Jessica could felt the head was spinning around; while the dizziness seemed couldn’t compromise anymore as she began to felt some cold sweat in her neck and forehead that she was believing it’s not due to either the room temperature nor the tension atmosphere in this surgery room. In front of her, a patient under general anasthesia was laying on the bed.

            “Are you ok, Doc?” one of her assistant yanked her from the her reverie, as she was witnessing her docter looked unhealthy.

            “I’m fine,” Jessica answered, forced a smile. While the other doctor in that room took a look at her for a moment, but remaining silence as they were still concentrating on the patient.

            “Hold on, Jessi, we’re almost done,” her partner was encouraging her.

            Jessica was nodding her head and smiling, but of course nobody could saw it, since was covered by a green surgery mask. Jessica took some sponge gelatin with pinset and put it into the patient socket to stop the bleeding.

            “Let me do hecting by myself, Jessi, you should get rest,” her partner offered.

            “Ummm, are you sure?”

            “Of course, it was almost accomplished; only hecting left,” she was assuring.

            “Ok, sorry I couldn’t stay,” Jessica replied, guilty.

            “Ahhh, it’s nothing. You know, you also can do it alone, huh,” the partner said. “Please take a rest, you looked pale. I thought you’re fatigue.”

            “Ok, I’m leaving. Thank you,” Jessica said and left the surgery room.

            Jessica just felt her body was getting worse. She also could felt the sweat was released too much, now everywhere around her body. She just walked in a fast pace, trying to reach her room in that hospital, as she thought she would never could reach home by driving in this condition.

            All I need to do is rest – Jessica spoke to herself, as she reached the room.

            She was about to lay down on the bed when she felt her head very very heavy and she couldn’t hold it anymore. And then all she could saw was only the darkness.

 

 

 

            Jessica was opening her eyes slowly, as she heard some chaotic sounds all over the place. But she just couldn’t open her eyes too wide due to the sunlight, striking directly to her place. She was still laying down, didn’t really understand what was happening. The last thing she could remember was she got a masive headache and she was about to lay down on her bed, and then... She just felt the darkness. Jessica was touching her head, giving a little massage in the back part, around crown of her head, crumpled in pain when she touched a spot that she was believing that it must be bruised.

            Then, just in second, she just realized that she wasn’t on her room any longer, the more terrible part was, she even didn’t recognize this place. All the view she could saw now was only very very large field, where she didn’t sure could found the boundaries. And because of that, suddenly she was getting frantic, as she was surrounded by a dreadful strange atmosphere that she really didn’t have any idea about it.

            She didn’t have any time to muse it, when a dart which was released with a flash speed was pointing to her direction. All the things she was able to do only squinting her eyes and screaming, but she never felt the dart touch her smooth skin, as someone heavy pushing her away, making her rolling in the ground, hence saving her live; while she just felt already dead.

           “What the hell are you doing here?? Don’t you love your live?”

            A sound with hard tone was yelling at her. Jessica slowly opened her eyes, want to know the voice owner, that no other than her savior.

            “Uuhm.. where I am?” Jessica was stuttering, and the man with steel war mask covered his face, was looking at her now. Jessica could felt a deep staring from the man, and it made her shivering.

            “What’s your name?” the man was asking, ignoring Jessica’s question.

            The man was scrutinizing at her and it absolutely didn’t make her comfortable; but she didn’t have any courage to do anything.

            “J-jes-sica,” Jessica was stuttering again. Now, she could she the eyes – the only thing she could saw from the man, turning became a queried eyes.

            “What kind of name is that?” the man was muttering. “Don’t you dare kidding at me, huh?” the man asked, in a raising tone.

            “I wasn’t kidding!” Jessica replied. “Listen... It was really weird and unbelievable, but I really didn’t know where I am. So would you tell me where I am and what was happening there?” Jessica collected all of her courage to shout toward the man.

            She could felt the man was frowning, maybe tried to believe her.

            “Actually I also felt the same,” the man finally admitted. “Seems you... you aren’t from our era...”

             “WHAT?”

            “Umm.. Sorry, can you tell me your name again? I couldn’t remember it. It’s difficult to spell and remember,” the man said, her tone wasn’t high anymore.

            “Um, forget it. Call me Soo Yeon,” Jessica said. The man nodded in agremeent.

            “Nahhh, that’s better. Hmmm, actually... you were trapped in the middle of war,” the man said carefully.

            “W-what year it is?” Jessica asked.

            “It’s late 16th century, unfortunately. We faced a lot of rebellion and foreign invasion too. Anyway, we better leave this place. This place was really not safe,” the man helped Jessica to stand up, and towing her to follow.

