By Zephyria 
Ho-eun cautiously asked something he had been wondering about for a while.
“Sir, don’t you have a Bondmate?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I do.”
“Where are they? I’ll go get them for you.”
“They didn’t come with me. They’re at the garrison. They get awfully bored riding back and forth all day. And I can’t possibly make them do something they don’t want to do… so I came alone.”
“But… you’re injured…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be all better after a few nights’ sleep. They’re awfully picky, they wouldn’t even hold my hand with this kind of wound.”
Gil-sang clicked his tongue, but couldn’t hide his smile. It was the first time Ho-eun had seen him smile like that. He must really like his Bondmate.
“Still, you won’t see them for twenty days. Are you alright?”
“I can bear it. Our commander endured not seeing his Bondmate for over ten years. I can’t be struggling this much.”
“……”
At those words, Ho-eun glanced at Tae-muk in the distance.
Ten years. Ten years without a Bondmate. When did he become the God of War? And how had he lived alone all that time? It was beyond comprehension.
Whether he noticed the gaze or not, Tae-muk was wordlessly pulling a fallen soldier out from between the rocks as if he were pulling up a radish.
Everyone else was with their Bondmates, but Tae-muk didn’t give Ho-eun a single glance. He didn’t seem to need Ho-eun at all. Ho-eun couldn’t help but feel… disappointed.
Does he hate me that much?
No, that can’t be. Would he have saved me if he did?
Ho-eun fidgeted with his fingers. The moment Tae-muk saved him was vivid in his mind. He had clearly seen how big and powerful his fist was, and how swift and agile he was.
And he didn’t boast about saving him, or scold him for being pathetic… he really was a man among men.
Ho-eun, who kept glancing at Tae-muk, unconsciously licked his dry lips. Then, the wound that had burst last night from biting Tae-muk’s member stung.
But somehow, it didn’t hurt at all.
After leaving the valley and following the horses’ footprints, they soon found the horses. They were all huddled together, eating grass because of the tied reins.
Ho-eun quickly checked his own horse. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be injured. The Devouring Ghouls didn’t seem to be very interested in horse meat. Still, he wondered if it had been startled, so he kept stroking its neck.
Then, Gil-sang approached, ready to help Ho-eun mount.
“Get on, sir.”
But Ho-eun said with a troubled expression.
“Ah, I, uh, think I’ll walk.”
“Why?”
“The blood… I’m afraid it’ll get on…”
“On what?”
“The horse.”
“Pardon?”
“Wouldn’t the horse dislike it?”
“……”
Gil-sang pulled his chin in and looked at Ho-eun. He had a look on his face that said he didn’t understand what he was talking about.
But Ho-eun couldn’t bring himself to ride the horse in this state, soaked in the blood of Devouring Ghouls. Wouldn’t it be disrespectful to the horse? And he would be sorry to his father, too. It was his father’s prized horse. He brushed it as often as he polished his car with the plum blossom emblem.
He had been taught to cherish what was precious to others. Whether it was truly precious or insignificant.
As Ho-eun gave Gil-sang an awkward smile, someone snorted behind him. It was a sneer close to ridicule. Ho-eun whipped his head around. Tae-muk was walking past.
“……”
Ho-eun blinked. Did he laugh at what I said? Surely not? He stared at Tae-muk’s back. But Tae-muk, as always, didn’t look back.
After wandering through the forest for a long time, the Crimson Rain Brigade finally found a place to pitch their tents late at night. A large river flowed past a few trees. The current was quite strong, as it was deep in the mountains, but not as strong as the valley.
The soldiers, both men and women, jumped into the river after scouting the area. They were all covered in blood from the battle, so they were eager to wash off.
Ho-eun wanted to wash too, but he held back. He couldn’t bring himself to wash with them.
It wasn’t because he was a noble putting on airs, but because he was embarrassed and awkward. If he went in now, he would probably end up washing half-heartedly in a secluded spot, being mindful of their gazes.
Still, he imagined that one day he would be able to mingle with them and wash together.
Ho-eun headed for the river only after the soldiers had gone into their tents one by one. He carried clothes and a cloth in his arms, and a flashlight his father had packed in his hand.
The river he arrived at was wide and large. It was dark, of course, as it was night, but it was brighter than the forest. It was because there were two moons, the one in the sky and the one reflected in the water.
