Author's Greetings: At this moment of writing, I have come to realise that the text editor in AFF starts to lag the moment I Ctrl+C+Ctrl+V 7k words into it. It was worse when I did the first chapter of Falling, since it stood at 20k words—it gave me a terrible headache. I'm happy to present Chapter 3 to you, which has been such a field trip to write and I think you'll know exactly why later ;) Anyway, the definitions!

 

Mago: Shortened form for “Magohalmi”, or Grandmother Mago. A goddess who created nature and the geographical formations, according to Korean folklore.

Dal: Roughly translates to “moon”.

Jeonsa: Roughly translates to partner, comrade or champion.

Gakgung: A Korean traditional bow, known for its incredible power and range.

Hwal: Bow (like, the weapon)

Haenyeo: Skilled divers from Jeju who harvest a variety of molluscs, seaweed and sea life from the ocean. The trade's majority are comprised of women. They can hold their breath for up to 3 minutes in a single dive.

Yang: Roughly translates to 'sun".

Geom: Sword

Ri: Korean mile, equivalent to 0.393km or 0.244 miles.

Jeogori: A basic upper garment which has been worn by both women and men. It covers the arms and upper part of the body.

Chima: A form of skirt worn together with the jeogori.

 

This chapter's mini-playlist is:

1. Ritsuko by Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack)

3. Misato by Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion Soundtrack)

3. Talk Love by K.Will (Descendants of the Sun OST)

4. Love Virus by Kihyun & SEOLA (What's Wrong with Secretary Kim OST)

5. It's Hard Work by Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away Soundtrack)

6. Women of Piccolo by Joe Hisaishi (Porco Rosso Soundtrack)

 

I'm gonna admit I didn't really write this chapter to any music because I had RV's Milky Way cover on repeat. Like, i couldn't stop listening to it because the harmonies are so amazing and it's just so good to see and hear OT5 back together and Wendy's jazz  OMG <3 So I kinda just picked the songs above based on their vibes. And you guys know this very well already, but I'll keep saying it anyway—a huge thanks to blk_prl for beta-reading once again <3

 

Unit 2-21, Dangye Villa, Dongdaemun. 22 February 2020. At approximately 0800hrs.

Joohyun stirs awake to the muffled sounds of movement about outside her room. For a moment, panic fills her as she sits up immediately, her eyes darting about the unfamiliar space. Sunlight pours through the window, splashing onto cream-coloured walls. She vaguely remembers tiredly settling down on a mattress propped several inches off the floor on a wooden frame.

 

Back in her time, the “bed” (as Wendy had called it) had been reserved for royalty, but here she is, having slept in it, swathed in smooth, comfortable sheets. She sinks her hand into the feather-filled pouch where her head had once rested (Wendy had called it a “pillow”, if she recalls correctly) and marvels at its plush softness. It is dangerous, Joohyun reckons, remembering how black had instantly overcome her vision the moment her head had hit the “pillow”.

 

Gone were the rough cave walls that offered no comfort.

 

No relief.

 

Gone were the cruel-looking spikes from the cave ceiling that more often than not, seemed to be waiting for her to close her eyes before plunging into her body.

 

Like swords.

 

Gone was the cavernous ground that threatened to swallow her up and yet each morning, she had woken up alive.

 

As though her sin were so tremendous that even Hell rejected her.

 

But it was also the first night since that dreadful day that she had not dreamt of bloodied hands and broken goodbyes. The cold silence that usually greeted her after opening her eyes had been replaced by the cheerful songs of birds and crickets alike.

 

And Wendy humming a random tune as she shuffles about just outside her room, her feet falling on the wooden floor rhythmically as though she were dancing.

 

This is Joohyun’s first morning where the first thing she feels like doing the moment she wakes up is not to end her life, but to embrace it.

 

She draws in a shuddering breath, realising once again her new reality. She slips out of bed and pulls open the door. She succeeds in getting an eyeful of a certain bespectacled inspector darting about the kitchen nimbly with slices of meat dangling between her fingers. Wendy swiftly lays them out on the pan, bouncing on her feet to her own beat as the meat starts to sizzle.

 

Joohyun hadn’t seen such cuts of meat before, much less tasted them, but she is sure they will taste as luxurious as they sound. starts to water at the scent of the slightly salty and smoky tang that had begun to permeate the air. Her stomach grumbles.