            Jessica just didn’t scare anymore toward this man, as she felt the man was a kind and gentle soldier.

            “You can riding horse?” the man asked, as they stopped in a savana. The man didn’t wait Jessica response, as he began to ride the horse. “Come on, climb in,” he ordered.

            Realizing that she didn’t have any choice, she was climbing onto the horse with all of her mighty, sit behind the man. She could felt the hard material covered the man body and of course it was an uncomfortable experience.

            “Um, may I wrapped my arm around your... waist?”

            “Just do it!” the man cut off as he begin to stamp his house.

 

 

           Finally they reached a place, that Jessica thought it was a village, a safe village, where everybody seemed know this man better, as they greeted the man respectfully when the man passed them.

            Ugh, I thought, this man was an important figure... He must play an important role. I was curious, who he was.

            The man stopped her horse in front of a big house, where many people was gathering there. He helped Jessica got out from the horse and signaling her to follow.

            “This is my house. At least it is more safe than outside,” he said.

            “Ummm... t-thank you, anyway... can I get your name? Or what should I call you?”

            “Call me Yuri,” the main replied, briefly.

            “Yuri?” Jessica was repeating, as she wasn’t sure. The man took of her mask, revealing his face, and Jessica was getting shock by what she was witnessing.

            OMO, it is a GIRL!

And this girl is probably in the same age with me.

I just didn’t expect it, because I couldn’t hear her voice clearly behind the mask. Moreover, who will guess this brave soldier was a... beautiful girl?

Yes, she is beautiful; even though her eyes kept smoldering and her dark brown eyebrows was so bold, it couldn’t deny the fact that she’s sweet. But she just wasn’t lucky, had to live in this kind of age, in the middle of war.

 

            “Why?” Yuri was asking, as she caught Jessica was staring at her.

            “I..I didn’t expect you’re a girl... and still young enough.”

            Yuri was laughing a little. “When it comes to war, we didn’t differentiate and age, Soo Yeon,” she answered.

            “Mmm, may you tell me a little, what’s happening here, who are you, or everything I supposed to know?” Jessica asked.

            Yuri was rolling her eyes.

            “I am the leader of those people,” Yuri said while pointing out some people around the house. “I replace my father since my father was killed in the middle of war,” Yuri continued, with a flat tone.

             “I was trained hard and well by my father, about war-art, sword-art, fight-art, and kind of thing like that. You know, everyday I have to run for 20 KM to increase my physic strenght; my father was really strict about it,” Yuri was smiling as she remembered her past childhood.

            “Oh, I’m sorry about your father and... your childhoold... it shouldn’t be like that...,” Jessica showed some symphaty.

            “Gwaenchana. We used to with that situation. We used to lost the person we love. We realized that it’s a consequence of war; however we just couldn’s stop struggle.”

            “What are you struggling for?”

            “Freedom,” Yuri answered. “The authority are too arbitrary. They forced people to work and give their harvest to them; people were sick and poor, and they just didn’t care about them at all. They consider people just like an animal, they didn’t respect any value of life,” Yuri was explaining.

            “So we don’t have any choice unless fight against them. Sooner or later we will die, right?”

            “D-don’t say thing like that... You made me afraid..,” Jessica was whispering. Actually she really didn’t like topic about death.

           “So... you’re the one who... fight against authorities??”

           “Unfortunately, yes. We’re considered as the rebellion people.”

           “Uhm... Yul..,” Jessica was calling.

            “I wonder... how can I back to my age...,” suddenly Jessica felt nervous.

            Yuri was frowning. “I... I also didn’t have any idea, Soo Yeon... But... don’t worry. Don’t worry, we will find that way. Until that, I will protect you. I promise you, no one won’t touch you for even a piece of your nail during I’m alive,” Yuri was promising.

            “Go-gomawo, Yul...,” Jessica suddenly felt relieved.

 

 

            “Ms. Kwon!!!” a man was yelling at Yuri.

            Suddenly Jessica and Yuri were turning around, facing the man, who expressed a panic face, with unstable breath.

            “Ahjussi! What’s happen?”

            “The... the goverment army is coming. We should escape now!”

            “How’s our people?” Yuri asked in worry tone.

This girl... is really tough and adorable. In the middle of chaos, she still thought about...their people?

            “I’ve announced them too.. Come Ms. Kwon, please be quick. And your friend.. she...”

            “I will take her with me, Ahjussi. Long story to tell,” Yuri cut off the sentences, then she grabbed Jessica’s wrist tightly. “Follow me, Soo Yeon. Try to never be separated from me,” Yuri said.

 

            Jessica could still heard sound of horse stamping on the ground as she’s running away from the soldiers along with Yuri now. Yuri was looking at Jessica in a concern gaze.

