TYMIR Ch 31

“No, you must be tired. Please, go on in.”

Finding it awkward to ask again, Yoonyi quickly changed the subject. Then he scurried ahead first to open the side door for him. At this, Hyowon’s face crumpled slightly.

“Yoonyi, is that all you’re curious about.”

“Pardon?”

“No, I’m not even sure if you’re curious about that at all.”

“What do you mean by……”

Just as Yoonyi was about to lift his downcast eyes, the bit of warmth that had wafted from the smell of alcohol turned icy cold. Hyowon had turned away without a second thought and was already passing through the side door.

Without any sign of waiting for Yoonyi to close the open door and follow him, Hyowon’s footsteps left behind a heavy, cold trail.

🎐⋆｡🍥

“Young master, are you just coming in now?”

Suni, who had been frantically wiping the wooden floor, quickly turned her head toward the courtyard at the sound of a presence approaching. There, she saw Hyowon just stepping over the threshold. Hyowon crossed the courtyard in a flash and, as soon as he stepped onto the main porch, he untied his gat strings with a rough hand.

“Last night, how did you……”

As if he couldn’t hear her, Hyowon didn’t even spare her a glance and went straight into the small sarangchae. Suni stood blankly, just blinking her eyes at his figure, from which a chill that seemed to bite at the skin flowed.

“What happened now? Why is the young master blowing such a cold wind?”

“……Nui.”

Seeing Yoonyi follow right behind him, Suni, with a rather aggrieved face, closed the distance in a single breath. Yoonyi just repeatedly bit down hard on his lower lip.

“I can tell just by looking, did he get an earful from Madam on his way in?”

“N-no, that’s not it, Makgae hyungnim.”

Makgae, who had been standing there blankly holding and shaking a broom, suddenly added his voice. It already felt like standing on a bed of thorns, and his mocking tone was extremely grating on the ears. On a normal day, he would have let it pass. Yoonyi couldn’t hold it in and shouted. An unrelenting wariness pooled in his eyes.

“Or did he already hear about Lord Hong’s house?”

Suni, who had been patting Makgae’s arm as if to stop him, suddenly clapped her hands and turned her gaze to Yoonyi. It wasn’t Madam Han, but since it was true that he had heard about the marriage, Yoonyi nodded weakly.

“Oh dear, seeing how firm it is, looks like you’re getting kicked out for sure this time.”

“What are you talking about already?”

At Makgae’s blunt remark, Suni glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Well, it’s not like I’m wrong. In the first place, marriage isn’t something Madam can decide on her own.”

“Be quiet. Things are already unsettling, why are you adding to it?”

The nasty mouth just had to have its say. As Yoonyi’s shoulders gradually slumped, Suni smacked Makgae’s plump lips hard enough to make a sound.

“Jeez, taking it out on me for no reason. Can’t I even say something like that.”

Makgae kicked hard at the sprouting green weeds and gripped the broom again.

“Just pretend you didn’t hear him. Yoonyi, you should hurry and go inside.”

As Suni’s angry glare poured down on him again, Makgae quickly covered his mouth with his hand. Suni, letting out a series of heavy sighs, gently pushed Yoonyi’s shoulder.

“Nui, by any chance, is there honey in the kitchen?”

“Honey for what?”

Yoonyi, who was about to take off his straw shoes and step onto the porch, suddenly turned around and asked. At that, Suni asked back with a blank face.

“It seems the young master drank too much yesterday……”

“For real, just as I said, did the young master go to a gisaeng house last night?”

Suni’s round eyes grew so wide they looked like they would pop out. Her voice wavered in disbelief.

“What? The young master? Leaving you behind, Yoonyi?”

At that, Makgae’s eyes, who had been grumbling and about to head outside, twisted viciously.

“Huh? What does Yoonyi have to do with it? Did this one eat something weird? He’s spouting strange nonsense again.”

How did the conversation suddenly turn to him? Could Makgae hyungnim possibly know something? Yoonyi’s complexion turned even paler. Yoonyi instinctively covered his mouth with the back of his hand and avoided the oncoming gazes. Suni, who was staring blankly at him, raised her thick hand and finally smacked Makgae hard on the back.

“Gosh, I can’t say a word around here.”

Makgae, having moved far away, retreated behind the door as if fleeing.

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“Young master.”

Yoonyi, holding a small wooden tray, stood in front of the sarangbang door. He waited for a reply, but still, not even a sound could be heard from inside. When he listened carefully, he could only hear the faint, even sound of breathing.

“Young master, I’ve brought some honey water. I’m coming in.”

Yoonyi carefully pulled the door handle and stepped inside. But there was no one on the neat bedding. Following the sound of soft breathing with his eyes, he saw Hyowon leaning against a corner wall with his eyes gently closed.

“The floor is cold, why are you sleeping here? Please, come up onto the bedding.”

