RHH | Chapter 3.3

Before the regression, at the beginning of winter, Absalom had confessed to Leehwan. It was around this time. But now, there was no sign of that in Absalom.

If it was because Leehwan had tormented him so much that his feelings had faded… Leehwan gritted his teeth. Even Absalom’s hesitation to answer seemed to confirm that.

“Because I’ll start moving for myself. That can’t happen.”

The words made no sense. Leehwan wanted to press further, but seeing Absalom’s devastated expression, he backed down.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

The next day, around dawn, the rain noticeably lightened. Leehwan and Absalom left the cave and descended the mountain as soon as the sun rose.

Cough, cough.

Leehwan let out a shallow cough. Absalom, who was walking ahead, turned to look back. Leehwan waved his hand as if it was nothing.

“Tell me right away if you’re not feeling well.”

Absalom, with a restless expression, started walking again. Leehwan secretly rubbed his chest. The pain was almost gone. At this rate, it seemed he’d be fully healed before collecting all the sacred relics.

‘But first, we need to get out of this mountain.’

Leehwan and Absalom were currently lost and wandering in the mountains.

“This path is blocked too.”

Absalom, who had stopped to survey the path ahead, spoke. Leehwan looked over his shoulder. The scenery bore the full brunt of the storm.

“This time, let’s go that way…”

Leehwan swallowed his words. Absalom turned around, closing the distance between them in an instant.

“…let’s go.”

Leehwan barely managed to finish his sentence and turned away. Absalom silently followed.

Getting lost might have been a blessing. Leehwan thought this as he felt the awkward atmosphere that had been lingering since yesterday.

Even before entering this mountain, the atmosphere had been awkward. But it was different now. If back then it was the awkwardness of an almost-kiss, now it was the tension of something about to explode.

What would happen if this exploded? Leehwan thought this as he stepped on a rock.

They finally managed to leave the mountain by the afternoon. Fortunately, a fairly large city appeared just beyond the mountain.

Covered in dirt and sweat, they entered an inn. By now, not washing up would have been stranger. Leehwan boldly requested a bath.

The water, ordered with an extra fee, was satisfyingly hot. Leaning back in the tub, Leehwan looked up at the gray ceiling. Absalom’s image appeared above it.

Not yet. Leehwan shook his head. It hadn’t been long since he thought he’d take on any sin for Lucien. He was just mistaking the only warmth beside him for something more.

Then, Absalom’s voice echoed in his ears.

‘Don’t do that to me.’

Leehwan straightened up. At the time, he had immediately connected it to a specific direction due to Absalom’s heavy mood and the thoughts that had dominated his mind just before. But now, thinking back, it felt strange.

“I said I forgive others, no, those who’ve wronged me. But you said not to do that to you…”

As he carefully retraced the conversation, a sense of incongruity emerged.

“Why can’t you act for yourself?”

A drop of black ink fell on the fragile trust he had barely pieced together.

After finishing his bath, Leehwan left the room. He needed to go to the market.

Absalom was standing by the door. In the past, he would have come to call Leehwan. Thinking this made Leehwan inexplicably anxious.

“Let’s go.”

His tone came out sharper than intended. He regretted it immediately, but it was too late. Leehwan stepped out irritably. Getting worked up over such things felt like admitting the possibility he had been trying to deny.

“Uh, Leehwan.”

Absalom, who had followed him, spoke up. Leehwan turned to look at him.

“Your hair is wet. It’s cold outside, and if you go out like this, you’ll catch a cold. You were coughing earlier.”

“…Then dry it for me.”

“Huh?”

Absalom looked flustered. Leehwan turned around without answering. Entering the room, Absalom hesitated at the threshold.

“Come in.”

Only after Leehwan urged him did Absalom cautiously step inside. Leehwan found a dry towel and handed it to him. But Absalom hesitated and didn’t take it.

“You said you’d do anything I wanted, but now you don’t want to do this?”

Only after Leehwan said this did Absalom take the towel. Leehwan slightly bowed his head. Soon, a white towel rested on his black hair.

Tap, tap.

While Leehwan roughly rubbed his hair, Absalom’s touch was delicate. He tucked Leehwan’s hair into the towel and kept patting it. It was a task too tedious to do out of mere annoyance.

Then, Absalom’s fingers brushed against Leehwan’s ear. Startled, Leehwan opened his eyes, which he hadn’t realized he had closed. A beautiful face was right in front of him. Both he and the reflection of himself in Absalom’s eyes looked surprised.

Soon, a blush spread across his pale cheeks.

“Ah…!”

Absalom let out a short groan and stepped back. The towel fell to the floor. Leehwan bent down to pick it up. His fingertips felt pulsating.

What’s there to deny? Leehwan mocked himself.

At that moment, a group was rapidly approaching the city. They looked disheveled, as if they had been on a forced march.

The man at the front of the group stopped at the city’s checkpoint and handed over his identification. The guard, who had been looking bored, froze stiffly.

“P-pass through!”

