RPPL C35

“…….”

“I’ll finish it quickly and come back, so….”

He should have told him to have a safe trip. That he would be waiting quietly like usual.

However, Muyun impulsively grabbed Bipa’s wrist instead. It felt as if he didn’t hold onto him, he would disappear right then and there, never to be seen again. He looked like he was blurring right before his eyes.

Amidst that illusion and unshakable anxiety, Muyun desperately shook his head.

“Then, please take me with you this time. I will go with you, Master.”

“You?”

“You promised, didn’t you? That you would take me next time. Besides, if it’s Gaeryeong, it’s a thousand-li journey; I don’t want to be alone for that long….”

Bipa’s gaze wavered. His resolve weakened because Muyun had never wanted something this strongly before. The more he hesitated, the more desperately Muyun clung to him.

Chajo, who was watching them with interest, made a suggestion.

“Right, right. It wouldn’t be bad to go together altogether. Didn’t they say originally you raise a person to send them to the capital?”

“That is….”

Bipa couldn’t continue, as if those words had struck a nerve.

That was exactly why.

He knew that Muyun had grown enough to face the world now. However, he didn’t want to let him out. So he had been putting it off day after day, but an opportunity had found him like an arranged destiny.

Since I am his master, it is only right to show other things to Muyun, who has grown up looking only at me since he was young….

“How… selfish….”

“Master?”

Bipa was suddenly engulfed in self-loathing. It was something he couldn’t help but admit now that the situation had come to this. That keeping Muyun, who had already learned and mastered enough, hidden away so tightly was purely due to his own selfishness.

Even if Muyun goes out into the wider world and his eyes no longer hold only him…. Bipa bit his lip tightly and then smiled faintly.

“Then… shall we go together?”

There was no reason for Bipa to stop Muyun. To begin with, Bipa had never once refused a request from Muyun.

❀࿐

“Still, since we are going up to the capital, it would be good to shed some of that rustic look.”

For some reason, Chajo looks excited saying this. It seems he is amused wondering how to spruce up these shabby things. According to him, Bipa and Muyun looked too much like people who weren’t from the capital.

Bipa and Muyun, on the other hand, looked indifferent as they had no interest. However, Chajo stubbornly insisted and summoned pale child monks who walked with an awkward gait.

“We aren’t people of the capital, so naturally we look different.”

Bipa grumbled about what all the fuss was for. Muyun couldn’t take his eyes off the child monks. Seeing that gaze, Bipa pointed and explained.

“Those are shikshin (familiars).”

“Shikshin?”

“Not ours. That guy has wandered all over, high and low, licking up everything from Esoteric Buddhism and Islam to miscellaneous arts. Anyway, he’s a complete depraved monk.”

“Ahem. I can hear everything. Licking up, you say!”

“It’s because your abilities are half-baked. I see you agree with the term depraved monk?”

“Well… actually I’m not even a depraved monk…. That’s practically a compliment.”

He is quite shameless yet understands his own standing well. In this way, Chajo was detestable yet never crossed the line.

As if proving that he is knowledgeable in trivia but only scratches the surface of everything, resulting in mediocrity, the movements of the child monks are incredibly awkward. However, waddling and moving stiffly, they laid out clothes and accessories one after another.

“Hey disciple there, are your earlobes pierced?”

“No.”

Bipa answered instead while flipping through the clothes without sincerity. They were clothes made of high-quality silk, so fine it was a pity to handle them roughly. They weren’t even worth a glance. He absolutely detested conspicuous appearances. Bipa scoffed and pushed the clothes away.

“Is this the current style? How loud.”

“Of course. Here, look at these ruby earrings. They aren’t just excellent goods, they are the finest quality.”

“Too conspicuous.”

“So? If they aren’t conspicuous, why decorate at all?”

“The problem is that they’re just conspicuous and not particularly pretty.”

Looking at the ruby, he said it looked like a monster’s eyeball; the emerald looked like rotting moss; and the sapphire looked like ice, giving him goosebumps. Chajo fumed, calling him a rustic bastard who didn’t know fashion. Muyun smirked, knowing Bipa was picking a fight for no reason.

However, Chajo’s face, which only mimicked the appearance of a monk, was turning red and purple with rage. Eventually, he clenched his fists tight and screamed. Due to the overflow of emotion, the child monk shikshin crumbled down into ash with a poof.

“Do you know how I got those!”

“Muyun, come here.”

