By Zephyria 
“Yes. You’re the Captain’s Bondmate, so you have to go with him.”
“…….”
Ho-eun blinked rapidly. The thought that he was really that person’s match made his heart sink. The God of War he had vaguely imagined was not someone like Tae-muk.
“A-Are you saying we’re departing now?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“So… suddenly?”
“Well, the reason we came here was to find our Captain’s Bondmate… Now that we’ve found him, we have to go.”
Gil-sang continued nonchalantly. However, Ho-eun was in a situation where he couldn’t just say, “Great, let’s go!” Deok-woo was still in the hospital room. He hadn’t said goodbye to his parents. He also had to pack.
But what should he take? He had only ever come to places like the hospital for outings, so he had no idea how to pack.
As Ho-eun hesitated to answer, Gil-sang carefully urged him.
“We have to leave now. That way, we’ll be just outside the capital at noon. It’s a bit rough to travel there at night.”
“Ah… Um, can’t I have some time? Even just one night?”
“That… might be difficult. Everyone’s waiting now…”
Gil-sang scratched the back of his head, looking genuinely troubled. But Ho-eun was just as troubled. It wasn’t like he was going on a picnic somewhere nearby, but going to the battlefield. Leaving like a flash in the pan was not the right thing to do.
Ho-eun bit his lower lip, unable to do this or that.
“How many are in the Crimson Rain Brigade?”
A voice, deepened with age, flowed from the entrance of the hallway. Ho-eun turned his head sharply.
“……Father.”
His father stood with his hands behind his back.
“Yes?”
Gil-sang raised his eyebrows high and asked back. To that, his father kindly asked again.
“I asked how many people are in the unit.”
This hotel, located on prime real estate in Jongno, was the most luxurious hotel in Hanyang. His Majesty often stayed there, and Ho-eun had visited several times. Not as a guest, but because this hotel was owned by Ho-eun’s third older brother.
“Hoo…”
Ho-eun took a deep breath and headed to the Korean restaurant at the end of the hotel lobby. Several employees recognized him and greeted him, and each time he just gave an awkward smile. Normally, he would have greeted them warmly, but he was too preoccupied now.
As he got closer to the restaurant, he heard a rough commotion. It was a commotion that didn’t suit the place.
The restaurant sold high-end Korean food, and the prices were quite high. It wasn’t so expensive that ordinary people couldn’t afford it even if they saved their whole lives, but it was definitely a place you had to come with careful consideration. So there weren’t many days when it was full of customers, but today there wasn’t an inch of space to step. Even though it was late at night.
The customers were all wearing the same clothes. To be exact, military uniforms with black cloaks. They were the Crimson Rain Brigade people.
A few hours earlier, his father, who had suddenly asked about the number of people in the Crimson Rain Brigade at the hospital, had invited them all to the hotel. He generously shared expensive rooms and allowed them to eat as much food as they wanted. Of course, his father paid for everything.
Thanks to that, the Crimson Rain Brigade was able to rest for a night and relieve their fatigue, and Ho-eun was able to greet his family and pack his bags.
He had made this precious time with a fortune, so why did he come all the way here…
“…….”
Ho-eun swallowed hard as he entered the restaurant. Soldiers were densely seated at every table covered with white cloths. There were men and women. There were old people, and there were people who looked younger than Ho-eun. Everyone was chattering and eating food and drinking alcohol.
It wasn’t hard to find Tae-muk in that chaos.
The large build, the unique atmosphere, and… the gaze that had been fixed on him since the moment he entered the restaurant.
Tae-muk was sitting in the deepest part of the restaurant, with his back to the wall. It was a seat where he could see the entire restaurant, though it was far away.
“…….”
Ho-eun clenched and unclenched his hand hidden inside the sleeve of his Dopo. He had come to meet him, but he hesitated when he actually faced him. Around that time, people in the restaurant began to notice Ho-eun one by one.
In a place filled with only black military uniforms, a nobleman wearing jade-colored Hanbok couldn’t help but stand out.
“Who is that handsome young master?”
“Isn’t that him?”
“Him who?”
“The Captain’s Bondmate they found at the Bondmate Ceremony today.”
“What? The Captain’s Bondmate is a nobleman?”
“I guess so.”
“Oh my, of all things, a nobleman? Our Captain’s fate is truly…”
“Shh, shut your mouth.”
Various dialects flew from here and there. Ho-eun pretended not to hear anything and moved towards Tae-muk. Pretending not to know was one of his few specialties. Of course, he was pretending not to know, but it didn’t mean he was indifferent.
“Is he really a nobleman? How can he be so skinny? It’s like he grew up without eating any gruel.”
