FLUFF!

MORE OR LESS

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After a restless night, both women were sitting at the table in Chaewon’s house, both waiting for the tea Yujin was preparing in the kitchen. None of the girls spoke anything, uncomfortable by the extra person in the room. While Chaewon was silently keeping an eye on Yujin, Minju looked around Chaewon’s house.

Although she knew that Chaewon was living in the city, she didn’t expect her house to be this inviting. The decoration was sparse and homey, nothing like she expected from a city dweller. What caught her attention the most was the small painting hung next to the closet.

“Here you go,” Yujin said, putting two cups of tea on the table.

“Took you long enough,” Chaewon, her host (and probable future soulmate), grumbled. It made Minju smile when the woman, despite her complaints, thanked Yujin under her breath, as if she didn’t want to be heard.

She thanked Yujin with a small smile and turned to look back at Chaewon, who was looking at the tea cup she had taken.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Yujin sang before leaving the house, making Chaewon grumble some more before clearing .

“So, where do you come from?” Chaewon asked, now focusing entirely on her, making her feel a little nervous.

“Y-you don’t know?” she asked, surprised.

“I do, but I want to hear about you from you,” Chaewon said, taking the cup and giving the tea a small sip.

“Well, I grew up in Port Novello, but moved to Cauley when I was a teenager. My parents had been fishers when they were entrusted with my grandparents farm there.”

“Hmmm,” Chaewon said, as if in thought. “Was the transition difficult?”

“For my father, yes. Having been a fisher his whole life, it was difficult to take care of a farm, much more so rebuild it from its shambles.”

Chaewon looked surprised. “From shambles?”

Minju looked away. “Yes. Before we moved there, there were a group of Shadow Druids that started to live close to Cauley, caused a natural disaster, and my grandparents’ lives were lost.”

Chaewon’s features softened. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have reminded you of that.”

Minju managed to give a weak smile, turning to look at Chaewon again. “It’s okay. It’s something that has already passed.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have.”

“I know you didn’t mean harm.”

“Ah, uh,” Chaewon scrambled to change the topic. “So, if I may ask, what prompted you to look for the services of a matchmaker?”

“Ah,” Minju was surprised with the question. “Well, as I already told you, the Shadow Druids made a huge mess on Cauley, so most of the youth was driven out. In fact, I am the only young adult there. So, there was no one to marry.”

Chaewon hummed.

“What about you?” Minju turned the question around.

“Oh,” Chaewon scratched her neck. “Well, do you...? Has the matchmaker told you about...?”

“Your leg? Yes, I know.” It had been one of the first things she had been told. Minju had accepted Chaewon’s petition to meet regardless. She was sure that if the person she met was a kind one, she wouldn’t care about any physical condition.

“That’s good,” Chaewon exclaimed with relief, to then continue with a darker expression. “There isn’t many people who would marry a cripple.”

Minju wanted to argue, but Chaewon smiled grimly, as if conveying that despite her own feelings about the topic, she had come to terms with it. It made Minju’s heart ache.

“Moreover, the people around here are more prone to want to look for adventure and travel, and I’d rather not have a partner that travels around.” Minju perked.

“Was that one of your requirements?”

“It was one of them, yes.” Now it made sense. Cauley was far from this city, Lovac, so to Minju it made no sense that someone living in a city this big would search for a soulmate elsewhere.

“Were there any others?”

“That, and us meeting.” Minju nodded.

“And? Have you lived in Lovac all your life?”

Chaewon hummed. “Yup, my parents were merchants and helped out with a pub in the Septentry District.”

“So, you are not a merchant?”

“No, after my parents died, I left the business in my uncle’s care and left for the military.”

“I am sorry to hear that.” Chaewon shrugged her shoulders.

“I was happy to serve my country, even when my first years were very rough.”

“Was it difficult?”

“Well, as you can see, I am not exactly a big presence, so learning to fight took a lot of time to master. I had to learn to dodge blows instead of blocking them. It helped my case, though. Most people are not trained to deal with a small-framed woman like me, so I ended using that to my advantage.”

“I can imagine,” Minju said, conjuring the image of a fighting Chaewon in her head. She couldn’t say she disliked the image.

“I have lots of interesting stories from there, if you’re willing to lend an ear,” Chaewon offered, surprising Minju, who hadn’t known how to talk about these topics without being (unintentionally) hurtful.

