"Where are we going?" Sarang asked in her clueless voice as she followed her husband with much difficulty. Sehun seemed to be in his own world once they entered this forest. A calm smile had decorated his face as he walked on the fallen leaves, on the hard soil of the forest. The sky had vanished almost completely, sunlight faced a difficult time to penetrate through the thick canopy. "Sehun, why are we here? Isn't this a forest?" She asked, making sure not to trip on her long skirt, looking down to make sure her feet didn't get tangled with any of those vines. The trees were thick and old, their roots were twisted and she tried her best to be careful as she stepped on the forest floor.

"Hmm, it's a forest," Sehun said, stopping in his tracks. As if Sarang didn't already know. "It's warmer in this area. The trees trap the heat." He looked around a little before fixing his eyes on her. Sehun casually grabbed her hand when that tired huff left her lips. Sarang flushed, her fingers just slightly holding on to his hand.

"Don't you have some trainees to take care of?" She asked, letting herself be pulled by her husband. Sarang looked around, avoiding the vines and climbers on the path.

"Seokjin Hyung will take care of them today," Sehun replied, "It's almost like a day-off for them since Hyung is really easy on them."

"But, why are you taking me..." she trailed away when he turned to look at her, "....taking me wherever you're taking me?" She completed with the evident nervousness in her voice.

"Let's see," He paused in his steps, "Why do you think I brought you to a forest?" Sarang blinked at that smirk on his lips. The soft shadow of the trees ahead fell on the two of them. He let her hand go before slightly pushing her with his large palm. Sarang arched her brow when she found herself against one of the trees in the forest with him looming over her.

"To... um ...Sehun?" She gave him a nervous look and his lips tugged into a faint smile, Bringing his face closer to hers, he tilted his head. "I...don't know," Sarang found it difficult to open when his undivided attention was placed on her. He let his hand settle beside her head, looking at her intently.

"I usually come here to clear my mind and to write my letters," He said, his lower lip. He did that often, Sarang had noticed. A silence ensued after he said those words. Sarang arched her brows at the stillness of everything around, her eyes eventually settling on the boughs of the tree ahead since she was too shy to meet his gaze. Sehun lightly chuckled before tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Let's see if we can get rid of that shyness, huh?" he suddenly spoke up, making her flinch a little.

"You could've said that standing there," She pointed at the spot they had previously stopped at, a feet away with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders.

"I will be as close to you as I want to and you have absolutely no right to object," he gave her a last smile before taking her hand and pulling her gently into his arms. Sarang froze at the suddenness of the situation. Not like her husband wasn't allowed to hug her but, really, a hug felt so unfamiliar and odd coming from him. "I hope you will not hesitate to write to me anymore. It breaks my heart to not get a reply from you."

She hesitantly placed her palm on his chest. Somehow, she found it hard to believe that he could give hugs. Sarang let out a hum and felt the sturdy arms around her tighten. The way he said her name made her feel as if hers was the most wonderful name in the world. The warmth in the pits of her stomach made her sweat inside her dress. It was almost Winter and yet, her husband clearly had this ability to make it summer for her all over again. When Sarang looked up, she had to crane her neck to see his face. Sensing so, Sehun lowered his head for her, cupping her cheeks to guide her eyes to his.

"You will write to me, won't you?" He asked, his eyes seeking answers in her eyes. She blinked at him, staying silent. Brushing her unassertive response, he leaned further towards her face, her lips with his rough thumb in an innocent manner. Sarang felt like a fragile piece of china in his arms. His unreadable gaze troubled her just as her unsure answers worried him. With a thumping heart, she closed her eyes, letting him press those thin lips of his to hers.

The feathery caress of his lips erupted fireworks in her tummy. The kiss was chaste; he pulled away within few seconds to look into her eyes, to make sure she was fine with him doing all of that. The precious being in his arms occupied quite a large space in his heart, he hoped someday she'd understand so. Sehun considered himself exceedingly lucky to be able to hold her even. Looking into her eyes, he could forget the whole world. He could ignore his rank, titles, the wars, soldiers, achievements, and just remain a husband in her eyes.

"There's this beautiful cliff by the end of the forest," He pulled apart, looking sideways with tinted ears. Sehun scratched his nape, "let's sit there?"

Sarang blinked at him before nodding and curling her hand around his index finger. Sehun shortly glanced at it before a faint smile reached his lips. Biting his lower lip, he pulled her on his side, asking her to make sure she walked carefully. He looked down at her straw pumps and clean white socks, "Be careful. Those can be slippery," he pointed his gaze at her feet. Sarang immediately nodded, asking him to lead the way.

