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Wings of Affection - Chapter 5 "Am I dreaming right now?" Ha Yeon So mimicking a cat? Inside and outside. Just a mere window separated the two scenes, yet it felt as surreal as the boundary between reality and TV. Of course, that can't be real. I guess I’m just really tired. I should go to sleep. I closed the window. "Why are you closing the window!" A startled voice echoed as the window shut. "Was it real?" "Does it look fake?" Sure, like a fake invisible martial stance standing still, but it seemed like an illusion. Ha Yeon So looked at me for a good while with a flustered face, then sighed softly with her head slightly bowed. "I... I heard that would work..." Where did she learn something like that? A chilly autumn breeze brushed my face through the open window. The river breeze constantly blew in Mucheon. Ha Yeon So's cheeks looked frozen from the cold. "The wind is cold." I stepped back from the window to let Ha Yeon So inside. "Does that mean I can come in? Uh?!" Were her hands frozen too? Ha Yeon So failed to grasp the window sill and floundered. "Please, come in." I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. Her hand was indeed cold. "Thank you. But why haven't you gone to bed yet?" "I was dealing with some important matters." I nodded toward the still-lit desk to indicate. "You said to throw everything away and have fun." "I wanted to handle the tedious tasks quickly so I can have more fun tomorrow." "Hehe, I did the same thing." Ha Yeon So smiled gently and nodded, perhaps recalling that she had worked today as well. I quickly organized the unfinished letters on the desk and looked at Ha Yeon So. As the warmth of the room gradually softened her frosty face, I realized something I hadn't noticed before. "Did you put on makeup?" "Do I look different?" Did she get an idol-style makeover? Even her eyelashes were accentuated. Was she waiting for my answer? Ha Yeon So, with a slightly blushed face, fiddled with a braid of her hair. "Well..." She was beautiful to begin with, and now, with what looked like professional makeup, compliments wouldn't come easily. But why was she wearing a qipao? Ha Yeon So wore a qipao that was neither part of her business attire nor aligned with my taste, with a skirt extremely short and a revealing neckline. Her face full of determination, and my gaze couldn't comfortably rest anywhere because of her outfit. In the end, my eyes dropped to the floor. "Hmm." Ha Yeon So let out a satisfied hum, perhaps considering my reaction a sufficient answer. "Don't tell me she came here for... that." I felt her gaze fixed intently on me. The signals were obvious even to someone oblivious to women. An event that had never happened in the history of Kang Yun Ho. If I searched my life's history, such an event would yield 'no data available. Please check if you entered the wrong search term.’ If I were to write my epic, it would require at least a page dedicated to this. "What brings you here so late at night?" How many times had I misunderstood these situations? Just in case, I rapped discreetly. "What do you think I'm here for?" "Ahaha." Alarm! Red alert! No, green alert! Wait, this isn't right. Then, below is all green! Above is all red! "Come and sit here." Ha Yeon So patted the bed invitingly with a cheerful eye smile. No, sitting next to her is a sure end. 'I must maintain my reason.' 一 The child embarks on a long journey. Should she develop a mountain-sized stomach during her travels? Having studied not just audiovisual materials but even created stories, I know what a man and woman lying on a bed should do, but lacked knowledge about the preceding stages. If I had known this would happen, I would've studied hard during sex education classes. I underestimated the importance of what I thought was useless information. Stay calm. I must hold onto reason and persuade Ha Yeon So. I approached her seriously and said, "Ha Yeon So, I understand your urgency in parting. But you will soon join the main sect of Hao Mun. Becoming a disciple of the Munju, a mere fling... Ha Yeon So?" I was immediately subdued. Ha Yeon So stood and carefully linked her arm with mine. Wait, this feeling? Is she not wearing anything underneath? In my panic, she laid me on the bed. "I came prepared for this." Ha Yeon So sat astride my waist, looking down at me. Her face seemed exceedingly alluring today. Was all I could do to choose not whether to allow or deny, but the frequency of what might transpire? Ha Yeon So's face drew closer. If she has considered all situations and come to me, should I refuse? Logic urged me to push her away for her sake, but my heart told logic to shut up in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I should refuse. However, my body seemed trapped, unwilling to move. Her breath brushed my face. Up close, her eyes were shaking too. The moment our lips touch, it's over. There's no refusal. My heart pounded fiercely. Thump. Thud thud thud. Swooosh. Thump. Concede to the irresistible flow... Wait. Swoosh? Swoosh is the sound of something launching? "What?" Something launched above my head. "Ugh!" In a speed beyond my comprehension, Ha Yeon So shot up into the air. As expected of her shadowless martial arts! 