TYMIR Ch 1

“Young Master. The path is slippery. Please don’t be like that, just let me carry you on my back.”

The breath that puffed out from his plump lips instantly turned into pale steam and fluttered up toward the sky. No matter how snugly one was dressed in a quilted jacket and quilted trousers, there was no way to withstand the severe midwinter cold. On the softly piled snow, the footprints of a small child embroidered a pale pattern. Every time the boy’s body, much smaller than his peers, swayed unsteadily, the arms of Makgae, who was following behind, swayed along with him.

“That is enough. How can a man-to-be be carried on someone’s back?”

Hyowon firmly shook his head, fidgeting with his bright red hands where the wind had clawed at them. His pronunciation was even slurred from being so frozen, but nonetheless, as if nothing were wrong, he once again put on a dignified air and began to walk ahead on his short legs.

“……Pardon?”

The child’s gait, having returned from his teacher’s house through the cold, was more dignified than ever. Though he was the young master he served, he was only ten years old. Those were not the words he expected to hear from a small master whose head barely reached his own solar plexus.

But no matter how young he was, he couldn’t just forcibly hoist the young master onto his back. Faced with his unusual stubbornness, Makgae clicked his tongue and quickened his pace. Fortunately, not too far away, he could see a grand, towering soseuldaemun gate.

“Hm? Makgae, what is that?”

Suddenly, his steps, which had been walking on the snow, came to a quiet halt. A softly piled snowdrift lay beneath the neatly arranged stone wall. It was something one could have easily passed by, but young Hyowon stared at it intently with his round eyes.

“……Pardon? What is it, sir?”

“Goodness, you are as dense as they come.”

Because it had snowed the night before, everything was pure white, and he had no idea what the boy was talking about. The slow-witted Makgae could not understand at once. So, when he looked around for a good while and asked again, a slender fingertip pointed to a spot beneath the wall.

“It must be that some snow fell from the wall, that’s all.”

His wandering gaze finally settled on one spot. Makgae, staring blankly at it, replied nonchalantly. And it was a reasonable assumption; while the snow was piled softly on all the other roof tiles, that particular spot was the only one where the tiles were distinctly exposed.

“Wait a moment, stay there.”

“Oh, my, our young master is so stubborn…”

Somehow, it felt unsettling to just ignore it and walk away. A white breath flowed once more from between his frozen lips.

“Young Master, where are you going?”

Just as the short legs were about to approach the snowdrift without hesitation, a large hand shot out and snatched the child’s shoulder. The fragile body couldn’t even take a single step and was left dangling and shaking.

“I simply cannot bear my curiosity.”

“If someone must go, then this servant shall go.”

His chubby cheeks had puffed up to twice their size; it seemed he was thoroughly sulking. Makgae shook his head repeatedly with a sigh, as if he’d had enough.

“Is that truly so?”

As if pleased by the answer, a smile as bright as the spring sunshine spread across the child’s face.

“Yes, stay right here and don’t move an inch.”

As if laying down a threat, the servant left his young master behind and cautiously approached the snowdrift. Yet, the closer he got, the stranger its shape seemed for it to be snow that had simply fallen from the wall. It was round, as if something were inside it, looking almost like a grave mound. The snow was piled so thickly that he couldn’t even guess what was inside.

“What in the world is that.”

When he got close enough for his fingertips to touch it, Makgae gathered his courage and nudged it lightly. At that, the softly piled snow scattered rustlingly in the passing wind, and its shape was clearly revealed.

“……Ah, oh my goodness!”

His cheeks, which had been frozen by the fierce winter wind, instantly turned deathly pale. From where the snow had been hollowed out, the bare, red-frozen flesh of a person was exposed.

It was the middle of winter, yet as if oblivious to the season, he wore a thin jeogori jacket and trousers made of plain cotton. What’s more, his shoes were gone, and his exposed feet were frozen solid and blood-red. Judging by his state, he must certainly be dead, and though Makgae himself was born and raised a commoner, it was his first time facing a corpse, and a scream burst out of him instinctively. Terrified, Makgae forgot all about his master and everything else, scrambling far away and busy covering his own eyes.

“Ma-Master Hyowon?”

Suddenly, he heard the crunch, crunch of footsteps on the snow. At this, Makgae lowered the hands that had been covering his eyes and peeked through his slitted lids.

“Y-…… Young Master, where are you going!”

Despite his servant’s attempt to stop him, Hyowon, with a blank expression, closed the distance slightly. Even with a rough glance, there wasn’t a spot on the skin that wasn’t frozen red. Yet, as if the person were truly dead, the gaunt chest showed not even the slightest movement. Then again, in this weather, and buried in the snow at that…

Thinking the person was dead, he was about to avert his gaze when the arch of Hyowon’s dark eyebrow twitched.

