“May I?”

 His fingers run up and down her arms trailing sparks on their wake and his breath trickles the back of her neck. Ha Jin shivers, cold only a distant memory, but heady with the allure of his touch. The silvery light ripples around them an inviting languid brightness that beckons her towards the water.

“So…” her protest is only halfhearted. “It’s cold.”

“Um hmm?” He mumbles nuzzling the back of her ear, finding that sensitive spot to nibble which makes her throw her head back and lean on him. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“What if Yo turns up now?”

“Ha Jin -ah,” his tone is playfully admonishing, but at the same time deep enough to curl her insides. “I’m not foolish enough to give my brother my lock codes to waltz in any time he prefers - and Yo is coming from the analyst - we have time.” His hands slide through her fingers and pause, waiting for her to make a decision.

He always gives her the reins; her So, who waits and waits and waits and still allows her to set their pace. She turns in his arms overcome by the emotion and trails her index down from his forehead.

“I’ve missed you…” her words are whispered secrets that darken his eyes. He nibbles at her fingertip when it reaches his lips. “I thought I’d lose you.”

“And I lost you - so many times.”

His fingers thread through her hair and lightly tug, reaching for her lips with a thirst ages old. Her arms wind around his neck and she stands on his feet, her lips parting in a sigh when his teeth graze her lower lip, soothing the sting with a tender suckle. His fingers are deft on the knots of her dress, the crimson and gold outer layer rustles in protest as it slides to the tiled floor to pool at her feet.

“Careful - that’s designer -” she mutters into his mouth, tasting his brief smirk. His thumb traces the shape of her cheek bone and he dips his head, deepening the kiss. There are no traces of the urgency from their last kiss, no lingering regrets, instead of the rough desperation each caress of his lips leaves a trail of simmering passion aimed at tender exploration. Even when he draws back, his taste lingers on her tongue.

“Come to water…” his lips press against her shoulder, as the last flimsy layer slides down her arms. “Let me take care of you.”

She feels drunk on him, on his earthy scent, on his kisses that leaves her skin heated and tingling. She sinks into the water, only to find it blissfully warm. So comes after, his hands on her shoulders sliding down her arms, fingers lacing through hers to lift both their hands to rest against her midriff.

She feels so small in the vast expense of water - so exposed with only the water clothing her skin as his fingers glide over her in an exotically intimate dance. A shudder of part delight and part unease runs down her spine - the images come unbidden - they have done this before. Only it was a pool of dark water littered with floating petals - there were rings in his fingers, cold against her skin as they molded her curves. That moment felt like a ray of stolen sunshine - he was a man she had no claim over - she was a woman unworthy of a king and a conversation with a different man burdened on her conscience.

“You said I shouldn’t greed over both throne and love and now you are the king’s woman - what am I to make out of that?”

He feels her stiffening and his hands pause. His kiss against her temple is reverent and soft.

“Why Ha Jin - ah, is this too much?”

When she turns the water splashes, she clings to him desperately, arms swathed around his waist and lips pressed against his heart - skin to skin, until she could possible get no closer. She doesn’t voice her fears of losing him, doesn’t recount her nightmares where circumstances push them away and away from each other. Instead she smothers the ominous feeling that the closer they get it feels like the moment before they swing away.

Instead she reaches up and presses her lips to his throat, making him swallow.

“You are not close enough…” she murmurs trailing her lips down drawing a line of heat against his skin. Underneath her palms she feels his muscles ripple in response, stiffening and coiling with tension. “Too tender - too smooth -” she continues to complain sucking on his collar bone and leaving a taint on the glistening skin.

His fingers dig into the supple skin at her hips pulling her closer as he holds her gaze and she reaches up to trace a finger along his jaw. “And I’m afraid you are slipping away…” Like in my dreams - she leaves unsaid. “That I won’t find you when I open my eyes. That after all you are only a dream. ”

His mouth comes down on her - hard and consuming, answering her fears with thundering passion. She is wrapped around him, her hands cupping his jaw, his at her hips holding her in place. He lets her have a taste of the storm that he truly is, before lingering for longer, deeper strokes.

He speaks - against her skin - against her lips and urges her to do the same.

“Tell me about your dreams - you dreamed of me?”

Her hands smooth over his shoulders, nails scraping and making him hiss, beckoning her lips to linger on those spots.

“You had scars…” She kisses on his shoulder. “Of betrayal, deceit and hurt as much as of battles.” There are memories she trace on his skin with his lips where she hopes he could feel them. “You had so much anger inside you - fire in your eyes. But you didn’t bring war - it followed you. You wanted peace - silence.” There is a lump in her throat as her own heart breaks for him again. “You wanted to rest. You were greedy -” her hands glide over his throat to his face and knot in his hair. “But of love - not power.”

This time it is she who seeks out his lips, taking them with years of pent up affection.

“And my love wasn’t enough.”

“Did my greed end up hurting you?” he wonders, dusting her with light kisses, fingers trailing up her spine. “Did I overwhelm you?”

“No! God - no. I didn’t have enough time.” She brings him to face her and presses her lips against his forehead. “I was dying - I couldn’t love you enough.”

