The King seemed sheepish as he scratched his cheek. With every passing second, Min-jun grew warier.
“I . . . I’m not sure.”
Min-jun took hold of his shirt and pulled him closer. This idiot! Fool! Did he really almost throw him out over a bunch of memories that miraculously returned to him? “What do you mean you’re not sure!”
“I don’t remember how I got them back either,” the King said. He took Min-jun’s hand in an attempt to loosen his grip, but Min-jun only held on tighter. “I went to a forest on the river’s edge and . . . well, that’s all I remember.”
Min-jun shook him a little. “How can you be so calm about this? How do you know those memories are even yours?”
“I’ve had people manipulate my memories before,” the King said, covering Min-jun’s hand with both of his. Slowly, he pried it off. “They never quite match up. It’s easy to tell if you know what to look for.”
Min-jun cast his gaze down, mind reeling with the possibilities. This . . . this changes everything. If they’re real, then why were they taken away? If they’re fake, why would someone create fake memories for the King, especially ones so inconsequential to anyone but us?
When he lifted his gaze again, the King was smiling at him like a fool. That smile could blind a man, surely. It was bad for Min-jun’s health.
“What?” Min-jun asked, unnerved. He began to slide away from the King, his fight or flight instinct activating.
Before Min-jun could put any more distance between them, the King had grabbed a hold of him, and a yelp left Min-jun’s lips before he could stop in. This foolishness again! It seemed that His Majesty had made a full recovery! The King wrapped his arms around Min-jun’s waist and pulled him closer. Soon enough, Min-jun was seated on the King’s lap, legs wrapped around the King’s bare torso. Strange how their bodies seemed to work in sync. They didn’t miss a beat, even as Min-jun’s mind rushed to maintain their pace. With a sigh, Min-jun put his arms around the King’s neck and raised a brow. Satisfied? The King’s eyes gleamed with the emotion Min-jun had seen grow stronger during their time together. The peculiar emotion Min-jun could never quite place seemed so obvious with the King’s confession moments before. Love, huh?
“Are you worried about me, my love?” the King teased, as he gazed up at Min-jun with lovesick eyes.
“Don’t get too cocky,” Min-jun replied. Goodness, the King’s lips were distracting this close up. “Things will become troublesome if the King cannot trust his own mind. If one memory is altered, people will take advantage.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Qbeiv sbe ilxf la lo P kfgf cba atf bcf yftlcv sbeg qjgfcar’ vfjat?” atf Blcu wewyifv. “Tbe’v yf klatbea sbeg ojafv fcfws atfc.”
Min-jun did not answer. Instead, he fiddled with the pin in the King’s hair. He pulled it out and undid the King’s topknot. It’s curlier than I expected, he thought as he ran his hand through the King’s hair. So soft. What treatments does he use to make it so soft!
The King’s laughter rumbled between them. “Enjoying yourself?”
Clearly, one of them was getting ahead of himself. Hmph, what gave him the right to suddenly act like everything was over, just because Min-jun had shown reasonable concern over his suspicious memories?
“Don’t act so pleased,” Min-jun snapped. “It’s not like I’ve reciprocated your affections. As far as I’m concerned, your love is worthless to me.”
The King only tightened his grip around him, grin widening. Out of the corner of his eye, Min-jun watched as the lilies in the vase came back to life. So . . . it had been the Kin’s influence affecting the earth, after all. The King undid the ribbon of Min-jun’s hanbok, wrapping the end around his finger. “Woe is me. But regardless, you are entirely mine to have and to hold, are you not?”
Min-jun stared down at him, unimpressed. He pulled on the King’s hair, just hard enough for him to be forced to crane his neck back.
“Ah, ah, sorry, sorry,” the King said, pleadingly. Min-jun liked watching him beg a little too much. “This one has wronged you.”
“Hmph.” Min-jun released him, before his thoughts could begin to take a wrong turn. “You’re ridiculous.”
“My love, your face is turning red.”
“It’s hot in here,” Min-jun replied. He crossed his arms over his chest and averted his gaze. “That’s all.”
“Oh?” the King said, cocking his head to the side, a devilish smile on his lips. Tch. Devil was right. The King was the devil himself. “Shall we move to the bed then?”
“Go get laid by that handsome King of yours.”
And all at once, every part of Min-jun’s brain began to scream. Fuck. Fuck, we’re not ready. I’m ready. I’ve been ready since he took off his damned shirt while fighting Sun that one time. Put those muscles to good use. No more of these silly kisses, it’s all or nothing . . .
