Mi Yeung kept looking out the front window, waiting for him, even though he had called earlier saying he was going to be late. He has been quite busy these past few days. And when he told her about his schedule, he didn't elaborate but it had something to do with the new mission he's been assigned. She was anxious when she heard, prying him with questions about how dangerous this mission might be or if he will need to be deployed elsewhere. Jung Hwa was quick to put her anxieties to rest, telling her it's all research based at the moment and the chances of him being deployed are minimal, but he may have to travel here and there to follow up on leads. He assured her that he is nowhere near any threats.

When she told him she will go wherever he needs to go, his face broke into a huge grin. He had been helping her fold the laundry, such a menial daunting task, but he dropped the clothes aside and went to stand behind her instead, putting his arms around her waist and nuzzled her hair, even dropping kisses on her neck and shoulders. She couldn't contain her giggles; these simple gestures never fail to evoke such a thrilling romantic excitement in her, making her bashful but not at all averse to receiving his affection. He was just too irresistable, especially when he's being very affectionate.

Because he has been busy, he's taken to bringing her out some evening for "dates." They've driven around the countryside, roamed the bordering cities, sometimes even just walked around the parks in town. She was the happiest during these excusions; even though the weather has turned cold, she enjoyed being out with him to see the sights, and sometimes they would even have cozy dinners out. Tonight was one of those date nights. Since he ran late, he had asked her to have her dinner already so that they can just drive to wherever he planned for them to go. "Please pack us hot drinks; we'll be outside," he'd said.

She saw his car pull up the driveway and rushed out to meet him, grabbing the thermos bag she had set aside earlier.

"Are you ready?" he said walking up to meet her. He dropped a quick kiss on her lips. She was wearing a thick coat, with a matching chunky beanie cap and gloves. Her cheeks have a natural rosy flush, lending a vibrant glow to her whole demeanor.

She nodded, as he fixed her cap to cover her ears better. "I'm sorry I'm late and couldn't do dinner as we planned. You had eaten, right?" He asked.

"Yes. I wasn't that hungry but I ate. Did you?" She looked up at him. He had on his standard fatigues with military issued jacket and head gear. The cold has also made his cheeks ruddy and the tips of his elfin ears red. She reached up to warm them with her mittened hands. Mi Yeung couldn't help but gaze at him admiringly. He looked so impossibly handsome, much more so when he's in uniform.

He must have sensed something in her gaze, because he took a step forward to block her from the streets before dropping his head for a more generous kiss. After a bit, she heard him murmur, "If you keep looking at me like that, we might as well just stay home."

Mi Yeung bit her lips and laughed a bit breathlessly, "No, you promised me a special date tonight."

He tapped her nose and grabbed her hand. "C'mon then, before it gets too dark."

He drove some miles until they reached Odaesan Park. Instead of entering the actual park campgrounds, he skirted the main road, taking the turn-off onto a less driven path, ascending the curving hillside until they reach a ridge overlooking the valleys below. Odaesan Mountain with its five mountaintops sits further up behind them to the left and from their perch they can look down and see the tops of several Buddhist temples scattered along the various valleys and plains along the mountain range. 

Jung Hwa parked the car and helped her out. He opened the truck bed and spread several thick blankets on it. He jumped down to lift her up into the truck and then swung back in to join her.

It has gotten dark by the time they reached Odaesan; only the few lamplights dotting the mountain ridges providing illumination, making their vantage point perfect for looking up at the skies. She had poured them some tea from the thermos she had brought, to ward off the coolness from being higher up in the mountains. Thank goodness it hasn't been snowing and there was no wind to add to the chill.

Mi Yeung handed a cup to Jung Hwa, and they sat leaning on the truck panel to look up at the sky. 

"This is so beautiful. I miss seeing the stars." Mi Yeung said. 

"Wait a little longer and  you'll have a surprise."

"What surprise, Jung Hwa? Will there be shooting stars? I still remember the lessons on constellations you gave me. Will Perseus and Andromeda be more visible?

