open reluctantly and then stared as he met the stranger’s intense gaze.  Almost breathless, Minjun waited for a response, every nerve alight with energy and tension.

                “Where did you learn that?” he asked in a mere whisper, expression dangerously guarded.

                Minjun swallowed, his fingers tightening on the instrument.  “From you.”  Surprise flickered and then came suspicion.  “The first time I saw you,” Minjun hurried to explain, one hand raised.  He his lips nervously and continued, “I heard you singing and that was why I came into the forest.”

                “You heard me one time?” he murmured in confusion, head tilting to the side in the most adorable manner.

                It was a struggle not to smile at the action, but Minjun schooled his features into neutrality for fear of disrupting whatever connection they’d made in that moment.  “Yes,” he confirmed, chewing on his bottom lip again.  “Only I didn’t hear all of it so didn’t know how to finish it.  I had to add on as best I could,” he admitted with a hesitant shrug.

                The stranger looked at the sprites and they shrugged in response.  It looked as if they were leaving the reaction up to him.  He straightened himself up and looked at Minjun with interest.  “The last time I asked, you did not know.  Do you now have an answer for why you came back?”

                Minjun hesitated for only a second before he swallowed and nodded.  “I wanted to know more about you.”

                That earned an amused smile from the stranger.  “And what do you think I am?” he asked in gentle amusement.

                “The most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”  Minjun only realized what he’d said after the words left his mouth and he clapped his hand over his lips in rising embarrassment.  It was true but he’d never meant to say it out loud…  Flinching preemptively, he waited for the disgust and condemnation to appear, but it never did.

                Both the sprites giggled in sheer delight and even the stranger laughed lightly.  “I am a water spirit after all,” he confirmed, as if that somehow explained everything and it was the most normal statement in the world.

                “Then why didn’t you kill me the first time we met?!” Minjun blurted, clapping his hand over his mouth again when he couldn’t believed he’d just asked that.

                Another delighted laugh followed that outburst.  “Didn’t you hear their answers?” he nodded at the sprites who were grinning smugly at Minjun’s discomfit.

                “I did,” he started hesitantly, wary of what his mouth might say next.  “But I thought…”

                “Not all rumors are true,” the water spirit promised with a coy smile and deep, sparkling eyes.

                “So… you don’t just kill people that trespass in the forest?” Minjun confirmed slowly.

                “I don’t,” the other man nodded once.

                “But…” Minjun hinted, hearing the unspoken tone in the response.

                “Not all rumors are false.”

                That sent a shiver up Minjun’s spine and it showed.  “Hah!  Afraid are you?” Junho asked with a satisfied nod, apparently pleased by the reaction.

                “A little,” Minjun admitted with a hesitant nod, the familiar coiling of fear winding in his belly when he recalled how easily the water spirit would be able to kill him if he wanted.

                “That is a good reaction,” the other sprite smiled in agreement as he nodded at the water spirit.

                “I would be more concerned if you weren’t a little afraid, human,” the spirit smiled with the hint of laughter in his voice.

                “Minjun,” he automatically responded, tiring of hearing himself called that.  “My name,” he clarified with a shrug, lips pursing slightly after.

                The spirit tilted his head in confirmation and sniffed, still slightly on guard.  He glanced at the sprites and then back at Minjun, quirking his mouth to the side as if he was thinking about something.  “You said you were curious,” he offered with a raise of his hand.

                “Woo!” Junho hissed in mild worry, fluttering down to the water spirit’s shoulder.

                “What?” he asked in honest confusion, the expression easy enough for Minjun to read.

                “Remember what happened last time?” he warned in a hushed whisper, trying to be quiet but still more than loud enough to be overheard.

                “I’m not him,” the spirit shook his head as he reminded his companion.

                “And this one likes you,” the other sprite nodded, taking the other empty shoulder.

                “That’s beside the point,” Junho grumbled, arms crossing his chest again.

                “But you saw how much he was looking that time he was being carried,” the taller sprite laughed, gesturing between the two.  Minjun flushed at the implication, knowing exactly what his field of vision would have seen.

                “He was nearly unconscious,” the spirit laughed with a bemused glance between the two.

                “Still…” Junho huffed, relaxing his arms with a resigned expression of defeat.

                Fascinated by the exchange, Minjun was content to watch the way the three interacted.  He enjoyed how the sun turned the droplets in the spirit’s hair into a field of sparkling gems; he very much enjoyed the sound of his voice as he spoke to the sprites; and he truly enjoyed having an unobstructed view of the other’s figure.  Nor did he seem to mind being stared at.  Abruptly though, he realized the others were looking back at him, apparently amused by his expression.  Oh god…  Was he leering?  Biting his lip?  Dumbstruck?

                “He does like you,” Junho outright laughed with a knowing look at the spirit.

                In response, the other shrugged as if he expected it and took a tiny step closer.  “You’re obviously not like most villagers,” he admitted, the hint of curiosity evident in his tone.  Minjun shook his head in silent response.  “And you’re apparently intent upon not listening to me when I tell you to go away.”  A sheepish smile and a half-hearted shrug followed that statement.  “What are you curious about, Minjun?” he asked softly, a world of possibility and answers lingering in his hooded eyes.