“Makgae, carry him on your back at once.”

The young master, who had been staring for a long while without even blinking, commanded more calmly than ever before.

“……Pardon? Wh-Who, sir?”

Makgae, still standing far off, just craned his neck with a half-dazed face, as if asking what he had just heard.

“This person.”

“Good heavens! H-How can this servant carry that!”

Makgae’s gaze followed the chubby index finger, and he shrieked as if he were having a fit. No matter if it was his master’s order, he could not bring himself to obey a command to carry a corpse.

“He’s alive.”

In the firm and clear voice, there was not a hint of a tremor.

“Wh-What are you saying right now…”

“Look, his fingers are still moving, are they not?”

The bright red, frozen hand twitched faintly, as if in response to Hyowon’s words.

“A-And what will you do after I carry him! Don’t tell me you intend to take him to the house? Don’t you dare say such an absurd thing. If the Mistress finds out, you will be severely punished!”

At the mention of the Mistress, the plump lips showed a flicker of hesitation. As if seizing this opportunity, Makgae’s mouth moved without rest.

“During the barley hump, it’s not just one or two slaves who freeze to death after running away from their masters.”

“……Still, how can I just leave, knowing full well that he is alive.”

“Just close your eyes tight and let’s go.”

Makgae’s words were not wrong, but Hyowon was not cruel enough to leave behind someone whose life was fading. Lying there on the cold, snowy ground, the person moved his fingers as if pleading to be saved. After a long silence, Hyowon finally managed to part his lips.

“……Instead of that, Makgae, couldn’t he be someone who has simply lost his way?”

“You can see his state and still say such a thing?”

Hyowon calmly gathered his thoughts and added more, but that servant Makgae showed no signs of backing down easily. After all, the person’s clothes were torn all over and unsuited for the season; they hardly looked like the attire of someone who was merely lost.

“Don’t be so agitated. For now, how about we secretly hide him in the small sarangchae where I stay?”

Hyowon gently closed the distance, took hold of Makgae’s sleeve, and quietly looked up at him. The dew pooled in his jet-black eyes glittered like the Milky Way.

“Why do you care so much about that commoner? Really, Young Master…”

In the child’s gaze, so pure it was clear, was mixed a sliver of hope that tugged at the heartstrings more than ever before. Unable to turn away from his young master’s earnest plea, the servant’s words trailed off.

“Hm? Makgae.”

“W-Well, then I’ll at least go get Manseok-hyungnim. I’d rather die than carry a corpse!”

It was a weak force, but he could not bring himself to shake it off. Makgae, who had been averting his gaze, shut his eyes tight as if he had made a decision.

“Is that truly so? You will truly do that for me?”

At the welcome news, the corners of Hyowon’s mouth, which had been laden with worry, lifted into a smile.

“Then I will be back shortly after going to the main house.”

As soon as they were alone, Hyowon once again approached the fallen person.

“How could this…”

Looking closely, the fallen person was, at most, a year or two older than himself. He was much smaller even than Makgae, who had not yet finished growing. More than that, his condition was even more wretched from how long he had been buried in the snow. His skin, which must have originally been fair, was all frozen and burst from the cold, mottled red and purple like the Japanese apricot blossoms in the yard.

“I’ve called for people, so you’ll be alright soon.”

His small hands moved busily, brushing away the piled snow. The chill transferred instantly, spreading as if to freeze his small palms. But no matter how much snow he brushed off, the fainted person didn’t move, as if he were dead. Was I mistaken earlier? Is he already dead? A belated sense of anxiety made his small hands tremble.

“What did my teacher say to do when you see someone who is cold…”

If the person were at least conscious, he could have just taken off his fur clothes and given them, but this was the first time Hyowon had encountered someone so thoroughly frozen. Before he knew it, a look of panic crept across his plump cheeks, which had turned flushed from the biting wind. After a moment’s hesitation, Hyowon first wrapped his own marten fur scarf around the person. Then, he pushed away the rest of the piled snow and patted the flat back.

He patted for a long while in time with the faint breaths. Then, the tightly shut eyelids seemed to tremble, and jet-black pupils were revealed.

“H-Have you come to your senses?”

As their eyes met, Hyowon brought his face right up close and asked. The person was clearly looking at him, but no answer came back. For an instant, a bright yellow energy spread across the pupils that were as black as the night sky. As he watched, mesmerized, the one who had taken the form of a person just a moment ago transformed, as if by a lie, into the form of a white beast.

