YCHW Ch 42

I had only asked a question, and though I had not yet heard a reply, my heart pounded improperly. Yoonso wet his lips with his tongue and let out a trembling breath.

“If you truly like me. I can wait. Without leaving… remaining here… I will wait until you have settled your affairs, my lord.”

If the So Yoonso from before he left home, before he came of age, had heard this, he would have been aghast and thrown stones, asking if he had gone mad. But the So Yoonso of now had spent an unforgettable time with the man before him, and thus had come to cherish him.

If he could be with Hwi, he would be fine living as a fugitive forever. Of course, he could not be a burden to him, so living here for the rest of his life would be impossible, but if Hwi promised to cast off his shackles and go with him, Yoonso could wait as long as it took.

Hwi’s fingers curled, gripping Yoonso’s hand tightly. Yoonso raised his eyes in surprise, and Hwi’s eyelids slowly opened. His jet-black pupils were directed precisely at Yoonso.

It felt as though he could now understand what was dwelling in those eyes, which had felt so dark and deep, like a cavern. It was an emotion that resembled sorrow. Yoonso was seized by a sad yet joyful bliss, thinking that he and Hwi held something similar, and because of that, they were bound to connect.

Hwi closed and opened his eyes as if nodding.

Even after his eyelids closed again, their clasped hands did not part. Yoonso held Hwi’s hand firmly and smiled with the face of a young man who did not know what to do, utterly drenched in his first love.

𓇢𓆸

“Umm…”

Yoonso tossed and turned, then frowned when he was blocked by something warm. It was stuffy, so he tried to push it away, but it would not budge. As soon as he irritably lifted his eyelids, he met a pair of eyes staring clearly back at him.

He blinked blankly for a moment, then, grasping the situation, shot up in alarm and backed away. Yoonso tried to steady himself by placing a hand on the floor, but unfortunately, his palm flailed in the empty air beyond the bed. Just as his body tilted backward, a firm arm supported Yoonso’s back.

“Trying to cause an accident as soon as you wake up.”

The Hwi who clicked his tongue no longer showed any sign of illness. Glad to see the Hwi he knew had returned, Yoonso studied his face, then tentatively reached out a hand and placed it on his forehead.

“Your fever has completely gone down.”

“…”

“You were sick for two full days. Did you know?”

If he had not gotten better today, Yoonso had been planning to go and call a physician right away, so it was a relief. At the steady gaze on him, Yoonso withdrew his hand and quickly wiped his mouth and tidied his disheveled hair.

“But why am I here…”

“Why are you looking miserable, sleeping on the floor.”

“Do you think I wanted to? It is all your fault for being so sick, my lord.”

When he grumbled without reason out of embarrassment, Hwi let out a soft laugh. Yoonso found himself grinning foolishly along with him, then got off the bed, removed the cloth covering the table, and brought over the bowl that was underneath it.

“You must be very hungry, my lord. It has cooled a little, but it should be just right to eat.”

When he held out the bowl of porridge and a spoon, Hwi accepted it obediently and slowly emptied it. Yoonso watched him with the fond expression of a parent watching their child take its first steps, but his face soon turned worried.

“Are you feeling a little better? Are you sure we do not need to call a physician?”

“Yes. You must have had a hard time.”

“What do you mean, a hard time? You were the one who had a hard time, my lord, which is why you were so sick.”

It had been tormenting. The healthy man had collapsed in a heap, and Yoonso had been frantic, but there was nothing he could do. It was impossible for a person to live without ever getting sick, but it was still an experience he never wanted to go through again.

“Did you… take care of your business well?”

“Mm.”

“The business you went for… would it be wrong to ask what it was?”

Even as he asked, he had no expectation of getting a proper answer. If it was a matter for the merchant guild, it would be of no use for him to know, and if it was something else, it might be difficult for Hwi to confide in him.

“A problem arose that needed urgent attention, and it was something I had to see to myself, so I had no choice but to leave promptly. I thought three days would be enough, but it took longer than that, making you wait. You must have been worried sick. I am sorry.”

Although he did not reveal the specific details of the matter, for a man of few words, this was as good as a sincere explanation.

Is he really hiding something from me? The question that would not disappear lingered around him, but Yoonso ignored it and deliberately shrugged with a placid air, as if he had not been worried sick at all.

“You said a gentleman does not break his word. So I knew you would come, and I waited.”

“You believed in me.”

“Of course.”

