'West was the Dream.' Geonhak x Reader

Chapter 8 - Chopping Wood

Mary waited outside the door, patting her dress from the dirt that stuck to it. She saw her husband coming closer down the road and all the things he bought were stacked behind him on the wagon but there was something else mixed in with the piles. A hat? No it was the young man beneath that old hat. She was surprised and disappointed in her husbands decision to bring him back.

(What was he thinking?) She wondered.

'What's all this? You forgot to leave something behind dear.' Mary chides to him as he halts the large cart and shakily hops to the ground and Geonhak follows his lead.

John leans onto his cane, tired from the day, Mary helps him toward the cabin.

'Come sit down dear, we can store everything away in a little while.'

John: 'No I need to do it before dark.'
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'Sir. I can put it all away, I will handle it.'

Y/n heard a familiar voice from inside and froze. Why did she think she heard him again? He wasn't even here.

John: 'Ah that's right, Mary, he is the stayin here after all. Says he will work for free an everythin. Alright then, take care of it. I need to lie down.'

This time she knew what she was hearing. She stood abruptly from her lounging position in the seat and opened the door, patiently slipping by her parents. The sky shined into her eyes and she saw what she was hoping was true. He was back. But how is that possible?

He started with hoisting heavy sacks of flour over his shoulder and followed the parents into the building, passing y/n with an effortless and silent smile.

Mary: 'Set them over there in the corner, the lighter bags for baking can be left on the table for me to move.

'Yes ma'am.' Geonhak dropped it to the wood floor and turned around to get the next.

Y/n stood aside to stay out of his way until he came back out and stopped at the end of the cart. His arms grasped around the next bag but froze when someone entered the side of his vision. It was her beside him, choosing her own haul to transfer to its place.

GH: 'What are you doing?'

'I am helping. There is a lot of things here, I think I can at least take some of it for you. When the sun starts going down it will get cold, this isn't a quick job either.

'Sorry but I can't have you do that, if they see me slacking and letting you do this, well, what kind of guy would they think of me as.'

She held still, in thought, he wasn't wrong. She normally helped her parents do this but... maybe it would be best?

GH: 'I have to be in good standing with your parents so.... let me do this even if it takes me all night.'

And that is what he did, the crickets began chirping before he finished hauling everything around the land.

They asked him to come inside when it was time to eat, with only the four of them left behind of the group it was quiet. The sounds of forks hitting the tin plates inhabitat most of the empty space until Mary spoke up.

'Boy, since you'll be sleeping in the barn again and in winter I suggest you board up every gap you can or you'll get sick or freeze to death.'

Geonhak nods his head and continues chewing, trying not to worry too much about the possibility or appear fearful before them.

John: 'Mary do you think we have that much wood? Just cuz we have trees around don't mean we are rich in wood. We need to cut it down first.... and I think that'd be a perfect job for him for the next week.'

And just like that, he was capable of being needed again by the family even if it was decided around him and without him.
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Y/n grabbed the dented metal wash bin and carried it to the well to get it filled. Setting the full bin beside their outdoor picnic bench she takes from the pile of dirty sheets and begins washing them, hanging the wet laundry to dry. She can hear the sharp sound of wood being chopped in the distance.
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John swings the axe down hard, he may have one leg but he still has two well working arms though it is more difficult of a task than ever before.

'There now. That's how I want the pieces cut, so get to work. This is our firewood, we need to keep up on fuel for the fireplace. I'll go search out the area for some prime trees to cut down for you to use what ya want it for too, I'll be back later.'

Geonhak takes the heavy tool and lines himself up, perfecting his posture for the first chop. He had little experience with this and may even miss the the first few attempts but he at least had the strength to maneuver the axe for some time. He knew this would be tiring for him in the end.

It was long enough in the day that the temperature increased, he wished the cold weather would come much sooner since he was stuck with such an exhausting chore. Sweat was beginning to build on his clothes and he debated whether he should soak his clothing in sweat or simply remove it to feel the air on his body.

Though if he presented a shirt covered in sweat to y/n, who often did the laundry, he would be very embarrassed... or proud, showing how hard he could work.

The shirt eventually came off, there was still plenty of wood to cut and he went back to the job, now with the sun directly at his back.
—-
She dragged the last sheet over the washboard and soaked it in the bin of soapy water, hung it out in the breeze with the others and dumped the bins water into the dirt. She wiped her forehead and sat down at the table for a break, knowing she will be back later to fold these sheets.

(Once everything is clean I am going to put some extra sheets and blankets in the barn. He doesn't have a fireplace like we do. For now maybe I can sneak away and clean the space for him.) She felt happy and a smile grew, it wasn't an extravagant gift for him but having a well made "home" to sleep in would be a surprise and no doubt much better than when he stayed there last time.

She felt more energized now by the idea and ran to collect the broom. On the way she passed by Geonhak and the wood pile, stopping in shock to check again if she was seeing right. She never noticed how golden his skin looked but now in the sunlight it shined, with the help of sweat it glistened more, he could not see her from the side where she was staring in awe as he placed a log and raised the large tool.

Her cheeks were red even if she went unnoticed, she saw how his upper arms seemed larger than she remembered and she watched as his body flexed in motion with swinging the axe into the logs. Her cheeks grew redder at the thought if either of her parents were to see him like this, she felt shy and embarrassed for him to some extent, or maybe he did not care to be without a shirt in front of them?

He threw the new slices into the pile and placed another chunk on the surface, she quietly moved back in the direction of the barn and hid away from him.

She swept the old hay and dirt from the upper level, removing every mess possible. She added clean and fresh hay into a warm bed pile.

'Perfect' She stood and looked around the empty room.

Now for the fun part. She made many trips up and down the ladder, carrying layers of sheets, bundles of blankets, some lamps for fire and light, and she made a satisfactory bed for him. Now she actually could relate to those chickens, how they were always picky about their nests. Almost everything he needed was here, not including food but maybe she could leave a snack too.

As for any holes in the walls, that was all on him to handle, with her dad having a single leg she couldn't imagine how he would get up here to help with repairs~

She was so lost in thought she didn't notice she wasn't alone anymore. Turning around, she sees Geonhak dabbing his forehead with a cloth, his shirt held in his other hand, his jeans and boots well dirtied from the morning activities. He didn't see her until he removed the cloth from his face, spotting her in the corner by the bed. It was his turn to be in shock.