YCHW Ch 45

Hwi carried Yoonso on his back, entrusting his body to the water for a while longer before coming out. He set Yoonso down on a flat rock and sat next to him. The warm sensation of the sun-heated rock felt good, so Yoonso flopped backward onto his back. At that, Hwi also lay down, propping his head up with his hand.

Water that had clung precariously to Hwi’s eyelashes dripped down. His wet cheek glistened in the sunlight. Yoonso cautiously reached out and caressed the area around Hwi’s eyes, then slid his hand down along the bridge of his nose. Even when the tips of his fingers reached the corner of his mouth, Hwi just lay still, gazing at Yoonso.

As this large man meekly entrusted himself to his touch, a desire born of satisfaction, something he had never experienced before, swelled within him.

I want this man to be mine. For always, forever.

Having thought it himself, Yoonso felt awkward and embarrassed and needlessly buried his face in his arm, then peeked up with just his eyes. Hwi’s calm and gentle gaze lingered around his eyes. How their hearts had connected—looking back, it all felt like a dream.

“My lord.”

“Yes.”

“Do you like me?”

“I do.”

Not expecting such a straightforward reply, Yoonso’s eyes widened. Even though he had received a sufficient answer, a sense of impatience somehow arose, and Yoonso opened his mouth again.

“Why do you like me?”

This time, an answer did not come right away. Hwi’s eyes held a hint of amusement, as if he had heard an interesting question, and he scanned Yoonso’s face.

“Is it because of my looks?”

At the innocent question, Hwi burst out laughing.

“Your confidence is quite something.”

He still had not forgotten what Hwi had said to him when they had a meal at a tavern in Seonjuseong after deciding to travel together. Since a man who does not break his word would not offer flattery, his assessment of him as a beauty must have been sincere.

“Yes. No one would deny it even if you were to take greater pride in it. But if that were the case, would you not be disappointed?”

“Disappointed? I should be grateful. I have nothing, and my circumstances are not so good, so if you took an interest in me because of my looks, would that not be a fortunate thing?”

Even if the beginning was just his outer shell, now that he held him so deeply in his heart as to make such a momentous promise, the reason did not matter. So his words that it was fortunate were true. From now on, he would have to strive ceaselessly to earn the right to stay by his side.

The amusement lingering around Hwi’s lips faded a little. He reached out and toyed with Yoonso’s cheek, then finally pressed a kiss to the corner of his eye. The moment he reflexively closed and opened his eyes, Hwi’s lips touched the tip of his nose. Finally, their lips met and parted, and the warmth he left behind like a seal spread through his skin and his entire body.

“You have yourself.”

“…”

“You, yourself, are a treasure that cannot be compared to anything, and since I have never in my life seen a treasure like you, I cannot help but want to have you in my hand.”

The voice that trailed off at the end of the sentence became lower and rougher. As the man who did not speak idly embellished him with undeserved praise, his heart seethed, and it was hard to bear. Yoonso let out a low breath and buried his face in Hwi’s chest.

The sound of the waves, washing in and then receding, piled up and up, firmly building a castle of cozy time. Being within it, the thought that he would have no regrets even if he died brushed past him, and Yoonso found himself smiling again.

𓇢𓆸

Something poking his cheek made Yoonso frown and toss in his sleep.

Following that, a cool sensation brushed past his lips. An itch remained where it had passed, and as he vigorously rubbed his mouth with his forearm, he faintly heard a low laugh. It was a somehow familiar and affectionate sound, so the corners of Yoonso’s mouth also relaxed softly.

Just as he was about to pucker his lips and drift back into a sweet sleep, Yoonso’s eyes flew open.

At the sight of Hwi, his head tilted as he stared down at him, he shot up. He quickly tidied the hair that had become disheveled from his tossing and turning, smoothed the area around his eyes, then glared at Hwi.

“Staring at a sleeping person like that, you are so wicked.”

“After insisting on using a separate room, it seems you were planning to laze around until the sun was high in the sky.”

At the words that the sun was high in thesky, Yoonso hurriedly looked around. The room was bright even without a light on, so it seemed he really had been fast asleep until late.

It was the first time he and Hwi were using separate rooms while living together. Hwi had asked why they needed to use separate rooms when the bed was wide enough, but it was not right for a couple, before they were even married, to share a bed. But then, trying to sleep apart from Hwi for the first time, he had slept fitfully and ended up waking up so late.

