Faith (The Next Story)

Chapter 6: He who Protects the Future Part I

Disclaimer: Events about Choi Young's life will coincide with the movie series and not with real history. Most of his achievements are based on history but the timeline is greatly off. Please note that this is done on purpose and is not a mistake.

...

Eun Soo opened one eye and slowly moved her head to the side to check if he was sleeping. His eyes were closed and the slow rise and fall of his chest assured her that he was.

It was already past midnight but the moonlight was shining brightly through her window. Eun Soo opened both eyes and slowly turned to lay on her right side so she could stare at his sleeping face. She was careful not to move her right hand which lay on the bed between them covered by Choi Young's left. He looked so young when he slept, devoid of the worries and concerns that rested on his shoulders whenever he was awake. He looked so peaceful and totally adorable.

Unbidden her left hand rose to touch his face. Catching herself, she clenched it into a fist instead and slowly placed it back down. Although asleep, Choi Young was always alert to his surroundings and she did not want to wake him.

She suppressed a sigh as she continued to watch him. She felt guilty for not telling him about Taizu. Once more she was keeping things from him and she knew he didn't like that. If she told him, his temper would flare for sure but it wasn't his temper that was stopping her. She knew his anger stemmed from fear for her safety and as a person whose response to trouble was a frontal assault, feeling helpless was not something he dealt with pretty well.

What really scared her was his over protectiveness. If he found out Taizu had threatened her life if she were to return to Goryeo she wasn't sure if he would still take her with him. Her safety had always mattered to him more than his desire to be with her.

She drew the hand holding hers into her chest and enclosed it with her other hand. Then she closed her eyes to find her determination. I will tell him once we get back to Goryeo. She decided. She can endure his wrath later. If Taizu wasn't lying about being the one who opened the gate then she was sure they would be able to go back soon. They needed Choi Young back in Goryeo, so all she needed to do was to make sure not to get separated from him.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her which startled her. "You're... I... I thought you were asleep."

"I was." was Choi Young's amused reply. He had moved to his side as well and thus they were facing each other. "But apparently you are not."

His eyes fell into the hand she was clutching and upon realizing where the hand had landed she immediately brought it back down to the bed. Color stained her cheeks and she began nibbling her bottom lip in mortification, unable to meet his eyes.

They had slept in a single bed together countless times but that was all they did. He would hold her hand and they would sleep. Choi Young was always a perfect gentleman that there were times she wondered if he found her desirable at all. But just having him beside her gave her so much comfort she never really dwelt on it.

"Imja." His voice sounded hoarse that her eyes immediately flew to his to check if he was in pain. But she found his eyes had focused on her lips. "Stop doing that."

Eun Soo's eyes widened and she immediately stopped biting her lip and clamped it shut. Her reaction elicited a chuckle from Choi Young which made Eun Soo narrow her eyes at him. She punched at his right shoulder. "Stop teasing me."

Choi Young raised his brows at that. "You think I'm not being serious?" In fact Choi Young had been very serious. He had no qualms about kissing her and the only thing stopping him was the fact that they were both lying on her bed, and he was fully conscious about them being alone not just in her room but as well as in the entire house. If he kissed her now he wasn't sure if he had enough self control to stop with just kisses. But he couldn't resist challenging her. "Why don't you try it again and let's see how serious I am."