Chapter Text
Baek Saeon lay alone in bed. Heejoo hadn't been gone long, but he had lost count of how many times he had glanced toward the door. She had been helping care for the wounded all last night, only returning to the room to rest at one or two in the morning. She got up early to take care of him, and now she had been called away again.
He waited listlessly. The door finally open, but it wasn't Heejoo; instead, two nurses came. They explained that with the influx of many wounded, beds were in short supply. Since his recovery was progressing well, they needed to move him to a six-bed room.
Heejoo’s phone had been confiscated when she was taken hostage, and since they had been inseparable most of the time in these past few days, they hadn’t worried about getting a new one. The nurses didn’t know where she was now, and Baek Saeon didn’t know when she would be back, so he had no choice but to let the nurses help him move.
As soon as he was settled in the new ward, Baek Saeon hurriedly wheeled himself back to the original room. He wasn’t sure if the message he had asked the nurses to pass on would reach her. If Heejoo didn't know he had changed rooms and couldn’t find him, she would definitely worry.
The two wards were far apart, and navigating the busy, noisy corridor in his wheelchair was a struggle. It took him a while to reach the old room. The door was open. He peered inside—no one was there, only the bed, neatly made with crisp white sheets.
Baek Saeon looked down the corridor, still no sign of Heejoo. He hesitated, wondering whether to wait here or check the corridor entrance, when a faint, pained groan, like that of a severely wounded patient, came from inside the room.
His heart leapt. He pushed the wheelchair forward half a turn, and his view, previously blocked by a low cabinet near the door, fell to the floor—a figure collapsed there, trembling all over.
“Heejoo!” His mind roared as if struck, and he nearly fell from the chair. He shoved the wheels hard, leaning down to pull her up.
Heejoo’s shoulders jerked, and she sprang up to a half-kneel, lifting her head. Her face was streaked with tears, eyes unfocused, mouth half-open. The moment she saw him, she let out a short, dry sob and flung herself onto his knees.
Baek Saeon frantically bent down to hold her. “What’s wrong Heejoo? What happened?” He pulled her still trembling body into his arms.
She didn’t answer, her face buried in his lap, her sobs gradually breaking free as her body went limp—
“Ahhh!!” She suddenly sat up straight, staring at his leg and screaming.
Only then did Baek Saeon notice the spreading red stain on his pant leg and, belatedly, feel a stabbing pain. But he had no time to care about that. He desperately grabbed hold of Heejoo, who kept screaming hysterically, and shouted at her, “Look at me! Look at me, Heejoo!”
She finally looked up, her eyes staring blankly, her screams cut off. He cupped her face in both hands. “I’m okay, Heejoo. I’m right here. I’m fine.”
She blinked slowly, her gaze gradually clearing, and she slumped to the floor. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded at the door, and a nurse rushed in. “What happened?!”
Baek Saeon’s eyes stayed fixed on Heejoo. Heejoo’s gaze shifted to the nurse, and the nurse's eyes fell on Baek Saeon’s leg—“What is this? The wound split?!”
Heejoo was fully back to herself now, her face pale as she rolled up his pant leg to reveal the blood-stained bandage. Her fingertips began to shake. Baek Saeon reached out, gripping her hand tightly, and said gently, “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt. It’s not a big deal. Look—” The nurse was already undoing the bandage. The wound’s surface had split slightly and was seeping blood, but fortunately, it wasn’t severe.
As the nurse stopped the bleeding and disinfected the wound, she scolded, “You just had your stitches out—how could you be so careless?” Heejoo’s hand clenched into a fist in his palm, and he held it tighter. “It’s my fault. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Once the wound was rebandaged, Heejoo let out a sigh of relief and sat beside him. Baek Saeon slowly released her hand.
“What… happened just now?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.
Heejoo lifted her eyes, her expression still uneasy. “…Where did you go?”
“I was moved to another ward.”
Heejoo froze, a flush rising to her pale face. “God… how could I be so stupid…”
Baek Saeon said nothing.
“Then… let’s go over there.”
Heejoo wheeled him to the new ward, carefully helped him onto the bed, and drew the curtain around it. Baek Saeon’s eyes followed her, but he remained silent.
“Does it still hurt?” Heejoo sat on the edge of the bed, her smile apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
Baek Saeon looked at her without speaking, the expression on his face slowly crumbling. He bent over, tears rolling down onto his shirt. Heejoo’s eyes reddened too, and she pulled him close. He buried his face in her shoulder, weeping soundless, heart-wrenching sobs.
A moment later, he took a deep breath, braced his hands on the bed, and lifted his head. Their eyes were inches apart, everything in their souls crystal clear.
Slowly, he spoke, word by word. “Heejoo, I swear to you, I’ll never leave you again.”
