BW C236

Chapter 236

After sending the cook away, Taemuk called another soldier over and gestured toward the moving shikgoe with his chin.

“A few of them are moving over there.”

“The shikgoe, sir?”

The soldier rose onto his tiptoes and looked in the direction Taemuk indicated.

“There’s nothing upstream they could use to cross, right?”

“No, sir. We destroyed not only the bridge but anything that could be used as one. All the debris was washed downstream. They won’t cross easily.”

“What about our men guarding the dam upstream?”

“They’ve already returned.”

Taemuk’s eyes narrowed before returning to normal.

Nothing unexpected seemed likely to happen—but you never knew.

He ran his tongue slowly along the inside of his cheek while thinking, then gave an order.

“Still. Just in case, follow them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Don’t forget your bow. If they try anything strange, kill them.”

“Yes, understood.”

The soldier bowed quickly and ran off. After shouting something to the others, several soldiers brought horses while others grabbed bows. Soon, a few swift soldiers leapt onto horseback.

Before long, they galloped off in pursuit of the shikgoe across the river.

Taemuk watched them run.

The monsters must have realized Jeokudae had been lying in ambush here, waiting for them. They also likely understood that crossing the river again might invite another attack. Unable to afford more losses—not of their main force, nor their offspring—they were probably searching for another route.

But there was no other route.

Further upstream, the current only grew stronger and the water deeper.

Even if they somehow crossed, Jeokudae wouldn’t simply stand by and watch.

Taemuk sat atop the head of a dead shikgoe nearby as if using it as a chair.

Then he took a huge bite out of the rice ball while watching the creatures across the river.

Firm rice.

Salty fermented seafood.

Nothing particularly special.

He chewed in silence, then suddenly clicked his tongue.

Staring at the rice ball as if it were someone’s face, he murmured quietly—

“I miss him.”

It hadn’t even been a full day.

And already.

While helping the soldiers make rice balls, Hoeun continued working until just before dawn. Then he hurried back with Dongja to their camouflage tent.

At night they could move without being noticed by the shikgoe.

But once the sun rose, they had to be careful.

They—the wounded, ordinary people, and the In people—were Jeokudae’s weakness.

And among them, Hoeun was the most dangerous weakness of all.

“Can’t see well, right? Grab my hand.”

As Hoeun carefully crawled down the slope, Dongja extended her hand.

“…Thank you, noona.”

Smiling awkwardly, Hoeun took it.

Soon the two entered the camouflage tent.

It was narrow and low, uncomfortable to stay in, but it was still warmer than outside.

It also felt oddly safe.

As Hoeun settled in, he naturally picked up his binoculars and looked toward the riverbank.

Taemuk was still sitting near the river, resting on a shikgoe’s head.

From Hoeun’s view, only his broad back was visible.

Yet that back looked unbelievably dependable.

The other Jeokudae soldiers probably felt the same.

But at the same time…

Hoeun felt a pang of pity.

The river wind must be cold.

He must be exhausted after the overnight standoff.

Hoeun couldn’t help wishing he could at least hold his hand for a little while.

He was Taemuk’s In.

And his lover.

Hoeun stared at Taemuk’s back for a while before moving the binoculars around.

The abandoned pit was filled with yellow slime.

Inside were piles of dead shikgoe and baby shikgoe.

Seeing that, Hoeun wrinkled his nose slightly.

Morally, harming babies—whether human or animal—felt wrong.

But shikgoe were an exception.

Once they matured, they would eat people.

And one of them had even dared bite Taemuk’s wrist.

Hoeun twisted his lips into a pout before relaxing again.

Then he turned his binoculars toward the opposite bank.

The shikgoe showed no notable movement.

From what he could tell, they were likely waiting for the current to weaken.

Earlier, a few shikgoe had moved upstream, and Jeokudae soldiers had followed.

Since only the soldiers returned, the shikgoe had likely died before accomplishing anything.

Hoeun carefully scanned every corner.

Eventually, his gaze returned to Taemuk.

Taemuk hadn’t moved an inch.

How can he stay like that?

