"She's just tired and dehydrated. We put her up on the drip for a bit and after that, let her rest. She'll be fine by tomorrow."

Daehyun sighed softly as he caressed So Eun's hand tenderly while watching her sleep.

"She probably went out in the hot sun without drinking for a long time and tired herself out."

Daehyun shook his head as he sat by So Eun's bunk. She was still on the drip but the doctor said she could be let off in half an hour's time.

Daehyun blamed himself for this. If only he had followed her out when she wanted to search for the rest of the Kim Sohyuns. If only he had insisted harder and made her stay.

"Babo." he whispered as he held her hand, waiting for her to wake up. "Why are you trying so hard for someone else's business? It didn't even concern you, why are you trying so hard?"

He reached out to brush the stray hairs away from her face and caressed her cheek lightly. "Babo."

Like this, he stayed by her side till she woke.

-----

So Eun groaned as her eyes fluttered open. Her body felt like it was still tangled in knots and she felt highly uncomfortabe.

The first thing she saw when her eyes opened was Daehyun's face hovering above hers. "Are you okay?" he asked anxiously, his brows furrowed together in worry. "Do you feel alright?"

So Eun let out another groan as she sat up, Daehyun helping her immediately. She squinted around her in a daze, slightly confused as to where she was. "Where am I? Why am I here?" she tried to recall.

"Hospital." Daehyun murmured, brushing her hair behind her shoulders. "And you're here because you fainted, don't you remember?" he flicked her forehead. "I told you not to go looking for Kim Sohyun."

"It's all because you didn't want to go with me." So Eun muttered tiredly, suppressing a yawn. "I took a few pictures of those Kim Sohyuns who are below 18 years old. Come take a look." she looked around for her bag and stretched to reach it.

Daehyun passed it to her, his expression grim. He really didn't want to disappoint her when she was looking so hopeful about all her efforts, but he knew there was no way he could lie about someone else being his love.

So Eun showed him all the photos, scrolling and glancing at him hopefully every single time. Daehyun shook his head at every single one, not even looking carefully.

So Eun reached the last photo and she bit her lip, looking at him with wide hopeful eyes. Daehyun sighed softly as he shifted his eyes to stare back at her. He shook his head.

So Eun let out a huge sigh and bit her lip. "Aww.." she blew a raspberry. "Too bad. We can try again tomorrow-"

"No." Daehyun snapped, annoyed. "How many times must I repeat? I don't need you helping me, So Eun. Look what happened to you! Why must you try so hard looking for Sohyun anyway, seriously it's my business. Must you try so hard till you faint?" he sighed softly, brushing her hair again. "Do you not have any sense of self preservation or welfare?"

She made a face at him and crossed her arms. "I can't not help, Daehyun. Your business is my business." she murmured. "If finding her makes you happy, we should do it, shouldn't we?"

Daehyun softened and he lowered his gaze to the ground. He swallowed hard and blinked away sudden tears. Taking a deep breath, Daehyun forced himself to look at her again. "I appreciate your effort, So Eun." he finally said. "But I want you to stop finding her."

So Eun frowned. "But-"

"Please?" Daehyun cut in. So Eun gazed back at him for a bit and finally sighed. "Fine, at least till I'm well again. You sure you will find her yourself?"

"So Eun." Daehyun frowned. "Don't waste your time. You won't find her."

"The only promise I can keep is not looking for her while I'm unwell." So Eun bargained. "That's all."

"Fine. If that's all I can get." Daehyun relented.

"Need another drink? How about hot chocolate?" Daehyun poked his head through her door frame once again.

So Eun blinked at him from her bed. He had tucked her in once they were home and commanded her to sleep. So Eun told him she didn't feel like sleeping much and he finally relented when she insisted reading a book.

However, he continued popping over every once in a while to ask if she needed something and nagging. Yes, Jung Daehyun actually nagged.

"I thought you asked ten minutes ago." So Eun mused.