“Sure, I’m all ears.”

And just like that, the whole morning went by a blur, having both women tell each other funny stories about their experiences, being only interrupted when Yujin knocked on the door.

“Yah! You better finish whatever you’re doing in there! It’s already lunch time!”

Chaewon wanted to yell back at Yujin to mind her own business when she was struck with a thought.

“That’s right. Are you hungry? Shall we go eat?”

“That would be nice,” Minju acquiesced, turning her head to hide her blush at Yujin’s insinuation. She had already felt the pangs of hunger a few moments ago, but had been too immersed in one of Chaewon’s stories to tell the woman about it.

“If it’s not too much for you, we’ll be eating at Yujin and Jaemin’s house.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m sure it will be delicious.” Minju knew that if she was to marry Chaewon, she would have to win her friends over as well.

“It will be interesting, alright,” Chaewon commented under her breath, standing up from her chair. “Do you need help?”

“No, don’t worry.” Minju found charming (in an strange way) that Chaewon was always in a rush to try making her feel comfortable in every possible way. Standing up, she smiled at Chaewon, who also smiled at her.

“Well, then, let’s go.”

The newlyweds’ house was close to Chaewon’s own house, so the walk there wasn’t long. Even then, Minju took that time to marvel at what she saw. It had been the first time she had travelled to a big city and when she had first arrived, she had been too nervous she hadn’t even noticed her surroundings.

This district was basically filled with vendors (probably because Chaewon’s parents used to work here) and few inns and pubs. One place that she was intrigued by was the circus tent. She hoped Chaewon would take her there at least once.

Without knocking, Chaewon opened the door to Yujin’s house, quickly making herself at home. Jaemin was the first person they saw, as she was already sitting at the table.

“Welcome, hope you are hungry,” Jaemin said, smiling softly at the pair, which made Minju unwind a little.

“We are, thank you for cooking,” Chaewon answered, taking off her shoes.

“Oh no, I can’t cook. Yujin is the cook of this house.”

“Yujin?!” Minju couldn’t see Chaewon’s face (as she was taking her shoes), but she could swear Chaewon’s face was contorted in a mixture of surprise and incredulity. “You... you know how to cook?”

When Minju finally stood straight, she could see that Yujin was already putting the plates on the table.

“Not too shabby, ey? I had to learn because Jae has almost burned the house before.”

“It was one time,” the other woman mumbled, ashamed at the memory.

“It’s okay. It’s the thought that counts,” Yujin said, squeezing lightly her wife’s shoulder. “Well, then, sit, sit! It’s time to eat.”

Minju sat at the last chair in the table, feeling more comfortable there, while Chaewon took a seat next to her. Although she knew she probably should have manners in a stranger’s home, as soon as she took her first bite, she shoved the food in at a high speed.

“Wow, you sure are hungry,” Jaemin commented with surprise.

“Sorry,” Minju apologized, slowing down.

“Nah, it’s cool. It means my food is great.”

Chaewon snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself too much.”

“I can see you like it, too. Don’t lie, Chaewon-ie.”

Chaewon shrugged her shoulders. “Mmm, it’s decent.”

“Yes! I’d like to let you know,” Yujin said, turning to Minju “That this is the highest praise you can receive from Chaewon.”

The aforementioned woman narrowed her eyes. “That’s not true.”

“It is! When we were fifteen, there was a race the district had organized for us, teens. When I won, you know what she said? ‘You were decent.’” Minju laughed, imagining a younger Chaewon feigning being unimpressed at her friends accomplishments.

“Well, what did you want me to say? You did well,” Chaewon said, to immediately shove a spoon of food into .

“Wow, Chaewon has complimented my food and my speed all in one day. Are you secretly a Mage? What kind of spell have you put on her, Kim Minju?”

“We have just been talking to each other,” she said, truly wondering if it’s rare for Chaewon to praise others.

“Well, your talk is truly magic!” Yujin said, giving a sly look at Chaewon, who only looked at her with distaste. “So! I had one question!”

“Sure. What is it?”

“When you get married, would you come to live here or would Chaewon leave with you?” Chaewon started choking on her food while Minju blushed, wanting to help Chaewon but feeling too shy to even turn to look at her.

“Yujin...” Chaewon glowered, but Minju interrupted any homicide attempt that might happen.

