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“Will you come back to bed with me now?  I’d like to hear the rest of the king’s story.”

“You never told me your name,” she pointed out suddenly.

He glanced into her eyes.  “Hmm.  I didn’t, did I?”

She shook her head.

“You can call me Jijin.”

“Jijin?”

“Mm-hmm.”

She smiled at him. 

He quirked his eyebrows at her.  And glanced at the bed.

Then she frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

But before she could answer, her stomach rumbled, giving her away.

He cocked one dark eyebrow in surprise.  “You’re hungry?”

She nodded.

He narrowed his eyes at her.  “When did you eat last?”

She frowned.  “Umm…yesterday?”

“Yesterday?!” he exclaimed in alarm.  “You haven’t eaten since yesterday?”

She shook her head. 

“Why not?”

Sheepishly, she stared at her toes.  “I was…almost out of funds.  I was trying to make my means stretch as far as possible.”

Furrowing his brow, he asked, “Where have you been staying?”

Again, her feet seemed to be most interesting.  “Here and there.”

“Eun Sook.”

Her eyes traveled slowly up his lanky form.  Finally, meeting his gaze.  “I’ve been sleeping outside.”

He gaped at her.  “Outside?”

She nodded.

“Why?  Where did you come from?”

Her eyes slid away from his.  She was walking on a dangerous path right now.  She’d hoped to avoid this discussion.  It’s why she’d stayed in the forest.  Looking to evade any interaction with people.                                                                           

“You don’t need to know everything about me in order to hire me for the next month, do you?”

He stared at her.  Why did he think this would be a deal breaker if he insisted that she tell him the whole truth about herself?  But he wasn’t willing to let her go.  So he would put his curiosity concerning her at bay.  For a while.

“I suppose not,” he admitted finally.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“What would you like to eat?” he queried as he eyed her speculatively.

She grinned.  She could think of several delightful things she’d enjoy sinking her teeth into….