Daehyun gave her a look. "What if you got thirsty within this ten minutes?" he retorted. He raised his brows. "So? Hot chocolate or not?"

"Fine. Just half a cup would do." So Eun murmured. "Thanks Daehyun."

He gave a curt nod and left the room. So Eun smiled as he went, chuckling softly. She liked how he fussed over her even in that cool manner of his. She didn't know if he was doing all this because he cared or because he felt guilty, but it felt nice to be the centre of Daehyun's attention.

So Eun sighed softly as she reached for her phone. She scrolled through the pictures of the different Kim Sohyuns she had met that day and bit her lip.

None of the girls were Kim Sohyun.

Every time a Kim Sohyun appeared, she would gaze at her as if that girl was the one. She would wonder why Daehyun fell in love with that girl, and she would feel uncomfortable.

She sighed softly, shaking her head. So Eun decided to decide all the photos, since they weren't needed anymore.

She was halfway through when Daehyun returned with the cup of Hot chocolate. He sat down by her bedside and passed her the cup. "It's hot. Careful."

So Eun nodded as she took it from him, sipping slowly. The drink scalded her tongue but she didn't let it show. She continued deleting the pictures and Daehyun watched silently.

She finished deleting everything and glanced at him, surprised to see him staring. "What?" she asked, a little self-conscious.

Daehyun looked away. "No just...you got yourself tired for nothing." he bit his lip. "Because of me."

So Eun cocked her head to the side. "I did that because I wanted to, it's not your fault. Besides, I promised not to in didn't I?" she forced a smile.

So Eun leaned nearer to him and grinned cheekily. "Are you concerned about me now?" she teased.

Daehyun stiffened and cleared his throat. "No. Stop thinking nonsense." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Drink your drink, you."

So Eun smiled softly as she sipped her drink again. "I was just kidding." she murmured softly. "I know you already have someone you love. Kim Sohyun right?" She sounded unexpectedly wistful.

"Yeah." Daehyun bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable. "I'll let you rest. Call me if you need anything."

He quickly excused himself from the room and closed the door behind him. So Eun watched him go and sighed again. She seemed to be doing that lately.

To think that she even fainted from trying so hard to find Kim Sohyun. She really tried very hard that afternoon.

It never occurred to her to stop searching, to at least take a water break or something. She just really really wanted to find that girl, even though she didn't know her.

She didn't know why she wanted to make Daehyun happy so much.

The way Daehyun described Kim Sohyun, there was no doubt that he loved her very much. Extremely so.

So Eun wanted to see for herself just what sort of girl caught Daehyun's affections, and even holding on to it for more than a thousand years. That girl must be something amazing.

So Eun knew she was envious of this Kim Sohyun, but something made her think of where this envy came from. Girls were usually sentimental and more romantic than guys. Any girl out there that heard about Daehyun's love story with Kim Sohyun would definitely be touched, that was how girls were.

It was natural for So Eun to want to have a love story so great and touching as the one Kim Sohyun had, so that envy was okay.

But was it natural to be envious of Kim Sohyun, not because of the whole love setting, but because Kim Sohyun was the one who held Daehyun's heart. Kim Sohyun was the one that was able to make the ice prince melt for her, such an incredible feat.

It was so easy for So Eun to feel bitter about it. Why Kim Sohyun? What was so special about her?

But when those questions surfaced in her mind, more questions appeared. Why was she thinking about that and why was she concerned? It didn't matter to her who Daehyun loved right?

So why did she feel terrible at the prospect of Daehyun loving someone else?

So Eun closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. "Kim So Eun." she whispered. "You can't fall for him, he already has someone he loves. Someone he has loved for a thousand years. How are you supposed to rival a love like that?"

-----

In his room, Daehyun was gazing at the calendar.

It was 5th of April. So Eun's birthday was on the 16th of May.

Only a little more than a month to go.

Daehyun closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Even the thousand year old man was afraid.