            “I’m sorry,” Yuri was mumbling.

            “Sorry for what?”

            “I don’t know... But you should not trapped in this situation. Ergh, otokke... How to send you back to your age,” Yuri was hard thinking. Spontaneously, Jessica was hugging Yuri, by wrapping her arm around Yuri’s back.

            “Gwaenchana... We’ll be find, Yul,” she was encouraging.

            “We can’t stop here, anyway... We should run away as far as we can,” Yuri said, tow Jessica’s wrist gently. While her right hand was gripping her sword tightly. Her eyes was glaring everywhere, as she had to be ready against sudden strike that may be emerged anytime. Unconsciously Yuri was speeding on her feet, breaking through the shrub, to increase the gap with the soldiers behind them.

             But as Jessica was not used to be in kind situation like this, she just couldn’t keep her balance anymore, ended up falling down in a muddy ground.

            “Ouch,” Jessica was grimacing, as she felt sudden pain in her ankle.

            “W-what happened?” Yuri asked, as she was kneeling to examine Jessica.

            “I-I thought my ankle was sprained...”

            “It must be hurt,” Yuri said. Jessica was squinting her eyes and nodded.

            “Mianhae, Yul... Mianhae... You... You have to keep running... I couldn’t run away anymore,” Jessica asked Yuri. Yuri was glaring an anger toward Jessica.

            “Don’t ever said thing like that again. I would never left you,” Yuri said. “Come on, I will help you up,” she said and strecthed Jessica arm and wrapped it on her neck to support.

            “Let’s walk carefully, step by step.”

            “Yul! You don’t have to do this!”

            “So what should I do? Just go away and leave you there, see you got killed by them???”

            “But Yul...both of us could be chased and killed...”

            “At least it will be better than I know you’ll be killed and I just can do nothing. I will never forgive myself if that happens!”

            Jessica was turning her face toward Yuri. She’s thinking for a while before releasing the question.

            “Why... Why you insist to save me? I was foreigner, Yul. You didn’t even know me.”

            “Indeed,” Yuri said. “Tell me how can save people be wrong?”

            “That’s not what I mean. I mean, why me – somebody you didn’t know for long, but seem you care enough about me...”

            “Let me ask you a question. If I were you, will you leave me?”

            Jessica was silent for a while before finally she shook her head.

            “Nah, you could answer it yourself then.”

            At a moment, Jessica felt couldn’t walk any longer. With a desperate tone and face, she was looking at Yuri.

           “Yul, please, this time listen to me... I felt couldn’t move my feet anymore. I couldn’t take a step anymore...”

           “We’re almost reach the riverside, Seo Yeon.. Please hold on,” Yuri was encouraging, with worriest expression that Jessica ever caught, even more than when the ahjussi told her that the soldier was coming.

           “I have some people in the riverside. They will give us a ride. Everything will be ok, trust me,” Yuri said.

           “Mianhae, Yul... Gomawo... Mianhae...,” Jessica couldn’t hold her tears anymore, as she was snuggling to Yuri. Yuri was caressing Jessica’s head.

            “I will carry you in my arm, then. You wrap your arm around my neck. Come on!” Yuri ordered, as she was about carrying Jessica in bridal style. She didn’t wanna take a risk by carrying Jessica in her back, since that’s more probability to get any attack from behind.

            Within few seconds, Yuri had been carried Jessica in her arm. With all of her mighty, she kept running toward the riverside. Yuri was smiling when heard river flow sound.

            “We will survive, Soo Yeon, as I said before. I know we will make it!” Yuri was whispering to Jessica. Their face was very close each other. Jessica could see clearly, how messy Yuri’s face was, but still, it didn’t decrease her natural beauty at all.

            “Gomawo, Yul... If I had another life, I would pay for this,” Jessica said with teary eyes, as she felt very touchy.

            “I hope we’re fated ag...,”Yuri didn’t have any chance to finish her words, as she felt an unbearable pain in her back, that suddenly made her kneel, and released Jessica from her hug. Jessica was colliding with some stone, but she couldn’t felt any kind of pain, as she was witnessing Yuri was crumpling in terrible pain.

             “Yuri!” Jessica was screaming.

             “Soo Yeon... go... run away.. It’s a riverside..in front of you... please...”

             “Yuri... Yuri, you have to stay alive!” Jessica was screaming frantically.

             “Both of you won’t go anywhere!”

              A dreadful man’s voice come from behind. As Yuri was turning around, Jessica was seeing that there’s a dart embed on Yuri’s back. Yuri’s back was bleeding and Jessica couldn’t even imagine how painful it was.

