Han furiously poked the small fire Jiyong had assembled, probably with more gusto than she should have as the dying sun began its descent past the horizon. Jiyong cautiously placed the bundle of kindle he had gathered from the nearby woods, monitoring her reaction to his presence. Although he had no reason to be relieved that she wasn't paying any attention to him, it was better than her being violent.

He patted the grains of dirt caught in the grooves on the palms off of his hands and lowered himself to the ground, hoping to share in the welcoming warmth of the fire.

"I would prefer you to not sit next to me please."

Jiyong cringed under her icy glare and momentarily debated if it was worth the beatings for. With firm resolve, he dived in and wrapped his arms around her waist, cuddling up to her chest, effectively catching Han off guard.

"What the-do you want to die?!" She yelled as she attempted to squirm her way out of his hold, but he was absolutely relentless. She imagined that this was what a mother chimpanzee felt like with her young constantly clinging onto her. No matter how many times Han shoved Jiyong's head away or slapped his arms, he would only tighten his grip in response. Even tickling didn't work, much to her dismay.

"I am going to give you three seconds to get the hell away before I slice you."

He tensed.

"One."

Jiyong hesitated. I do like breathing.

"Two."

His arms slightly loosened.

"Thre-"

"I'm not a monster." His eyes were squeezed shut so hard to the extent that he could feel his facial muscles ache from the prolonged pressure. He felt Han pause, momentarily still from the unexpected response.

"How is that even relevant right now?" She tiredly sighed.

"That's what you called me earlier." Jiyong began, the side of his face still pressed against Han's chest. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe those girls could have sent messengers back to your village, alerting their families to their new lives? Or that maybe they didn't want to r