thank you to everyone that has followed me recently! school has my schedule all wack but i do plan on writing as much as i can over the winter break sooo!
26 letters for 26 (of many) reasons to love Park Chanyeol
To our happy virus, you are a person who is always impressing me with your dedication to anything you try, your passion and motivation encourages me to do the same, with your wide range of talents it seems as though there is nothing you can’t do! I hope the year ahead will let you achieve everything you wish and that you’ll see the result of all your hard work. I also wish you as much happiness as you give us!
- mulan rewrite [very loosely inspired by the disney version]
- warnings : cursing, dark themes, extreme violence
- work count : 2,913
previous chapter or next chapter
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When the morning came, Eunyeong was greeted by the sounds of the songbirds outside singing their greetings and the sound of breathing somewhere next to her ear. Her eyes snapped open quickly - she was afraid of where she might be. When her eyes found the general sleeping soundly next to her she relaxed. The tall man laid on his back with his head thrown back. His plump lips were parted as he breathed through his mouth. Eunyeong had never seen the man look so tranquil. Because of this, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Her fingers itched to connect the small markings on his face and neck, but she knew that was forbidden. Everything she was feeling was forbidden. It felt like some sort of criminal punishment to her.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she turned to finally look away from the man. Her hand came up and rested against her chest as it pounded against her ribs violently. For a moment, she let her eyes rest again as she tried to imagine the way her father would react to knowing she had slept so close to a man she wasn't married to. Slowly, a small smile began to form on her face as she pictured his scowl in her mind. Perhaps the foreign feelings she felt towards the general were torturous, but the way her heart yearned for her home felt as if the life in her body was slowly leaving her behind.
The woman had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the man next to her stirring. His eyes slowly fluttered open, scanning the room with brief confusion before they landed on the woman next to him. He knew she was awake from the way she was smiling, but still, his eyes drank in the sight of her. She was filthy. There were patches of dirt all over her skin, her hair was a tangled mess, and she didn't smell as good as the women back home did - and yet there was still something so endearing about her.
"How long have you been awake?" The man asked as he brought a hand up to rub at his eyes sleepily. The woman shot up quickly at the sound of his voice. It was deeper than it usually was and sent vibrations down her spine.
"How long have you been awake?" The woman replied quickly as she looked down at him with wide eyes.
Before the man could answer, a sharp knock echoed throughout the room. The pair shared a glance before the general pushed himself up from the ground. Eunyeong felt her stomach twist anxiously as she gathered her hair up and began to pull it up as neatly as she could manage. Her ears perked up as she heard the door of the room open. A woman's voice floated through the room almost right away. Eunyeong avoided turning to look at who it was.
"Sir, I brought this tub. We use it to give all of our important guests baths!" The woman announced with excitement in her voice. Eunyeong listened as a few bashful giggles filled the air and couldn't resist looking over her shoulder. In the doorway stood a small group of women, all looking up at Chanyeol with adoring expressions. Eunyeong scoffed to herself as she turned back around and finished tying her hair up.
"Ah... I see," the man responded nervously. "Can you prepare a bath for me then? I won't need assistance washing."
"Nonsense! We insist on aiding you," the woman replied as she pushed herself into the room. Chanyeol turned and watched with wide eyes as the other women followed in behind her. When the group of women spotted Eunyeong they halted. The soldier turned and looked at them hesitantly, not sure what would happen next. Would a woman recognize her true identity before a man?
"Are you of importance?" One questioned.
"Surely that doesn't matter! Look at how cute he is!" Another said.
"Yes... you have a point."
"This will be a fun morning!"
Eunyeong watched in horror as they all began to giggle amongst one another again. She turned to look at Chanyeol for help but wasn't surprised to see the tall man standing with a bemused expression on his face.
"He does need a bath, ladies. Just look at how filthy he is," the man began. Eunyeong paled at his words.
"Ladies! That's quite alright, I will wash up somewhere else," Eunyeong assured them as she held her hands up to stop them from approaching her. The general could barely hide the smile on his face when the woman sent him a scowl.
"Alright, alright - that's enough. Ladies, draw me up a bath and be gone. No more will be permitted," the general finally put a stop to the excitement. The ladies all shared a disappointed glance but soon began to do as instructed.
Eunyeong watched out the window as they did so. The sun hadn't been out very long and the morning dew still rested on the leaves of the trees outside. For a moment she wondered what they were doing in this small little village. It seemed so strange to her that after getting all kind of inside information on the enemies the general had decided to sit idle.
"Are you actually taking a bath?" Eunyeong questioned as she watched the man set up a dressing screen in front of the bath the women had just set up. The general laughed lightly at the question while he worked.
