Chapter 13
Would it have been better to go back together even if the senior sister didn’t like it?
Right now, I was left behind obediently, thinking we should retreat for now, but my master knew such things might happen and told me not to go alone. It might have affected the building of our friendly relations, but it wouldn’t have felt as hopeless as it does now.
…No, that’s not necessarily a good method either.
I can’t say for certain that I am as precious as the original disciples who joined later. Even if the first disturbance was expected, if I continued to not get along with them and caused trouble, who knows what the master might think.
Cheon-oh had nowhere else but here, and nowhere else to depend on. But he already had children he was attached to. As soon as I joined, two major issues occurred, both of which I was the cause.
Cheon-oh stared blankly at his feet, dark and sunken eyes. Sinister thoughts briefly surfaced and then were buried, while gloomy thoughts flooded his mind like ink. It felt as though a voice deep within his consciousness was counting numbers.
It would be nice if when I lose consciousness and wake up, it was the room that smelled of medicinal herbs in Mu Sim Seo. He kept thinking only of what he wanted, like a tantrum. Viewing himself as pathetic, he closed his weary eyes like soaked cotton clothes.
Then, from deep inside the cave, there was the sound of rolling gravel.
Cheon-oh jumped up and turned his head. In the darkness, two red lights floated from the other side of the cave he hadn’t fully entered. He realized a beat late that they were eyes.
‘Run away.’
His instincts informed him. Not avoiding the eyes he met, he stood up with his back to the entrance of the cave. But a pain that even numbed his ankles flared up, causing him to fall back. His shins and knees, which hadn’t healed completely, hurt as well, but without screaming, he placed his palms on the ground and retreated slowly.
Then he reached into his chest and pulled out the dagger his senior sister had thrown to him. The thin blade shimmered faintly in the dim darkness.
The sound of rain grew closer, and the distance to the red eyes didn’t shrink. As much as he retreated, it approached. He felt his heart pounding as if it would explode through his chest, and his breath became increasingly harsh. The sound of four feet stepping on the floor was heard.
The creature’s feet stepped out from the shadows into a faint light. The three wrinkled toes and sharp claws shining like metal were not those of a common beast. In the glistening eyes, a cruel killing intent directed at the small life overflowed.
Cheon-oh’s palm, which was backing away, touched the entrance of the cave. He glanced stealthily at the slope behind him. Several pieces of rock, pushed by his hand, rolled down.
He wasn’t scared. Cheon-oh didn’t know the feeling of fear when his life was threatened. His body reacted naturally before his mind could coolly process the visible death before him.
It seemed the likelihood of survival was higher if he threw his body down the slope.
The monster that had come closer opened its mouth wide. Rows of teeth larger than Cheon-oh’s hand were lined sharply. As the monster gripped the floor and stretched its neck out, Cheon-oh simultaneously tilted his body backward. To roll down the slope, he curled his body immediately, with a determination to grab onto any trees. The plan was already set.
But what touched his body with closed eyes wasn’t the hard and rugged sensation of the ground he had anticipated. It was an embrace he had felt many times before and had been desperately waiting for. Instinctively, Cheon-oh dropped the dagger he had been holding and reached out to grab hold of his master’s clothes. The scent of medicinal herbs soaked in water rose strongly.
Cho-yoon’s arms and sleeves wrapped around Cheon-oh. His neat and cold hands held the child’s small head and covered his ears. When something like the wind passed by in an instant, the monster that had been threatening the child was already nowhere to be seen.
After carrying the child into the cave, Cho-yoon set the small body on his thigh.
“Little one, Cheon-oh. Is there anywhere you’re hurt?”
Your body is like ice. The master’s voice was clearly disturbed. Cheon-oh looked up at him blankly. He thought the master would come, but facing him now after being holed up in a small hole in this wide mountain, he felt an inexplicable surge of emotions.
The hand that rubbed his cheek and hands slowly became warm. The clothes that touched him were already dry and fluffy. Considering his master’s body had been soaked by the rain and cold, it seemed he had done something. Cheon-oh was focused on the transmitted warmth when he suddenly opened his mouth.
“That thing…”
‘If I keep causing problems, I might be cast out.’
At that thought, he closed his open mouth once and changed his words.
