Ji Hyo curled up in a ball on her bed. She lied in the covers, closing her eyes but no sleep came to her. The sun has already risen to the middle of the sky. How long has it been?

“My lady,” Yeo Jin walked in the tent. “You haven’t eaten anything. Are you ill?”

Ji Hyo only groan to herself. How could she forget that Yeo Jin had come along too?

She got up and turned around to her. Yeo Jin put the tray of food on the table and walked to her. Ji Hyo smiled and walked to the table.

“Did you… hear the conversation?” Ji Hyo asked in a low voice as she blows the hot soup.

Yeo Jin looked down. “I’m sorry,”

Ji Hyo nodded and spoke as she stops the spoonful of soup by her lips. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Yeo Jin sadly nodded as she looks at her young mistress. Ji Hyo continued eating as if nothing had happened.

“Wow, this is delicious.” Ji Hyo said cheerfully and turned to Yeo Jin, “Like always, you are a great cook.”

Yeo Jin smiled bitterly as Ji Hyo looks away.

Ji Hyo tried to smile as she ate the food but her eyes were watery as she slurps down the soup.

***

Jong Kook changed into his hunting suit and gathered his arrows and sword. Yoo took off his uniform and washed his weapons.

Jong Kook glanced at Yoo’s red robe. He had so many questions but none were answered which killed him more.

Yoo changed into a different uniform, another deep red uniform but with different designs. But he used the same robe that he gave to Ji Hyo.

“You were too harsh to her,” Yoo’s words brought Jong Kook back to reality. Jong Kook continued to fix his weapons.

Yoo continues to renew his items. “Nothing happened last night, if you’re wondering.”

Jong Kook busied himself. “I don’t care.”

Yoo stopped and looked up at him. “Then what was that earlier?”

Jong Kook looks back at him, “Any man would do the same if their ‘wife’ went missing for a whole night.”

“Any man?” Yoo emphasized. He turns back to his items. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“What would you do then?” Jong Kook asked arrogantly.

Yoo took his weapons and turned to exit the tent, stopping as he opened the drapes.

“I would ask her if she was alright, if she was hurt, if she was scared.” Jong Kook stops and looks up at Yoo and their gaze intervenes. “I would have said that instead of yelling at her.” Yoo then stepped out of the tent as the drapes fell back in place.

Jong Kook looks away and huffs. He stops what he was doing and leaned on the table as he sat on the table.

Did he take it too far earlier?

Ji Hyo finally looks up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Did you sleep well?” she whispered.

“Don’t try to change the subject,” he gritted his teeth.

Ji Hyo’s eyes grew watery as her voice was cracking. “Did you have good dreams?”

Jong Kook rubs his face and took his weapons and hurries out of the tent.

***

Ji Hyo changed into another uniform as Ara wore her hanbok dress.

Ji Hyo takes her bow and cleans her weapons as Ara readies her things. Ara sees her and quickly walks up to her.

“Are you alright Miss Song?”

Ji Hyo nodded. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Ara looked worried. “About earlier, I apologize on behalf of Jong Kook oppa. He didn’t sleep all night. I’m afraid he might be fatigue today.”

Ji Hyo looks at Ara, she was sincere but see the marks on her neck made Ji Hyo look back at her in a bitter smile. “He did?”

Ara nodded. “He ordered the troops to look everywhere for you. Please don’t blame his behavior.” She lightly bow. Ji Hyo nods and stops Ara.

“It’s alright. But where are you going, dressed like this?”

“We are going to the waterfall today, please come along.”

That would mean she will have to see his face again, Ji Hyo thought.

“It’s alright, please enjoy yourselves.”

Ara holds her arm, “Please don’t reject my offer. Even if you are mad at Jong Kook oppa, please don’t be mad at me.”

Ji Hyo tries to politely reject her but Ara insisted. “Didn’t you say that we should be two woman who understands each other and not wives of General Kim?”

Ji Hyo sighs and slowly nodded. True, she did say that. “Yes…”

Ara smiles. “Come on, we’re departing soon.”

Jong Kook sees the two women together as he exits the tent to the horses. Ara and Ji Hyo hand in hand walking toward them.

“Jong Kook oppa,” Ara calls him and he smiles faintly back at her. Ji Hyo stops as Ara walks p to fix Jong Kook’s uniform. “Miss Song will be going along with us too.”

Jong Kook peeks at Ji Hyo as she carries her bow and arrows behind her. She was in a purple uniform today, her hair still ties up high in a ponytail with a band over her forehead.

“Dressed like that?” Jong Kook ask. “A woman should be wearing something befitting over herself. Not like a man…”

Ji Hyo huffs and turns to him. “A man can look like a man and not treat others like a man should.” She scoffs off before Jong Kook could say another word.

