By Zephyria 
127
“I’m here.”
Ho-eun entered the dining hall and approached a table as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Dong-ja, Man-soo, and Gil-sang and Seong-im were sitting there. Man-soo greeted him with a cheerful wave.
“Oh, Young Master, you’re here? Come on, come on.”
Originally, the Crimson Rain Brigade ate their meals outside. They would receive their food and eat it on the spot, or take it back to their respective tents. But on days with bad weather, like when it was pouring rain or snowing, they would set up a large tent and eat together.
In truth, Ho-eun could have his meals served in his tent whether it rained or snowed, so there was no need for him to come all the way to the dining hall. But he enjoyed eating with everyone, so when Tae-muk wasn’t in the tent, he would join them.
Ho-eun smiled bashfully at the welcoming faces, taking a seat across from Dong-ja. No sooner had he settled down than a small shadow darted toward him and placed a meal in front of him.
“Young Master, here you go.”
It was Chilbok.
“Thank you, Chilbok. I’ll enjoy it.”
Today’s meal was bibimbap. It was a frequent dish at the encampment, likely because it required fewer dishes, was easy to distribute, and convenient to eat.
A steaming bowl of miso soup was served alongside it, filled with radish and dried radish greens, and its deep color suggested it would be delicious.
Ho-eun swallowed hard. He was very hungry after his shooting practice. He felt like he could devour an entire bowl in one go.
Ho-eun took a spoonful of the warm miso soup first, then began to mix the bibimbap. But as soon as he stirred the rice, he paused, surprised. A thick egg omelet was hidden beneath the rice.
“……”
Ho-eun, stiffening suspiciously, glanced around involuntarily, only to lock eyes with Dong-ja. Dong-ja tilted her head for a moment, then sharply raised her eyebrows.
“Hey! Chilbok, did you put an egg omelet only in the Young Master’s rice again?”
She slammed the table with her spoon, held upright like a spear, and shouted. The thick wooden table cracked along the grain. Ho-eun gasped.
“……”
Chilbok glanced at Dong-ja, bowed to Ho-eun, and then turned and ran away. Dong-ja clicked her tongue in disbelief and slammed the table again! The table shook as if it would collapse any moment.
“Look at him, look at him. He doesn’t even answer anymore! I swear, I’m going to bite his cheeks off.”
Dong-ja ground her teeth as she said that. It looked like she was going to tear his cheeks off, not just bite them. But Man-soo nudged Dong-ja’s arm with his elbow.
“Easy. The Young Master bought Chilbok fur shoes.”
At that, Ho-eun coughed. He felt like the miso soup he had just swallowed was about to come back up. Unable to hide his embarrassment, he looked at Man-soo and asked.
“H-hyung-nim, how did you know that?”
“Oh, how could I not know? In this small encampment.”
“W-well, I don’t think it’s that small……”
The encampment was vast, almost boundless. He still hadn’t been to half of it. But Man-soo shrugged and continued eating. And Dong-ja stroked her chin with a serious expression.
“Fur shoes? Hmm……”
She muttered the words “fur shoes” a few times, then nodded in agreement, as if convinced.
“Then he’s qualified. Yeah, he deserves to eat egg omelet.”
After muttering those cryptic words, she scooped up a large portion of bibimbap and brought it to her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out as if they would burst from the enormous amount, but after three chews, it vanished without a trace.
“……”
Ho-eun watched Dong-ja and couldn’t bring himself to eat the bibimbap, stirring the air with his spoon instead. Gil-sang, who was at the same table, said quietly.
“Don’t mind it and eat, Young Master. It’s only natural that you eat something different from us.”
“Oh, ah……, yes.”
Ho-eun hesitated for a moment, then mixed the rice again. But the uncomfortable feeling didn’t go away. After pondering something, he cut the egg omelet in half and passed it to Dong-ja’s bowl. At that, Dong-ja, who had been eating ravenously like a beast, froze.
“Young Master, really……”
She grinned and bit off the egg omelet. Then she gave the rest to Man-soo. Man-soo chuckled and ate it. Ho-eun smiled slightly and looked at Gil-sang, holding the remaining egg omelet.
“Perhaps the Commander and Seong-im-nim also…….”
“We’re fine.”
Gil-sang refused, and Seong-im shook his head as well. Knowing that their refusal was genuine, Ho-eun didn’t offer again and mixed his rice. Only then did he feel at ease. He would have to tell Chilbok to refrain from putting egg omelet only in his food in the future. He appreciated the gesture, but discrimination was unfair.
Just as Ho-eun was about to put a spoonful of bibimbap in his mouth, Man-soo asked.
