Eun-ji woke early the next morning, saw there was nothing in the kitchen and ran to the store. She picked up a few things to make breakfast such as rice, kimchi and galbi. It was the least she could do after everything Lee Rang and Ki Yuri had done for her. She made haste to get back to the home of Lee Rang. Thankfully his kitchen was fully stocked with cooking instruments and she got to work right away.
Halfway through cooking, the front door opened to reveal Yuri. "Oh, something smells delicious." The fox stated as she made her way into the kitchen. She found the wolf at the stove heating up some soup. "Noona, did you prepare all of this?" She peaked at the meat under the foil that was keeping it warm.
"Mmm," Eun-ji nodded her head. "I hope you haven't eaten breakfast yet."
"No, I haven't. Can I have some?" Yuri asked, trying not to drool over the delicious smells.
"Once it's finished. Can you go wake Lee Rang for me? It will be done in a few minutes."
The wolf didn't have to ask twice, Yuri bounced out of the kitchen and made her way swiftly to the male fox's room. "Lee Rang!" She ran over to the bed and started to jostle him awake. "Rang, wake up. Noona wolfie made breakfast."
He groaned and cracked an eye open. "Yuri, stop." Hands were immediately removed from his body. "Now, what are you going on about that has you waking me like this?"
Yuri smiled at him. "Eun-ji made us breakfast. It smells delicious. Hurry up." She nudged him a few more times before standing up and leaving the room. "You have two minutes or I'm eating your share."
Lee Rang groaned and rolled over to stare at his door. He wanted to sleep a little bit more but Yuri was right - the food smelled devine. It was enough to drive him out from under his covers and into the dining area.
Eun-ji was setting the food on the table when Lee Rang walked in. "Good morning. Would you like some coffee with breakfast?"
Rang looked at her and then all the food she had made. "I think this is more than enough. Sit and eat with us."
She flashed him a smile. "Think of this as a thank you for everything." She placed a bowl in front of him and stepped back when she felt his hand around her wrist. "Huh?"
"Sit. Eat."
The look he gave her made her bite her bottom lip. It was intense and stern but not in a way that made her scared. She didn't feel threatened by him. "Okay." She whispered as her wrist was released. Quickly she ran to the kitchen to grab a clean bowl for herself before returning to the table and taking a seat with the two foxes.
Breakfast was mostly quiet, with the exception of appreciated sounds of delight of Ki Yuri while she ate. "Noona, this is absolutely delicious. Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"Oh, um. Before..." She paused for a moment, willing the next sentence to flow out of her mouth. "Before Kyong let me have a job - he had me cook. I cooked a lot. When a meal wasn't right - he would have me make it over again." Her thoughts drift back to many times that he threw the plate against the wall and screamed at her. It made her think of when their relationship started getting bad. Did it really go on for so long?
"Noona, are you okay?" A hand landed on hers and gave a little shake. "I didn't mean to bring up bad things."
Eun-ji snapped out of her daze and looked between the two of them. She forced a small smile. "Oh, no it's okay. I have to accept the bad with the good, right? With lots of practice I'm able to make delicious foods for you." She smiled a real smile next. "I actually really enjoy cooking now. It makes me happy to be able to share this with you."
Yuri smiled back at her. "Hey, do you want to go shopping today?" She decided to change the topic. "We can go to some of my favorite clothing stores. I'll help you choose some cute outfits." The fox was very excited at the idea of a female shopping buddy.
"Oh, Ki Yuri, that would be wonderful."
Lee Rang watched her, not understanding the burning anger he felt just knowing that she had to endure more from that idiotic human than he thought. He decided right then that he wasn't going to let her go after she got back on her feet. He would help her figure out who she is.
"Do you want to come with us, Lee Rang?"
He looked the wolf in her eyes, they shone with excitement and for some reason he couldn't say no. "Sure."
Yuri gave him a look of surprise. She knows how much he despises shopping with her. It's an all day event. She covered her smile and took another bite of her food. There were many thoughts going up in her head for the day - somehow she'd get them alone together. She could feel a connection between them ever since the first night.
Breakfast was cleaned up quickly and Yuri dragged Eun-ji into her room to help pick out an outfit to borrow and to help with her make up. The bruise on the wolf's cheek was starting to turn a greenish-yellow, a sign of healing but it was rough to look at. The fox was dragging the make-up brush across the wolf's cheek and smiled. "Eun-ji, you're so pretty."
"Huh? Oh," The woman blushed a little bit. "I am definitely not."
Yuri's smile fell into a frown. "Whoever told you that you're not is an idiot. Who was it? I should hunt them down and teach them a lesson."
Eun-ji nervously laughed. "It's okay Yuri. I know I'm not pretty. Kyong helped me realize that."
Yuri felt furious, gripping the make-up brush tightly in her fist. "What do you mean, he helped you realize that?"
The wolf looked at the floor. "We'd look in the mirror together and he'd help me find all my flaws."
"What flaws?" The fox was gritting her teeth.
