Vol 1 Chapter 3 – Peony Blossom Part 2

Flowers were in full bloom. Every corner of the garden showed the care of diligent hands, and blooms of all colors had opened as if they’d forgotten their proper season. Their petals swayed gently, dancing in the breeze like silk sleeves. It was a spectacle of color and scent.

A wisteria vine climbed around the pavilion posts. In the small pond, lotus buds had already begun to rest delicately on wide green leaves. The flowers and fresh spring greens reflected in the water, painting a scene like a living scroll.

“Is there a flower you like?”

“I… I don’t know the names of many,” Woo replied, shaking his head.

He tensed every time Kang Oh asked something personal, afraid a careless word might be a mistake.

“I like magnolias,” Kang Oh said.

“In early spring, it forms its buds, then blooms with soft white petals. I like how it looks. It’s elegant and dignified.”

“Magnolias are graceful,” Woo answered.

“Yes. And when they fall, they’re painfully sad.”

Petals drop with the wind or the rain, bruising as they hit the ground, as if they can’t bear to part from the tree. That quiet devastation following a perfect bloom always stirred something mournful in Kang Oh.

“Were bruised petals really that sad?”

“The flower looks like it’s hurting. My lord, can’t you help it?”

That was what Kang Oh had said when he came running around with a white magnolia in his hand.

As the memory surfaced, Woo asked the question again. Kang Oh slowly nodded.

“Yes. I think it’s because you know you can’t turn it back.”

Realizing he’d gotten too sentimental, Kang Oh gave a faint, self-conscious smile and add, “Isn’t it silly to feel sad just because a single flower falls?”

“Not at all.”

Woo shook his head. He could’ve just let it pass, but the words lodged in his throat rolled out with a clumsy thud.

“Because the magnolia falls only to bloom again.”

“Even if it looks like it’s hurting all over, as if bruised from head to toe, I think it’s simply part of the process to nurture the very tree it was born from, so that it can bear more flower buds the next spring.”

Wondering if he’d said too much, Woo closed his mouth.

Kang Oh, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned to looked at Woo, who had his head bowed.

“Don’t cry over a fallen flower. Spring will return with it.”

Layered over Woo’s awkward voice was a tender whisper that didn’t belong to him.

A voice he had never once heard in his life. And yet, it ached with a longing so deep and so dear.

It was the first time Kang Oh had been swept up in such a strange feeling. He stared at Woo in a daze.

Woo instinctively lifted his head.

Kang Oh looked as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Woo chewed over the words he’d just let slip and nearly bit his lip. This was exactly why Jinrang didn’t want him anywhere near Kang Oh. No matter how cautious or restrained he was, all it took was a single slip for those memories to resurface.

He kept his composure, letting his gaze slip past Kang Oh’s shoulder as if it were nothing more than a passing glance.

Spring in Heedowon was beautiful.
It felt as though Jinrang had gathered all the years he’d lost with his kin and devoted them to this place. Kang Oh would find happiness here. What good would it do to stir up memories soaked in blood?

Dragging his feet at a sluggish pace, Woo walked off like Kang Oh’s frozen state didn’t matter in the slightest. He pretended to be calm, but tension wound tight in his chest.

Kang Oh remained rooted in place, watching him go. The way Woo tucked his hair behind his ear and glanced back with a puzzled look, as if asking why he was still standing there, felt achingly familiar. Yet it was something that didn’t exist in any of his memories.

A sudden headache struck, and Kang Oh raised a hand to rub at his temple. When he frowned and pressed his fingers to his head, Woo quickly turned back in alarm.

“Are you all right?”

He looked like he might trip in his rush to return. His face was filled with urgency as he came closer. Kang Oh slowly lowered his hand from his face.

“It’s nothing. Just a slight headache.”

“Shouldn’t we call a physician?”

It was Kang Oh who found it strange now. Woo had always acted like he didn’t want to belong here, yet now he was acting like he truly cared. And it was only a headache, one so mild it hardly deserved a second thought.

“I’m not made of glass. There’s no need to summon a physician over something like this.”

His voice was cold enough to make someone flinch and step away, but Woo showed no sign of retreat. He went on speaking, completely unfazed.

White petals fluttered down from the gui-rong trees lining the path. As Woo walked beneath them, a sudden breeze made him turn his head and glance upward.

