Chapter 24

Nervous as to what it might contain, Yoon-Yi opened the envelope with trembling hands. She pulled out a large sheet of thick paper that had been folded many times over in order to fit the small wrapping. Stretching it in front of her eyes, Yoon-Yi gazed at it in bewilderment. Where she had expected to find letters, she saw drawings made in black ink.

"What in the world…" she muttered in puzzlement, moving the paper away from her eyes, in order to see the images better.

The painting, for lack of a better term, depicted a long serpentine dragon, soaring up into the sky. Its mouth was opened, allowing the long, slithering tongue to come out from between its sharp looking fangs. The creature looked almost alive, sniffing, and prodding the air in search of its prey. Yoon-Yi's eyes slid down along the picture and saw the creature reaching out and grabbing a tiger and a turtle in each one of its curved, sharp claws.

Completely baffled and unsure of what to make of this strange letter, she folded it and put it back in its envelope. She would think about it when they reached their home in the capital.

'Home.' It was so strange that she should call that unknown place home and for it to feel… almost natural. For a moment there, she almost forgot that she was not Kim Jong-Seo's real niece.

Yoon-Yi shook her head and clasped both hands on her face. She was starting to lose grasp of who she was and where she came from and that was not good. Just when she was thinking she should probably get a grip, the monks' voices reached her.

"They must have finished with the medicine. I should probably go and check." She whispered to herself.

That evening when Yoon-Yi went to bring Shin the medicine, she found him trying to get up. He was already half risen and was staggering on his feet.

"You shouldn't be moving just yet!" she cried out, placing the bowl down on the floor and hurrying to his side. "The monks said you should rest for another couple of days or you risk reopening your wound."

Shin made a grimace of annoyance and pushed her hands away, gently but firmly.

"Just leave me be. I am sick and tired of lying down and doing nothing. If I have to stay in this damn room for one more day, I will go mad!" he grumbled through gritted teeth.

"Well, better mad than injured." Yoon-Yi snapped, crossing her arms in frustration.

He raised an eyebrow at her statement, then seeing her puffed up chest and scornful look, a smile started forming on his lips. For some weird reason he found it amusing to rile her up. In that moment she looked like a fluffy creature ready to pounce, and he found it oddly cute.

Noticing his amused look, Yoon-Yi glared at him. Without saying a single word, she picked up the bowl from the floor and pushed it in front of his face. The liquid swayed dangerously inside. Fighting back a laugh, Shin took the bitter medicine without complaining. It was the least he could do for all her care and hard work.

"Finally growing up I see." She muttered under her breath so Shin would not hear.

After attempting a few wobbly steps, Shin finally gave up on walking around the room and sat back down onto the mat. Without anything else to do, he stared at Yoon-Yi, watching her bustle around the room, picking up dirty bandages and throwing them in a basket for future washing.

"Why do you care?" he asked unexpectedly, watching as she turned to look at him.

"Care about what?" she asked, confusion settling on her features.

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me?" he clarified, finding out his throat was suddenly dry.

Jun-Ho's words had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since their conversation and he found it almost impossible to stop thinking about it. Since all he could do was sit and stare into space, thinking was about the only practical activity he was left with.

So, he thought hard and long about what Jun-Ho said regarding his feelings and what Yoon-Yi's own feelings meant to him. Eventually, he ended up with the need to say something to her as well, to find out if there was a point in struggling or not.

Yoon-Yi on the other hand, was completely baffled by Shin's sudden interest. His intense stare made her nervous and she found herself swallowing hard before answering.

"I… well… of course I care, because you are…" she stopped, hesitating. "You are family, after all." She finished sucking in a breath.

"Family?" he asked blankly.

"Yes. Granted it hasn't been that long since we found out, but we are family, and family members care for one another." she ranted, avoiding his eyes.

Shin remained quiet, his black eyes firmly fixed on Yoon-Yi, while she continued to busy herself around the room. Eventually, she hoisted the basket into her arms and was about to leave the room when she saw the empty medicine bowl left by Shin beside his mat. She went to pick it up and just as she was bending down, Shin's hand sprang up and grabbed her forearm.

A second later, he yanked at the arm, pulling her down closer to him. With a soft yelp, Yoon-Yi dropped the basket and landed on the floor. They were now sitting face to face.

"What if I disagree with you?" he spoke in a barely audible whisper, his eyes boring into hers, radiating heat like a pair of hot coals.

"W-with what e-exactly?" she stuttered, trying to pull her arm out of his grasp.

No matter how much she tried though, his hold did not relent. If anything, it became tighter as he shuffled closer to her, looming over her body.

"What if I do not want us to be just family? What if I want more than that?" he breathed out in a throaty voice.

