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Upon arriving at the valley, Yiyeon slipped off his outer garment and set it aside, then gently dipped his hands and feet into the water. Although the water was still cold, compared to the freezing river water in the depths of winter, it felt like lukewarm hot spring water.

By now, the bruises had all faded, leaving only faint traces of a few severe wounds, but Yiyeon couldn’t bring himself to strip down in front of Hyunhak. One might think that two men who’d seen each other in every possible state would have nothing left to be shy about, but when it came down to it, his hands hesitated like those of a bride. Instead, Yiyeon pulled his undershirt even tighter around himself and quickly splashed water over his body.

He was going to wash them anyway. Since the water was still cold, it would have been fine to go in fully clothed and slip them off underwater.

As he adjusted to the water’s temperature, Yiyeon kept an eye on Hyunhak. Last time, he’d startled him by plunging headfirst into the water, but today, he had his robe fastened tightly and didn’t seem to have any intention of even touching the water.

As soon as they reached the water’s edge, Hyunhak filled a bucket with water and immediately sat down on a wide rock with a view of the entire surroundings, his face as solemn as a gatekeeper’s. Watching Hyunhak glance around as if he were on guard, Yiyeon rolled his eyes, unable to make sense of him.

He wondered why he had come along if this was how he was going to act. It was Hyunhak who had repeatedly told him that he liked swimming.

In Hyunhak’s mind, he’d brought this up so that even if Yiyeon found him in the water, he wouldn’t be startled like before, but to Yiyeon’s ears, it sounded like an innocent child bragging to the whole world about something he liked.

And no wonder. Sitting next to Yiyeon while he did laundry and repeating “I love swimming” four or five times ​Read on​was certainly bound to cause a misunderstanding.

Given the circumstances, Yiyeon had expected him to immediately strip down and dive in as soon as they reached the water’s edge, so seeing him sitting there felt even more awkward. Yiyeon glanced at Hyunhak and then dipped his body into the water from a secluded spot.

He braced himself against the cold and submerged himself completely. The water was warmer than he’d expected. Though his face, sticking out of the water, felt cold, his body underwater was bearable.

Back in the village, the water had always been shallow, so he’d never soaked his whole body like this before, but now he thought he understood why Hyunhak liked it so much. It was cold, but it felt refreshing to have everything– from the tips of his hair to the tips of his toes –washed clean. The sunlight shimmered as it scattered across the water’s surface, and the rippling waves brought a sense of coolness. Even though it was spring, the sun’s rays had already grown intense.

He glanced briefly at Hyunhak, and noticed he was sitting with his back turned. Yiyeon took advantage of the moment when Hyunhak wasn’t looking to splash the water once.

Yiyeon had just turned twenty. He had matured early in his short life, and had suppressed himself into an obedient child who knew nothing but serving his parents. He had never once been able to enjoy a simple swim without a care in the world. “This doesn’t look like a home where a child is being raised”–was a phrase Yiyeon’s adoptive mother had heard as often as she ate her meals.

Splash.

And yet, Yiyeon splashed the water. It wasn’t that he’d fallen into the water by accident like last time; he was trying to swim, just as Hyunhak had done.

Naturally cautious, Yiyeon had only ever washed himself or did chores at the shallow water’s edge; he’d never tried swimming just for the sake of it. If he’d actually swum in deep water, he would have known whether he was any good at it or not… The only time he’d ever fRead onloundered with both legs in deep water was when he’d fallen in last time.

After kicking his feet just a few times, he sank right away. If his feet hadn’t touched the bottom, he would have nearly swallowed water again. He couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the courage that had driven him to jump into the water that day. But it wasn’t that he couldn’t float at all, he just lacked the knack for it.

On the contrary, Yiyeon felt his body rise as soon as he stopped splashing. As he relaxed and let the waves carry him, he looked up at the spring sky. It was so peaceful that he wondered if it was even allowed to be this serene. It was so leisurely and tranquil that it actually made him feel uneasy.

Caw, caw, caw, caw.

He heard the cawing of a crow in the distance. It was the first time he’d heard it since waking up that morning, but now the bird was nowhere to be seen, and the call sounded distant. At the sound of that familiar caw, Hyunhak raised his head, looked up at the sky, and then lowered it again. As he lowered his gaze, he saw Yiyeon looking at him.

His disheveled bun was soaked through, and stray strands clung like vines to his cheeks, forehead, and neck; his thin undershirt was soaked with water, making it no better than if he weren’t wearing one at all. It was as if he were wrapped in a thin cloud draped across a mountain’s slope. His bare skin peeking through the translucent gaps. The color was so indistinct that it was impossible to tell what was the white garment and what was his white skin.

Yet even amidst that, a distinct rosy patch held Hyunhak’s gaze for some time. Hyunhak quickly rolled his eyes wide. But for some reason, after spinning around once, his eyes found their way back to Yiyeon’s chest. Then, feeling a burning thirst, he swallowed.

He felt as if his ears were about to appear and a tail were about to sprout from between his legs. Throat parched by his body’s bizarre reaction, Hyunhak tried to turn away to avoid looking at Yiyeon, but Yiyeon, who hadn’t noticed his change, called out to him.

“My Lord!”

“Hmm?”

He couldn’t ignore his call, so Hyunhak barely managed to answer while avoiding his gaze. If their eyes met, his tail might actually appear. The tightness inside his pants made him wonder if his tail was already out. Hyunhak hoped Yiyeon wouldn’t notice anything.

