| The Power of a Request (Part 1)

The following morning found Soo-Ah pacing in her tent, biting her nails and calling herself stupid for having unknowingly agreed to Sung-Ho's decision to send her away. The only one to blame was his absurd discussions about those old sexual arts beliefs. Sure, she had heard other men talk about them but then, in the end, they all remained brutes.

And what was with those chills that instantly traveled up her arm and down her body when she accidentally touched his hand, making that secret spot inside of her twitch? They did not allow her to speak up at lunch or keep her mind silent last night. Sung-Ho's face kept appearing in her dreams, awakening all sorts of mysterious sensations. Could she even say that Sung-Ho suddenly became alluring to her?

Soo-Ah could not deny he had handsome features. She thought so since the first time she saw him. He was handsome to others, not to her, may the gods forbid! But that summed him up, a handsome face and an attractive physique. What was the use of such attractiveness on a man who was a coward and a cheat, someone of so little importance to her?

The other day when they had their lunch, she did see his features come to life. The way his hair swayed in the relaxed pin hold that held it tied up. The way his eyes and the corner of his lips wrinkled and changed according to his mood. The way that masculine lump on his neck raised and lowered depending on what he was saying. The way he stood there, looking all commanding and all-knowing. And, dared she name it, caring.

What was she doing? Why was her mind falling into the same treacherous pit again? The man was a coward. A squanderer of life. An irrational prick. He was an obnoxious authoritarian who cared not for who she was, nor what she wanted because he took decisions in her name.

As she struggled to chalk her rambling as a consequence of her recent trauma, she went to seek him out because she could not acquiesce to his disposition just like that.

Outside, in the daylight, the scenery around her seemed familiar. The same shades of discolored edges and sullied white on the tent cloth, the same color for the dirt under her feet, the same bustling of people, the same uniforms. Yet she was a stranger to this place. The layout of General Sung-Ho's war camp was as unknown as her future was. She had some difficulty retracing her steps to the general's tent as orientation was never part of her skill set.

A soldier in a familiar uniform, but with an unfamiliar face, hunched near the general tent's entrance. As Soo-Ah approached his eyes followed suit while panic slowly crept into his expression. He blocked the entrance into General Sung-Ho's lair and corrected his posture, standing upright, struggling to look assertive with his chin up and armour-covered chest out.

Soo-Ah, in her day dress, stopped and addressed him as a soldier would address another soldier, further disconcerting the guard. "Reporting for an audience - I mean - Mistress Soo-Ah requests an audience with the general. I was here yesterday. Inform him at once, soldier."

"Fo… Forgive me, Young Mistress, but General Sung-Ho cannot see you right now." The man staggered a little until he reclaimed his calm.

Soo-Ah continued in a formal manner. "Announce I am here, soldier."

"No, I cannot, and I am sure the general would have already heard you are here." The guard seemed to become confident enough to sound impertinent.

If she had been wearing her old uniform, she would have put this soldier through a drill as punishment for his insubordination. And then she would have given him an earful for talking back to a lady like that. The current situation however required a cannier approach. Soo-Ah squinted her eyes, saluted the man then pretended to go, but peeked over her shoulder to see if he resumed his initial spot in the shade and relaxed. When he did, she quickly dashed through the tent's entrance, dodging him in the process.

The guard tried to block her but Soo-Ah was agile.

"Young Mistress, you are going to make trouble for me. Please!" the guard yelled after he was unable to stop her and followed her inside Sung-Ho's tent.

Soo-Ah came to a halt near the general's carved desk and looked at the unset breakfast table, the freshly made bed glimpsed behind the thick curtain and his armour standing menacingly on its stand. There was no trace of General Sung-Ho.

"I don't understand. Isn't this the hour when the general has his breakfast?" She turned and asked the guard, informally.

"General Sung-Ho goes by a different schedule. He is not here. Please leave, Mistress, or I'll be in trouble for allowing you in."

Before Soo-Ah could add anything else, Sung-Ho's stature appeared in the entryway. "I was not expecting to have guests so early in the morning."

Hearing his superior's voice, the soldier stiffened, saluted him and staggered again from the panic. "Ge… General, please forgive my incompetence. The young mistress is too quick for a lady, and I could not stop her from entering."

"It is alright, Lieutenant Lee. I have no issues with friends setting foot in my tent unannounced." Sung-Ho offered Soo-Ah a knowing smile. "You can leave us," he added sternly as he entered.

Sung-Ho was sweaty with his shirt clinging slightly to his torso while strands of his hair, as silky as a raven's feather, fanned across his face, no longer held tight in his neat hairdo.

"General Sung-Ho." Soo-Ah saluted him first, properly.

"Lady Soo-Ah," the man replied as a good-mannered gesture, not as a military acknowledgement.

"I hope the general will forgive this intrusion but I… I have something to say about being sent away," she bluntly added, as a reply to the unspoken question etched in his coal-like eyes.

"You are not a soldier anymore, Lady Soo-Ah, so you can leave the military formalities in your past," Sung-Ho said as he passed by her, offering a swooning smile. "Could we do this another time? You caught me in a delicate moment," he added, resting his sheathed sword by the desk and grabbing a folded cloth to dry the sweat off his face.

