“Pour a little of this Fennel root powder in your bath water tonight and then just relax for about half an hour” Kyungsoo instructed as he handed a small pouch over to Luhan.

“Thanks man, they say the enemies are approaching our boarder so Minseok had me out fixing the fences all day, like that’s really going to protect us if they come, but hey if it puts his mind at ease then I’ll do it.” Luhan said with a shrug of his shoulders and Kyungsoo watched as Luhan’s face twisted in slight pain as he aggravated his sore muscles.

“Well try and rest, and remember no talk of war here mister” Kyungsoo scolded as he held the door to his medicine hut open and motioned for Luhan to leave Kyungsoo watched the others eyes light up in recognition.

“Right, Kyungsoo the neutral party. We’ll see how that works out for you if they do manage to get past me down in the village” Luhan said and Kyungsoo recognized the doubt Luhan’s voice held when he talked about Kyungsoo’s stance on the war. “Don’t go walking into enemy war camps while you go looking for more magical plants I don’t think they’ll believe your neutral stance” Luhan said before waving a hand over his shoulder as he began the long walk back to his village.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he shut the door to his medicine hut and walked to the main door of his house, returning to the pot of stew he had been tending to before Luhan’s interruption. While dicing up some onion he reflected on Luhan’s words and the reminder of the ongoing war the others conversation had brought on.

Two years now, he thinks to himself with a shake of his head as he stirs the pot, and they are still fighting the same war. It did bring me some new business, he thinks and he ladles a spoonful of stew into his dinner bowl. Kyungsoo grabs his bowl and stirs it slowly hoping it will cool down some as he walks towards the small table in his hut. War is a nasty thing, he thinks remembering some of the remedies he had handed to begging individuals from all around and although Luhan hates it, both sides of the war. Inside Kyungsoo’s medicine hut he has a strict don’t ask don’t tell policy that allows him to keep his neutral position and still help as many people heal as he has the means and skills to, because in Kyungsoo’s eyes everyone is the same, we all bleed red. When will this madness end, he thinks to himself not even remembering the supposed excuses for why so many lives are being wasted.

As he blows on a spoonful of stew he tries to put all those thoughts out of his mind and focus on his plans for the following day.

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Kyungsoo rises with the sun the fallowing morning as he normally does each day. Today he pulls on some loose fitting attire as he plans to go out and do some scavenging on the mountain tops west of his small hut.

After getting dressed he goes about his normal morning chores of watering his plants and picking some newly bloomed flowers and fruits so he could harvest them later. Then he retrieved the fresh eggs from his chicken coop.

Once he ate his breakfast Kyungsoo packed his lunch and some supplies he believed he would need for his trip into a small pack which he strapped to his back.

“You’re in charge while I’m out” Kyungsoo said jokingly to the large dog he had inherited several years back when it had wandered up to his hut and made itself at home. The dog which Kyungsoo had never decided on a name for gave him a small look before dropping his head back into his paws and closing his eyes. “Nothing is going to be able to get past you” Kyungsoo says with a small laugh as he pats the dog on the top of its head before beginning his journey.

The day passed by pleasantly. Kyungsoo found many plants and roots that would be useful in creating balms, ointments, powders, supplement pills, and liquids. Around midday Kyungsoo found himself atop a mountain outcropping. As he sat chewing on an apple and inhaling the fresh mountain air Kyungsoo thought again of the war that Luhan had reminded him of. Why are they thoughtlessly killing each other when there is so much beauty in the world, he thinks watching a bird fly across the powder blue sky.

When a breeze ruffles the leaves on all the branches surrounding Kyungsoo he heaves his pack higher onto his back and starts the slow track back down the mountain to the small valley that he has made his home. As the sunsets a strange shiver runs up Kyungsoo’s spin which he shrugs off quickly. I should have brought along a thicker coat, Kyungsoo thinks to himself as he passes the shiver off to the wind that has steadily increased in occurrence.