The tails of his dopo, seemingly untied with an angry hand, and his gat were strewn carelessly on the floor. Hyowon had his eyes closed, his appearance utterly disheveled. Those long, upturned eyelashes did not even stir. The skin that had been flushed red was now returning to its natural color, but the faint smell of alcohol still spread with his every breath. His sleeping face looked so lonely that he couldn’t be left alone.

“Leave it there and go.”

Yoonyi carefully set down the tray and knelt beside it. Then, a low voice leaked out from between his closed lips.

“Did I not tell you to get out.”

Still sensing a presence, Hyowon slowly opened his eyes. But Yoonyi’s jet-black pupils, which met his, were brimming with moisture, sparkling whenever the light hit them.

“Why do you have that look on your face.”

“……I-I don’t know either.”

Hyowon took a deep breath. The faint scent of powder still lingering on him swirled thickly around the tip of his nose. Yoonyi replied, his shoulders trembling slightly.

“If the clever you doesn’t know, who would.”

“Are you joking even now?”

“Seeing your face must be putting me at ease.”

The tone of his intermittent words was mixed with the sound of escaping air. Yoonyi couldn’t take his eyes off him for a second, endlessly tracing Hyowon’s features. He was completely worn out overnight. An undissipated worry was cast like a shadow over his sharp nose. Hyowon showed a faint smile and gently rested his head on Yoonyi’s straight shoulder.

“Y-young master. I just remembered something I have to do.”

Before he could even feel the warmth, Yoonyi stood up. The voice he let out wavered faintly. An indescribable expression was on his pale face.

“It seems you’re still uncomfortable……”

Because he ran out as if fleeing, the empty space looked exceptionally lonely. Hyowon leaned his head against the wall and only let out a deep sigh. Did the desire to get closer make him feel a sense of distance?

“I thought there was some affection, at least.”

His empty eyes, which had been staring into space, drooped downwards like the moon. He had tried to approach while suppressing his own fiercely raging desires, but seeing Yoonyi so startled, wasn’t it all for nothing? The future felt dark.

The wish to live quietly together once he passed the military service examination felt like a mirage, unreachable even if he extended his hand.

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“Why are you running out in such a fuss?”

As Yoonyi came out onto the main porch with a clatter, Manseok, who was sitting on the porch twisting a straw rope, asked in puzzlement. Indeed, how did he run out like that? Yoonyi could only move his lips.

“And why is your face so red?”

“……Pardon?”

“Did you catch a cold?”

Yoonyi, as if possessed, placed a hand on his own cheek. For some reason, it was as hot as a heated floor in midwinter. Manseok’s gaze remained fixed on his face, showing no sign of leaving.

“I was running so much earlier, I got a little hot.”

“You, really. When I see you like this, you’re just like you were ten years ago.”

Yoonyi managed to compose his expression and answered calmly. At that, Manseok chuckled and busily moved his hands. Rustle, rustle, the sound of straw rubbing together was clear.

“Hyungnim, excuse me for a moment.”

Yoonyi roughly shoved his feet into his shoes as if crushing them and in an instant, broke into a run, circling around to the back of the deserted sarangchae.

“……Why on earth am I being like this.”

His heart was still pounding violently. He couldn’t define what he was feeling. It felt like he was angry, maybe. The faint scent of powder that lingered when he had leaned his head felt like it was approaching to swallow him whole, and he hated it with a terrifying intensity.

As Lord Hong had said, it was natural for a man to continue the family line, and though he understood this intellectually, he couldn’t readily accept it. Moreover, he deeply resented Hyowon’s appearance, who said nothing even after hearing the talk of marriage.

🎐⋆｡🍥

Even after a full day had passed, the sorrowful and complicated feelings continued, and Yoonyi remained crouched in a corner of his room, unable to sleep a wink. Though all around was quiet, his mind was in turmoil. Only when the moon began to set and a red glow flickered beyond the paper-paned window did Yoonyi finally push himself up.

“Young master.”

As always, he filled a dry brass basin with lukewarm water and headed for the room where Hyowon was staying. Standing before the door, he called out to him in a low voice. But for some reason, no sound came from within.

“I’m coming in.”

When he carefully opened the door and went inside, he saw an empty sleeping mat.

“Young master……?”

Where could he have gone? He was sure he hadn’t heard him leave. The sight of the man who was always sitting gracefully on his bedding reading a book at this time of day was gone, and the basin he was holding crashed to the floor with a loud clang.

He had served him for so long, but something like this had never happened before, which only added to his panic. His sunken eyes wavered coldly.

“Hyungnim, have you seen the young master?”

Yoonyi rushed out to the main porch in a daze. Spotting Makgae just then, entering with a carrier frame on his back, he ran out in his socks and asked.

“Why are you asking me about the young master?”

His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and even his voice trembled. At that, Makgae’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and he retorted bluntly.

