(Eun rolls over to hug his wife, only to find that the bed is empty)

‘D…Deok ah…’

(Slightly opening one eye, Eun tries to find his wife)

‘Soondeok ah…Deok ah!!!!’

(Unlike any other day, there was no response. Eun sits up slowly then pulls his blanket up upon realizing he’s still )

‘What in the world? Oh right…last night we were…aish…Deok ah! Honey?’

(Eun slowly gets out of bed after putting on his clothes which he picked up with his toes from the floor, yawning still)

‘Soondeok ah, are you here?’

(Eun looks around at the desk, she’s not here. Eun starts to panic. He runs out of the room.)

--------------------------------

‘Lady Soondeok! My lady! Where have you been?’

‘Good morning ma’am! I…I was just out for a walk.’

‘My lady, you have no idea how worried the prince was for you! He’s angry right now, very very angry!’

‘Angry? Why? Worried? Why? I left him a note.’

‘Oh I don’t know, my lady. I suggest my lady be careful, you know how it is when the prince is with temper. He seems to be capable of tearing the entire house down with his rage now, my lady.’

‘R…really? I…I’ll be careful. Thanks for warning me. But…where is he now?’

‘I’m afraid I do not know, my lady.’

‘It’s alright, I’ll find him after I get changed.’

(Soondeok slowly approaches their room. She slowly opens the door and pokes her head inside. He’s not there. Safe. Soondeok quietly tip-toe across the room to the bed. She shakes the blanket about.)

‘Ah…the note is stuck here! No wonder why he didn’t read it…Aigoo, look at him, not even sparing a minute to make the bed…tsk tsk tsk…’

(Soondeok makes the bed but then she suddenly hears Eun coming in – instantly, she hides under the blanket and remains motionless. A split second later, his husband barges into the room, stomping on the floor, searching for something.)

‘Aish, where’s that note? She said she left a note…Park Soondeok, I swear, when I find you I’ll kill you for sure! And I was worried all this time! Darn it!’

(Soondeok remains dead still as Eun rummages through the room, speaking to himself every now and then, vowing to give Soondeok a good beating after she comes back. After quite a while, he sits on the floor, looking up gasping for air.)

‘Oh my, why do I feel faint? Oh right…I skipped breakfast…may as well lie down a bit.’

(Without another word, Eun jumps onto their bed, he was only an inch close to his wife, who’s holding her breath now under the blanket. Eun stretches himself but then felt something under the blanket.)

‘Oh? What’s this?’

(Eun finally finds the note.)

‘Ya! Park Soondeok! If you’re going to put a note, put it somewhere I can actually find it! Why did you have to put it here?’

(Eun gets quiet as he reads the note. He rolls on his side and accidentally rolled over Soondeok’s ankle.)

‘OW!!!!’

‘YA GOSH YOU SCARED ME!’

(Eun literally bounced up, he’s now standing on their bed, using his feet to push the blanket about. At last he finds the woman, the woman he’s been searching for all morning.)

‘Oppa! It hurts! You want to break my arm?’

‘YA PARK SOONDEOK! LOOK WHO’S TALING! YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY? YOU’VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING???’

(Soondeok jokingly gets on her knees and begs for forgiveness)

‘Oppa~ I’m sorry. I really didn’t know you’d be this worried…I thought you would find my note…I did tell you that I’ll just be out for a walk…I’m sorry.’

(Eun can’t believe it. He’s still a bit angry, but he just can’t get angry at his wife, he can’t, he loves her so.)

‘You! You-’

(Eun tries to yell at his wife, but as Soondeok looks up at him with those beady eyes, he swallows his words and sighs.)

‘Baby, your arm alright? Does it still hurt? Can you move your fingers? I’ll go fetch a doctor-‘

‘Oppa, I’m fine…see? I can move my arm, like this, see?’

(Eun sighs again)

‘Soondeok ah…next time, not the bed.’

‘What?’

‘The note, don’t leave it on the bed. I mean, seriously! A flip, a turn, whoosh, gone! At least put it on the table or pin it to the door or something!’

‘Ah that…Alright, I get it Oppa…I’m sorry…’

(Soondeok looks down, pouting hard.)

‘Honey, I’m not mad at you now. Don’t pout like that, it aches my heart.’

‘But you still seem to be…’

‘I’m not, here, I’ll hug you…there there, see? I’m not mad! Aigoo, my dear princess…’

(Eun hugs his wife)

‘I was just so worried about you, that’s all…I’m sorry I’m like this, Deok ah…for overreacting…’

‘Are you really not upset anymore?’

‘Not exactly upset just…a bit…the day just didn’t seem right without you to begin it with…that’s all.’