“Feel me…” he says, his hands kneading at her soft flesh, tearing a moan from the back of her throat. “Me - nothing else.” He is still tender, taking time to map out every inch of her skin. His lips follow the wake of his hands - his teeth worrying at places that brings her mindless pleasure. “Let me love you enough - let me chase away your ghosts.”

“So - yah,” she gasps, clawing at his back, he hums against her skin, stroking her deep until stars burst behind her closed eyelids. He kisses on her eyelids, emerging out of water with her in his arms.

The soft sheets beneath her contrast against his rough hands on her skin and she sighs, aching and content all at once.

“I’ve never had a chance to be soft - I wouldn’t know how. All I wanted was for them to be afraid of hurting me.” he explains and hopes she would understand although its all dust and memories now. He thinks of wolves of his childhood and the claws of nobles during his reign - vicious all the same. “For once, I want to be nothing but tender with you -” he takes her slow and deep, holding her hips, sucking at her pulse.

“For once I want someone to be afraid of losing me. I’ve always been terrified of losing you. Then and now. You are the only one who would fight for me Ha Jin -ah and I would not leave you. Not this time.”

And perhaps she should have known - the storm was knocking her door, that they themselves created it with each misplaced heartbeat. But lost in secrets they confessed to no other together they inhaled the storm and she was content to go wherever the wind of his heart would take her.

The ring of a mobile tears through her sleepy haze and she hears So’s voice, drowsy and deep answering the call. Ha Jin wonders sleepily if it’s an irked Yo for shutting him out, but in the pause that follows her heartbeat starts to pick up. She reaches for his hand and when she finds it, the tension at his knuckles makes her shudder.

“I’m on my way -” he says briskly ending the call. By then she is wide awake her fingers prying open his fist, as she looks up at him curiously. He draws her closer and nuzzles her hair, sighing when her hands come up to hug him.

“Mu hyung’s critical - we need to go.”

**

The stark white corridors of the hospital daunts her and Ha Jin falters, she feels the moment So’s fingers slip from hers, as he rushes to inquire after his eldest brother and ghosts of her past crowd on her, cold and lifeless yet sharp and painful.

There are people too good for this cruel world - too good that they are defenseless - too good that they don’t survive. It is an old thought - one that belonged to a sinking heart of an ancient court lady and she watches as a man white as bones splatter blood - his eyes gorging out, fearful, confused, a treasonous brother’s hand at his throat. She watches with a silent scream binding her to place - a cold blade at her throat as the defeated king sinks to the dark depths of the water still heartlessly warm but no longer lending any heat to the dying man.

“He won’t be going anywhere for a while -” his voice would have made her jump had it not been for his hand heavy on her shoulder. With his eyes cold and face a blank mask Wook stands behind her.

“Wh - who do you mean?”

The corner of Wook’s mouth twitch as his eyes travel over her, taking in the dark blue overlarge sweater that she is wearing with undiluted displeasure.

“So.” He says shortly. “Did he forget to mention that he is hyung’s heir and Gyeong Hwa’s guardian until she is of age? There are mountains of paperwork waiting for him I believe - that is without being investigated into, which he will be, there’s too much money for the police to ignore as a substantial motive.”

Slowly his words register in her mind.

“You knew?” She is seething and Wook remains icy. Ha Jin doesn’t want him to admit he knows they were planning to leave the country, the gleam in his eyes is enough to confirm her doubts.

“You are forcing my hand Soo -yah.” He says in the end.

“Why?” She cries in frustration. It makes no sense the lengths he is willing to go. She reels in horror at the evil that lurks behind the seemingly gentle face and takes a step backwards just as Wook stretches out an arm to take her hand.

“Oh but you know - you can still end it all…”

“She is not going anywhere,” he sounds frighteningly calm as So comes up behind her, holding her shoulders in a supporting gesture.

“Soo - yah…”

“You heard me brother - I don’t think you wish to make a scene here.” So cuts him off before he gets a chance to appeal to her again. Wook holds his brother’s gaze over her head for a moment and tear his eyes to give her a meaningful look.

“You still have time Soo - yah, think it over.”

In the eye of her mind she watches as So sinks to his knees bound by his need to protect her. The moment they were placed on the two sides of the balance. And she staggers backwards watching the defeated expression on his face - the self condemnation - the fire that is slowly replaced by ice - a warrior in shackles of a slave.

For her.

“You are the root cause of it all… I wouldn’t have to kill my brothers had it not been for you!” Dying words of another king beats her conscience.

 It hits her hard - the bitter truth of it all and it feels too late now that it has begun again. Not again - her mind weeps and she reaches out to clasp her hand over So's on her shoulder, absorbing whatever courage his touch could lend her. 

 He would die for her but she could not demand such a sacrifice. There had already been too much blood between them. 

 She could chose to leave again - and he would survive. For a moment she entertains the idea - thinks of the brilliant ruler he became without her - the king of legends. But legends forgot he was also a man, a lonely forsaken man. The legends forgot what he was before - his lopsided smiles - his careful hands. For she took it all with her, the moment she left. 

"I won't go."