He could feel his heartbeat increasing and hear his uneven breathing. The feel of her arm in his hand and her body so close to him, almost made him lose his self-control.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. He was so close to her that she could feel his hot breath across her face. It sent shivers down her spine and she froze. Her breathing stopped for a second before becoming quicker and shallower. Then, she felt his hold slackening slightly as he brought his other hand to her face. He cupped her cheek and was slowly leaning down, his lips almost brushing against hers.

In the midst of all the emotions produced by his proximity, Yoon-Yi's eyes fluttered slightly. The moment she felt the featherlike touch of his lips, though, her eyes flew open and she jolted away from him. Afterwards, she smacked her hand hard against his forehead and sucked in a breath.

"T-There was de-definitely s-something wrong w-with the m-medicine. S-see, you ha-have a fever n-now." She stumbled on her words, her eyes wide in shock and fright.

Not waiting to see his reaction, she sprang up to her feet and dashed out of the room, forgetting all about the bandages or the empty bowl.

Shin stared after her with a dumbfounded expression plastered on his face. It took him a full minute to understand what had just happened. The realization made his expression change from bafflement to mortification. He covered his face with both his hands and let out a muffled groan. He spoke into his hands, the words coming out stifled.

"Damn fool! What have I done?!"

***

After smartly deciding to stay away from Shin's room that night, Yoon-Yi woke up the next morning filled with stupor and panic. How was she supposed to face him now? She had hoped the night would wash away the events of the previous evening and she would forget all about it. In spite of all her hopes, she soon discovered she remembered everything far too clearly. Shin's touch, his strong pull and intense stare, as well as the slight touch of his lips, all these assaulted her mind as soon as she opened her eyes.

Throughout the morning she kept blushing and paling in turn, making Jung-Hee ask many times over if perhaps she was feeling sick. In reality, she was dreading the moment she would have to see Shin and was silently wondering if there was any chance of convincing one of the monks to bring him his medicine, so she will not have to see his face or be in the same room with him.

Meanwhile, Shin woke up feeling ashamed and disappointed with himself. How could he have lost control like that? It was unpardonable for a gentleman to behave in such a way. But in spite of himself, Yoon-Yi's touch, and the feeling of her body close to him rushed back, making his stomach churn. He groaned and shifted slightly on his mat. His back protested and he growled at the pain.

"What happened to you so early in the morning?" Jun-Ho's voice came from the doorway, making Shin sit up straight in surprise.

"Nothing, everything is just peachy." Shin said through gritted teeth, leaning back down and covering his face with one arm.

"Aren't you a little ray of sunshine." Jun-Ho teased sitting down. "Still not happy with the fact that you cannot walk around?"

"If only that was all there is to it." Shin sighed in mortification, removing his arm from his face. He stared at the wooden ceiling, breathing slowly.

Before he could say anything else the door opened and Yoon-Yi walked inside carrying a small tray with a bowl of medicine perched on top. Evidently, she had been unable to find someone to discharge her of this task, and she could not leave Shin without his medicine. Thus, she entered the room and walked towards the two men, careful to avoid Shin's eyes at any cost.

The moment he heard the door open Shin's head snapped towards it, his gaze immediately finding Yoon-Yi's face. When she reached him, he sat up and waited for her to give him the bowl, but she merely placed the tray beside him. His hand reached out to the take it and his fingers brushed against hers. Yoon-Yi flinched and retreated her hand quickly, as if his touch burned her.

Shin's eyes flashed and he frowned slightly, but remained quiet. He gulped down the medicine and placed the bowl back on the tray, then flopped back down and covered his eyes. He waited for her to leave the room before letting out a groan.

"Well, that was awkward." Jun-Ho said, raising his eyebrows. He had watched the scene in bemusement and was now staring at Shin wide-eyed and confused. "What in the world is going on between you two?"

Without removing his arm from his face, Shin told Jun-Ho everything that happened between Yoon-Yi and him. By the time he was done, Jun-Ho was struggling to keep back his chuckles and failing miserably. Soon the room was filled with his cheerful laughter.

"Would you shut up?!" Shin snapped, raising his arm, and glowering at the laughing man.

"I'm sorry but this is extremely funny. I never would have imagined you of all people doing something like this. To be honest, I feel both shocked and proud. You've finally grown up, little brother." Jun-Ho said between stifled chuckles.

"This is all your fault. I hope you know that. You and those stupid things you said." Shin said grudgingly.

"In my own defense, I said tell her how you feel, not attack her like that."

"I did not attack her!" Shin cried out in indignation, then remembering the scene he deflated instantly. "I… well I don't know what happened. My body moved of its own accord." He finished in mortification, rubbing his face with both hands.

"As I said before, you like her and now you have the confirmation. Your body knows better than you what your true feelings are." Jun-Ho said with a wide teasing grin.

"I hate you." Shin growled from behind his hands.

"No, you don't." Jun-Ho waved his hand dismissively, then continued in a mixture of amusement and seriousness. "Now, if you are done feeling sorry for yourself, I have something to discuss with you."