Hwi set the bowl down and reached out, gently tidying Yoonso’s disheveled hair. As he touched his hair, his gaze, which was sweeping over Yoonso’s face, softly tickled his skin. A clear affection was directed toward him. Since he, too, harbored the same emotion, there was no way he would not know. His chest tightened, and a joy so intense it was painful swelled within him.

“How have you been?”

While Yoonso talked about what he had done while staying here, Hwi continuously caressed not only Yoonso’s hair but also the area around his ear and his cheek. There was no way for him not to know that Hwi remembered the words he had blurted out while he was sick. If so, did this action signify acceptance?

Not knowing how to react to the contact, which felt as natural as if it had always been this way, Yoonso just kept letting out awkward and shy laughs.

After kneading the soft earlobe and tracing the delicate outer ear with his fingertips, toying with Yoonso’s ear for a while as if it were a plaything, Hwi rose from his seat.

“It is time for us to leave.”

“Already? Without taking more time to recover?”

“Should we not go before you grow any more attached to this place?”

He was not wrong. As it was, the faces of the people who had been so good to him were already flashing before his eyes, so if he was not going to stay here permanently, it seemed better to set out quickly.

“Are you sure you will be all right?”

“Even though I was sick, I am still stronger than you.”

Hwi lightly poked Yoonso’s forehead with his index finger. Seeing him say such a vexing thing, it seemed certain that he had fully recovered. Yoonso rubbed his forehead and nodded.

“Then I will trust you and get ready, my lord. You must absolutely not overexert yourself, do you understand?”

“Alright.”

While Hwi washed up and prepared to leave, Yoonso went to bid a final farewell to Eungang, Hyeonsong, and Hyeongseo. At the news that he was leaving, Eungang and Hyeonsong were extremely sad, and Hyeongseo shed streams of tears.

“Do not cry. If our paths are meant to cross, we will see each other again, will we not?”

“But you said you are going far, far away.”

“You never know how life will turn out.”

“Then you must not forget us and you must, must come back someday. It is a promise!”

“Yes, a promise.”

It was a great fortune to have coincidentally met good people and spent an unforgettable time with them. Yoonso hugged Hyeongseo tightly, then let him go. As he wiped the tears drenching the child’s cheeks, he heard the sound of someone approaching from behind.

“I am indebted to you. Thank you for looking after this child while I was gone.”

Hwi held out a heavy-looking pouch to Hyeonsong. Hyeonsong hesitated for a moment before obediently accepting it.

“I did not do it with the expectation of a reward, but I will not refuse and will use it for my comrades. I only hope that someday there will be something we can do for you both.”

Hyeonsong and Eungang bowed politely in return, and Yoonso also bowed his head deeply toward them.

On the way out after exchanging repeated farewells, his heart felt empty and regretful, as if he were leaving family behind. As they left the village, Yoonso kept looking back, and once their figures were no longer visible, he gripped the reins firmly and looked ahead with resolute eyes.

The horse, which had been running fast, gradually slowed its pace. Weeping willows, their branches drooping as if to touch the water, surrounded a pond, in full bloom with snow-white flowers.

The flowers, glowing white in the faint moonlight, and the reflection of the spring night’s scenery shimmering on the water’s surface created a mystical atmosphere. It seemed as if an immortal might be living in the pavilion that stood guard in the middle of the pond, connected to the land by a path.

A village was visible not far beyond the pond, but Hwi did not go any further and dismounted from his horse. When Hwi offered his hand, Yoonso held it tightly and dismounted.

Even after he was on the ground, Hwi did not let go of their clasped hands. It was not the first time he had held his hand, yet his heart fluttered, and Yoonso had to secretly take a long breath.

As they walked along the perimeter of the pond, they soon reached the path leading to the pavilion. As if their hearts were connected without words, the two of them turned their steps that way.

Upon entering the pavilion, Yoonso gripped the railing and looked down. As his shimmering reflection was cast upon the water’s surface, he felt a thrill, as if he had melted into the scenery of this night.

“The scenery is truly beautiful.”

“It is a place well known to painters. There must be hundreds of works painted with this as the background.”

“I see. That makes sense. The atmosphere is so unique, it must make one want to pick up a brush.”

Unlike Yoonso, who was constantly looking around to take in the spectacular view, Hwi sat perched on the railing, playing with Yoonso’s fingers. A strange smile came to his lips when he realized that this man secretly liked to touch things here and there.