 

Loudly.

 

“Someone’s finally awake,” Wendy pulls her attention from the stove and directs it at the warrior standing awkwardly by the door.

 

“You woke me up. With the…singing.”

 

The inspector rolls her eyes, “Good morning to you too, Joohyun.”

 

The warrior squints at her, “That’s not—"

 

“I’ve already informed the Bureau of your name change and your new identification documents are coming in sometime today,” Wendy snaps her fingers victoriously, “The deal is sealed.”

 

“You did not ask for my permission.”

 

“I got the Bureau’s permission though,” the inspector answers almost instantly, as though she’d anticipated everything Joohyun was going to say, “They agree with me that ‘Hwal’ isn’t a common name here so it’ll be sure to raise some eyebrows. You don’t want that kind of…attention, do you?”

 

Joohyun looks away, unwilling to admit that Wendy is right.

 

“And before you get all sentimental about names, I do mean it when I say ‘Hyun’ suits you better than ‘Hwal’ ever will,” Wendy continues, “But you still seemed to have a problem with it so I came up with something better. Joohyun’s a pretty name, don’t you think?”

 

“You do not understand,” Joohyun grounds out, “You do not understand the importance of names in my time, their meanings that must be upheld—”

 

“Seeing you last night, I think you upheld ‘Hyun’ just fine.”

 

Joohyun pauses, “What?”

 

“You’re no weapon of war, Joohyun,” Wendy plucks a bacon bit out of the pan and pops it into , “You cry-baby.”

 

Joohyun freezes at her words.

 

Seeing the warrior tense suddenly, the inspector realises she may have really overstepped this time, “U-Uh, sorry, that sounded less…insulting in my head.”

 

“N-No, you…” The older woman trails off, her brows furrowed, looking more confused than offended, “You—”

 

Her stomach interrupts her with a warning growl. Her thoughts dissipated in favour of satisfying her hunger, she directs her attention to the plates sporting fried eggs on the counter. She starts towards them, only to feel fingers wrap around her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

 

She glares down at the offending hand grabbing her, “Unhand me.”

 

“Wash up first then breakfast,” Wendy stands her ground, “My house, my rules.”

 

“This is a toothbrush,” the inspector instructs as she hands Joohyun a brand-new purple toothbrush, “To no one’s surprise, we use it to brush our teeth. Oral health and whatnot.”

 

The older woman studies the white-blue-green streaked dollop on the bristles suspiciously, “What is this?”

 

“Toothpaste,” Wendy answers, “Remember, do not swallow. Rinse it out with water when you’re done.”

 

The warrior grunts and stuffs the foreign object into . She begins to brush, the process a clumsy affair.

 

No more than five seconds later, Joohyun raises her brows in surprise, “Dish tayshtes gewd. Ish shweet ange minchy.”

 

Oh no.

 

Oh no no no no.

 

Wendy knows that look.

 

She springs into action, attempting to wrestle the toothbrush from her Jeonsa’s mouth. The warrior tries to escape her grip, her shocked protests muffled by the foam in . Wendy doesn’t relent.

 

“DO NOT SWALLOW, JOOHYUN! I DON’T KNOW WHAT FLUORIDE DOES, BUT IT IS BAD!”

 

“If it is that bad, why put it in your mouth in the first place…” Joohyun grumbles as she settles down at the dining table.

 

“Not everything you put in your mouth is edible,” Wendy strides over with their breakfast in her hands, “Even our resident foodaholic Seulgi knows that.”

 

The older woman rolls her eyes.

 

Wendy seems to recall something funny next, because she chortles right after, “She’s had to learn the hard way, of course.”

 

The warrior hums absentmindedly, peering over Wendy’s shoulder to study the two extra plates on the kitchen counter with curious eyes.

 

“Seulgi and Sooyoung are coming over for breakfast and Hangul lessons,” the inspector seems to read her mind, “Be nice, okay? They were worried about you because you wouldn’t eat dinner last night.”

 

Joohyun opens to reply, but clamps it shut when the coffee-maker suddenly lets out a hiss and clicks off. Wendy strolls over to it and pulls out the carafe, pouring the hot beverage into two mugs. She brings them over and hands one to Joohyun, who accepts it. She takes a whiff and crinkles her nose at the steam rising from the mug.

 

The inspector watches Joohyun keenly as the older woman takes an experimental sip of the hot beverage.

