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Apparently, her mother hadn’t reported their behavior to her father.  Soo Yeon breathed a sigh of relief as she rolled over in her yo bed the next morning.  Her appa had never come after her.  Or Ban Ryu. 

Soo Yeon sat up and glanced towards Ban Ryu.  He was still asleep.  But he was frowning.  She wondered if he was experiencing more pain.  For a few days, his pain had gotten out of control in the late afternoon each day.  The doctor had finally recommended giving him an extra dose of pain killer around lunch time.  But the last couple of days, Ban Ryu had refused it.  Soo Yeon was concerned that he might not heal well if he continued to suffer so.

She stood up and bid the maid farewell before heading for her room.  She changed into a fresh set of robes after sending a note for the surgeon to visit with her.  She met him half an hour later in her sitting room.  Over tea, she shared her concerns with him.  And he followed her back to the young gentleman’s room.

Ban Ryu was sitting up in bed when Soo Yeon came breezing through the doorway.  She smiled sheepishly at him, and he grinned at her.

“Sir,” the doctor addressed him as he entered the room behind her, “I think that I should explain why I’m giving you so much pain medication.”

Ban Ryu peered up at him.  “I don’t need it.”

“Ah, but you do.  You see, if you’re not in pain, you will heal faster.”

The young hwarang frowned.  “I will?”

“Yes, sir.  So, I’m going to ask you again….  Are you in pain?”

Reluctantly, Ban Ryu nodded. 

“I am going to leave this bottle with Soo Yeon.  She knows the proper dose to give you.  You can take this every four hours.  If you feel the pain returning before your next dose, tell her.  I’ve given her permission to increase your dose if you need it.”

“I don’t want to become…dependent…upon that drug,” Ban Ryu finally admitted.

The doctor heaved a deep sigh and shook his head.  “I understand your concern.  But you really did suffer a grievous wound.  And it will take time to heal fully.  It is normal to still need some help to overcome the pain.  Also, tomorrow I want you to try walking on it.  This will be easier if you’re not in intense pain.”

Ban Ryu’s face lit up.  “I get to walk?  Tomorrow?”  He felt suddenly ecstatic.  “All right.  Give me the medication.”  He beamed up at Soo Yeon, and she smiled sweetly down at him.  “I get to walk tomorrow!”

–– 

Of course, when the actual moment came, he wasn’t grinning anymore.  Walking tested him.  It hurt.  And he felt shockingly weak.  But the doctor thought that he did magnificently.

“Very good, sir.  I want you to practice walking around this room three times today.  If all goes well, tomorrow you can walk the corridors.”

“Can I walk around the garden tomorrow?” Ban Ryu queried.  He was so tired of being stuck inside.  He just wanted to breathe some fresh air again.  And see the blue sky.  And feel the sun warm on his face.

“Let’s try the hallway first.  You may venture out into the garden in the afternoon.  If you still feel up to it.”

––

He did.  And Soo Yeon could feel his joy.  Even as she watched him struggling to walk.  He winced nearly the whole way.  But he managed it. 

She led him to the garden that afternoon as promised.  She wanted to hold his hand.  But both of his hands were fully occupied utilizing the crutches that helped to take some of the pressure off his leg.  Slowly, he made his way through the garden.

She stepped up in front of a stone bench.  “Would you like to try sitting here with me for a few minutes?”

He smiled at her and bobbed his head.  “Yes!  Anything to stay out of that bedchamber for a little while longer!”

“Is it so bad to be cooped up in a bedchamber with me?” she queried teasingly.

He glanced around.  But he found them quite alone.  “Where is your maid, you little minx?”

She tossed her eyes towards the sky, glancing innocently up above her head as her face went perfectly blank.  “I might have bribed her to take her time bringing us some tea.”

He chuckled, and her eyes collided with his.  “It’s good to hear you laugh again, Ban Ryu.”

He sobered instantly.  “You’re the only one who ever makes me laugh,” he admitted.

And she blushed.

“You never answered my question,” she hinted boldly a few seconds later.

