Sitting in brooding silence, Minjae gazed at the heavily sedated sleeping form on the floor. Freshly changed and medicated, the girl was motionless, but the even rise and fall of her chest indicated she was in a deep sleep.

She is a slave in one of the most powerful families in Joseon.

How did Lee Seung know or even remember a slave from a family other than his own?

And why did the girl say what she said to Minjae?

"What happened to you?" She asked the sleeping girl in a pain-filled whisper.

For a moment, Minjae looked down into the bowl of warm soup one of the young monks had forced into her unwilling hands with a "You must eat something, my lady," and tipped it into her mouth, letting the warmth seep into her cold insides. She looked round the austere room in the yellow lantern lights, noting the need for repairs in the cracks and tears in the thick paper walls. Her thoughts drifted to the mundane. The temple needed funds, and the monks needed to fill the storage with enough food for the winter. The impressive buildings of the temple had seen extensive damage when the Japanese had invaded forty years earlier but had been painstakingly rebuilt since. Some of the royal women patronised the temple, though they had not visited in at least seven years. She would have to do something. The head monk had always been unwilling to accept help from her. He thought she should save everything she could; one never knew when and how she might need it.

Minjae managed to nod on and off through the night as the monks took turns keeping vigil on the girl, who was out of danger for now but not out of the woods yet. Gravely injured, she had travelled without proper medication and dismal circumstances for over two weeks and had lost a lot of blood in her miscarriage. A deep stab wound had barely missed her lungs. It was already a miracle she was still hanging on. But if she made it through the next couple of days, the rest were primarily cuts and bruises from which she would recover. Except for....Minjae closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping.

A soft voice broke her pensive reflections. "The messenger from the island has arrived, my lady." It was a very young boy with sweet, soft eyes. Dawn had started seeping in, rendering the lanterns superfluous. He extinguished the flames of the lanterns one by one by blowing in them and then reattached the glass covers. His shaved head gleamed in the early morning light, and he wore the deep red monk's attire with reverence.

She could not go back today either. Wearily, she trudged down the stairs of the temple.

Her heart lurched at the figure that greeted her tired eyes, her wayward attention snapping into focus. He stood tall, his broad shoulders accentuated by the first light of golden rays illuminating them, reassuring her with his strength.

"Dari!"

"Minjae," Seung stepped forward, his hands opening wide to embrace her, but then they fell to his sides as he remembered he was standing in a temple compound. His tender gaze roved over her face, taking in the faint shadows under her eyes, the pinched mouth, the stoop in her walk.

"Your supplies," he said, handing her a small bag.

"How are you here?"

"How could I stay away? I am so angry at myself for upsetting you yesterday and jeopardising her cover. I have been here for two hours now, waiting for the day to break so I could ask for your forgiveness for being such an ass yesterday."

"It's true I was angry yesterday, but I understand it too. It must have been sudden for you. And more than that, I was upset at myself for not anticipating something like this earlier." Minjae could still recall the gut wrenching anger she felt towards herself for putting both Seung and the girl in such an untenable situation.

"Minjae, I have been involved in things that are far more clandestine in nature, and I should have known better that to respond in such a juvenile fashion. Yes, it was sudden, but it's still not an excuse. You had a right to be angry; I let you down."

"Oh, Dari!" she breathed, her throat closing with tears. "You mustn't think like that. In the end, nothing happened, so don't blame yourself. We all needed some time. I am sorry we could not come together -"

"My presence would have only further frightened her. Don't be so forgiving, Minjae. I was an idiot, and we both know it."

Minjae shook her head. She understood Seung would not forgive himself for a long time, so she changed the topic.

She said instead. "You must be tired. The sea could be rough at night, and the temple is far from the shore."

It had taken him a good part of the night to reach. He didn't realise it was so deep into the mountains.

"We have a unit posted in Mount Taebaeksan, and I borrowed a horse from them. Wang Jung came with me, but I left him back there. And I am hoping you will not turn me away to make another half-day journey back to the island without first giving me a chance to apologise to you properly," his tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious.

"Why did you not come in earlier?"

