𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 ,

   over the short time he’d been granted access to songrim,   it felt like wook was slowly losing his mind.   he couldn’t decide if his lack of sanity had more to do with the fact that he was sleep deprived from the non-stop dueling,   or if he couldn’t get the prospect of mu-deok loving yul out of his mind.   all he knew was he had been so angry since mudeok basically told him to forget his feelings,   the rage building up from his core with every new wound that tore at his flesh over these past nine days,   but even that anger was no match for the tightening in his chest as they stood in cheonbugwan   -   mudeok’s lower lip quivering and tears filling her eyes as she attempted to distance herself from him.   he knew there was a chance that she would absorb his energy if he touched her,   but that was a risk he was willing to take.   for while,   he simply held her as the constellations told unspoken stories around them,   his thumb gently caressing where it rested against her messy braid.   reluctantly,   he released her from his grip,   hands dropping to her shoulders and his back straightening so he could face her once again.   “   you will be fine.   ”   he reiterated,   his voice firm as his digits dug gently into the fabric of her songrim uniform in attempt to ground her once again.

   his vision was blurry,   struggling to focus upon the strange woman’s fingers as they shimmied in the air before him.   he didn’t who she was,   or where he was,   and he certainly didn’t know how he got here   -   wherever here might back.   “   uhm,   ”   finn began,   unsure of his own voice now that he was attempting to offer a feasible response.   “   3?   ”    he quirked a brow,   glancing down at his own hands now.   his digits were numb in ways he couldn’t quite describe,   sluggish as he attempted to wiggle them.   “   what’s going on?   who are you?   where am i?   ”    the series of questions came all on the same breath,   his gaze snapping towards the woman at his side.   “   am i dead?   ”    he suddenly queried,   not quite sure of his own words,   but this is what death felt like   -   numb,   cold,   there but not quite.   finn understood the chilling shutter of death quite well.

no one touch me i’m an impulsive person who makes impulsive decisions

   upon mudeok’s entry,   wook’s eyes were instantly drawn in her direction   -   it had been like that since the moment they first met.   her presence could captivate his attention in a room full of people   -   if she was the sun,   then he was the moon simply orbiting her space.   he didn’t initially respond verbally,   offering instead a slow nod as his gaze found the sack at her feet.   the semblance of a smile would tug at the corners of his mouth,   his lips pressing into a tight line as to not give away his delight due her scolding.   her words might have seemed harsh,   but wook could easily sense the deeper implications behind them   -   there was something sorrowful about achieving the goal they’d both been striving for.   “   forgive me,   master.   dang-gu and yul invited me out for a small celebration,   it felt rude to turn them down.   ”   forgive me for leaving you,   too.   he wanted to say,   but the ache in his heart prevented him from doing so.   he felt like he was betraying her in some way,   leaving her behind without fulfilling his side of their deal   -   it tore him up inside in a way he couldn’t describe quite yet.