The morning light struck inside the cave.

Ji Hyo drowsily opens her eyes. She sees a bare chest, tan, and muscular. Her eyes traveled up and there she sees him sleeping peacefully.

Jong Kook had put her in his arms as he fell asleep. They snuggled together with only his robe covering her.

He sees her eyelids moving, that’s when he realizes what position they are in. Ji Hyo drowsily opens her eyes to see his face.

But Jong Kook quickly gets up and turns around, storming out of the cave.

Ji Hyo’s eyes flutter, more aware now. She groans as she sees herself . She quickly sits up, causing her head to ache. She pulled the robe around her bare body as the small breeze brushes passed her.

However, Jong Kook was nowhere in sight.

He was just here. I swear I saw him… Ji Hyo tries to process everything from last night then her head shot up.

What if he’s hurt? A few men fell down the cliff too, what if they are here?!

Ji Hyo springs up, aching her bandaged shoulder. She made her way out of the cave cautiously only to see no one. Ji Hyo runs out and ties the robe around her.

Her mind was jumping to conclusions, crazy assumptions about Jong Kook in danger.

She ran around the shallow water, searching for him.

Ji Hyo sees a body in the water, floating up. She froze as she could see the scars on the person’s back, the muscular tan back. In her eyes was only terror.

Her legs felt weak and shaky as she took a slow step forward. The splashing waterfall splatter water at her, wetting her.

Tears fill her eyes.

Scolding herself, she wished it was not him.

It can’t be him. He was just with me. I swear I saw him.

But her hands tremble with fear and doubt as she reached for the body. Her heart was about to jump out, debating whether or not to pull the body up.

Suddenly the body moved and splashed out.

Out came an out of breath Jong Kook as he catches his breath, turning around to meet the puppy eyes of the woman in his arms last night.

Ji Hyo stood, flabbergasted, her heart beating crazily.

They stare at each other until he sees her eyes teary. His face soften up as they continue to stare at each other.

Ji Hyo looks away in a huff then back at him. Then she took another step forward, then another, and another one right until she clasped her arms around his bare upper body.

Jong Kook froze in one place as she initiated the contact, hugging him out of the blue.

She closed her eyes she tried to calm down. Then rested on his shoulder and breathe out in relief.

“Do this again and I’ll really kill you, you crazy man.” She scolded him. Then she pulled back and look at him.

Jong Kook still stayed frozen, trying to calm himself down as his heart started beating like crazy again.

He left her alone in the cave to give himself space. He thought submerging himself in the cold water might help him concentrate but only to find her in front of him again. But now, hugging him in her own conscious too.

He was wavering.

Ji Hyo was about to turn away when Jong Kook grabbed her hand, twisting her back to him.

Their faces, now inches apart. Their gazes locked.

Jong Kook finally found the courage to speak again as he couldn’t read the emotions in her eyes. A flabbergasted Ji Hyo stares back at him with her puppy eyes.

It is not a mistake. It is not a decoy. It is real. This moment is real. We are both awake and conscious. Jong Kook lightly nodded to himself.

“Do you love me?” he asked.

Ji Hyo flinched, hesitating to speak.

I… Ji Hyo thought to herself. I can’t confess this. I can’t ruin their relationship. I will not love you, my feelings already ended.

No.

“Yes,” she confessed after battling herself.

“When?”

Don’t tell him. Don’t let him know.

Ji Hyo’s eyes bellow with water.

“I always had.”

Jong Kook was the one to flinch this time. Always.

His grip loosen and let go of her hand. At this very moment he could tell she was telling the truth.

They continue staring at each other as the water rushes passed their thighs.

He was going crazy. He married her out of duty and showed her his intentions and here she is, confessing her love to him. He stumbles, taking a step back. A weird intention in his chest itch, beating irregularly.

“Don’t,” Ji Hyo blurted out as she sees him stumbling back. He looks up at her as she stares at him.

“Don’t push me away.” She asked, her eyes desperately searched for his. She took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

It was this moment he realized he was afraid of her. No words came to his mouth, going dry.

She finally made their distance closer as she stopped in front of him.

“Don’t turn away from me.” She said again, “Please.”

Jong Kook felt his chest burning. Was it pity? He can’t even read his own emotions anymore.

She raised her hand to his but Jong Kook reflexively pulled back, making Ji Hyo stop. Even he was shock by his actions. It was suffocating, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

Disappointed, Ji Hyo looks at his hand and at her own empty hand. She reached for his hand again and this time, he didn’t pull away.

She held his hand lightly and look up at him.

“I loved you,” then breaks into a thin smile, “But not anymore.”

His body tensed and stiff as he heard her voice cracking.

“So don’t push me away.” She smiled bigger bitterly. “I just want you to… treat me equally, like a person with feelings.”

Her words of confession hit his head like punches.

He must have made her suffer a lot.

“I won’t ask for your love, nor do I want you to pity me with your compassion. Because I know… you can never love me and treat me like you do for Ara.”

She swallowed back her tears. Jong Kook could only listen to her as his expression turned soft while he tried to mask it.

“Please… pretend you heard nothing… and don’t push me away. When the time comes… I won’t ask for anything more than for you to let me go. So don’t push me away… okay?”

Ji Hyo tried to put on a smile and let go of his hand as he didn’t say anything.

She turned around walked away this time.

Jong Kook only stayed silent as her figure fades farther away from him.

He took a step forward but he couldn’t find the strength to walk to her.

Her figure wanders back into the cave as a trail of water tailed behind her.

“I-“ he finally managed to say. “I-I…” but she was gone. She won’t be able to hear him anymore.

His hand reached up to his chest as he clenched it.