“Look at that pale face. It looks like he was too afraid of Devouring Ghouls to ever go outside.”
“Isn’t he going to pee his pants when he sees a Devouring Ghoul?”
“Hey, someone go buy him some diapers.”
But suddenly, one man stood up from his seat and shouted. Judging by his red face, he seemed quite drunk.
“Young Master, thank-you! Thanks to you, we’re living in luxury! This tender braised short rib is the first I’ve had since hair grew on my balls! Wahahaha!”
“Hey, do you even have hair on your balls?”
“Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t, you bastard.”
“Why not? I do?”
“Don’t you know where your balls are?”
“Why wouldn’t I know? Should I show you?”
The man, with a look of injustice, hurriedly began to pull down his pants. Then, those around him chuckled and pressed him down on his chair.
“…….”
Ho-eun, feeling dizzy from the conversation, pressed his lips tightly and hurried his steps. The Crimson Rain Brigade was slightly, no, quite different from what he had imagined. In a bad way.
Ho-eun was able to arrive in front of Tae-muk only after being riddled with words that were hard to tell whether they were expressions of gratitude or harassment.
“Excuse me.”
Ho-eun made his presence known.
“…….”
Tae-muk only stared at Ho-eun without answering. Unlike when they met at the Bondmate Ceremony, he was wearing only a military coat without a cloak. But he had all the buttons on his coat undone. His muscles were clearly visible through the thin Yui in the form of a Jeogori he wore inside.
There were about six people sitting at his table, with a random mix of genders and ages. It was impossible to tell who was the God of War and who was the Bondmate, and their positions or ranks were also unknown.
“…….”
“…….”
Unlike those who had bothered him earlier, they stared at Ho-eun warily. The swords, spears, and axes hanging under their chairs seemed like they would cut Ho-eun’s neck at any moment. But strangely, there were no weapons at Tae-muk’s seat.
“Welcome. I welcome you.”
Tae-muk expressed his welcome with a face that didn’t welcome him at all.
“……Thank you.”
Ho-eun also expressed his gratitude with a face that didn’t thank him at all. Tae-muk lightly scanned Ho-eun’s body from top to bottom.
“We have a long way to go, is that all you brought with that body of yours? Well, that’s enough for me, though.”
At Tae-muk’s words, those sitting at the table snickered. Ho-eun pressed hard on the corners of his lips. He spoke politely to Tae-muk.
“I would like to have a word with you.”
“Do it.”
Tae-muk answered briefly and poured a glass of alcohol down his throat. He didn’t seem to have even a fingernail’s worth of interest in Ho-eun. Ho-eun regretted it. He should not have come, he thought. But he couldn’t just turn back after coming this far.
“Could we not do it here, but somewhere else?”
“Somewhere else?”
He just meant that he wanted to have a conversation in a quiet place, but suddenly Tae-muk chuckled. He raised his eyebrows playfully and sneered at those sitting at the same table.
“My Bondmate is quite proactive.”
The soldiers snickered again.
“…….”
Ho-eun’s expression hardened. This was clearly harassment. Very low-quality harassment. He was not a courtesan, but a Bondmate. Moreover, his destined partner. He couldn’t understand why Tae-muk was being so unkind and irreverent to him. Especially since he was a general. He should be serious and dignified in accordance with his position.
But that aside… ‘My Bondmate.’
Such an explicit and direct word.
His ears grew hot. He felt fulfilled, thinking that Tae-muk must have felt something undeniable like him at the moment their hands touched.
Suddenly, it became difficult for Ho-eun to face Tae-muk. It could be said that it was because of embarrassment, or it could be said that it was because of shyness. Ho-eun lowered his eyes without realizing it.
“Let’s go, then.”
Tae-muk, with a cigarette in his mouth, pushed his chair back and stood up. His shadow, backlit, swallowed Ho-eun in one gulp. His bulk was enormous even when he was sitting, but it was even more so when he stood up.
People say ‘general material, general material,’ but it was strangely amazing that a person who was truly general material was actually a general.
“Save the alcohol.”
Tae-muk said to the soldiers and headed somewhere.
“Yes, Captain.”
They nodded. Ho-eun hesitated and took a step to follow him. But at that moment, someone sitting at the table snickered and said.
“But if you’re too late, we might not know what happens?”
Tae-muk, who had stopped abruptly at those words, turned around.
“If you want to die, go ahead.”
“Oh my, I’d rather drink one more mouthful before I die.”
The soldier sucked on the bottle in a frivolous manner as if to show off. It was quite presumptuous, but Tae-muk didn’t get angry, he just chuckled. Then he moved again.