Chaeyoung didn't know for how long she embraced Jungkook as she cried of joy.

He was alive. He came back to her. It felt like a dream, but it was not. Every single second that passed, she only hugged him tighter, afraid that if she didn't, he'd be gone. When she remembered that he had been severely injured, Chaeyoung gasped and sprang apart from him in an instant. Jungkook's doe eyes stared back at her in confusion.

Chaeyoung stared down at his upper body, at all the areas that had previously been only awful wounds which had been healed by her and her brother. He was all healed. All his scars, even his old scars had disappeared. Nothing was left. His skin was brand new. Yet, she felt worried. Slowly, the tip of her fingers grazed very gently on his chest down to his abdomen. Jungkook's stomach lightly tightened and Chaeyoung retreated her hand immediately.

"Does it hurt?" she asked. "Does it still hurt anywhere?"

Jungkook smiled and she felt her heart raced. She had missed that smile. She couldn't believe her eyes that she was seeing him smile again. Smiling at her.

"It tickles," he said softly with a warm smile. "It doesn't hurt at all."

Chaeyoung felt her smile slowly widened and she chuckled when he did and quickly, both her hands cupped his face and she went in for a kiss. Her world that was previously crumbled was slowly being built again, now firmer and stronger as Jungkook's hand slid to the back of her neck, cupping it and pulling her even more as they deepened the kiss.

It felt too long that as soon as their lips were touching each other, it felt like the first time. The longing for him was fed with Jungkook draping his arm around her as he pulled her easily onto his lap, lips moving against one another. She felt like an ice melting into the flaming kiss. When they detached their lips, Chaeyoung took that moment to inspect his face with her fingers and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips once more before she whispered, "Thank you for coming back."

Jungkook pulled back and cupped her face, gazing softly with his brows furrowed. Chaeyoung closed her eyes when she felt his thumb lightly brushing against her cheekbone. "I'd never be able to leave you, Chaeyoung."

A smile made way to her face, slowly widening as a tear fell down her cheek. Chaeyoung leaned in once again to plant a soft kiss on his lips to which when she leaned away, he pulled her back for a longer one.

Jungkook looked her up and down, then. His face slowly displayed concern as his eyes wandered around her figure and she knew exactly what he wanted to know. She smiled softly. "I am fine," she assured him. "All fine."

She heard some movement from outside of the room and she immediately turned to look at the door. She gently got off Jungkook, smiling shyly when he briefly refused to let her go. "Your grandfather is outside," she said softly. "He needs to know that you are now awake."

Chaeyoung excitedly exited his room and walked fast toward the old man who was checking on Grimroot that she helped to boil earlier. She didn't even manage to say a word to the old man. As soon as he saw her, she noticed how his eyes had widened and sparkled. Colors slowly came back to his face as he rushed toward Jungkook's room.

She decided to let the family get their privacy as they reunited. Tears of joy didn't seem like it would stop to pour down her cheeks yet. She closed her eyes and silently thanked the divine power that had helped them to get their miracle. It felt like a century had passed that she finally felt her heart at ease and just like how it had always been with Jungkook, any other worry she had in her mind faded.

*

Jungkook wore his pants after he was done bathing himself, turning toward the door when he heard Chaeyoung's hums from the kitchen as she busied herself with food preparation. She had told his grandfather that she wished to prepare them with food and so the old man had gone to the market to buy some more stocks.

It certainly felt like a celebration and Jungkook was sure that from the short moment of witnessing the interaction between his grandfather and the woman he was in love with, the two had definitely formed a bond while he was sick. It was such a great sight to see his grandfather being so comfortable around a Healer.

Jungkook watched Chaeyoung stirring something that smelled really nice. He had felt different before when he had first woken up from being unconscious, but he could not find what it was that made him feel that way. It was only at that moment of standing behind her as he watched her walking around the kitchen as she was doing all the cooking that he realized it.

Chaeyoung was wearing a Defender dress. All his life, he had only seen his beloved Healer wearing the usual color of Healers' clothes, everything light. White, light peach, light blue. The way her blonde tresses swayed elegantly against the black fabric as she moved around made his heartrate pick up a pace when he recalled that he used to imagine her in a Defender's outfit.

Chaeyoung definitely wasn't the first Healer to be wearing a Defender's outfit. When people of different sectors get together, they would be wearing each other's signature outfit.

Seeing her in it, Jungkook's mind shamelessly imagined being united to her. He would give her a variety of Defender's outfits if fate decided to be on their side- his side to be exact– to fulfill his wish.