“Wh-What is this…”

In a situation that was hard to believe even seeing it with his own eyes, Hyowon rubbed his eyes like a madman. Until the fair skin around his eyes turned bright red. But no matter how much he rubbed, all that was before him was a white beast, curled into a ball and trembling pitifully.

“Young Master, Master Hyowon!”

It was then. At the sound of his name being called from a distance, Hyowon turned his head.

“Wh-What am I to do.”

He could see Makgae running breathlessly with Manseok. What on earth could he say to explain this situation? The moment he lowered his gaze again, the white beast that had clearly been in front of him was gone, and the person had returned to their human form.

“Th-This is…”

Hyowon stared blankly at the fallen person with a bewildered face.

🎐⋆｡🍥

Upon reaching the small sarangchae, set apart in a corner, a warm breath finally escaped Hyowon’s lips. The moment they were through the small side-door, Makgae quickly slid the latch. As if it were another world, as if to shut everything out.

“You’re a little late today. Please, come inside, Y-Young Master?”

Suni, who had been guarding the sarangchae alone, was setting a small dining table on the wooden floor when she belatedly noticed their presence and turned. The moment she saw the limbs dangling limply behind Manseok’s back, her voice trembled as if she had seen a ghost.

“Is that a, a person? Makgae, how on earth have you been looking after the Young Master? And Manseok-orabeoni too…”

Suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the silence.

“What did I do! This is all because the Young Master…”
“We don’t have time for this. Hurry and lay out a mattress in a spare room.”

Hyowon resolutely blocked Makgae, who was stomping his feet in frustration.

“Young Master. Did you receive permission from the Mistress?”

Suni merely showed a troubled expression, not moving readily.

“I will tell her later, so hurry.”
“Sigh, but still, how can we take in a person of unknown origins…”

At the repeated urging, Suni grumbled and reluctantly stepped up onto the wooden floor.

“Makgae, you go and stoke the fire in the furnace some more.”
“No, it’s an honor just to have brought him this far. Why are you going to such lengths?”

The members of the small sarangchae household one by one returned to their places. Yet, what was he so dissatisfied about? Makgae’s thick lips protruded past the tip of his nose.

“Hurry!”

At this, Hyowon’s round eyes narrowed fiercely as he shouted. At the boy’s vibrant energy, Makgae kicked a protruding stone with a thump and reluctantly entered the kitchen. His slumped shoulders were laden with dissatisfaction.

🎐⋆｡🍥

In the small room attached to the corner of Hyowon’s sarangbang, which didn’t even get much sunlight, a single mattress filled the entire floor. The unused room was chilly. On the mattress in that cold room, a person, or what might have been one, was gasping painfully for breath.

“Young Master, where on earth did this child come from for his skin to be all…”

Looking closely, you couldn’t find a single part of him that was unharmed. Because he had worn a thin cotton jeogori in the dead of winter, all his skin was frozen and had burst open, inflamed and red, making it a difficult sight to behold.

“Perhaps he’s a runaway slave? Young Master, even now…”

But the sympathy did not last long. Suni only moved her lips with an uncomfortable expression.

“Do not say such things. How can we kick him out when we have already brought him here.”
“Even if the Mistress punishes us, I will claim to know nothing of it.”

Suni, who had been standing by, couldn’t hold back and vented her complaints. Hyowon couldn’t offer a proper reply and quietly rolled his jet-black eyes. The anxiety in his clear eyes was plain to see.

“Suni, you stop it too and hurry and bring some hot water and a change of clothes.”
“Manseok-orabeoni!”

Perhaps finding the anxious young master pitiful, Manseok, who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly interjected. Since he rarely meddled in others’ affairs, Suni’s expression crumpled as if she were being wronged.

“…Can he be cured?”
“For now, we should just watch over him…”

Hyowon quietly raised his head and looked up at Manseok. At his sorrowful eyes that looked as if his heart were melting, Manseok couldn’t bring himself to finish his words.

“Yes, I suppose we must. We brought him in secretly, so we can’t even call a physician.”

The child’s thin voice trembled precariously. Hyowon still could not take his eyes off the person lying there.

🎐⋆｡🍥

The diligent winter sun quickly hid its form, and before long, darkness settled thickly outside the paper-paned window. Hyowon sat before his evening meal, staring at it blankly as if it were an offering at an ancestral rite.

“Shall I go to the kitchen and bring some more side dishes?”

White rice, warm cabbage and soybean paste soup, well-seasoned bulgogi. Even greens that were hard to see in winter. No matter how he looked at it, it was no different from a feast. Why was he being picky about the side dishes, something he never usually did? Makgae, who had been furtively stealing glances, spoke up cautiously.