The group quickly passed through the checkpoint and entered the city. Beneath the hood, golden hair swayed.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

It was the beginning of winter, and the sun set quickly. Leehwan and Absalom made their way through the city, now bathed in a reddish-gold hue, heading toward the market. The streets were more crowded than they had expected, forcing them to push through the throngs of people.

They soon discovered the reason for the crowd at the market. A cheerful-looking merchant spoke to them.

“Here for the festival?”

“No, just passing through.”

“Well, since you’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. Today’s the best day to see it. I’ll be heading there soon myself. If you need a guide, just let me know.”

As he spoke, the merchant pointed to a lantern placed beside him. Absalom shook his head.

Leehwan and Absalom led their horses toward the inn. The streets were so crowded that riding was out of the question. One wrong move, and a horse’s hoof could trample or kick someone.

More and more people began carrying lanterns. They looked similar to the one the merchant had shown them earlier. Leehwan turned to Absalom and asked, “Everyone’s carrying lanterns. Does it mean something?”

“……In this city, every year around this time, there’s a tradition where people carry lanterns across the bridge. They pray for the river not to freeze. It’s quite a sight, so people come from far away just to see it.”

Absalom hesitated before answering. Though his lips smiled, his cheeks and eyes remained tense. Leehwan thought this wouldn’t do.

“Should we go see it?”

“Huh?”

“The bridge crossing. You said it’s famous.”

He figured watching something together might lighten the mood. Absalom seemed to catch on, offering a small, genuine smile this time.

“Should we? It’ll be crowded, so let’s leave the horses at the inn first. Maybe we can eat there too before heading out.”

“Sounds good.”

Engrossed in their conversation, Leehwan and Absalom didn’t notice the group approaching from the opposite direction. They were hooded figures on horseback, their faces hidden. Complaints erupted from the people around them as they passed.

“Ugh, seriously……”

“Riding horses in this crowd? Do their legs break if they walk or something?”

“Hey! Watch where you’re going……!”

The reason for the complaints was their appearance. They wore tattered cloaks, and both the people and their horses were covered in dust. The onlookers assumed they were of similar status to themselves.

The leader of the group scanned the area with an intimidating gaze. Realizing their mistake, the crowd fell silent. Some even began to quietly step away.

From the center of the group, a tired sigh escaped. A man beside the sighing figure spoke softly.

“Just hang in a little longer, Lord Lucien. We’ll reach the market office soon.”

“Don’t worry, Sir Wibaeng. I’m still fine.”

A pair of red lips curved into an elegant smile.

Amid the bustling street, the two groups moved in opposite directions.

Leehwan and Absalom’s view was partially blocked by the horses’ heads, which also meant their own vision was limited. Because of this, Leehwan missed a silhouette he would have recognized under normal circumstances.

The two groups passed each other. None of them looked back as they gradually moved apart.

𓂃 ོ☼𓂃

The event was as spectacular as Absalom had described. People holding lanterns stood on the long bridge spanning the river. The dark water, cloaked in night, was eerily black. As the yellow lights stretched across the surface, it looked as though countless pillars of light had been cast into the river.

For Leehwan, it was a nostalgic sight. Back in his hometown, he had often seen something similar on his way home from late-night study sessions.

Perhaps it was the nostalgia that loosened his tongue. He found himself sharing a story he had never told anyone before.

“Back when I lived in my hometown, I used to see something like this.”

“……Is that so?”

“After studying all day, I’d be exhausted. On the bus—no, the carriage—crossing the bridge, the lights would stretch over the water just like this……. It really looked like that. Back then, I was so tired I didn’t think much of it.”

It looks beautiful now. Leehwan swallowed the last part of his sentence. Saying it out loud would have made the mood awkward. As he internally cringed at himself, Absalom spoke up.

“What about now?”

His low voice had dropped even further. Leehwan turned to look at him. From the side, Absalom’s expression seemed troubled.

“You must want to see it again.”

Absalom continued. Leehwan reflexively replied.

“Not really.”

“You don’t have to lie……”

“What I’m seeing now is enough.”

Nostalgia or not, he had no desire to relive those nights. Leehwan shook his head vigorously. Absalom’s expression visibly softened.

Before they knew it, the event had ended. They headed back to the inn. Leehwan found this brief respite quite satisfying.

The return trip was even more crowded than before. After Absalom was bumped into for the fourth time, Leehwan grabbed his arm and pulled him into an alley. It was a dead end, so there were no people around. Absalom smiled.

“You don’t like crowds, do you, Leehwan?”

He didn’t particularly like them, but he didn’t hate them enough to avoid them entirely. The reason they had ducked into the alley was because Leehwan had noticed people deliberately bumping into Absalom.

“Leehwan?”

When Leehwan stared at him intently, Absalom tilted his head. It was a gesture that didn’t suit a grown man but looked perfect on him. Leehwan inwardly marveled.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll get embarrassed.”

How much could Leehwan trust Absalom? Was it right to cover up the stains and pretend not to see them just because he liked him? Leehwan had walked a similar path before. At the end of that path, death had been waiting for him.