Faith 신의 - One Shots

9. 답변으로 표시 MARKED

When he heard the soft stirring of grass behind him, he turned around. At first he couldn't believe his own eyes. That woman ... that woman looked so much like Eun-Soo that he thought that his longing for her had conjured up an image of her before his very eyes. But when that woman stepped closer and the light of the rising sun fell upon her face, saw the tears that silently streamed down her cheeks, he knew that his wait was over.

Slowly, cautiously, he walked over and they met halfway beneath the old tree that had become the symbol of his faith in her. When they were only a mere feet away, he smiled. Imja was home, he was home and his heart seemed to be bursting in his chest after having been dormant for four long years.

Silently they watched each other, each of them just drinking in the other's face, their eyes silently conveying all the emotions welling up inside of them. For the longest time Choi Young just watched her, his eyes following every curve of her beloved face. The length of her red hair. The soft shape of her eyes, the wonderful tilt of her eye brows. The loving gaze out of tear filled eyes.

This was almost enough, just seeing her, breathing the same air, and yet it was never enough. For a moment his hand holding his sword clenched, then it relaxed again. Eun-Soo must have noticed the small movement and for a moment her eyes wandered down to his hand, then up to his face, a silent question in her gaze.

"It is alright," he said softly, echoing her words from four years ago. "I'm fine."

As if the words had broken some kind of spell both stepped forward, covering the distance still between them.

"Imja!" The honorific endearment fell from both their lips as they embraced. Eun-Soo closed her eyes when she felt his armour pressing into her front, his strong arms around her shoulders. Deeply she inhaled his scent, smiled when she felt his fingers caressing her hair as her bamboo hat fell unnoticed down the length of her back to the ground. Her fingertips scaled the armour at his back, pulled him closer as she sobbed softly.

Choi Young could not believe that she was real. Tangling his hands in her hair, bringing a few strands of it to his nose, he inhaled her scent deeply. She was real, his mind screamed as he hugged her tighter, sure to leave bruises from his armour pressing into her.

"I missed you," Eun-Soo whispered, her voice hiccupping. "I missed you so much."

"Me too," Choi Young replied, giving her a hug, before reluctantly letting go of her. He held her at arm's length, just staring at her. "Imja ..." He watched as Eun-Soo slowly lifted her hand to caress his face, kissed her fingertips when she touched his beard and moustache.

If she didn't like it, he mused, he would shave his face every morning again. But when she laughed, her fingertips tickling his chin, he forgot everything. Cradling her face with both his hands, he brought her up to her toes and kissed her deeply. She still tasted the same, still felt the same. She felt right.

Eun-Soo's hands gripped his shoulders as she was almost lifted out of her shoes, straining to get closer she stretched, freely offering her lips as his mouth slanted over them.

Many kisses later, they walked arm in arm back to the inn. Some of the newer Woodalchi recruits gaped at their general with the beautiful woman on his arm and when they stepped inside the eating room, silence greeted them.

"High Doctor!" Daeman was the first to recover his sense of speech and rushed forward, jumping over a table to reach the woman at Choi Young's side. Deok Man and Vice General Choong-Suk was fast to follow. While the older men bowed reverently before her, Daeman had no such qualms. He hugged her, then noticing the frown on his Daejang's face, held up his hand which Eun-Soo answered with a high five of her own.