              “SOO YEON!” Yuri was snapping with all of her last strength. “You run away to the river... You have to stay alive..”

             “I will fight against them as long as I can... And you... you just use the spare time I could make...”

             “Please.. don’t argue with me anymore,” Yuri asked.

             Jessica was nodding her head halfheartedly. Before she went away, she spontaeously kissed Yuri’s lip quickly. “Saranghae, Yul... Mianhae... Gomawo..”

             Yuri was only smiling, and after that she was glaring toward some soldiers behind her.

             “Coward you all!” She exclaimed and pulled out the sword from its cover.

             “Let me against this one! You.. chase another one!” a man gave some order to his soldiers.

             “Don’t you ever dare to hurt her!” Yuri was screaming, but it’s only end up laughing from those soldiers.

              Yuri knew her time was almost over.

              She was in the edge of the death, something that she’s ready for, something that she’s been predicted for. But she was never imagining that she would die to save one soul, that she didn’t even know before. All the things she knew that, she would never regret die for that one.

             “I like you, Miss, but we don’t have much time to play around with you!” the man said and released a shuddered laugh that making Yuri disgust.

             “Give me the arch. Let me do this honor,” the man said to his soldier.

             Yuri was only standing in her place. All the things she really hoping was only Jessica’s safe.

             As the man about to release the arrow, Yuri heard another soldier came from the riverside.

             “The girl was disappeared into the river, Sir!”

              The man was grinning.

              “Never mind. She probably already dead. The river stream is not a joke!”

              With that, Yuri was smiling, feeling relieved and ready to die now.

              “Say goodbyes to the world, Kid!” By that the man released the dart toward Yuri’s heart.

 

 

 

 

 

            “Sica...Sica... Oh, thank God, you’re sober already...,” Tiffany was looking at her bestfriend with a worry face.

            “Ugh... where I am?” Jessica released some cough.

            “You are in the hospital... Some nurses found you fainted on the floor, in front of your room... But thank God, the doctor said you will be ok. You work too hard, Sica...”

             But suddenly Jessica remember what just happened to her. Was it a dream??? But why it seemed so real??? Ah... it wouldn’t be real. It must be a bad dream...

            “Mwo?? What do you think, Sica?” Tiffany asked, waving her hand in front of Jessica’s face.

            “Oh, nothing,” Jessica replied. “I thought I have a bad dream...”

            “Yahhh... You really need a good rest, then,” Tiffany said while Jessica’s hair.

            “Anyway, I will leave you for a moment, take you some food, okay?”

            Jessica was nodding her head. After Tiffany left, she was thinking again and again about her dream. It was too real to be called as a dream... Even I still could felt her warm lips. I could felt her sweat. Her brave heart. How could it was only a dream??

            Suddenly, the door was opened. A nurse came in while pushing a wheelbed, where a patient was laying on it. She was placing the patient on the bed, beside Jessica. Actually, Jessica was occupying a kind of sharing room, instead of VIP room. The nurse didn’t say anything and just bow to Jessica, showing some manner, then left.

            Jessica was glancing at the patient.

            And...

            She almost didn’t believe with her own eyes.

            She didn’t believe what she’s witnessing now.

            Slowly, the patient was opening her eyes. She was turning her head, looking at Jessica too.

 

 

“Yul?” Jessica was whispering.

The patient was smiling, relieved smiling, as usual.

“Is it you?” Jessica was asking.

“H-how could it be?” She was trying to get out from her bed, getting herself closer to Yuri. And she couldn’t hold it anymore. She missed Yuri a lot, and didn’t want to lose her anymore.

“I miss you,” Jessica was whispering.

“I miss you too,” Yuri said.

“I thought I was dreaming.”

“You were not, Soo Yeon...”

“But how could you...”

“The same way with you. I was drowning in the river...”

“Y-you didn’t die??”

Yuri was shooking her head weakly.

“The dart didn’t exactly hit my heart, I was rolling around then... and jump into the river... I was unsconscious and when I woke up, I just found myself here...”

“And... what the doctor said???”

“I had some wound in my back and my chest, but not vital. I will be fine...”

“Thanks God! You know it is the most beautiful news I ever heard!” Jessica admitted.

She was hugging Yuri carefully, as she’s afraid to hurt Yuri.

“Remember your promise toward me?” Yuri asked, teasingly.

“You don’t need to remind me... I will always take care of you, Yul... And it’s true.. We’re fated...”

Yuri was nodding her head.

“Saranghae, Soo Yeon...”

“Saranghe, Yul...”

With that their lips met, deep and passionately.

 

 * * *

 

THE NEXT STORY IS COMING SOON!