![]() He measures the time by the way she's inhaling and exhaling at a nice tempo that tells him she's at least able to find in her dreams the peace and calmness she seems to be desperately craving for in her waking life. She moves to the side, her hair falling all over her face, making Jeong Hyeok reach out to move the strands away from her airways. The soldier contentedly watches Se-ri release herself from her stronghold, her eyelids fluttering erratically to signal that she was still wrapped in the arms of sleep. Sensing she's thankfully feeling the beginning waves of the heat, he grinds his teeth and closes his eyes forcibly in relief. and she does - slowly, gradually, as if she's perfectly attuned to the workings of his mind, she finally stirs a little, drawing her companion to release the breath he had been holding. When they don't, he kicks up the heat one more notch, eyes so frighteningly focused on Se-ri, he is practically willing her to move. Turning the heater on the floor on high, he fixes a determined gaze on her in an almost calculated glower, waiting for those tightly-wound limbs to slowly unfurl themselves. She looks peaceful enough, he decides, but the tightness of those arms around her bothers him infinitely for reasons he cannot fathom. His brows are knit in equal parts worry for his sleeping guest and chastisement for himself for not giving her his bed where the soft mattress would have provided a semblance of relief from the cold biting air.Įager hands work deftly to tuck her in the sheets as best as he could, hoping she was at least dreaming of taking that luxurious warm bath she'd been raving about, knowing her reality at the moment is something she dreaded. He makes haste to arrange the duvet around her to cover the socked feet that had gone wayward some time during inertia. The sight makes Jeong Hyeok flinch on the inside. Inching towards her, he immediately notices how her arms are protectively crossed over her body, as if wishing to give herself the warmth no one else could provide.Īs if she's used to doing so her whole life. The slightest movement from her slumbering form lets him know that she is actually shivering from the cold. He stops when his expert vision catches something from its peripheral. ![]() Wanting her to get more of it, the captain employs his stealth mode in maneuvering his way in search of a glass of water. The corners of his mouth turn slightly upwards when realization hits him that sleep is probably the only thing in the world that can make her go still and quiet. Grateful to have an excuse to move away from the spot where he had been forced to relive an agitating memory, he stands from the floor and makes a beeline for the kitchen to quench his thirst.įixing the hem of his camo long sleeves on his wrist, he crosses the threshold to his study where Yoon Se-ri, the bossy, quirky, unique South Korean woman, currently reclines in temporary solitude. His parched throat tells him he had most likely been internally screaming in his dreams again, and he instinctively reaches to his side table for a glass of water. Shaking his head and puffing out his cheeks, he closes his eyes as he tries to regulate his heart rate and bring it back to normal. The distorted images of the pristine waters from a beautiful blue lake, a quaint wooden piano, and the face of his brother, all bloodied and bruised, continue to linger in the North Korean soldier's mind, even after consciousness fully takes over to claim him. ![]() Though the cool breeze filters through the open window of his room enough to coat his body in an icy glaze, his forehead is bathed in a sheen of sweat that readily hints at the torment he had just been through. ![]()
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