“I will visit you tonight.”
Why must he say such things? Min-jun sat down in front of the table, his mood as foul as ever. He rubbed at his neck, where the King’s sword had hovered for just a moment. It itched, though there was no mark left behind. Min-jun should’ve expected as much from a warrior of the King’s caliber. Somehow, the fact that he’d pulled back at exactly the right time annoyed Min-jun more than had he broken skin (just a tad, Min-jun had no death wish, after all).
Min-jun sighed and let his head fall into his hands. Can I really do this? He hadn’t seen another option, as a man without a single drop of glory or status to his name, other than to prove himself worthy. But even if they took a liking to him, that didn’t mean the scholars of the Royal Academy would withdraw their petition. Against all reason, Min-jun was putting his faith in the wary gaze of the Chief. The gaze of a man tired of the puppetry he’d likely been subjected to all his life.
He groaned, flopping down on the floor with none of the grace he usually carried himself with. Had the King truly planned on killing the Chief then and there? His fingers fiddled with the hem of his sleeve, as he recalled the fury in the King’s movements, and how it had washed away as soon as Min-jun kneeled in front of him. Hye-jin had stood with the other courtiers, watching them with an unreadable expression. Min-jun hadn’t even been sure the King would let him speak, what with his violent anger. And yet, he’d heard him out.
Do I really have such influence over him? The thought excited him more than it should’ve.
The sound of harsh, loud quacking drew him out of his reverie. A bird? No, a beast.
“Get that animal off my estate!” he yelled, sitting up.
“Right away, Your Highness,” one of the servants assured him. The noise did not ease, and Min-jun rose to his feet. He’d have to chase it off himself. An old memory of a rather unpleasant experience with a rogue duck resurfaced. Min-jun had only been ten then, but the pain of those talons and snapping beak was permanently etched into his mind. It had left him with a deep-seated dislike of the creatures, and even now, he was filled with dread whenever he saw one of them.
When Min-jun reached the source of all the ruckus, he saw the irate bird snapping its beak at the servants. His throat closed up with disdain. That damned waterfowl would wish it had never set foot in his garden by the time Min-jun was done with it.
The duck pulled on the skirt of one of the court ladies and she squeaked and fell on the grass. Min-jun quickly kneeled down to make sure she had not injured herself. She shook her head, unable to speak, tears in the corners of her eyes. On her hand, an ugly bruise had formed where the duck had bitten her.
Min-jun returned his attention to the foul creature. The duck charged at him, but just as it was about to attack, a furry, muddy blur jumped in front of Min-jun. It growled at the duck, its teeth bared, as it prowled forward and low to the ground. A puppy, likely not more than a few months old, its legs too small for its body still. Underneath the mud, Min-jun could make out patches of golden fur. Was it a stray?
The duck relented, flying off to terrorize some other helpless civilians. The puppy, satisfied with his performance, pranced back to Min-jun, head held high.
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.
“Ct,” Zlc-pec rjlv. Lf rmgjamtfv atf qeqqs’r cfmx, kjamtlcu lar ajli kjuulcu tjqqlis. “Ktjcx sbe, P reqqbrf.” Pa tjv cb mbiijg jcv cb batfg rlucr bo yflcu bkcfv. Zlc-pec klatvgfk tlr tjcv, ogbkclcu lc vlrajraf ja atf wev atja geyyfv boo bc la. “Tbe rffw lc vfrqfgjaf cffv bo j yjat jr kfii. Gb sbe tjnf j cjwf?”
The puppy tilted its head to the side, tongue lolling.
“I suppose we can think of a name for you later. Such things shouldn’t be rushed,” Min-jun told him. “Nari, can you bring me a towel?”
“Right away, Your Highness,” said a young court lady with freckles across her nose. Soon she returned with the towel in hand and gave it to Min-jun, who scooped the puppy up into it. The puppy tipped its head back to look at him through the bundle of cloth. “Good boy. You seem very comfortable.”
The puppy barked once in agreement.
When they reached the steps to the Villa, Mai stood there. Her dark eyes fell to the puppy in Min-jun’s arms. She would never ask, but Min-jun could tell she was itching to pet it.
“Go on,” he told her. Tentatively, Mai lifted her gloved hand to the puppy’s head, scratching behind its ears. It leaned into the touch. A smile, just barely visible, curled on Mai’s lips.
“The King is here,” Mai finally told him. “He’s waiting for you.”
“Oh.” Min-jun handed the puppy to Nari, and it gave him a look of pure betrayal. “Be good now.” Min-jun turned to Mai. “He seems to like you. Help Nari get him washed and prepare a meal for him. I’m sure the poor thing is starving.”
“Alright,” Mai said.