In Kang Oh’s eyes, the sight of him in that moment overlapped with someone else’s shadow.

“Do you think being a cultivator makes you immune to blades? That being a martial artist means you don’t bleed, that you’ve forgotten how to cry?”

He hadn’t abandoned his humanity to become a martial artist. He had been born human, and simply ended up walking that path.

“You’ve learned to speak with quite the attitude,” Kang Oh said with mild amusement.

Woo bit his lip. Perhaps mistaking his sudden silence as a reaction to those words, Kang Oh quickly added, “That wasn’t meant as a rebuke. I was just surprised to hear you speak that way.”

“No, this one is simply sorry to have disturbed your peace of mind, Third Disciple.”

Woo answered in a calm voice. There was no sorrow, no disappointment. His detachment felt as hopeless as standing before a sheer cliff.

Kang Oh realized that Woo was drawing a line between them. It was too pointed a rejection to ignore.

“I know that you want to leave Heedowon.
And you don’t particularly like me either. That much is clear.”

“N-no, that’s not true.”

Woo looked as if the color had drained from his face. There had never been a day when his habit of stammering had frustrated him more than today. It would have been easier to let Kang Oh misunderstand since he was someone he should have been keeping his distance from. But even so, Woo shook his head desperately.

“Don’t bother. I know I’m not exactly the kind of person others find warm.”

Kang Oh knew had never been the affectionate type. And he had been the one to bring Woo back to Heedowon against his will. There was no reason for Woo to like him, or anything else in this place.

He clenched his fists. Even if Woo hated him, there was nothing he could do about it. When Master changed his mind, this had been the only place where he could protect him.

“Even if you want to, hold it in. I won’t make things too difficult for you.”

“N-no. You’ve never done such a thing.”

Woo forced the words out through clenched teeth. He was doing his best not to stammer, trying to express himself clearly without room for misunderstanding.

“Not once have you ever mistreated me. You’ve always done kind things for me. Always.”

Woo lifted his head and looked straight at Kang Oh. He had never done that before. He usually avoided Kang Oh’s gaze, always kept his head down, never dared to meet his eyes. That alone was enough to catch Kang Oh slightly off guard.

“Then why did you look so heartbroken when I took the blanket?” Kang Oh asked, half-teasing.

Woo flinched.

“Because it was mine… and you didn’t return it.”

The confidence in his tone faltered. The gaze that had been so steady a moment ago turned vague. He couldn’t think of a better excuse, and it showed.

Even so, Kang Oh chose to let it slide this time. Woo’s clumsy excuse, and the way he had met his gaze for once, eased something in him.

“Don’t just stay in your room. Go out and look at the flowers sometimes.”

Woo gave a small nod. Though, unless Kang Oh called him out like he had today, he had no intention of leaving.

“You’re only good at giving answers.”

Kang Oh muttered, as if he had seen straight through Woo’s thoughts. Woo quietly adjusted the corners of his lips, which kept wanting to lift. He steadied himself. He couldn’t let anything show.

He had denied it so eagerly because he didn’t want any misunderstanding to remain. But in truth, it would have been better to leave it alone.

Seeing Woo fall silent again, Kang Oh felt something complicated stir in him. He had seen all kinds of people in Heukcheon, where every kind of life eventually gathered. But never someone as difficult to read as Woo.

Kang Oh forcibly smothered the curiosity that kept rising in him. There was no need to know more. No need to look deeper. It would be better to move him out of Master’s sight before it was too late. This interest must only be the result of guilt, mixed with the unfamiliar feeling brought on by someone new. He couldn’t let himself sink too deeply into it.

Kang Oh began calmly explaining the different flowers. It was a gesture of consideration for Woo, who had admitted to not knowing many of them. They passed by the gui-rong trees and the wisteria, the lotus still not yet in bloom, and the patch of deep pink wildflowers so vivid they were almost dizzying. There were camellias as well, now past their peak with their petals mostly fallen, only their bare stems remaining. Before long, Kang Oh and Woo arrived at the peony grove.

“This is a peony.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Woo’s expression shifted slightly. Peonies reminded him of someone. His junior martial sister, Namgung Jiyeok, who was likely now filling the empty space he had left behind at Baekragung.

