The Innocent: A Sequel to Hwarang: The Saga of the Sooks Book #3

Chapter 7: Problem-Solving

"So...what's the problem?" Soo Ho asked Jung Sook a moment later as he caught up to her again.

She glanced up at him in confusion. "Problem?"

"That you need to solve."

"Oh," she blew out a long puff of air. Then she turned her gaze towards the horizon. "The sunrise is beautiful this morning."

"That doesn't sound like a problem."

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "No, it's not. But, really, look!"

She pointed at the sky now bathed in rosy light as a burning ball of orange slid above the boundary line of the earth.

"It is truly beautiful," he responded heavily.

But he wasn't looking at the sun. He was gazing at the radiant glow that was illuminating her face as she stared at that magnificent sphere. It was reflecting its glory off of her countenance.

He'd been watching her for more than two months now. Every day he found that countenance a little more compelling. Once a rather plain face, it now seemed to grow in beauty. And character. His eye was drawn towards the tiny lines that framed her mouth when she smiled. Before sliding upwards to enjoy the light glowing from her eyes. Those eyes turned his way a moment later, and he caught his breath. Though he wasn't sure why.

Two tiny valleys suddenly appeared between those intriguing eyes as she puckered her lips before remarking, "You weren't even looking at the sunrise, were you?"

He cleared his throat as his eyes slid towards the now roseate dome of the earth. He unleashed his prepossessing grin on that newborn glory before turning back towards her. His beauty washed over her momentarily before she set her eyes firmly on the road and plodded onward.

She couldn't afford to notice how handsome he was. He could, after all, have any girl that he wanted. He'd already proven that. Many times.

Of course, there was one exception to that rule.

Her.

She wasn't about to cave to the wonders of that beguiling smile.

He fell in beside her again and tilted his head to the side as he studied her.

"So...are you going to tell me?"

Frustrated, she glanced his way. "Tell you what?"

"What your problem is?"

She released a deep sigh. "If I do, you cannot speak of it to anyone else. It involves two of my students, and as such, must be kept private."

He stopped walking and saluted her as his face was suddenly shrouded in sobriety. "I give you my solemn oath, milady, that I will not speak of it to another soul."

She scrutinized his open countenance for a moment. "You've had a fairly easy life, haven't you? Gotten your way? Not rubbed up against too many obstacles?"

Startled by her question, he glanced sharply at her. "No. Of late, I've met plenty of obstacles!"

He laughed as he thought of all the trouble into which he'd fallen as a hwarang – and of the fight that had landed him among the hwarang to begin with. But then, as he reflected on the rest of his life, he realized that she was right.

"I guess, up until a few months ago, you could have said that I'd rarely been challenged." He grimaced. "Except by Ban Ryu. But I suppose that doesn't count. Because you're talking about true hardship, aren't you?"

She nodded.

He sighed. "I guess, compared to some other folks, I haven't suffered much. As a hwarang, I've endured a lot, but outside of that training ground, my life has been pretty easy." He studied her for a moment as they continued walking. "What about you? It sounds like your life has been pretty hard."