By Zephyria Once the role of Yanggeum was decided, everything flowed naturally as if sailing with the wind. There were no obstacles in the work. The Mountain Spirit was greatly moved and allowed the last essence of the mountain, and finally the Four Heavens Selection Gate was completed. The final preparations for the upcoming disaster were over.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Ah, no. My father did all the work.”
“No. Thank you so much.”
You did well. At Ki Tae-ho’s soft smile, Ki Jae-eon quietly curved his eyes as well.
In that way, as all the preparations were completed smoothly, time passed. Spring passed and summer blazed, and as autumn fell one layer at a time, winter finally arrived.
It had been quite a long time since Ki Jae-eon had taken root in the main office. At first, he didn’t know he would stay this long.
“Hyung.”
Ahn Seo-myeong stepped onto the wooden veranda.
“Yeah, thank you.”
Ki Jae-eon accepted the hot green tea that was handed to him. As the heat of the teacup touched his palm, the frozen nerves were released one by one. Ah, it’s warm. Ki Jae-eon shivered and carefully brought the teacup close to his lips. He gently sipped the tea, and the properly brewed tea filled his mouth with fragrance. Winter at the main office. He sat on the wooden veranda and looked at the clear sky.
Ah, soon white snowflakes will be imprinted on that blue canvas.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Ahn Seo-myeong, who had already sat next to him, asked as he held the teacup in the same way.
“Uh-huh, I’m okay. The air is refreshing.”
His nose was turning red from the cold, but the sky above his head was so clear.
“Time flies.”
“It does.”
The two nodded at the same pace.
But even so, the main office hadn’t changed.
It was still bustling and full of energy.
“Are your hands cold?”
No, has it changed a little…?
For example, Ahn Seo-myeong sitting next to him.
“It feels like it was just yesterday when it was hot, right?”
They still enjoyed contemplation together as before, but the distance between them had subtly changed. More than friends, less than lovers. In today’s terms, a ‘some’, something like that?
“I have a high body temperature.”
Ahn Seo-myeong muttered to himself and slyly grabbed his hand. Ki Jae-eon’s shoulders flinched at the sudden skinship.
But he didn’t bother to avoid it.
“My hands are warm, right?”
“……U, yeah.”
Ki Jae-eon lowered his head and calmed his breathing.
It felt like a hot heat was coming from inside his body.
The hand he glanced down at had now grown enough to cover his own hand. Slightly thicker knuckles and prominent veins. The strength that held him tightly without any gaps was stronger than he thought, but it was also surprisingly warm. Between the carefully intertwined fingers, the sound of a heartbeat, belonging to who knows who, was transmitted. From the fingers to the back of the hand, from the back of the hand to the wrist, it felt like a small heat was walking to his heart.
‘Sweat is building up……’
But it’s not unpleasant.
Ki Jae-eon guessed that his cheeks would be flushed even without looking in the mirror. More than anything, he knew that this blush wasn’t just because of the weather.
“……”
“……Ah, right.”
It was when the silence between them grew longer.
Ahn Seo-myeong suddenly opened his lips.
The story of everyday life that flowed out began to calmly cool the subtly heated air.
“Suzuki sent me an email yesterday. I asked him about the Cursed Womb Cave last time.”
“Ah, uh-huh. That’s, that’s good. Can you completely handle it now?”
“Yes, well. To some extent……”
“You, you worked hard.”
Various conversations flowed indifferently, but the two people’s senses were held in their hands.
As evidence of this, they playfully wiggle their fingers, exchanging a lighthearted ‘real conversation.’
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t worry.”
Ahn Seo-myeong squeezed the hand he was holding once more.
Ki Jae-eon didn’t bother asking what he shouldn’t worry about. There was no need to. Yes, he knew.
The completion of the Heavenly Land meant that something to be wary of would soon appear. That also meant the regression of the past was not over.
The repetition of tragedy.
Death was approaching.
The dream that made him wake up gasping for breath would come as reality.
‘But…’
Ki Jae-eon looked up at the sky and replied briefly.
“Yeah.”
To be honest, he wasn’t unafraid of the future.
But it was okay because they were together.