 

She immediately pulls it away from her lips with a grimace, “What is this?! It tastes worse than anything I have ever had in Goryeo! And I have tasted terrible things.”

 

“Coffee,” Wendy says, sitting down opposite the warrior, “Liquid energy. Possible side effects include heart palpitations, headaches and the need to use the toilet a hundred times.”

 

“I do not understand why you would subject yourself to such suffering.”

 

“Like I said, it’s liquid energy,” Wendy shrugs and sips her coffee, “Especially helpful when you have lots of reports to write and very little sleep. You’ll come around to it eventually.”

 

“I doubt it.”

 

“Well…you could add milk and sugar to ease off its…strong flavour.”

 

“Nothing can redeem it from its bitterness,” Joohyun sets the mug down on the table and pushes it towards the inspector, “You can have it, your…liquid suffering.”

 

“Next time, I’m getting you coffee-flavoured toothpaste,” Wendy retorts.

 

The warrior is about to snarl in disgust at her when a mellow ring promptly interrupts her.

 

“Ah, saved by the bell!” Wendy leaves her mug on the table and rises.

 

She jogs over to the door, pulling it open to reveal Seulgi and Sooyoung.

 

“Mornin’, Wen,” Seulgi barely spares a glance at her best friend before slipping off her shoes like clockwork, brushing past Wendy towards the dining room, “Breakfast smells great!”

 

“The hungrier you are, the more manners you lose, Kang Seul!” Wendy calls after her good-naturedly.

 

“Manners don’t feed anyone, Wen!”

 

“In my house, they do!”

 

Sooyoung stumbles in, flashing a sheepish smile at Wendy for her clumsiness.

 

“Good morning, Sooyoung,” the bespectacled inspector steps aside for her best friend’s Jeonsa to enter, “Sorry you got stuck with my idiot of a best friend.”

 

“Good morning, Wendy. And do not worry, it is nothing new.”

 

“Mm?” Wendy’s eyes widen a little.

 

Sooyoung seems to just have realised her slip-up and blinks, “I mean, I knew many…idiots in my time too.”

 

The inspector chuckles as she shuts the door, “I guess the world hasn’t really changed in that aspect.”

 

“No, it has not,” Sooyoung mumbles.

 

Wendy walks her to the dining room, giving no indication that she’s heard her.

 

Armed with plates for both her and her Jeonsa, Seulgi plants herself in the chair next to the warrior, “Good morning, Hwal!”

 

Sooyoung settles down next to Wendy.

 

The older woman’s eyes dart to her housemate nervously, who regards her with a gentle smile, “Go on, tell her your new name.”

 

“You got a new name?” Seulgi chirps, excitement clear in her voice.

 

Beat.

 

The warrior inhales sharply, “It is…Joohyun.”

 

Seulgi quickly swallows the bacon and rolled omelette she’d stuffed into , “Joohyun’s a pretty name!”

 

“It is, right?!” Wendy claps her hands gleefully, “I came up with it. Me and my big, y brain energy.”

 

“Don’t make me puke my breakfast, Wen.”

 

“Yah, I scored higher than you at the inspector examination, Kang Seul!”

 

“Yet here we are, in the same division. And I did better than you at every physical examination!”

 

“That’s because you’re all brawn and no brains!”

 

“Hey! I resent that!”

 

As the pair of best friends begin their morning with their endless bickering, Joohyun can’t help but notice that Sooyoung’s eyes have remained on her the whole time.

 

Unit 2-21, Dangye Villa, Dongdaemun. 22 February 2020. At approximately 1230hrs.

“I’m spent!” Wendy flops down on the floor with a thump.

 

She holds up her wrist to check her watch. It’s been more than three hours since they first began their Hangul lessons and while Sooyoung is a fast learner, Joohyun lags a tad behind. The inspector’s frustration nearly expresses itself several times, but she reminds herself how much harder her Jeonsa must be having it than her.

 

“I was only granted the privilege to learn how to read and write a little later than others, forgive me,” the warrior had dipped her head apologetically when she noticed the slight crinkle forming between Wendy’s brows.

 

“No, no, it’s me, I have to calm down,” Wendy had felt a familiar guilt creep over her, “I keep thinking we have less time than we actually do.”

 

Joohyun had then nodded, “I will work harder to catch up.”

 

“I’m also spent!” Seulgi lies down next to her, messily bunned-up hair even messier than before.