                “You,” he answered honestly.  And not just because the spirit really was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen.  He’d never seen a water spirit in the first place and all the stories and rumors only made him more interesting since he should have been forbidden.

                A wondrous smile appeared on the other man’s face and Minjun couldn’t help but sigh at the sight.  “What about me?” he asked in gentle amusement.

                “I don’t know,” Minjun admitted with a sheepish grin.  “What’s your name?  What does it mean to be a water spirit?  Why are you here?  There are so many questions, I barely know where to begin,” he explained in a rush, holding tight to the panpipe in his excitement.

                “Just like a human to not even know the simplest things,” the spirit chuckled softly, a smile pulling at his lips while he shook his head.  “I safeguard this spring, like those who came before me,” he explained, gesturing back at the waters behind him.  “The Mother’s energy is strong here,” he added, fingers playing through the air as if he was feeling something Minjun could not see.

                “Safeguard it from what?” Minjun asked, slightly frustrated the spirit didn’t give him a name.  But then he flushed when he received a knowing look and a raised brow from the other man.  “Oh,” he mouthed, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.  “For how long?” he wondered instead.

                The spirit shrugged fluidly, glancing at the sprites.  “I’m not actually sure,” he admitted with a pointed look at his companions.  “Junho and Chansung would know better than I,” he explained, apparently on uncertain ground himself.

                “It depends on the spirit,” Junho gestured emphatically.  “Your predecessor was here for nearly five decades.  You may stay longer or shorter.  Youngling that you are,” he snorted, shaking his finger at the spirit like a parent teasing a child.

                “It’s his first post,” Chansung whispered from behind his hand with a mischievous smile tugging at his mouth.

                “Channie,” Junho hissed with a frown at him, leaning forward so he could see around the spirit’s face.

                “They’re my advisors and my lookouts,” he admitted with an accepting shrug.  “Not that they’re all that proficient at the latter,” he teased back with narrowed eyes.  Junho pointed at Chansung in silent accusation and Chansung shrugged.

                Minjun laughed softly at the exchange.  They kind of reminded him of his own friends back in the village.  A little bit anyway.  “So you’re Junho,” he pointed at the shorter sprite.  “And you’re Chansung.”  His finger moved to the other sprite before swinging to point at the spirit.  “And what do I call you?” he asked, hopeful curiosity written plainly on his face.

                The spirit’s smile turned coy again and he gestured at the panpipe in Minjun’s hands.  “Play me the song again and maybe I’ll tell you.”

                “Woo,” Junho murmured with a hint of seriousness returning.  The spirit raised his hand to forestall any other words and simply watched Minjun.

                “Alright,” he murmured after biting his bottom lip.  “I’ll try,” he agreed with a nod.  Taking a breath, Minjun raised the instrument to his lips again but this time, he kept his eyes on the water spirit.  Light and airy, the notes emerged, floating through the air with more grace and ease this time.  Less nervous and more secure in his position, Minjun coaxed the song to life once more.  And he was filled with wonderment at the change in the trio before him.  It was almost as if the song itself had a sort of power that he could not feel, but they could.  Despite him being unable to feel what they did, as peace and joy slid over their features, Minjun himself fell into the lullaby of the sound and he couldn’t quite stop from closing his eyes.

                The sound of water shifting over the gentle roar of the waterfall made him open his eyes with a start.  Abruptly, Minjun stopped playing when he saw the spirit and the sprites were gone, missing as if they’d never been there at all.  Fidget was still nearby, contentedly chewing on grass at a slow, lazy pace, but there was no one else there.  “Water spirit?” he asked in disappointed confusion, brow furrowed and heart heavy.

                Water splashed again in the spring and his gaze dropped to the middle of the blue water.  Peering just above the surface, the other man was smiling at him with a playful look in his sapphire eyes.  “Wooyoung,” he murmured, lifting his mouth above the water to speak.  “That is my name,” he admitted before ducking under and disappearing smoothly.

                Unable to stop himself, Minjun hurried to the edge and peered within, intently trying to catch a glimpse of the water spirit, but it was to no avail.  For all intents and purposes, he had vanished.  But he hadn’t left Minjun with nothing this time.  “Wooyoung,” he smiled, trying the name on his lips and enjoying the way it felt on his tongue.  “It suits you,” he acknowledged to the spring, nodding once before he shifted over to Fidget.

                The water spirit hadn’t said as much but it was as clear a dismissal as he could infer and Minjun figured he wouldn’t get much more out of the spirit today.  But there was always later.  And since Wooyoung hadn’t told him to go away, he figured that was also as much of an invitation as he was going to get from the other man.  That was enough for him.  Satisfied with his visit, Minjun took one final look at the spring and then gathered Fidget’s reins up so he could lead them back out of the forest.

                “I’ll be back, Wooyoung,” he called over his shoulder before he’d gotten very far.  “Count on it!”