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“Have you seen Lena?” asked Shin.
He had knocked on her door and received no response, so he figured she was elsewhere on the base. On his way downstairs, he encountered Anju, who was likely retiring for the night with a tired look in her eyes.
“Ah, she’s in the common office,” she replied with a knowing smirk. “Lena was finishing up a report just before I left. She should still be there.”
Ignoring Anju’s smugness, Shin thanked her and bid her good night as he headed off to where Lena was. Today was a busy day, and although they ate lunch together as they always did, he did not see her in the cafeteria during dinner. He assumed she was caught up in a meeting or paperwork, so he smuggled a few biscuits and thought to bring them to her in case she was hungry. He was also worried she was overworking herself, especially since the next operation was fast approaching.
Shin stepped into the office soundlessly, only to find the room empty and dark. With a dejected frown, he walked over to Lena’s usual desk behind a computer, and instead found her fast asleep, the faint scent of violets hanging in the air.
She was here after all , he thought. Perhaps someone had shut the lights off when they peeked inside and thought no one was present.
Lena was huddled over her table, stacks of paper beside her head and her computer still turned on, mission statistics displayed on the screen. Her silver hair was sprawled around her, rays of moonlight from the window reflecting against the strands. Shin thought she looked beautiful, even though she was asleep.
He also noticed that she had removed her coat and had hung it over her chair, leaving her with only her thin white uniform to stave off the cold of the night. He promptly removed his own coat and hung it over her shoulders, ignoring the fact that he could have just used her coat instead. Of course, he wanted her to stay warm while she was sleeping—but a small, selfish part of him wanted to drape his coat over her so it could smell like violets when she returned it to him. He was aware that he should not have such improper intentions, but lately he noticed that love has made him rather greedy, always wanting more of her.
As he sat down next to her to finish her paperwork, his mind wandered. He could never forget how his coat had smelled of violets after that final operation in the United Kingdom. He never found out how it came to happen, but he was not complaining; the pleasant and distinct smell of Lena’s perfume was both intoxicating and calming at the same time. It washed all his worries and troubles away, and it sweetly reminded him of her. He felt as though he could carry her with him wherever he went, even though she could not always be physically by his side.
Perhaps one day, if he could muster up enough courage, he could ask her to give him a bottle of her violet perfume as a present. That way, he would not need to resort to such…indirect methods to be reminded of her scent. Or, even better, he could purchase matching rings from a jewelry store. He did not know if such a gift would be too forward of him, or if Lena would even appreciate such a gift. All he could think of was whether she would smile brightly whenever she looked at the ring, just as he smiles when he thinks of her or catches a whiff of her scent. A ring, after all, would be a tangible reminder of the love that they share—and the future they have been working toward.
And one thing is for sure: if he did succeed in both of these tasks, he would spray his ring with her violet perfume. These are the thoughts Shin indulged in as he combed through the last of the mission reports, carried Lena to her room, and tucked her in beneath her sheets, his coat still draped comfortably around her shoulders.