TBML 72

As Hyunhak opened the door, the heat that had filled the kitchen mixed with the outside air and rose as a cloud of white steam. Zao took advantage of the opening to escape from the stifling kitchen and soared into the vast sky.

After confirming that Zao had left, Hyunhak hurriedly locked the door to prevent the heat from escaping.

Once Hyunhak had left to fetch water and he was alone, Yiyeon carefully began to undress. Since he had stepped into the bath tub before fully removing his thin undershirt, the water-soaked fabric clung to his body, weighing him down like a thousand pounds. After struggling to shed his clothes, Yiyeon carefully washed everything away with the cool water.

He felt a pang of regret for having bothered him so many times, knowing this was bound to happen, but even if given another chance, Yiyeon would likely have done the same thing. Because he felt guilty about asking Hyunhak for help and being indebted to him, he would have insisted on going himself, and if Hyunhak were to fall into the water again, he would have jumped in even if it cost him his life.

…

Hyunhak once again made his way back down the same path. He couldn’t remember how many times he had gone back and forth on this path today.

A crow flew ahead.

Hyunhak wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the gentle breeze the crow created. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was a stroke of luck that Yiyeon had said it wasn’t that cold today.

Hyunhak vowed to himself that he would never swim in front of Yiyeon again. The mere thought that something like this could happen again sent a chill down his spine.

Zao was right. Whatever the reason, it was ultimately his fault. It was his fault for not yet being able to control his ears and tail perfectly; his fault for jumping into the water without considering that humans are vulnerable to the cold; and his fault for not rushing to shore when Yiyeon called out, even though he knew he was getting dizzy and staggering.

He’d been glad to see the color slowly returning to his face, but what if today’s incident caused his condition to [visit our site]worsen again? Hyunhak’s worries intensified.

Zao, who had arrived at the valley before Hyunhak, quickly fished out the laundry that was being swept downstream by the current. He moved even faster than when he was snatching fish from the river.

Zao gathered the clothes scattered here and there and dropped them one by one onto the dry rocks so that Hyunhak could pick them up easily. Hyunhak picked up the wet clothes that had fallen onto the coarse sand and gravel.

As he roughly shook the sand off the water-soaked garments with his hands, he saw the words Yiyeon had left behind, still legible beneath the fabric.

[Kim Hyunhak]

The moment Yiyeon called out that name, the resonance turned into a butterfly and fluttered into his heart.

Like swallowing a butterfly made of warm air, that light yet cozy voice gently warmed Hyunhak’s stomach.

–What are you doing? What are you looking at?

As Hyunhak stood in the same spot like a statue instead of working, Zao flew in and perched on his broad shoulder. Unlike when he had sat on Yiyeon’s shoulder, there was plenty of space, making it the perfect fit for a big crow.

Zao found it unpleasant to be too close to Hyunhak’s face, so he shuffled sideways two steps. Then he craned his neck to look at the ground Hyunhak was staring at.

He tilted his head in confusion. Hyunhak pointed out the three characters of his name, written by Yiyeon, to Zao.

“Did you know? Kim Hyunhak is my name.”

His voice was brimming with pride, as if he’d just made some grand discovery. Annoyed by the sight, Zao snorted and acted even more cocky and arrogant than Hyunhak. Judging by his behavior alone, he strutted around as if he were some kind of king of the heavens himself, rather than a crow.

– Hmph! To be precise, it’s the name of the human you stole.

When Zao made that remark, Hyunhak furrowed his thick eyebrows as much as he could and put on a sullen expression.

Seeing that, Zao felt his stomach ache subside a little, so he burst into hysteria and cawed loudly like a morning magpie. Knowing that he was acting out of petty jealousy, Zao cawed even louder to make sure Hyunhak saw it.

That feeling when he first received a name from a human, when he realized that what referred to him was not merely the name of his species, but something entirely his own. Moreover, there was a time when the fact that the one who gave him that name was a human to whom he had given his heart and been close made Zao feel wild.

The one who understood the emotion Hyunhak was feeling right now better than anyone else was the crow.

That was why it hurt.

Since the human who had given him a name had left him behind, he felt envious, worried, and even a little annoyed at Hyunhak– who still had a human by his side to call that name –so he decided to pick a fight for no reason.

But Hyunhak just rolled his eyes at Zao. No doubt, with his head in the clouds right now, even if someone told him, “Actually, your name is ‘Jabjong(mongrel),’” he’d say it didn’t matter because it was the name Yiyeon had given him.

He knew all this. Because he was just like that too.

“Anyway, it’s my name now.”

–You’re wrong. Stupid human, stupid tiger.

Hyunhak spoke without the slightest waver, just like the answer he’d given on the day he decided to stay at that house with Yiyeon. The very day Zao had warned him he’d come to regret it.

Since he himself hadn’t been that calm, Zao, full of spite, kicked at the characters Yiyeon had written. It wasn’t a lie. The characters Yiyeon had written were indeed missing one stroke from the character for “學.”

Hyunhak could overlook being called a fool, but he couldn’t tolerate anyone teasing Yiyeon. So he ruthlessly swatted the crow away from his shoulder.

