Betaed by Letsplaydominoes and Curio
Cheol was sitting back in bed, one leg straightened out in front of him, the other bent at the knee. With his head tucked under Cheol’s chin, Min-jun slept soundly on his lap, his breathing steady and calm. If Min-jun wasn’t so exhausted, he would’ve probably pushed him away by now, but in such a deep sleep, it seemed he succumbed to his temptations.
Gazing at him now, Cheol could see the vestiges of the boy he’d once loved. The way he stretched out in his sleep, the little furrow in his brow when he was caught up in an unpleasant dream, a content sigh for when the dream was particularly good. It was a wonder Cheol hadn’t noticed before, but the boy he’d known had been cheerful and bold and a bit too energetic for his own good. Min-jun was a far cry from his old self. Cheol supposed he was as well.
. . .
Cheol had been newly sixteen and drawing closer than ever before to the day of the coup d’etat. Each night, he worried himself sick over all the ways his plan could fail. During the day, he planned until he passed out from exhaustion. They had no money, little food, and between the four of them, Cheol was sure one of them would kill the others before they even reached the Palace.
Ji-won and Sun pulled the boat to shore one evening, deciding they should stock up on food before moving on. Cheol jumped out of the boat and onto the shore, more rocks than sand. The port was at least half a li to the west, but they couldn’t risk getting spotted. Not when Cheol’s father was already searching for him far and wide, acting every bit the concerned parent.
They walked along a beaten path to the village, Ji-won humming a shanty he’d learned on his ships. Hye-jin yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Their newest addition, Sun, seemed the most put together, walking along the path shoulder to shoulder with Ji-won. Those two got along a little too well.
Cheol’s stomach growled. What he wouldn’t give for something sweet right now.
The village crept up on them, first the rice paddies, then the houses with their straw roofs, and then the large tile-roofed mansions. Vendors sold their goods in the market still, but so late at night, there wasn’t much to pilfer anymore.
“Let’s split up,” Cheol said. “To cover more ground.” And if one of them was captured, the other three would be able to react accordingly.
Cheol chose to walk in the more crowded area, making use of the chaos in the center of the city. He matched his pace to the rest of the civilians, stride by stride, unhurried, his eyes fixed on his target: A baker selling fresh buns in front of his store, all neatly set out on a wooden table. Cheol reached out his hand, swiping one of them from the table.
‘I’ll pay you back someday.’ Probably.
In the clear, Cheol let out a breath, his shoulders dropping, as he began to bring the bun to his lips. He’d fry the bigger fish once he had something in his stomach.
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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At the last moment, he swerved into the alleyway, nearly tripping over his feet in his haste. His pursuer wasn’t fooled. Cheol risked a glance over his shoulder. A short, slender frame dressed in a dusty blue hanbok. It . . . it was just some kid? He was being chased by some brat?
Even a brat could cause trouble, though. It would be best to outrun him.
But the boy was persistent. No matter how far or how fast or over how many gates and walls Cheol jumped over, the brat was always close behind.
Cheol willed his Gift to aid him, but his mind wasn’t clear enough for it to be of any use. Ah, no matter how many times he practiced, it all went to shambles in these situations.
Legs burning from the pressure, he jumped up on another stone barrier in front of him, heaving himself over it. The boy didn’t follow. Cheol whispered a small prayer, eyes to the heavens as he turned onto a narrow street. Please, please let him be gone.
For a moment, it looked as if his prayers had been answered. And then, they were promptly crushed, as a blur of blue crashed into him, pushing him down into the sandy dirt with a grunt. The boy sat on top of him, pulling him up by the collar.
“I can’t believe you did that right in front of the old man!” he yelled at Cheol. “Do you know how hard he works to make those buns? Especially now, with all the shortages.”
It would’ve been easy to immobilize the boy. He had some strength to him, as well as dexterity, but Cheol could tell the boy was inexperienced. A kick to the side and that would be the end of it. Instead, it was Cheol who found himself immobilized. He couldn’t speak, or move for that matter, because the person staring down at him was not as much of a brat as he’d imagined. A braid of long, black hair was swept over the boy’s shoulder, so close that it nearly brushed Cheol’s cheek. Brown eyes, sharp and clever, pinned him down better than the boy’s limbs, as he’d long since climbed off of Cheol and resorted to shaking him by the collar of his hanbok.
“Well, don’t you have anything to say?” the boy asked.
And Cheol wasn’t sure what he said next, but it sent a rush of color into the boy’s cheeks. Cheol felt his own face warming in response.