"Um, being too fat is the big one. My skin is ugly, my hair isn't pretty, my eyes are too far apart, my hands aren't petite enough, my smile is terrible -"
"Stop!" Yuri couldn't listen to another terrible word come from the wolf's lips.
Eun-ji looked up at the other woman, who looked like she was about to go feral. "Oh, sorry. I know my voice is annoying too. It is the reason why I don't like to talk a whole bunch."
Yuri wrapped her arms around the wolf. "Noona, you don't actually believe those lies, do you?" She pulled back to look at her.
"They're not lies, Yuri. It's okay. I accepted it a while ago."
"No. I won't stand for it. I'm gonna show you just how pretty you are. It's gonna take a long time - I already know it, but you're going to see what I see when you look in the mirror. Let's start now. Look in the mirror and tell me one good thing about yourself."
Eun-ji turned toward the mirror in the room. She looked over the image of herself and thought for a long time. "I... I... hm... Yuri I don't see anything."
"Yes you do. See past his words. Your eyes are beautiful, let's start there. They're dark right now because you're gloomy but when you're smiling and laughing I noticed they lighten up to a honey color. They're so beautiful. They're not too far apart - he made that up. They're a perfect distance - the same distance as mine." The vixen pointed out. "Now I want you to look at yourself and say that you have beautiful eyes."
"Yuri, this is silly."
"Do it." The fox was stern as she looked at the wolf.
Eun-ji let out a sigh. "Okay." She looked in the mirror again and stared at her eyes. They were dark like Yuri stated and the distance between them really wasn't far apart. She could see the sadness in her orbs and looked down for a brief second.
"Everything okay here?" Lee Rang stepped into the room. "If we're going shopping I'd like to go soon and not be out all day."
"We're gonna be out all day anyway." Yuri replied. "If you don't like it - then don't go."
"Why are you being so sassy?"
"I'm not being sassy. You are."
Eun-ji giggled at their bickering. "Sorry Lee Rang, we will hurry up. Be out in a moment."
The male sighed in nonbelief. "I guess we'll see."
Eun-ji looked back at herself in the mirror and was slightly shocked. Her eyes weren't as dark as a moment ago and they looked happy. She smiled again and shook her head a little before looking at Yuri in the reflection. "I do have pretty eyes."
"You sure do."
*****
Only an hour into shopping and Lee Rang wanted to leave. Yuri had assigned him in charge of carrying the shopping bags. Eun-ji had protested and was carrying her one bag on her own. He was sitting in a comfortable chair while the women tried on clothes.
Yuri had run to the dressing room door with a dress in hand. "You have to try this one!" She passed it to a hand that peaked out.
"No, no way Yuri. I can't wear this!"
"Put it on and come show me." The vixen smiled at the male as she approached him. "I'm gonna find more clothes for her. Stay here and watch her."
Rang rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out deciding to play a game to help pass the time. It wasn't even two minutes later that his attention was pulled away and toward the dressing room door that was opening.
"See, Yuri, I told you this one wouldn't work."
Honey colored eyes locked with his brown ones. He enjoyed the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks. He slipped his phone into his pocket before standing up and walking towards her. "Shall I be the judge of that? Yuri went to get more clothes."
"Ah, um. It's okay. I wanted to just prove to her that it doesn't look good. I'll go get changed." She went to set back into the dressing room but he caught the door before she could even start closing it. This now put him right behind her as she looked at his reflection in the dressing room mirror.
"Turn around wolf. Let me see." He stared right back at her reflection and caught a shiver that ran down her spine. He was pleased to see her slowly turning to face him. Once she was turned completely around he noticed she wouldn't look up at him.
The dress was gray, with off the shoulder sleeves that covered her arms. The length stopped at mid thigh and the material looked comfortable as it hugged her skin softly. He could tell that she didn't feel very comfortable because of her lack of confidence in her appearance. He had heard what she told Yuri in the bedroom, he knew what Kyong had done to her self image. If he could go back in time he'd torture the bastard even more.
He lifted her chin with his fingers making her look at him again. There was a short moment where he just stared at her and took in her features, knowing that under the make-up was a healing bruise. His eyes flickered to her bottom lip as she wet it suddenly with her tongue. "Stunning." He stated before dropping his hand from her face.
Her eyes widened slightly at his response. She felt nervous all over again but it was different this time. There was a skip of her heart and she wanted to step away to collect her composure but her feet were planted still. So she opened her mouth to deny his compliment. "Ah-"
"Beautiful... Gorgeous... Stunning. Don't you think otherwise, darling. If you don't get the dress, I'll get it for you." He had cut off per protest before she could even start them.
"Lee Rang..." She whispered as her heart rate increased.
"OHHH! You look amazing!!" Yuri yelled out as she returned with more clothes over her arm. "What do you think Rang?" She didn't even let him answer. "You're gonna get that one, right?"
Eun-ji turned around to look in the mirror again. It was a pretty dress, but did it make her pretty? 'Stunning.' His voice rang in her head as she caught his eyes in the mirror again. "Yeah, I think I will."
