Ji Hyo sat down and ate with her in-laws as Jong Kook joins them. He kept stealing glances at her but she only ignored him.

Jong Kook sat alone at the table as his parents and talked with Ji Hyo, she seemed bright and all smiles to them. They chuckle at her meek and small mistakes but cared for her. As they finished breakfast, he sees Ji Hyo leaves to the back of the kitchen and as he tries to talk to her, she walked further away. He stops, contemplating whether now is the time to talk to Ji Hyo and as he looks back up, he sees her trip on her skirt. He was about to run to her but she caught herself and straighten her clothes and fixed the skirt.

She walked away towards his mother’s quarters and there, he decided to give her space.

Ji Hyo sits with her mother-in-law after breakfast, chatting about her health updates. His mother smiles warmly and holds her hand.

“Jong Kook is slow and doesn’t realize that sometimes he speaks without thinking, don’t mind him.”

“I could see that,” Ji Hyo chirps. “But mother, where is Ara?”

His mother seems shaken by her words. “Do you remember her?”

“Yes,” Ji Hyo answers. “Only parts of it.”

His mother shook her head, “Don’t worry about those things. I won’t let Jong Kook marry her.”

Ji Hyo sat puzzled, “But he loves her.”

His mother eyes her, “Did he tell you to say that?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to be the one in between them. Plus, Sir Kim and I don’t even have that close of a relationship.”

“Daughter-in-law,” his mother looks at her and takes her hand. “It doesn’t matter how everything is right now. As long as you know what you want, then go for it. But don’t give up so easily.”

Ji Hyo looks at her mother-in-law fondly. “You must have really cared for me, as if I was your own daughter.”

His mother smiles at her. “One doesn’t know what they have until they lose it,” she lightly squeezed Ji Hyo’s hands. “Love is something Jong Kook doesn’t know about. He may think he knows it but that’s not it.”

“Mother…”

His mother sighs, “If he knew what love really was, do you think I would have opposed his marriage with Ara? Jong Kook is someone who acts upon pity and sympathy. He cares for her because if he doesn’t then no one will.”

Ji Hyo stays silent over his mother’s words.

“You may think I’m harsh but that is the reality. This is a cruel world. If Ara wants to survive, she must prove herself worthy to be the general’s wife. What use is there if all she does is act like a housewife with no knowledge about politics and what a wife is supposed to do? It’s not about the pleasures in bed or pouring tea or cooking. It’s about the strength and knowledge.

Our Kim family have been brought down once and it was difficult to stand back up. Jong Kook can’t go down this time because there is too much for him to lose. I wanted him to marry you because I see that you are worthy to be his wife.”

“But he doesn’t feel the same.”

His mother shook her head. “He just doesn’t realize it yet. The time will come. You’ve only been married for three months, if you consider this a difficult task then there are more hardships to overcome,”

Ji Hyo frowns and sighs. “Do you think… I am really worthy of being a general’s wife?”

His mother smiles warmly. “I’ve seen and raised you on behalf of your mother for quite a few times. I know how much you’ve been through.”

“You mean?”

His mother nodded. She opens Ji Hyo’s hands and caresses her palms. “With these small hands, 20 years ago, you had to bury your own mother… With these hands, you had to wield an arrow and wage protection for your father. With these hands, you had protected my Jong Kook from a life and death situation. I can never repay you enough, daughter-in-law Kim.” His mother says through tears.

“Instead of granting you a wish, I can only give you my stupid son who knows nothing about romance and only war.”

Ji Hyo starts to cry.

“Your mother would’ve cried if she had known what has happened to you now,” his mother shakes her head and cried as Ji Hyo broke down while trying to silence her cries.

The two woman can only cry as his mother lets Ji Hyo lie on her head on her lap while muffling cries. She lightly patter her head and brushed her hair.

Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.

-Stevie Wonder-
 

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times.

***

Ji Hyo learnt to sew and read political books inside her room. The skills were coming back to her naturally as she reiterate them. She had forgotten about Jong Kook and not spoken to him for 2 days. The only time they would meet was breakfast.

Tonight, she was going to sleep in the library study room again. Ji Hyo sits back and lightly rubs her neck and stretches. She looks over at the stack of book she had finished reading and practice assessing.

She stands up to put them back as the shelves each shows a different category: Politics, Warfare, Medicine, and Accounting.. Ji Hyo frowns as she passes one particular shelf with no name.

She walks down the aisle and sees that there are very few books there. She flips one open and scans through the pages only to stand agape at the content.

Ji Hyo was shocked to see the content and she picked out all the books and carried them over to the table.

She lit a new candle and took out a new piece of paper, churning the ink stone as she read the content. Her heart beated faster and blood rushed through her veins as she put the ink stone down to hold the book. Her eyes wander over the pages and she flipped the pages again and again.

Minutes turned to hours and hours turned to daylight. Ji Hyo had knocked next to the already-read books. Her head rested on the table and the last page of the last book read,

“With one last glance, I watched his figure disappearing in the crowd as he ride on his horse.

I can still smell the tingling fragrance of his breath and the scent of his clothes.

The warm lips that touched mine brushed by the morning breeze that seeped in my thin clothes.

Sixteen years yet I still yearn and long for him, the man who embraced me every night.

This moment is yet another test for me, to which is stronger in turbulent era.