“Did you do shooting practice again today? The day has come when we hear gunshots in the encampment.”
“Yes. Is it loud? I’m sorry.”
Ho-eun apologized sincerely. The constant gunshots were loud even to him, the one firing them. Moreover, Dong-ja and Man-soo were the ones who had rushed out at the sound of gunshots fired by gangsters in Myeonghwa-eup. That meant they were sensitive to gunshots, so they must be finding it noisy.
But Dong-ja, made generous by the egg omelet, shook her spoon.
“Noisy? It’s not like you’re shooting in the middle of the night. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Despite her words, Ho-eun couldn’t shake his worry. The Crimson Rain Brigade encampment was usually so quiet, with only the sound of flags fluttering. If there wasn’t even the sound of the wind, you could hear the other person breathing.
“The battlefields I know are filled with the sounds of gunshots and cannons, but gunshots seem rare in the Crimson Rain Brigade. I suppose it’s because it’s not easy to get ammunition.”
Man-soo, who had been slurping dried radish greens like noodles, raised his chin.
“Really? That’s news to me.”
“Yes?”
“Well, it’s not wrong to say that it’s difficult to get ammunition, but it’s not impossible either. We receive pigs and chickens, so why wouldn’t we be able to receive ammunition?”
“Then…….”
“It’s more about the noise.”
At those words, Ho-eun’s cheeks turned pale.
“Is it noisy? Should I not shoot?”
But Man-soo shook his head vigorously.
“No, no, we don’t mean it’s noisy for us, but for the Captain.”
“……Yes? For the General?”
Ho-eun tilted his head at the sudden mention of Tae-muk. Then Man-soo said with a look as if he couldn’t believe Ho-eun didn’t know.
“How do you think a sound that’s deafening to us sounds to the Captain’s ears?”
It wasn’t a question, but Dong-ja, who was gulping down miso soup straight from the bowl like cold water, answered.
“It must feel like his eardrums are about to burst.”
“Yeah, yeah. He doesn’t like noisy things to begin with. That’s why he doesn’t pick soldiers who shoot well when recruiting new ones.”
Ho-eun felt his heart sink.
“I, I…… didn’t know.”
Why hadn’t he known? He could have realized it if he had thought about it a little.
Tae-muk had been by his side every time he trained. He had been there from the beginning, and he had been there today. He had heard hundreds of bullets fired, and he had been listening to it all. It must have been painful. Why hadn’t he shown it?
And he, not knowing any of that, had pestered him to let him train, had jumped around excitedly, and had laughed. Like an idiot. He was his Bondmate, yet he had neglected his well-being.
“……”
Ho-eun put down his spoon with a miserable expression. His appetite had vanished. He didn’t want to eat anything. But Gil-sang, who was sitting next to him, spoke to comfort him.
“He must be teaching you how to use a Gun on purpose.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“Because he’ll be able to hear the gunshots.”
“……I don’t understand what you mean.”
“If you were to shoot a Gun outside, Young Master, what would be the reason? It would be because a Devouring Ghoul appeared, or because those bastards like in Myeonghwa-eup appeared, or something like that, right?”
“Yes. That’s probably right.”
“That means you’re in danger.”
“Yes.”
“So if you shoot a Gun, the Captain, who has good hearing, will be able to tell right away. You’re the only one among us who uses a Gun.”
“Ah…….”
“The Gun may be a weapon to you, Young Master, but to the Captain, it’s like a gong. He can tell where you are right away.”
“A gong…….”
Ho-eun repeated those words, and Dong-ja, who had finished her meal with gusto, put down her spoon with a thud and nodded.
“That’s right, that’s right. Since the Young Master is the only one who uses a Gun, there’s a shooting star.”
“Yes?”
Ho-eun’s eyes widened at the unexpected words, and Man-soo corrected Dong-ja.
“Not a shooting star, but distinctiveness.”
“Oh, distinctiveness.”
“Distinctiveness.”
“Distinctiveness.”
Man-soo sighed deeply at her inability to pronounce the word correctly.
“……Just eat your rice.”
“I already finished it.”
Dong-ja said, showing her bowl with not a single grain of rice left.
“Eat more.”
At that, Man-soo divided his rice in half and gave it to her. Dong-ja grinned and picked up her spoon again. Gil-sang and Seong-im chuckled softly at the sight.
“……”
Ho-eun couldn’t laugh.
Late at night, Ho-eun was sitting at Tae-muk’s desk, reading books related to Devouring Ghouls. 『Myriad Calamities Records』 and 『Devouring Ghoul Countermeasures』. The books he had bought in Myeonghwa-eup. He had already read them three times in the past few days, but he was rereading them in case he had missed anything.
