Although she had already been here before, Minju still had a sense of awe when crossing the gates of that gigantic city. The overwhelming feeling of being so small made her feel nervous, more so when she knew she would be getting to know the different corners of this city sooner rather than later.

One of the gatekeepers greeted them both, confusion written in his features. Minju was only able to bow slightly when Chaewon told him they would talk later.

She trusted Chaewon, but the idea of her curse being revealed to everyone Chaewon knew was nauseating to Minju, making her grab onto Chaewon's shirt.

"Hey, don't worry. I won't tell anyone about it," Chaewon reassured, as if she could read Minju's mind.

Minju sighed inwardly, feeling more at ease.

Still, she could feel the lingering tension between them, despite Chaewon's outwardly calm demeanor.

When they had to stop for the night, Chaewon didn't even think twice before suggesting she'd stay awake the whole night. Despite numerous protests from Minju, Chaewon couldn't be persuaded.

"I want you to be safe," she had said stubbornly just before Minju transformed into a beast.

Chaewon had been almost... paranoid throughout the entire journey.

And now that they were in the city, she could feel Chaewon relax little by little.

The district Chaewon lived in looked just the same as when she had arrived a few weeks back, with people walking now back to their houses and kids running towards their parents after a day of fun. Minju tried imagining living here for a long time, but it was still difficult. The city still seemed so unsurmountable to her, she'd rather just live at the farm.

(Not to mention the fear she had of being discovered.

However, she trusted Chaewon, and, at some point, knew Chaewon would protect her secret.)

"Hey! Yah!" Minju heard in the distance, making her turn her head towards the person yelling at them. It was Yujin, rushing towards them.

"What?" Chaewon asked non-chalantly when Yujin was finally in front of them.

"Don't what me, Kim Chaewon," Yujin reproached, pointing her finger at her friend. "You were supposed to be at Minju's farm, with Minju in it!" Turning to look at Minju, she put her hands on Minju's shoulders. "Minju, my child, what happened?"

"Don't scare her," Chaewon threatened, though her voice was light, if a little guarded.

"Uhm, we just decided to get married later," Minju answered hesitantly, not knowing what exactly to tell her, or if even tell her anything at all.

"Why? You two are like two peas in a pod!"

"We'll get married soon enough," Chaewon said offhandedly, but Yujin didn't have it. Instead, she turned to gaze into Chaewon's eyes, as if to silently argue with her. Chaewon met her gaze, not backing down from the challenge.

After a moment of deliberation, Yujin lowered her head, sighing.

"Okay, okay. Fine," Yujin exclaimed, releasing Minju's shoulders. "These kids are going to be the end of me," Yujin said, dramatically clutching her chest. Minju laughed lighty despite the tense showdown between friends, but Chaewon just rolled her eyes.

"We're leaving," Chaewon announced, taking Minju's arm and guiding her towards their home.

"Fine, fine. Be like that Kim Chaewon! Abandon me for your wife!" Yujin yelled, but didn't follow them, to Chaewon's relief.

"Is Yujin okay?" Minju asked, turning to look at the woman who was still looking at them in the distance.

"She's just being a worrywart. Nothing bad," Chaewon shrugged, but Minju didn't like it. After all, Yujin had been extremely welcoming and friendly towards her since the first time they met. Not to mention, she was someone important to Chaewon. Hiding this made her feel guilty.

"Should… should I tell her?" Minju voiced, despite her fears, making Chaewon stop walking.

"No, you shouldn't. Not if you feel uncomfortable," Chaewon answered resolutely. "I'll think about what to say to her later."

"Would you lie to your friend?" Minju asked, unable to keep the worry off her voice.

"No, of course not," Chaewon denied. "I just need her to understand that this is something between you and me and she can't meddle." Minju nodded, though Chaewon's words didn't disipate her own personal guilt, a guilt that would last even as they arrived at Chaewon's house.

Although it had been unhabited for a couple of weeks, Chaewon's house still felt warm and accomodating, a relief that both Minju and Chaewon felt. Minju examined everything in the house, even when she had already done so the first time she came to visit Chaewon.

