BSW 129

129

Ho-eun stroked the countless place names with his hand, and Tae-muk roughly swept back his own bangs. Then, he said with a voice mixed with annoyance.

“I’ve been too busy dealing with the guys who have been flocking in, I didn’t even think about going to find them first.”

At his words that sounded almost like self-reproach, Ho-eun quickly corrected him.

“It’s not that you couldn’t, but that you didn’t have the time.”

Ho-eun knew better than anyone how busy Tae-muk was. More than a thousand soldiers looking only at him, the small village people who farmed nearby, and the people of Ramjae Town, and even the countless Devouring Ghouls he met while coming and going.

That was just what he had seen, it must have been even more before. Even in the midst of all that, he came and went to Hanyang from time to time to find his Bondmate, so how could he not be busy?

Ho-eun wanted to ease Tae-muk’s mood, so he smiled and said.

“Still, you’re amazing. To even think that far with the records.”

Either way, hadn’t he gotten much closer to the identity of the Devouring Ghouls? It was definitely something to be happy about. But Tae-muk’s eyes became darker than before.

“It’s going to get harder.”

“Yes?”

“We’ll face a lot more Devouring Ghouls, and that means a lot more guys will get hurt. And……”

Tae-muk trailed off, unlike himself. But Ho-eun felt like he had heard his voice.

‘A lot of guys will die, too.’

The smile disappeared from Ho-eun’s lips as well. He couldn’t find the words to answer, and bit his lower lip. Tae-muk stared at the tent of the military camp, or rather, at the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers beyond the tent, and added.

“But those guys will go without a word if I tell them to go. Even knowing how it will end.”

“……”

“But we have to do it. There’s no one else who will do it but us.”

“Because you’re the Crimson Rain Brigade……”

“Yeah. Because we’re the Crimson Rain Brigade.”

“……”

Ho-eun took a shallow breath. Crimson Rain Brigade. He had vaguely thought of them as just the strongest unit, but it seemed like they had a lot on their shoulders. These were responsibilities that Ho-eun, who had lived a weak life, could not even dare to fathom.

Ho-eun looked at Tae-muk. He didn’t cry, didn’t grieve, and didn’t suffer. He was just staring at the flickering oil lamp with his unique expressionless face. But, even though he was clearly looking at the fire, his eyes were only black without a single point of light.

Ho-eun saw a sense of loss in his dark eyes. It seemed that the deaths of the future were already weighing on his mind.

Ho-eun put down the book and crawled towards Tae-muk. Then, he knelt down in front of him and carefully took his hand.

“I will go with you, too.”

He didn’t know what would happen in the future. The days he had already gone through were already painful and cruel enough, and he was afraid because it was said that it would be even worse.

But he felt like it would be okay if he was with Tae-muk. He would probably be a burden and bother others, but still, as Tae-muk’s Bondmate, he would do what he could. No, he wanted to.

“……”

Tae-muk slowly looked at Ho-eun. Ho-eun looked directly into Tae-muk’s eyes and said each syllable with all his heart.

“I don’t care how it ends. I will go with you, General.”

“……”

Tae-muk didn’t answer. He just looked at Ho-eun with his dark eyes. Silence fell like that.

“……”

“……”

Even in the silence, many things could be heard. The sound of the wind faintly seeping through the thick military tent, the sound of the tent fluttering, the sound of charcoal burning in the brazier, and…… each other’s breathing.

How long did that silence last? Tae-muk took his hand out of Ho-eun’s and slowly stroked Ho-eun’s hair, which was loose without the Hair Tie. The fine hair parted softly and smoothly between his fingers.

“……”

Ho-eun swallowed hard. It didn’t hurt or even feel like anything, but strangely, he was thirsty.

After that, Tae-muk stroked his hair about six or seven times. He especially fiddled with the ends where the Hair Tie had been tied several times. Then, he lowered his hand, took Ho-eun’s hand that he had placed on his thigh, stroked the protruding wrist bone with his thumb, and said.

“I want to.”

“……Yes?”

“To the end.”

“……”

At the sudden words, Ho-eun’s eyes hardened. It was a short sentence, but he could immediately understand what he wanted to do.

He’s going to do it? To the end?

But…… it will hurt. It will be painful. I will cry.

What will happen if I say I don’t like it here? No, can I say I don’t like it? Do I have that option? Will my hair be grabbed again and my face shoved into his crotch?

