Chapter 12
Unlike when he had only dipped his legs in, it was quite cool, but he welcomed even that sensation. At first, he cautiously splashed around in the shallow part before gathering courage to venture into deeper water. Though he had never learned how to swim, he naturally figured out how to keep his body afloat.
To be able to swim in such an open place, in such a magnificent lake—it made him feel like an ordinary person who visits famous attractions for summer swimming, not some young master from a noble house, not a fugitive disguised as a servant.
The warm sunlight gently heated his wet skin. Freedom. This feeling must be what they call freedom. In this moment, he envied neither the birds soaring freely in the sky nor the dogs running about as they pleased.
This time, he submerged himself completely underwater, opened his eyes to look around beneath the surface, then came back up. His hair, which must have loosened while moving around, slowly came undone as the hairpin securing it suddenly fell off. He quickly dove back into the water to catch the pin, and finding himself laughing, Yun-seo emerged from the water with a bright smile.
Brushing away the wet hair clinging to his face, he looked back at Hwi, who stood quietly by the shore. Water droplets clung to Hwi’s long eyelashes, trailing down along the downturned corners of his eyes. His flushed cheeks gleamed in the sunlight, and his moistened lips parted.
“My lord, come in too!”
It was an invitation made in good spirits, though he knew there was no chance Hwi would accept, and he expected to be scolded immediately. But Hwi made no reply, just staring blankly at him. His face was calm and expressionless. Yet his pitch-black eyes seemed to be filled with sunlight dancing on water.
Didn’t I have the same look in my eyes when I first saw the lake? Yun-seo wondered at the thought that suddenly came to him, then quickly broke into a smile and jumped back into the water.
When he came out completely soaked, his white undergarments clung to his body, revealing his skin underneath. Though he had been prepared to take off his upper garments earlier, he felt embarrassed when his nipples showed through, and quickly headed toward the horse where their luggage was tied.
Just as he was about to unpack their belongings, a warm long coat settled over his shoulders. Hwi turned Yun-seo around, firmly closed the collar of the coat, and tied the ribbon.
“Ah, it’s fine…”
Before he could decline, the strings were tightly fastened. As he awkwardly bowed his head, Hwi’s hand rose and suddenly traced the line of his nape from bottom to top. His neck instinctively shrank at the unexpected touch. Hwi casually flicked the water droplets from his fingers and turned away.
Coming out of the water made his body quickly cool down, but the spot where Hwi’s hand had touched remained burning hot. Yun-seo blinked, touching his nape, then roughly tied up his hair before mounting the horse.
He expected they would head straight to the village, but Hwi suddenly changed direction and headed to a secluded place. Thinking it might be a shortcut since they were on a mountain pass, he followed without saying anything, when a small cave caught his eye. Hwi stopped his horse in front of it without hesitation.
“Why did you come here?”
“Let’s warm ourselves up before continuing.”
“What? We can warm up in the village.”
“That’s too far.”
Hwi ignored him and began gathering fallen kindling from around them. Yun-seo, feeling flustered, quickly dismounted to help Hwi but stumbled when he stepped on the long coat that was too big for him. As he flailed his arms trying to regain balance, Hwi firmly grabbed his forearm.
At the sound of Hwi’s soft click of the tongue, Yun-seo sniffled and gave an awkward smile. Hwi ignored him and carried the kindling into the cave. Embarrassed, Yun-seo absently rubbed the tip of his nose, then carefully held up the coat to avoid dragging it as he followed.
“Change your clothes first.”
“Yes.”
Hwi easily lit a fire in no time. At first, Yun-seo wanted to refuse, but he could feel the chill creeping into his body, so he quietly decided to follow Hwi’s instructions.
He took out some clothes and headed to a corner. Before undressing, he glanced at Hwi, who was sitting with his eyes closed, head leaning against the wall. Yun-seo quickly changed into dry clothes and placed the wet undergarments near the fire.
Then he sat down across from Hwi and stretched out his hands toward the fire. As his cold, stiff body gradually warmed up, he began to feel better. Yun-seo rubbed his palms together, then carefully spoke.
“If I’d known this would happen, I should have just continued on. I’m sorry for causing the delay.”
Hwi’s closed eyes slowly opened. He looked Yun-seo over, then lifted his head from the wall.
“There’s no rush.”
Indeed, he was the one in a hurry. Swimming leisurely when someone could be pursuing him at any moment.