Soo-Ah felt odd having come to request to remain as a soldier, especially when he told her she was not a soldier anymore. "I would rather we talked now." Her gaze could not be helped from admiring the shape of his chest, revealed by the sweaty shirt.

"I am afraid I need to change out of these wet clothes." And he pinched the shirt away from his chest, but not even the shirt could stay away as it went back to moulding on his muscles. "It would make for an unsuitable view for a lady such as yourself."

"The general might forget I've been in the army for ten winters. I am too familiar with the sight of a man's body."

Sung-Ho raised one eyebrow and chuckled. "If the lady says so." He proceeded towards the small side table opposite his bed but remained in Soo-Ah's view. With unmatched dexterity, he took off his shirt and leaned over a big porcelain basin to splash water on himself and attentively blot it away with the linen towel.

The sight of him certainly took Soo-Ah off guard. On his back, faint scars resembled the calculated strokes of a genius painter. Water droplets coming tangled in the thin hairs on his chest caught the young woman's eyes for longer than she would have allowed herself. For some reason the god of water from her childhood, Habaek, came to mind, leaving behind a strange tingling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to avert her gaze, appalled at herself. This had never happened before, and she had seen more than a man's nude torso.

"I think you used too much rouge today, for your cheeks, Lady Soo-Ah." Sung-Ho gently added, eyeing her and keeping a smirk on his face. He then put on a fresh shirt, sparing the woman any more unease.

Soo-Ah shifted in place and rubbed her cheeks as if playing on the general's remark, hoping she would somehow make the redness and the embarrassment go away.

"Since you are here," Sung-Ho said as he bent to take something from one of his trunks, "I guess this is a good moment to give you this." And he approached her holding a lacquer rosewood box decorated with delicate paintings of cranes and lotus flowers and inlaid with precious stones on the side. He placed it on the dinner table. "I was keeping this for… well never mind. It is yours. A gift."

Soo-Ah approached it, finding it similar to what she had seen the matrons carry when they took care of her appearance, but this one was smaller in size. She looked at it intrigued and unsure how to respond.

"It is a beauty case," Sung-Ho added, clearing away any misunderstandings.

Soo-Ah offered him a forced smile and tried to open the top lid. But the lid did not budge so she came even closer and tried to put more force into her efforts.

Sung-Ho chuckled. "It opens from here." And he put his fingers on the side of the case, gently nudging one of its drawers to slide out.

Soo-Ah's eyes could not hide her amazement. Inside the drawer there were special cavities chiseled in the wood, holding fitted containers. She brushed her fingers on their shiny smooth coating, admiring the painted cranes. Now she could also open the top lid, finding inside a wood comb, a mirror and a jar with wax. Lost in her curiosity it took her some time to realise their encounter was going in the opposite direction of what she had originally intended.

"I am thankful to the general for his gift. But the reason why I am imposing is that I decided to remain here and fight in the war. My grandfather never allowed me to take part in [any] battles, out of his anxiousness and care, not because I am not ready. I was raised as a soldier. I have no business pretending to be a Noble Lady of Seorabeol." She added straightening her stance and facing the general, looking determined.

Sung-Ho did not even bat an eye. "Out of the question." He went back to his desk.

Soo-Ah had hoped he would at least consider it. Her shoulders slumped together with her confidence. "You don't trust I can fight, don't you? Well, allow me to prove it to you. Fight me in a match. I will show you my skills."

Sung-Ho raised his eyebrows at her and began to laugh, making Soo-Ah snap.

"Don't laugh at me, General! It's not a joke."

He grimaced and rubbed the small scar on his eyebrow, leaning on his hand-carved desk that adorned his insignia on all four corners.

"Oh, I've seen you fight that night. I know how good you are, my lady."

"You have seen nothing of all that I can do. General Min-Jun trained me in sword fighting and Kung-Fu. There was no one better than him."

"Let's say not even your combat skills could convince me to allow you to remain here. What then? What other extravagant idea will you come up with? Lady Soo-Ah, it's better for you if..."

"Fight me! I'll convince you of my skill." Soo-Ah clenched her fists, looking for a way to challenge the man.

Sung-Ho shifted in place and delayed his reply for a couple of moments. "You want us to play a match for you to convince me of your skill?"

"Yes," Soo-Ah added triumphantly, her face lighting up.

"Fine, we will have a match, just the two of us. I'll call for you in the afternoon, and we'll head to the training ground. Since I've seen you use a sword, how about you show me your martial arts skill set? Now, I must insist you go back to your tent, my dear lady because I have much to do."

"Would I also get a change of clothes for the match?" Soo-Ah managed to add, pointing at her dress, unfit for such ample movements.

Sung-Ho agreed, and she offered her farewell, feeling exhilarated. When she headed for the exit she noticed the beauty case waiting for her on the table. She came and carelessly grabbed it under one arm.

"That is very delicate," Sung-Ho quickly added, watching her a little distressed.

Soo-Ah took it from under her arm and held it gently with both hands, like she would hold a holy relic, attracting Sung-Ho's approving smile. She saluted him again and retired to her tent.