dreams spun in berries & fluff
    Chapter Index

    Rate on NU

    Chapter 35(NSFW)

    “Whose cock? Mine?”

    “M-my cock. Please, touch my cock
 please
”

    “Say it once more.”

    “Touch my cock, touch—ahhhhn!”

    Taemuk clamped down hard on his sex, yanking it upward as though to pull it straight out, then squeezing down. With the pad of his thumb, he mercilessly gouged at the glans. Startled by the unbearable flood of pleasure, Hoeun burrowed deeper, deeper into Taemuk’s chest.

    Then, as the corona of his glans scraped against the rough palm—tddrk, slipping—

    “Uhhk
”

    Hoeun’s legs stretched long and straight. His body shook violently. At that same instant, Taemuk’s hand grew wet. And yet Taemuk did not withdraw his hand, but gently shook Hoeun’s cock until his release was fully spent.

    It wasn’t out of consideration. He only wanted to admire that twisted, crumpled expression a little longer.

    Hoeun’s semen was not much. Just a few sharp spurts, like a rat’s piss, and it ended. His thin body collapsed limply, his flat chest rising and falling busily as he exhaled hot breaths.

    “

”

    At last, Taemuk drew his hand from inside his trousers. He raised it up. White, sticky fluid clung and slid slowly down between his fingers.

    Taemuk’s eyes narrowed. Strangely, a thirst—or rather, a hunger—rose in him. He extended his tongue and licked up Hoeun’s semen.

    “Urgh
”

    Hoeun froze stiff at the sight. Then, curling up his limbs, he drew himself into a ball and began to cry. Shame crashed over him, belatedly.

    The more he replayed what he had done, what words he had spoken, the more his chest plummeted in dread. It felt as if he had done something terribly wrong. If anyone found out, he would not survive the humiliation.

    “Hhh, hhhk
 hhhuhh
”

    Hoeun wept as though he were more sorrowful now than when Taemuk’s cock had nearly torn his throat apart. And there was Taemuk, licking up his semen, letting out a laugh.

    “Why are you crying? You touched me too. You can, but I can’t?”

    At those words, Hoeun snapped his head up.

    “How can that, and this, possibly
 possibly be the same?”

    His “Cling-close Strategy” was never this obscene or base. How could one compare the two? How? He knew exactly with what heart he had done it.

    His plump lips twitched and quivered, then soon he broke into even louder sobs.

    Yet ironically, he wept in Taemuk’s arms. Just as they had once shared a horse, he hugged Taemuk’s waist tightly and buried his face so flatly into his chest that his cheeks squashed, sobbing and hiccupping with abandon.

    “

”

    Taemuk let him cry it out. What else could he do? He couldn’t exactly rip out his tongue to silence him. He would wait until the boy quieted down, then do this and that. The night was long, after all.

    In time, Hoeun’s sobbing dwindled. Taemuk lowered his head to look.

    But Hoeun’s eyes were closed. His breaths, though slightly stuffy, came steady and even. Alarmingly so.

    “Hey.”

    “

”

    “Hey. Wake up.”

    He tapped Hoeun’s cheek. Hoeun only—

    “Mmm
”

    —as though to ward him off, twisted his shoulder and burrowed deeper into Taemuk’s chest. His soft cheek nestled firmly between the general’s thick pectorals. A thin breath scattered warmly across Taemuk’s solar plexus.

    “Hah
”

    Taemuk gazed down at him in disbelief.

    At some point, bamboos began appearing one by one, until suddenly the whole world was thick with bamboo. Each one rose so tall and straight that their ends could not be seen. If one climbed high enough, perhaps one could even touch the heavens.

    The stalks grew densely. So dense that even Jeokudae, usually moving as one mass, now had to walk with gaps of three, two, one in between. Still, with them within arm’s reach, it did not feel frightening.

    Today Hoeun rode not on Taemuk’s horse but on his own. Truthfully, he had planned to continue his “Cling-close Strategy” for several more days, but after what happened last night, he was far too embarrassed to ride with Taemuk—or even to meet his gaze.

    After nights repeating, he had grown somewhat used to touching Taemuk’s body. But letting Taemuk touch his? That, he could never grow used to. Judging by last night, perhaps never in his life.