“Aren’t you swimming today?”

Perhaps the clear valley water had washed away all his worries and was tempting him to enjoy what he hadn’t yet had a chance to experience, for Yiyeon asked with a innocence and clarity befitting a young man of that age who had never known hardship.

The corners of Yiyeon’s mouth lifted ever so slightly, just enough for Hyunhak to notice.

“Um… I’m not going to do it anymore.”

“Didn’t you like it?”

Unaware of Hyunhak’s burning insides and the tingling in his head, Yiyeon found Hyunhak’s awkward behavior somewhat worrisome. stolen content Was he acting this way because he overreacted to him licking his arm? He’d been acting out of character all day today.

He’d always been an eccentric person whose thoughts were hard to fathom, but that had never made Yiyeon feel uneasy before; today, however, Hyunhak was somehow unsettling him. It seemed as though he was deliberately avoiding him and reluctant to look him in the eye.

Yiyeon hadn’t thought about the time when he had kept his distance from Hyunhak, but seeing Hyunhak distance himself from him made him feel as if the blood were draining from his toes. Just as Hyunhak was about to turn his back on him without a word, Yiyeon hurriedly called out to him.

“Look at this, My Lord. I know how to swim.”

Splash, splash.

Yiyeon, who had never once felt comfortable stretching out both legs–whether in or out of the water–stretched them out above the surface. Though he clung to a rock out of anxiety, he looked clumsy.

Hyunhak saw for the first time something Yiyeon– who, ever since waking up, had told him everything and carried out his instructions without fail –could not do. As he clung to the rock and splashing in the water, Yiyeon kept sinking instead of floating.

Unable to stay afloat, Yiyeon repeatedly tried to lift himself up. Every time he kicked from beneath the water, his soaked clothes revealed everything from his slender back to his round buttocks, but all of Yiyeon’s attention was focused on Hyunhak, whose behavior seemed strange.

Every time Yiyeon’s body rose to the surface, Hyunhak seemed on the verge of turning into a beast in more ways than one. It was as if everything–whether in front, behind, above his head, or between his legs–was about to transform into a tiger.

It was still early spring, yet he felt as if he’d been roasted from head to toe under the blazing mid-summer sun. Just like that time when he’d first lit a fire in the hearth and nearly burned the whole house to the ground, his mouth went parched, making it impossible for him to stay where he was any longer.

Unable to bear it any longer, Hyunhak turned around abruptly, and the flustered Yiyeon stumbled for a moment. It was only because he was submerged in water that he didn’t take a spectacular fall; had he been on dry land, he would have fallen in a most embarrassing manner. Instead, Yiyeon let go of the rock he’d been holding onto and began to flail.

“Ah…!”

It was a very brief cry of alarm, but Hyunhak reacted to that small sound like a bolt of lightning.

“Yeon-ah?!”

Splash.

It wasn’t as if he’d lost his balance that badly, nor was it a place where his feet couldn’t reach the bottom. If the water had been that deep to begin with, the timid Yiyeon would never have stretched out both legs. His body was swept away by the water for a moment, but he was able to right himself immediately.

But before Yiyeon could even plant both feet on the bottom, Hyunhak had already jumped into the water. Last time, Yiyeon had gone so far as to jump into the water himself, only to fall in right then due Read onto dizziness. This time, however, it was the exact opposite: thinking Yiyeon had fallen in, Hyunhak plunged in without even a moment to stop himself. Even though Yiyeon could have pulled himself out on his own, Hyunhak wrapped one arm around his waist, pulled him close to his body, and lifted him out.

“I’m fine, My Lord! I can touch the bottom…”

Flustered and embarrassed at his own childish behavior, and unable to understand why he’d done such a thing, Yiyeon sighed inwardly as Hyunhak held him. His words trailed off when he felt something hard, heavy, and imposing pressing against his buttocks. As Yiyeon’s body stiffened, Hyunhak lifted him up like a piece of wet laundry and carried him back to shore.

“Uh… uh…”

Given Yiyeon’s personality, he should have said he was fine and wanted to walk on his own long ago, but he remained frozen in the same position. Suddenly, Yiyeon became stranger than Hyunhak, who had been acting strange all day.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Even in response to Hyunhak’s question, Yiyeon only repeated “Yes.” He answered before Hyunhak had even finished speaking.

Hyunhak frowned slightly, brushed back his hair– which was damp from the splashing water– and set Yiyeon down on the ground. Yiyeon stood on the spot, his gaze fixed on some point in midair as if he were in a trance. Seeing the person who, just moments ago, had been smiling happily and even playing around in a way that wasn’t like him at all suddenly look as if his spirit had left him, Hyunhak bent down to examine Yiyeon’s face.

“What’s wrong? Did you swallow a stone or something?”

“……Yes.”

“What? How much?! Yeon-ah?”

“Yes. …Well.”

Just as Hyunhak, worried by Yiyeon’s state, was about to grab his shoulder, Yiyeon suddenly apologized. His gaze wasn’t fixed on Hyunhak’s face, which was at eye level with him, but rather on something revealed beneath the hem of his wet clothes. Something that had grown several times faster than Hyunhak, whose head was still immature.

“I apologize.”

The words slipped out before he could stop them. Then, feeling he shouldn’t meet Hyunhak’s gaze, Yiyeon quickly shifted his eyes to the left.