(Soondeok gives Eun a soft kiss on the lips)

‘Better now?’

(Eun thinks hard)

‘Well…maybe a few more~ I didn’t have breakfast, I need some energy from you~ Deok ah, give me five more-’

(Before he could finish his sentence, Soondeok’s already kissing him all over his face, both of them plays around on bed.)

‘Ya~ Deok ah, okay, that’s enough!’

(Eun wraps his legs around Soondeok’s waist to pull her away)

‘Oppa, how can you be so ticklish?’

‘I am not!’

‘Yes you are, look!’

(Soondeok tickles Eun and he immediately squirms about)

‘See?’

‘What’s wrong with you today, Deok ah? You’re being so playful…a bit too playful…if only you were like this last night!’

‘What about last night?’

‘You wouldn’t do anything! It wasn’t as fun…’

‘Well, should we get even then?’

(Soondeok attempts to conquer his husband but Eun flips her over just the same)

‘Don’t you dare.’

‘Why not, Oppa?’

‘I’m hungry now, I want to eat.’

‘Oppa, I’m hungry too! That’s why I want to eat…you!’

(Soondeok attempts to untie her husband’s clothes, Eun stops her just in time)

‘Ya, Park Soondeok! Stop it! You’re insane!’

(Both of them laughs, Eun tries to run away while Soondeok keeps pulling on his clothes, both of them wrestles on the bed which can’t get any messier than it is now.)

‘Ya! Deok ah, let go! You’re crazy!’

‘I’m crazy? What does that make you? You’re the one that’s crazy last night! Come here already, Oppa!’

(Eun at last escapes from Soondeok by falling straight out of bed, rolling on the floor, mad in his own laughter – Soondeok too watches from the bed and giggles.)

‘D-Deok ah…spare me…’

(Both of them tries to catch their breath)

‘Nice defence, Oppa.’

‘Indeed…’

(Soondeok smiles)

‘Oppa, let’s grab something to eat. I can hear your stomach growling from here.’

‘You’re right, let’s eat…Growling~ Growling~ Growling~’

‘Nice tune.’

‘You like it?’

‘Sounds catchy.’

‘Growling~ Growling~ Growling~’

‘Stop it already, Oppa!’

(Eun keeps up singing his little tune as both of them heads toward the kitchen in search for something to fill their growling stomach.)

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Eun’s diary

My wife gave me a heart attack this morning! I thought something happened to her since she wasn’t in our room this morning and no one in the residence saw her either. I literally thought someone kidnapped her and was so close into reporting it! Turns out she was just out for a walk, thank goodness she’s okay.

I don’t think I can live a day without her, I don’t think I’ll be able to live thinking that she’s not here with me. Is that love? I worry about her like a father, I protect her like a brother and I love her like a husband, there’s nothing wrong with that, right?

I had a dream last night, I dreamt that Soondeok is walking on the roof, she slipped and is falling off from the roof but there’s nothing I could do to stop her, no matter how hard I scream, how hard I tried, I could not move in my dream. The air seems thick these days, I’m afraid something will happen to my wife, what’s this feeling of mine? Am I just overreacting? Oh please say yes, I don’t want anything to get between me and my wife, I don’t want anyone to take our happiness away.

----------------------------------------------

‘Oppa! Look! There’s the river! See? I told you the ice has melted! Spring is coming!!!’

(Soondeok dances about)

‘Honey, don’t go there, it’s dangerous.’

‘But Oppa! We hiked all the way here! There’s no way I’m going back without crossing the river, I should at least try! Please Oppa please?’

‘Deok ah, the river’s running too fast now, what if you slip and fall in? It’s still freezing cold!’

‘It’s a shallow one, I’ll be fine, Oppa.’

(Without another word, Soondeok runs over to the river bank and starts stepping on the mini-stone bridge, trying to go across the river)

‘Ya! Park Soondeok! You get back right now! Gosh! Why are you acting like a kid today?’

‘Oppa! There’s a stone-bridge here! We can cross the river this way! Isn’t this cool?’

‘It’s slippery, Deok ah, be careful!’

(Soondeok treads from stone to stone, crossing the river that’s not cold enough to freeze just yet – she turns around when she reaches mid-way and waves at her husband who’s still at the river bank, looking worriedly at her)

‘Oppa~ I love you!’

‘I love you too, Deok ah! Having fun?’

‘Yes I am!’

‘Good! Enough now, let’s get back here!’

‘Just a minute~’

(Soondeok’s got her eyes on the flowers on the other side of the river – reminding her of the flowers her husband had once picked for her when she was young, that moment which make her fall in love with the prince – so she tries to pick them for Eun)

‘Oppa! Look at those flowers! I told you, spring really is here! I’ll pick them for you!’

