Cheeks, Obviously

Blessings

Minjoo couldn't help but swallow the lump in her throat, her soul feeling like it was going to escape the moment this surprising sight greeted her. She had been standing here for a full minute already, not knowing what to do, not knowing where she should lead her feet to. The exit was just right behind her, and Hitomi was several feet away. Distance-wise, it was better to turn around and leave.

But her feet refused to move.

They maintained their place, as if rooted against the floor. They refused the command Minjoo gave, as if it listened more to the whispers of pleas escaping from Hitomi's trembling lips. The purple-haired woman wanted her to stay—begging her to come closer. She begged with that sinful voice of hers, so enthralling and addicting to her ears.

Minjoo had to grit her teeth when her feet moved involuntarily closer. Her hands were balled to fists on her sides, trying their best not to reach forward and locking Hitomi in a tight, possessive embrace. No. Minjoo knew Hitomi wouldn't appreciate it, even if it was her initial goal in drawing her here.

Her feet led her right in front of her now. She kneeled at the soft tug Hitomi made to her robe, again fighting with her primal desire to ravage the woman before her. She maintained her stoicness even after Hitomi wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close, pressing her nearly bare chest against Minjoo's torso. She felt her inside make an ugly twist when her eyes found Hitomi's tattered robe hanging loosely on her shoulders, barely concealing the angry red marks all over her flushed, sweaty skin.

She could smell Hitomi's perfume scent on her neck under that sinfully sweet scent she wafted off—something that she had never failed to catch, and always smelling so gentle and lovely to her senses. They always tickled that protective, warm side of hers—that Minjoo felt too unfit to embrace. She wasn't born warm, she was born to be cold. She was the future head of an assassin clan. She had to be cold-blooded.

It was easy for her. The Blessing helped her, too. It gave her a cold, unmoving heart. Cold, unimpressed eyes. Stoic face that never gave any smile. Suitors came and went quickly, and eventually all men in the region gave up trying to court her. It felt as if it was going to be the end of the assassin clan.

But then, the prophecy came. About a woman with a fiery heart and body that would be the one who thaws the ice princess' frozen heart. She would be the one who blessed her with warmth, and helped her with the longevity of this dying clan.

At first, Minjoo was apprehensive. For her, Hitomi was just another ordinary woman. An annoying, stubborn, and a proud one, but definitely had a skill that could back up her slight arrogance. Because like Minjoo, Hitomi received a Blessing. A powerful and a rare one. The Blessing of the Elements. Specifically, it granted her the power to manipulate fire, just like Minjoo who could manipulate the flow of water and freeze it as she wished.

Suffice to say, Hitomi was born to be Minjoo's natural enemy—but also someone who could stand toe to toe with her and stand by her side. A perfect, if not contrasting, match.

But as with everyone else who were Blessed, every Blessing had its own curse. If Minjoo was given a frozen heart, Hitomi was given a fiery body. Once a year, she would undergo a state similar to body reconstruction. Her mana would burst and burning pain would envelope her body. Hitomi once joked about how she felt as if being cooked alive whenever that time of the year came.