"I wanted first to make sure I did not offend anyone else, so I met the priest and the monks. They gave me their blessings to meet you." He looked around the impressive courtyard edged by various structures. They were standing in front of the main hall, Daeungjeon. Several small pagodas, some beautifully eaved buildings that he assumed to be lecture and prayer halls, a smattering of roofs peeking from the thick trees that could be the monks' dormitories, and other ancillary buildings surrounded them.

"It's so peaceful, so quiet here." He breathed deeply, his thick lashes fanning his cheeks when he closed them, pausing to internalise his bliss at being next to Minjae in this beautiful place. "I have decided to donate rice and beans for their storage. I am also undertaking the immediate repairs." Seung looked at her expectantly. He knew how important this place was for her.

She could only look at him with her sparkling eyes for an answer. "That will cost a lot, Dari," she said.

"I have more money than I have a use for, Minjae," he said gently. And he would spend every penny if that meant he could make her eyes sparkle like they were. "And I now have even more things to for which I need to make it up to you."

The pall on her shoulders lifted magically.

"Would you like to see the glade with me?" Minjae asked on an impulse.

Seung walked to the giant stone water tub in one corner of the large compound. A larger cylindrical stone structure fed water to a stone bowl divided into two sections, with a snout coming out of the smaller part that flowed into the oversized tub, completing the water fountain. The soothing waterfall created lyrical harmony with the soft bells tolling some distance away. He picked up a basket from the massive slab of rock beside it. "Aunt In Dah packed this for me to bring to you," he said.

A happy smile transformed Minaje's face. Her absence meant Aunt In Dah would have stepped in last night to help with her nephew and Grandma. "You met them?"

Seung shook his head in self-deprecation. Her family doted on Minjae, and Kim Da Bom and their Aunt had grilled him until he felt the only thing left for them to learn was how he would look without clothes, and sheer modesty prevented them from going that far.

"Well, I have seen some criminal interrogations to be less intimidating," he said dryly, and Minjae emitted a strangled noise of half laughter and half shock.

"Let me check on the girl, Dari. She will probably be sleeping through the next few hours."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on the plush carpet of green grass that rolled down the hill. On one side, tall, evergreen pine trees shaded them. A natural stone outcrop stood sentinel at the edge of the glade, the escarpment offering a commanding view of the panorama of emerald peaks and valleys dense with ancient trees, splashed with occasional colours of wild blooms.

"How do you know the monks so well?" Seung asked.

"When my father rescued me, he brought me here first so I could recover before taking me to the island," Minjae said.

Seung swallowed, a knife twisting his guts at the thought of Minjae in pain.

Minjae didn't miss the dark expressions on his finely chiselled face. "When I came here, I was nowhere near as bad in condition as her, Dari," she hastened to reassure him.

"How long were you here?"

"About a month," she said. "Are you still willing to teach me swordplay?" Minjae asked.

Seung smiled at her blatant attempt to change the subject.

"You can bet your life on it," he laughed. He left her to dig something in the bushes while she watched curiously, admiring the six-foot-something with lean, raw power digging through the dirt of leaves, twigs, shale, and branches.

He walked back to her, proudly brandishing two long, smooth sticks. He handed one to her, saying, "Come along; I must keep my promise."

Seung helped position her hand and fingers on the stick and adjusted her stance. He then taught her several moves for the next half hour to start her swordplay journey and continued until she was out of breath.

She looked exhausted. Still, her eyes were sharp as a blade, keenly following every movement he made. She was surprisingly agile and followed his moves perfectly.

"Have you done this before?"

"Not with swords. Father taught me to use a bow and arrow. And Ko Yoon taught me to fire guns."

She knew how to fire guns?

"Please don't get Ko Yoon into trouble for that," she added as an afterthought.

Seung shook his head in wonder. Kim Minjae kept being the multicoloured rose. He didn't know which beautiful colour would reveal itself at any turn.

Seung watched her with his heart in his mouth. She was panting, and a sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead. He focused on showing her the moves, but all he wanted was to snatch her in his arms and drown her in passionate kisses. Twice, she had lost her footing, and he had held her close, his heart knocking his ribcage as he enveloped her soft form against his hard one, but both times, she straightened and went back to her lessons.