Ho-eun turned another page with a rustle.
Flap.
The tent fluttered, and Tae-muk appeared. He was only wearing a Durumagi over his bare upper body, as if he didn’t feel the cold. He was carrying a red-hot brazier in each hand.
As winter began in earnest, Tae-muk would bring in charcoal in braziers every night. He could have ordered a subordinate to do it, but he always did it himself. Once, Ho-eun, unable to watch any longer, had offered to do it himself, but he couldn’t even lift one of the iron braziers properly and struggled, earning Tae-muk’s ridicule.
128 – 128
128
“You’ve arrived.”
Ho-eun rose from his desk to greet him. Tae-muk glanced at him once before heading towards the tent with the cot, without a word. Ho-eun hurriedly called out to him.
“Um… General.”
“What.”
Tae-muk turned his head to look at Ho-eun. Ho-eun fussily came around the desk. Unruly strands of hair, not quite dry from a recent wash, draped over one shoulder.
“Um… I was thinking of training alone from tomorrow.”
With his hands neatly gathered below his abdomen, he spoke in his characteristically neat tone.
“……”
Tae-muk’s eyebrows twitched at those words. Just this afternoon, he had been following him around like a puppy with pleading eyes, wanting to do shooting practice, asking to be taught, asking for help, and now he was saying he would go alone.
Tae-muk wondered why Ho-eun was suddenly acting like this, and then he clicked his tongue. He glared at the entrance of the tent, fluttering in the wind, and muttered.
“Why do these bastards keep saying useless things?”
He felt like ripping out all their tongues. It wasn’t like he needed a tongue to kill Devouring Ghouls. As he ground his teeth, Ho-eun, oblivious, took their side.
“Isn’t it because everyone knew I was foolishly happy, so they told me?”
“What?”
“If you had told me sooner…”
“So. It’s my fault?”
Tae-muk’s eyes gleamed fiercely like a wild beast. Ho-eun whimpered and lowered his gaze.
“…Well, it’s not exactly your fault, but still, uh, I think I should have known sooner.”
“What would you have done if you knew?”
At the cold words, Ho-eun pouted.
“I don’t want the General to be in pain.”
Instantly, Tae-muk’s fiercely upright gaze softened. On the other hand, the embers in the brazier he was holding burned even hotter.
“…Why don’t you want me to be in pain?”
He had asked, expecting a certain answer. Something like, because you’re the General, because you’re my God of War, or even just, because I don’t like it. But Ho-eun didn’t give him the answer he wanted.
“Does there need to be a reason? No one, no one likes to see someone in pain.”
“Ah, a per-son.”
Tae-muk deliberately drew out the ‘per’. To think such a grand and lofty reason would come out. He was a fool to have expected it. Tae-muk blew his bangs up.
“Never mind, come with me.”
“But…”
“……”
Ho-eun opened his mouth to persuade Tae-muk, but closed it again after seeing his eyes. He sensed that Tae-muk wouldn’t back down.
Tae-muk, as if ending the conversation, picked up the brazier and went into the tent with the cot.
“……”
Left alone, Ho-eun pondered something for a moment before closing the book he was reading and approaching his pile of luggage stacked to one side. After rummaging through the many items, he soon found something.
This might be helpful to Tae-muk.
Ho-eun hugged it tightly and followed Tae-muk into the tent with the cot.
Tae-muk seemed to be trying to sleep, as he was taking off his Durumagi. The brazier he had brought in earlier was not placed on both sides of the cot, but huddled together on one side. Thanks to that, the tent was filled with warm heat.
Ho-eun, who was now unfazed by Tae-muk’s bare chest, approached him with hurried steps and held out what he had been carrying.
“Then how about trying this on?”
The fluffy thing was… earmuffs. White fur was lined with light green silk, designed to cover the ears and cheeks. Tae-muk frowned at the sight of it.
“…Are you crazy?”
“It’s thick and the fur is dense, so it will block out some of the sound. It’s better than your ears hurting from the Gunshots…”
“Get rid of it. Before I tear it up.”
“Get…”
Ho-eun lowered the earmuffs, pouting at the outright rejection of his sincerity. Regardless, Tae-muk went to the cot, lifted the blanket, and said.
“Put your lips away and get in. I’m going to sleep.”
Inside the blanket, heated stones were huddled together. Chilbok must have come and gone earlier, putting them in. Tae-muk roughly picked up the still-smoking stones with his hands and moved them away.
“……Yes.”