“It’s nothing. I’m alright, Master.”
“…”
The master met his gaze quietly. His eyes, which had shone golden under sunlight, turned a shaded light brown as night fell. Cheon-oh gulped when the master’s silent questioning continued. Then, his now-warm hands abruptly touched his injured ankle.
“…!”
“You said you weren’t hurt.”
Though he didn’t make a sound, his body stiffened in pain. If it were his master embracing him, it would’ve been easy to notice. No, maybe he had known from the beginning. Cheon-oh’s eyes wandered aimlessly before quietly dropping downward.
What should I do? Now I’ve lied. A lie that was bound to be caught so soon.
Sigh, at the sound of the master’s sigh, his shoulders shrank. Just as he thought he would hear a scolding out of sheer weariness instead of a storm of anger, the master hugged him once again and repeatedly patted his back.
“Still, it’s fortunate you weren’t seriously hurt, child. It’s really a relief. You hid well. I almost lost you.”
“I… I’m sorry, Master.”
His voice came out a bit broken. Cheon-oh, a bit flustered, clung tightly to his master’s clothes but soon had to let go as the hug was released, wrapped an outer garment around him, and gently set his small body on the ground.
“No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s my fault for leaving without giving you a detailed explanation. You did well, Cheon-oh. You really held out well. It must have been scary, and you did well.”
Did I do well? Me?
What did I do well?
Cheon-oh’s eyes widened at words he couldn’t comprehend and looked at his master. The master carefully wrapped and looked down at Cheon-oh’s injured ankle before looking up again to meet his gaze. The faintly desperate light in his eyes, even on an unchanged noble face, was hard to discern as a mere illusion.
“Cheon-oh.”
“…Yes, Master.”
A voice like a gentle breeze echoed clearly even in the sound of pouring rain. The figure, bright and distinct even in the dark place untouched by sunlight. The smell of medicine mixed with a fishy water scent and the dry warmth touching his ankle.
It felt strange. Though his throat seemed to churn and his stomach felt queasy, it was not unpleasant. A cave, which had been dark, eerie, and stuffy, felt comfortable now just because of this one person. He didn’t even feel the urge to check the place where the monster had been. As long as his master was there, he should be safer than anyone.
“Whatever fact it is, if you want me to believe it, I will.”
“…Yes, Master. I’m sorry.”
Swallowing once to calm his agitated heart, he answered. As he lowered his head again because he felt too ashamed to raise it, he felt something warm and solid soaking into his ankle through the master’s hand. It was clearly a material feeling, distinct from warmth.
The swollen, throbbing ankle soon subsided. The pain even lessened significantly, and Cheon-oh, astonished, unintentionally looked at it. When his gaze lifted, the master seemed to have noticed and spoke.
“Just don’t hide when you’re in pain.”
“…”
“Being hurt isn’t a burden. Promise me you won’t lie to me about this, no matter what happens.”
After finishing his words, the master closed his mouth and waited for Cheon-oh’s response. Cheon-oh felt instinctively that these words would bind him for life. Moving his lips several times, he finally opened his mouth with the feeling of throwing himself off a cliff into paradise. His voice, scattered in the humid air, was small and pitiable like someone restrained by a leash, feeling unfamiliar even to himself.
“…Yes, I promise. I won’t hide from you if I’m in pain or injured.”
The master’s eyes slightly narrowed, hearing the desired reply. The light entering was dim, and the change in expression minimal, but it was clear that the master was smiling. The master then hugged the small body again, leaned back against the cave wall, and spoke to make it easier for him to lean on his embrace.
“The rain will stop soon. If your body gets any wetter, you’ll surely catch a cold, so let’s wait a bit before we leave. You must be tired, so you can sleep now.”
Sleeping like this is ridiculous. Cheon-oh furrowed his brows slightly, blinking, and resisting sleep with all his might. However, the hand that slowly caressed his back and head and the subtle warmth brought him immense comfort, making him want to rest.
Shortly after closing his eyes, listening to the sound of the drizzle, Cheon-oh’s breathing became steady and even. The small hand, tightly gripping the master’s white garment, didn’t loosen until Cho-yoon carried the child back to Mu Sim Seo.
