Kintsugi

2.

Author notes: thank you so very much for the support on Twitter and for your kind words here. It means the world and it's very motivztiong. The plot is unfolding, slowly but surely. Thank you again, and stay safe ❤️

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Her mouth slightly agape, she stared at him. He was Mr Ri? Her grandfather's intendant?

And he left her in the woods by herself?

She crossed her arms, feeling irritated and embarrassed and so many other things she couldn't name.

"How could you leave me alone in the woods when the night was falling?"

He raised his eyebrows but didn't answer as she kept talking.

"Leaving a woman alone when her car is broken is not what a gentleman would do, it's... It's despicable, it's selfish, it's cowardly, it's....it's..."

He crossed his arms, frowning.

"Listen..."

"Captain!"

Both turned their heads.

"Captain, we found the car you said was broken, and we brought it with us, but there was no sign of that woman, die elster..."

A young man appeared, stopping in his tracks, his eyes going from her to Mr Ri. He had a boyish face, and the dog came happily to him, licking his fingers as he bent automatically to scratch him between the ears.

" Hello Chopin... Hum. Excuse me. I didn't know you were not alone... "

" She's die elster... "

The young man's eyes widened as he looked at her from head to toes.

"She is?"

"What is die elster?" she asked, looking at them, feeling like it wasn't a compliment, and hating feeling left out.

The young man had an uncomfortable smile, and bowed slightly.

"I am Eun Dong ..."

She greeted him politely and glanced at Mr. Ri.

"My name is Seri... Did you send someone to get my car?" she asked in a voice tinged with surprise.

"I had an emergency, so I sent my men to rescue you..."

"Oh."

She glanced into the box where the horse was still lying in the straw. The animal seemed to be in bad shape and she felt her heart tighten at the sight of him. She was both scared and fascinated by animals. She hadn't been around a lot while growing up, except in her plate, but had made sure to include animal defense Associations in her charity book.

"And ... will he be okay?"

He looked at her with a surprise tinged in curiosity, and nodded.

"She should be okay, the night will be decisive ..."

Seri bit her lip, suddenly feeling very stupid as she saw the animal breathe weakly, but steadily. This man had never left her in the woods, actually. He had to save a sick horse but still made sure to send help, and she ... She didn't quite know how to react, and she watched him in silence as he gently closed the box.

"Let's go out, she needs some calm ..."

He didn't wait for an answer, passed her, closely followed by Chopin and Eun Dong. Seri took one last look at the cubicle before she followed as well.

"Are you a veterinarian?" she asked.

He didn't answer and she almost had to run to catch up with them. The van that had been used to tow the car had parked in front of the house, and a man armed with a crowbar was trying to open the trunk, growling with effort. She froze.