But somehow, Ho-eun felt like he could choose the act. If he said he didn’t like it, Tae-muk would probably say ‘Okay’ as if nothing had happened and go to sleep. And in the morning, he would check the brazier without him knowing and fill it with new charcoal. Just like he had been doing for the past few days.

So, should I refuse?

Should I say that I still haven’t gotten over the bad things he did to me, that I’m still scared and afraid, and turn around and go to sleep?

Ho-eun took quick breaths and looked back and forth between Tae-muk’s eyes. Then, he swallowed hard and.

“……Yes.”

He ended up agreeing. It was an agreement that he couldn’t even understand. He was still afraid and scared of him, but strangely…… he wanted to. He felt like it would be okay to do it.

Because the current Tae-muk is…… the complete Tae-muk. Not hurt, not out of his mind, not hot, but the original Tae-muk. He didn’t seem like he would hurt him as much as before.

Tae-muk’s eyebrows went up and down slightly. Ho-eun’s agreement seemed quite unexpected to him as well.

“Once we start, I can’t stop.”

He generously gave him another chance to run away.

“Yes.”

But Ho-eun didn’t run away. It was because he had already made up his mind. Although his body was weak, his heart was not. Once he made up his mind, he would definitely do it.

Ho-eun now thought that his head would be grabbed, he would be dragged to Tae-muk, and he would be kissed. Because that’s how it always was. But.

“……”

Tae-muk moved very, very slowly. He took off Ho-eun’s clothes while looking into his eyes, but he didn’t pull or tear them. He took them off slowly and carefully, one by one.

“……”

Each time a piece of clothing fell off his body, Ho-eun’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Then, when only one Sokjeogori remained, he clenched his fists without even realizing it, and Tae-muk stopped moving as if he knew it. Ho-eun’s Sokjeogori strings were hanging on his index finger.

“……”

Ho-eun took a moment to catch his breath, then nodded as if he was okay. At that, Tae-muk pulled the strings sharply. Then, the large Sokjeogori slipped down without having to be taken off, and Ho-eun’s bare skin was revealed.

At that time, the collar of the falling Jeogori scratched Ho-eun’s arm like a blade. It wasn’t even that big of a sensation, but Ho-eun flinched and startled, shrinking his neck. He was embarrassed and ashamed of himself, so he looked at Tae-muk. As expected, Tae-muk was frowning slightly.

“……”

Ho-eun, who was scared in advance, bit his lower lip and lowered his gaze.

“Are you cold?”

Tae-muk stroked Ho-eun’s arm, which was covered in goosebumps, and asked. Ho-eun was momentarily stunned by the unexpected question, then shook his head.

“I’m not sure……”

He didn’t know if he was really cold, or if it was because of the tension. He couldn’t feel the heat from the brazier, and he couldn’t feel the coldness of the air. He just kept getting goosebumps.

Tae-muk smiled faintly at his honest words. Then, he grabbed Ho-eun’s arm and pressed his lips firmly against his goosebump-covered forearm.

Ho-eun, surprised, looked down, and his eyes met Tae-muk’s, who was looking up at him.

“……”

Tae-muk stared at Ho-eun and kissed his arm. As if he was stamping a seal, firmly, firmly, firmly. He went up his arm like that, kissed his shoulder, then went down again, lingered around his chest, and finally reached his solar plexus.

At that time, Ho-eun’s upper body was leaning back, almost lying down. His waist was bent back, his ribs were protruding thinly, and his long hair was scattered like waves on the blanket. Tae-muk hugged Ho-eun’s waist and kissed his chest repeatedly.

“General……”

Ho-eun called him in a thin voice. He had done this and that with Tae-muk, but it was the first time he had kissed his body like this. It was a completely different feeling from biting or licking. So he was embarrassed and ashamed. Not of the act, but of his body.

His skinny body was disgusting even to him, so how much more so to Tae-muk? He felt like a skeleton lying under him, who had a very manly body.

Ho-eun compared his body to Tae-muk’s, and then eventually just closed his eyes tightly. He covered his eyelids with his arms.

But at that moment, something moist and chewy sucked on his nipple.

“Uht……”

Ho-eun, surprised by the sudden sensation, opened his eyes wide and looked down. Tae-muk was biting his nipple. It was the same body and the same skin, but the sensation was completely different. Of course, the embarrassment was doubled.

“Ge, General……”

Ho-eun couldn’t bring himself to say ‘don’t do it’ and just called him desperately, but Tae-muk didn’t care and sucked on his nipple, chup, chup. Then, he took out his tongue and licked the areola near his nipple in a circle, sak, saaak.