By Zephyria 
147
Tae-muk momentarily stopped breathing at that smile. The bright smile rushed into his retina and seemed to be etched there. But then Ho-eun glanced around, subtly checking his surroundings, before cautiously reaching out his hand.
“Still, um… should we, perhaps, hold hands?”
Then, with both hands, he pulled Tae-muk’s hand towards him and clasped it tightly. After that, he closed his eyes tightly, trying to share his energy. He didn’t know if the action was actually effective, but he wanted to do anything he could.
“Please don’t be in pain, General…”
Ho-eun went ‘hoo-hoo…’ and blew on Tae-muk’s hand. Tae-muk’s fingertips twitched at the ticklish breath, but he didn’t pull his hand away.
After that, Ho-eun kept clutching, holding, and readjusting Tae-muk’s hand. Sometimes he coughed, or his beautiful brow would furrow slightly, tormented by the rising fever, but he never let go of Tae-muk’s hand.
How much time passed like that? Ho-eun couldn’t overcome the increasingly heavy dawn and fell asleep as if fainting. He still held Tae-muk’s hand in his.
“……”
During that time, Tae-muk had been quietly gazing at Ho-eun. Then suddenly, with the hand not held by Ho-eun, he swept down his chest. His heart had suddenly ached. He had been bitten, hurt, and broken all over his body his entire life, but he had never felt anything like this before.
Tae-muk watched Ho-eun until dawn, caressing his own heart.
“……”
Ho-eun, waking up from his sleep, slowly opened his eyes. But for some reason, his eyelids felt light, and his body felt refreshed. Ho-eun blinked a few times, then realized that the fever that had been tormenting him for days had subsided. His stinging throat and aching lungs didn’t show any significant pain.
His cheeks were hot, but it wasn’t because of a fever or a cold. It was the kind of heat that naturally rose to his cheeks when he was in a hot place or in front of a fire.
In short… yes, he was hot. Right now, Ho-eun was feeling hot. Indeed, his whole body was damp with sweat.
In the middle of this winter, to be hot inside a tent, not even inside a house.
The reason was obvious.
“……”
Ho-eun looked down. A thick, bare arm was tightly wrapped around his chest and waist. Muscles packed without a gap, swarthy skin, a large hand with prominent veins.
It was Tae-muk’s arm.
He could feel Tae-muk’s chest behind his back. It seemed he was hugging him from behind. His legs were also crossed, as if his whole body was tied to Tae-muk. Thanks to that, Tae-muk’s body temperature was being transmitted to Ho-eun without any reduction.
“……”
Tae-muk had said that his pain was gone, but his fever, as if boiling, was still there. Because of that, Ho-eun had been intoxicated by his heat all night, sweating profusely.
But then, ironically, his cold had gone away. The old man’s words that sweating was good for a cold didn’t seem to be wrong at all.
“Pfft…”
Ho-eun let out a small laugh. It was a funny thing. Tae-muk’s Bondmate was him, but he was cured of his illness because of Tae-muk. He shook his head at the absurd situation.
Tae-muk’s hand was fiddling below his chest. Only then did Ho-eun realize that Tae-muk’s hand was inside his Sokjeogori. He wondered when he had personally dressed him last night and even tied the strings, and he felt amused and embarrassed by the hand that had dug into his bare skin overnight.
Ho-eun quietly pulled out that hand and wriggled his body around. Then he saw Tae-muk, who had taken off his upper garment. It seemed he had unconsciously taken it off while sleeping.
“……”
Tae-muk was asleep.
He thought he was awake because he was fiddling with his body, but it seemed to be a habitual action.
“……”
Ho-eun quietly gazed at Tae-muk. It was rare to see him sleeping. Because he had so much to handle and protect, he always woke up earlier than anyone else.
Lately, he must not have been able to sleep properly. Just the fact that the entire Crimson Rain Brigade was moving was a lot to worry about, but he had been severely ill for several days, and then they had encountered a Devouring Ghoul, and he had even been injured, so how could he have been comfortable?
Ho-eun carefully examined Tae-muk’s face. Fortunately, there was no particular pain or suffering visible on his expressionless sleeping face. Ho-eun carefully stroked Tae-muk’s chest, which was smoothly filled with muscles without a single scar, and let out a sigh of relief. Then, he inhaled the breath he had exhaled.
“……”
He felt a throbbing pain near his ribs. It was quite a strong pain, and he almost groaned.
He quietly looked down. Something black caught his eye through the disheveled Sokjeogori. It was a color that was hard to find on Ho-eun’s otherwise pure white body.