As they walked, the forest seemed ominously quiet. When Sarang looked up, she was transfixed by the myriad of fluttering green leaves that danced in the high boughs, making a living, breathing roof above them. She was calmed, almost hypnotized but the longer she stared, the more the leaves looked like eyes staring back down at her and the boughs seemed to draw closer, blocking the sunlight as if they were forming a cage around them. The sheer denseness of the foliage made her feel warm, just like Sehun had said. Even when the days stood so close to winter, she could still be snug in such a place. Wait, scratch that, she could always find her summer in Sehun's arms.

 A sigh escaped his lips as he stopped, tightening his hold around her hand. The warmth hadn't left. Sarang could hear the sound of the turquoise river below. Looking ahead, she watched it boldly flowing amidst the cluster of green. She slightly shook her head at the memory of being in the water the last time. She would have been dead by now if Jinhye hadn't been there. Sehun sat down, patting the space next to him for her. The soft breeze caressed and cooled her body down. Sarang peeled the sweater from her body as she took a seat. Feeling his gaze on her, she glanced at him with question in her eyes.

Sehun looked away, biting his lips, fumbling with his fingers. "Um, do you like this place?" He asked, his voice surprisingly really low and almost inaudible.

Sarang nodded immediately, "This is indeed beautiful," she commented. He scooted closer to her and she raised an eyebrow at that. Sehun shrugged, looking back at the bulging green hills ahead, the patchwork of green made even more varied by passing clouds.

"You should look at yourself," he smiled, darting his eyes to the clear blue sky. The absence of the bright sun added a soft glow to everything on sight. Sarang rolled her eyes at the comment, "You're so much more," he added.

"I understand," She quickly spoke up. Her words sounded more like Shut up to him and he chuckled. "I...when am I going back? I only came to clear everything so I want to go back now."

"Gods, you're so unromantic," he mumbled. "You're not going anywhere today. The train you arrived with was the last train for the day. I'm sorry," Even though he didn't sound like he was; he sounded rather happy that his wife wouldn't be able to go home.

"I can't possibly stay here for the night," Sarang gave him a bewildered look, turning to him. Sehun smirked, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair tussled in the wind like the ocean waves. "Sehun, do something."

He couldn't keep a chuckle in. "Do what? tell me," he brought his face close to hers. "You sound like Mira when you whine like that," Sehun mumbled.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Don't you love her?" She emphasized, making his grin go wider. "Not like I care anyway," she added, watching Sehun nod. The frustration inside her bottled up at the thought of Mira. She didn't like the way Sehun was nodding to just everything she had said. Sarang brushed that away. "I want to go home," she stated.

"This was your choice to come here on such a day, darling," Sarang looked away from him. Sehun's fingers itched to poke her crimson cheeks. "And what can possibly go wrong if you stay with your husband for a night?'

Sehun attentively watched her reaction. However, there was no such reaction. His lips curled into an amused smile. "Omoni's alone, Sehun," Sarang spoke up.

"Omma had always been alone until we got married."

"Perhaps, she has gotten used to my presence," She continued, "Things are different from what they were three months ago," Sarang added and Sehun continued watching her intently. The way her lips parted when she pronounced every word, how her eyebrows twitched from time to time to how her hands flailed in the air when she spoke, they all made him smile. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing," Sehun quickly responded. Sarang released a sigh, looking away. "Omma will be fine as long as we are, Sarang."

"I hope so," She muttered, her fingers fumbling with the grass underneath. "And where am I supposed to sleep?"

"That can be managed," he slowly said, emphasizing every word as if there was a hidden meaning behind it. Sarang appeared to be paying no heed to him, her lips pulled into a perfect straight line. "Hmm, so you actually convinced Jaewook to bring you along?"

"What else could I even do," Sarang muttered under her breath, crossing her legs underneath her. "It wasn't much work, though. Convincing him is a piece of cake." Her face lit up instantly, as Sehun watched. Or perhaps, he was over analyzing her reactions. "How long has Jaewook been here?"

"Approximately two months," he quietly mumbled. Sarang nodded, "I heard you lost contact with him and just recently met each other again. Must be blissful to encounter your friend after so many years."

"It is," she looked at him, excitement glinting in her eyes. "Thanks for taking care of him. He can be a handful sometimes. Don't tell him I said that, okay?" Sehun nodded, smiling at her silliness. "We used to fly kites in winds," she raised her hand and let the cool air caress it, "Jaewook used to make those for me with colorful papers and thin branches." Sehun placed a hand under his chin, watching her intently like always. The way her eyes glowed softly as she spoke about Jaewook. Jaewook and her didn't sit quite well with him but he didn't interrupt anyway.

"We had matching mittens t