"Welcome to my house, again," Chaewon said awkwardly. "Though I know it's nothing like the farm, I hope you can feel comfortable here."

"Thank you, Chaewon." Minju smiled slightly. Returning the smile, Chaewon walked towards one of the cabinets next to her bed, and rummaged through it.

"Are you prone to feeling cold?" she asked, getting some blankets out.

"On the contrary, I'm prone to being warm…" Minju rubbed her arm, balking for a moment before saying, "it comes with being whatever I am."

Chaewon frowned at the small voice, but, not knowing what to say, she ended up answering in a lighter tone, "then you'll be right at home here, since this house is cold as hell."

Minju smiled in appreciation at the lighthearted words, but said nothing.

"Well, let me… Here, you can put your clothes in this cabinet," Chaewon signaled at the piece of furniture she had been tinkering with. "I'll be using these blankets." Putting said blankets on the bed, she helped Minju with the rutsack that contained the few belongings she had brought with herself from the farm. "If you want some help, just tell me. I'll be at the kitchen for a moment."

Minju nodded, turning to look at Chaewon as she walked to the tiny kitchen. After a moment, she finally decided to sort out her belongings. It wasn't all that difficult, as most were clothes with the occasional book or so. She had honestly wanted to bring more things, but she suspected that it would have been more difficult to travel with more luggage (not to mention the possibility of attracting thieves; although she knew Chaewon could handle them, she didn't want Chaewon to do so, not when she was so vulnerable).

The task took a few minutes, and after Minju finished, she walked towards Chaewon, who now was crouching, looking at something in the stove.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking behind the stove. We haven't used it for a while, so I need to see if everything is okay."

"Do you want me to look at it?" Minju offered, surprising Chaewon.

Although Chaewon knew her way around a stove, she didn't want to reject Minju's proposal, so she stood up, leaving space for Minju to crouch. "If it's not too much trouble."

Minju crouched slowly, concentrating immediately on checking the stove. After a few moments, Minju finally stood up, dusting her hands on her clothes.

"So?"

"As far as I could see, there is nothing wrong with it. It's a little rusty, but nothing else." Chaewon nodded.

"Recommendations?"

"Just be careful of the wood you use," Minju advised.

"What do you mean?" Chaewon prodded for a longer explanation. After all, in the military they used whatever they could to light a fire to both get warm and cook, so to her it made no difference.

"I mean, aside from not using wet or humid wood, some types of wood can leave residue that ends up rusting the stove over time," Minju explained, her voice a remnant of happiness. She liked the idea of teaching Chaewon something she didn't know about.

Chaewon assented again. "Did you learn this at the farm?"

"Well, yeah, dad always wanted me to have enough knowledge to take care of myself, in case something happened." Minju rubbed her neck, self-conscious of her own skills.

"Pretty impresive," Chaewon praised. "I only learned to sort of deal with the stove because my dad once asked me to fix the one at the pub. Took me hours to figure out what was wrong with it."

Somehow, Minju could picture Chaewon huffing in impatience as she gazed fornlornly at the broken down stove. It made her giggle. "I can imagine."

Clearing , Chaewon said, "talking about stoves. I don't think we can cook right now, since we don't have any food. Would you mind if we ate at my parents' pub?"

The question froze Minju for a moment. Her parents' pub? Although she logically knew Chaewon's parents were not alive anymore, the idea of getting into a space owned by Chaewon's family made her a little nervous. Moreover, her uncle ought to be there. Would she meet him then?

"We can also ask Yujin for some meat?" Chaewon said hesitantly after noticing Minju's nervousness.

This took Minju out of her reverie. "No, it's fine. Let's go to your parents' pub." Smiling when Chaewon looked at her suspiciously, she added. "Really, I want to go."

"Fine, but if you feel uncomfortable, just tell me and we'll return."

"Don't worry. I'll be just fine," Minju reassured, taking Chaewon's hand. "Let's go?"

Chaewon tried suppressing a smile at the gesture, but was ultimately unable to. "Follow me."