Ho-eun answered sullenly, put down the earmuffs, and climbed onto the cot. There was no particular hesitation in his actions. Before, he would have trembled with fear of what Tae-muk might do.
That was because, since returning to the garrison from Myeonghwa-eup, Tae-muk had only kissed him occasionally and hadn’t laid a hand on Ho-eun. He hadn’t even attempted to, nor did he show any desire to. Also, the fact that the black blanket had been replaced with a navy cotton blanket for the winter contributed to easing his anxiety.
Ho-eun lay straight down in the spot where the heated stones had been. It felt as if his body was melting in the warm temperature. The inside of the blanket was warm, and the two braziers right below were radiating heat, so he wasn’t afraid of the cold.
Soon, Tae-muk also climbed onto the cot and lay down next to Ho-eun. Unlike Ho-eun, who had pulled the blanket up to his neck, he only covered himself loosely with the blanket over his bare body.
He put one arm behind his head and closed his eyes. But then Ho-eun next to him seemed to be wriggling.
“General.”
He whispered softly in his unique, beautiful voice.
“What again.”
Tae-muk replied with his eyes closed. He answered as if he was annoyed to death, but the corners of his lips were loosely relaxed. Ho-eun, unaware of this, carefully asked in a low voice, lest he offend him.
“What will we do in the future?”
“What do you mean.”
“Will we continue to stay at the garrison like this? Until someone asks for help again, or a Devouring Ghoul appears?”
At those words, Tae-muk quietly opened his eyes. He looked at the ceiling, where the lamplight flickered dimly, and replied.
“No.”
“Then?”
“We’re moving the garrison in two days.”
“……Yes?”
Ho-eun froze for a moment, then jumped up as if he had been sprung. The news was too sudden. Leaving. And just two days from now. He had just started to feel attached to this place. It wouldn’t matter since they were all leaving together, but no, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Where, where are we going?”
At Ho-eun’s question, Tae-muk also raised his upper body. He rose with only the strength of his core, making his abs stand out sharply.
“You said you wanted to know where the Devouring Ghouls come from.”
He said, looking at Ho-eun.
“Oh, ah, yes. I did.”
Ho-eun nodded with a dazed expression. On the way back to the garrison from Myeonghwa-eup, he had asked Tae-muk various questions. Most of them were like monologues that didn’t get an answer.
‘How are Devouring Ghouls born?’
‘Do they have parents too?’
‘Or do they, like insects, have one mother that gives birth to many offspring?’
‘Where do they live? Where do all those things come from?’
‘Is it that their sizes are all different because, like people grow as they age, they also grow? If so, are the young ones small? If they are small, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with them?’
At the time, he thought Tae-muk was listening to his questions with one ear and letting them out the other, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. So, had Tae-muk found the answer to his questions? Ho-eun looked at him with expectant eyes. Suddenly, Tae-muk jumped out of the cot. Then he left the tent.
“Oh, where are you going?”
Ho-eun asked, bewildered, towards the fluttering tent. Then, to follow Tae-muk, he lowered one foot off the cot, but Tae-muk reappeared, lifting the drooping cloth. In his hand was a book. He strode over and climbed onto the cot, handing it to Ho-eun. Ho-eun took it in a daze.
“What is this?”
“It’s a record.”
“A re-cord?”
“Yeah. All reported battles are recorded. Not only battles but also invasions and attacks are recorded. It may not be complete, but all the major ones are there.”
He said, tucking Ho-eun’s leg, which was sticking out, back into the blanket. Regardless, Ho-eun was only looking at the book.
“Something like this… existed.”
He stroked the cover of the book and carefully opened it. Inside, numerous place names and towns were listed in a row. There were unfamiliar place names, but there were also many familiar ones. Cheongju, Gongju, Hongseong, Cheonan, Jeonju, Naju, Gwangju, Suncheon, Namwon, Gyeongju, Sangju, Dongnae…
The records were not organized by region but by date. The handwriting and ink density were different for each chapter, as if different people had written them. Ho-eun carefully examined it. Tae-muk said in a subdued voice.
“We’re going to the place with the most records.”
At those words, Ho-eun looked up at Tae-muk sharply.
“If you mean the place with the most records… do you mean you’re going to the place where Devouring Ghouls have appeared the most?”
“Yeah. The bastards’ base… I don’t know if there is such a thing, but if there is, it’ll be close to that place.”
“Ah…”
Ho-eun sighed softly. It made sense. He didn’t know if all Devouring Ghouls were born and raised in one place, but if so, the place where Devouring Ghouls appeared most frequently was likely to be their base. Even if that wasn’t the case, if they appeared often in a place, there must be a reason. He might learn something he didn’t know.