"You think I can fit in that tiny tub?" He couldn't help but ask with amusement in his voice.
"Then why would you-"
"The bath is for you. I thought you might enjoy complete privacy for once," the man cut her off. The woman's heart skipped a beat.
"And you'll be in the room?" She found herself asking before she could stop herself.
"No, of course not. I have some official business to tend to today. I will be taking some men with me, but Kyungsoo will stay behind to keep things in line here," the man explained as he turned around and dusted off his hands.
"Then you mean... I have all the time in the world to soak in the bath?" The woman questioned. The man simply nodded. Eunyeong's face lifted with joy. She had never been able to soak in a tub before.
The general left soon after, leaving Eunyeong to do as she pleased with his room. Of course, she immediately dived into the tub after he was gone. The water was warm and refreshing against her skin. As she soaked, she rest her head on the edge of the tub with her eyes closed. It was the first time she felt relaxed in a while. Just as she began to doze off, the sound of the door opening caused her to raise her head. Her eyes were wide as she awaited another sound. Heavy footsteps echoed against the floor as the intruder walked deeper into the room.
"Who's there?" The woman called out hesitantly as she pulled herself flush against the side of the tub to conceal herself from peering eyes.
"Kyungsoo," a deep voice called back to her.
"Please don't come around the screen," she replied after a second of silence.
"What are you doing in the general's room still?" The man questioned her as he rummaged through a stack of papers on the other side of the screen.
"The general allowed me to take a bath while he was away."
"What? Why would he do that?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask."
"I can't find the paper I'm looking for. Why can't I come on the other side of the screen?"
"Because I'm indecent."
"And?"
"What more reason do you need?"
"We're both men. If you're embarrassed by your size-"
"No! Of course not - I just don't want you to see."
"I need this paper."
"Then wait and I will get dressed."
"Why? If you are soaking then continue, it will take me just a few seconds."
"That's okay, I will just get dressed," the woman breathed out in a hurry as she began climbing out of the tub. Just as she stepped out, the man rounded the corner. The woman yelped at the sight of the man and fell to the floor with her arms wrapped around her figure tightly. She couldn't bear looking up at the man, out of fear of what would happen next.
The man didn't move for a few seconds and a suspenseful silence filled the room. Then, his foot began to move again until he was behind the woman. She tensed up at the feeling of cloth wrapping around her shoulders. Slowly, she raised her head and saw that the man was looking away from her with embarrassment painting his skin.
"P-please don't tell anyone about this," she stammered out.
"Get dressed. We will handle this later," the man replied calmly despite his flustered state. Eunyeong watched as he walked over to a shelf and rummaged through some papers before grasping one tightly in his clutches. Without a second glance, the man turn and left the room. The door rattled as the man shut it with extra force. Eunyeong's chest rose and fell quickly as panic bubble inside of her chest. What would happen now that the man knew her true identity?
Eunyeong hurriedly got dressed, brushed her hair out with shaky hands, and left the general's room in search of Baekhyun. The panic she felt only seemed to grow when she couldn't find the man in the inn. Had he gone out with his friends again? She ignored the bewildered glances she got as she ran out into the streets. Being in a foreign location with no friends or any sort of familiarity was overwhelming. When it became too much for the woman, she slipped into a small book shop and hid away in between two bookshelves. Her hands cupped the sides of her face as her knees dug into her chest. She let her eyes close, in an attempt to calm herself down, and found herself drifting off into unconsciousness after just a few minutes passed.
Later that evening, the bookshop keeper was forced to wake the sleeping soldier. The man's hand reach out and clashed against the woman's head - once gently and then a second more forceful. The woman's head shot up in a panic at the feeling. Without thinking, she reach for her dagger. The man put as much distance between himself and the soldier as he could at the gesture. He told the woman that he was closing, so it was time for her to go. The woman gave an embarrassed laugh as she realized the situation she was in. She pushed herself up on her feet before bowing respectfully and exiting the bookstore.
Outside, the sun had already set. Eunyeong released a sigh as she tried to soak up what little bit of the sun's warmth lingered in the air. Though everything in her body was telling her to run while she could, she knew that at some point she would have to return to the inn. She had signed herself up for this. She couldn't just run when things were spiraling out of control. And so, she lifted a foot and set forward towards her fate.
When she arrived back at the inn, men sat together outside with glasses of alcohol in their hands. They were surprisingly quiet for a group of drinking men. Their eyes barely even scanned over Eunyeong as she walked into the inn with her head held high. The inside of the building was much warmer than the air outside. The woman felt as if she were already sweating after just a few seconds of being there, though perhaps it was merely a side effect of the nerves she felt.