He was scared, but he was sure it would be okay. Because everyone was by his side.
‘I’m not alone.’
That’s right. Ki Jae-eon now knew that someone’s warmth could be a source of strength.
That’s why he was confident he could overcome it.
“Um, but.”
“Uh-huh.”
“If it snows for the first time, can I ask you out on a date?”
“……!”
At the sudden remark, Ki Jae-eon’s hand twitched.
He looked at Ahn Seo-myeong, losing his composure. His dark eyes, filled with tension, captured the man who had grown so much.
“I’d be happy if you’d let me.”
Ahn Seo-myeong was looking straight ahead. However, behind his usual calm expression, his earlobes were as red as apples. Red enough to make you say they were hot to the touch.
“Um-.”
He waited for an answer, biting his lip. He would have thrown a sly joke on a normal day, but not today. Instead, an awkward tension settled between them. Their breaths, gazes, and even the muscles in their faces were cautious. Tick-tock! It felt like he could hear the ticking of a clock.
An unknown tension enveloped his whole body.
Like not letting go of a hand even though it was sweaty.
This precarious tug-of-war of emotions was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.
“I’ve been saving up really hard, you know. So, when it snows for the first time, I’m going to take Hyung to an expensive restaurant and a cafe. And if I see a scarf that suits Hyung on the street, I want to buy it for you. I want to hang out with you that day without thinking about anything, and talk about this and that. It doesn’t have to be special. Just things like the food was delicious, the cafe had a nice atmosphere… And then, at the end, we’ll go to a hotel with a view of the entire city of Seoul. Take a warm bath, and watch the night view together-”
His words trailed off for a moment.
Ahn Seo-myeong took a breath and finished in a slightly lower voice.
“I’m going to tell you that I like you, Hyung.”
It was closer to a resolution than a plan.
“Is that too childish?”
“……”
“Am I being immature?”
Ahn Seo-myeong laughed softly.
A laugh mixed with half self-deprecation and half embarrassment.
Ki Jae-eon didn’t answer that smile.
Or rather, he couldn’t think of anything to say. Instead, his heart reacted.
It felt strangely numb, giving a faint warmth.
An emotion that resembled sorrow, but wasn’t sorrow.
What do you call it…? Ah, right.
Affection.
I’m loving you with all my heart.
Seeing him say that, Ki Jae-eon suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
“Even if it’s childish, can’t you just let it slide?”
As if answering the question he had asked himself, he gripped Ki Jae-eon’s hand even tighter. His facial expression was still stern, but his trembling eyelids and sweaty palms seemed to convey his sincerity.
I’m nervous right now.
I need your permission.
‘You know my fate, but you still want me until the end.’
Should he call this audacity, foolishness…? Or should he call it lovely?
Ki Jae-eon’s vision blurred for a moment.
Come to think of it, he had heard it somewhere before.
Love is closer to sadness than joy.
If your heart aches just by looking at them, it must be love.
‘Then this feeling is definitely-‘
Ah, I get it now.
Yes, that’s right.
‘Without me even knowing, at some point, you-‘
Ki Jae-eon closed his eyes tightly and murmured almost inaudibly.
“Yeah, let’s definitely go when it snows for the first time.”
Then, he heard a short intake of breath next to him. As if he hadn’t expected this to happen after asking, a small tremor was transmitted through his fingertips.
It was a truly lovely thrill.
‘You, who conveyed your heart every day, were trembling every time.’
Ki Jae-eon slowly lifted the hand he was holding and placed it on his cheek. Warm body temperature seeped into his cold skin. His heart, which had always hesitated as if running away, finally found its place and mingled.
That was a firm vow that he would not allow any more farewells between them.
Ki Jae-eon pulled the back of the other’s hand and carefully kissed it. Smack-. A short sound.
Then, Hyung? A slightly cracked voice, as if he couldn’t believe it, was heard.
To that trembling voice, Ki Jae-eon, with white breath contrasting with his red eyes, said.
“I think I’m under your spell.”
Ki Jae-eon buried his lips on the back of his hand once more.
With that calm confession, he decided not to forget the warmth of today until the day it snowed for the first time.