Baekhyun darted towards the bed where the girl was lying with her eyes closed, pale face looking weak and drained of all blood. “What happened to her?” he turned back to Jongin in horror.

“We were on our way to a village a bit far from here, but suddenly the lady fainted on the way and I had to look for the closest place for her to get treated.” The guard explained, shifting glances between Baekhyun who was staring back at his friend’s wife, and Sehun who had decided to stay at the entrance, pressing himself against the door frame in silence, not daring to step into the room. “And fortunately it happened to be the house of Do Kyungsoo, someone I befriended back in the capital.” His voice sounded somewhat relieved. “His father said she has eaten some poisonous wild fruit in the jungle. I think she mistook them for berries.”

“I need a proper explanation.” Baekhyun started rubbing his temples in confusion. “What actually happened last night and how did we get the fake news of Seora’s death? And how did you two end up fleeing from the capital?”

“The...the death of Lady Shin?” Jongin asked in surprise mixed with horror. “That’s the main reason for General Park to be lying there like that.” Baekhyun sighed. “Now tell me how you are here?”

Jongin answered Baekhyun’s question, while looking back at Sehun. “That maid... she helped us.”

* * *

After clearing everything happened from the previous night until that moment, the three men stepped out of Seora’s room to be invited to dinner by the physician’s wife, who was a kind middle aged lady, resembling the junior physician Kyungsoo with her looks a lot. Once they’ve had dinner she had prepared, except for Sehun who stayed for a while picking at his food and silently excused himself from the others, the elderly man asked his son to take care of their room arrangements before going to bed.

“Well Jongin can share my room with me,” Kyungsoo said, rubbing the back of his neck while thinking. “So you’re saying the two patients are a married couple right? Then why don’t we keep both of them in one room? It’s even easier to take care of them.” he suggested.

“That’s better oppa, we must take shifts in staying up beside them, because especially the General needs extra attention.” Jungsoo agreed her brother.

“Then... shall we move the lady to the other room with her bed?” Kyungsoo looked at the three men standing in front of him.

Once the two beds were placed one beside the other, and Jungsoo pulled out a stool to sit beside Seora’s bed to take her turn in staying up, Sehun stepped forward, breaking the silence he had been keeping for hours. “I’ll stay up tonight.”

“But... you should be exhausted, sir.” Jungsoo said, looking up at the shrunken eyes and paper white face of the warrior. “I think you need rest.”

“No it’s aright.” He mumbled in reply. “I’ll stay with them.”

“Let him stay Jungsoo.” Baekhyun said, before walking towards the exit of the room. “Sehunnie if you need anything, I’m here in the room next alright?” he added in a gentle tone. The youngster nodded, biting on his lower lip. “Alright...hyung.”

Kyungsoo watched the guard entering his room after a few minutes he had lied down, and Jongin closed the door behind him and came to lie down beside the young doctor in silence.

“So... that is your master and his wife.” Kyungsoo stated, turning his head to look at the young man lying beside him, with his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Yeah.”

“It means she is the one you talked to me about?” Kyungsoo asked hesitantly.

Jongin sighed.

“Still having problems?”

“I guess not.”

“You mean you gave up on her?”

Another sigh.

“I think I am. I am currently giving up on her.”

* * * * * * * *

Baekhyun was pacing in the lantern-lit garden, and didn’t see the girl who approached him from behind and started dragging him towards the bench in the yard by his arm.

He just gave in and got dragged by her to be seated on the wooden bench, and she placed aside the tray she was holding with her other hand. “What’s this about, young miss?” he asked with an amused smile.

“Stay still.” She ordered him, and dipped the small towel she had brought in the bowl of warm water next to it. “Let’s see...” she muttered to herself standing in front of him, and placing her palms on each side of his face, to turn up his face towards her.

He went still.

No gisaeng’s touch ever had made him stay still.

“Didn’t you know that you’re injured as well?”

He looked at her with a confused gaze since he couldn’t comprehend her question.

“What hit you here?” she raised one hand to softly tap on the right side of his forehead. “Has it turned numb that you can’t feel it?”

“Ah,” he finally muttered, pursing his lips to wet his dried lips and remembering getting hit in the battle the previous night. “Got hit by a shield, as far as I remember. Chanyeol was attacked just then so I totally forgot about it.”

Jungsoo listened to his reply with concern written over her gaze, and took her hands off his face.

why take them away?

“It’s under your headband. Let’s first take it off.” The girl reached for the behind of his head, her upper body getting even closer to him in the process, and started untying the tight knot of the fabric.

She doesn’t smell of any sickening perfume.

“Ouch!”

His hand automatically clapped on the headband over the wound, and Jungsoo quickly let go of the fabric and bent down to his eye level. “I’m so sorry...the clotted blood had made it stick to the wound... I didn’t think of it before...” she bit her lip in guilt and took the wet towel to her hand. “No it’s alright.” He held up a hand with a casual smile. And she started dabbing the wound with the wet towel over the head band, ever so carefully as if she was treating a newborn baby.

Receiving such careful treatment, touches with fear that he might get hurt...

It reminded Baekhyun of his mom.

“Ah finally.” Jungsoo sighed with relief, as the headband finally came off his forehead, revealing the wound covered with clotted blood.

“Now it’ll hurt when I disinfect this and apply ointment...arasso?” she looked at him and asked. He nodded with a silent smile and closed his eyes. “But first let me clean all this blood stains off your face.”

The wet towel in her hand started wiping off the dried blood stains on the side of his face, all the way from the wound on his forehead down to his jaw line. It was as if the towel was moving by itself, since her eyes were busy taking in the features if this man who has been roaming in her mind ever since he had first come to their place by coincident.

The dried blood and sweat were holding together the black strands of hair on his side burns, which she carefully wiped clean with warm water. Before she knew, her fingers straightened and rearranged those wet strands, brushing against his soft skin and bringing them back to the straight line where they belonged.

How come soldiers have this much soft skin?

She wiped his face past his slightly sunken cheeks down to his jaw line, her eyes occasionally stopping at his dark shaded dusky pink lips. They were closed in a straight line, the corners slightly turned down, adding a serious and concerned aura to his soft featured face.

She tore her eyes away from them to focus herself back on his injury. The ointment was to be applied, and she examined the wound with a severe contusion around the area, which was making his straight black eyebrows furrow a little with pain.

She pursed her lips with guilt. She was not used to checking out a man like this, but this warrior who seemed to cross paths often with her, was too alluring in her eyes.

“Done!”

Jungsoo stepped back after neatly finishing her treatment by bandaging the wound, not noticing all the glances he had been stealing at her while she was busy sending the strip of white cloth around his head, and tying it in place. “Thank you.” he uttered, as she started gathering her stuff on the tray again to step back into the house.

“Do Jungsoo,”

She had walked a few yards away when his voice made her halter and turn back questioningly.

He smile