Chapter 43
Yun-seo stole glances at Hwi while pretending not to, then firmly pressed his lips together. In such a beautiful and romantic place, as if they had stepped into a painting, he felt he might find the courage.
When he withdrew his hand, Hwi’s eyes followed the movement. Yun-seo took out a pouch he had embroidered with all his heart.
“This is a gift for you, my lord.”
Though slightly wrinkled from being handled so much, its beautiful color prevented this from being much of a flaw. Hwi raised his eyebrows slightly, as if not expecting this, and accepted the pouch. Yun-seo watched him examine it with nervous anticipation.
“Did you embroider this yourself?”
“Yes. Though my skill is poor, I put my whole heart into it.”
“I see. Hmm…”
Hwi narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. He held the pouch at arm’s length, then pulled it closer before glancing at Yun-seo.
“Is it a cloud…? Ah, a rock.”
“…It’s a turtle.”
“Aah.”
Yun-seo’s face fell like he had eaten something sour. Hwi, who had been rather shamelessly pretending it was clearly a turtle, soon smiled and lightly touched Yun-seo’s cheek with his fingertip.
“Your feelings are all revealed in your embroidery. You said you waited, knowing I would return?”
“How can I blame my heart when the fault lies with my hands?”
“I’ll use it well. I truly like it.”
Though he teased Yun-seo, Hwi’s expression was bright, suggesting his appreciation was genuine. Seeing him so pleased with such a simple thing made Yun-seo feel both apologetic and grateful, causing his cheeks to flush. Yun-seo fidgeted with his fingers, feeling his heart beat rapidly, and swallowed nervously.
He moved his lips several times, but the words wouldn’t come easily. After moistening his lower lip with his tongue, he finally fixed his trembling eyes on Hwi, who examined Yun-seo’s face keenly.
“What’s wrong?”
“…My lord. Actually… I have something to tell you.”
Despite having made his decision while Hwi was ill, Yun-seo couldn’t shake his nervousness. The fear that Hwi might be disappointed in him had been following him constantly. The sweet temptation to keep it hidden forever had also nagged at him.
Just then, Hwi grasped Yun-seo’s restless fingertips. The warmth from Hwi’s hand calmed his fluttering fears.
Yes, he’ll be fine with it. Even if he’s disappointed, he won’t turn away.
Yun-seo finally confessed part of the truth he had kept buried deep inside.
“I’ve been hiding something from you, my lord.”
“…”
“Actually, I wasn’t my lady’s servant, but the young master of that household.”
Despite the deliberate lie he had told, Hwi showed neither surprise nor anger, simply gazing at Yun-seo silently. Yun-seo couldn’t read any reaction on his face. A flash of possibility that Hwi might have known all along spread a burning sensation in one corner of his heart.
“I’m being pursued by my father, and since he will never give up, I firmly resolved to leave this country. So I am a fugitive in this land… And…”
Now that he had confessed this much, his situation seemed utterly bleak. Compared to Hwi, he had nothing to offer, but rather came with a heap of burdens.
In the end, Yun-seo couldn’t bring himself to reveal the final truth that he was a Yeong Chunhwa. Having been seen and forced to live as nothing but a Yeong Chunhwa his entire short life, he didn’t want to tell Hwi that the ordinary Yun, whom Hwi had come to know, was actually a Yeong Chunhwa.
Before the one he loved, he wished to remain just an ordinary man. Now, he only wanted to be Hwi’s Yun.
“There are still things I cannot tell you, my lord. One thing is certain, though… if you stay with me… you could find yourself in serious trouble.”
Moreover, even to prepare for the worst-case scenario, he shouldn’t implicate Hwi as his accomplice or someone who had aided his concealment. Though Hwi wouldn’t be punished simply for having a relationship with him, if it were known that he had associated with him while knowing he was a fugitive Yeong Chunhwa, the outcome would be far from good.
Still, Hwi needed to know about this possibility. But what use was a warning without revealing the core truth about being a Yeong Chunhwa? Yun-seo discovered an extreme selfishness within himself and bit his lip hard. Guilt and self-loathing crawled up his skin and tightened around his throat.
