TYMIR Ch 12

Hyowon, who had been sobbing all along, composedly straightened up from his embrace. However, his sleeves were already soaked and had turned a dark color. Seeing that made him feel like he had caused unnecessary worry, and his heart ached unbearably.

“Hyungnim, sister, would you like to go down first?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Yoonyi finally spoke. At that, the two of them showed the whites of their eyes and asked back.

“And you?”

“I’ll come down with the young master shortly.”

“To comfort him?”

Suni immediately asked, a playful look appearing on her freckled cheeks.

“Co-comforting? Who are you talking about as if they were a child!”

“Yes, yes, we will head down first.”

At that, the usually quiet Hyowon suddenly raised his voice. Paying him no mind, the two turned their backs and headed down the narrow path first.

“Th-that…!”

Hyowon shot up his index finger and repeatedly pointed at Suni’s retreating back.

“Young Master, let’s go down too.”

Yoonyi, who was quietly watching Hyowon’s expression change, couldn’t hold back and let out a laugh. At this, Hyowon’s head slowly turned.

“You’re really not sick anywhere, are you?”

The raised finger drooped powerlessly, and his clear eyes, which seemed to hold the stars, still shimmered with lingering worry. His tone sounded particularly mournful.

“Of course not. I don’t know why I was like that all of a sudden either.”

Yoonyi quickly lowered himself to meet his gaze. The small, pebble-like face was still flushed and red in places, the heat not having subsided. As if to take away the heat, Yoonyi gently raised a hand and stroked the soft cheek.

“Don’t ever… disappear like that without a word again.”

Hyowon, who had been biting his lip for a long while, finally spoke.

“Were you that worried?”

“You even have to ask…”

The chubby baby fat pushed up to his cheekbones. His eyes, which had been full of deep concern, now turned sharp and glared at Yoonyi. How pretty and lovely he was. His own eyes naturally curved into a bright smile.

“Why aren’t you answering.”

Hyowon, who had been staring as if bewitched, narrowed the distance between them and suddenly wrapped his arms around Yoonyi’s neck. With every breath, a sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose. He stayed still, enjoying the unique warmth of the small and cozy child in his eyes, but then the arms around him gradually tightened as if urging a response.

“Yes, from now on, I will always tell you before I go anywhere.”

“I… I thought you had left me too.”

“How could I ever leave your side, Young Master?”

The small, frightened back trembled like the wings of a baby bird. At this, Yoonyi warmly embraced and comforted him.

“Right? There’s no way you would leave me, Yoonyi.”

“Of course.”

Hyowon, who had been clinging to him for a long while, finally received his promise and pulled back.

“Around this time every year, Suni gathers spring herbs for me. She probably asked you to go with her. I’m sorry for shouting like that.”

Hyowon’s gaze tilted downwards and rested at his feet. After crying so much, the sight of him now understanding so maturely was unbearably lovely. A gentle smile formed along the corners of Yoonyi’s mouth.

“Still, I like you more than the herbs, Yoonyi.”

At the warmly cast gaze, Hyowon pressed even closer. His round earlobes were reddish as if stained by the sunset.

“Do you like me that much, Young Master?”

“Of course. Didn’t I tell you repeatedly?”

At the child’s innocent confession, Yoonyi’s eyes curved softly.

‘What in the world is all that?’

Makgae’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, as though he had witnessed a truly bizarre scene. He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep a sound from escaping in his shock and quietly retreated like a shadow.

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“Are you sure you don’t need to see a physician?”

“I’m sure.”

Even though they had returned safely to the small cottage, Suni’s face was still covered in dark clouds. Not wanting to cause any more worry, Yoonyi answered with a bright smile.

“Anyway, Yoonyi, you always say everything is fine, so I can’t trust you. Young Master, if anything happens, come to the servants’ quarters immediately.”

As if displeased with his response, Suni subtly shifted her gaze to the side.

“I will.”

“Then we will head back to the servants’ quarters first.”

Hyowon’s eyes were filled with determination. Manseok, who had been watching him with considerable satisfaction, quickly bowed his head.

“Go on in, Young Master. I’ll prepare your bedding.”

Hyowon still stood frozen in place, staring intently at Yoonyi’s face. Even under the slanted moonlight, his gaze was incredibly clear.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing. I’m not a child. You go in and rest first, Yoonyi. Your face is still so pale.”

Hyowon, who had been silent for a long time, let out a deep sigh and answered.

“…Pardon?”

No matter that the year had turned and he was now eleven, in Yoonyi’s eyes, he was still a small young master who needed protection. But for Hyowon to say something like this. His mouth fell open on its own.

“Yoonyi, what are you doing there.”

Hyowon paid him no mind, hopped up onto the veranda, and walked down the corridor. Then he threw open the paper-screen door located in a corner of the corridor.

“Don’t worry about anything today, and get a good rest.”

As Yoonyi hesitantly approached his side, Hyowon pushed his thin back through the open door with a hand like a ginkgo leaf. Then, with a rather stern tone, he closed the door.

