The protector

Spontaneous (M)

WARNING: food.

2027, July – August

Despite it was 8 PM, the day was still uncomfortably hot. It had been like that all the week. Jeong Hyeok looked around trying to fight the heat by focusing on the scenery in front of him.

That should be a topic Se-ri had a certain acknowledgment about. Or, more probably, there had to be someone in her company who knew about it. He remembered that word written in the lift of her headquarter, where a plate indicated each floor and the respective department. Or maybe he had seen it in the card on some door, or just heard about it. Catching whatever was related to her job had always been hard for him.

Besides, having never had such a direct experience of it, at least until that day, Jeong Hyeok's idea of marketing, communication, advertising, was foggy and vague at best.

"This is marketing, correct?" The pianist asked In-ah, his hand aiming at the big, hunter-green tent positioned in a corner of the square.

"Something like, yes." The hospital tent was placed in one of the main squares of Pyongyang, offering free tests and medications and informing the population about the Cross/Red Crescent activities. "Wae," she made a smirk "you're trying to get prepared for when you'll become the husband of a capitalist? And you do it asking to me?"

"Oh," he replied, playfully insolent "you're my friend and married to a capitalist, who else?"

"Just to be sure, let's check your head too, I'm afraid you've banged it."

"Let's check yours too then."

"You know what? Suddenly I'm feeling like going back home."

"Ok." He agreed, his chin teasingly lifting.

In-ah smiled at him with stupor, but then her face turned serious: "are you second-guessing, pianist? We can go away immediately, do..." but he cut her off by taking her hand, the bottom lip pressed on the upper one, sticking out his chin in a grin "not really."

She studied his face for a while, and then turned, back facing him. From her side came a low yet audible murmur. "Perv."

Chuckling, he reached her back in a single stride, his lips close to her ear. "And who's to blame?"

One minute later, the pianist felt her hand gripping his little finger. Turning his head, he met In-ah smiling at him "you're brooding," she said in a flat tone.

"Ani. Just looking. This place is peculiar, in a good way I mean. It's fun."

"It's useful to make people know what they do, it had needed years before obtaining the authorization to put this tent."(1)

"I like it" he said with a soft smile and an admired look "it's catchy indeed, people will surely notice it."

"Pianist, again, are you sure? No second thoughts?"

Jeong Hyeok sank his piercing eyes in hers. How could she even think of it? Right in that moment, there was no happier man than him in the entire Pyongyang.

Two days before

"And this?" Jeong Hyeok looked at their picnic rug. It was placed on the floor of the balcony with some pillow against the wall. Like in every building designed in the post-war period, her balcony was long yet not large, so that the only way for two persons to sit on the floor was to lean their backs on the wall.