How To Kill A KingCh49 - Shower Thoughts

Min-jun leaned his elbows on the lip of the bathtub, urging himself to relax, forcing his muscles to unclench. He was on his knees in the tub, slouching and feeling exposed in the warm waters. With bated breath, he waited for those waters to shift and overflow with the company of another man. His eyes glared down at the floor, counting the little imperfections in the stone. Calm downhe chided. You’ve done this before. But everything felt like untrodden territory with the King. It was laughable, how useless his training at the brothel had turned out to be.

The waters shifted, finally, and Min-jun could sense the King there even with his eyes firmly focused on the ground. He shifted, uncomfortable. Hyun-woo had said the bath could hold a whole family of five, but right now, it was far too small. If he tried to back up, Min-jun would surely land right between the King’s legs. A little voice inside him mocked, ‘wouldn’t you like that?’ 6xZwkd

A laugh made him jump, the sound making his body react in ways it shouldn’t have. One finger traced the length of his spine, starting from the neck and gliding down his back. Min-jun shivered at the gentle touch.

“Relax, my love,” the King said, placing his hands safely off Min-jun’s face. “I’m not going to eat you.”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“You’re too close,” Min-jun spat.

A small snort. He must find all of this hilarious. “I’m as far as I can be.” EJhTQG

“Not far enough.”

“Are you not going to wash up?” The King asked. Min-jun did a quick survey of his surroundings, all while avoiding catching even a glimpse of the King’s naked body. He caught sight of a small bar of soap in a dish on a small table near the tub. With his eyes trained on only the soap, he reached over to take it, stretching at an odd angle.

There was no way in hell he would let himself be taken in by the King’s flawless physique again. This time he would be cautious.

“Are you frightened you’ll turn to stone if you look at me, my love?” the King asked.

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He decided to put on a sweet front. A force of habit, if nothing else. “I’m being considerate. Someone like me shouldn’t be allowed to look at your body.”

The King hummed, coming closer. “As if you’ve ever cared for tradition.” Now that Min-jun had peeled back the layers of false politeness, it was difficult to put them back on. “Come, I wish to see your face.”

Two fingers cupped his chin, turning his head in the King’s direction. Min-jun found himself staring into those violet eyes, trying his best to remain defiant. His gaze dipped to the curve of the King’s lips.

“Wouldn’t you rather sit in silence?” Min-jun asked, turning away. The King released him, though his stare kept him captive. HlzQdR

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.

“With you? I find myself rather talkative,” the King replied. “So . . . is it true?”

How much did he hear? “Is what true?”

“That you used to be a Kisaeng?”

“No,” Min-jun said, rubbing the soap over his shoulders. “Someone must want me gone since they’re starting such inflammatory rumors.” 6Dhjze

“I’m not going to strip you of your position over something like this.” The King was at his side now, staring at him as he leaned back against the side of the tub. “So I’d advise you to tell the truth.”

Min-jun remained tight-lipped. He knew from experience that once he started talking, he wouldn’t be able to stop. And this was one secret that he couldn’t let go of, for Su-jin’s sake. Mother wouldn’t be caught so easily, but Su-jin . . . Su-jin was too vulnerable.

“Min-jun,” the King sang, drawing out the vowel sounds in his name. He was closing in on him, their faces just a breath apart. A hand, wet, came up to caress his cheek. “Tell me.”

He drew his face away from the King’s touch. xvyZb

“Very well.” The King sighed. “I’ll take your silence as confirmation. No wonder you were so prepared to be taken. Your leader taught you to expect it.”

“That’s a leap.” Min-jun put the soap down on its plate on the table, turning his back to the King. “What if I needed the money?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

The King hummed, bringing a finger to his chin. “From what I know of you, it’s unlikely that would be your first choice. It’s far more likely that your leader wanted to train you to be my Consort, and put you in a brothel, thinking I’m some sort of sex-crazed lunatic.” The King smiled, teasing him once more. “Were you disappointed upon meeting me?”

Min-jun scoffed, “as if.” ua1OYU

A beat of silence, and then the King spoke again, sounding uncharacteristically serious. “I’m sorry for letting that man speak to you like that.” The King took hold of Min-jun’s hand underwater. “I should’ve stopped him sooner.”

“I’m no defenseless damsel,” Min-jun reminded him. “I could’ve taken him out if it came to that.”

“You froze.” The King crossed his arms, and Min-jun had to focus an embarrassing amount of attention on not staring at his pectorals or his sculpted torso. “You could barely say a word.”