“I... I’d rather if she went to live with me.” Minju couldn’t even take a peek at Chaewon, but if she had, she would have noticed the latter had coyly ducked her head, the tip of her ears completely red.

“Is that so? Don’t you like the city?” Yujin asked, her expression more serious.

“It’s okay, but I don’t think I would ever feel comfortable living here. Besides, I want to continue helping my parents with the farm, so I hoped... Chaewon would come with me.”

“So you would get married there?” Yujin continued questioning.

“I’m not sure my parents can come all the way here, but if Chaewon doesn’t want to, then...” Minju hoped she hadn’t made Chaewon uncomfortable, as it was obvious for the younger woman that Chaewon was being cautious (made obvious by Chaewon making Minju come here to meet her).

“I-I think it’s okay. Marrying there. I don’t mind.” Minju turned to look at Chaewon, feeling relief.

“R-really?”

“Of course.” Chaewon turned at Yujin. “Have you finished questioning our guest, Ahn Yujin?” It seemed as if both women were arguing with each other through the gazes they shot at each other.

“Yup! That’s all I needed to know!” Yujin exclaimed after a moment. “Have I ever told you about that one time when Chaewon vomited on someone’s shoes?”

“Yujin...” Chaewon grumbled as a warning, but didn’t say anything else after Minju laughed.

“No, you haven’t,” Minju giggled, but stopped abruptly, turning to look at Chaewon. “Is it okay?” Chaewon looked at her surprised, as if she didn’t understand the question, but after a moment, she seemingly understood.

“There was this one time when Yujin dared me to get inside a wheel and roll down the stairs. Feeling invincible, I did, but the wheel couldn’t support my body, so I ended up being thrown onto the stairs. I continued rolling for a while. When I finally stopped and stood up, I ended up vomiting on the shoes of a person who had stopped to help me.” Minju would’ve guessed, by the warning she gave Yujin, that she would reluctant to tell this story, but she seemed relaxed, even amused, at remembering the story.

“I couldn’t believe she had actually listened to me,” Yujin said, cackling.

“And this why I don’t listen to you now,” Chaewon shot back, but laughed slightly.

“Well, I can’t say that hasn’t happened to me,” Minju said, giggling. “There was this one time when I tried climbing to the roof of the barn, but I ended up falling onto fence. When my dad grabbed me to help me, I ended up vomiting on his clothes.”

“Ouch,” Chaewon commented, scrunching her nose.

“I wasn’t as high as you might think I was. I think it was just hitting the fence what triggered the puke.”

“Well, as much as I like talking about puke,” Jaemin interrupted. “I’d rather we change the topic.”

“True, sorry, Jae.”

Chaewon arched an eyebrow. “Yujin, complying and apologizing?”

“Yah, in a few months, you’re going to be like me, so don’t mock me!” Yujin pointed a finger at Chaewon, who rolled her eyes, despite the obvious blush on the tip of her ears. “Well, I’ve noticed everyone has already finished their food, so you two, go! Talk! Enjoy your day alone!” Yujin exclaimed, shooing both of them out.

“Nice hospitality,” Chaewon commented dryly.

“Remember that our Minju here is returning to her home tomorrow, so you have to make the best of your time. Go on, I’m sure Chaewon will entertain you better than us,” Yujin dismissed with a wave, directing the last part to Minju, who was reminded of the brevity of the journey. Maybe one day she could visit them again...

“Okay, okay,” Chaewon said, directing them both to the door. When they were finally out, Chaewon questioned her, “We have already been together the whole morning. Would you like to rest?”

“Are you already tired?” Minju asked, the thought of having already wore Chaewon out making her anxious.

“No, I’m just afraid that you’ll get overwhelmed. After all, you’re surrounded by strangers.”

“Yujin and Jaemin are not strangers to me anymore,” Minju reassured Chaewon, who looked at her, as if she was making a decision.

“And me? Am I a stranger?” she said after a pause.

“Not at all,” Minju answered. “I’ve enjoyed my time with you,” she added shyly.

“I’ve enjoyed my time with you, too,” Chaewon mumbled, ducking her head slightly. Clearing , she asked, “What would you like to do then?”

“Hmm, can we go explore the city?”

“You want to go to other districts?”

“No, just this one.” As it was, this district was already too big and crowded. She couldn’t imagine how overwhelmed she would feel if she visited the remaining districts.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

Even though at first the district had seemed insurmountable, it seemed so simple when Chaewon talked about it. Despite having been already many years out of this city (as far a Minju knew), it seemed as if Chaewon still knew it like the back of her hand. The vendors had so many things to sell, even things she wouldn’t see in bigger towns.