The walk to Chaewon's family's pub was a long one, as the pub was in another district. Chaewon constantly pointed at the different places of the districts they had to go through, which fascinated Minju, but made her feel a little overwhelmed. She knew that it would take a while for her to memorize this place, doubting if even two months would be enough.

Outdoors was a little chilly, so the change in temperature when they entered the pub was noticeable for Minju, but not necessarily welcome. There were so many people inside the relatively small building, which made it hotter than what Minju was used to. Everyone inside was talking, strong voices that verged on screams could be heard, to the point that Minju felt the impulse to cover her ears. Feeling Chaewon tug her hand, she turned to the woman, who was busy admiring the place she had probably not seen for a long time. It made Minju smile, compensating a little for the excessive sound, temperature, and lack of space.

"They have barely changed anything," Chaewon mumbled before turning to look at Minju. Blushing a little when met with Minju's stare, she stammered. "W-what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Minju answered. "Where are we going to sit? It's filled with people."

"Upstairs, as soon as…" They were interrupted when a man poked Chaewon's shoulder. "Oh, uncle Hyukjun."

The man sported a smile that to Minju seemed forced. "Hello, Chaewon, long time no see." Chaewon nodded, acknowledging the greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I just want to have a warm meal with my fiancee," Chaewon answered, bringing Minju to her uncle's attention.

Aware of the new set of eyes looking at her, she smiled politely, introducing herself shyly. "Nice to meet you, I'm Kim Minju."

Hyukjun's smile became less forced, though it still had a fake quality Minju could recognize. "Likewise. I'm Baek Hyukjun." Clearing his throat, he asked, turning to Chaewon, "when are you getting married?"

"Two months," Chaewon answered dryly, changing the topic immediately. "Would it be rude to ask for a seat upstairs?"

"No, no, of course not," Hyukjun said, his voice darkening slightly. "This place is yours, after all."

Chaewon nodded. "Then, we'll be going there. Would you please sell us some roast?"

"I'll tell you when it's ready," he answered. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Kim," he said lowly before leaving the couple alone.

Chaewon guided them upstairs, her steps a little clumsy due to her wooden leg. To Minju's relief, the whole area was empty. Seating on the table farthest from the stairs, Minju breathed a little, feeling less suffocated that when she first entered.

"He, uhm, is very polite," she commented, not knowing how to say what she really wanted.

Chaewon snorted. "He is polite, alright."

"Does he… did he take care of you when your parents passed away?" she asked instead.

"We were never really close," Chaewon disclosed. "When my parents died, I left for the army and left him with the pub, so he's had to take care of it for a long time." Leaning forward, she whispered, as if telling a secret, "he's a not a big fan of me, given that this pub is still legally mine."

"I imagined," Minju confessed, elaborating when Chaewon raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he didn't seem all too happy to see you."

Chaewon nodded. "Can't blame him, either. At some point, I think he is afraid I could take away this from him at any time."

"Would you ever do it?" Minju asked, even though she couldn't imagine Chaewon being cruel, even if her uncle didn't harbor charitable thoughts towards her.

"No, of course not. Between you and me, I've been considering leaving the pub to him. After all, he's the one who has tended to it."

"Really? But what about your parents?"

"This pub is my parents' legacy, but a legacy I didn't work for. I don't know how to take care of a pub, and, honestly, I don't think I will ever need to learn, since I'll be tending to cows for the next several years." Chaewon's words made Minju smile a little, but, at some point, astonished her. Despite Chaewon's reasonable arguments, this was still her parents' legacy. If Minju would've been in Chaewon's place, she might have felt obligated to tend to the pub, as a way to honor her parents.

"Would you really be okay with living at the farm?" Minju asked, feeling guilt at the idea of making Chaewon abandon her parents' last memories.

The question surprised Chaewon, who tried looking into Minju's eyes for a moment before sighing. Grabbing her hand, she asked, "what is bothering you?"

"It's just… Is it really okay to abandon your parents' legacy to come live with me?"

