The all-knowing Player

Ice means death (1)

A/N: The first scene of this chapter is for you, @MaiaNatasha9 ! It's not exactly what you asked for but I hope you like it nevertheless. 

Guys, if you ever have requests for this story, feel free to ask. I can't promise that I will automatically follow your ideas since we have to follow the course of the story I prepared, but I'll do my best when it's possible!

Gained by an unknown peace, Jin-Woo stares at Hee-Jin as she breathes softly with her head on his lap. She fell asleep surprisingly easily for someone who suffers from insomnia. As much as she tried to hide it, she always seemed in need of a nap since Shin Chun-Hee's death. She managed to fool Jin-Ho, but nothing escapes the player's observant eyes — especially if it regards Hee-Jin.

He believed he would be able to talk with her until late in the night. Maybe even until dawn. She avoided him for two days, but that time felt like weeks to him. He wanted to catch up, to spend some more time with her. But, as he glances down to see her peaceful face, he finds this isn't half as bad.

He brushes a strand from her face to examine it in detail. Her lashes delicately kiss her rosy cheeks and a loose smile plays with the corners of her mouth. She freed her hair to sleep comfortably, allowing it to flow down his lap. The moon crowns her hair with a silvery shade. If Jin-Woo didn't feel the weight of her head on his legs, he would have doubted that she really lays here, on his lap, finally sleeping. But she does, his wildly pounding heart knows it very well.

It isn't the first time he sees her asleep. Two days ago, before realizing she was fleeing his company, he followed her into the forest. An hour had already passed and he wondered about what she might be doing, all alone in that snowy dungeon. Not that he feared anything would happen to her: he knows better than to worry about her. If anything, he'd only pity those who would try to lay their hands on her. No, he didn't have any reason to follow her despite knowing she needed a break from human interactions. Something simply pushed him to chase after her footprints in the snow, leading him to a large pine under which she had installed herself with Orion.

Her gate buzzed a few meters away, projecting blue light on the snow. Her followers, some still covered in snow from playing around, surrounded her to form a comfortable nest of fur and scales. A small dragon was purring on her lap and she was leaning against Orion's fiery armored chest, holding his arms around her waist like a blanket.

Jin-Woo couldn't find any word to describe that sight. Hee-Jin, the always-tired Hee-Jin, was finally sleeping, surrounded by creatures who kept her warm. The forest seemed to match the woman's peace as the snowflakes swirled down the sky at much slower pace, as if time itself had slowed down to allow her more time to rest.

And Jin-Woo was an intruder in this scene. The quiet growls that escaped the followers' throats as he stepped closer reminded him that he should have stayed at the campsite instead of coming searching for her. Their protests died down as soon as they recognized him. But he didn't dare to fully join them. He was out of place. Not because he simply didn't belong into this painting, but because of this displeasing feeling that rose up in his chest at the sight of Orion and Hee-Jin.

That should have been him. He should have been the one to let her rest under the protection of his arms. He should be the one against whose chest she'd lean for support and warmth. Yet Hee-Jin had chosen Orion as her heater and, despite the fact that he understood why, it left a sour taste in his mouth.

But now her head rests on his lap, her hair softly brushes his leg and her regular breathing hangs in the wind that rushes past their frames. Had he never heard her laugh, he would have ranked this deeply soothing sound as his favorite. The wind picks up against his back but he doesn't move. He could freeze for all he cares, as long as Hee-Jin stays here, protected from this stinging cold by his coat, resting her head on his lap.