Once he arrives back at his hut he first unloads his bag. He places containers, vials, and bags of new specimens onto his work table before closing the door to his medicine hut. The moon is slowly starting to show itself above the tree tops and Kyungsoo decides to warm up leftovers from the previous night’s stew before turning in and allowing his body to rest from the strenuous day he has just pushed it through.

While sitting down to his dinner the wind outside Kyungsoo’s hut begins to blow. I wonder if we are getting a small storm, Kyungsoo thinks to himself as he hears some branches crack from what he assumes to be the force of the wind. With a spoonful of stew halfway to his lips a loud howl fills the otherwise quiet room.

“Aish, you silly dog it’s just the wind” he scolds rubbing a cloth over the spilt stew. Once his bowl is empty Kyungsoo waddles sleepily over to the sink and places his bowl within it, now too tired to do anything about it. “Let’s go to bed” he says to the dog who is standing by the front door of the hut. Kyungsoo claps his hand against his leg a couple times before the dog turns its face towards Kyungsoo and decides to follow him the short distance to his bed.

After changing into a comfortable pair of sweats and a long sleeve tee Kyungsoo climbs into his bed. He calls out for the dog and watches as it reluctantly climbs into the bed and lies at his feet. “Stupid dog” Kyungsoo whispers patting the dog’s head before leaning over and blowing the candle on his bedside table out. Just a few minutes later Kyungsoo was peacefully asleep.

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A loud boom woke Kyungsoo from his sleep. He was further startled as the dog at his feet jumped off the bed and began to bark. “It’s just thunder” Kyungsoo says grumpily as he grabs his pillow and tossed it towards the dog. In a flash, however, the door to his bedroom flew open with a second loud boom causing Kyungsoo to shriek and jump out of his bed. The dog’s barking filed the small bedroom as three men with swords drawn stormed into the room. With fear pumping through him Kyungsoo cowered in the corner of his room against one of the walls.

He watched with terror filled eyes as his dog barred its teeth and charged at the intruders only to let out a small whimper before falling to the floor. “No” Kyungsoo screamed out as he watched the scene unfolding before him.

“If you don’t want to end up like him then you should fallow me” a tall man whose face was covered with the shadows of the room said in a deep voice. Kyungsoo couldn’t move, he felt like throwing up and crying all at the same time. He let out a shriek as his arm was yanked roughly and he was pulled from the corner of his room. The last thing he took note of before he was dragged from his room was the slight rise and fall of the dog’s chest. I’ll come back and save you if I can, I should have known you were trying to warn me of something the entire time, Kyungsoo promised the dog internally as he was pulled out of the small hut he called his home.

“I found the healer” one of the other men says triumphantly as he pushes Kyungsoo into his medicine hut. The force of the push causes Kyungsoo to stumble and fall to his knees upon the rough ground. He looked up through his hair that had fallen into his eyes to survey the room. He spots numerous men inside the small space, some holding lamps while others stood with their swords drawn looking menacing. His eyes are drawn to his medicine table where something quite human looking was lying across the surface. Before he can focus on it too long however, the hair on his head is pulled forcing Kyungsoo to rise to his feet to try and relieve the pain.

“If you want to live you will listen to me very closely” the man holding Kyungsoo’s hair hissed out as he brought his face close beside Kyungsoo’s own. The stench of the other man’s breath stung at Kyungsoo’s eyes and nostrils, but he was too terrified to try and move away from the others intense gaze. “Are you listening” the man asked a little spittle flying from the other’s mouth and landing on Kyungsoo’s face as he asked his question. Kyungsoo nodded his head yes as he maintained eye contact with the other. “What was that” the man asked shaking the hand that he had grasped in Kyungsoo’s hair.

“Y..Y..Yes I’m li..listening” Kyungsoo stuttered out in both fear and pain.