Chaewon frowned, Minju's words making her take a moment to formulate what she wanted to say. "My parents left this pub behind, but I know it to not be their most important legacy. I am their most important legacy, and I know that what they wanted was for me to leave a life that reflected them, their love, their care. And what I hope for… is to live that life with you." She seemed a little embarrassed at saying the last part, but she forced herself to say it, knowing that Minju needed to hear these words.

The younger woman felt her stomach fluttering, making her squeeze Chaewon's hand, both in appreciation and as way to dispel the blush. Despite being slated to wed later on, it still made her feel bashful, in a way. After all, she had never heard Chaewon speak so passionately about it.

Chaewon cleared . "Besides, it's not like you're not making an effort. You came here to live among strangers."

"You know you're not a stranger," Minju rebutted.

"But I am not your parents, and this city is unlike the farm," Chaewon shot back. "I know you're making an effort by agreeing to come live with me. Don't downplay that."

Minju shrugged, not knowing what to say. At some point, she did acknowledge it. After all, the ambience within the pub was still a little difficult for her to withstand. How would it be to visit all of the districts when people are out and about? Probably more populated than they are now.

Turning to look out the window, she gasped. The sun was already setting in the horizon, meaning she didn't have much time left.

"What is it?" Chaewon seemingly came to the same conclusions Minju had, as she suddenly stood up, tending her hand to Minju. "Would you like to eat our meal back at my house?"

"Sorry," Minju apologized, but Chaewon shook her head.

"It's nothing," she answered, gesturing to her outstretched hand. Taking it, they both walked downstairs, bumping into Chaewon's uncle.

"Oh, are you leaving?" Hyukjun asked, confused by the sudden departure.

"We'd rather eat at home tonight," Chaewon answered. "Would it be too much to ask you to wrap our food?"

"Not at all. Let me go do it." They only had to wait for a minute before he came back with a small bag. "Here's the food. Hope you have a good night."

"You too, uncle."

"Hope you have a nice stay here, Miss Kim."

"Thank you," Minju said, bowing slightly. Both left the pub immediately after that.

The walk towards Chaewon's house was less leisurely, with Minju all but running. Chaewon could only follow her, understanding Minju's alarm. It was a huge relief for Minju when she crossed the door's threshold into Chaewon's house.

Still feeling the adrenaline of rushing through the city, Minju heaved a sigh, turning to look at Chaewon, who was putting their meal on the table.

"Shall we eat?" Chaewon asked courteously, though Minju could see that she was worried about her.

"We should," Minju smiled as naturally as she could, her heart still beating out of her chest. She would have liked to believe that it was all because of the adrenaline, but when she started to feel the characteristic pain in her midriff, she knew it not to be the case. She squeaked, clutching her chest as she felt the changes in her body start to happen.

She could hear Chaewon's voice as if it was far away from her, even when she knew Chaewon was close by. The pain lasted for a few moments, but when Minju felt the ceiling too close to her head, she opened her eyes. In front of her was Chaewon, her eyes filled with worry, devoid of the disgust and anger she was always afraid of seeing, in her hands a pitcher full of water.

"Here, drink some," Chaewon directed softly as she offered the pitcher to Minju, who tried grabbing it, but was unsuccessful. "Get closer."

Ducking her head and hunching her body, she was able to get closer to Chaewon, enough to have the other woman pour water into . The water felt refreshing to her burning body and she whimpered in delight. However, the pitcher was not enough for Minju's body, so Chaewon had to refill it several times before Minju felt more comfortable in her body.

"Thank you, Chaewon," Minju said shyly. It was still difficult for her to have Chaewon helping her, even when she had done so since the first night they were travelling to Lovac.

"Are you okay?"

"I…" When she moved one of her legs, she heard the sound of debris falling. Turning to look at the place the sound came from, she found a chair that had been smashed so thoroughly that it wouldn't be possible to rebuild or fix it. "Oh, no. I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Chaewon said. "It was already an old chair." Her words didn't make Minju feel better.

"But…" Chaewon sighed for a moment before her expression became more resolute.

"If you want to make up for it, why don't you make a chair yourself?"

"Huh?" Minju didn't expect that.

"You have worked with building small things at the farm, haven't you? Build me a chair, and we're even," Chaewon explained, nodding her head.