“What question?” he played dumb.

She leaned towards him until her lips were just a few inches from his.  “Don’t you enjoy being trapped in a bedchamber with me?”

He rather thought that he would enjoy being trapped anywhere with Soo Yeon.  But he wasn’t about to tell the dauntless soul such a thing.

“What ever would your appa say if he could hear you now?” he whispered instantly.

Causing her to withdraw from him as she sat up primly.  “I haven’t the foggiest notion what you are hinting at,” she responded prudishly.

And he guffawed.  Then he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close to him.  He growled into her ear as he nuzzled the side of her face, “Shall I demonstrate?”

She turned her head to smile up at him, and their lips nearly collided.  “Yes, please!” she cried out eagerly.

And he snickered.  “You are quite the little flirt, Soo Yeon,” he murmured affectionately.

She pretended to be offended, using her fan to smack him playfully on the shoulder.  But then she responded artlessly, “Only with you, Ban Ryu.  Only with you.”

“Well, I should hope so!” he declared hotly. 

Right before he kissed her.  Warmly.  Much to that young lady’s infinite delight.

After a few lovely moments spent brushing his lips tenderly across hers, he murmured against her mouth, “I do adore you, Soo Yeon.  You know that, right?”

She instantly sobered.  “You do?” she queried, suddenly uncertain.

He nodded his head earnestly.  “Very much so,” he mumbled.  Nearly under his breath.

She beamed up at him.  “Then we shall simply have to outmaneuver my appa.  I do not wish to spend the rest of my life without you, Ban Ryu.”

He appeared thoughtful for a moment.  “Will you leave it to me, Soo Yeon?”

She stared quizzically up at him.  “What?”

“Will you put off the future for right now?  And simply choose to be happy with me for the next few weeks?  While I’m recuperating?”

She furrowed her brow as she tried to decipher the meaning behind his words.

“Don’t overthink it, Soo Yeon,” he urged her.  “Just…live in the moment with me.  For a little while.”

“This moment is really all we have, isn’t it?” she whispered as she gazed longingly up at him.

He nodded his head.

She leaned towards him and breathed conspiratorially, “Can we steal a few kisses each day?  In the moment?”  She twinkled up at him.

He bent down, even closer to her.  “Just a few?” he queried softly as his eyes slid along her lips.

And she giggled.  “Well, at least…seven,” she murmured coquettishly.

“How about we make a game of it?” he suggested.

“What do you mean?”  She wrinkled her brow in the most adorable fashion.

“Stealing as many kisses each day as we can…without getting caught.”

“You really like to live dangerously, don’t you?” she asked suddenly.

“Hmm…what do you think your appa would do if he caught me kissing you?”  He quirked a dark eyebrow at her even while he was inwardly laughing.

She furrowed her brow.  “I am not quite sure.  He’s been acting strangely around me for the last couple of days.”

“How so?”

“Well, I thought he would still be furious with me for refusing to marry Lee Beom Sook.  But he’s been quite…affectionate with me every time that I’ve run into him.”

“Excellent!”

She stared suspiciously up at him for a moment.  But then a sweet smile broke out on her face.  “It really is most excellent, isn’t it?  I hope that whatever it is that has made him so happy continues.”  She glanced curiously up at him.  “I’ve noticed that he’s come to visit you a couple of times too.”

“He has…decided to…take me under his wing.”

Her face brightened instantly.  “He has!?  Oh, Ban Ryu!  That’s wonderful!”

His lips quirked.  “It is rather, isn’t it?”

She furrowed her cute brow again.  “But…isn’t that strange?”

“Not at all.  Perhaps he’s simply decided he’s thankful that I saved your brother’s life.”

“So you’re finally willing to admit it then?”

“Admit what?”  He scrunched up his brow.

“That you are a hero.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Ban Ryu,” she issued a warning.

His glorious eyes tangled with hers.

“It doesn’t matter what you think.  You will always be my hero, Ban Ryu.”

Then that happy lady kissed him soundly on the lips once more.  Before her maid arrived with their tea.