By Zephyria 
151
“I’ll bring it to you right away. Dong-ja Noonim, you eat this.”
He offered the bowl that Ho-eun had been eating from to Dong-ja, who was sitting across from him. Dong-ja, who had already emptied her bowl a long time ago, gladly accepted it.
“Hehe, thank you, Chilbok-ah. Thank you, Doryeong.”
Tae-muk looked back and forth between the three of them. The words they exchanged and the series of actions seemed very familiar. As if it were always like this.
Chilbok quickly ran across the snow and soon brought back a large persimmon.
“It might be frozen because it’s cold. Melt it gently before you eat it.”
“Okay. I’ll enjoy it, Chilbok-ah.”
“The spoon is here.”
Chilbok handed the persimmon to Ho-eun and even took out a small spoon from his pocket. Before giving it to him, he scrubbed the spoon on his sleeve until it was shiny. Ho-eun smiled and accepted them.
“Thank you.”
Chilbok even added that he should ask for more if he needed it, and then left across the snowfield with brisk steps. Ho-eun watched Chilbok’s back for a moment, then held the cold persimmon near the bonfire.
But the persimmon didn’t melt easily. Still, Ho-eun waited patiently without showing any discomfort, and Man-soo, seeing this, found a tree branch split in the shape of tongs and held the persimmon for him. Ho-eun pursed his lips and took it with both hands. Then, he diligently rotated it over the fire to melt it.
“…….”
Tae-muk raised one eyebrow. He felt bad. He felt a sense of alienation that he couldn’t explain.
Chilbok, who seemed to know that Ho-eun wouldn’t refuse the persimmon, Dong-ja, who ate the leftover rice that Ho-eun left, Ho-eun, who gladly received the persimmon, and Man-soo, who took care of Ho-eun, all seemed so natural.
Soon, the persimmon heated by the fire became warm. Ho-eun, who had been staring intently at the persimmon with his neck stretched out, brought it to his lap. Then, he gently began to peel the skin. He didn’t peel it all off, but only peeled the top part as if opening a lid.
Soon, the reddish-orange, soft, and moist flesh was revealed, and Ho-eun scooped it up with a spoon and offered it to Dong-ja.
“Would you like some?”
Then, Dong-ja, who had been burying her face in Ho-eun’s taro soup, waved her hand without even looking.
“That’s for Doryeong to eat.”
“Yes, then.”
Ho-eun only offered it to Dong-ja, not to anyone else. As if he knew that others wouldn’t eat it anyway.
Soon, Ho-eun put the persimmon in his mouth. The sweet and rich taste made the corners of his eyes subtly crinkle. The well-ripened persimmon was soft and chewy at the same time. But before he could chew it a few times, it slipped down his throat. Ho-eun, who liked even that, smiled faintly and scooped up another spoonful of persimmon.
Man-soo, who was watching this, asked with curiosity.
“Doryeong, how can you be full from eating only that kind of mushy stuff?”
“Yes.”
“How can you like fruit more than rice? It’s amazing, amazing.”
Instead of answering, Ho-eun smiled, his eyes crinkling, but Tae-muk frowned and asked.
“You like fruit?”
But before Ho-eun could answer, Man-soo answered instead.
“Of course. Doryeong would do anything for fruit. He eats apples, Korean melons, and pears well, so Chilbok hides them somewhere and brings them to him. And that’s not all. He also eats dried persimmons well, and he eats chestnuts well too. That’s why Dong-ja picked a bunch of chestnuts last time and gave them to Chilbok. To roast and eat with Doryeong.”
Tae-muk frowned at him and looked at Man-soo, then turned his head back to Ho-eun.
“Since when?”
But this time, Gil-sang, who had been quietly eating taro soup next to him, answered.
“He’s liked them since he was young. He gets indigestion from eating rice and rice cakes all the time, but he’s never had indigestion from eating fruit.”
“…….”
Tae-muk looked at Gil-sang, who was answering something he hadn’t even asked, with displeasure. Then, he suddenly looked at Seong-im, who was sitting next to Gil-sang, and asked.
“Do you know? That he likes fruit?”
Seong-im nodded briefly. Tae-muk’s brow furrowed even more. The metal spoon he was holding subtly bent, but he didn’t notice.
Tae-muk, who was looking at the people sitting around from left to right, finally looked at Byeonguk last.
“……You don’t know, do you?”
A certain expectation flickered on his face. But Byeonguk also nodded his chin.
“I know. The other day, I gave him some precious chocolate, and as a thank you, I gave him an apple, and he ate it well.”
“…….”
Tae-muk bit one corner of his lower lip crookedly. This time, his gaze swept over the lower ranks from right to left, finally reaching Ho-eun, who was sitting next to him.