    Hoeun sighed deeply. A glance from the side—Gilsang raised his brows as if to ask why. Hoeun brushed it off with an awkward smile and asked something else.

    “How much farther until we reach the encampment?”

    “It looks like we’ll arrive in about two days.”

    Hoeun’s eyes widened. No wonder—when they set out, Gilsang had said it would take about ten days.

    “Two days? I thought at least five were left
”

    It was not entirely welcome news. Once they arrived
 he would have to accept Taemuk fully. The leniency he had enjoyed as a “yangban” would end. Hoeun bit his lip. Then Gilsang, sounding oddly exhilarated, spoke.

    “Ah, this time there aren’t many ‘parasites.’”

    “This
 isn’t many?”

    So far, they had encountered them once in a valley, once again while Hoeun was unconscious—two times in total. Counting by days, that was nearly once every two days. Including those Taemuk had cleared earlier, the number was much higher.

    “Well, strictly speaking, it isn’t ‘few.’ But the fights haven’t been difficult.”

    “They
 weren’t difficult?”

    Hoeun’s gaze flicked briefly to Gilsang’s shoulder. He remembered vividly how the creature’s claws had punctured it full of holes. Now there was no bandage to be seen, but whether it had healed or not, he did not know. It was his fault Gilsang was injured, yet his own troubles kept him from even asking.

    No, that could hardly be called an easy fight.

    “You remember the ones we met in the valley?”

    “Yes.”

    “Creatures of that level usually take all night to defeat. We get badly injured, sometimes even have to retreat.”

    Hoeun’s face creased faintly. Retreat? That word did not suit Jeokudae—or rather, Taemuk—at all.

    “Retreat
 I can’t claim to know much, but wasn’t that battle not so hard?”

    It wasn’t easy, but hardly bad enough to force retreat. Was it because he had hidden between rocks and didn’t see well? Hoeun recalled the day, when suddenly Gilsang grinned.

    “Yes. It wasn’t hard. All thanks to you, young master.”

    “
Me?”

    “Yes.”

    “

”

    He had no idea what that meant. All he had done was cower in hiding. As Hoeun stared blankly, Gilsang turned his head forward. Following his gaze, Hoeun saw Taemuk’s back.

    “Thanks to you, our captain—”

    Before he could finish—

    “Uwaaaaaaah!”

    A scream rang out. It wasn’t close, but from beyond the thick bamboo. Jeokudae halted. Everyone turned toward the sound. Some already unsheathed their weapons.

    “

”

    Gilsang too stopped speaking, eyes shifting.

    “

”

    So did Hoeun.

    But all they saw were silent bamboo stalks standing tall. The company fixed their eyes on empty air, then, almost as if in unison, turned to look at Taemuk.

    In that instant, Taemuk yanked his reins hard and wheeled his horse toward the sound. He spurred into a gallop. Jeokudae soldiers darted after him.

    Thudududu, thudududududu.

    The world thundered with the roar of hooves. Bamboo leaves shook wildly. Gilsang gripped his reins tight.

    “Young master, stick close to me and follow!”

    “Ah, yes!”

    Gilsang bolted first, Hoeun chasing after. Wind whipped his hair straight back. The gale slapping his face carried a hint of menace.

    Since leaving home, Hoeun had ridden daily. But never had he galloped like this. This was the fastest speed of his life.

    Anxious, he clutched the reins tightly. Don’t make a mistake, don’t fall behind, he told himself, weaving through the forest of jutting bamboo.

    Then—suddenly—one bamboo that whisked past his eyes gleamed an uncanny red.

    A red bamboo?

    Hoeun turned his head to check, but it was already far behind. Tilting his head, he faced forward again—only to see—

    “Oh
”

    A person lay in front of him. No—a corpse.

    Gilsang’s horse leapt clean over the body. Startled, Hoeun yanked his reins instinctively. His horse skidded to a halt. The jolt lifted him clean from the saddle, and in the blink of an eye he was thrown forward.

    “Ah
”

    He couldn’t even scream. For that instant, he thought, So this is how I die.

    Luckily, the dense bamboo forest broke his fall. His shoulder slammed into a trunk, and he slid straight down its side. The bamboo shook, rustling angrily.

    “Ugh
”

    “Young master!”

    Gilsang, who had been ahead, wheeled back at once.

     

    Note