“Why won’t you tell them Baekhyun? Shouldn’t at least General Park know about this?”

Jungsoo wasn’t going to stop questioning the captain who was buried in thought all the way from the jungle back to their house. “I mean, this is not a trivial matter you should keep quiet about. I may not be quite very conscient about these kind of matters, but I understand enough to know how important this is.”

Baekhyun stopped at the gateway.

“It’d be nice if I can just call a meeting and talk things out with Chanyeol and Sehun like we always did, and take action at once. But Jungsoo, I have much more stuff to consider before that.” he turned to the girl. “First of all, Chanyeol is still not in a condition to return to work. And Sehun is still not ready to fully cooperate so we’re not in a position to get that Chinese girl’s help if she is actually going to help us. And most of all, you heard everything we discussed just now. This matter can’t be taken care of while running back and forth between a remote village and the palace! So for now, I’m going to take care of things by myself.”

She stood staring at him. “Does that mean you’re leaving for the palace now? Alone?”

Baekhyun sighed, a hand raising to place over her shoulder. “Not now Jungsoo. It will take time. I will have to leave, but not soon.”

The girl lowered her head, and started walking towards the house, crest fallen and sulking.

“you aren’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

Baekhyun called out from behind.

She shook her head before silently entering the house.

* * *

“Ah... Haesolie... I’m sooooo happy. You have no idea how happy I am to see you again.” Seora hugged the maid girl as tight as possible.

The maid hugged back as well, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. “Same with me my lady... I’m just more than happy to see you and Lord Park safe and healthy. You don’t know how scared and worried I was at first when I heard the news.”

Chanyeol smiled, watching the mistress and maid hugging each other. “I talked with doctor Do, and you can sleep in Jungsoo’s room with her, Haesol.” He said. “Is it alright with you unnie?” Haesol asked the girl who was watching them from the doorway.

Jungsoo’s mother had told her that her daughter was about one year older than Haesol.

“Why not? It’s better than staying alone.” Jungsoo smiled.

“Then why not celebrate the arrival of our Haesol? Is anyone in for dinning out?”

Jungsoo felt Baekhyun walking up to stand behind her, broad chest purposely colliding with her shoulder blade. “Shall we all have a nice meal out? With a drink?”

* * * * * * * *

“This is not the usual inn.”

Sehun said, sounding slightly disappointed by the fact that the restaurant they had visited for dinner was not the one where Ying worked.

She’d have joined us if so.

“This is a new place. Opened last week, and people said their makgoli is really good.” Jungsoo replied with a grin. “Since I have heard soldiers love drinking, I thought you people will like this place.”

“Oooooo.... our Jungsoo is thoughtful as always!” Baekhyun nudged the girl with his elbow, making her turn bright red even under the lantern light. “Then let’s order. We should have that makgoli if Jungsoo recommends it.” Chanyeol said with a smirk, and called woman who was serving around.

Having dinner with everyone was fun. At least it was fun to the couple who sat glued to each other, Chanyeol often demanding Seora to feed him and the girl obeying him with giggles. Being the heaviest drinker out of everyone there, Chanyeol chugged down almost half of the amount of rice wine they had ordered, but sat straight without even the slightest sway. Seora didn’t drink more than one half of a shot, afraid that she’ll behave weird and embarrass herself in front of everyone.

Baekhyun seemed a bit tensed once he got into drinking, the overly cheerful aura he had been putting up throughout the evening melting away, and the usual gloominess taking over.

At one moment, he stopped drinking, and decided to stare in silence at the girl sitting next to him.

Jungsoo didn’t notice, and drank away merrily, given that her brother normally doesn’t let her drink too much because of her funny behaviour after getting drunk. She took advantage of the young physician’s absence today.

And she drank to her heart’s content. Until her cheeks were tomato red, until she couldn’t stop giggling, and even start humming random songs.

Baekhyun watched everything in silence.

Sehun was normally a slow drinker, with quite a high drinking tolerance but at a slow rate. But today, nobody saw how fast the youngest gulped down shot after another, such that he was feeling the dizziness within a few minutes.

“Chanyeol hyung, I got to go.”

Everyone looked up at the young captain who stood up from the table so suddenly.

“Sehun-ah, why so early?”

“I’ll be taking my leave earlier, excuse me.” He gave the company a curt nod, and strode out of the restaurant. “Why is that?” Seora asked, only to get a sigh as reply from her husband.

Jongin didn’t drink at all. Not a single drop of alcohol, even when Haesol held the rice wine in front of him and asked.

He shook his head. “Why not? Don’t you like it?” she asked, only to get a low muttered ‘no’ as reply.

After that, Haesol decided to stop consuming the liquor as well. She watched the guard, as he tried his best to avoid the lovey dovey couple sitting in front of him, and sat with his eyes casted at the table in front of him.

He felt a tap on his thigh. Seeing her hand over the fabric of his robes, he looked up at the maid girl.

“Do you want to leave as well?” she asked in the lowest possible voice. And before Jongin could answer, Haesol spoke out herself. “Um... excuse me agassi,” she talked to her mistress over the table. “Can I turn in for today? I’m a bit tired from coming all the way here this morning... so would you mind if I go back with Jongin?”

“Oh, I really forgot... you must be tired Haesol!” Seora exclaimed. “It’s alright, you can turn in. Jongin... take her and get back home safely okay?”

The guard nodded in silence, avoiding his mistress’s eyes. And Haesol stood up, bowed everyone and dragged Jongin out of the place.

