Life in Switzerland

Cravings

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Ri Jeong Hyeok used to be able to sleep anywhere. On the ground, perched in a tree, or in an icy hole in the forest, as a captain of the special forces, he had been trained to withstand the worst conditions. 

But all the training in the world could never have prepared him for the visceral need he felt when Seri wasn't by his side. He couldn't sleep without her anymore. He needed to feel her presence, her warmth, her scent, to know she was close at hand, to be able to touch her and see her. The few days a year he spent in Pyongyang were always extremely difficult. It wasn't the jet lag, it was the worry, not having her in sight. Whenever he knew she was in Seoul, which was often the case during his stays in Pyongyang, he felt a mix of relief and nervousness. 

He knew that she would be well surrounded there, by her family, by her team, and then she had told him years before that Seoul was her territory. 

But she had almost died on her said territory, and he knew that her brother and her ex-sister in law could completely try to harm her, even from behind bars. 

Then there was his bed, at his parents, a single bed, and yet too big for him alone. He blamed the jet lag to not worry his mother, but she wasn't fooled, he could see it by her knowing smile. 

Therefore, when he opened his eyes, he immediately felt that something was wrong. His hand instinctively fumbled to his right and he jerked up to turn on his bedside lamp. 

Seri wasn't by his side. The place was still warm though, so he poured himself a glass of water and waited, listening. It was still dark, he glanced briefly at the alarm clock which indicated 4 am, and he tried to rest his head on his pillow. No sound came from the bathroom and the light seemed off. 

Did she go to get water ? No, she had water on her bedside table... 

Was she hungry? Did she have insomnia? Did she have a nightmare? 

He got up and left the room, frowning when he saw that the rest of the house was dark, with no lights on. 

"Seri?" 

No answer. He looked around almost frantically, turning on the light to check that she wasn't on the couch or in her office or in any of the rooms. Her phone was charging in the kitchen, her coat was still there... 

"Seri?!" 

Heart pounding, he tried to think rationally. It was impossible that anything bad had happened to her, if she had been kidnapped, which could sound odd but wasn't completely off the table given his situation, or if there had been a problem, he would have heard something. 

But then, where had she gone? If she wasn't in, then maybe she was out? But what would she be doing outside in the middle of the night in this freezing cold? 

He felt a painfully familiar worry that almost took his breath away, grip his chest, he hastily put on his shoes and a jacket before rushing outside with a flashlight. Solar lights illuminated his path as his footsteps crunched on the frozen gravel. 

Then he heard a car start, he saw that the headlights were on, and as she slowly drove off, he ran and threw himself in front of it, arms outstretched, blocking her way. 

The car came to an abrupt stop, the tires screeching, the door opened, and Seri got out, staring at him in amazement. 

"Ri....Ri Jeong Hyeok-sshi?"