When Hwi’s hand rose to gently stroke his lips to prevent them from being injured, Yun-seo was finally able to face him fully again.
Hwi’s expression was completely serene. His casual tenderness instantly unraveled the ropes that had been constricting Yun-seo.
“But, perhaps, if you’re completely fine with it, my lord. Would you… open it?”
Despite Yun-seo’s hesitation, Hwi unhesitatingly untied the string and opened the pouch. At this, Yun-seo let out a small cry of delight.
Hwi paused when he saw what was inside. As his eyes slowly moved to meet Yun-seo’s, Yun-seo moistened his dry lips.
“Please, I beg you, tie your hair with mine.”
Inside the pouch was a single strand of Yun-seo’s hair. In Great Yeong, there was a folk belief that tying lovers’ hair together ensured a hundred years of harmonious marriage, and it was an old custom to give a strand of hair when proposing.
The smile disappeared from Hwi’s face. He stared at Yun-seo with an intense, almost possessive gaze and asked in a deeper voice:
“Do you know what this means?”
“Yes.”
From the moment Hwi had painfully blurted out his desire to embrace Yun-seo and flee together, this moment had taken shape in one corner of Yun-seo’s heart. Having already deliberated carefully over and over, and if Hwi was willing to accept even his flaws, there was no need to hesitate any longer.
“My lord. As you probably know, I have fallen in love with you.”
Hwi’s hand gripping the pouch tightened, deepening the wrinkles in the fabric. Unlike Hwi’s wavering eyes, Yun-seo gazed at him resolutely.
“And I believe you have taken me into your heart as well.”
Now that he had named the feeling in Hwi’s heart, even Hwi’s attitudes and actions that had seemed ambiguous before became clear. So he couldn’t help but believe. If what he felt was love, then every moment Hwi had directed toward him must also be love.
“But I had to leave and was planning to leave. And you must have many burdens to bear here.”
Yun-seo took Hwi’s hand and caressed the prominently blue veins with his thumb. Though he spoke calmly, his mouth trembled slightly, forcing him to bite his lip firmly before releasing it.
“If you give me your promise of marriage, if you promise me your eternal heart… I will wait.”
In reality, since a relationship between two men couldn’t be formalized, even if Hwi promised marriage, Yun-seo would be clinging to nothing but his word. Yet he had poured enough of his heart into Hwi that it was worth it.
He had only recently realized that once a heart is poured out, it’s like an endless spring that can neither be gathered back nor expected to run dry. Once spilled, it could only flow toward him.
“I don’t know what burden you carry, my lord. But I wish for you to shed your shackles and live your own life. This isn’t something I say lightly. Nor do I take its weight lightly. Only… I will wait without a time limit, so please give me your promise.”
Hwi’s lips opened slowly and then closed. He curved the corners of his mouth slightly before furrowing his brow.
Yun-seo understood the painful hesitation, his feelings, to the marrow of his bones. Even if he were rejected, he would never regret this moment. But some belief that Hwi would not back away had formed a solid coil within the flowing spring.
Yun-seo waited for Hwi’s answer, calm and composed.
Hwi gently closed his eyelids and then opened them again. The shadow cast by the pavilion’s pillar crossed Hwi’s face, with one eye gleaming brightly with moonlight and the other deeply immersed in darkness, highlighting the contrast.
Eyes containing both light and darkness gazed at Yun-seo directly, without any further wavering. Hwi raised one hand to hold Yun-seo’s cheek.
“Yes.”
A joyful breath escaped between Yun-seo’s lips. That breath poured into Hwi as he pressed his lips against Yun-seo’s. Once again, like someone suffering from thirst, Hwi conquered the inside of Yun-seo’s mouth with his tongue, as if stealing his breath.
Panting for breath, Yun-seo grasped Hwi’s hand firmly and raised his pressed-down tongue to touch Hwi’s. At this, Hwi’s intensity subsided momentarily, and he pulled Yun-seo’s tongue tip as if guiding him. The soft, ticklish kiss made Yun-seo’s stomach flutter.
Hwi pulled Yun-seo close into his embrace, and the two melted into the shadow of the pillar. The willow branches swaying in the breeze concealed the wet sounds. The moonlight serenely soaked the clothes of the two men.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