The King stood outside his door, leaning against the wall. He was looking at something outside the window, caught in a trance, but when Min-jun approached him, the King’s gaze fell on him instead. No attempt was made by the King to hide his amusement. His eyes glittered with mirth, his lips turned up in a smirk. He looked disgustingly handsome in his dark blue hanbok. Why was he wearing these clothes anyhow? If Min-jun hadn’t known any better, he would’ve assumed the King was planning a hunting trip. So late in the day, though? Unlikely.
“You’ve got mud on your gown, my love,” the King said, fingers catching on the end of the ribbon of his coat. One small tug and the knot would be undone. “Let’s get you out of these clothes.”
The court ladies turned away, knowing it wasn’t their place to witness such an intimate display. Min-jun searched the King’s face for hints of anything pertaining to his thoughts. Did he finally plan to make love to Min-jun? Was he here to scold him? Was he angry, concerned, lustful? Min-jun couldn’t be sure.
“Your Majesty.”
“Come,” the King said. He took Min-jun’s hand in his own and guided him inside to Min-jun’s bedroom. The bed was spread out on the floor, a mattress of red and gold. Min-jun had told the servants to bring it out early, just in case. It would appear that Min-jun had been right in preparing for this.
“I–” Min-jun couldn’t speak suddenly, words caught in his throat, as the King quickly undid the front of Min-jun’s robes. Quickly, the King pushed the fabric down his shoulders.
“We haven’t much time, so let’s not dawdle.” The King pulled Min-jun’s gat off his head and put it somewhere off to the side.
“O-oh.”
The King placed two fingers to Min-jun’s neck, just above his pulse, his thumb pressing against the column of his throat. “I’ll have you know that what you did today was reckless even for your standards.”
“I knew you would stop in time,” Min-jun told him. He pushed the offending hand away, and the King busied himself with removing Min-jun’s jeogori. That, Min-jun couldn’t bring himself to stop. The King wasn’t showing very much affection, however, and that was quite odd. Usually, the King would be showering him with featherlight kisses and needy caresses. Was he cross with Min-jun for some reason? Should Min-jun be making the first move?
“I’m glad you have so much faith in me, though in the future, I’d prefer it if you spoke to me before doing something like this.”
So close. So, so close. The King must be teasing him. Their noses nearly touched, their breaths mingled. Min-jun leaned in on a whim, pressing his lips to the King’s.
“Oh, love.” The King sighed, pecking him on the mouth once, before deepening the kiss. Min-jun reached for the ribbon of the King’s hanbok, but just before he could loosen it, the King caught his hands with his own and pushed them away. “Let’s not waste any more time, hmm?”
Yes, let’s not. Good thing Min-jun had thought to bring the oil beforehand. Did the King even know the first thing about making love to a man?
Wait, where was he going?
Min-jun watched as the King crossed the room to Min-jun’s wardrobe. The doors swung open soundlessly. The King rummaged around for a bit, before pulling out a dark violet hanbok, quite similar to his own, a golden rose embroidered on the front and back.
“I had worried you’d thrown it away,” the King said, holding the clothes at an arm’s length. “Come, let’s see if it fits.”
And Min-jun was dressed once more, utterly confused by the situation. Outside, a starless night had fallen. The wind rustled the trees. Min-jun stood still as the King ran his hands down his sides, smoothing the fabric over his lithe figure.
“Wonderful,” the King said, tightening the ribbon at the front. “The tailor did his job well. Violet suits you, don’t you think?”
“Most colors suit me.”
The King chuckled, hand ghosting down Min-jun’s back. That earned him a shiver in response. “That they do.” The King pecked him on the cheek and lingered there. Min-jun could feel him smiling.
“Your Majesty, I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Min-jun said. He lifted his arm to the light. The sleeve of the hanbok had been wrapped in a light violet armband, to keep it from getting in the way of whatever activity they were about to do. An activity that clearly wasn’t what Min-jun had anticipated. “What exactly are we going to be doing?”
The King blinked, surprised. “I’ll be teaching you to fight, of course.”
What?
A/N: The scene with the puppy is brought to you by letsplaydominos, who gave me a lot of inspiration in the creation of this cute canine. I already have a name for it, but I’m still on the fence about the breed. Either a corgi or a small shiba inu. Let me know which breed you think he should be down in the comments. As always, thank you so much for reading. Next chapter will be up later today if I manage to write it in time. Otherwise, it will be up tomorrow.
Corgi! Happy new year!
Thank you for commenting! Happy new year to you as well! Corgis are so cute 😌
Great minds do not think alike apparently lol poor Min Jun cannot try out his bedroom tricks lol
Shiba Inu puppy too cute
Thank you for chapter
Damn youuuu Cheol !! You’re a damn tease 🥺
Shiba inu
Happy new year 😌
Can someone explain to this king what is and is not a waste of time 🤣. I guess I can’t really complain – I have always wished that American schools taught self – defense. It looks like Chaol doesn’t want Min-Jun going to school without knowing any, either. Smart guy.
I love that the puppy was low and growling instead of bouncing and barking. It makes him seem serious about his work lol feral ducks are clearly dangerous.