BW C208

Chapter 208

At that, Hoeun looked up at him with anxious eyes.

“…Are you going out again?”

“Probably.”

Hoeun’s upper lip puckered like a beak, then relaxed. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the hem of Taemuk’s clothes and tugged downward, pleading.

“I want to go with you.”

“That’s not allowed.”

Taemuk shook his head firmly. Hoeun lowered the ends of his brows and tried to persuade him.

“I-I won’t get sick… It’s spring now, so it’s not as cold as before. If I dress warmly and go—”

“That’s not the reason.”

“Then what is?”

At Hoeun’s completely uncomprehending expression, Taemuk smiled faintly and cupped his cheek, meeting his gaze.

“When I’m with you, I don’t feel sad or tormented. That’s why you can’t come.”

“……”

“I’ll suffer just a little more.”

“……”

“And I’ll get revenge for those who died.”

“……”

At those words, Hoeun could no longer insist. Even he felt suffocated by the weight of the dead lingering in his heart—so how much worse must it be for Taemuk? If pain was the way he mourned, then he had to let him go.

Lowering his gaze, Hoeun looked at the general’s insignia on Taemuk’s shoulder and asked in a subdued voice,

“When will you leave?”

“…Hmm.”

Taemuk made a low sound in his throat as he thought. Then he gently took Hoeun’s hand, which was wrapped in cloth, and said,

“After I apply medicine to your hand.”

“…Yes. After the medicine.”

Hoeun thought to himself. How long would applying medicine take? At most, just a moment. He almost regretted not getting injured more seriously. If his entire forearm had been badly burned, he could have kept Taemuk by his side a little longer.

As if aware—or unaware—of his thoughts, Taemuk spoke in a voice laced faintly with amusement.

“And well… since I’m here, should we have breakfast together?”

At that, Hoeun quickly nodded.

“Yes. Let’s eat together. I want to eat together. I’m hungry. I think I can eat two bowls.”

“Really? Two bowls?”

Taemuk laughed at his chattering words. Hoeun smiled as well and burrowed into Taemuk’s arms. As he did, his silk ribbon brushed softly against the back of Taemuk’s hand, like a gentle scratch, and the sensation was indescribably pleasant.

Truly… it was good.

15. Overlapping Time

“Where’s Dongja?”

A morning meeting was held for the first time in a while. Sitting at the head seat and scanning the soldiers, Taemuk asked. The seats that were usually packed were empty—not only Mansu’s seat, but Dongja’s as well.

“She’s at the infirmary.”

Hoeun, who had opened his notebook, answered in a small voice. It had already been ten days since what happened in the fir forest, yet Mansu still had not regained consciousness. Naturally, Dongja had been staying in front of the infirmary like a stone statue.

At that, Taemuk frowned slightly and brushed his forehead back before asking again,

“Has she eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“……”

Taemuk said nothing more. His face remained expressionless. But Hoeun knew that he was worried about Dongja. After all, he had been asking about her whereabouts every morning and evening.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Hoeun suddenly realized that the entire room had gone silent. Gilsang beside him, Byeonguk across from him, and all the other soldiers had their mouths tightly shut. Shadows lingered around their eyes. It seemed everyone was worried about Dongja.

Mansu was one thing, but Dongja was deeply concerning. After all, pain of the heart cut deeper than pain of the body. They had all lost someone precious before, so they knew how painful and unbearable it was.

“Should we… bring her here?”

Byeonguk asked, leaning slightly toward Taemuk.

“No.”

Taemuk shook his head briefly.

“Yes, then we’ll begin the meeting.”

Byeonguk stood up and moved toward the map. But—

“Wait.”

Taemuk’s voice stopped him. Everyone’s gaze turned toward him. They straightened their backs, focused on his words. Looking at them one by one, Taemuk lowered his gaze.

Then, unexpectedly, he apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

The short but heavy apology made everyone in the room inhale sharply at the same time. And immediately, they all objected at once.

“Why are you apologizing, Captain?”

“You’re not thinking the deaths are your fault, are you?”

“Don’t apologize. Were you resting somewhere while we fought? You weren’t hiding or running away, so why—”

“That’s right. Just how much blood did you shed? How much flesh was torn off—”

But Taemuk did not agree with them. It didn’t even seem like he was listening.