‘No! Honey, get back here! It’s time for us to go!’

(Soondeok wouldn’t listen, she reaches out to pick the flowers but it’s just slightly out of her reach – the distance between her last stepping stone and the river bank on the other side is quite significant but Soondeok still tries her best to lean over as far as she could. She wants to give those flowers to Eun, she wants to pick those flowers so badly.)

‘Ah!!!’

‘Deok ah!’

(Soondeok almost fell forward into the water but was pulled back by her husband – Eun knew this would happen so he literally ran across the river to grab his wife before she falls into the river herself. Soondeok holds on to her prince like a helpless kitten.)

‘That’s why I told you not to, Soondeok ah. Why won’t you listen?’

‘Oppa…When did you get here? How…dear! Your feet are wet! Oppa, you must be freezing cold! Did you run all the way here in the river?’

(Eun picks the flowers for Soondeok and gives it to his wife)

‘Are these really that important to you, honey?’

‘Oppa…I…’

(Eun chooses the largest flower and pins it into Soondeok’s hair)

‘Aigoo, pretty~ Deok ah, next time you try to reach for something, ask me, okay? I’ve got longer arms than you after all.’

‘Oppa, I’m sorry…I…’

‘Look at you honey, and you said you’re ready to be a mother…Let’s get back now, it’s getting cold.’

(Both of them returns to the river bank. Soondeok takes off her socks.)

‘Oppa, here, use mine.’

‘Honey, I’m fine, it’s just a bit wet, it’s okay.’

‘I’m used to the cold, Oppa – but you’re not. I’d give you my shoes too if only it would fit you…come on now, give me your socks and you put on mine.’

‘Honey…stop pampering me…I…’

(Soondeok makes Eun sits on a rock nearby and helps him herself.)

‘There, done. Let’s go back now, it’s almost sundown.’

‘Deok ah, what should we do tonight? You know, when we get back…’

‘Paint, I suppose…let’s keep working on the floor plan for our house…Oppa, what say we work on the kid’s bedroom tonight?’

‘I…I really haven’t thought about it much, Deok ah.’

‘Then start thinking!’

‘Oh Deok ah~ Can’t we do something more fun?’

‘Like what?’

‘Like…never mind…’

(Eun nods then squats down in front of Soondeok)

‘Oppa, what are you doing?’

‘Hop on, I’ll carry you back.’

‘It’s okay, Oppa, I can walk back fine on my own.’

‘Just do it already won’t you?’

(Eun pulls Soondeok’s arm forward and carries her on his back before she could even step back)

‘You’re really fine with that? The snow is quite deep…’

‘Ya, are you making fun of my height now honey?’

‘Oh Oppa, of course not!’

(Eun shifts Soondeok to a more comfortable position)

‘I’m fine honey, just fine. Let’s go.’

‘Oppa, can you come up with another song? I love listening to you singing…’

‘Just because I play the instruments well doesn’t mean I can sing well. I always sing out of tune, Deok ah. Why? You want to laugh at me?’

‘You know I won’t do that, Oppa. I just find your song…quite fun to listen to at times, that’s all.’

‘A song…hmm…let me think…There’s this song I heard once from a musical, quite a while ago, I quite like it.’

‘Musical?’

‘That restaurant that I visited often, they played a lot of musicals there at night.’

‘Ahh, really? How does it go, Oppa?’

‘It goes something like this…don’t laugh if I forget the lyrics, okay?’

‘I’d never!’

(Eun clears his throat and starts singing)

‘On that green meadow

I want to built a picturesque house

and together with our beloved you

live a hundred years

When spring comes, we sow the seeds

When summer comes, the flowers bloom

When autumn comes, we have a bumper harvest

When winter comes, we are happy

Though dandy guys would boast about high buildings

Though it would be in vogue to live following the trend

Even with a firefly light, a thatched house, if I’m with you

It’s fine to me, it’s fine to me, if I’m with you

If I live together with you~’

[FYI: Song name is 님과 함께, EXO once performed it in Immortal Songs 2]

(Soondeok sings along with Eun after he finished singing it for the first time, both of them sings together happily as they walk back to their residence. Soondeok suddenly stops.)

‘Uh? You’re not singing, Deok ah, what’s wrong?’

‘Oppa, stop! Look!’

(Soondeok points at the ground and to the couple’s surprise, they see another set of footprints all over the snow. Eun quickly lets Soondeok stands on the floor and pulls her behind him as if some danger would jump out at them any minute.)

------------------------------to be continued