The Way I Loved You

My Knight In Suit And Tie

Where was she?

Hyunwoo could have sworn that Haein was just by his side a moment ago. Or at least, before he got interrupted by that prick Yoon Eunsung. What was that man even doing on their course anyway? But no matter, that asshole wasn't important at the moment.

His eyes darted around the forest, trained for the smallest movement. It was dangerous to lose track of your partner during a hunt; one, you could accidentally shoot them, thinking that they were a wild animal. Two, you could get attacked by something as huge as a boar. Boars were dangerous and not to be messed with, they could run at speeds that no human could, and had skin so thick that a gun alone wasn't enough to protect you.

Where was she? What if something had happened to her? What if she shot him on accident? He couldn't possibly die before her.

He heard a noise in the distance, the sound of leaves rustling. Haein?

Eunsung completely forgotten, he charged towards the noise at full speed, not even stopping to consider if it could be a wild animal instead. An animal that could make a noise of that volume shouldn't be messed with, but he wasn't focused on that at the moment.

A wild boar. An angry one at that. It was clearly out to attack anyone in it's sight, which happened to be Haein standing alone amongst the trees, seemingly in a daze.

What was wrong with her? She needed to get out of there asap, but she didn't even seem to notice the massive animal merely metres away from her. Her eyes were unfocused, staring blankly into space as if she was seeing something he couldn't.

That boar was ready to charge. It had its eyes fixated on Haein, gearing up to attack.

No.

Before his mind even fully comprehended what he was doing, he was in front of her, his gun aimed precisely at the spot he'd been taught to shoot at by his father back in the country. Instinctively, his military training kicked in and he shot without hesitation.

With an ear piercing screech, the boar skid to a stop in front of them, laying on the ground. The force of its movement sent a burst of air towards them, blowing his hair away from his face. Hyunwoo stood there for a moment, in disbelief of what he had just done. That boar could've easily been moving at the speed of a car, yet he'd put himself in between it and Haein. He hadn't shot in a long time, yet his body knew what his mind did not, and acted without thinking, like it knew what he was meant to do.

Deeming that the boar was sufficiently injured not to cause them any harm, he dropped his gun, turning to check on Haein. Her pale skin was an indication of her poor condition and she looked like she'd just seen a ghost. She barely seemed to notice his presence, her eyes closed tightly and her head turned to the side as if bracing for impact.

"Haein."

He clutched her limp body against his chest, feeling her legs give way beneath her.

She must be in shock. He could hear her short, shallow breaths, and feel her heart racing in her ribs.

This wasn't what he expected a near death experience to feel like. He'd always thought time would slow down, and his life would flash through his eyes. He thought he'd see his family, his friends, but instead, all he saw was the woman he swore he hated.

They stood that way for a while, processing what had just happened. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the chill of the forest was starting to creep in and he felt her shiver in his arms.

"Haein ah, are you okay? You don't look so good."

She took a shuddering breath. "I'm fine."

She wasn't.