TBML 14

It was far too solid and vivid to be a ghost. The rain bounced off his form, and his weight pressed into the muddy earth beneath him.

It was only thanks to Yeon’s lake-still heart that he hadn’t fainted then and there. A lesser soul with a pea-sized courage might’ve dropped to the ground in a dead swoon. Thankfully, Yeon managed to calm his startled heart soon enough. Though his ears still rang with the thunderous beat of his heart, at least his face looked composed.

Letting his thoughts sink slowly like pebbles to the bottom of that lake-like calm, Yeon studied the man before him.

What he wore couldn’t rightly be called clothes, nor was he truly naked. He was deep in the mountains, under a light but steady spring rain. The breeze was gentle, but it was still too chilly to be wandering about with bare skin, especially in the mountains where the air bit sharper.

In short, the man looked like he’d freeze to death in this mild spring weather. And despite his bare, dirt-streaked feet and tangled hair, the cloth draped around him was of fine make, unmistakably the kind used in noble households.

And yet, here he was—no servant in sight, alone in the remote forested mountains.

If one didn’t look too closely, he might’ve passed for a raving lunatic, one who might be called brother by even the most brutish executioner. His appearance was a mess, likely from a rough journey, but if you looked past the grime and wild hair, there was a quiet nobility in everything about him.

His soaked, ebony-black hair clung to his face. His eyes were so dark, they reminded Yeon of obsidian, something he’d never seen but only heard of. His skin was even fairer than Yeon’s, who was often scolded for being too delicate for a man. His hands and feet, though covered in wounds, had not a single layer of excess flesh—like a newborn child who had never done a lick of hard labor.

Most of all, the wooden tag he held in his hand was unmistakably a nobleman’s identification tag.

Compared to Yeon’s own tag, this one was smaller, carved from finer wood, and adorned with a dark blue tassel that looked soft even from a distance. Everything about the man pointed not to a ghost, but to a noble-born scholar raised in luxury.

Yeon’s eyes darted sideways.

Not only had the man said nothing in response to his question, but even as Yeon, clearly a hunter, boldly scanned him up and down, the man didn’t so much as scold him.

Thinking that he had no desire to be scolded over some trifling matter, Yeon lowered his body slightly, out of instinct. Scholars on their way to government exams sometimes passed through his village, but not during this season.

Yeon tried to imagine some reason why a scholar would be wandering the mountains, half-naked.

He thought of young noblemen like the magistrate’s second son—spoiled brats who sometimes used secluded mountain trails for forced trysts or secret affairs. Yeon knew the faces of every no-good son of a noble in this region.

After all, he was the one they all harassed day in and day out.

But this silent man before him was someone Yeon had never seen. And he knew he wouldn’t forget that face.

No one would. Anyone who laid eyes on this man would remember him for a long time, maybe for the rest of their life. Even though he was dirty and stained with blood, he was as beautiful as a figure carved from gold and jade.

“Blood…? Is that blood?”

At that moment, Yeon noticed the red streaks bleeding into the rain, fading into the muddy water.

And then a thought burst into his mind—a large tiger with dark stripes. Black Tiger.

Oddly, the image of that tiger came back to him, as though it were something he had missed dearly.

It was strange, but as if possessed, Yeon asked the man,

“Did you… perhaps encounter a tiger?”

The man flinched.

He didn’t answer, but the way his shoulders shook told Yeon all he needed to know. He was certain.

The wild hair, bare body, and dirtied feet made perfect sense if the man had just narrowly escaped a tiger’s jaws.

Though it bothered him that the man remained utterly silent, lips pursed like he’d swallowed a beehive, Yeon found himself nodding in understanding.

He’d seen it before—people attacked by tigers often lost their minds. Just a few months ago, Second Young Master Seo, who had tried to hurt him, went into hysterics at the mere mention of a tiger after crossing paths with the black tiger.

The tiger’s roar triggered something primal, a fear buried deep in human instinct.

“So… that’s what happened, isn’t it?”

Yeon asked gently, watching the man’s face, but again received no reply.

Instead, the man looked up at him and silently held out the muddy identification tag in his hand.

[Kim Hyeon-hak]

The sky was growing darker. Yeon squinted to read the characters etched into the tag. Luckily, it wasn’t too complicated.

His foster father, when bedridden, used to scold him relentlessly not to grow up as an illiterate fool, and thanks to that, Yeon had learned to read at least the basics.