He was going to be a particularly bad teacher.

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When she stumbled the third time, he gave up. He caught her cleanly but didn't release her.

"That's enough for today," he said, throwing his stick.

She looked a tad disappointed. "I am clumsy," she said.

He took the stick from her hand and slowly pulled her closer. "I am not being a good teacher."

Something in his voice arrested her eyes. They clung to his, her already flushed face turning even more pink.

"You never told me if you forgave me," he said softly, his breath fanning her cheeks.

"What will make you believe that I did?" She asked breathlessly, and her clouded eyes told him she knew the answer.

Seung's gaze moved over her in a tender caress, watching as her translucent skin glowed in the faint shadow of the sun. Her lustrous brown eyes shone at him, an anticipating curve lifting the luscious bow of her lips. She smelled of fresh wildflowers, filling his arms with her soft feminity.

"Giving me company for some food should do it," he replied, his eyes glinting mischievously.

She made a face and flopped down to open the basket.

Chatting about everything under the sun, they plundered Aunt In Dah's basket of goodies, deliberately avoiding the topic that was foremost in their minds.

After packing the basket, Seung laid his head on Minjae's lap. He stretched his long legs.

"Do you want to nap?" Minjae asked softly.

Seung sighed contentedly. "We must head back, Minjae. It will take us several hours to reach the island, and with you, I don't want to travel in the dark."

"I can't come today, Dari. She still needs me. I will have to stay for at least three more days."

Seung bolted upright. "Is she really in that bad a shape?"

Minjae nodded, explaining her condition succinctly.

"Will she live?" Seung asked with a heavy voice.

"I hope so, Dari."

Seung nodded, though he caught the barely perceptible nuance of uncertainty in her voice. "I will come back to fetch you," he said.

Minjae gave him a tremulous smile. She shook her head. "I might come back sooner or maybe take another day. I am not sure. One of the monks will accompany me back, so please do not worry."

For the next few minutes, they sat quietly, breathing the balmy air, drinking in the dazzling beauty of nature that lay like a treasure before them.

"Dari, how do you know that girl?" Minjae picked on a long blade of grass.

Seung paused. He looked overhead at the powder blue sky laden with cotton wool clouds.

"She was my wife's maid. A few weeks after our marriage, this girl approached me one afternoon and told me she had something urgent to tell me in secrecy," Seung said.

"She approached you?" Minjae had gone very still. "That is not natural."

"Yes, exceptionally so. However, what struck me as odd was that when this girl later came to my house that evening, she didn't share any new information, except that Choi Jina had decided against divorcing me because it secured her a cloak of respectability. She advised me to avoid visiting them because Lord Choi would discipline his son Se-min whenever he was displeased. She also mentioned nonsensical claims about her brother being punished whenever Choi Jina made mistakes. Now I wonder if she had something else to say and never said it?" Seung looked down. "And I wonder if it's a coincidence that she disappeared right after and turned up here."

"You think her mistress is to blame," Minjae said quietly.

Seung shook his head. "It does not fit. Everyone in that house says things that make no sense. Choi Si Wan is a spineless bastard who probably lets his daughter get away with anything as long as it does not hamper his ambition, so I imagine he is playing along with her to delay the divorce. However, Choi Jina might be many things, but she is not devious. I saw that woman in the court. When Choi Jina heard I had been imprisoned, she came and owned up to everything in front of a magistrate, including writing a letter that night asking me to divorce her, even though it made a fool out of her father. It was very bold, brave even, especially for someone so young. She might be selfish and inconsiderate, but she is not a coward. It's not her style."

The blade of grass snapped in Minjae's fingers.

"Monsters!" She drew in a long, shattering breath.

The storm in her voice alerted him to her painful thoughts. Shifting closer to her, Seung caught her hand, enveloping it in his large one.

"Minjae, your hands are cold," he said, taken aback by the tears in her luminous eyes. "I am sorry," he said, tenderly brushing her jaw with his thumb.