Ara looks at the tension between them and lightly squeezes Jong Kook’s hand. “You should apologize to her.”

“Not you too Ara.” Jong Kook almost complains.

“Miss Song is still a woman after all, no matter how she dresses or acts like. She still the daughter of the minister of justice, your official wife.” Ara tells him. “You should…” She smiles halfway, “treat her better.”

Jong Kook looks at Ara and hugs her. “Don’t think like that.”

Yoo sees them hugging and sees Ji Hyo turning to see them. He quickly gets in her way, behind her, blocking her view.

Ji Hyo turns around, forgetting that she needed to get another hairband. She almost bumps into Yoo’s chest as he rans to her.

She steps back quickly. “W-What?”

Yoo looks at her seriously then breaks into a smile. “Wanna hunt again?”

Ji Hyo looks away. “Why are you speaking informally?”

Yoo touches his chin and pretend wonder, then looks back at her. “Didn’t we become friends last night?”

Ji Hyo looks at him weirdly. “Who said that we shouldn’t lower our speeches in public? I hope you don’t think that we are friends after telling each other’s stories.”

Yoo frowned, “Really?” He looked at her more seriously now. It seems as if Ji Hyo was whirled into his eyes.  Then he breaks into a smile. “I don’t tell just anyone my story.” He holds her shoulders and ushers her to turn around, heading to the horses. “Come on, quick.”

Jong Kook and Ara turns around, seeing Yoo playfully dragging Ji Hyo to the horses where they push and pull.

Yoo half dragged her by the shoulders, “Quick, quick, quick.”

“Yah,” Ji Hyo tries to stop him.

Yoo stops. “Yah?”

Ji Hyo looks back at him and nodded. “Didn’t you say we are friends now?”

Yoo tries to think carefully.

“Come on, my friend.” Ji Hyo quickly said and ran forward to the horse. Yoo tried to think to himself.

“Isn’t this ‘friendship’ more loss to me?” Yoo tries to measure but then runs to his horse as Ji Hyo had already gotten on her horse and riding around the camp. “Yah!” he yells after her.  

(People who are closer together lower their speeches. But to some, ‘yah’ could be almost disrespectful.)

Jong Kook only looks at the running around on their horses as he and Ara moved in to their horse.

“Having too much fun?” Jong Kook yells out, asking them.

They stopped and stares at him. Jong Kook helps Ara get on the horse before he does the same.

“Why? Did I interrupt you?”

Ji Hyo grins, “Yes.” Yoo looks at her unbelievably. Jong Kook glares at her as she looks away. Ara leans on his back as they moved forward.

***

Ji Hyo and Yoo rode their horses first as Jong Kook and Ara follow with a group of troops behind them.

Ji Hyo ride side by side with Yoo as they led the path.

“Did you eat?” Yoo asked.

Ji Hyo nodded. “Did you?”

Yoo shook his head. “I ate a rabbit last night.”

Ji Hyo chuckles, “Here,” she grabs a roasted sweet potato from her horse bag to him.

Yoo chuckles. “Potato?”

She nodded, “Why you don’t want it?”

His stomach growls, “I guess I have to be your food tester.” He takes the potato and peeled off the skin.

“It’s good I promise.” Ji Hyo answers as she look ahead.

They smiled at each other.

Jong Kook sees them talking to each other. Why was it that she would smile in front of Yoo but not him?

Ji Hyo smiles and looks back to see Jong Kook staring at them. She turned back and pretended not to see him. Yoo turned back and stopped smiling but still seem happy.

Ji Hyo hurries and rode the horse ahead. Yoo sees that Ji Hyo had spotted an animal, he knew she was just competitive and let her go ahead to get it.

Suddenly arrows were shot at them.

Everyone stopped and Yo’s horse raises up in surprise. Yoo and Jong Kook hold onto their reins as the troop were quick to surround them.

There, more arrows shot at them and an ambush of bandits and assassins surround them. Jong Kook took out his sword as he dodges the arrows. He pulled Ara down with him as he protected her.

Yoo fell off his horse as he swings his sword, slashing down an assassin.

“What do you want?” Jong Kook commanded for an answer.

One of the person chuckles. “A person who’s going to die doesn’t need to know.” The assassins rushes in and started attacking. Jong Kook fought them, avoiding any attacks on his men and Ara.

Yoo defended from behind as the soldiers and assassins fall one by one, clanking swords at each other.

Ara trips backward as an assassin tries to grab her. Jong Kook turns around in time and stabs the assassin. He was about to reach for Ara but arrows were shot at them. Jong Kook jumps in and rolled them over.