Hoeun was silently admiring him when—

“Think Captain fell asleep sitting there?”

Dongja asked casually while fiddling with a chocolate wrapper.

The silly remark made Hoeun laugh before he could stop himself.

“If he’s going to sleep, I wish he’d come here and sleep instead.”

“Right? Why sleep sitting like that?”

Dongja chuckled.

Hoeun smiled with her.

Joking with Dongja helped clear his hazy mind.

Truthfully, Hoeun was tired.

Since the moment the black kite had first risen—when the shikgoe scout party appeared—he hadn’t slept at all.

Still, he had no desire to sleep.

What kind of lunatic slept in the middle of a war?

He raised the binoculars again.

Then Dongja asked—

“Not sleepy?”

Hoeun nodded without hesitation.

“No. I’m fine.”

“Eh… if you’re tired, you can sleep.”

“How could I when everyone else is working so hard?”

“If anyone else dozes off, I’d smack them in the back of the head. But you’re fine. You can sleep.”

At that, Hoeun lowered the binoculars and looked at her.

“And why am I fine?”

He expected an answer like—

Because you’re a noble.

Or because you’re Captain’s In.

Instead, Dongja gave an unexpected answer.

“Because if you don’t sleep properly, you get mouth sores and nosebleeds.”

“…How do you know that?”

Hoeun’s eyes widened.

He had never openly shown his nosebleeds or mouth sores.

How did she know?

Dongja answered casually.

“Captain grumbles about it all the time. ‘Hoeun’s mouth sores came back again.’ ‘He had another nosebleed this morning.’ Stuff like that.”

“….”

“If mouth sores and nosebleeds were shikgoe, Captain would’ve hunted them down and beaten them to death by now.”

“Ah…”

Hoeun’s face darkened.

He had thought things like nosebleeds and mouth sores were minor enough to hide.

He never imagined Taemuk had talked about them.

“I… caused trouble… again…”

Hoeun drooped as if he’d just been sentenced to execution.

Dongja stared at him, dumbfounded.

Then she wriggled closer while lying down and whispered secretly.

“Want me to tell you what real trouble is?”

“Real trouble?”

“Mm.”

“What… is it?”

Now Hoeun’s face had gone pale.

Had he caused even worse trouble than being sick?

No—that list was far too long.

Which one had upset Dongja?

Was it because of Mansu’s injury?

Bracing himself for criticism, he waited.

Then Dongja suddenly burst into giggles.

“It’s funny now, but back then…”

“…You, noona?”

“Yeah. Me.”

Hoeun blinked.

So she wasn’t criticizing him?

The realization made him relax in shameful relief.

While he quietly exhaled, Dongja continued.

“When I had just joined Jeokudae.”

“Yes.”

“One night I woke up starving. Absolutely starving. So I sneaked into the kitchen and stole a potato.”

“A potato?”

Hoeun calmly thought:

Why a potato of all things?

If she was going to steal food, why not rice or meat?

Dongja was important enough that no one would’ve denied her food anyway.

“Yeah. A raw potato.”

“…Really?”

“Yep. But the cooks somehow found out and barged in screaming. Scared the hell out of me. I panicked and kicked the firewood by accident.”

“Oh no… then what happened?”

“I set the kitchen on fire.”

“…Fire?”

“Yep.”

Hoeun’s mouth opened slightly, then closed again.

After thinking for a moment, he asked worriedly—

“Were you hurt?”

“…Hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Who?”

“You, noona.”

There were plenty of flammable things in a kitchen.

Lots of firewood too.

Hoeun worried someone might have been badly injured.

But Dongja stared at him as if she’d just been slapped.

“The kitchen caught fire, and that’s the first thing you ask?”

“…Then what should I ask first?”

Hoeun asked sincerely.

Should he have asked if the potato tasted good?

Or whether her hunger got better?

Neither seemed right.

As he scratched his chin with one finger, Dongja let out a dry laugh.

“You’re weird. Seriously weird.”

At that, Hoeun blinked rapidly.

Then he let out a soft laugh.

“I haven’t heard that in a very long time.”