Four days passed by, giving enough time for the city dwellers to adjust to the simple yet somewhat busy lifestyle at the Physician’s house. The two roomed annex attached to the main house became the residence to the couple and two captains, while Jongin shared the young physician’s room, already becoming best friends.

Kim Jongin was having a real friend for the first time in his life. Do Kyungsoo appeared to be the busiest youth in the village, helping his father with their patients, studying throughout the night, tending to Chanyeol and redressing his wounds daily, preparing herbs with his sister for selling and also teaching Chinese to some kids in the neighbourhood. Still he found time every now and then to have a heart to heart talk with Jongin, who seemed to be having the hardest time out of everyone in the household. Only Kyungsoo saw how Jongin shed tears standing alone behind their house after Seora had thanked him endlessly, when she regained consciousness. And only Kyungsoo knew how the young lad had been loitering around the market place while he was dealing with the local pharmacist, and when Kyungsoo stepped out of the pharmacy, Jongin was always holding something tight in his hand, either a hairpin, another ribbon, a small mirror or a pair of Chinese embroidered shoes. That’s where all the money Jongin earned by digging out wild ginseng was spent.

Kyungsoo truly felt bad for the youngster, who didn’t understand how to deal with his torn feelings, or didn’t actually even know what he felt, in the first place.

Baekhyun was having the best days in his life, enjoying the break from his duty, and helping all the women in the household. He helped Seora with tending to Chanyeol, because the large and heavy frame of his friend was not easy for the girl to handle alone. He also became the favourite young man in the house to Kyungsoo’s mother, by always aiding her with cooking and preparing medicine, even though he was clumsy and messy with almost everything he did. Above everything, he was trying his best to get in good books with Jungsoo, and always ended up getting caught in her older brother’s wrath. Kyungsoo made sure that Jungsoo was not leaving the neighbourhood with ‘that rotten womanizer’. But Baekhyun somehow managed to steal at least a few minutes of her day, and have at least a small chat on any random topic he would come up with. If he didn’t find anything interesting to say, he just crouched in front of her and watched her doing laundry, or watering her chrysanthemum patch.

Those few minutes turned out to be the favourite part of the day for the girl as well.

The most silence member of the house hold, and the one who actually suffered the most during these few days was Sehun, the one who talked the least, ate the least and slept the least. He didn’t involve himself with any occasion where he heard chattering or laughter, and made sure he was the first to leave the dinner table every night. As if he was afraid of anyone questioning him about what happened to his friend and his wife, he avoided every conversation inside the household and silently engaged him in the hardest tasks available. He chopped firewood, brought pints of water from the nearest spring, helped Kyungsoo to plough their vegetable patch and carried the heaviest sacks of rice or medicine in assistance to Kyungsoo’s father. Knowing what the youngest was going through, Baekhyun allowed him to be alone and didn’t bother him, yet made sure he was going back to sleep soundly after waking up every night having nightmares.

Baekhyun pretended to be asleep every time he woke up to silent sobs and shaky breathing from the one sleeping next to him. The older was worried about Sehun as much as he was worried about the one who was lying in the room next, unconscious.

Seora soon adjusted herself to the foreign environment she had suddenly woke up to find herself in. And out of gratitude, she offered to help in any way the physician family needed, but they wanted her to recover first. Kyungsoo’s mom aided her like her own mother, helping her stay strong until her husband woke up from his long slumber.

“Love has the power to heal any wound.” The middle aged lady her head when she found the girl crying, clutching onto her husband’s bandaged arm. “Although he seems to be unconscious, he hears you, or feels you and your love when you are around him. So let’s be strong and wait for him to wake up agassi.”

Seora brushed off the tears with the back of her hand and looked at him again. His face was still drained of colour and losing weight by every passing day, but the number of layers of bandages Kyungsoo was putting on his torso had visibly reduced. “The deepest wounds are almost fully healed.” The young doctor had said. “He’ll be back really soon. You don’t have to worry agassi.”

She pressed her lips on his forehead, and caressed the unusually dry and rough skin of his face, every night during those four days, before she lied down on the bed which was now attached to his. “I’m waiting... waiting to see that smile of yours that you have whenever I look at you.”

* * * * * * * *

“Jungsoo unnie!!!”

Baekhyun peeked from inside his room, and saw a small crowd gathered in front of the physician’s house.

“Who are you?”

A boy tall enough to barely reach Baekhyun’s thighs stepped forward, giving the older male a piercing glare.

Is glaring me a tradition of these village guys?

Baekhyun suppressed the smile that threatened to reveal his amusement. “Are you looking for Do Jungsoo?” he walked out into the front yard and asked the little gang made of about a dozen village kids.

“Yes! And you didn’t answer my question sir!” the small one in the lead declared, squinting his eyes at Baekhyun again.

“Uhm... I’m your Jungsoo noona’s friend!”

“Friend?” this time it was the little girl who called out for Jungsoo first. “Then does that mean you will marry our unnie?” the barely six-year-old asked, her eyes gleaming with happiness. “Waah...”

Baekhyun stared dumbstruck at her. “I said I’m her friend! Why would friends marry?”

“Well they do!” another boy replied from behind the girl, sounding rather confident about the matter. “My appa said he and my omma were just friends until the day they had me, and then they had no choice but to marry.”

Baekhyun burst out laughing, totally amused by this entertaining little team. “You guys are great...want me to hang out with you?”

“Only if you bring noona out!”

It was the tiny yet fierce leader of the gang.

“Kites? You make kites with them every week?”

Baekhyun asked, watching how the enthusiastic kids had started sorting their favourite colours out of the roll of coloured paper Jungsoo had brought out. The girl nodded with a smile, watching the children as well.

“Why every week? Normally kites with this average quality paper lasts longer than that.”

Jungsoo turned to him. “Do you know how to make nice kites?”

He nodded.

“Then help us. I’ll tell you what they are for, once we are done.”

With Baekhyun’s surprisingly creative methods and designs, they finally managed to make two kites for each child. “Let’s get going now!” Jungsoo stood up from their working space on the veranda of their house, and the children followed her with their newly made kites, their small faces shinning with happiness. Baekhyun watched as she collected all the kites and packed them carefully into one sack, and a boy of around nine years in age, probably the oldest of the lot, picked up the sack to carry with him.

Baekhyun looked at the one tiny figure, not older than four years for sure, who was still sitting on the floor, not daring to take her eyes off his face. He leaned down and peeked into her face.

“Aren’t you leaving little miss?”

She gave him an ear-to-ear grin in reply. “Oppa, you’re so pretty.”

With a soft chuckle, he knelt in front of her. “You don’t call men ‘pretty’ little lady. Unnies are ‘pretty’, and oppas are ‘handsome’.”

She smiled again, revealing her pearl whites with a smile full of innocence. “Will you marry unnie?”

He tilted his head, pretending to think hard. “Let’s see...I’m not sure. I must think about it.”

“Marry unnie and stay here pretty oppa, then we can make kites every day.”

“I will make kites with you every day.” He ruffled the little one’s already messy hair and lifted her up as he got back on his feet.

“Let’s go now. Unnie has already left with your friends.” He followed the rest of them who had already set out, carrying the little girl with him.<