Ignoring whatever Chajo was saying, Bipa called Muyun. Muyun walked over with leisurely steps and stood next to Bipa.

Without really looking, Bipa reached out, sat him down next to him, and then held a ruby earring against Muyun’s earlobe. When Muyun flinched and stiffened, Bipa murmured.

“Stay still.”

“…….”

Bipa’s face is very close. Because he is tilting his head towards him with his gaze cast down, his eyelashes, delicate eyebrows, and above all, the curve of his brow bone and nose bridge were clearly visible.

Muyun stayed still without blinking once, following his master’s order. And very slowly, with great care, he captured all those lines in his eyes.

“It suits you well.”

Soon, Bipa lifted his gaze to meet his eyes, and his pupils appeared faintly dark green at first glance. It is a mysterious light, like a sea of ripened grass.

However, Bipa’s eyes are actually far from green. They are just ordinary, plain black. It’s just that even the smallest ripples of emotion swirling within them appear as colorful hues, making one feel that way.

Muyun, who has lost all interest in the emotions, pain, sorrow, and joy of others, wonders why Bipa alone is an exception.

“You said it was conspicuous or whatever.”

Pouting his lips and grumbling, Chajo tried to dig through the ash scattered on the floor to pick up the cores of the shikshin. Pretending not to know, Bipa simply moved the tip of his foot and abruptly kicked dirt over it.

Chajo cried out, “Oh my, he doesn’t even know the value of that!” He glared at Bipa, who had destroyed his art with a very simple method. But Bipa had already turned his head and was conversing with Muyun.

“Maybe because you’re handsome, flashy things suit you well.”

“It feels awkward. Isn’t it too flashy?”

Muyun asked in a low voice. Bipa, whose gaze was captivated by either the ruby or Muyun’s earlobe, just nodded.

“I thought it would be, but it’s not. Is this why people in Gaeryeong decorate themselves so much?”

“Indeed! Traditionally, a man should be as beautiful as a flower.”

Bipa pretended not to hear Chajo’s chime-in. He just has a very satisfied expression. Seeing the pride on his face saying he chose well, Muyun awkwardly fingered his earlobe.

“Then, put it on me. You said it looks good.”

“To do that, we’d have to make a wound in your ear.”

“It’s just making a small hole in the earlobe.”

Bipa and Muyun chatted affectionately, just the two of them, as if Chajo wasn’t there. Chajo, who was watching them closely while being alienated, subtly stuck his head in and interrupted.

“In that case, shall I do it?”

Of course, Muyun pretended not to hear. He got up straight away, brought a needle, and headed to the fire pit. Taking out a piece of charcoal that had almost burned out, he very easily kindled a fire with a few waves of his hand fan.

Chajo, who was peeking around the kitchen doorway watching that scene, quickly returned to Bipa and tattled.

“That one, his nature is fire.”

“I know.”

Bipa replied in an indifferent tone. There is no way a master wouldn’t know his disciple’s nature.

“You are wood. Why are you raising something that doesn’t suit you?”

Bipa remained silent while looking into the ruby earring. In that way, he ended up only provoking Chajo’s temper.

Having come from the capital surrounded by rumors and scandals, he had a nature that required getting to the bottom of stories like this. Just as he was about to grab Bipa by the shoulders, shake him, and ask how fire and wood could live together, Muyun came out. Holding a needle glowing red hot.

He sat down in front of Bipa docilely like a large dog and held out the needle. The heated tip pointed towards himself, and the eye of the needle faced Bipa.

Bipa cooled the needle slightly in the air, then firmly grasped the back of Muyun’s neck. His lips were completely dry in that moment.

“Don’t regret this.”

“Please pierce it prettily.”

Chajo’s eyes widened in surprise that the guy who was a giant ember, practically fire itself, was acting so charmingly.

Bipa spread his legs as if he were cutting Muyun’s hair and placed Muyun between them. The only difference this time was that they were facing each other. Muyun’s Adam’s apple trembled up and down.

Bipa repeatedly licked his lips. Because of this habit, they tend to chap easily in the cold wind, and it seems this year won’t pass without them hurting either.

Holding the earlobe, he aimed the tip of the needle. A weapon to hurt Muyun was in his hand. Feeling dizzy for a moment, he closed his eyes and opened them, then clenched his teeth and pushed the needle.

A pop sensation traveled up his hand. It is eerie. The act of damaging another person’s body gave him goosebumps and made him nauseous, yet it pulled up a secret ecstasy from the deep, intimate depths of his dantian.