"No we're facing more west, it'll be harder to see the two lovers. But there's suppose to be a supermoon tonight and it should be visible in another hour. "Are you warm enough?" He moved to set his cup down and gather her closer to him, tucking the blankets around her to keep the chill away.

"It's ok, I don't mind the cold weather when the wind isn't blowing," she said shivering. She snuggled closer to him, letting his warmth envelope her under the blankets.

"Look there, the clouds are parting now and you can see the how bright the sky has become. The supermoon should be visible soon when it hits it's perigee (the point when the moon's orbit is nearest the earth)."

Sure enough, they can see the clouds gliding across, letting them see the top of the supermoon as it slowly revealed itself in the night sky.

"Ooh, look! It's right there; look how bright it is!" Mi Yeung exclaimed. From their vantage point, the supermoon appeared huge, as if it was taking up the full expanse of the sky.

"I've never seen the moon this close before," she said. "It's gorgeous."

"This is the last full moon of the year, when she happened to be nearest to the earth. You can see how beautiful she is even in the dark, even when she's hidden by all the clouds that get in her way. Her beauty still shines through. "

Something in his voice and how he answered made her look up at him. And she saw his eyes had never even left her all this time. And for awhile, the supermoon even in her glory lay forgotten; even she could not compete with them in holding their attention from each other. 

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Mi Yeung pushed her glasses up her nose; she's unconsciously scrunching her face and worrying her lip as she started typing, then deleting and then retyping into her laptop. She had parked herself at the round dining table, with her tea on one side, a pencil and notepad on the other. The laptop was hers, a gift from Jung Hwa the other day. She was excited to have one of her own finally; back then, she was used to spending time in the libary to access the public computer in Yangkusan when she had free time, which was not very frequent. So when Jung Hwa came home with a laptop, telling her it's hers, she had jumped into his arms in joy. He even apologized for not getting the newest model as he didn't have time to get one from the electronic store. He told her this was one of the laptops set aside for civilian use and had been wiped clean by the agency. They routinely upgarde and the old models go through rigorous resets and internal rechecks to make sure no compromising data had been left.

Mi Yeung was perfectly content to have this laptop; she didn't care one bit that it wasn't the latest model. It is functional and it is hers. She was ecstatic.  

"Really, it's mine?" her face was glowing with happiness. Jung Hwa felt bad that such a second hand thing would make her feel so grateful and happy.

"Don't be silly," she said, as she hugged him yet again, "it's perfect because you gave it to me and it's mine. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She hugged him tight and jumped on tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. 

"You're welcome," as his arms skated around her waist not quite ready to let her go. She bit back a smile and brought her arms up around his neck, knowing he wanted a proper kiss. He really deserves a kiss, she thought, giving herself that excuse to give in to his kisses.

She's been enjoying his affections. In the privacy of their home, he is constantly reaching for her, touching her hair, her hand, hugging her as if he needed a constant physical reminder she's there. And his kisses...his kisses make her feel breathless, and boneless, and ...completely senseless. He's been very patient with her, not expecting anything in return, while she had been the one feeling affected, it seems. The thought of it made her blush in embarrassment. She's not naive, however innocent she may still be, she has an inkling of the physical response he's been so good at eliciting. And that's just from his kisses alone. Omo. She thought back on their last date, the night under the supermoon which she barely recalls now, since all they did was spend the time kissing. She shook her head as the thoughts only brought her endless distractions.  

She started getting ansty, unused as she is sitting on her hands doing nothing after all those years of constantly working and being engaged in something or the other. Leisure does not sit well with her, so she had told Jung Hwa she wanted to start looking for a teaching job. Ever supportive, he guided her to complete a form online which would advertise her availability and give her an idea of potential clients needing her services. But she is feeling dismayed seeing her accomplishments on display. Or lack thereof, she sighed in frustration. This is what happens when a good portion of your life is stuck in a war torn island. I have nothing to show but that little stint of teaching in the church school. She felt her frustration grow and wondered out loud how much more nondescriptive descriptions could she tack onto her resume to add more padding to her meager achievements. Ottokaji... she wailed internally.