“Is my complexion that bad.”

This had never happened before, so Yoonyi, having entered the room alone, wiped his cheek with a dry hand. The events on the mountain still felt surreal. A tiger in the form of a man? Or a man in the form of a tiger? His mind was still dizzy with jumbled thoughts.

But he had definitely called him a fox. Thinking it over, a sudden headache erupted as if his head would split. Yoonyi couldn’t even spread out his bedding and lay down on the floor as he was.

“…A being that is not human.”

The Mountain Lord’s words kept echoing in his ears. Yoonyi muttered the words lifelessly. A faint moonlight began to seep through the paper screen. Today, for some reason, every sound felt clearer, as if it were right next to him.

‘Why is it so hot.’

The spring equinox had just passed, but sweat pooled down his back as if he were standing under the scorching midsummer sun. Yoonyi twisted his body against the rapidly spreading heat.

“W-water…”

In the end, a searing heat pervaded his body as if it were on fire. It felt like he would only survive if he could wet his throat. So he rubbed his blurry eyes and put strength into his ankles. But he didn’t even have the energy to get up. With his condition suddenly worsening, Yoonyi couldn’t even get his bearings and repeatedly tried to stand, only to slam his knees on the floor with a thud. A sharp pain shook his entire body.

Having no choice, Yoonyi dragged his heavy, limp body across the floor. The moment he reached for the doorknob.

“Y-Yoonyi…?”

Along with the cool night air, Hyowon’s form, bathed in moonlight, shimmered into view like a heat haze.

“Young Master…”

“Are you sick again somewhere?”

Hyowon rushed into the room and examined Yoonyi. A small hand immediately rested on his round forehead. The palm felt like it was boiling, like the warmest part of a heated floor in deep winter.

“I think you have a fever, a fever. Wait just a moment, I need to go get Manseok.”

Yoonyi, with his body limp, blinked his eyes slowly like a corpse. Hyowon’s startled tone trembled precariously. Suddenly, as if moisture was gathering along his long eyelashes, a yellow halo of light pooled over his jet-black pupils, appearing and disappearing repeatedly.

“…Don’t tell me.”

His condition was not normal. Yoonyi’s complexion, as if his fever was constantly rising, was losing its color and turning beet red. As if that weren’t enough, he eventually began to tremble all over like an aspen tree, as if he had chills.

“Y-Young Master, I’m thirsty.”

Yoonyi, whose lips were parched, managed to utter a single word, his mouth agape. At that, Hyowon quickly crossed the threshold. The light footsteps seemed to fade away, and soon, a small hand returned holding a water pitcher.

“Can you drink?”

As if he couldn’t even hear the words, Yoonyi failed to answer. Hyowon, with all his might, supported Yoonyi’s frail back with his entire body and let water trickle through the gap in his lips.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

As he barely swallowed a mouthful, his closed eyelids slightly parted. A question laced with anxiety cut through the air.

“I keep getting a fever…”

His cloudy, unfocused eyes wavered weakly. Yoonyi still trembled in fear, as if he knew nothing. The sight was so pitiful that Hyowon’s own vision blurred. He squeezed the hand he was holding even tighter.

“I know, I know everything, so there’s no need to worry.”

Although he answered as calmly as possible to not startle him, Hyowon was just as frightened. Was there any herbal medicine left in the kitchen? Surely, going to the servants’ quarters would cause a commotion. His small mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

“…Young master.”

In the middle of his pitch-black pupils, a bright yellow light began to spread like a creeping fog. Then, Yoonyi, who had his eyes half-open, closed them completely.

“Yoonyi, Yoonyi!”

Hyowon, his face pale, gently shook the thin arm. But for some reason, the limp body didn’t move at all, as if deeply asleep. His lower lip, once red as a flower petal, had turned deathly pale. Tears, welling up like the tide, suddenly streamed down his cheeks.

“Please, try to come to your senses.”

Hyowon wailed, burying his head in the flat chest. The hand he had been holding so tightly seemed to slip away, like grasping sand. At this, Hyowon, his vision blurred with tears, looked down at his own palm. Yoonyi’s hand, which had once been larger than his, had become a small, furry paw.

Soft white fur sprouted densely on the once pure, snow-like skin. When he had seen it before, it had looked so young it was pitiable. It seemed to have grown a little since then, now slightly larger than a puppy.

“…Y-Yoonyi?”

He had seen the transformed appearance when they first met, but it was still an unbelievable sight to witness right before his eyes. What on earth was happening? When Hyowon called his name, the black, bean-like eyes stared up at him.

“Wh-what is this.”

He had clearly been in so much pain, but Yoonyi, now a fox, stretched his front paws long, then stood up abruptly on his short legs. Then he sat in front of Hyowon and gazed at him as if looking in a mirror. Wondering if he was dreaming, Hyowon rubbed his tear-filled eyes with the back of his hand.

Whine.

