By Zephyria 
“That’s right. I’ve never seen anything like it. No matter how much of beasts they are, they’ve never eaten their own kind before.”
“I don’t think the Devouring Ghouls were lying in wait just to eat people. That place has been deserted for a long time; even if they had stayed there for a while, they wouldn’t have been able to fill their bellies. A clever one couldn’t have missed that. In fact, our Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers…”
Ho-eun, who had been speaking, suddenly fell silent. He then cast his eyes down with a devastated expression. To this, Tae-muk spoke briefly.
“Continue.”
“Ah, yes. So, it seemed they were focused more on killing… rather than eating. That means they were lying in wait there for some other reason… In my opinion, I believe they were stationed there to stop us.”
“Us?”
“To be precise, perhaps to protect their lair from someone searching for it. Like a gatekeeper.”
At those words, Tae-muk tilted his head slightly.
“That means their lair could be nearby.”
“Yes. That is what I believe.”
Having finished speaking, Ho-eun looked at Byeonguk. Byeonguk gave a short nod and continued the meeting.
“It is now as good as having identified the location of the lair. However, the problem is whether we can actually reach it. I knew the Fan Type was clever, but its level has exceeded all expectations.”
“…”
“To avoid being detected while lying in wait, the creature made no sound, and it didn’t even leave claw marks while climbing the trees. It is a very intelligent creature.”
At that moment, Ho-eun raised his hand slightly so that only Byeonguk could see. Byeonguk looked at Ho-eun as if telling him to speak.
“It was also surprising that it first took out the archers, who were the biggest threat to those hanging from the trees. Furthermore, when I fired my gun, it used another Devouring Ghoul as a shield.”
At this, Byeonguk raised and lowered his eyebrows in surprise. He then looked at Tae-muk and spoke.
“I think we need to find a way. Won’t the lair be crawling with creatures as clever as the Fan Type?”
“…Perhaps there might be one even cleverer.”
Ho-eun added in a sunken voice. There might be creatures with different types of tentacles other than the ones identified so far. There was no telling how intelligent such a Devouring Ghoul might be. What was clear was that the battles ahead would only become more difficult.
“…”
“…”
The soldiers’ expressions darkened. Some let out sighs that felt as if the ground were collapsing, while others rubbed their dry faces. They were likely all feeling similar emotions: the worry that they might lose and the fear that they might die.
For a long time, no one spoke. Then, Tae-muk, with his arms crossed, spoke in his characteristic indifferent tone.
“No need to be scared already. We know where their lair is, and we know the Fan Type is lying in wait nearby, so we just have to be more careful and more meticulous. We were hit this time because it was a surprise attack; it won’t be the same next time.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Byeonguk quickly agreed. Ho-eun also nodded. It was true. They had been hit because they hadn’t anticipated the ambush, not because the Crimson Rain Brigade was weak.
A Devouring Ghoul is still a Devouring Ghoul. The same ones they had been fighting all along. There was no need to be intimidated in advance.
After that, the meeting continued with a discussion on how to fight the Devouring Ghouls moving forward. What was needed, what to be careful of, how to reach the lair, and how to deal with them. However, no viable strategy emerged.
The meeting dragged on. The characteristic vermilion sunlight of the afternoon seeped through the paper doors. By that point, not a single person spoke. In the deadlocked meeting, Tae-muk, who had been rolling an unlit cigarette in his hand, spoke up.
“Let’s call it a day.”
“But nothing has come of this.”
“Do you think something will come to mind just by sitting on your backside longer? We’ll do it again tomorrow.”
“Shall we do that?”
“If anyone thinks of something later, tell Byeonguk and Ho-eun.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Right. Everyone get out. Byeonguk, stay.”
Tae-muk waved his hand. The soldiers rose from their seats, bowed repeatedly to Tae-muk, and left the room. Ho-eun sat quietly. Byeonguk, who had received separate instructions, also remained.
Finally, when only Tae-muk, Ho-eun, and Byeonguk were left in the room, Tae-muk beckoned Byeonguk to come closer. Byeonguk stepped in front of Tae-muk with a disciplined gait.
“Do you have something for me to do?”
“We need to increase the sentries.”
