Their wedding takes places. Mi Ho walks down the aisle as gracefully as her month-long training allowed her. She was scared, but now she can see Dong Ju’s eyes through the veil she wears. His smiling eyes comfort her, and she gains a new courage she didn’t know she had. She stared down at the red carpet and started to put one foot after another. Her heart started to beat furiously – she was actually marrying this man. She knew she started to have feelings for him, but didn’t know they had become this strong.

Dong Ju had a smile on his face. Mi Ho was as beautiful as ever, and she was finally becoming his wife. However, in his heart of hearts, he knows that Mi Ho doesn’t really love him; she just agreed to marry him out of necessity and because of all the things he said to persuade her. They were true, and he wished for her safety with all his heart. But as time passed, he wished that this marriage was real and wasn’t just taking place out of convenience. However, there was nothing he could do about that.

He offered his arm to Mi Ho as she reached his side. Just like this, he swore he would give everything that he could to her.

Mi Ho took the arm outstretched for her. A blush crept to her cheeks. She was only thankful that the veil was there to cover her reddening face. She didn’t want Dong Ju to see her like this. She had started to have feelings for him, but she knew that Dong Ju still thought dearly of Kil Dal, and that he offered this marriage simply to protect her.

Together they faced the the altar and said their vows. In sickness and in health, ‘til death do them part, they are now tied in the sacrament of matrimony.

“Do you take Mi Ho to be your wife?” the priest firstly asked the groom.

“I do,” Dong Ju replied without any hesitation.

“Do you take Dong Ju to be your husband?” the priest asked Mi Ho.

“Yes, I do.”

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest concluded.

That was their first kiss. Dong Ju lifted the veil and lowered his head, and soon enough their lips met in a sweet kiss.

A lot of thoughts went through Mi Ho’s head. During the two months they spent together, Dong Ju had told her that he loved her, not as Kil Dal but her as Gu Mi Ho.

She had a hard time believing it. She knew how hard it was to let go of someone in your heart. It was hard for her to forget Dae Woong; she thought she loved him to death. But with his departure, she started to feel that perhaps it was the comfort Dae Woong brought that attracted her. After all, he got her out of entrapment, and he was the first human she ever spent time with. It was a warm comfort that she felt, and she didn’t want to lose that.

But with Dong Ju’s words, her world shook. She thought that he saw her only as the helpless fox who made all the wrong decisions and needed his help to clean up her mess. It was on her second to the last death that it happened. During the two months of her stay she had used the bed and Dong Ju would sleep on the sofa. But whenever her death would come, as she lied down in pain, Dong Ju did not hesitated to hold her and ease her pain. This had happened three times already, and he would always soothe her with his words and with his touch. On this death, his words had become different.

The pain had passed, but she was too weak to move. Besides, she liked being in his arms. “Mi Ho,” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“Will you marry me?”

Startled, she tried to get up, but he held her steadfast.

“What? Didn’t we agree to that anyway?” she tried to keep her voice steady, but she was weak and so her voice trembled.

“I love you.”

That caught her off guard. “You don’t mean that. And besides, I still haven’t forgotten Dae Woong,” she lied. That was the only excuse she could think of. The truth was, however, she knew that fondness was the only thing left that she felt for him.

He went still for about a minute. Then he relaxed and said, “I was hoping you could accept my feelings and agree wholeheartedly to a marriage. But okay. We have to show Dae Woong-ssi that you’re living your life well.”

Her heart sank. If only she said yes immediately, then he wouldn’t think that she was only going with this out of need. But she still found it hard to believe that he loved her.

He never brought it up again and quietly did the preparations for the wedding they planned.

As they separated from the kiss, Mi Ho’s heart couldn’t stop beating fast. Suddenly Dong Ju grabbed her arm and started to lead her away from the church with a smile. She couldn’t help it, she smiled back. She looked around and saw Dae Woong from afar. Now everything was okay.

****

They were on their honeymoon in Japan. In an onsen. They were given the couples’ suite. It was a traditional house prepared just for them. It was very spacious, but there was only one room and one bed. They arrived at night, and they expected to be able to rest immediately, but upon seeing the sleeping provisions, they could only stare at it for a good 10 minutes.

Mi Ho was excited. She regretted denying her feelings for Dong Ju, and now she wanted to tell him that she actually loved him. She started to feel hot all over. Today was supposed to be her last death, but she didn’t feel any pain. Instead, she felt a tingling all over her body and a burning desire for the man beside her. She started to speak, but Dong Ju cut her off.

He was worried. He still thought that Mi Ho didn’t have any feelings for him. He wanted her unlike any other night, but he considered Mi Ho’s feelings first. Ever the gentleman, he said “Mi Ho, you can rest. I’ll take out another futon and sleep in the living room.” He then left the room.

Mi Ho couldn’t say anything. She thought he would start something but he didn’t. For the nth time, she regretted denying her feelings.

The night went on as restlessly at it could possibly have been. On both sides of the paper door that separated them, they both tossed and turned; hyperaware of each other’s presence.

Finally, Mi Ho couldn’t take it. She had always been someone who asserted herself, and tonight was no different. She wanted Dong Ju, and she wanted him to take her. She stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. Surprised, Dong Ju sat up and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Aren’t we supposed to mate tonight?”

“What?”

“After a wedding, isn’t that what happens? It was the only think I could think about all night. I couldn’t stop thinking about you either. I want you to kiss me and-“ before she could finish her sentence, Dong Ju had stood up and kissed her with a passion that she had never experienced before. With their bodies intertwined, Dong Ju pushed her backward and toward the bed. They shared the kiss until they could no longer breathe. They separated, and Dong Ju laid his forehead on top of Mi Ho’s. He was trying hard to keep himself back. Suddenly, he stood up and started to walk away, leaving Mi Ho confused.

“Where are you going?” she asked, incredulous.

“To get some fresh air.”

“Why? Why did you stop?”

At this, he turned around and with sad eyes and said, “I know it isn’t me that you yearn for.”

Determined to let him know of her feelings, she stood up and said, “You’re mistaken. I love you.”

Dong Ju shook his head and said, “No, you’re just thinking that because of the circumstances.”

“Dong Ju, don’t you see? I know it’s you. I’m fully aware that it’s you. You may think that I haven’t forgotten Dae Woong, but no, I love you.”

For the first time in a thousand years, his world suddenly made sense again. She loved him. For a second, he couldn’t move. But then she said, “Take me.”

With that, he let his instincts take over, and he made her his.