As his eyes became red, the fox, which had been about a hand’s breadth away, moved closer as if to say “don’t do that” and licked Hyowon’s tear-stained fingers. A pale pink tongue was visible between its small lips.

“Are you telling me not to?”

Woof!

At the warm and moist sensation, Hyowon asked tentatively, and the round head nodded quickly.

“Alright, I won’t rub them.”

Hyowon, still sniffling, couldn’t take his eyes off the fox that was Yoonyi. Now that he thought about it, he had only seen him whimpering and this was the first time they faced each other in this sound state, so he was worried about what to do. What if he didn’t return to his original form…. Moreover, it seemed he never remembered anything from when he was a fox. The boy’s face clouded over with deep worry.

Whine.

The fox pressed its small body tightly against him, rubbing. Through the thin fabric of his clothes, he could fully feel the soft fur. Hyowon just watched it quietly.

“Are you trying to comfort me?”

Hyowon tried speaking again. There was no reply, but those pitch-black eyes were still fixed on him. The soft fur touching his skin was so ticklish it seemed to melt away all his worries. Hyowon naturally reached out his hand and very slowly stroked from the head to the back of the fox that was Yoonyi.

‘You must return to your original form tomorrow….’

As if pleased with the warm touch, the fox, with its black eyes shining, rested its head on Hyowon’s leg as if it were a pillow and slowly closed its eyes. Occasionally, its tail, lush for such a small body, would swing gracefully, lightly tapping the soft mattress.

“You must be tired.”

Hyowon quietly took in the sight. Whether in human form or fox form, he was truly beautiful. Just as he thought he was falling asleep, the closed eyelids suddenly opened, and a bright yellow light flashed in his eyes.

Grrr!

“Hm? What’s wrong, Yoonyi.”

The fox leaped to its feet and turned its back to Hyowon. Then it repeatedly bared its rice-grain-sized canine teeth. While he was bewildered, not knowing what was going on,

“Young master, is something wrong? I think I hear a strange sound from inside.”

Soon, it sounded like Makgae’s voice from the main hall, followed by the loud thumping of footsteps pounding on the wooden floor. Would Yoonyi be discovered like this? At the same time, Hyowon’s face turned white.

“Yoonyi, shh.”

Hyowon calmly and gently called to the fox that had its back to him. Fortunately, it seemed to understand, as Yoonyi hid his pinky-nail-sized canines and trotted over to stand in front of him. At this, Hyowon brought his index finger to his lips and quickly lifted the blanket. Then the fox, tilting its fist-sized head, darted inside.

“Just a moment, just wait for a moment.”

As the footsteps passed the main hall and neared the room, Hyowon quickly stepped outside. Then, he firmly blocked the paper-screen door with his entire body and composed his expression.

“Young master, why are you coming out from there?”

Makgae, finding it extremely questionable that he was coming out of a corner room instead of his own study, narrowed his brow and asked.

“I had something to ask Yoonyi and was just on my way out. But why are you wandering around at this time of night?”

“…Yes?”

Hyowon let out a small breath and fired off his questions without a pause. The sharpness was like a needle, and Makgae’s thick shoulders trembled slightly.

“You usually don’t come even when called, I suppose the sun will rise in the west tomorrow.”

“Oh, what are you talking about. I just came because I heard a strange noise.”

As always, Hyowon stared at Makgae with a calm tone. At that, Makgae, who had been glaring intently at the paper-screen door, quickly averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head.

“Nothing is wrong, so go back and sleep.”

“Yes, good night to you too, young master… what’s with the fur?”

Just as he was turning away, a single strand of fur caught Makgae’s questioning eye. He quickly turned back and asked.

“…Fur?”

Hyowon’s gaze dropped listlessly. As Makgae said, on the pure white jeogori, the fox’s pale fur stood out. At a glance, it sparkled as if it were a precious silver thread.

“…Ah, I must have gotten it on me when I went up the mountain earlier.”

Hyowon’s previously calm eyes wavered greatly. His agitated tone trembled precariously.

“The mountain?”

Makgae narrowed his eyes and stared at him from head to toe. On Makgae’s rough face, an unabated suspicion remained deeply etched.

“Yes, there was a small disturbance so we went to the back mountain together. Must I report such things to you as well?”

Hyowon forced his mouth open wide and feigned a yawn. Dewdrops glistened along his already reddened eyes.

“Oh, no, sir. Please rest. Young master.”

Makgae slightly bowed his head and finally managed to move his reluctant feet. Hyowon, wondering why that fellow was being so persistent today, finally wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“Yoonyi.”

After confirming that Makgae was far away, Hyowon carefully pulled open the paper-screen door of the corner room again.

“Huh?”

The small fox that had been there when he left the room was now gone without a trace, and in its place was Yoonyi, with his black hair and handsome face. Seeing him buried in the blankets, sleeping soundly as if he had no care in the world, he felt all the strength drain from his body.

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He was sure that while he was hiding and watching, he hadn’t seen a single animal. Where could such white fur have come from? Unable to solve the mystery, Makgae scratched his hair vigorously.