“Good” the man said and Kyungsoo felt the hand on his hair relax slightly, but not entirely. “You will heal this man here” the guy holding Kyungsoo’s hair said as he jerked Kyungsoo’s gaze to focus on the figure lying on his medical table. Upon first glance at the other Kyungsoo noticed that the man laying on his medical table was severely injured, his eyes spotted several cuts and burns littered across the long body of the other individual whom Kyungsoo believe would be very tall if he were to be standing up instead of laying down. As his eyes looked up and down the other’s body Kyungsoo noticed the strained rise and fall of the other’s chest.

“What happened to him” Kyungsoo asked in shock as he looked the severe injuries littering the guy’s body over, noticing a deep cut on the other’s side and a major burn running up one of the guy’s arms.

“That’s none of your business” the guy said and Kyungsoo felt the sharp pain in his scalp increase as the man holding his hair pulled causing Kyungsoo to meet his gaze again. “Listen here, Save him or you die” the guy says with a horrifying smile, “and I can promise you it won’t be a painless death sweetheart” the man whispers into Kyungsoo’s ear before pulling back and releasing Kyungsoo’s hair.

The release of the pressure on his scalp combined with the emotions coursing their way throughout Kyungsoo’s body caused him to fall down to his hands and knees upon the ground of the medical hut. Kyungsoo took a deep breath to try and regulate his breathing as he felt the sturdy surface of the floor below him. A shiny twinkle out of the corner of his right eye brought his gaze to a small knife he used for cutting up roots and herbs lying just within an arm’s length beside him. Quicker than his mind could process, Kyungsoo reached out and grabbed a hold of the knife within his hand before climbing back up to his feet.

Once up on his own two feet Kyungsoo stared down at the knife he held within his own two hands, shocked that his mind had reacted towards fight in this situation where he was clearly out numbered. A sharp pain in the upper part of his back forced him to scream out in pain and drop the knife in his hands instantaneously. The pain in his scalp returned as he was none too gently jerked to meet the gaze of the same man.

“Tut, Tut, Mr. Healer, I expected more form you” the guy said with a dark smirk that made Kyungsoo feel like throwing up, before Kyungsoo felt a sharp pain to the side of his face added to the ache in his upper back. The back handed slap from the man holding his hair was unexpected and forced the tears that were welling up to fall from his eyes. The guy holding his hair let out an evil chuckle before pushing Kyungsoo aside and allowing him to fall back to his knees.

Falling back down to the ground Kyungsoo felt a new wave of pain roll through him from his knees as they made contact with the floor.

“We will be back, at that time he better be healed or we will have to kill you” the guy said and Kyungsoo felt a wave of disgust roll through him as the man wiped his finger against the tears on Kyungsoo’s face, “and we wouldn’t want that to happen would we now sweetheart” the man asked teasingly. Kyungsoo kept his mouth shut looking down at the ground. Please let this be a really twisted nightmare, Kyungsoo thought to himself before a second slap to the side of his face brought his gaze back up and new tears to his eyes. “I said we wouldn’t want that now would we sweetheart” the man said with a twisted smile.

“No” Kyungsoo whispered out defeated.

“Well done sweetheart” the man said and Kyungsoo again felt disgusted by the others hands as they caressed his face. “When my men and I come back I expect to find our friend all healed and waiting for me” the man said. “If he dies so do you, If he leaves here before we come back for him you will die, and don’t even think about running away sweetheart because we will find you and guess what will happen to you then” the guy said tauntingly tapping against Kyungsoo’s cheek as he waited for his response.

“You’ll kill me” Kyungsoo whispered as he met eyes with the other.

“No sweetheart” the man said before letting out a small chuckle, Kyungsoo felt a shiver run down his spine as he watched the man lean closer. “If you run away and we find you, and trust me we will, you’ll wish we had killed you instead” the man whispered directly into Kyungsoo’s ear.

“The sun is starting to raise sir” one of the other men in the room stated and Kyungsoo sighed with relief as his tormentor rose to his full height again.