“……That is enough.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Hyowon finally picked up his spoon. But even that was half-hearted. Like a young bird pecking at its feed, he ate as if he were not eating.

He had definitely asked to be called first thing when the person woke up, but seeing how quiet it was, it seemed they still hadn’t regained consciousness. To have been that frozen solid, it would be strange to wake up in just half a day, but still…

An occasional sigh escaped his small lips.

“Why have you been like that since a while ago? Eating as if you’re not eating.”

Unable to watch any longer, Makgae plopped down in front of him and craned his neck forward.

“That… you said he still hasn’t come to his senses?”

“What are you talking about?”

The lips that had been mumbling for a long while finally made a sound. Makgae, who was staring at him, picked his nose and asked again.

“I’m talking about the person in the room across.”

“Goodness, are you that worried about that wretch?”

The tips of his jet-black eyebrows trembled faintly. Makgae stuck out his lips like a duck’s bill, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

“How could I not be worried after seeing his condition?”

“You acted so indifferent when I caught a cold, so why are you fawning over that one so much?”

Hyowon was as calm as a windless lake. Watching him, Makgae’s anger flared up, and he berated his young master without taking a breath.

“That’s because, Makgae, yours wasn’t that serious then. How can then and now be the same.”

“Why aren’t they the same! Do you remember what you said when I was so sick I asked you to let me use the room across?”

How could he not know. It was just that Makgae’s cold at the time had been nothing but a light cough, almost embarrassing to even call a cold. He had simply fought with another servant in the servants’ quarters and had thrown a tantrum, not wanting to sleep there with him. He had refused, thinking that if he started granting such requests, there would be no end to it. He never thought Makgae would hold such a grudge.

“Alright, alright, I am sorry for not being more considerate of your feelings.”

“As soon as he regains consciousness, you’ll send him away immediately, right?”

When Hyowon offered a perfunctory apology, tired of arguing over every little thing, Makgae’s shoulders bounced, as if he had gained an army of a thousand men.

“Why do you ask that?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like we need more hands here, is it.”

Hyowon’s gentle eyes flashed with a cold light. Startled by the unchildlike aura, Makgae flinched and lowered his gaze, changing the subject appropriately.

“Stop your nonsense and go to sleep.”

“As your personal servant, I should at least see to your bedding.”

Hyowon showed his displeasure and slightly turned his body. At that, Makgae pushed the table to a corner and quickly stood up to open the wardrobe.

“That’s enough. I will just sleep on the thick mattress tonight, so you may be dismissed.”

The sight of him acting so spiteful towards someone hovering on the brink of death. Finding even his shadow distasteful, Hyowon added without taking a breath.

“……Really?”

Makgae, who was idly fiddling with the wardrobe handle, stealthily glanced at Hyowon.

“I said so.”

In case a problem arose later. Makgae asked again as if to confirm. To this, Hyowon slowly nodded. The sharp edge of his aura had subsided, and he had returned to his usual gentle face.

“Then, good night, Young Master.”

The thick winter mattress was extremely heavy, so laying it out and folding it was a chore in itself. But since the young master had deliberately said it was enough, it couldn’t be more convenient for Makgae. As if afraid Hyowon’s mind might change as easily as flipping one’s palm, Makgae quickly picked up the table he had pushed aside and shot out of the room like an arrow.

“……Is he that happy.”

Hyowon, who had been staring blankly at the swift retreating figure, slowly shook his head. He had never thought Makgae became his personal servant because he liked him in the first place, but at times like this, he couldn’t shake off the bitterness.

Once the one who had been making a fuss beside him was gone, the sound of the window frame rattling in the fierce wind blowing from the back mountain became even clearer. The small body, settled on the mattress, shifted restlessly. He bent his short legs, then straightened them. Hyowon couldn’t stay still for a moment.

“……I must have seen things, right?”

The plump lips that had been firmly shut finally parted. If not, how could a person turn into a beast? Even his knowledgeable teacher had never taught him such a thing. Yet, whether he sat or lay down, that fluffy fur kept flickering in his eyes. The small and lovely thing looked like a fox, no matter how he looked at it. Hyowon stared blankly at his own palm.

“Huh?”

On the sleeve of his light red clothes, there was a single strand of white fur. His eyes, as black as dissolved ink, widened for a moment. It was appropriately short and pure white, just like.

As if possessed, Hyowon sat up.

🎐⋆｡🍥

“Oh my? Young Master, you’re not asleep yet?”

As he pulled open the handle of the door to the room across, Suni greeted Hyowon with a very puzzled face. Her gaze traveled quickly from the top of Hyowon’s head to the tips of his toes and back.

“……Suni, what were you doing here?”