He slightly lifted his clothes. There was a bruise near his ribs. It was a bruise that was so blue it was almost black. Besides that, there were bruises under his armpits and on his waist.
“……”
All places that Tae-muk had touched. Places he had massaged while kissing him and getting excited yesterday.
Ho-eun blinked rapidly. He was neither surprised nor in pain. He only moved his eyes slowly from left to right. As if thinking about something.
Then, he carefully slipped out of Tae-muk’s arms and began to find his clothes to put on. He tied the strings more tightly than usual, and pulled up the collar tightly. After that, he tilted his shoulders and moved his arms, checking to see if the bruises were visible.
Ho-eun’s face was expressionless. A face without pain or fear.
Ho-eun checked the bruises several times, and then lay down next to Tae-muk again as if nothing had happened. But at the same time as he lay down, a thick arm wrapped around his waist and pulled Ho-eun into his arms.
“Why are you up already?”
A voice, lower than usual, was heard, still heavy with sleepiness. At that, Ho-eun stiffened as if he had heard the roar of a tiger. When had Tae-muk woken up? Had he seen him getting dressed, his body covered in bruises? That wouldn’t do.
Ho-eun, blinking rapidly, swallowed hard once and feigned an unconcerned voice.
“I… put on my clothes.”
“Why? Are you cold?”
“Ah, it’s not that, but it’s a little… chilly…”
“Really? I’m still warm.”
Tae-muk hugged Ho-eun’s body even closer, as if puzzled. Then he put his cheek against Ho-eun’s cheek. It was a gesture as if to ask, ‘See, isn’t it warm?’
Ho-eun’s eyes widened. He even gasped. Then, feeling Tae-muk’s undeniable body temperature, he ended up laughing quietly.
“Yes. You’re warm.”
“Then sleep more.”
Saying that, Tae-muk groped for the blanket and threw it over Ho-eun. Then he let out a long breath and prepared to fall asleep again.
“……”
Ho-eun remained still without moving until Tae-muk fell asleep. Then, when he started breathing evenly, he lowered his hand and secretly touched the bruised area around his ribs.
He felt a throbbing pain, but he touched it again and again.
Tae-muk came out of Ho-eun’s tent wearing only the white Yui he wore under his military uniform. Then he stretched out long. His body felt stiff, but at the same time, he felt refreshed. It seemed that the effect of hugging Ho-eun all night was paying off handsomely.
“……”
“……”
The soldiers stared at Tae-muk with strange expressions. They looked dumbfounded and absurd. Byeonguk even stuck the weapon he was holding into the ground, and Gil-sang and Seong-im stared at Tae-muk intently, very intently.
Regardless, Tae-muk took a deep breath of the crisp and refreshing air unique to winter mornings. Then he patted the tent entrance that had been disarranged when he came out to tidy it up. Because the cold wind shouldn’t get in. Next, he pushed away the snow piled on the tent. Because the cold air shouldn’t seep in.
But even while doing that, the soldiers’ gazes were fixed on Tae-muk and didn’t fall off. At that, Tae-muk said irritably.
“What are you looking at? Clean up. We’re going back.”
At those words, the soldiers let out a deep sigh. Their breath and nose breath momentarily blurred the surroundings as if fog had set in. Someone even shook their head.
Tae-muk looked at them disapprovingly, and Byeonguk crunched through the snow and approached Tae-muk.
“How on earth did you get here?”
“I ran,” Tae-muk replied nonchalantly.
“……”
Byeonguk stared intently at Tae-muk. It was a gaze filled with many things. For example, blame, criticism, and scorn. But Tae-muk said with a brazen face.
“That’s right, you should have stood guard properly. You were slacking off and didn’t even know I was coming.”
At those words, Byeonguk’s eyebrows rose sharply, drawing a steep uphill.
“The guards still haven’t come to their senses! What on earth did you do?”
He raised his voice unusually. At that, Tae-muk mimicked hitting the back of his neck with the side of his hand.
“I didn’t hit them very hard. Just a light tap. What, would I have hit them to death?”
“Ha…”
Byeonguk sighed, holding his forehead at the sudden throbbing headache. Tae-muk shrugged his shoulders as if he was not at fault.
Byeonguk glared at Tae-muk for a moment, then turned his gaze to Ho-eun’s tent. The towering tent looked fine. On the surface, it did. The problem was whether the being inside was fine or not…
Just in time, the tent entrance rustled, and a white face appeared.
“General, you forgot your military coat—oh, Byeonguk. Did you have a peaceful night?”
It was Ho-eun. Holding Tae-muk’s military coat, he smiled brightly when he found Byeonguk.