An assassin hovers over them, ready to slash at them. Jong Kook turns to grab his sword but the assassin suddenly falls down on his knee, dead. Jong Kook sees arrows puncture through the assassin’s body. He looks over and sees her.

Ji Hyo holding her bow and arrows. She looked like a true warrior. Her deadly gaze at the assassin. She shot down two more assassins with the two arrows on the bow. She pulled back the string and strike them down.

Jong Kook quickly recover and grab Ara aside to see her foot bleeding. Yoo sees Ji Hyo too as his assassin drop dead. He sees some assassin closing in on her, before he knew it, he slashed down the few assassins and assisted her.

They had to go back to camp, there are more soldiers there. It’s their only escape.

They fought their way back to camp but more and more assassins drop in, ambushing them.

Jong Kook defended Ara and grabbed her hand as they ran back with Yoo and Ji Hyo behind them. But they met with another group of assassins, making Jong Kook halt. He stops right as a few assassin launched at him, making him crash swords with them and Ara behind him.

Ji Hyo quickly made it there as Jong Kook was outnumbered. She was out of arrows. She grabbed Ara back and tear off her skirt, making Ara puzzle.

Ji Hyo threw her empty bag and bow at the assassins against Jong Kook before she try to gather their swords with Ara’s skirt and twist them away from Jong Kook, just enough so he wouldn’t be overwhelm by the many assassins’ strength.

The skirt tore up and Ji Hyo grabbed Ara’s hand to run away as Jong Kook fights with the assassin. Yoo reaches them in time as arrows were shot at them. He cut down the arrows as Ji Hyo and Ara jump opposite ways.

“Take them away!” Jong Kook shouted.

Yoo fought with another and tries to reach Jong Kook. He was closest to Ara as he helps her up. Ji Hyo had already gotten up as she fought with an assassin, using the dagger from yesterday in her back pocket.

“I said go!” Jong Kook yell at Yoo.

Jong Kook sees Ji Hyo and grabs her hand, pulling her away as Yoo pulls Ara out of the woods. Jong Kook stops as he sees arrows shoot at them. He pushes himself and Ji Hyo out of the way, making them roll down the forest path.

They tumbled down the leaves and hill together, holding on tightly.

Ji Hyo was under Jong Kook as they reached the bottom.

They are separated from the main path now. Just as they got up, they heard more assassins following them.

Without any hesitation, Jong Kook grabs his sword from the end and Ji Hyo’s hand as they made a run for it.

It was just like the beginning again. Ji Hyo didn’t know why, this familiar scene. Just like when Jong Kook first saved her. Except this time, she was in a hunting suit, easier to run than when she was in a hanbok.

Jong Kook ran so fast, without knowing where they were going. Then –flash.

They got out of the forest and runs out to a cliff. Under the cliff was a crashing river. They stopped right as they saw it was a cliff, barely falling off. Ji Hyo bumped right into his chest as he holds her with his arm around her.

The assassins closes in, stopping as they saw that Ji Hyo and Jong Kook was cornered. Jong Kook pushes forward as he pushes Ji Hyo behind him.

“Finally,” one said. “The time has come for you, General.” He chuckles and launches forward as he draws his sword. Jong Kook jumps in and fought with him as the others move in to capture Ji Hyo. But Ji Hyo in turn dodges and was able to reverse their movement, grabbing their sword to fight with them.

But it was too heavy for her. She swung the sword with all her might, trying to balance herself.

Jong Kook fought with the man as others came at him. He swungs his sword as the man clashes back, Jong Kook steps back getting closer to the cliff. Ji Hyo swings her sword at the man, back him off but causing Jong Kook to fall over the cliff with some men.

Ji Hyo runs to him, grabbing his hand just in time.

The man laughs evilly. “A general is protected by a woman.”

Ji Hyo groans in pain as she holds onto Jong Kook. She uses one hand to stab the sword into the ground to hold her from falling off. Jong Kook grunts as he tries to hold on tight to Ji Hyo.

Seeing the water below Jong Kook, Ji Hyo knew what she had to do.

“You trust me, right?” Ji Hyo asked.

Jong Kook stares at her in utter confusion.

“Trust me and live,” Ji Hyo nods, “Understand?”

“What?” Jong Kook didn’t know why she was talking like this. “Pull me up and we’ll fight them together.”

But Ji Hyo smiles with water in her eyes and loosens her grip. “I love you.” She said and lets him go.

Jong Kook was too shock to realize what was happening and only came to his conscience when he sees her image further and further away until he hits the water.

-Splash!

Why didn’t he pull her down with him? Bubbles burst into the surface of the water as Jong Kook’s mind wander.

Ji Hyo…

************************************************