But he couldn’t help but be scared. The spaces between the trees surrounding the river were so black that it felt like something would jump out at any moment. Ho-eun, who was waving the flashlight around, muttered to himself.
“Should I just…”
Go back?
He hesitated for a moment, but decided that he couldn’t sleep in this state, so he hid under a large tree and began to take off his clothes. The dried blood crumbled like powder and scattered in all directions. The thin parts of the cloth were stuck to his skin, making it difficult to remove. And there were bits of Devouring Ghoul flesh stuck here and there, making him want to vomit.
Ho-eun hurriedly took off his clothes as if they were on fire. But he didn’t take off his Sokjeogori. No matter what, how could he expose his bare skin outside?
Before entering the river, he used the flashlight to check the area again. And he reconfirmed the location of the unit’s tents not far away. At this distance, someone would come running if he just shouted. Gil-sang, or maybe… Tae-muk.
Ho-eun wedged the flashlight between the darkest trees to illuminate the area, and put his hand in the river first.
“…Cold.”
Of course, Ho-eun had never washed in cold water before. So just putting his hand in made goosebumps rise on his back. But he endured it and scrubbed his hands clean. He carefully washed his fingernails, shining the flashlight on his hands. He also washed his face lightly.
Then, after staring at the black water for a while, he slowly went inside. He was afraid that the water might be deep, so he turned around and felt the bottom, putting his legs in one by one, as if a child was going down the stairs.
It was an unsightly sight, but it was the best he could do, as he had never learned to swim in his life.
The water right in front of the shore was about hip-deep for Ho-eun, which was perfect for washing. It was so cold that he wanted to run out immediately, but Ho-eun endured it, hunching his arms as much as possible. He endured it, thinking that he wouldn’t be a man if he couldn’t even endure this.
He let down his hair and washed it, and also washed his body. Occasionally, when he couldn’t wash certain areas because of his Sokjeogori, he would glance around and put his hand inside his clothes to wash.
By then, strangely enough, the cold had subsided. It was probably just that his body had adapted to the cold, but Ho-eun felt like he had become a true man. His brain was tingling, and he was even excited.
He deliberately splashed water around with a hearty and refreshing “Apu apu-” while washing his face. He imagined himself as a burly man splashing water everywhere, but in reality, it was no different from a cat dipping its paw in water and licking it.
Around that time, a leaf that had drifted from somewhere brushed against Ho-eun’s wrist.
“Mom!”
Ho-eun jumped in place. In that instant, the ankle floating on the valley water came to mind. The red blood and someone’s flesh that had soaked the water also came to mind.
“……”
Suddenly, the black water became scary. The occasional strong currents that wrapped around his legs were also scary for no reason. Ho-eun, who had turned pale, quickly rinsed his body and finished his bath. Then, as he was about to go ashore.
Thud, thud, thud.
He heard a sound. Yes, a sound of a person. But at that moment, he didn’t think it was a person. It was because the Devouring Ghoul he had seen a few hours ago was still vivid in his mind.
Ho-eun, who was frantically looking for a place to hide, stepped on the soft soil and slipped.
“Ugh…”
His head seemed to fall back, and his body tilted along with it. He flailed his arms, but splash! He was sucked into the water.
The black water rushed into his nostrils, ears, and throat. Ho-eun, terrified, jumped up as if he were bouncing. It was only hip-deep, but at that moment, it felt as scary as if he had fallen into the ocean.
“Haa…”
He wiped his face with his palms and quickly turned his eyes to the direction of the sound. A black figure standing in front of the water was staring at Ho-eun.
Ho-eun stared at the black figure for a long time before realizing that it was Tae-muk, not a ghost or a Devouring Ghoul. Ho-eun’s shoulders slumped. He let out a sigh of relief with all his might. Then, he belatedly greeted Tae-muk.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“……”
Tae-muk didn’t answer. He strode into the water in his military uniform.
“……”
Ho-eun rudely scanned him up and down. Tae-muk hadn’t shown his face while everyone was setting up tents and eating dinner. Where had he been? Come to think of it, it seemed like there was more blood on him than before. Did he kill a Devouring Ghoul somewhere? Alone? What if he got hurt…?
Ho-eun, who had been pursing his lips, stammered.
“O-oh, you weren’t hurt today, were you?”