I Will Find You - Epilogue

Ji-young growled softly and squinted against a ray of late morning sunshine hitting her directly in the eyes. She turned her head to bury her face in her pillow but hit warm skin instead.

What the—

Then memories flooded in, engaging all five senses. The sight of his dark eyes blazing with desire and love as he looked at her, bracing himself above her; the smell of his skin in that soft, tender patch beneath his ear as he buried his face in her neck; the sound of their sighs and his deep voice telling her how much he loved and wanted her; the taste of his lips, his skin, the taste of him; the feel of his fingers on her skin; him moving inside her...

It’s been a night of sensory overload as they discovered each other, got to know each other in the most intimate of senses.

She smiled, stretching, wincing slightly at the pleasant soreness, the slight oversensitivity of her skin. It wasn’t a dream. She opened her eyes, fully prepared to meet his gaze, but he was still sleeping. She grinned. He must be exhausted.

But she could finally look at him without interruptions. From anyone, especially him. Her gaze travelled from his tousled hair down to his beautiful face with high, sharp cheekbones, aristocratic nose, and utterly kissable, slightly parted lips, over his broad shoulders and chiseled chest and abs, down to the indentation of the V of his thighs, where the bunched-up sheet obscured further inspection.

She didn’t need it. She had it all committed to memory. Every gorgeous, perfect inch of him.

She licked her lips, feeling heat spread all over her. Down, girl!

She shrugged. She needed to pee, anyway.

She got up slowly so as not to wake him and grabbed his discarded shirt from the floor. She put it on, the feel of it reminding her of his fingers on her skin, left the top three buttons undone, and buried her nose against the collar. It smelled like him.

A pee and a quick wash later, she had all intentions of snuggling against him, waking him up with soft kisses, but he was already sitting up in her bed when she returned to her bedroom.

She smiled. He looked so adorable with his hair sticking every which way and his eyes slightly sleep-glazed. Eyes that ignited as soon as she stepped through the door, gaze raking her from head to toe.

“What are you wearing?” he asked hoarsely, throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, sheet still covering him.

“Well,” she said with a grin. “In the 21st century it’s customary for a woman to wear her lover’s shirt the morning after.”

“The morning after what?” Was it her, or did his voice grow even deeper, gaze more heated?

She sashayed toward him, reveling in his possessive, hungry gaze. “The morning after making love to him,” she murmured and straddled him. She could do that. He was hers now.

He immediately snuck one hand under the shirt, cupping her bare thigh, while he used the other to guide her head closer for a kiss.

Before she could deepen it, a phone chirped. It wasn’t her phone’s usual chirp. She broke the kiss as the chirp sounded again. “You have a phone?”

He shrugged. “As you said, it’s the 21st century,” he murmured, eyes on her lips.

The chirping continued.

“Aren’t we popular,” she groused, eyes scanning the floor for his pants.

“Leave it,” he pouted, kneading her thigh.

“It’s annoying.”

His fingers stopped immediately. She chuckled. “I meant the phone.”

He grinned, fingers moving down and inward, and kissed her again.

The chirping started anew, and she huffed and stood, breaking the kiss. Heon dropped back onto the bed with a groan.

“Don’t complain, jeonha,” she admonished. “You should’ve put it on silent when you had the chance.”

He glared at her. “You didn’t give me that chance, did you?”

She blew him a kiss, then triumphantly pulled his pants from underneath her bed. How they got there in the first place was beyond her. “Aha!” She rummaged in the pockets and pulled out a sleek black phone. The latest model, of course. “Be right with you, I just need to—”

The phone chose that moment to chirp again, engaging the screen. And on it was a photo of Song-jae, or more accurately his doppelganger from the previous night, proudly announcing his name as Steve Im. “Are you kidding me?!” When Heon lifted his head to look at her, she showed him the screen. “You know him! The bastard from last night.”

He smiled sheepishly. “He’s not really a bastard.”

“I didn’t mean it lite—” She narrowed her eyes. He knew what she meant. “It was an act?”

He grinned. “I needed to get you out of the kitchen.”

“By slamming my cooking?!”

He winced. “I thought...” He sighed. “In Joseon we met again in the same manner. I wanted...” He cleared his throat, not looking at her.

She melted. He wanted to recreate their second meeting. How cute was that?

“I forgive you,” she whispered and leaned over him...And the damn phone chirped again. She thrust the infernal apparatus under his nose. “Make him stop.”

“What?!” he snarled in lieu of a greeting, making her chuckle. Frustration didn’t suit him. “Careful,” he growled menacingly. “Remember the sword.” She looked at him quizzically, and he winked, then rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right there.”

She blinked. “Where? Where are you going?”

He sighed. “Steve and Jae-hyeok are outside.”

“What?”

“They brought me my clothes. Wanted to spare me the walk of shame.” He shrugged. “Whatever that is.”

“Hold on a sec. How did they find you? And who is Jae-hyeok?”

“Commander Shin’s descendant,” he told her, making for her bedroom door. “And they got the address from the cooks at the restaurant.”

The cooks? Her mouth dropped open. Were they all in on this? Why didn’t they say anything? She’d find out eventually. Right now, the important thing was...“Ehm, jeonha,” she called after him.

“I’ll be right back. Get back on the bed.” He glared at her over his shoulder. “And the name is Heon.”

“Well, Heon,” she replied with a cheeky grin and a long, leisurely look. “If you’re going outside, at least put your pants on.”

After he returned and threw the duffel in a corner, he shucked his hastily thrown-on pants and rejoined her on the bed, where he helped her make the most of her precious day off.

In the end, the promised morning bibimbap turned into a late lunch, but she didn’t mind. Apart from the lack of beurre noisette, it was surprisingly good for a rookie.

The End