Tae-muk spoke as he dropped the cigarette, which had grown soft from his long fidgeting, onto the desk. At those words, not only Byeonguk’s but also Ho-eun’s eyes widened. It was because it was an unusual order.
The Crimson Rain Brigade never neglected their guard, but they didn’t overdo it either. That was because Tae-muk was there. If someone came, he would notice. He was a being who knew exactly how many birds had flown over the camp today.
“Sentries… you say?”
Byeonguk asked back with a tense face. Tae-muk gave a short nod.
“Yes. Just as we learned about them, they might have learned about us. I’ll hear most things, but… there’s a chance I might not.”
“Could it be that your hearing is not as sharp as before—”
As Byeonguk cautiously voiced his concern.
“It’s not that.”
Tae-muk denied it firmly. He then glanced at Ho-eun for a moment before turning his gaze back to Byeonguk.
“I have Ho-eun. I am still strong. No, I am stronger than before.”
“Then why…”
“It’s just a precaution. Because it might rain, or thunder might strike.”
“…Yes. I will do as you say.”
With that short conversation ending, Byeonguk also left the room with a bow. Now, only Tae-muk and Ho-eun remained.
Ho-eun silently closed his notebook, which was filled with dense writing. He then gazed intently at Tae-muk. Receiving that gaze with an expressionless face, Tae-muk asked bluntly.
“What. Do you have something to say?”
“No. I don’t have anything to say, but…”
“Then.”
“Just, um…”
“What is it.”
“I was wondering… if I could hold you for a bit.”
At those words, Tae-muk’s eyebrow quirked upward. Then, he let out a small, airy laugh.
“Shall we?”
Tae-muk pushed his chair back with his heels. He then patted his thigh. As Ho-eun quickly stood up and headed toward him, Tae-muk snatched his waist and pulled him onto his lap. Thus, Tae-muk’s chest and Ho-eun’s back were pressed together, the two of them overlapping while looking in the same direction.
Tae-muk, his massive back slightly hunched, pressed his cheek against Ho-eun’s.
“Your fever has gone down a lot.”
A warm heat could still be felt, but it wasn’t a searing fever. It had been worth sleeping while hugging him tightly for the past few days.
“The cough?”
“I haven’t coughed once today.”
“Your throat doesn’t hurt?”
“No.”
Ho-eun answered diligently, fidgeting with Tae-muk’s hand that wrapped around his waist. Every time he replied, the slight twitching of his cheek was transmitted fully to Tae-muk. Finding that adorable, Tae-muk chuckled again and pressed kisses against the nape of his neck. Ho-eun lifted his head and asked.
“Are you going out today as well?”
“Yes. I’ll take a look around.”
“Please come back early. Let’s have dinner together.”
“Alright.”
After that, the two remained for a while without any words or movement. Then, at some point, Ho-eun shifted his body, attempting to sit facing Tae-muk. Tae-muk lifted and turned him, and as if he had been waiting, Ho-eun wrapped his arms around Tae-muk’s neck.
“I wonder why you’re like this today…”
Tae-muk hugged Ho-eun back with a smiling face. Without a particular answer, Ho-eun only hugged Tae-muk’s neck tighter. In response, as if refusing to lose, Tae-muk hugged Ho-eun’s small back with strength.
That day—or rather, since the day Tae-muk had confessed his past to Ho-eun—Ho-eun had tried to hug Tae-muk from time to time like this. Regardless of whether it was day or night, whenever no one was around, he would suddenly dive into his arms, reach out, or climb onto his lap; it was incredibly cute.
Tae-muk thought that he hadn’t shared his blood-soaked past just to be pitied or pampered, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.
Tae-muk felt him, inhaling Ho-eun’s scent through his nose and stroking his plump Braided Hair with his hand. Ho-eun was truly small, yet also truly large. That was something only a person who had hugged Ho-eun, or been hugged by him, could know. After savoring Ho-eun for a while, he called him in his characteristic low voice.
“Ho-eun.”
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
At those words, Ho-eun froze for a moment. Then, burying his face in the nape of Tae-muk’s neck, he replied in a suppressed voice.
“…Me too. I like you, General.”
Then, he felt the hand wrapping around his body tighten just a little more.