****
Eun-ji had put all the new clothes away once they got back to Lee Rang's home. She felt exhausted from being on her feet all day and flopped herself on the bed. The memories of the day kept racing through her mind. There were a lot of moments when she felt really happy. Happier than she had felt in a long time. Taking photos with Yuri, Rang carrying her bags for her, eating lunch with both of them, ice cream dessert and every moment she became hyper aware of the male's presence and soft touches. He had a habit of placing his hand on the small of her back. It was something that she decided she liked. She felt her cheeks heat up as she shook her head.
Since she was so tired she decided to change into pajamas and head to bed. She grabbed the t-shirt and sweatpants that she got from Lee Rang. The scent of sandalwood, though dull, filled her nose. She knew she'd be sad once the clothes would go in the wash and be returned to him. She'd definitely need to find his cologne and buy one for herself.
A soft knock reached her ears from the door. Eun-ji turned to see Yuri standing in the doorway. "Yes Yuri?"
"Let's watch a movie and have more girl time."
"Okay." Eun-ji smiled and scurried quickly over to Yuri. The woman was happy to have made a friend like Yuri, never realizing what she was missing out on the past two years with Kyong.
The two of them sat on the couch, Yuri had pulled out fuzzy throw blankets to get cozy with, and there was a bowl of popcorn sitting on the table. The light was dimmed slightly and the television was on. The two females made themselves comfortable and decided on a comedy-action film to watch.
Lee Rang left his room to grab a drink from the kitchen and found the two females cozied up in his spare blankets, Yuri was currently painting Eun-ji's nails while the two laughed over a punch line in the movie on the television. He grabbed his drink and leaned against the wall, watching them for a few more moments. He was glad to see that the she-wolf was content and relaxed with them. He noted her blue translucent ears were perked up on her head, he hadn't seen her hidden features for the past day. It made him think about how he wanted the answers to his questions; who exactly was Eun-ji and why couldn't she remember she was a wolf spirit? He turned away and headed back to his bedroom for the night.
It was a few hours later that he woke to fearful yells in the other room. He quickly shot out of bed and down the hallway to what is normally Ki Yuri's room. He opened the door to find Mae Eun-ji whimpering in the bed, blankets tangled around her legs, and the scent of fear in the air. Normally enjoyed the smell, often scaring others just to get a whiff of it - but from her it made his nose burn and eyes sting.
"Let me go...." She whispered something incoherent. "Pleeeease... Kyong..." She sobbed.
Rang's whole body felt hot with anger knowing that the human still tormented her in her sleep. He moved over to the bed and grabbed her failing arms. This caused her to struggle more as she started yelling out, begging to be released. "Wolf, wake up." Rang called out to her.
"Stop, no!"
"Eun-ji! Wake up!" He yelled as he tried to restrain her from hurting herself or him.
"STOP!!" She yelled while her eyes snapped open wide, but instead of the honey or dark brown orbs he was getting used to seeing, they were bright blue. It lasted just a second before it disappeared, evaporating back into her irises.
She was out of breath, panting and shaking violently as he had her pinned to the bed. He let go of her as her eyes found his.
"Lee Rang?" She whined his name before tears started to fill to the brim on her eyes.
He sighed in relief. "I'm here darling." He spoke gently as he offered her his open arms. She immediately launched herself into his arms. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, whispering in her hair.
"It was that night again, he gave me to those men but.... But this time," She sobbed again, gripping the front of his shirt. "This time, Yuri and you weren't there to help me."
"Never again, you hear me." He pulled back to look her in the face, his hand cupping her cheek. "You'll never have to experience that again Wolf. Not under my watch." He stated.
She nodded her head and felt a whine come from her throat. She felt so absolutely safe with Lee Rang that it made her feel emotional. "Okay..." She wiped her tears away and looked down at her lap. "Sorry for all-"
"Stop." He cut her off. "You don't need to apologize. Do you need anything?"
She shook her head. "No, just - please stay."
He looked at her and she just looked so broken and little. He was ready to bundle her in blankets. "Of course sweetheart." He motioned for her to scoot over a little as he slid into her bed next to her. She turned toward him, pressing her shaking hands to his shirt, almost as if making sure this was really happening.
Rang chuckled a little and pulled a blanket over the two of them. "Calm down wolf. I'm right here." He noted the blush on her cheeks before he pulled her closer and pressed his nose to her hair. He felt her nuzzle into him and her fingers clenched his shirt in what felt like a death grip.
A few moments of silence passed over them as her body started to relax. She let out a small sigh as her breathing regulated. She pressed her nose into his chest, inhaling the sandalwood scent before she nuzzled into him again. "Lee Rang..."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you." She whispered sleepily, just loud enough for him to hear before she pressed her lips to an exposed part of his collarbone.
He paused, not expecting the gentle kiss on his skin. He wanted to respond but didn't know what to say exactly. He felt her body relax completely against him as she fell into a hopefully peaceful slumber. He sighed at the situation before nuzzling her hair. "Sweet dreams wolf."