As his mind continued to clash with itself, Min-jun was vaguely aware of the court lady’s uniform being stripped off of him, leaving him only in his men’s undergarments. It left him shivering for a moment, and then the King pressed a light kiss to his lips and his temperature rose once more. All at once, Min-jun was scooped off the floor as if he weighed little more than a feather. Min-jun’s legs remained wrapped around the King’s torso, as his arms circled around his neck instinctively. He buried his face in the King’s neck, breathing in the fresh scent as he held on for dear life. The King laughed, pressing a kiss to Min-jun’s ear. How the course of a night could change so quickly. Tch, he shouldn’t let him off that easy, though. The King had put him through a lot these past few days, after all.
The King lowered him onto the plush bed, and Min-jun settled into the freshly-laundered sheets, the comforter cool underneath him. All at once, thoughts of retribution vanished.
“Your Majesty,” Min-jun moaned, as the King loomed above him. Their breaths mingled, the King’s hand still gripping Min-jun’s thigh, his long, curly hair smelling of . . . pine, perhaps?
And then, the King descended, lying down next to Min-jun, cuddling into his neck. Oh. Cuddling. Of course. How silly of him to think it would be more.
Thoroughly annoyed, Min-jun turned onto his side, away from the King and closer to the other side of the bed. To his dismay, the King followed him, wrapping his arms around his waist and bringing their bodies together again. No space would exist between the King and Min-jun anymore.
The King let out a contented sigh, the breath tickling Min-jun’s nape. Has he no idea what he’s doing to me? Or is he just teasing? Is he that oblivious? Is he that cruel?
His thoughts began to quiet the longer they held onto each other until there was only a content hum in his mind. No anxiety, no fear, not even anger, just a warm feeling all over his body. The King’s lips were at Min-jun’s neck, and Min-jun leaned into the touch. And now his answer left him without discretion.
“I hope it wasn’t you,” Min-jun whispered, fingertips running over the King’s arms. “I think I’ve hoped that for a long time now.” He drew in a shaky breath. “Why would I wish for the murderer of my parents to be the man I once loved? I’ve wished for it to not be you from the beginning.”
The King had been kind from the beginning. Patient, gentle, warm, just as he had been when they’d first met in the river towns. Couple that with an ethereal beauty and a body sculpted like a warrior’s, and . . . well, Min-jun was only a man after all. He craved love more than anything. He craved the love of this powerful King who could turn his fears to dust.
Min-jun turned around just enough to see the King’s face. He seemed as uncertain as Min-jun felt. Ha! The King. Uncertain? That was new.
“I will not love you until I know it wasn’t you. I cannot,” Min-jun whispered. Those violet eyes were half-closed now. The King would not face him fully. “So do not delude yourself too much for now. My objective is still the same as it was moments ago.”
Min-jun reached a hand out and tilted the King’s face up.
“But I want to love you,” Min-jun breathed, surprised by the truth in those words. “So prove us all wrong, Your Majesty.”
“What are you saying?” the King asked, hopeful and terrified all at once. Neither of them dared to hope for something that seemed so out of reach.
“Let us find out the truth together.” Min-jun took the King’s hand, intertwining their fingers on the luxurious, silken comforter. “Cheol.”
For a moment, they could only stare at each other, each as shocked at Min-jun’s words as the other. But Min-jun would not take it back. He’d meant every word.
“Min-jun.” The King said his name quietly, like a prayer, as he gathered him in his arms again. Min-jun tucked his head under the King’s chin, and slowly, his own arm went up to wrap around the King’s waist.
Ah, seems we’re both getting ahead of ourselves. But Min-jun could not help the little sliver of hope that snaked its way into his heart then. If the King had been wrongly accused, could they finally put an end to this? Could Su-jin and Min-jun find a home here, with the King? Mother wouldn’t dare go against the King directly, after all. He had more followers than her, and his powers were formidable too.
Can we finally rest, Su-jin?
A/N: In case anyone has forgotten, Su-jin is Min-jun’s ailing best friend who Mother is holding captive. Anywho, it seems the boys are finally back together. I hope you are already for some tooth-rotting fluff as they try to find the killer of Min-jun’s parents. Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment down below!
I’ve been waiting for one of them to think of bringing Su-jin, in between thinking of ways for Mother to die (I love that thing Cheol did in the forest that left no body for evidence, but Mai could poison her and set her on fire and come home on the king’s horse). Is Mother behind the altered memories Cheol mentioned as a baseline for Weird Memory Experiences?
It’s time for mission Save Su-jin! Let’s see if Min-jun is able to tell Cheol about her. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for commenting!
Finally an honest conversation ❤️ Bring on all the fluff with a side on intrigue
We love some healthy communication in our ships. Thank you for commenting!
We really needs more information about su-jin 🧐
I really want to write more about her because i just know su-jin is the sweetest person on earth. Thanks for commenting!
wow i finally caught up 😭 it’s weird to think i started reading back in october and so much time had passed since <3 anyways thank you vm! love this story 🙂
It has been a while, hasn’t it? I can hardly believe it myself lolol. I’m glad you’re enjoying the story. Thanks for commenting!