“Wish we could have stayed longer sweetheart, but we have to get going” the man said while Kyungsoo watched him and the other men start to leave the room. “Oh and sweetheart if you tell anyone about us, or our mutual friend here” the guy said nodding his head towards the unconscious man still lying across Kyungsoo’s medical table from the door way of the small hut, “and I’ll not only kill you but also all the villagers down in that little town down there, understood” he asked.

“Yes” Kyungsoo said quickly not wanting the man to lay on more centimeter of his gross skin against Kyungsoo’s own.

“We will be back soon” the man said with a sly smile before the door closed.

The thought of Luhan and Minseok as well as Jongdae and Joonmyeon’s wellbeing placed solely in his own hands kept him from running straight to the village for help once a disturbing silence filled up the small hut. With a shuddered breath Kyungsoo climbed to his feet and ignoring the sharp pain in his upper back he determinedly made his way to the body that he was now responsible for, the man whose wellbeing held the key to his own life.

The cuts and burns all looked worse the closer Kyungsoo gets to the unconscious man. “Let’s stop the bleeding first” Kyungsoo muttered to himself, a habit he had picked up while living alone for so long. “I’ll need my needle” he whispers aloud thinking of his sewing kit, the kit that he usually uses to patch up his clothing and the occasional villager that comes to him for stitching of minor wounds now and then. “Stay strong I’ll be right back” Kyungsoo instructed the unconscious man before running out of the medical hut and back into his main house ignoring the strong stitch of pain radiating from the upper portion of his back.

Kyungsoo ran straight to the kit and was half way out the door when he heard a strange noise that made him pause. Standing in the doorway that would lead back out to the unconscious man his life was now tied to Kyungsoo heard the noise again. The strings of his heart were pulled as he registered the faint sounds of a whine, the whine of a dog, his dog. Kyungsoo quickly made a beeline for his bedroom where he now remembered watching those evil men wound his dog. “I’ll heal you too, don’t worry” Kyungsoo said before securing a corner of his sewing kit within his mouth and heaving his dog within his arms. The weight of the dog in his arms made the pain in his upper back more severe, but Kyungsoo didn’t focus on it long as he stumbled back to his medicine hut.

Once inside the hut he laid the dog down on the empty area of his table at the wounded man’s feet. “You’re in charge; I’ll be back in just one more minute” Kyungsoo spoke to the dog after removing the sewing kit from his mouth. He grabbed two pails and tan down to the small stream that ran its way through the area behind the hut Kyungsoo called home. Kyungsoo didn’t even have a second to appreciate the beauty of nature that surrounded him as he quickly filled the pails with water before running back to the hut.

Kyungsoo placed the buckets, now filled with slightly less water, down on the ground near the table before grabbing a cloth off the rack nearby. Kyungsoo took a deep breath to calm his mind before he rung the excess water off the cloth and raising it to the wound across the side of his dog. “Shh, shhh, it will be okay” Kyungsoo assured the dog as it let out a small whine. Kyungsoo took a second deep breath to calm his shaky fingers before he threaded the eye of his needle and brought it to one side of the dog’s wound. “I’m almost done” Kyungsoo assured the whining dog as he slowly pulled the needle through the sides of the wound to close it up.

After tying a knot at the end Kyungsoo snipped the extra string with a pair of scissors. Then he pulled open one of the many drawers in the room and pulled out a roll of gauze. “You’ll be back to your old self in no time” Kyungsoo assured to the dog who let out a small whine as Kyungsoo taped to gauze secure. “Why don’t you take a little rest to help you heal” Kyungsoo asked the dog while walking over to a tall glass jar and pulling a small Valerian seed out. He proceeded to crush the seed into a fine powder and put some into a small dish of water which he offered over to the dog.

Kyungsoo patted the dog on its head and took a deep breath before grabbing the pails he had filled with water and heading back out to the stream to refill them.