What is this? His chest was tightening when she said those words. He felt like he couldn’t breathe when she walked away and he can’t even find the strength to say anything.

He looks back to cave and touched his chest and questions himself.

“I must have gone crazy…” he whispers to himself as there was a pool of tears in his eyes but he managed to hold them back.

This weird feeling… What have you done to me?

***

Ji Hyo had changed back to her clothes and so has Jong Kook.

“We have to find our way back,” he said in a stern manner.

Ji Hyo didn’t say anything and nodded.

She tied the dagger around her waist and tightened her hair up in a high ponytail.

Although her shoulder still ached, she was more in control now.

They made their way out of the cave and start looking for a way out of the forest.

Ji Hyo followed behind him as he makes a trail for them, setting his guards up. Ji Hyo follows silently as she tried to pull herself up the steep hill.

She stepped on a loose rock, slipping. Jong Kook suddenly turns around and grabs her hand before she fell. They look at each other before he looks away and she helps herself up to let go of his hand.

As Ji Hyo pulls herself up, he moves over to let her walk first.

“Ladies first,” he said. Ji Hyo charged ahead as he stood behind her. He watched her back as she climbed up the hill.

As she struggle on the steeper areas, he supported her from behind, lightly holding her back.

Ji Hyo acted like everything was normal but she could he was acting different.

As she almost reached the top and almost reached for the tree branch for support to get up the hill, she suddenly turn back to Jong Kook as he was about to help push her up.

He stopped abruptly as she suddenly turn to him, making him almost jump but he only stare at her.

“Please act like your normal self. I know what I said must have been difficult for you to understand. But please pretend like you don’t know anything.”

He almost steps in to speak but she interrupted him with her distant voice.

“Pretend like you always had.”

A sudden burning part of his chest made him irritated.

“You want me to act like myself?”

“Yes.”

He nodded, “Alright.”

He crouch and hoisted her over his shoulder.

Ji Hyo was taken back by his actions.

“W-what are you doing? Let me down.”

But he continued and climbed up the hill with her over his shoulder as they reached the top of the hill.

“Yah!” Ji Hyo almost screamed as she sees the extreme height of the hill as she cling on his shoulder, making her world dizzy.

“Let me-“

Jong Kook throws her on the ground and massages his shoulder.

“Ow~” Ji Hyo rubs her bottom.

“Gosh, what do you eat? You’re so heavy.” Jong Kook complained.

Upset, Ji Hyo gets up and puts her hand on her hips. “I’m not heavy, you’re just too weak.”

“You-“ Jong Kook points at her but realizes he was acting ‘normal’, normally close to her now and decides to step back. “Forget it.” then he walks away, leaving Ji Hyo to huff by herself.

***

They have been walking down a path for an hour or so. Who knows?

Ji Hyo stopped and catches her breath as Jong Kook stops as he doesn’t hear her footsteps anymore.

Ji Hyo had already sat down and spread her legs like a little child, her head hanging over.

He walks back to her and hands her the small bamboo bottle of water.

“Here,” he said and looked away.

Ji Hyo noticed his changed behavior again. He had never done this to her before, not even at camp.

She turns away bitterly. “I’m not thirsty.”

He springs back at her, intimidated and reluctantly take the bottle back, “I was just being nice. Fine.”

“Tch~ when did you start being nice to me?” she scoff the other way. He glares back at her, fumbling for words and examples to say.

“W-When did not do that?”

She turns back to him and stands up. “You only started doing this when I said that earlier.”

“How do you know?” he annoyingly asked.

“Don’t kid me, when did you care?”

“I treated your poison,” he pointed to her shoulder.

“Anyone can do that,” she declared.

“I-I,” he stuttered. “I gave you my warmth!” They both stare at each other in disbelief as he blurted out the incident from last night.

He quickly looks away as Ji Hyo thought to herself. That explains why she was . She could only cursed to herself. And she confessed to him … only in his robe.

“W-we better get going,” Ji Hyo turned away and walked forward as Jong Kook scratched his head roughly.

Why can’t he find the words to say? And when he does, why is it always the most embarrassing things?

Then he noticed she was fumbling around with her feet, groaning as she kept stopping to massage her feet. He walks forward and stops before her and crouch down with his back facing her.

“What are you doing? Kneeling?”

He gritted his teeth, does she not even know what he’s doing?

“Climb on my back.”

Ji Hyo’s eyes widen. “Why should I?”

“Hey,” he turns his head back to her. He was feeling embarrassed now. Why did he even offer to piggyback her in the first place?

“I don’t want to be stuck here for another night with you so just get on my back. At the rate you’re going, we won’t even find our way passed this forest.”

“I don’t want to,” Ji Hyo turned the other way. If she was going to get out, she’d rather leave with no strings attached.

Annoyed, he finally stood up.

“Hey!” he yelled making her jump, looking at him in surprise. “Stop blabbering or I’ll tie you up.”

She nodded, “Oh so the real you is always so dominating. No wonder those assassins want to kill you.”

He took a deep breath. “Either you take my offer now or let me drag you by the feet.”

Ji Hyo looked at him, and she knew he was serious by the way he looks at her. She finally gave in as he turned back around and crouched down.

She hesitantly steps forward and clings onto his shoulders as his hands held her by the legs to support her weight.

“You really are heavy…” he whispered.

“I heard that,” Ji Hyo retorted.

Somehow, she managed to smile, not knowing why. Even if he was just pretending to be nice to her, she felt happy.

Jong Kook on the other hand didn’t know why but he felt at ease, even if he was arguing or teasing her.

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Hallo my bunnies! Sorry for the delay. Hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter. I'll try my best to updae soon! Thank you for reading this sory!