He couldn’t understand it. If he had been alone, he probably wouldn’t have even dipped his feet in the lake and would have hurried on his way.
Though they had met only two days ago, being with this man had gradually diminished his anxiety. It seemed as if he would safely reach Araksa if he just stayed close by his side. Where did this groundless trust come from?
“My lord… you must be a good master?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just, seeing how you treat me, I think you must treat others well too.”
Though he might seem somewhat scary and difficult to approach at first, everyone would know what kind of person he truly was after spending time with him. Although Yun-seo had met very few people in his life, he could tell that Hwi was a decent person even in the short time they had spent together.
When Hwi gave no answer, Yun-seo fidgeted with his hands. Looking at the blazing fire, he glanced up to see the corner of Hwi’s mouth curl up slightly.
“If I treat you any better, you’ll be willing to give me your liver and gallbladder.”
“…That would absolutely never happen, so you should wake up from that dream.”
He had said something nice, only to receive teasing in return, making his lips pout automatically. But soon he heard a soft chuckle, which softened his expression.
“If you’re going on a long journey, it’s best not to easily trust people you meet on the road.”
“Even you?”
“Well. Nothing can be guaranteed.”
At these rather pessimistic words, Yun-seo studied Hwi’s face carefully. What he said wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t fully trusted Hwi when deciding to travel with him either. But…
“I may not know much about the ways of the world, but I believe that such genuine care cannot be faked by just anyone.”
Anyone might be able to show generosity by giving money as charity. But the thoughtful consideration and attention Hwi had shown him wasn’t something just anyone could possess even if they wanted to.
“Still, thank you for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Wasn’t this advice also given out of concern for him? As he expressed his gratitude with clear eyes, Hwi stared at Yun-seo for a moment before lowering his gaze and smiling.
It was a smile as gentle as a breeze, but it instantly melted away the man’s characteristic coolness. Yun-seo’s fingertips, which had been curled, suddenly sprang up. He hugged his raised knees together like someone sensitive to cold, but his cheeks were flushed red from the heat.
“Then tell me. Between your young lady and me, who is the better master?”
At this unexpected question, Yun-seo couldn’t help but hesitate. It wasn’t a young lady but a young master, and that young master was actually himself, so his thoughts became tangled. He certainly couldn’t evaluate himself as a good master, but he also couldn’t speak ill of his deceased master as a servant.
“My lady was of course a good master, but… she didn’t consider herself as such.”
“Why not?”
“She wasn’t exactly well-behaved. I often got scolded whenever she caused trouble… and she believed I could find a better household, so she felt sorry when I chose to stay by her side.”
“So you had opportunities to leave but didn’t.”
“I…”
As he put himself in Yeondeok’s position and reflected, his chest felt tight and queasy. Yun-seo let out a light sigh and shook off the emotions welling up.
“When I was young, my grandmother fell ill and could no longer work. Though I helped with odd jobs, I was considered unnecessary and almost cast out, but the young lady held onto me and wept bitterly… so I ended up staying in that household.”
While Yeondeok had treasured and served Yun-seo like a benefactor because of that incident, Yun-seo often wondered if that same event had actually held Yeondeok back. Whenever he thought this, Yeondeok would retort that servant’s life wasn’t easy anywhere, and that there was no household as generous as this one, so stop thinking unnecessary thoughts.
“You both care for each other—that makes for a good master and servant relationship.”
“…”
“Have you developed feelings for your master?”
“What?”
Lost in nostalgic contemplation, Yun-seo’s eyes widened in shock. Hwi’s gaze sharply moved over Yun-seo’s features.
“What are you saying? We were like siblings, no, more than siblings—we regarded each other as true brothers and sisters.”
“Your master might have felt differently.”
“Absolutely, absolutely not!”
Whatever Hwi was assuming, even the momentary imagining of it made Yun-seo’s skin crawl. As he wrapped his arms around himself and rubbed vigorously, Hwi withdrew his gaze and stood up.
“Let’s go.”
Yun-seo gathered his not fully dried clothes and followed Hwi to mount the horse.
As they descended the mountain path toward the village, the lake, gleaming brilliantly under the setting sun, gradually receded in the distance. Feeling regretful at leaving it behind, Yun-seo kept looking back. The flower scent carried on the breeze swirled gently around the swishing horse’s tail, following them for quite some time.