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

• Han So Yi

***
Jong Kook enters the library as dawn was coming in. He had just returned from the capital bureau and town lookout and order for Ara to be placed in the town’s bureau. Well, he didn’t actually go take her. He ordered his head guard to do it instead.

He had taken his heavy equipment off and walked through the library in only his thin white clothes, ready to take a bath. He stops as he passed the shelves, seeing a faint candle. He covered himself and walks toward to see Ji Hyo lie on the table asleep.

His hand goes up and touch her hands that held her head on the table. He shook her head as he felt her cold fingers and decided to gently pull her up and carried her bridal style.

Her body lie against his hard, muscular chest as she was as light as a feather in his arms. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for her, he thought but here he likes it, having her in his arms.

He carefully holds her head so she won’t hit the side of the door. As he was about to step out of the library-study room, he sees a maid run out of the courtyard. He stops halfway, realizing he was only wearing his thin undergarments.

Should he just go for it or go back in. It will be embarrassing if he walks out and all the servants are going around. Yet, if he doesn’t Ji Hyo will won’t be able to sleep well.

“Did you sleep well? Did you have good dreams?” Ji Hyo’s words ring in his head, making him halt. Remembering the hurt and glimmering tears in her eyes, he looks down at Ji Hyo, who is now in his arms.

He proceeded to walk out the door and carry her. Jong Kook kept his eyes straight ahead and held her in his arms as she was sound asleep. Her pale skins and braided hair loosened but it didn’t matter.

The maids and servants passing by stops as they see their young master carrying the lady to their bedroom. It was a first, or maybe second time they have seen the two of them go to the same room. Some of them smiled and cheer them on silently.

Jong Kook set her on the bed gently before taking off her shoes. He cover her with the blankets and brushed her hair passed her ears.

But she turned around in bed and muttered inaudible sounds, making him chuckle.

He gets up and leave her in bed as he goes to finish his bath.

***

The sun had risen high and the Kim’s mansion was still rested with servants hustling around the place. Ji Hyo was still lying in bed but woke up as she fell on the ground.

“Aish…” she rubbed the side of her head and held onto the blanket that covered her. “Huh? Why am I here?” she confusedly asked herself. Suddenly she remembers the books in the study room. Without thinking, she abruptly got up and ran there.

The doors flew open and she shut them tight and ran inside. Her breath grew heavy but as soon as she saw the books, she was contented. Her fingers brushed on the books and reads from the last page of the last book she read.

Her fingers run over the author’s name. Han So Yi. Something about the name of the author and her story made it so interesting. But there were no books to read.

Suddenly, someone grabs the book out of her hand. She turns around and sees a half-, wet hair Jong Kook standing in front of her. She gulps as he flips through the pages. The water droplets flows down from his head to his back and chest. His chest was muscular, abs toned, biceps tanned, and her jaw just loosen in awe at the sculpture in front of her eyes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by his loud slamming of the book closed. His expression darkens.

He takes the book and peers at the other ones on the table, piled up together. “Did you read all of these?”

It took her a moment to nod and at that moment, he turns around. “Butler Kim!”

She didn’t know why he was calling for the butler but he ran inside the study room, quick as the wind.

“Yes sire,”

Jong Kook pointed to the books, “Throw these books away.”

“Wait, what?” Ji Hyo retorted.

Without further due, the butler grabbed the pile of books. Ji Hyo tries to stop him but Jong Kook holds her hand. The butler took the books and left the library as Ji Hyo struggled. She turns to face Jong Kook who only blankly looks at her.

“What did the books ever do to you?” she asked.

“What did those books mean to you then?” he asked back. “Does it hold some kind of meaning to you?”

Ji Hyo finally pulls her hand free as he lets go. “Does it hold a special meaning to you? Han So Yi?”

He flinched hearing the name of the author. He looks back up at her, “I expect you to forget about what you had just read. No questions, no answers, no books.”

As Ji Hyo was about to retort, he turns his back against her and walked away. She stopped as she saw the scars on his back, her eyes widen and froze.

The images of his similar back flashes crosses her mind.

She sees his back, in his arms was a woman, with only a blanket to cover them.

Ji Hyo felt her chest grew heavy and turned around.

Jong Kook cover her, rolled over, tumbling over the fire. Then he stabbed something over and over again. The whimper echoed in a place like a cave.

She stops and looks behind her slowly. She looks at his figure that turned the corner. Her body starts to tremble, shaken by the images.

Just then, the author’s name come back to her. Han So Yi. It was familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere. She rushed out of the room to find Butler Kim but just as she saw him, he had piled the books by a fire pit. Ji Hyo ran with all her might to stop the books from burning but she was too late. The pages of the books were set on fire and blazing in flames.

She could only stand and watch the books burn. The butler bowed to her and apologized.

Dreaded by the rush of images coming to her, Ji Hyo felt her body become light. Her head started to spin then before she knew it, she fell back, hitting the ground.

A maid sees this and runs to the corner of the courtyard.

“Lady Kim-“ but she stops with her eyes widen.

Finishing putting on his robe, Jong Kook heard a scream. He quickly exit the dressing room in the library. He sees the maid screaming for help and as soon as he saw Ji Hyo unconscious on the ground, he runs to her, flipping her over and shaking her awake. But only to stop as something caught his eye. Blood on her skirt and her pale face.

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

My deepest apologies for the delay and am grateful that you are still reading this poorly written story of mine. I will try to double update by tonight. Thank you support.