Chaewon stood stoically in front of the main entrance, her face betraying no expression. Yujin was pacing around nervously, checking Chaewon’s appearance every now and then.

“Yujin, could you stop pacing around? I think you’re making Chaewon more nervous,” Yujin’s wife, Jaemin, said exasperated.

“This girl right here doesn’t know anxiety,” Yujin said, pointing a finger at the emotionless Chaewon. “She could probably react to a hurricane going through her home with just a shrug of her shoulders.”

“Look at her!” Yujin bellowed when Chaewon offered no comment.

“Shut up, Yujin. I can hear you,” Chaewon finally growled.

“Oh, so you aren’t a statue?”

“Yujin!” Jaemin chastised.

“That’s the way we get on with each other, don’t we, Chaewon-ie?”

“Uh huh. It’s always like this, including my desire to choke the life out of her.”

“See?” Yujin said, to then start pacing again.

“Yujin, nothing happened. Miss Selja said that Minju will arrive after noon.”

“Well, noon has already passed and she isn’t here!”

“She will arrive.”

“But what if she was intercepted by bandits? What if she got lost? What if in the middle of the road she realized that Chaewon was probably a and returned to her home?”

“ you.”

“See. She probably felt her ugly- aura.”

“Yujin,” Jaemin sighed, rubbing her temples.

A few moments later, Yujin was able to see a carriage advancing in the distance.

“There! There! Do you see that?” Chaewon, leaving her place, moved towards Yujin, looking at the direction the taller woman was pointing.

“I do see it,” she said quietly, returning to her old place.

“Yah! Hey! Why are you going back? Come here and welcome your wife!”

“She isn’t my wife, yet, dunderhead.”

“Might as well be. Nobody else would come this far for an like you.”

“Yujin!” Jaemin chastised again. “Stop bickering. She is almost here!”

“Okay, okay. No bickering,” Yujin finally said when the carriage stopped at the entrance.

“Are you Kim Chaewon?” the rider of the carriage asked Yujin.

“No, I am,” Chaewon asserted, stepping forward. The man appraised her slightly, making Chaewon’s temper flare, but knowing not to cause a scene.

“With your military history, I imagined you to be less... petite.”

“Really?” Chaewon asked dryly. The man nodded, unaware of Chaewon’s anger.

“Well, I’d hoped you’d help Miss Frog climbing down.”

“Ah, yes, I will.” Chaewon walked towards the carriage door, disregarding the man’s nickname for the woman inside said carriage. She turned to look at the rider, who gestured towards the door, as if asking Chaewon to open it.

Chaewon’s breath was stolen when she took her first look at the woman. She’s beautiful.

The woman, who had anxiously been looking down to her fidgeting hands, looked at Chaewon through her eyelashes and jumped slightly when it wasn’t who she expected.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Chaewon said. “The rider told me to welcome you here.”

“No, it’s okay. I wasn’t expecting it to be you.”

“Is there something wrong with me?” Chaewon asked, trying to tease the woman.

“No, no!” Minju said, waving her hands frantically. “No! What I meant was that I thought Mister Rokus... the rider... would... I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Chaewon said, trying to hide an amused smile. “Well, then, may I?” Chaewon extended her hand towards the younger woman, who blushed lightly at the implicit invitation.

“Yes, you may.” Minju took Chaewon’s hand and climbed down with the older woman’s help.

“There you go,” the rider said when Minju had gotten off the carriage. “The luggage is there at the back. Do you want me to help you with it?”

“No, I’ll get it,” Chaewon said, stepping to the place the rider had said and grabbing the luggage. When Chaewon was again next to Minju, she put the luggage on the ground and stuck her hand out again.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Chaewon.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Minju,” the younger woman shook her hand, smiling shyly at Chaewon.

“Ah, and these people are Ahn Yujin, my friend, and Yoo Jaemin, her wife,” Chaewon continued after her friend not-so-subtly cleared .

“Nice to meet you, Ahn Daeng Daeng at your service!” Yujin huffed when her wife hit her with her elbow.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yoo Jaemin,” the woman said, smiling kindly at the overwhelmed newcomer.

“Nice to meet you both.”

“Well, it is time for me to get on the road. I’ll see you soon, Minju,” the rider said, giving the younger woman a hug. “Hopefully you’ll go back with a new wife,” he whispered before the hug ended.

“Yes,” Minju cleared , her face scarlet. “We’ll see each other soon.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you, Kim Chaewon. I hope you’ll take care of our Minnie here.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best to accommodate her,” Chaewon said, shaking the man’s hand.

After the carriage was gone from sight, Chaewon turned to look at Minju, who still looked in the carriage’s direction.

“Well, then, shall we get you accommodated?” Chaewon asked, grabbing onto the luggage again.

“Yes, please.” Both women started walking in silence towards the inn Minju would be staying at, while two other people followed them, leaving space for them to be.

“Do you see that?” Yujin said, slapping her wife’s back.

“I do,” Jaemin answered, smiling, strangely feeling like a proud mom.

“Who would’ve thought Miss I’d-rather-die-than-get-a-soulmate would get smitten so fast?”

“Mhmm...” Even Jaemin, who had known Chaewon for a short period of time was surprised by the woman’s reaction to Minju.

“I hope they get along with each other.”