“There are only purple ones here, but over in a place called Ilwondang, there are sky-blue peonies too.”

Kang Oh added the explanation after noticing how Woo reacted more to the peonies than to any of the other flowers. The thought of tonight’s flower viewing already made his stomach twist, but if the scenery turned out to be pleasant, perhaps he could bring Woo there next time. After all, this was someone who wouldn’t even think of leaving his room unless someone dragged him out.

“Sky blue ones must be lovely too.”

“Would you like to see them? I can take you there before they fall.”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Woo shook his head. He was already receiving more kindness than he deserved. Besides, if Kang Oh took him outside of Heedowon just to show him flowers, and Jinrang heard about it, it would surely drive him mad.

It was best not to take unnecessary risks.

“If you don’t want to, then there’s nothing I can do.”

Kang Oh accepted the answer without pressing. Woo placed a hand to his chest, relieved, even though he hadn’t expected that response at all.

“If you could leave Heukcheon, is there anywhere you’d want to go?”

“L-leave Heukcheon?” Woo repeated the question, as if the thought had never once occurred to him.

“A warm place? A cold one? Somewhere crowded? Or quiet?”

Woo didn’t answer. He simply fell silent, lost in thought.

“There’s still plenty of time. Think about it slowly.”

“Y-yes.”

“Alright.”

Kang Oh gave a small nod.

At Woo’s reluctant tone, Kang Oh let out a bitter smile. He knew Woo wouldn’t say where he wanted to go. In the end, he would just follow wherever he was told.

Woo kept his mouth shut. There was somewhere he had once wanted to go, but it wasn’t his to return to anymore. There was no need to say something like that out loud. Conversations only mattered when a relationship had the future to sustain them.

So there was no reason to reveal anything to Kang Oh.

He followed behind Kang Oh at a slow pace, beads of sweat began to form at his temples. In his current condition, walking for too long was difficult. Kang Oh had slowed his pace somewhat, but he was still a martial artist who didn’t tire easily, and Woo found it hard to keep up. Kang Oh either didn’t notice, or pretended not to.

The leg that bore more weight throbbed, but Woo showed no sign of discomfort. Still, it was impossible to hide the way his steps began to slow. When he fell behind and didn’t catch up immediately, Kang Oh turned around. He stopped mid-step, frowned, and took in the situation.

Woo, who had been doing his best to keep up, met Kang Oh’s gaze as he paused, and a heavy silence settled between them.

Then he bowed his head again.

Kang Oh’s mood soured at the sight. He didn’t even have time to gauge his reaction.

It was a sunny day, the flowers were in full bloom, and Woo had been shut away in his room for too long. That was why he had brought him out. He had even slowed his pace, thinking it was an act of consideration. But now, watching Woo struggle visibly yet say nothing, Kang Oh couldn’t help but wonder if all of it had only been for his own satisfaction. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes.”

Woo answered politely. But Kang Oh knew full well that even if he had insisted on continuing the walk, Woo would have bowed his head and followed all the same.

His mouth felt dry and bitter.

Kang Oh smoothed out his expression. Letting his displeasure show now would only be the same as taking it out on Woo. And that wasn’t fair. He could at least hold it in. Especially for someone who had been dragged out here without a word of protest, even when he clearly didn’t want to come.

Woo regulated his breathing as he followed behind Kang Oh, whose pace had slowed compared to earlier. It was much easier to keep up now.

When they reached the quarters, Kang Oh didn’t leave right away. He lingered for a moment by the door, hesitating in a way that didn’t suit him. He was usually brisk and straightforward, not one to hesitate like this.

“Get some rest. I won’t be calling you out again tonight.”

Woo gave a small nod. Kang Oh realized that if he didn’t step away now, Woo wouldn’t even sit down to rest.

So he quietly backed off.

Nothing about the life he had led so far had prepared him to deal with someone like Woo.

It was ridiculous, but that alone made him feel uneasy.

It didn’t suit Heukcheon’s Third Disciple, a man known for being heavy-handed. And yet, the moment he became aware of the power he held over Woo, it didn’t give him any sense of control. It only left him uncomfortable. Even though it was natural to dominate those weaker than himself, the thought that he would never be able to look Woo in the eye as an equal weighed on him in a way he had never experienced before. Not since the first time he had held a sword.

How strange…