Then he gently drew her closer and folded her in his warm embrace. "Let me keep you warm, safe, away from the thoughts that plague you," he traced a finger down her forehead, down the bridge of her nose, to her lips.

His head dipped, obliterating the terrible images from her eyes as she closed them, hot with need. His tongue caught the line of moisture on her cheek and moved across. When his lips touched hers, she burned. She clung to him, and they both sank deeper into the soft, mossy grass beneath them. His arms wrapped around her, and his hands swept up and down her spine. He delved deep into her mouth in a dance so erotic that Minjae thought she would go up in flames. When he moved his lips away, she protested, only to throw her head back when they found the pulse at the base of her throat.

This time, when his fingers untied the strings of her hanbok, she didn't protest.

He lay her down on the cushiony, velvety earth beneath them. He tugged the waistline of her skirt down to her lower midriff, his mouth picking on the smooth skin of her flat belly and then moving back to the tantalising swell of her mounds spilt over from the binds. He traced her cotton-trapped breasts one by one, caught her sensitive nipple through the fabric bindings, and then followed it with his mouth. She ached and burned in a lava of desire, biting hard on her lips to stop herself from crying out.

Minjae shifted her position, and with one quick tug, she released the knot of the binds on her chest.

Seung's eyes widened. He looked deep into her eyes, knowing how far she had come to trust him. A slight tremor shook his hand as it closed around the rounded flesh. "Dear God, you are beautiful," he said thickly. He covered her mouth, his fingers creating sensuous magic with her body. The ravenous lips melted a path of fire to her chest. The hot, wet circles his mouth left behind on her peaks made them painfully sensitive to the cool air that brushed them. She jerked, her fingers digging into the back of his head as cries of pleasure tore from her. His fingers moved down, gripping her hip and moulding her to his hard contours. She arched into him, her hips leaving the ground. She writhed in a pleasure so pure and stark that her blood rushed violently to her body's most sensitive, secretive crevice.

"Minjae, you drive me insane," his throat was heavy with passion. His hands grazed her fabric-covered thighs, perilously close to the place that ached for his touch. "I want you so much that it's difficult to stop."

"Then don't -" she whispered.

He could read her overwrought and emotional state even through the haze of his fiery desire.

"We must," he said huskily.

"We don't have to stop. I-" she bit her lip, "I want this." She didn't waver as she looked at him, her heart in her eyes.

Seung forced himself to remain still against her hand, which caressed his face, tracing the hard planes with a gesture so loving that tenderness turned his heart over.

He revelled in the pure delight of her words. "You never do anything halfway, do you, Physician Kim? You have no idea what it's taking me to stop. But not here, not when we might have pious monks rain down on us and start preaching the teachings of a man they fundamentally disagree with," Seung laughed throatily. "Though your allure could sway the patience of Confucius himself were he here." Seung tied the strings.

Minjae hid her face in his chest. He enveloped her in a tight embrace.

"I don't take this trivially. I want the whole world to know when I finally make you mine."

"I am yours. I have always been yours," Minjae said, her voice muffled into the comforting planes of hard muscles that encased the steady rhythm of his heart.

It was more than what his heart could take. He covered her mouth with one final hungry kiss before pulling her up from the ground.

∞

When Minjae landed on the island four days later, she learned that Lee Seung had been called to the capital on an urgent mission. He had left a note for her that he could be away for nearly two months. He promised to return as soon as he was allowed to and complete the formalities with her family and that she should wait for him.

"I will visit my mother, pay respects to my ancestors, and take their blessings to bring you home. I apologise for not taking your father's permission first, but I hope he will not hesitate to bless our union and forgive my presumptive action."

Kim Da Bom heard the glass hitting the ground from the next room and barged into her chamber. She extricated the letter from Minjae's curled fingers.

"I just thought I would have a little more time with him," Minjae said quietly, her chin resting on her folded hands on her knees, which were closely drawn to her chest.

"Do you have to do this, Minjae?"

"I can't put everyone else into danger anymore. Please believe me."