Jung Hwa came into the room finding her looking glum. Her arms were sprawled in front of her laptop on the dining table with her head lying on the side.

"Are you all right, Mi Yeung?" he asked concernedly. He sat next to her and reached to move the hair that has fallen covering her face. "Why are you frowning?"

"Because..." she gestured to her laptop and hid her face in her arms. 

Jung Hwa turned the laptop towards him and read her form. "It sounds like a perfectly fine start, Mi Yeung." He turned to her as she mumbled something incoherently in her arms. "Tell me," moving her head to face him. She raised her eyes and pouted at him.

"I have nothing to show." 

"What do you mean? You have plenty to write about." He began ticking them off his fingers. "You were a counsellor to the older kids, a tutor, a mentor; you were a caregiver to the younger ones, an art teacher, a mediator for the parents, a coordinator. You can even tell them you are a health coach. You have all these things that you did."

"But that's what a teacher is. I can't enumerate all that, can I?"

"Of course you can. You did all of those. It's not embellishment, it's promoting your accomplishments, my Mi Yeung-ie."

"You really think so?" she turned hopeful eyes on him.

"Yes, I do. I even know for a fact that this is all formality. You will have a job because there's a few officers who approached me already asking when you're starting," he grinned at her.

"Really? You're not making it up? You're not pulling any strings for me, are you? I want to get my job on my own merit."

"Of course you will. I didn't do anything but asked if there's a need."

"Thank you," she said with a lovely smile, "why don't you wash up and I'll have lunch ready when you come back."

He grinned as he pushed himself off the table. He had no need to come home for lunch as the barracks mess hall is more than capable of providing meals. But for those moments that he can, he enjoyed coming home to see her. He knew once she starts working and geting busy, he wouldn't have this oportunity anymore, so while he can, he was glad to come home and spend time with  her.

She was setting down a lovely assortment of food on the table, when he walked back into the room. His steps faltered seeing her. She was sitting down earlier and he had not noticed, but Mi Yeung was wearing his old shirts, pairing it with leggings and socks. It was far too big for her small frame, the hem of it falling past her thighs but she had rolled the sleeve up, and added a braided cloth belt to cinch it around her waist. Wisps of hair had come undone from her ponytail and fell framing her face. She looked so lovely, no, much lovelier wearing his shirt. He stood stock-still just watching her. 

She must have felt his gaze for she stopped and looked at him. "Y-you're staring," then realized something. "You don't mind I'm using the old shirts you were planning to donate, do you? They are perfectly good shirts I can wear here at ho-m-e--"

His stride was purposeful, bringing him directly to where she stood, catching her off guard until he backed her into the wall as he swallowed the rest of her words with a kiss. It was unlike any of their previous kisses. This one was not tentative nor timid at the onset; this kiss was a claiming, a declaration of his intent. He kissed her with a hunger he's never shown her before, his mouth stealing the breath from her lungs as if he needed the very air she breathes. His hands gripped her waist tight, bringing her flush to him as if he could not bear to let an inch of space get in between them. When he finally let her break free, their breaths seem loud in the stillness of the room.

"J-jung Hwa," she whispered with lips bruised and swollen from his kisses. "I...We should..the food is getting cold..."

It was with an effort he held himself back, when all he wanted was to possess her right now. He bent his head to kiss her a little more slowly, a little more gently, as he tried to calm the thrumming of their hearts and slow their breaths down. 

"I will not ask for something you're not ready to give, Mi Yeung..." he whispered huskily in her ears. "but when you are..." he bent to give her one last searing kiss, stealing her breath once more, as she clung to him for her dear life, until he finally let her go.

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credit second supermoon walesonline.co.uk