#kylemoore

Previous parts available here.

Aeshin arrives home from training the few troops Eunsan had managed to squirrel out of Joseon in these last few months. Sumi is among them, and her brother Domi had followed. Though Gwansoo had complained, the boy had been adamant, and thus, three days ago, Eugene had received him at the train station. Domi had flown into his arms, hugging his father figure for all he was worth. Now, the boy had moved in with them, insisting on serving his master. Eugene had looked at his wife in askance, and when she had agreed, the boys had shared a little victory jig. Of course, on the condition Sumi must move in as well.

Domi had never doubted it.

Their once quiet home became rowdy with children underfoot, and Joonyoung popping in almost every single day to share a meal with his Captain and teacher. The couple then receives another unexpected guest as Kyle sails through on his way to Russia for his yearly vacation, staying at their house for nearly a month.

Sumi follows her surrogate mother indoors, greeting Eugene with a cheery smile. Eugene pats her head fondly before putting his cheek out for a kiss from his wife. She obliges him, but pulls him for another kiss before an excited “oooooh!!” makes them jump apart like guilty teenagers. Kyle laughs as he stops covering Joonyoung and Sumi’s eyes, wrapping his hosts in a huge bear hug. “I love seeing you two like this!” He croons, petting Eugene with his limp hand. Eugene shrugs off his arm and walks back to the furnace, where he’d been making dinner.

“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes,” he announces to the room at large. “If you don’t wash up, you don’t eat.”

Kyle blinks in surprise when the guest Gwansoo had referred to was none other than Eugene’s noblewoman. She sat in the gazebo, looking fair and fresh, conversing with Domi as he served her tea. She smiles as she admires his blue silk vest, looking pleased when Domi blushes at her words. Kyle takes a few long strides to get there, and Domi quickly greets him with a stammered “Good morning, sir!” Aeshin moves to stand, but he waves her down, shaking his head as he takes a seat.

“I was told I had a guest,” he remarks as Domi serves him a cup of coffee. “I did not expect it to be you, my Lady.” Domi then bows and makes a quick exit, smiling as he runs. Captain Choi will be glad to know that his Lady is here!

Aeshin smiles demurely, taking a sip of her tea before she speaks in English. “I have something to give you, Major Moore.”

Kyle waves the formalities away, “Please, call me Kyle.”

She nods, and reaches somewhere at her feet. Kyle has slowly been getting used to how Koreans abruptly go straight to the point instead of making small talk, thanks to Eugene’s manners, but it still surprises him at times. She pulls up a box, which she places onto her lap. Kyle tries not to peek, but his curiosity begins to simmer. Aeshin’s eyes seem to read his expression well, for she grins at his impatience. “I was told you help me and my grandfather,” she says haltingly, still somewhat unfamiliar with the words. “So I brought gifts.”

Aeshin elaborates no further as she brings out several items, which makes Kyle stare openly at the beautiful array of things she had brought. Laying them out on the table, Aeshin points to each item, calling them by their proper name in Korean before translating it to English. Gwansoo, who had just arrived, gasps at the expensive gifts. Aeshin looks to him for help, so the interpreter takes up the mantle of describing the items to his boss. He points to each item and explains, “This is a red-silk pillow with embroidered peonies. This is a Korean poetry book. These are silk clothes for men. This is a scroll painting. This is a rare white-porcelain celadon. This is a calligraphy scroll with a four-letter proverb. And this is a carved wooden box to keep small items.” Gwansoo then exclaims, “Wow, many of these are very expensive!”

Aeshin shoots him a look of disapproval when Kyle looks mortified to be lavished with such gifts. “These are a token of my appreciation, their price is inconsequential,” she snaps to Gwansoo in Korean, before saying to Kyle. “Price does not matter. They are gifts. Please accept them.”

Realizing that Gwansoo’s outburst may have been rude, Kyle urges the interpreter to go fetch something from his office. As he stammers, “I cannot possibly accept so much!” Aeshin raises a hand, asking him to stop right there.

“You save my grandfather and me, this is very little,” she says decidedly. She leans in slightly, so as not to be overheard. “And you are Eugene Choi’s friend.” Aeshin sits back, nodding to herself. “This is very little.”

