HORIZON | Sahyo

I'd rather risk it all than lose you, my friend

Jihyo senses that she had to stop talking about the deeper side of the story, knowing that there are older women who are listening to their conversation. She bows to the chieftain before shifting to the woman next to her to help her out in the final preparation.

Soon after, she finishes the lemon herbal tea for Sana with the help of the old women around the area. The chieftain bids his farewell, and he even fails to remember to introduce himself to Jihyo, but the lady doesn't mind anymore. In the end, she thanks the grandmothers and limps her way back to Sana's tent with the enclosed cup of hot herbal tea in hand.

Jihyo passes by the young guy by the counter and slightly bows her head to greet him while he is fixing his things, probably getting ready to leave and go home. She also notices the men of Wan started roaming around the village. "So this is how it works every night," she mutters under her breath before she enters the tent. Her expressionless face, the exact opposite when she was with the older members of the village, comes back when she sees Sana staring back at her while sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sana pouts and stomps her feet on the ground. "Where did you come from? I peeked earlier to check on you, but you walked even farther," she says. Jihyo shows the cup in her hand and places it on the desk next to Sana.

"I made that for you," Jihyo says and backs away.

"Is this another cup of tea?" she asks and Jihyo just nods. "I noticed that you drank the other one in one go. It's something that I just bought outside, so I thought it would be more special if I'd be the one brewing for you," she tells Sana.

Sana smiles, and she wants to stand up and pull the captain in one big embrace, but she knows she's incapable of doing that at the moment. She takes a note in her mind that soon, she'll have to hug the captain.

She scoots over near the desk and takes the cup by her two hands. She makes a glance at Jihyo who is standing quite a bit far from her while she blows on the tea. After cooling it off enough for her tongue not to get burnt, Sana takes a sip of it. She makes a face, but she calms down in a millisecond, knowing that Jihyo made it herself and is currently looking at her.

'It's too sour..,' she thinks and turns to Jihyo.

"What did you put in this? It tastes different from the one I drank a while ago," Sana asks and casually takes another sip, though it was too sour for her taste. Jihyo smiles and takes a seat on the chair across Sana's bed. "Lemon. I hope I didn't put in too much. I was afraid you might not like it when you can still taste the herb," she replies.

Sana is taken by surprise every time the captain puts an expression on her face. Jihyo must have stowed a lot of effort into making her a cup of lemon tea. Sana internally sighs and subtly nods, telling herself to act positively. She inhales the aroma of the tea before she bravely drinks and finishes half of the container already.

"Nope, the number of lemons that you have placed must be the exact amount required. It blends well on my tongue," Sana articulates. She thinks that, for sure, she'll gain a lot of Vitamin C after she consumes the whole drink.

"I'm happy you liked it. Thank you."

Sana eyes Jihyo for a moment. The captain is unaware of what's running inside the woman's mind, but she stares back at her before she looks away. The predicament makes Jihyo clear her throat to wake Sana up from her deep thoughts. Sana blinks and turns away when she hears Jihyo. She sips on her tea and heaves a deep sigh.

'I didn't know it meant a lot for her. But hearing her showing her gratitude with a simple thank you also means a lot to me, someone who she still has her doors closed on,' she reflects.