‘Save him or die’ the creepy man’s voice hissed within Kyungsoo’s mind once he returned from fetching more water and stood in front of the severely wounded body of the stranger on his medical table. Kyungsoo meticulously worked his way from the legs of the man all the way up to his head; rinsing wounds and stitching cuts back together. The task was made even more daunting by the absence of any sounds from the wounded individual. While the pained whines that had escaped his dog made Kyungsoo feel guilty, the absence of any sound from the man, made Kyungsoo anxious. The only assurance that the other was even still alive was the labored rise and fall of his chest and the light pounding of his heart which Kyungsoo had to strain to feel.

Once all the cuts were stitched and cleaned Kyungsoo wrapped gauze around a few of them. Next came the daunting task of caring for the burns which littered places all over the others body. “Aloe or Agave” Kyungsoo muttered to himself as he looked about his potted plants for one that could help with burns.

After cutting off two leaves from the plant he was looking for Kyungsoo removed the gel like substance from within them and layered it upon the others body as gently as he could. Kyungsoo lifted both arms above his head in a stretch once he had put a good amount of gel upon the burns and felt a sting from the upper portion of his back. Deciding to again ignore the pain Kyungsoo again checked the pulse of both the man and his own dog before taking a seat on the floor of the small hut where he had a view of both of his patients while resting his legs.

As he sat and watched the strained rise and fall of the man’s chest Kyungsoo thought about all the events that had past in just the last ten hours. Suddenly everything caught up with him and tears started to stream down his face as he relived the events from the men barging into his bedroom and his dog falling injured, the man who had threatened his life and the lives of the individuals down in the village, the disgusting man who had caressed Kyungsoo’s face with his dirty hands and rancid breath. Kyungsoo curled up into himself and rocked his body softly in a soothing manner as he cried for an unknown amount of time. After a while exhaustion overpowered Kyungsoo’s mind and he drifted off into a restless slumber.

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Over the next week Kyungsoo developed a habit that he stuck to. After allowing himself to cry the first night Kyungsoo locked his worries and fears into a small part of his brain and focused solely on returning both of his patients to full health.

Each morning Kyungsoo would get up with the sun and conduct his normal routine of watering his plants, harvesting the ripe fruits and vegetables he grew for himself, and collecting the eggs from the hen house. While the sun was slowly making its way up the sky Kyungsoo would allow himself to put on a new pair of clothes and make all the meals he would need for the day. After the foods, which consisted of many liquid soups, were finished Kyungsoo would carry the pots over to his medicine hut.

After a quick breakfast for himself Kyungsoo grabs the pails and walks down to the stream to fill them up. The rest of the day is spent unwrapping gauze and washing wounds then rewrapping them. Kyungsoo also washes down the burns and applies a new layer of the gel like substance to them. A large amount of the day is spent spoon feeding the unconscious man the liquid soup meticulously to assure that he won’t die of dehydration or starvation.

On the fourth day Kyungsoo starts to see a healthy change in both his unconscious guest’s cuts and the large cut on his dog. On this day Kyungsoo watches his dog stand up and stretch a little with a couple whines before lying back down. He takes this as a good sign that what he is doing is working, even if the only sign that the man is alive is the rise and fall of his chest as he breaths in and out slowly.

On the ninth day, after eating his breakfast and bringing new pails of water into the medical hut, Kyungsoo moves towards the unconscious man to start cleaning out his wounds when he notices a thin layer of sweat covering the others body.

“No, No, No” Kyungsoo says aloud in a panic as he races to the man’s head and lays his hands against the others forehead and neck confirming his fear that the other is experiencing a fever. The heat radiating off of the other causes the panic he feels to bubble as he thinks of possible solutions. In a normal situation Kyungsoo would have the other sit in a tub of cool water, but the fact that the other can’t walk and is twice the size of Kyungsoo himself takes that option off the table. “That could work” Kyungsoo mutters aloud as a new idea takes shape within his mind.

Speeding out of the room Kyungsoo heads over to his personal hut and grabs an arm load of shirts out of the drawers. Once back in the medicine hut Kyungsoo puts the shirts, one at a time into the pails of water before laying them over the toasting body of the unconscious man. “You have to fight, stay strong” Kyungsoo instructing looking at the sweat glistened face of the unconscious man each time he laid a new shirt over a separate part of his body.