Chaewon had offered buying her a ring, but she declined, not being too much into jewelry and not wanting Chaewon to pay for something she could barely wear while working at the farm.

Finally, they reached the circus tent, and Minju was excited. She turned to look at Chaewon, just as she had finished talking about the circus, making the latter turn to meet her gaze.

“You want to go in?” Chaewon asked, unsure.

“Yes, please.” And so they entered.

It was such an interesting place. They had many people that knew so many tricks. They first went through the monocycle clown, who juggled small wooden balls in his hands while riding. Then there was the contortionist, who managed to knot herself in so many shapes it left Minju’s head spinning. At last, they arrived with a man who claimed to be able to swallow swords. It was amazing.

He had been in the middle of swallowing the first sword when Minju turned excitedly to look at Chaewon. She immediately sensed something was wrong when she saw horror in Chaewon’s face.

“Chaewon?” But the woman seemed to be in a trance, frozen in terror at the sight.

“Chaewon,” Minju said insistently, shaking the woman slightly. It took Minju shaking her roughly to finally wake Chaewon out of her stupor.

“Huh, what?” Chaewon asked fearfully, disoriented. When she saw Minju’s worried face, she seemed to deflate. “Oh, god, I’m so sorry.”

“No, no. You don’t have to apologize,” Minju said, taking Chaewon’s hand and taking her out of the tent. “There’s nothing for you to apologize.”

“There is. You were enjoying the show and I just had to go and do that,” Chaewon said, turning her head to avoid looking at Minju.

“Chaewon?” Minju tried looking into Chaewon’s eyes, but the latter was avoiding meeting her gaze. “Chaewon, please, look at me.” Instead, Chaewon ducked her head.

“I think you shouldn’t get married to me, Kim Minju.”

“What? Why?” Minju tried again to look into the older woman’s eyes, but the latter just continued avoiding.

“There was something the matchmaker didn’t tell you, and that is... my head is messed up. I am messed up. This... whatever it is, happens to me all the time. I thought this would get cured when I returned to the city, but I...”

“Since when?” Minju asked softly, finally looking at Chaewon’s hands, which were in a fist, knuckles turned white.

“Since the battle previous to the last battle, when Era... no...I” Chaewon seemed as if she was on the verge of another horror trip, so Minju thought quick about what she could do. Grabbing onto one of Chaewon’s hands, she tried extending it gently.

“Chaewon, please, please, raise your head and look at me.” But when Chaewon didn’t do as she was asked, Minju sighed sadly. “I want to marry you.” This made Chaewon’s head shoot up. “I want to marry you,” Minju repeated.

“Why?” Chaewon asked in wonder.

“Ever since I arrived, you have been nothing but kind to me. You are... interesting, helpful, and funny, and I am sure I will discover more positive things about you the more I get to know you. You love your family, your friends, even if you are grumpy with them sometimes. You have looked for my well-being, doing whatever in your power to make me feel at home.”

“But there are bad things of me.”

“Everyone has a bad side to themselves. I am not perfect, and I have done my best to show you the best side of me. Eventually we will see each other’s bad side, but whatever difficulties we may have between us, we will face them, together.”

“And you want to deal with that? Forever? This cannot be reversed.”

“I want to marry you,” Minju reiterated. There was a slight pause.

“I...” Chaewon looked as if she was close to crying, but she seemed to be fighting with herself.

“It’s okay if you cry,” Minju said quietly.

“I won’t,” Chaewon stated, her gaze suddenly steely. She turned to look at Minju again and her gaze turned soft again.

“Can... Can I hug you?” Minju was delightfully surprised.

“Of course.” And she was engulfed in what she swore was the warmest hug she had ever received. Minju held onto Chaewon tightly, letting the conversation lull for a moment in favor of conveying as much consoling as she could. After a moment, Minju wanted to end the hug to check up on Chaewon, but the latter didn’t let her, hugging her tightly.

“I want to marry you too.”

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GLOSSARY

Druid: Priest that serves the cause of nature and neutrality. The wilderness is his community and they use special powers to protect it and preserve the balance of the world.

Shadow Druids: Druidic cult active which believes that nature should drive out civilization with violence.