Tears slid down Heejoo's face as he spoke. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, certain beyond doubt that this was no dream. “Then what are you waiting for?” She gently wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled—and sank contentedly into his embrace, without the slightest hesitation, so tight it felt as if he wanted to press her into his very being.
Heejoo felt a tiny bit of... regret about lifting Baek Saeon’s punishment so soon.
Although she longed for his kisses and embraces to an unbearable degree herself.
But this man was simply too much.
Since the punishment was lifted, Baek Saeon found every possible way to cling to her, as if determined to make up for these past few days—or perhaps the past seven months—with interest.
At the hospital, no matter where she went, he would wheel himself after her, almost wanting to follow her every step, and soon it felt like the entire hospital knew them as a pair. When she pushed him for walks, they would somehow end up deep into the woods, where he would hold her close and refuse to let go, kissing until they lost track of time. While washing his hair, he would pull her into his arms, and by the time their playful tussle ended, her hair was covered in bubbles too.
Since he was moved to the new room, it was no longer convenient for her to stay overnight, so she commuted between the school and the hospital every morning and evening. Baek Saeon immediately arranged for someone to get her a phone, and every night, they would talk until her eyes grew heavy with sleep before he could bear to hang up. Each morning when she arrived, he would pull her into his arms to study her face. "Let me see if you slept well last night…" using it as an excuse to kiss her.
However, just a curtain away were other patients, and sometimes even nurses walking past. And Baek Saeon, taking advantage of her ability to remain quiet and her caution about his injuries preventing her from struggling, would press her down on the hospital bed and kiss her until she was breathless.
During rehab, when he managed to walk from one end of the hall to the other with crutches for the first time, she praised him happily. He immediately held out his hand, "Where's my reward?" Before she could react, he tossed aside his crutches, threw his arms around her, and held on tight. All the patients and nurses around watched them, laughing. Heejoo blushed right down to her ears, yet she still had to carefully hold him to keep him from falling.
But this indeed gave him tremendous motivation. Every time he practiced walking with her support, he tackled it with the same enthusiasm as when they played the three-legged race. After a week, he could already walk steadily on his crutches.
By the third week, the school had resumed classes. Heejoo had classes every morning, so their time together grew even shorter. One day, in the middle of a lesson, a figure quietly slipped in through the back door of the classroom and sat in the corner, watching her with a smile. "What are you doing here?" she walked over to him after class, "The bus station is so far away; what if you fell on the way?" "Ms Hong, have you forgotten? I'm your student too!" he said with a cheeky grin, his hand already slipping around her waist. She pinched his ear and whispered, "If you dare, in front of my students… you'll be spending Valentine's Day alone." He immediately straightened up, his expression as serious as if he were about to give a speech. "I won't. Watch how well I behave."
And he did behave well. During class, he listened quietly, and during breaks, he got along well with the children. The two kids who had escaped with them last time were especially happy to see him, and they animatedly retold their adventure to classmates. And Baek Saeon, using increasingly fluent sign language and his persuasive, spokesperson-like expressiveness, he described to them the courage and wisdom of their Ms Hong during that negotiation.
But when Heejoo took him to her dormitory in the afternoon, the moment the door closed, his true colors emerged. It was the first time since their reunion that there were neither psychological barriers nor external interruptions, and both got a little carried away. Before they knew it, they tumbled onto the bed. She carefully avoided his injured leg, lying on his chest and kissing him. In a haze, she felt his body growing warmer, his palms roaming over her back and waist, sending shivers through her. Heejoo couldn't help but moan softly, her own hands beginning to explore his body—when suddenly he pressed her firmly against his chest, pinning her still. "Don't test me," Baek Saeon said, breathless, "...I'm still a patient." His tone was so aggrieved, as if she were the one who had eagerly pounced on him.
The next time he came, Baek Saeon brought several jars of kimchi—bought by an army friend from a town dozens of kilometers away. Borrowing the school's kitchen, he stood leaning on his crutch with one hand and fried rice with the other, looking perfectly at ease. Heejoo, meanwhile, scurried around, trying to keep him from falling while fetching things for him. Unfortunately, unfamiliar with the stove, he failed to control the heat properly, and the rice got burnt. Baek Saeon looked miserable. "Don’t pretend it’s delicious. Look at you, it's so bad it's making you cry." And with that he made her laugh again.
Two days later was Valentine's Day, their first as a couple. However, neither of them knew how Valentine's Day was supposed to be celebrated. Roses, movie theaters, candlelit dinners—all the standard answers were clearly impractical in war-torn Argan. So, they chose to do what they most deeply longed for but had never managed: spend an ordinary day together. They strolled and chatted through the streets. They browsed for handicrafts at the market. They tried strange local snacks. They lay under a tree by the riverbank to cool off. He showed her his stone-skipping skills he had mastered as a child. She made him learn the “Han River Cat” hand dance. They caught crabs and picked shells at the seashore. Or they did nothing at all, just leaned against each other, watching the waves roll in.