“I was just wondering if you might have seen him.”

“Haven’t seen him. I also just stepped out for a bit with the Gatekeeper and am on my way back now.”

“……I see.”

Makgae turned his back, showing off the load on his carrier frame in an exaggerated manner. His still-gleaming eyes remained fixed on Yoonyi, refusing to leave him. His already small frame looked so precarious it seemed it would collapse even in a passing breeze.

“Are you sure nothing’s going on between you and the young master?”

Makgae, who had been staring at him blankly, asked nonchalantly.

“……Pardon?”

At the sharp question, Yoonyi’s voice trembled slightly.

“No, I’m just asking because you two have seemed a bit distant for the past few days.”

“Of course, nothing is wrong.”

Only then did Makgae avert his gaze and add another word. Unlike with others, whenever Makgae pried like this, he would become tense without realizing it. So, Yoonyi calmly shook his head.

“Well, then. He probably went to Master Choi’s house or something.”

“I’ll be back.”

Yoonyi deliberately avoided his gaze and quickly ran out.

“Something is definitely strange. I’m sure something is going on.”

Makgae muttered to himself as he stared intently at Yoonyi’s flustered retreating back.

“What’s going on?”

Just then, Manseok, who was following behind, came up close and asked.

“Ah, hyungnim. It’s nothing.”

“You’re not trying to do something useless again, are you?”

Makgae’s shoulders jumped in surprise, so much so that they became prominent. It was nothing, yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was overreacting. Manseok stared at Makgae intently, as if he would bite him.

“I really don’t know why everyone here is so eager to pick on me.”

Makgae suddenly furrowed his brow and pounded his chest with his rough fists as if he were terribly wronged.

“……If it’s nothing, then fine. I was just asking because Yoonyi suddenly ran out.”

“Hyungnim, you too. He was just surprised because the young master left early.”

Manseok kept glancing towards the side door. At this, Makgae cleared his throat and laughed it off good-naturedly.

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“He’s not here either……”

At the entrance to the mountain where he had walked with Hyowon, there was no sign of anyone. Where on earth could he have gone? From Master Choi’s house to the marketplace, there wasn’t a place Yoonyi’s feet hadn’t touched.

Was it because he had overexerted himself? His slender legs gave out, and he collapsed right where he stood. The sun, which had been emitting a red glow, was now hanging directly overhead. It must be noon. How many hours had he been searching?

“What should I do.”

It was then, as Yoonyi sat leaning quietly against the spot where Hyowon had sat, curling his knees, that he muttered to himself.

Rustle.

He felt a huge presence. A wild boar, perhaps? As memories from his childhood came flooding back in an instant, Yoonyi struggled to get up several times, his legs trembling. But perhaps because he had run for hours without rest, his calves had no strength left. To make matters worse, the scent of acacia wafting from all directions had even numbed his nose, rendering it useless.

“I-is anyone there.”

Yoonyi barely managed to voice out, clinging to a last shred of hope.

But no answer came back, and the footsteps only drew closer and closer. Yoonyi repeatedly tried to stand, putting strength into his ankles. But the more he tried, the more his straw shoes just scraped against the angry, jagged stones. Finally, with a rustle, a huge tiger emerged, parting the bushes.

“……A t-tiger.”

Come to think of it, there was no way a mountain this wide and large wouldn’t have a tiger. The beast, as huge as a whale’s back, stared fixedly at Yoonyi, its bright yellow pupils flashing.

“Is it you again.”

The tiger’s maw gaped open, revealing well-honed fangs within. Thinking he was about to die, Yoonyi squeezed his eyes shut. But at the sound of an unexpected voice, he cautiously opened them.

“……A t-tiger is, is t-talking…… D-don’t tell me, Lord of the Mountain?”

The tiger did not pounce but instead retreated a fair distance and let out a sigh. The memory he had buried for a while came back as vividly as if it were yesterday. Yoonyi mumbled, as if possessed.

“You seem to remember.”

“H-how could I forget.”

The corners of the Mountain Lord’s mouth lifted into a slant. He had never forgotten what happened that day for a single moment. The words that he was not human, yet lived among them.

“You looked so happy then, why do you look so down today?”

The beast’s menacing gaze scanned his small body from head to toe as if to devour him. Then, it lowered its plump tail and asked with a slightly worried expression. He could see the concern in its eyes. How should he answer? There was no point in lying to a divine being…….

“There was a small incident with the young master I serve.”

Yoonyi, who had been fidgeting with his hands, slowly began to speak. At that, the Mountain Lord narrowed the distance and approached him deliberately. Up close, he was larger and more beautiful than any living creature. The patterns, as if painted by a skilled artist from the Royal Bureau of Painting, glowed faintly whenever the sunlight touched them.

“Is that so? You look exhausted.”

“Not at all, I fear I may have needlessly disturbed your peace, Lord of the Mountain.”