Jungkook's longtime wish of making Chaeyoung his wife.

He looked down with a sudden shy smile as the thought floated in his mind, shaking his head a little to be rid of that thought.

When he looked back up at her, she was already looking at him with a rather confused smile hanging off her face. "Is there a reason why you were smiling at the floor?" she questioned with a little tilt of her head and a gentle rise of her brow.

Jungkook only shook his head with a small smile. He stared at her longer, stared at how the dress perfectly flattered her figure. "How did you get that dress?"

Chaeyoung looked down and her cheeks slowly colored, her hands flat on her front as she slid her palm across her abdomen. "Your grandfather gave it to me. It... it was supposed to be your mother's."

Jungkook's eyes slightly widened in surprise and he slowly approached her.

"I hope you do not mind my having this dress," she softly said. "I know that your grandmother wanted to give it to your mother..."

"Do you like it?" Jungkook gently asked, already standing in front of her.

"Yes, I do," she nodded with a small smile, still looking down at the dress.

He held her chin gently and brought her face up, silently asking her to look him in the eyes. "Then I do not mind."

Her eyes glimmered when they widened at him. "Are you sure?"

"Well, it is not my place to decide who should wear the dress. If Grandpa wants you to have it and you like it, I don't mind at all. Besides, it's not like I or Grandpa can actually wear it even to bed," he chuckled. "It is too tight on us."

Chaeyoung laughed softly, and she looked down again, admiring the dress as though she had only worn it seconds ago. "It's beautiful, is it not?"

Jungkook's eyes never left her as he said, "So are you."

A tinge of pink colored Chaeyoung's cheeks once more, her hands flat on Jungkook's chest when his hands found her waist.

"It looks perfect on you," he said in a lower voice, pressing his lips on her brow. "It might have been made for my mother, but the dress is destined to be yours."

Jungkook was about to lean in for a kiss when he heard rustling from outside and he closed his eyes, resting his forehead onto hers briefly before releasing her from his hold just right before his grandfather entered the house. He noticed the old man sending him suspicious looks to which he had quickly pretended not to see.

It was one of the happiest moments in his life when he spent the eating time together with Chaeyoung and his grandfather. He didn't think of anything else but the mere happiness of when the three of them were casually talking about some random things.

When night approached, Chaeyoung went into his room.

"I told your grandfather that once you have woken up, I will leave," she gently told him and the smile that had been on his face the entire day began to fade.

Jungkook breathed in softly, taking her hand into his and pulled her toward him. Her smile never left her face as she went closer.

"Can't you stay another night?" he asked, caressing the soft skin of her hand.

"I would love to... but I..."

Jungkook leaned close and pressed his palm on the lower of her back. "Please, stay."

Chaeyoung gazed into his eyes softly and chuckled. When she caressed his face, Jungkook briefly closed his eyes and accepted the gentle kiss she gave him. "I made your grandfather a promise," she murmured.

His lips landed on the exposed skin of her neck and shoulder. He peppered her neck and jaw with soft kisses as he pleaded for her to stay, causing her to call his name in the form of a sigh. "Jungkook..."

"I just woke up, Chaeyoung," he groaned against her shoulder. "I know that you have seen me for days, but..." He pulled his head back and gazed down at her with furrowed brows. "...I have only seen you for a couple hours. Please."

"But your -"

"Grandpa wouldn't mind you staying longer," he said, his hand running up her spine, fingers hooked at the neck of the dress. "He is fond of you. He will not mind you breaking the promise."

The corners of her lips curved upward before her eyes traveled down his face, her fingers tracing the dips and curves of his exposed chest. "We are not on our own," Chaeyoung shyly said.

Then, there was the gentle sound of the main door closing. As he glanced outside the window of his room, he heard the familiar footfalls of his grandfather walking farther and farther away from the house. Perhaps, the old man would be out for his practice again until late night.

With a chuckle, Jungkook's eyes made their way to Chaeyoung's again. "Now we are."

Jungkook remembered none of how he managed to free Chaeyoung of the dress, nor he knew how his own clothes were sprawled on the floor. Uncertain of how and when they found themselves fully unclothed on his bed, making new memories to make up for the time that they were separated by life and death, by the thin possibility of being able to see each other again. At that moment, nothing else mattered. He just wanted to feel her, listen to her, breathe her, and do anything possible with her and only her.

a/n:

i didn't plan to update today but since the next chapter is kind of hard for me to write and will most likely take time, i decided to just go for it and update this chapter.

as always, thank you for reading ;_;