"Is that... the church?" Heejoo asked, pointing into the distance. In that direction, far away, they could see a cape stretching into the azure sea. At the top of the high cliff stood a church—though from this distance, only the white cross on its spire was visible. "You know that church?" "Yes. And I also know that you often watched the sunset there in the past." Heejoo sighed with regret. "It's a pity that area is under enemy control; there's no way to go see it."
Baek Saeon put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry. By the end of the month at the latest, the enemy will retreat from that area. And," he also gazed in that direction, "by then, I should be able to climb that hill too."
"604, you finally called me back. Are you all settled in?"
"All settled, Heejoo. Sorry, the base relocation took the whole day. We only just got signal now."
"You've only been back at the unit for a week, and you're already so busy..."
"I'm sorry... The good thing is, the situation is much clearer now. It won't be long before I wrap things up—then we can go home."
"I'm not in a hurry... It's just that not seeing you for days, I want to know if you're eating properly on your own, how your leg is doing..."
"...Heejoo, come see me tomorrow—at the new base. I'll send a car for you. Remember that place you said you wanted to see? Tomorrow afternoon at six—Let's meet there."
It was the first day of March. The air was filled with the vibrant breath of spring. On the lush green hillside, wildflowers bloomed in scattered bursts.
Baek Saeon slowly made his way up the slope. Without his crutches, his leg wasn't fully agile yet, but there was no pain at all. Walking, even jogging, was fine. But he walked steadily, step by step. He knew Heejoo would wait for him.
Beneath the blue sky, the cross atop the church gradually came into view, followed by the white brick walls, and then the colorful stained-glass windows, beautiful as an oil painting.
He couldn't help but quicken his pace. The view suddenly opened wide. Finally, he saw a golden-red sun, in a blaze of fiery rays, descending upon the vast expanse of blue waves.
Over ten years ago, he had stood alone in this place, watching the sunset countless times. But in the past seven months, he hadn't had a chance to return.
Now, at this moment, he was finally back.
The scene before his eyes was more magnificent than any he had ever witnessed in his life.
He felt his steps were infinitely light, his heart beating strongly in his chest, his soul clear and dustless. From the inside out, he had been given a new life.
And the person who had given him all of this was now sitting at the top of the slope.
She was gazing at the sunset, her entire body bathed in the glorious light, her long hair flowing in the sea breeze, her silhouette edged with a golden glow.
He stood still, watching her for a long time, until his vision blurred.
"How long are you going to stand there staring?"
He hurriedly wiped away his tears and walked towards Heejoo's smiling face.
"When did you stop using the crutches? Are you completely healed?" Her eyes were full of delight.
"A few days ago. I didn’t tell you on purpose," he said with a grin. "It's completely fine now. Look, even this doesn't hurt at all—"
And with that, he bent his left leg and knelt on one knee before her.
Heejoo's eyes widened.
He looked at her with unwavering gaze, reached into his chest, and pulled out a small box, slowly opening it. A ring, illuminated by the sunset, blazed with brilliant fire.
He took a deep breath, struggling to control his voice:
"Heejoo, will you... let me be your husband... forever?"
Her cheeks were flushed by the sunset, her eyes shimmering with tears. She nodded, smiling. "Of course I will."
They gazed at each other, crying, laughing. He slipped the ring onto her finger. Their ringed hands held each other, and in the warm, deepening crimson light, they kissed long and deeply.
– Epilogue –
The sun gradually sank into the shimmering waves, leaving behind an indescribably tender afterglow of rose and violet. The murmuring waves concealed the whispers of a husband and wife.
"Where did you pull that ring from?"
"Remember I told you I went back to Seoul once?—I bought it then. But at the time... I didn’t have the courage..." He held her tighter against his shoulder.
"And you've been hiding it all this time?"
"Yes... It wasn’t easy. I was holding back, waiting for this perfect moment."
She looked up at him, beaming. "This is the last time. From now on, let's not hold back any more." She put her words into action, grabbing his collar and kissing him, only to let out a gasp as he pressed her down into the grass.
After a long while, he released her, breathing heavily, his ears red. "Then... will you stay tonight?"
"...Stay?" Her face involuntarily grew redder too.
"Look," he pointed down the hill. At the edge of the beach stood a lone wooden cabin. "That’s where I live, alone."
She sat up to look.
"But it's very basic...not a comfortable place, I’m afraid. Thankfully, we'll be going home soon..."
She nestled into his embrace. "Wherever you are is home."
– The End –