@peachchanvidel when I said I felt bad, I really did mean it. And in the span of the past hour or so, I just HAD to write you something. And PRaise the Lord It’s still not past my bedtime yet HAHA I really hope you like it! (and tbh this chapter is really the beginning of the end :) )
February
It takes a ridiculous amount of time for him to reach that moment. Much longer than he would have liked, anyway.
She really doesn’t make this easy, he grouses as he wipes off the sweat from his brow. Wooden sword in hand, he swings and slams the sword against the wooden dummy in front of him for the umpteenth time. It shakes and almost falls over, but stabilizes in time for another strike from his sword. Again and again, he hits the dummy with as much force as he can muster.
With one final hit, Geun-tae collapses on the floor, arms outstretched. His sword rolls from his hands onto the floor. He closes his eyes and lets out a breath.
The past month was hell for him. Between the many meetings with King Il and the tribe heads, as well as an influx in uprisings in the southern parts of the Earth Kingdom, Geun-tae could scarcely find time to even put thought to the whole ordeal surrounding his sudden matrimonial feelings towards his dear Noblewoman Yun-ho.
It didn’t help that Yun-ho was barely in the castle the past month, what with the various festivals regarding honoring the women of the Earth Kingdom being held at the start of the year to commemorate a new birth or some nonsense like that. As a noblewoman, she is expected by the council, as well as the many elders and women before her, to honour these events and grace the assemblies with her presence. From what Geun-tae has derived from their sparse meetings together, Yun-ho is nothing but a natural at these events - her smile being her saving grace in many, many interactions, he believes, as she excitedly relays her conversations with others to him.
Sighing, Geun-tae gazes at the sky above him. There really is little he can do at this point. A waiting game, he supposes. It isn’t as if they are pressed for time. Yun-ho is still very much a young girl, and while the council is pressuring him from all sides to marry, he isn’t in a rush to push her into anything she isn’t ready for. Matrimonial feelings be damned; Geun-tae will do what he believes is best for her. If it means time for her to get used to her new role as noblewoman - it’s really only been a few months, he reasons - then so be it.
What if she doesn’t want to be with an old man? A voice quips in his head.
“GARGH!” Geun-tae screams, hands clutching at his head.
A shriek sounds from above him, and Geun-tae’s eyes fly open.
There, standing in all her glory, is the subject of Geun-tae’s agony herself. Yun-ho’s silhouette overshadows him and through squinted eyes, he sees that she is holding a tray. Her eyes are wide open, mouth agape, and damn it all, Geun-tae is completely and utterly endeared. It is almost annoying at this point how entirely wrecked he is when he sees her. Whether it is because he hasn’t seen her in almost a week, or that the image of her smiling, tray in hand, is so analogous to that when he first met her when she was a lady-in-waiting, whatever filter he has over his mouth just disintegrates. His eyes soften and his lips melt into a smile.
“Marry me.”
If Yun-ho’s eyes looked wide before, they now look like saucers. And wow, her face is ridiculously red, it isn’t even hot out-holy shit, did I just-
“Um,” Yun-ho squeaks. “I-I-”
Geun-tae sits up immediately and stabilizes the tray trembling in her arms. Yun-ho’s knees seem to give way at the point of contact, and she ends up kneeling before him. Eye to eye, Geun-tae witnesses the confusion and shock betrayed by the awkward quirk of her lips and her rapid breathing. And for the millionth time in this relationship he has with her, he wants to pound his head on the concrete floor.
“Shit-” he stumbles over his words. “I’m sorr- look, I- I really wanted to do this right. But shit, Yun-ho, I didn’t-”
And as how all things go awry, the tray tips and the tea spills onto the floor between them. Yun-ho yelps and immediately moves to pick up the fallen cups. Her fingers tremble, and Geun-tae is quick to capture her hands in his.
“G-G-General- I mean, G-Geun-tae-sama! I-I really should clea-”
Geun-tae lets out a garish sigh. He fixes his gaze on her.
“Yun-ho.”
Immediately, her stammering stops.
He stares at her for awhile longer - comtemplates the frazzled state she is in, her wide eyes, her mouth tight-lipped- the curl of her hair, the dimple on her left cheek. He breathes.
“Yun-ho. Marry me.”
He is prepared for the waterworks.
As she brings his hand to her cheek and cries over his fingers, his other hand comes up behind her head and cradles it to his shoulder. She leans heavily on him, arms winding around his form.
Geun-tae ducks his head. “I’ve never been more sure of anything I’ve ever wanted in this life,” he whispers into her hair. “ Yun-ho, if you aren’t ready, tell me. I can wait. Or if you don’t want-”
“No!” Yun-ho’s head darts up, very nearly breaking his jaw. Her face is flushed, tears streaming down the sides of her face. “Of course I want you! Whatever made you think I didn’t?”
Geun-tae leans back and guffaws. “Man proposes to girl, and girl bursts into tears. I wonder…? And well,” he scratches his chin. “...I’m not exactly a fountain of youth.”
Yun-ho’s brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
“Um,” Geun-tae starts. “I’m not young, you know and- okay, you can stop laughing now.”
Yun-ho’s giggles fill the training area. Wiping tears from her eyes, she leans her forehead against his shoulder once more. Geun-tae’s arms automatically find themselves around her, pulling her close. He closes his eyes.
“...so?”
“Yes.”
Geun-tae lets out a soft laugh. “Really?”
Yun-ho looks up at him, eyes watering once more. Her hand cups his jaw as he turns to face her. She smiles.
“Really.”
It is almost annoying how wrecked he is when he sees her, and if their lips meet, well- he supposes it is only natural he just ignites.