 

“You can’t be,” Wendy snarks, “All you did was teach them how to pronounce different food names. Completely detracted my lesson.”

 

“It’s so they can order takeout, Wen!” Her best friend prods her cheek for effect, “Then we won’t get a repeat of yesterday!”

 

The Jeonsas ignore their teachers’ chatter, deep into replicating each word in the sample sentences they had been given.

 

“If you actually learnt how to cook, you’d be able to teach Sooyoung beyond ordering takeout all the time,” Wendy replies, “It’ll be easier on your wallet too.”

 

“Why do I have to learn how to cook when I already have you?” Seulgi whines, kicking her feet up dramatically.

 

Wendy sits up and glares at her best friend, “Because I’m not your wife!”

 

Seulgi follows suit, glaring back, “Yet!”

 

Their staring contest is swiftly broken by their two students simultaneously slamming their notebooks shut in annoyance. Grumbling unintelligibly under their breaths, the Jeonsas promptly get up from their cross-legged positions at the coffee table and relocate their studies to the dining table. The new turn of events leaves Wendy feeling mildly flustered as she turns to throw an accusatory look at her best friend.

 

Seulgi merely shrugs, sending a lopsided grin her way, “What? You’ve been cooking delicious food for the both of us since our academy days. I’m not about to pass that up by learning how to cook.”

 

“…That’s it?”

 

Beat.

 

“Okay, okay, in exchange for all the meals you’ve prepared thus far and in the future, I will help you get better scores at our quarterly physical examinations.”

 

“That’s not what I meant, you idiot!” Wendy punches her in the shoulder, “I almost thought you were suddenly gonna say you liked me or something!”

 

“I do like yo—” Seulgi starts, only to stop herself in the nick of time when she sees Wendy tense up a little, “…Your cooking skills.”

 

“Ugh, Kang Seul, scare after scare…” Wendy groans, “I swear you’ll be the death of me.”

 

The bespectacled inspector doesn’t notice the subtle dullness that glazes over her best friend’s eyes.

 

Unbeknownst to the pair, their Jeonsas begin their own quiet discussion at their new studying spot.

 

“It is you, right?” Sooyoung suddenly begins.

 

Joohyun does not reply immediately, opting to read the paragraph Wendy had given her so she can paraphrase it.

 

“Hyun.”

 

The warrior glances up from her work, “I told you I am no—”

 

“Could have had me fooled.”

 

“What makes you so sure?”

 

Sooyoung raises a brow, “Well, you are a Jeonsa, are you not?”

 

Joohyun’s mind races, her grip on her pen tightening slightly.

 

“They couldn’t even give me Joseon. What do they give me? Goryeo!”

 

“… between this person named ‘Joseon’ and I, I am the greater warrior.”

 

“You don’t even know what Joseon is, do you? Saying you’re greater than a whole dynasty… You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you?”

 

“I…am from Joseon,” Joohyun tips her chin up boldly, though her insides squirm restlessly at her own lie.

 

“Lots of thinking went into that one,” the younger Jeonsa remains unconvinced, “Seulgi told me you came from Goryeo when I asked her last night.”

 

The warrior’s lips pull into a tight line.

 

That stupid, big-mouthed—

 

“So, what did Yang promise you?”

 

“What?”

 

“Yang,” Sooyoung ditches her pen and leans back, folding her arms, “You know, that small, scary lady claiming to be a divine being?”

 

Joohyun frowns, “I do not know a Yang.”

 

Sooyoung kicks her in the shin. Joohyun lets out a soft yelp of surprise. She sends a heated glare at the Goryeo physician.

 

“Stop lying,” Sooyoung hisses through gritted teeth as she moves forward, resting her elbows on the table, “Tell me, what exactly did Yang say to you that you, a strict rule-keeper, would defy your so-called ‘natural law of life and time’ to come here?”

 

“I am not lying,” Joohyun answers, “It was someone else who visited me. Her name was Dal.”

 

Sooyoung searches her eyes and realises that the warrior is speaking the truth.

 

“Yang and Dal…” She tries to make sense of the new information, “Sun and moon. Two halves of a whole…”

 

“Dal mentioned she had a sister, maybe that is…” Joohyun ponders thoughtfully, until a new, pressing question pops up in her mind.

 

She kicks the physician’s foot, “What about you? What are you doing here?”