“It is just because I was tired.”

Yoonso muttered awkwardly and picked up the topknot pin he had placed to one side. At that, Hwi sat down next to Yoonso and gently combed his hair with his hands, gathering it neatly. It had been a long time since he had had his hair done for him, so it felt very awkward.

But what was even more awkward was Hwi’s clumsy touch.

“It is obvious this is your first time.”

“It is not easy.”

It was only natural, as he must have never waited on others before. Hwi fumbled, changing the angle several times, but then, as if he had gotten the hang of it, he neatly twisted Yoonso’s hair up and inserted the topknot pin.

“I will do it for you next time.”

“Then I will have to wake up late.”

After they get married and wake up in the same bed every morning, would they be able to do each other’s hair like this? Just the thought of it made his heart feel full; such small daily routines would blossom before him and Hwi in the future.

After they had finished washing up, a servant Hwi had hired brought in a lunch table. Perhaps because they were near the sea, a fish he had never seen before lay on the plate, its flesh plump. Hwi skillfully deboned it and placed the white flesh on Yoonso’s spoon.

“Ah, I can…”

“Just eat.”

“If you do everything for me like this, I will get spoiled.”

“If you could get any more spoiled than you already are, I would be curious to see that.”

When Hwi glanced at Yoonso with a slanted smile as if it were funny, Yoonso grumbled about when he had ever been so spoiled, then put the piece of fish in his mouth. But it melted in his mouth, savory and delicious, so Yoonso moved the largest piece of deboned fish Hwi had prepared onto his bowl.

“You should eat too, my lord. Do you know that you have gotten much thinner than before? It upsets me every time I see it.”

“It is natural for the body to lose and gain weight, so do not worry.”

Hwi replied nonchalantly, but that did not mean he could stop worrying. Yoonso resolved that he must take responsibility for the well-being of Hwi, who was neglectful of his own body, and every time Hwi took a spoonful of rice, he pestered him to eat a side dish.

“With you watching me like that, how can I eat in peace?”

“To think there is something you are scared of, my lord, that is truly surprising.”

When he replied playfully, Hwi let out a soft laugh and reached out to wipe the moisture from the corner of Yoonso’s mouth. The two men finished their meal while chatting amiably about trivial things.

“You have not forgotten that we decided to look around the village today, have you?”

“Of course not. How could I forget whose request it was?”

At his good-natured tone, Yoonso smiled and took a sip of tea. As he savored the fragrant aroma of the warm tea, Hwi took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his robes.

“There is something we must do before that.”

“What is it?”

“Write down your name and four pillars of destiny. Let us choose a day and hold the ceremony.”

As he had not thought as far as *yeongil, Yoonso was impressed by Hwi’s thoughtfulness, and at the same time, the reality of formally getting married hit him, making his heart pound heavily. In addition, feeling that Hwi was not taking his promise with him lightly, a wave of indescribable emotion washed over him.

After seeing the sea, he realized that the storm of emotion he had felt because of him was like the waves. Just as the waves ceaselessly crashed and crashed, soaking the sand, the deepest parts of his heart were soaked through and through with him.

Hwi brought a stone ink-slab and brush himself. Yoonso dipped the brush in the ink and hesitated for a moment. His name was So Yoonso, but Hwi knew him as Jang Deokyoon. Between a couple to be married, would it not be better to reveal his real name?

Pretending to remove the excess ink from the brush, Yoonso carefully sorted through the thoughts that had instantly filled his mind. The moment he left his home, he had resolved to abandon the life of So Yoonso, and from then on, he would live as Jang Deokyoon, so was there a need to confess? He was no longer So Yoonso. He was Hwi’s ‘Yoon.’

Just as he could understand if Hwi was hiding something from him, he believed Hwi would do the same for him. Because it was not a lie meant to deceive him. Yoonso tried his best to ignore the strange feeling wriggling in his chest, firmed his resolve, and wrote his name on the blank paper.

After writing down his four pillars of destiny as well, he put down the brush. Hwi gazed down at the paper, then traced the characters of the name Jang Deokyoon with his fingertip. It felt strange as his touch lingered for quite a long time on the final character, Yoon 倫.

“Alright. I will ask them to pick a good day.”

“Yes, thank you. Shall we go out now, then?”