Ho-eun was just diligently eating the persimmon with a pure and innocent face. He only peeled the lid of the soft skin, and then carefully scooped out the flesh so that it wouldn’t collapse, as if he had eaten it more than once or twice.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“……Yes? Tell you what?”
“That you like fruit.”
“…….”
At the sudden words, Ho-eun’s eyes widened. He blinked his eyes and looked at Tae-muk, then swallowed the persimmon in his mouth and apologized in his unique, quiet, and calm voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“…….”
Tae-muk felt empty at the apology that came out without hesitation. It was because he felt like he had become a sulking child. But Dong-ja, who was eating taro soup across from him, criticized Tae-muk without any tact.
“Why should Doryeong be sorry? It’s because Captain is insensitive. How could he not know that? Doryeong can’t eat a whole bowl of rice, but he can eat a whole pear in a flash. We all know that. Only Captain didn’t know, didn’t know.”
“…….”
Tae-muk exhaled sharply through his nose at her words that seemed to dig into his heart. Then, a cloudy mist puffed out like a dragon’s breath.
“…….”
Ho-eun looked at his face with an anxious expression. The spoon that had been diligently scooping up the persimmon was also awkwardly stopped in mid-air. Tae-muk, noticing this, said irritably.
“What are you looking at? Finish eating that.”
“…….”
“Eat it.”
“Yes.”
At the words that were neither an order nor consideration, Ho-eun began to move his spoon again. Tae-muk stared intently at Ho-eun.
The sight of his white cheeks moving diligently was not only new but also unfamiliar. Whether he gave him beef, pork, or chicken, he would eat a few bites and then stop, picking at it slowly. To think that he eats that so well. And even likes it.
Tae-muk gritted his teeth and touched his forehead with his hand. He felt a little… wronged. He had even increased the food expenses to put something in the mouth of the preciously raised young master. But he was only eating persimmons and apples. That thing that grows in bunches on trees?
Thinking that far made him feel even more wronged. He was annoyed and irritated.
“What are you, a sparrow? How can you fill your stomach with something like that?”
“But it’s delicious. Would Janggun-nim like some?”
It was an unnecessary provocation, but Ho-eun accepted it again with a calm face. He even offered the persimmon to Tae-muk.
“No, you eat it all…….”
Tae-muk moved his jaw and avoided the spoon. But then he suddenly frowned. Then, he stared intently at the forest densely packed with trees.
“…….”
Everyone looked at Tae-muk at the sudden silence. Tae-muk was still frozen, looking at the empty air. The people sitting around also stopped moving. Dong-ja, who had been scraping the empty bowl, and Seong-im, who had been slowly continuing to spoon, also stopped. So Ho-eun also froze with the persimmon in his mouth.
Tae-muk jumped up. Then, he took a big step towards the forest. Gil-sang jumped up as if bouncing.
“Is it the enemies?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No need. There aren’t many.”
Tae-muk answered without even looking at Gil-sang. Then, he walked quickly with his long legs, as if jumping, and disappeared into the dense trees. All that was left was his footprints on the snowfield.
“…….”
Ho-eun looked at the forest where Tae-muk had disappeared with a dazed face. He felt empty at the sight of him disappearing without even being able to catch him. He should have said he would go with him. He missed him again. He sent him alone again.
Ho-eun slowly turned his head and looked down at the bowl that Tae-muk had put down. The bowl, which was still steaming, was less than half empty.
“He didn’t even finish his meal…….”
Ho-eun muttered like that and turned his head back towards the forest. Gil-sang gently comforted him.
“He said there aren’t many, so he’ll be back soon. Please finish eating.”
“……Yes.”
Ho-eun nodded, but he couldn’t eat the persimmon anymore.
Whether the words that there weren’t many enemies were true or not, Tae-muk soon returned. He thought he would come back covered in blood like a demon again, but that wasn’t the case. Only his hands and sleeves were soaked in blood.
Ho-eun, who had been wandering around near the forest where Tae-muk had disappeared, hurriedly approached him.
“Are you hurt?”
“……No.”
Tae-muk glanced at Ho-eun’s worried face and awkwardly turned to the side. At the same time, he unconsciously tried to sweep his bangs up with his hand, but he found his hand covered in blood and put it down again.
In the past, he wouldn’t have cared whether blood was on his face or not, but Ho-eun was staring at him right in front of him, so he couldn’t do that.
……He couldn’t do that? Why couldn’t he do that?
Tae-muk tilted his head and pondered, but he couldn’t find the reason. He frowned for no reason and then relaxed, shaking the blood that had soaked his hand onto the snow.
A white handkerchief approached. It was Ho-eun’s handkerchief, with small flowers embroidered on it.
“Wipe it off.”
“No need. I can just wash it off.”
Tae-muk refused immediately. Strangely, Ho-eun’s handkerchief felt awkward. It was too white and too soft. He felt like if he held it, it would leave a stain that wouldn’t come off.