“I didn’t know they were there. I should’ve… checked more carefully.”

Furrowing his brows as if in pain, he rubbed his face harshly with dry hands. He let out a long, deep sigh until his mouth went dry. But seeing that only made the soldiers protest even more strongly.

“They made no sound at all!”

“How could anyone notice ones hanging in trees? Who would even imagine that—”

“Exactly. Ambushing from trees? Never seen or heard of it!”

But Taemuk shook his head firmly.

“No. I should’ve known.”

“……”

“Even if they made no presence, even if they left no traces—I should’ve known. At the very least, I should’ve been cautious.”

“……”

“But I wasn’t. I have no excuse.”

Taemuk lowered his gaze again.

“……”

Hoeun quietly watched him. He felt both sorry for Taemuk and amazed. It was rare for someone in a superior position to admit fault in front of so many subordinates. At the same time, he could see how much Taemuk cherished the fallen soldiers—and how deeply he felt their loss.

The other soldiers, feeling the same as Hoeun, gradually fell silent and lowered their heads.

“……”

“……”

A heavy silence pressed down on them all. It felt like being submerged in water made of silence—everything hazy, breathing difficult. Hoeun absentmindedly rubbed his eyelids when Gilsang, beside him, spoke up.

“It’s been a long time… since someone died.”

Another soldier nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. First time since the young master came.”

“That’s because the Captain got so much stronger thanks to him.”

At the sudden mention of himself, Hoeun looked around in confusion. Then Gilsang looked at Taemuk and said,

“So we must’ve let our guard down. Thinking you’d handle everything.”

Another soldier nodded and continued,

“That’s right. I thought the same. If Shikgoe appeared, the Captain would know. He’d take care of it. He’d save us. So when we chased those bastards, I just ran without thinking.”

“It’s our fault. We got careless.”

Hearing those words, Hoeun felt as if he had been struck in the back of the head.

They were right. We got careless. Because Taemuk was so strong, they trusted him too much.

Perhaps it was they who had burdened Taemuk with responsibility and guilt. No—definitely them. Because they relied on him completely, they pushed all the danger onto him—and that was why he was apologizing now.

Realizing that, his throat tightened. Clenching and unclenching his pale hand, Hoeun lowered his eyelids and spoke,

“…I did the same. Since we were nearing their base, it was natural there would be more of them. But I still thought nothing would happen because the General was there. I assumed it wouldn’t be dangerous.”

They should have planned more carefully. Prepared more. Anticipated more.

But instead, they trusted Taemuk and created a plan full of holes. Not just this time—every time.

It was almost miraculous that no one had died until now. No—that too had been because of Taemuk.

Overcome with self-reproach and guilt, Hoeun tightly shut his eyes. Then Byeonguk, who had been silent, spoke in a louder, firmer voice than usual.

“Still, this operation made one thing clear. We’ve definitely gotten closer to their base.”

Gilsang nodded vigorously.

“That’s right. This is definitely a major gain.”

“……”

Taemuk looked at the two of them, then at the rest of the soldiers. Apologizing for trusting their leader too much—it made him wonder if they were all insane.

And yet, he couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped him.

“…Fine. Let’s start the meeting.”

With that, he crossed his arms and gestured to Byeonguk. Byeonguk quickly stood and moved in front of the map.

“This operation concluded here, in the northern fir forest. Since we’ve gotten closer to the Shikgoe’s base, we must proceed cautiously. Before discussing the next operation, I believe it would be beneficial to review this one.”

After speaking, Byeonguk paused, then turned his gaze to Hoeun.

“Young master, do you have anything to add regarding this battle?”

At that, Hoeun, who had been flipping through his notebook, straightened immediately.

“Ah—may I speak first?”

“Please.”

“Yes.”

Hoeun turned slightly to face everyone. Then, without a single hesitation, he began to speak clearly.

“As Byeonguk said, it’s certain we’re close to their base. As you all saw, the first thing the ambushing Shikgoe killed… was the Shikgoe we were chasing.”

“That is… the first time we’ve seen Shikgoe killing other Shikgoe.”