“Ne-nevermind,” the pretty boy mumbled, releasing him. He coughed, trying to regain his commanding presence. Without warning, he dug into Cheol’s robes, searching for the stolen bun. When he pulled the bun out, Cheol grabbed his wrist. He was still starving, and no pretty boy was going to take his hard-earned meal from him.
They engaged in a bit of a staring contest, one which Cheol won, as the pretty boy returned the bun to him without a fight. A small pout formed on the boy’s face, but aside from that, he didn’t seem particularly vexed.
“Your eyes are violet,” the boy noted.
Yes. Violet like his damned father’s.
“I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like that. Are you a foreigner?”
Cheol wanted to laugh. Him? The son of the King, a foreigner? “No, I’m not.”
The boy nodded slowly. He stood, and offered Cheol a hand “So you’re just a petty thief, then?”
“Pettiest of them all.”
The boy gave him a small, nearly bashful smile then. “Well, as petty as you are, I’m sure you’re not above apologizing to the old man.”
“Apologizing?”
The boy’s soft smile turned mischievous, as he reached out to take Cheol’s hand. “I’ll pay for your food, but I’m not letting you off the hook completely. You’ve gotta pay me back.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“I noticed,” the boy said, his lips pulling into a heart-stopping grin. “That’s okay. I’m sure you have something useful to offer.”
And despite everything, despite all of Cheol’s careful planning and caution, he let himself be pulled along by the pretty boy who smiled so easily.
. . .
‘He’s still adorable,’ Cheol thought, proudly. Min-jun shifted in his arms, still fast asleep, humming contently. Ah, if Min-jun knew how he cuddled close to Cheol right now, he would certainly be devastated.
And there the issue lies. Who approached him in those months after Cheol ascended the throne? Had they known Min-jun was precious to him, that Cheol, bearing all the foolishness of youth, had nearly given everything up for the boy from the river towns (no, not the river towns. Min-jun had been from the mountains this entire time)? That was impossible. No one but Cheol and his small circle of allies knew of his affection for Min-jun.
“Are you in love with him?” came the quiet question. Mai had been reading a book not far from them, her hands bandaged. It had been difficult to tend to her injuries, what with her Gift and all. Mai’s body was well-adapted to Time’s Plague by now, but even it would find it difficult to take on so many healings at once. Cheol didn’t want to experience that sickness ever again.
Cheol exhaled a short, soundless laugh. “No, I do not think so.” Love? Rediscovering an old love was one thing, falling in love all over again was simply foolish. Min-jun was no longer the boy from the river towns (mountains) and Cheol was no longer the pettiest of thieves. Now, more than ever, Cheol couldn’t let down his guard around his fierce little assassin.
They planted Min-jun here on purpose, Cheol was certain of it. Coincidence didn’t exist in the same realms as Cheol. He was the King. Puppeteers conducted his entire world, each movement was a calculated pull of a string somewhere.
But now you’ve made the wrong move.
Because Min-jun still had vestiges of the boy from the river towns, and Cheol would use him for all he was worth. This stunt with Mai had only been the beginning. Min-jun had proved he could still be persuaded, and now all Cheol had to do was push him to the breaking point.
‘I’ll save you, Min-jun, and you will give in to me.’
A/N: Yes, there is a reason that both of them forgot. It’s not as dramatic as you think though lol. Thank you for reading! If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below.
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thank you for reading ❤
Thanks for the chapter! I totally thought it was something quite dramatic for min jun to forget. Like… Who is haneul?? What has Mother done?!!
Oh, I plan on doing a whole flashback concerning haneul 😭. Min-jun’s just forgetful, I’m afraid. Thank you for reading!
aaaahhhh! The childhood affection ❤️ wasn’t expecting that twist. Cheol falling for pretty face with bright smile. Min Jun soft hearted even when young.
Thank you for the sweetness ❤️
cheol fell so easily lol 😂. All it took was a pair of pretty eyes. Min-jun got his softness from his parents, who were both very kind people before their deaths 😭
Poor little Mai, with her orphaned, gifted, used and caught – and she can still see right through Cheol. Who could blame him? Min-Jun was clearly a decent kid, before.
I disabled autocorrect, since it kept trying to confuse me with Chaos, Chaebol and Chemo. I think I spelled it wrong trying to fix it in previous chapters 😅.
Aw, damn… please be more gentle with him, Cheol…. my poor Min-jun is being used by everyone 😭
Eee! They knew each other before!? That’s so cute. I’m a sucker for that trope. Thanks for the chapter!