At least fifteen shirts and three trips to the stream later Kyungsoo sat upon a chair beside the unconscious man’s head, with a wet rag in hand. “I can’t even begin to imagine what happened to you, or how painful it must have been” Kyungsoo said as he rubbed the rag across the other brow. “You are rather handsome aren’t you” Kyungsoo whispered as he moved the other’s hair off of his forehead. “I bet all of your scars will just add to your macho man appeal” Kyungsoo said quickly, feeling a blush spread on his face because of all the handsome features he could pin point on the other’s face after spending so much time with him.

Kyungsoo repeated the process throughout the remainder of the day and late into the night until the fever finally broke. “Good night” Kyungsoo whispered to the unconscious man as he placed the rag aside and gently ran his fingers through the others hair. “Good night” Kyungsoo whispered to his dog patting its head before walking over to the spot on the floor where he had taken up residence for the last nine nights. That night as he was on the brink of sleep Kyungsoo though he caught a pair of eyes meet his gaze but waved it off to exhaustion finally setting in.

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On the twelfth morning with the unconscious man in his life Kyungsoo woke up and stretched which caused a wince when the upper part of his back stung with a now familiar pain. Kyungsoo knew his back probably needed stitches, but there was no way he could reach that part of his back on his own, he just hoped that it would heal on its own soon.

“Do you want to come stretch your legs for a bit” Kyungsoo asked his dog as he headed towards the door of the medical hut. He watched as his dog seemed to roll his eyes and roll closer to the other occupant of the medical table. “Fine hang out with your new best friend” Kyungsoo said teasingly as he shut the door on the pair.

While completing his morning routine Kyungsoo couldn’t keep from yawning several times due to the fact that the night’s sleep prior had not been restful in the slightest. Kyungsoo had always been a light sleeper, but ever since that fateful night twelve nights ago Kyungsoo was even more jumpy. Last night was no exception as he could have sworn he heard movement and winces as well as a deep voice talking in the very early hours of the night. “I think I’m losing my mind” Kyungsoo whispered to his chickens as he left the chicken coop with some fresh eggs.

After cooking up a couple liquid soups and some scrambled eggs Kyungsoo made his way back into the medical hut. He placed the bowl of soup on a counter and then grabbed the two pails to get some more water. That’s weird, Kyungsoo thought to himself when he spotted the knife he used for cutting roots lying on the floor under the table. I could have sworn I left that on the other side of the room, he thought with a small shrug as he left the room and headed to the stream.

Upon returning to the medical hut Kyungsoo placed the pails, now filled with water, back where he had originally grabbed them. While leaning over to put the pails down, Kyungsoo moved his gaze to where he had seen the small knife earlier only to find the space now vacated. A small wave of chills climbed up his spine when he saw the now empty space on the floor.

“Stand up straight and put your hands up, don’t try anything funny” a deep voice ordered and Kyungsoo fought back the urge to scream or cry as he felt the flat surface of the missing knife against the small of his back.

Kyungsoo slowly rose to his full height and meet the gaze of the man who he had been looking after for twelve days. He watched in shock as the man who Kyungsoo had believed to be unconscious for the last twelve days moved his legs to the side of the table and rose to his full height, which towered above Kyungsoo himself, all while keeping the knife in his hand positioned towards Kyungsoo in a threatening manner.

“Now I think it’s time you told me your name and what you are hoping to gain from keeping me here” the man said while looking down and locking a stern stare with Kyungsoo.

“I…Well…M..my name is Kyungsoo” Kyungsoo stuttered out while trying to process the man’s questions. Kyungsoo watched the other man nod his head slowly, prompting Kyungsoo to continue. “I..I..I was just healing you” Kyungsoo says meekly looking down at his own feet.

“And for that I am very grateful Mr. Kyungsoo, but I am afraid I must leave this place now” the tall man said lowering the knife and laying it down upon the table that he had been laying on for the last twelve days. Kyungsoo watched the other turn and start to walk with a slight limp and a few winces towards the door.