Kyle blinks, realizing the depth of nuance in that statement. She might be paying him back for saving her, but there’s an undertone beneath her gifts. A cheeky, Cheshire cat smirk spreads out before he can smother it, and the noblewoman shoots him a look. If looked at from another perspective, he is basically Eugene’s only family. And Gwansoo had once remarked that Koreans treated their in-laws with respect and expensive gifts. I’m an in-law!

As Aeshin is escorted outside by the officers Eugene had assigned as her protective detail, there is a call from somewhere behind her. The officers turn, clearly recognizing the voice and she stops walking as well. A tall, bearded man comes running while waving a book in the air with one hand. Aeshin stares at this large, hairy officer who smiles at her as he arrives at her side and takes a moment to collect himself. She notices that his uniform is the mirror image of Eugene’s, except for the golden flower on each shoulder and the laurels that spread like wings on the visor of his cap. She wonders if that means that this man’s rank is equal, if not greater than Eugene’s. She’d never been curious enough to ask more about the “marines” and inner workings.

“Hello,” he greets, finally getting his breath back after sprinting at top speed. He seems to take a moment to take all of her finery in, before his smile returns full-force. “You must be Lady Aeshin Go.” Aeshin inclines her head, slightly baffled by this small-talk. She realizes vaguely that Americans consider it rude when people don’t verbally respond to questions, so she speaks up when she normally would not.

“Yes, I am,” she says a bit haltingly. The man’s expression doesn’t change, so she keeps going. “And you are?”

He almost glows with delight that she asked, laughing. His blue eyes seem to shine in the morning light and he looks extremely amicable. “I’m Major Kyle Moore, but you may call me Kyle.” He smiles, his entire being radiating a wholesome sort of friendliness. Aeshin wonders if all Americans are this kind, as both Kyle and Stella have open and inviting dispositions. “I was wondering if you were Eugene’s noblewoman,” for a moment, Aeshin sees a shrewd light in his gaze, but it’s gone so fast, she wonders if she imagined it. His stares at her innocently, awaiting her answer.

Aeshin errs on the side of caution, just in case. “Is that what he’s called me?” she asks, and blinks in surprise when Kyle’s smile only widens.

“I wonder,” he chuckles and holds out the book he’s been carrying since the start. “I wanted to give this to you. As a token of my appreciation for all you have done for my friend.”

Aeshin isn’t sure she understood all of that, even though he spoke slowly for her benefit. Still, it’s a gift; and it’s rude to refuse gifts. She catches the book and reads the title with interest. The cover is hard and dyed a vivid red, decorated with gold lines along the edges. The cover has a round golden stamp of a little girl holding what looks like a piglet in her arms. On the spine, the title reads “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. She smiles at this beautiful gift, finding it lovely.

“It’s beautiful, thank you,” she says, gasping in delight as she delicately traces the decorations on the cover. When she looks up at the bearded officer, there’s an almost indulgent look on his face.

“It’s my pleasure. Do stop by anytime, our doors will always be open for you.” He invites, before holding out his hand. Aeshin stares for a moment, before remembering Eugene had mentioned handshakes were a common greeting for Americans. She grasps his hand, wondering when it’d be polite to let go, but instead of simply holding her hand, Kyle brings it up to his face as he bows slightly. Aeshin is three-parts panic, two blind horror… but he merely holds it in front of his face for a moment, before letting go. He then straightens, nods, says a casual “goodbye, Lady Go!” and saunters away with a skip in his step. She watches him go, completely off-kilter by this good humored Major. The soldiers at his side seem almost apologetic when she looks at them with wide eyes, and they urge her to exit the legation and head home. As Aeshin turns, she misses when Kyle gestures toward the officers at her side, making a slashing motion across his neck with a benevolent smile across his face. Both officers pale at the threat, when Kyle simply taps his lips with a finger, making his meaning understood.

If either of them told Captain Eugene, they’d be toast. They scramble away, almost pushing Aeshin down the street in their haste. Kyle watches them go, before turning to Gwansoo, who had been hidden close-by. “She is very beautiful,” he remarks conversationally, watching in amusement when the interpreter jumps guiltily at being spotted. “I see why Eugene is so smitten.”