一 Pew! The launched object wasn’t alone. Another mysterious object was fired towards the airborne Ha Yeon So. With a twist of her body midair, she changed direction expertly. Truly, she's in command of the secret shadowless art of the dragon's great palm techniques! Her movements were impressive, but the room was small, and the barrage didn’t cease. "Urgh!" Ultimately, Ha Yeon So couldn’t withstand the numbers and was hit by one projectile, crashing to the floor. What was that? Examining the projectile more closely, it was a small ball. Some writing on it? I picked up one from the ball-covered floor. "...Alliance?" Alliance. The same word was written on every ball. "You can just ignore it!" Ha Yeon So said with a flustered expression as she laid me back onto the bed. "Wait a moment, Ha Yeon So." "I said it's okay!" 一 Creak. It's not okay! Something's opening up on the ceiling! "Watch out!" Water spilled onto the bed. "Ugh. Really!" Ha Yeon So and I barely managed to jump to the floor, but the bed was already soaked and unusable. "What on earth?" "It's fine! We can just change the bed sheets!" Ha Yeon So's eyes were ablaze. I might as well call her Lim Ha Yeon for how determined she was as she expertly swapped the sheets in no time. Ha Yeon So laid me back onto the bed. "Ack!" "How many traps did you set up!!!" This time, the bed flipped over, rotating a full 540 degrees. ———- The room turned into a chaotic mess in an instant. It's neither the middle of winter nor Christmas, and I'm not home alone. How many traps were set up in my room? "Did you make some kind of deal with Jae Gal So Jeo?" Everything launched, the bucket of water, even the back of the bed, all had "Alliance" written on them. "......" I knew it. Ha Yeon So avoided my gaze. There must've been some agreement between them that I'm unaware of. It seems Jae Gal So Jeo, foreseeing a plan falling apart, repurposed those traps meant for home defense for tonight. "Let's clean this up." Thanks to Jae Gal So Jeo, my rationality returned. I opened the window to clear the heavy atmosphere in the room. "Ugh." Ha Yeon So, let’s not be too disheartened. These things require the right mood. It’s fine. It’s all fine. "Ha Yeon So." I called her with a mature expression, as if the chaos had never happened. "......" Perhaps because our desire was interrupted, Ha Yeon So bit her lip and looked down. "There's no need to rush, right?" "It feels like I might be left behind." Her voice carried a hint of anxiety. "I'll be here. Waiting for you, no matter when you come." Don't be too hasty. There’s more days to come. And in terms of progression, we’ve just hit a new high. I spoke those words to reassure her, excluding anything unnecessary. “...Alright.” Ha Yeon So glanced at me cautiously, then nodded and bent down to gather the balls. “Let's clean up together. We can apologize to Jae Gal So Jeo tomorrow.” “Yes, let’s do that. ...Huh?” Her gaze landed on a piece of paper that had fallen by the desk in the disarray. "Oh, that..." It's the letter meant for Hwa Rin. ** Lim Ha Yeon picked up one of the scattered papers. Familiar handwriting and unfinished letters. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from her lover's private correspondence, even though she knew she should. All the letters started with the same words. 一 To Hwa Rin. “You were writing letters to your fiancée?” The thought that his important task was letter-writing to his fiancée shook her more profoundly than the frustration from her own failed courage tonight. “I haven't been able to write often due to being busy.” Kang Yun Ho hastily collected the letters with a guilty expression, but he couldn't take back what she had already seen. “Does that include what happened in Mucheon?” “A lady struggling with health. I’ve only sent brief letters to avoid worrying her needlessly.” She heard that the lady needed ten years of recuperation. Lim Ha Yeon detected the strong affection in his words for his fiancée. “And you were intending to write about it this time?” “I meant to, but the brush just wouldn't flow.” Her lover nodded with a bitter expression. Despite wielding a masterful pen, he was blocked, perhaps due to his fiancée. Was it her that kept him awake when he should've been sleeping? Though many pages were strewn about, not a single letter was completed, leaving Lim Ha Yeon with a peculiar sense of defeat. "Do you love her?" She was surprised by the question that escaped her so spontaneously. "I do." His response was unwavering. ‘And what about me?’ She wanted to ask but couldn't bring herself to do so. It's not that she doubted his love. How could she doubt it? It was merely the realization that she was the second woman in his heart that made her feel so small. Lim Ha Yeon watched her lover for a while before nodding, as if resolving herself. Today would be the day she made her move. "Ha Yeon So?" Lim Ha Yeon sat Kang Yun Ho on a chair, and then she sat on his lap, facing him. It was another way for lovers to express their love, but that wasn't of concern to her now. Countless thoughts flitted through her mind. The allure tactics she learned from courtesans. How to tempt a lord, as she heard from companions. Yet, all those lessons vanished, leaving her with just one thought. Lim Ha Yeon carefully took her lover's hand and placed it against her face. "Since I was young, they'd say I could become the best courtesan of Hubei without even trying, just by sitting pretty." Adorned by the meticulous efforts of the courtesans, Lim Ha Yeon was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman of Hubei in this moment. "My woman being beautiful is... Ha, Ha Yeon So?!" But beauty alone wasn’t enough. She guided his hand to a place where no one else's touch was allowed. Near her heart. She hoped he would feel the relentless beating. “This is a place only you can touch. A place I’ll allow no other hand to reach.” Crossing a silky boundary, they exchanged touches and trembling, but she didn’t intend to stop there. Lim Ha Yeon guided his hand, tracing her toned abs, pausing briefly at her navel, then gently pressed his hand lower. "This place is for you alone." It might be the place she felt him today. The warmth of her lover's touch now rested upon her lower abdomen. "......" Lim Ha Yeon gently lifted his chin with her empty hand and locked eyes with him, pouring all her affection into her gaze. His declarations of love always made her heart race, made her forget all worries, and gave her the strength to stand again. But today was different. "Every bit of me, even to the last hair, is now yours." Today was the day she confessed her love first. "Ha Yeon So." "Do you love me?" "I love you." His answer came without a moment's hesitation; there was no need to compare it with the question about his fiancée. "More than her?" She asked with trembling eyes. She didn’t doubt his love, but the yearning to be the first in her man's heart was a common desire for any woman. "I love Ha Yeon So as much as I love Hwa Rin, and I love Hwa Rin as much as I love Ha Yeon So." Kang Yun Ho replied with unwavering eyes. It was an unexpected answer. "What is that supposed to mean?" "I made up my mind the day I vowed to take responsibility. To love. To desperately love my women every single day." It was a decision reached after countless inner conflicts. Having decided to take responsibility, he resolved never to rank one over the other. "You're so foolish." She thought she would hear him say he loved her the most, even if it was a lie. But his answer was yet again honest and upright. Lim Ha Yeon hid her face in his embrace and laughed softly, feeling a sense of relief despite everything. "I know." "I'm foolish too." An assured smile graced Lim Ha Yeon's face. This was the Kang Yun Ho she knew, the one she loved. He was trustworthy because he always gave his all. "My selfish mistake." "I love you." How could he call it selfishness? If he were truly selfish, she wouldn't be in the arms of her beloved now. It was because he put his whole heart into loving that she could be here. Because he would always wait faithfully, she could leave assured. Lim Ha Yeon hugged her lover, allowing her overflowing emotions to settle. ———- "Write my story and send it to your fiancée." Lim Ha Yeon spoke as soon as she calmed down. "I guess I ought to prepare to kneel and beg the Sichuan Dang Family for forgiveness." Her lover smiled wryly at Kang Yun Ho's embarrassed response. "When the time comes, I'll kneel with you. But... share your fiancée's story with me too." She brought up the topic of his fiancée, one she had deliberately avoided. "Hwa Rin's story?" Kang Yun Ho asked back with a surprised expression. "She’s your woman. And now, I want to know too." Lim Ha Yeon finally understood the true source of her lasting anxiety. The thing that troubled her most wasn't the idea of parting with him, but the woman who lived in his heart. "Hwa Rin's story, huh... Where should I start..." Kang Yun Ho sat Lim Ha Yeon on the desk and began to speak with a wistful expression of the woman he missed. "She's your age? Then she's an older sister to me." "Sister? Come to think of it, shouldn’t I be calling you an older brother too?" "You are... well, just you." "What does that mean?" "Hehe, it just is." With an affectionate smile, Lim Ha Yeon nodded at her puzzled lover. The story that started with a sharp "you" but ended with an affectionate "you" was theirs, their love story. His stories continued till dawn, and the days left for them to be together were limited. The day of parting was approaching.