"Tomorrow morning?" Minju asked, actually liking the idea.

"Whenever you want. Just build me the sturdiest chair ever." Chaewon raised her hand, as if to shake on it.

Minju grabbed Chaewon's tiny (in beast form, at least) in hers, shaking it slightly. "Deal."

Chaewon looked satisfied with the resolution. "So, do you want to have dinner now?"

"I don't know if I can," Minju said, raising her hands in a wordless explanation.

"I can help you, if you want, of course."

"It's okay. I'll eat tomorrow," Minju answered, embarrassed at the prospect of having Chaewon dump food in so she could eat. "I'm used to not eating at this hour." And really, most times, she didn't eat when she was changed into a beast.

"Are you sure?" Chaewon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, don't worry." Minju smiled. Chaewon, deciding to not push Minju to do something she didn't want to, stood up to grab her own meal, sitting down next to Minju, who gave her a surprised look. Chaewon didn't answer anything, but gave a bite to her meal.

"When I was in the army, our meal quantity would be determined by how much work we did during the day," Chaewon started telling. "The problem with that was, that it was determined by our commanders, and most times our commanders would say we were lazy, no matter what we did, and ended up not having supper."

"That sounds terrible," Minju commented, turning to look at Chaewon.

Chaewon shrugged her shoulders. "Now that I'm not in the army, I guess I'm not that hungry at this hour of the day either." But she continued eating nevertheless.

"It's just weird," Minju confessed. "Being in this form, I feel the urge to only eat meat, and I don't really want to unless necessary. The second time I changed… I ended up eating some goat…" Minju paused, trying to see if that horrified Chaewon, but seeing the older woman just look at her attentively, a empathetic glint in her eyes, she continued. "But it just made he hungrier. Since then, I just don't eat when I'm like this."

Chaewon nodded in understanding, knowing that it probably hasn't been easy for Minju to be like this for so long.

"Well, we have no goats here, so I guess I'll have to feed you before the sun goes down," Chaewon said as jokingly as she could, making Minju laugh slightly. The sound, however, was quite loud, making Minju cover with one of her hands.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Unlike the inn, it's really difficult to be overheard," Chaewon said, trying to dispel Minju's worries. "And no one really enters houses randomly, so you're pretty safe here." Chaewon hadn't really finished the meal, but she didn't seem to mind, as she stood up, placing the meal in the table.

"Are you feeling tired?" Chaewon asked, walking towards the bed.

"Not really. To be honest, I can't really sleep until the early morning."

"Don't you get bored with all that free time?"

"Sometimes. At the farm, I usually would just go explore in the nearby woods to help my boredom." Chaewon looked pensively at Minju.

"Won't you be bored here?"

Minju shook her head. "I don't think so." But Chaewon knew Minju's words were meant to be reassuring, despite no truth being in them.

Sighing, she suggested, "If you want to, let's sleep outside… well, I sleep outside, and you entertain yourself somehow."

Minju shook her head effusively. "No, I don't want you to sleep uncomfortably for my sake."

"I don't want you to be bored for hours on end," Chaewon said disapprovingly. "We'll reach a middle ground tomorrow."

Chaewon's words were firm, though not grave, giving no room for opposition, so Minju accepted. At some point, she also agreed with Chaewon. It would be extremely boring to spend the whole night lying down in Chaewon's house, unable to even grab a book to read. She could watch Chaewon sleep, but she somehow knew Chaewon wouldn't appreaciate the observation of her slumber.

"Okay." Chaewon looked more satisfied with Minju's compliance. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I think I'll be okay," Minju said, holding her ground when Chaewon looked at her questioningly.

"Please, don't hesitate to tell me if you need something. I want to help you." And although Chaewon's words seemed benign enough, fitting in the current situation, Minju felt they meant much more, and for that she felt grateful, even when she already knew through experience that there was no way for the curse to be cancelled.

"I know," she answered sweetly. "Thank you, Chaewon."

"It's nothing," Chaewon denied. "I just want to see you happy."

It was these words that stayed with Minju the whole night.

In honor of Chaewon's short, orange hair.