“She just left her wine untouched!” Jungsoo reached across the table for the small clay bowl. “What a waste seriously!!!”

* * * * * * * *

“Thank you.” Jongin muttered, once he was on the isolated dark road and walking towards the village. Haesol smiled, deciding to walk a little bit closer to him.

The comparably small hand found its way into his, and entwined its fingers with the long and slender ones.

He looked up at her.

“Let’s not go home for a few hours. We can walk around the neighbourhood like this... can’t we Jongin?”

Puzzled, he nodded.

“You’re way too silent. Did you know that?”

Haesol asked him, as the two stood on a small bridge that was built over a narrow stream that ran across the village.

The full moon illuminated the surroundings, and clearly making visible every small expression on his face.

“I’m not used to talking much... my job doesn’t require talking anyways.”

“But you should at least talk with me. You know I’m a special person right?” she added with a chuckle.

Still leaning on the bridge, he looked at her. “I have something for you at home. Will give it to you once we go home.”

Her eyes widened. “A present? Woah... I normally don’t receive many presents... this is great!” she said, half jumping on the bridge.

“Kang Haesol,” he spoke up again.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you again.”

“For what?”

“I know what you are doing right now... and thank you for that.”

She stopped whirling her head around to take in all the surroundings as she talked, and fully turned to him. “Then will you make me a promise?”

He looked at her questioningly.

“Promise me that we’ll be lovers from this moment.”

He blinked at her.

“I’ll help you get over your past so promise me.”

“Promise you what?”

“That you’ll one day fully give yourself to me.”

“I promise.”

Beautiful places Jongin hadn’t found even after staying in the village for so many days, Haesol found everything in one night. She roamed all over the village with him under the moonlight, stopping here and there to enjoy the views, and flood him with random stories from her past that she carefully chose without mentioning her mistress. Funny or not, he laughed to everything anyways, always looking out for the girl’s safety as she jumped and ran all over the place.

Until she was tired, and dropped on a small grassland they had found.

She lied on her side on the carpet of grass, and invited him to join.

He sat beside the lying girl, crossing his legs in the process.

“Let’s get married one day. And move into our own place, so I can cook for you myself.”

He responded with a smile.

“Let’s have three children, and teach them really well so they can get decent jobs unlike us.”

Surprisingly, he nodded.

“Will you stay beside me, when I’m giving birth to them?”

Haesol regretted after the words left her lips.

Aren’t you totally getting ahead of yourself Kang Haesol?

She mentally slapped herself.

“I will. And will hold your hand and give you strength if you’re the one who’ll become the mother to my children.”

She saw tears glistening in those alluring brown eyes.

“Because you’re so precious to me, someone I should never be losing... Kang Haesol.”

Haesol sat up quickly, and peered into his face. “Yah Kim Jongin...”

He looked up, straight into her eyes with his tear filled ones.

And she couldn’t stop herself from leaning in for a kiss.

Holding his face in her hands, she pressed her lips on his plump and quivering ones. Both stayed still for a moment, until she felt his arm encircle itself around her.

He kissed her back soon after, completely pulling the girl onto his lap. Unlike that forceful and furious kiss from a few weeks earlier back in the temple, she could actually feel affection in his moves.

He was grateful to her.

Almost falling in love.

Jongin was absolutely sober, given that he didn’t have a single drop of makgoli, but his kissing was making the girl doubt if he was intoxicated. Seconds passed without them breaking the kiss, and soon he was leaning back, one elbow propped on the grass and holding her on top of him with the other.

Securely holding her at the waist.

Her arms now on his shoulders.

Haesol pulled away. Despite both of them being inexperienced about being intimate, Jongin was really demanding.

“Don’t stop.”

He whispered, panting breaths hitting her cheek.

She stayed still for a moment, and kissed him again. He closed his eyes again, letting the girl domain over this time.

“Jongin,”

He slowly opened his eyes.

“Shall we go home now?” she asked, biting on her lower lip.

The action made his eyes run down to her lips, again.

“Just two minutes more. Please.”

* * * * * * * *

“Tell me WHY........

Why does my heart keep sha...kin......g......

I’m right here....

Right next to you....

Jeongshin charyeo Lion Hear....ar....arrt.......”

Jungsoo hopped and skipped around the table, earning giggles from Seora as she sang at the top of her voice. Baekhyun tried his best to make the girl sit back by dragging her hand, but she just stopped hopping and scowled at the young man.

“You’re a jerk, Byun Baekhyun!”

“Woah, even she knows.” Chanyeol chuckled.

Baekhyun glared at his friend and looked up the girl again. “Jungsoo-yah, be a good girl and sit down now... will you?”

“No!” she stomped on the wooden floor. “I had been a good girl all the time and you didn’t fall me yet. So from today on, I’m going to be a bad girl and see if that will make you fall for me.”

Baekhyun sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Chanyeol, take Seora and head home first. I’ll take care of this one.” He told his friend while watching the girl spin ceaselessly around a wooden pillar.

“Fine then... Don’t be too late okay? Her parents will be worried.” Chanyeol said with a nod, and stood up from the table.

And for the first time that evening, he lost his balance and stumbled a few feet. Seora quickly got up as well, and caught his hand. “I’m alright...” Chanyeol chuckled, his bloodshot eyes blinking rather slowly. “What wrong with everyone today?” Baekhyun asked, and Chanyeol waved his way out of the inn, without bothering to answer him.

Seora muttered a ‘Come home soon’ to Baekhyun before she was practically dragged out of the building, with Chanyeol’s arm f