“Just toward the end.” The direction of the conversation brought with it an uncomfortable sensation in the pit of his stomach. “Anyway, you didn’t have to go as far as to break his hand.” 95oJCO

“Oh. That,” the King said. “Here I was thinking you enjoyed it.”

“Why would I enjoy that?”

“I don’t know,” the King admitted. “After all, you’re the one who watched the scene with such delight.”

He shot up, exposing his body to cool air, as the water trickled down the length of his figure in clear rivulets. “I did not!” dsJVHu

The King’s eyes raked up and down his figure, appreciative, and blood rushed to paint Min-jun’s face a lovely shade of pink. He sat back down, hugging his knees to his chest.

“You saw nothing.”

Another light chuckle, as the King leaned his elbow on the lip of the tub, propping his chin up onto his hand. “I saw it all. Come now, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You seem to be aware of that much.”

He was right. Min-jun hadn’t the slightest clue why the King’s gaze made him react like this. He didn’t know what to make of the strange emotion coursing through his body. No one had ever stared at him like that and gotten anything more than slight satisfaction from him, at best. 38iVK

It must be the strange attraction he felt toward him. The desire to drink from a forbidden well, or a sinner’s cup, a mixture of anxiety and arousal rising in him. He could not let it surface.

“That man, the one you’ve been living with this whole time,” the King said, his expression shifting slightly.

“Hyun-woo?”

“Yes, that one.” He waved his hand in the air as if to clear the name away. “Are you in love with him?” h2Q5p1

Well, that was forward.

“With Hyun-woo? Of course not.” Min-jun shook his head. The King arched a brow, doubtful, and Min-jun shrank back, pouting. “For the record, yes, he had a crush on me when we first met, but I turned him down before it could turn into anything. We’re just friends now, and I never had feelings for him.” How could he? After what happened with Haneul, it was made clear that Min-jun was to remain faithful to the King and to his mission. Falling in love would just complicate things.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“Good,” the King replied, a delicious smirk on his face. He leaned forward, approaching him with the promise of pleasure in his eyes. His hand traveled from Min-jun’s abdomen all the way up to the chest, resting over his heartbeat. “Because I’ve made plans to take this from you already, and it would be inconvenient for another man to have already stolen it.”

How cheesy. “Your chances aren’t much higher, even without a rival.” oqODtv

“Oh?” The gap between them closed. It was the King who kissed him this time, lips moving against his, and it took Min-jun even less time to lean into it, driven by something far stronger than his mind. The King’s hands slid around him, caressing the back of his head, pulling him ever closer, while the other intertwined with Min-jun’s own fingers. The swipe of a tongue over his bottom lip was all it took for Min-jun to open his mouth, a small gasp escaping his throat. The King wasted no time in slipping his tongue past his teeth, and Min-jun had the thought that he could easily bite into right now, but the fingers teasing a nipple cut the thought short. A needy moan strangled its way out, and Min-jun’s face burned even more.

He’d gotten better since last time. They parted for air, and Min-jun let a string of curse words fill the humid air between them.

“I think I’m doing quite well so far,” the King whispered. He pecked Min-jun on the lips, and then dove back in, a hand falling to Min-jun’s hip. It felt good, too good. A kiss shouldn’t be enough to arouse him like this. Perhaps this was another power of the King’s, manipulating people into wanting him so desperately. Not that Min-jun was desperate.

The King broke the kiss off, in favor of tipping his forehead onto Min-jun’s shoulder. H3Rs8r

“Tell me what you want.” His offer echoed in Min-jun’s ears. “Go on, my love.”

“I–” want you to touch me. Touch me until I come undone, Your Majesty. How shameless.

A knock at the door made Min-jun jump in the King’s arms. Hyun-woo’s voice passed through the wood. “Are you two going to stay in there forever, or . . .”

“We’ll be right out,” Min-jun managed, only now noticing how breathless he sounded. 67vMys

“Please tell me you’re not having sex in the tub.”

They might’ve, had he not shown up. Min-jun wasn’t sure if he should be irritated or relieved.

“We’re not,” Min-jun shouted back, trying his best to sound offended. The King grinned at him, and Min-jun pushed a hand into his face, effectively forcing some distance between them. “We’re getting out now.”

He stood, turning around before the King could stand up behind him. That didn’t stop him from leaning down to murmur in Min-jun’s ear. “My offer still stands.” RNoGru

And he was never going to take him up on it. Never. This was merely a moment of weakness. Again.

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