The woman hadn't even made it to the hallway before she was being stopped. She drew in a deep breath of air as she turn to look at whoever had grabbed her wrist. Her eyes found Baekhyun's shortly after. Despite the fact that men were all around them, Eunyeong couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around the man's neck. The soldier blinked in surprise at the sudden force but allowed his arms to wrap around the woman's shoulders.
"Where have you been?" He questioned her quietly.
"Asleep in a bookstore," she answered as she slowly pulled away from the man. Her cheeks were painted a bright shade of pink as she realized what she had just done. Baekhyun simply laughed, as if the woman were telling a joke rather than the truth.
"Of course you were," he played along. When the woman didn't laugh, his smile fell. "You were?"
The woman wasn't able to explain herself any further. The general cleared his throat from behind the woman, causing her shoulders to stiffen. Baekhyun eyed the pair suspiciously as Eunyeong turned to look at the tall man. His eyes peered down at her with a darkness to them that she wasn't familiar with.
"Come with me," was all he said before he turned and walked down the hall. The woman didn't waste time in doing so. Baekhyun hesitated, torn between wanting to speak up and not wanting to step out of line. In the end, he found himself watching as his friend disappeared into the general's room.
Eunyeong felt her stomach twist upon seeing Kyungsoo sitting on the general's floor. His eyes flickered up and scanned her carefully before he turned his attention back towards the yea resting on the table. While the woman had wanted to try to keep her confident facade up, it was hard for her hands to rest by her side. Her fingers pick at one another nervously as she stood by the door, waiting for what would happen next.
"Why are you just standing there?" The general wondered aloud as he sat down on the floor across from Kyungsoo. Hesitantly, the woman stepped forward and took a seat next to the man. Kyungsoo glanced up at the woman again when she was across from him. There was a conflicted expression on his face as he gazed at her. For a moment the woman wished she had been blessed with the ability to read minds.
"General," she found herself calling out without control. "If I turn myself in will my parents be able to live afterward?"
Both of the men in the room froze at the question. Kyungsoo's eyes averted over to the man next to Eunyeong. The general's eyes were wide as he looked over at the woman next to him.
"Where is this coming from?" He questioned with a nervous huff.
"I-"
"Did something happen?" Kyungsoo interrupted the woman with faux concern. The woman's eyebrows raised at the question. Her mouth open and closed a few times as she tried to formulate a reply.
"You didn't tell him?" She asked with astonishment.
"Tell him what?" Kyungsoo continued his act. The woman's eyebrows scrunched together from the admiration she felt at that moment.
"Someone better tell me something," Chanyeol commented as he raised his rice wine to his lips.
"Kyungsoo... found out today," the woman revealed to the man. The general froze, the glass in his hands stuck against his lips. After a few seconds, he lowered the glass back down onto the table.
"Well, this happened sooner than I anticipated," the man finally said.
"Do you mean you already know?" Kyungsoo asked. When the general nodded, his companion scoffed in disbelief.
"I cannot believe this."
"I cannot believe you were willing to lie to me to cover her tracks."
"I cannot believe you did lie to me and cover her tracks."
The men stared at one another with offense on their features for a few seconds before Eunyeong reach out and grabbed the general's wine. His eyes followed her hand as she lifted the drink to her lips, but before she could consume the liquid he grabbed her hand and took the glass away.
"After last night I don't think you should drink again for a while," he told her with a small laugh.
"It was a tragedy to see," Kyungsoo nodded.
"Then this is it? This isn't going to be a big deal?" The woman questioned with complete confusion after a moment of silence passed.
"With that man from the forest gone, as well as his men, there is no one else that knows about a woman being in our army. As long as we keep it under wraps then everything should be fine," the general told her. "But once this war is over, you and your family should move to new lands."
"Can I ask what made you do this?" Kyungsoo asked. Eunyeong happily obliged. The man's expression softened as the woman explained the complex situation. When she was finished, the man sat in awe.
"I know I came here to save my father's life, but since I got here I've been wrapped up in this war. I intend to go to the end. I want to do as much as I can for this army," the woman began as she attempted to steal a drink from the general's wine again.
"You can start by obeying your general," the tall man scolded her as he saved his glass for the second time.
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a / n : hi, so this chapter is short and pretty lackluster. i’ll be completely honest - i am currently experience a writing block with this story. i’m not sure where i want to take it or how to get there. SO, if this is terrible please let me know and i’ll redo it or something. anyways, thanks for reading. x
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