Not that it helped him with things like understanding whether the interest rate on a debt was simple or compound—he still got swindled under broad daylight.

Anyway, because of that, Yeon could barely make out names and simple phrases. He could read enough to avoid complete humiliation.

There were a few more small letters under the name, probably stating where the man was from, but Yeon’s limited knowledge ended there.

Frowning slightly, he looked around.

The once gentle spring rain had begun falling harder, and the sky had grown dark. It was near the spot where he had freed the tiger from the hunting trap.

He knew they needed to leave, and soon.

But this strange nobleman, crouched in front of him, made things complicated.

If only he hadn’t noticed him. If only the man hadn’t been right in front of him. He couldn’t just pretend not to see him and head down the mountain alone. That meant Yeon would have to help him.

“Well… I need to go down the mountain now. Can you stand?”

How should he address the man? Elder? Sir? Young master? Yeon’s mind raced as he watched the man push his wet hair back with a hand and glance at him. The man’s face, pale and youthful, seemed out of place with his body.

Looking at the man’s face, which still held the remnants of boyishness, Yeon couldn’t bear to leave him behind. After a brief hesitation, he decided to address him as “Sir,” the safest choice between a boy and a young man.

It seemed the man had lost all his wits, for even as Yeon called him “Sir” and urged him to move, the man showed no intention of standing up. Just as Yeon was trying to figure out how to proceed, a faint but unmistakable presence of a beast reached his senses, cutting through the sound of the rain and the distant cawing of crows.

Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit Yeon hard, and fear gripped him. With a sense of urgency, he reached out toward the man.

“I’m sorry, Sir. If we stay out here in this rain, both of us might end up in danger. Please, forgive me.”

At the very least, if he could get the man to the magistrate’s office, he’d figure out the rest later. Yeon managed to get the dazed man up. Though the man remained silent, thankfully, he didn’t push Yeon’s hand away. When Yeon helped him to his feet, the man stiffened his legs beneath him.

When seated, Yeon hadn’t noticed, but now that he was standing, it was clear the man was taller than he’d expected. Even for someone as strong as Yeon, carrying the man down the mountain on his back was impossible.

Now standing, the man’s state looked even worse. His trousers, poorly tied, were soaked with rainwater, and his upper garment had only one sleeve in place. Yeon couldn’t help but apologize again, feeling his own guilt.

“There’s no way I can take you back to the village like this, not in such a state. The shame alone… it would be unbearable, and more than that, you could collapse from the cold before we even reach the village.”

With great care, Yeon adjusted the man’s clothes. Was it that noblemen couldn’t even dress themselves without a servant, or had the tiger somehow put the clothes back on him?

As Yeon worked on the unfamiliar garments, he noticed that the sleeves were too short, and the trousers too long. It looked as though the man had been wearing clothes meant for someone who was still growing, like a boy who had suddenly shot up.

Yeon felt a growing suspicion that this man was younger than he appeared.

“It’ll be dark soon. We need to get down the mountain before sunset.”

Although they wouldn’t make it to the village, they had to at least reach the nearest road where they might encounter people. Yeon, remembering the path he had taken, extended his hand toward the man, urging him to follow.

Despite his apparent confusion, the man walked surprisingly well. Even on the slippery mountain slope, he followed Yeon without complaint, like a well-trained dog. If the man hadn’t lost his wits, there was no way he could have followed Yeon so easily.

Yeon, known for his swift pace, was pleased to see the man keeping up despite his noble status.

“Ah!”

After descending halfway, the rain intensified. Yeon hesitated for a moment, but when he turned around, he saw the man standing a few steps behind him, looking dazed.

The man had been following well until now—had he finally reached his limit? Yeon quickly moved to him, only to see blood staining the man’s muddy feet.

Sitting down on the ground, Yeon examined the man’s feet, which were a bloody mess, as if he had never walked on anything other than smooth floors. The feet, battered by the harsh journey, were unrecognizable.

Though Yeon had carried tigers down the mountain before, the man was too large for him to carry on his back. Faced with the dilemma, Yeon wiped the rain from his face with his sleeve and let out a quiet groan. The cawing of crows was faint amidst the sound of the rain.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Yeon sighed and removed his own straw sandals. Though they were too small for the man, they were better than walking barefoot over rocks and twigs.

Yeon’s feet grew damp as the ground beneath him soaked his bare feet, but at least he had tied the socks tightly enough to avoid frostbite.