“No” Kyungsoo screamed at the retreating man’s back lowering his arms as if he could reach out and grab a hold of the other despite the pain it brought to his upper back. Kyungsoo watched as the other turned around and faced Kyungsoo with his eye brow quirked up in confusion. “You can’t leave please or else they’ll come back and kill me” Kyungsoo said string pleadingly at the other, realizing now that he was faced with the possibility of the other leaving that he was utterly terrified of the idea of his own death.

“Who will kill you” the taller asked with confusion clearly written across his face.

“T..the men that brought you here, they said they would kill me and the village below if I didn’t save you or if you left before they came back” Kyungsoo told the other, again thinking about Luhan, Minseok, Joonmyeon, and Jongdae; people he cared about who lived down in the village and so in turn lives depended on the man standing in front of him.

“What territory is this village in” the taller asked.

“Excuse me” Kyungsoo asked in confusion.

“What side of the war are you and the village supporting” the taller asked slowly this time in a calmer voice.

“The village has allegiance with King Park and his men. I’m just a neutral party, although I don’t know how much I can claim to that anymore” Kyungsoo said sadly.

“Kyungsoo are you home” the loud voice of Jongdae screamed from outside the hut. Kyungsoo stared at the taller male in shock; he knew he must look ridiculous especially since his normally large eyes must have doubled in size even more.

“He can’t know you’re here, please it was another one of the men who brought you here’s rules” Kyungsoo begged the taller as he tried to walk towards the door.

“Kyungsoo” Jongdae’s voice stated louder still.

“Please” Kyungsoo begged and felt an immense wave of relief when the other gave a slight nod of his head and moved away from the door. “Thank you” Kyungsoo said before walking quickly through the door and shutting it behind him.

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Kyungsoo took a deep breath of slight relief as he closed the door behind him.

“Oh there you are Kyungsoo” Jongdae said with a smile as he walked up to him.

“Nice to see you Jongdae, can I help you with something” Kyungsoo asked quickly, hoping Jongdae wouldn’t notice his nerves.

“I was just coming up to check on you” Jongdae said with a smile. Kyungsoo watched as the other slowly moved his eyes up and down Kyungsoo’s form. “Have you been sleeping okay Kyungsoo” Jongdae asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m perfect” Kyungsoo said quickly tossing a fake smile on his face in hopes of convincing the other. “Why did you decide to come check on me” Kyungsoo asked in hopes of changing the subject.

“Things in the war have taken a turn for the worse in the last two weeks. The enemy, they stole King Park’s son and heir to the throne” Jongdae said sadly. “The king and his men were in pursuit of the kidnapers when a battle started, before the prince could be saved a huge fire started that burned people on both sides” Jongdae said, “Many say that the kidnappers are all very wounded and traveling away from main roads while they recover, I was worried that they may have come by your home so I wanted to check on you” Jongdae admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. Kyungsoo’s head was reeling; burns, he thought to himself, just like the ones that littered the previously unconscious man in his medical hut. Staying away from main roads, Jongdae’s words replay in his mind causing him to remember the men that passed through twelve nights ago and were in a rush to get out before the sun rose.

“I’m glad you’re okay though Kyungsoo, Joonmyeon kept insisting I come check on you, but things have been really crazy down in the village” Jongdae said with a smile as he glanced towards the direction where he lived.

“You should get back there then, as you can see I’m perfectly fine” Kyungsoo suggested.

“Do you want to come back down with me, at least until everything blows over” Jongdae asked. For a minute Kyungsoo truly considered the others offer, but then remembered the threat about wishing he were dead if he were to try and run away.

“No, I’ll be fine” Kyungsoo said with a second fake smile in Jongdae’s direction.

“Alright, but don’t hesitate to come down if you change your mind” Jongdae said with a smile and a small wave before he started to track back down the mountain.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath to clear his mind as he turned to face the door to his medical hut again.