"I believe you," Kim Da Bom said, her voice thick with tears. She wrapped her arms around the silent form of the woman she called her sister and rocked her gently. A collective flight of wings somewhere disturbed the peace of the night. "You always have a home to return to, just know that."

∞

Minjae inserted the key in the lock that secured the lid of the plain wooden box. She twisted the lock free and lifted the heavy iron latch. Its narrow rectangular eye eased out of the rounded hook with a rusty metal squeak, and she pushed the heavy lid up.

Inside another smaller box within the larger box lay nine gold bars the size of her palm and the width of two fingers, lined in a leather belt with three empty slots. Clustered beneath the belt were a variety of gems, dozens of silver nuggets and several bags of coins.

She retrieved a handful of silver nuggets and a bag of coins and tucked them in her sleeve. While pulling the lid down to close it, she stilled, her eyes stuck to the neatly rolled white satchel nestled among various gold and silver hairpins belonging to her ancestors from the Silla and Gyereo periods, precious gemstone bracelets, and several norigae that filled the rest of the box.

Trembling, she touched the satchel and snatched her hand back as if it would burn her. Then, before she could change her mind, she grabbed it. The rolled bag had not seen daylight since she had stitched it sealed and dropped it in the box.

The sky still wore the fire of the pre-dusk sun. Minjae could glimpse the narrow path of the slope. Loose shale made her foot slip, but there was enough foliage to help keep her balance. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for—her refuge, a place in this world she always thought of as her own.

Hidden in plain sight by dense vegetation and rocks was a cavern nestled between two large boulders that went deep into the hill. Minjae squeezed through the narrow opening behind the larger boulder and crawled inside.

She rested her back against the cool surface of the cave's wall. Drawing her knees to her chest, she curled into a ball.

"Irr wzzz nrr in weyzn...uii err rive.." Woo Sa Ri's voice tore her like a butcher's knife gutting the insides of an animal.

It was not in vain. You are alive.

Minjae shook her head from side to side, the pain inside her unbearable.

"......she had something urgent to tell me in secrecy."

She always knew she was living a borrowed life, but to learn she was the reason for Woo Sa Ri's harrowing plight was a new kind of hell.

And here she was, living in perfidy as if her existence had not decimated the lives of so many.

Minjae clutched the satchel to her chest and bellowed, the primal sound piercing through the air, reverberating into a crescendo of raw, unfiltered emotion she could not keep bottled inside anymore. Her broken cries bounced off the chamber walls.

She cried until her ribs hurt, her eyes burned, and her cheeks felt parched. She cried until her throat was scratchy. She cried until she could only heave.

She then stared at the white satchel for a long time as if willing it to turn back time. A slender finger traced the seam of the stitch. Using her thumb and fingers, Minjae picked open the knot and pulled the thread, tearing it along the seam. The white coarse fabric parted to reveal tightly rolled blue and purple silk.

The hanbok spilt out, its delicate gold lace patterned with horses and lotus gleaming in the natural light that flooded the chamber through numerous crevices and fissures. With shaking fingers, she unrolled the dress, its green jangot still as pristine as the day she had worn it that fateful day on the hill behind the gambling house. She traced it lovingly.

Something dropped to the floor. It was a roll of two intertwined scrolls.

She unrolled the first one.

"Brother, I entrust you with the flower of the tallest tree outside the Joseon Palace. Save her, treasure her, keep her safe. It is the only repayment I will need. I will consider your debt paid."

Fresh tears blurred her eyes, spilling over in warm rivulets she brushed away despairingly.

She unrolled the second one.

"My Lady, if you are reading this, I can rejoice in the knowledge that you lived. Do not look back. Should we ever cross paths, treat me as a stranger. Erase your present, forget your past and begin anew. Do not be afraid anymore. The people who saved you will safeguard you and die for you. The chest belonged to your grandmother. She wanted you to have it when you married. Find joy, my lady, so that in my passing, I may face your kin with peace. Your faithful slave."

Hysterical laughter bubbled inside her. Erase? Forget? Joy?

She never could run far enough, wide enough.

She could never erase being Choi Ji Na.