Annoyed, the crow flew high into the sky. As he watched the crow soar into the air, Hyunhak asked himself.

“I hope Yeon-ah is fine?”

–I don’t know, you idiot! We’ll have to wait and see.

Zao shrieked from above. Then, upon spotting a piece of clothing that had drifted far away, Zao swooped down like a hawk snatching a carp, picked it up, and hurled it at Hyunhak’s face.

A small jacket– presumably Yiyeon’s– landed on Hyunhak’s face. Startled by the sudden attack, Hyunhak’s round ears appeared, and his claws grew longer.

As Hyunhak roared toward the sky in a voice that seemed to be somewhere between that of a human and a tiger, the crows cawed gleefully.

Meanwhile, Yiyeon, who was sitting alone and enjoying a relaxing bath for the first time in a long while, felt a chill run down his spine at the sound of a tiger’s roar echoing from somewhere. He grew worried about Hyunhak, who had gone alone to retrieve the belongings [unauthorized copy]he’d left behind in the valley, so he hurriedly finished his bath.

Not only had Hyunhak gathered all the laundry he’d left behind, but by the time he returned after fetching fresh water, Yiyeon had already finished his bath and was struggling to get dressed on his own. He was just about to go out to check on Hyunhak, worried that he was taking too long to return.

His body, which had been as cold as ice, had thawed in the warm water, leaving him feeling drowsy, and since he’d spent time in the kitchen filled with steam from the hearth, his cheeks were flushed with warmth. His nose seemed to be running a little, but at least his teeth weren’t chattering anymore.

“Yeon-ah, are you alright?”

Hyunhak asked Yiyeon as he set down the full water bucket and the wet laundry. It was a weight that would have made even Dusoe, the village’s renowned strongman, stagger, yet Hyunhak carried it effortlessly and set it down just as easily. A thought crossed his mind: perhaps wielding a weapon would suit him better than reading medical texts in this remote mountain corner.

“Are you all right, My Lord?”

The sound of a tiger’s roar could be heard, and Hyunhak had gone through a lot of trouble because of him.

He nodded cheerfully in response to Yiyeon’s question. He had bickered with Zao the whole way here, worried he might fall ill again, but he looked even better now. His complexion was rosier than before he fell into the water, and his face had a healthy glow. His cheeks were the only pink spot on his skin, which was as white as a ripe white pear; they looked so soft that if you pressed them with your finger, they’d probably give way.

“Do you not feel the slightest chill?”

“Yes. What about you, Yeon-ag?”

“Thanks to you, my lord, this one survived too.”

Hyunhak looked so healthy that anyone would think the question was unnecessary. Sweating just the right amount, he looked as though he’d just finished exercising. Vitality overflowed from the tips of his hair to the soles of his feet. But contrary to his appearance, his face was filled with guilt toward Yiyeon.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone swimming.”

At Hyunhak’s apology, Yiyeon let out a dazed sound, as if his soul had been sucked out.

A nobleman apologizing to him?

And Hyunhak had gone through far more trouble because of his own misunderstanding and overreaction. Even if everything were Hyunhak’s fault, the one who should be apologizing was Yiyeon, a lowly servant, not Hyunhak, a nobleman.

“Huh? You’re apologizing? I’m the one who should be apologizing to you, My Lord.”

Upon realizing that if this continued, they’d just end up repeating apologies and expressions of gratitude, Hyunhak racked his brain to defuse the situation. He had grown accustomed to this back-and-forth of greetings and refusals with Yiyeon, which was why he had become adept at changing the subject and deflecting Yiyeon’s apologies and refusals.

“Let’s go inside and sit down first! I’ll fix your hair and put a bandage on it.”

“I’ll do it myself… Thank you, My Lord.”

Yiyeon, who had been about to insist he’d do it himself in response to Hyunhak’s suggestion, wiggled his left fingers and reluctantly nodded to him. Though he’d improved a lot, Yiyeon still couldn’t even tie his own sash by himself. And he had a guilty conscience.

With so much work piling up that he could barely keep up, he found himself increasingly indebted to Hyunhak. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how he would ever repay him.

After roughly tidying up the kitchen, Hyunhak and Yiyeon went into the room and changed the bandage on his wound. Just as Yiyeon had done for him the day he’d rushed back from swimming, [Read on]Hyunhak patted the water from his hair with a cotton towel and gently combed it with the comb he’d obtained at Yiyeon’s request.

He looked happy as he combed Yiyeon’s hair. Normally, Yiyeon would have taken the comb from Hyunhak’s hands out of consideration for his trouble, but– except for his very early childhood –it had been so long since anyone had tended to his hair with such affectionate care that he momentarily forgot his circumstances and simply basked in that warmth.

Combing Yiyeon’s hair was a joyful experience. Had Yiyeon also felt good running his fingers through his fine hair when he combed his wet hair last time? It was amusing to see his long, white nape exposed when he lifted the ends of his hair to carefully comb out even the stray strands sticking out, and he also enjoyed the subtle scent of dew-kissed lily-of-the-valley.

Hyunhak combed his hair for a long time, until Yiyeon completely relaxed and no more flyaways remained in his hair.