《我明白》-[w.jh]

[15: steal]

Warm. Soft. Lovely.

Jun tried to gather his thoughts as he slowly emerged from his slumber. All he could focus on was how warm his surroundings were, and where he was.

He jolted when he noticed the figure lying next to him. He had expected her to disappear during the night when he had fallen prey to the clutches of sleep, but she still remained on the other side of his bed, deep in slumber.

Seoyul's light brown hair was spread out all over the pillow, one of her hands clutching the corner of the blanket they shared. It was calming, Jun thought, to watch her sleep.

It was so tempting to touch her, run his fingers on the smooth skin he knew she possessed. Lace his fingers through the hand that fit so well with his. Thread his fingers through her now tousled hair. As much as those thoughts were tempting, Jun didn't want to disturb her; she rarely slept this soundly.

He turned around on the bed, trying to think about what had happened the night before.

"You don't have to do this, Junhui."

"But I want to."

Now, he was second-guessing himself. Was he really willing to give up his soul, and maybe his life, for something he might never have?

He heard Seoyul stir next to him, and he turned immediately, watching her eyelids flutter open.

"Junhui."

She smiled softly at him, and he reached for her cheek, finally able to touch her skin. He leaned in and placed a quick, lingering kiss onto her cheek, pulling away from her face, and watched as her fingers reached out to touch the exact place he had kissed, her lips slightly parted.

"Do you want something to eat? It's quite late...you do have to go after all."

"I suppose so." She propped herself up onto her elbow, staring intently at him. "And you did request something of me after all..."

He smiled, a smile with mixed emotions. He didn't know what to say. Surprised that she remembered? Shocked that she had actually brought it up? Angry at her for pretending that his soul wasn't needed?

Suddenly she swooped in and kissed his lips, taking him by surprise and bursting all the thoughts in his mind. It was so short, yet so sudden, but it left him wanting more, yearning for another few hours to spend in bed with her.

That was, however, something he could never have at the moment.

Yet Seoyul came in again for his lips for a longer kiss this time, and he let her, no matter how much his brain told him not to...

"You're making it harder for me to get out of bed, darling. How about you stay a few hours longer?"

"I think a few hours wouldn't be enough. Maybe a year," she joked.

"Maybe the rest of our lives would be sufficient..." he mused. "If you'd be willing to give up that amount if time."

"I would never mind that, Jun. You of all people should know that."

And he laughed as he playfully pushed her onto the bed, before pulling her close to him so he could kiss her, not caring about anything except for the fact that she was in his arms...

• • •
"I'm sorry."

He tried to console her, to tell her that it was fine to take his soul and to leave him dead to the world for a while, just so she could return and forever be in his embrace. Seoyul's eyes were a little misty, and he hated to see her cry.