Chapter 48

Despite the arrival of spring on the calendar, it was an unsparingly bitter gale.

The predawn gale shook the tent violently, howling with the grotesque roar of a ravenous beast baring its fangs. Subconsciously burrowing toward the nearest source of heat, Myeong-joo slowly drifted awake only to realize he was nestled deep against Yi-tan’s chest.

“Aren’t you going to sleep a little longer?” Yi-tan asked softly from directly above the crown of his head.

Blinking his heavy eyelids, Myeong-joo gave a low groan as he fought to clear his sleep-thickened throat. “…It seems morning has already arrived.”

“The sun is still a long way from rising.”

Though quiet outside the canvas walls, the base was far from deserted; the cooks were already moving about, preparing morning rations. Flustered to find himself waking in the younger officer’s embrace, Myeong-joo attempted to sit up slowly.

“I told you to sleep a little more.”

He would have managed it, had Yi-tan not caught his wrist and firmly pulled him back down into his chest. Colliding with that rock-hard torso wrung a sharp gasp from Myeong-joo, who flailed in bewildered protest.

“I’ve slept plenty. Let go of me now,” Myeong-joo pleaded with a frown.

“You haven’t recovered from the exhaustion of your journey yet.”

“As if a second lieutenant like you knows what travel fatigue is,” Myeong-joo muttered.

Aberrants could never truly fathom the physical drain experienced by ordinary mortals. It was out of sheer disbelief that Myeong-joo had asked, yet Yi-tan merely chuckled, keeping him firmly caged within his arms.

“To think Major Lee would actually do something useful,” Yi-tan chuckled against his hair. “I never expected him to summon you here, Instructor.”

“…”

Myeong-joo had found that equally unexpected. Major Lee clearly had some hidden scheme in motion, yet having seen neither Lee Yi-ho nor his aides throughout the entire journey here made the situation all the more puzzling.

“He is suspicious, to be sure, but with me here, you have nothing to fear. My only concern is that you might catch a chill in this bitter cold,” Yi-tan said gently.

“…I am fine, Second Lieutenant.”

Though his skin occasionally prickled with a faint, itching sensation as the harmonization slipped across their touching flesh, the signs of a violent seizure had mercifully receded. Having supplied Yi-tan with an ample charge of energy, Myeong-joo wanted nothing more than to vacate the narrow field cot that was far too cramped for two grown men.

“It is freezing outside.” Yi-tan tightened his hold around Myeong-joo. “Stay like this a little longer.”

The arm wound around Myeong-joo’s waist tightened so forcefully that a sharp breath caught in his throat. Nestling his face against Myeong-joo’s shoulder like a willful child, Yi-tan released a hot, steady breath against his bare skin. Suppressing the instinctive urge to pull away, Myeong-joo lay still as the youth whispered in a low murmur.

“I apologize for making you spend our days right after the wedding on the front line.”

“…”

“Even so, I gave instructions to have the house in Seowon furnished properly, so I trust it will suit your tastes.” Yi-tan shifted closer. “I bought a residence quite similar to the one where we used to live as husband and wife.”

The news that he had actually bought a house came as a distinct surprise. Since there had been no mention of a separate home, Myeong-joo had naturally assumed they would reside at the main estate belonging to the Princess Consort, Yi-tan’s mother. He had thought the accommodations arranged for Myeong-in and Myeong-hui were beside that main estate, but Yi-tan had apparently secured an entirely independent residence instead.

“Why on earth did you go so far as to buy a house? We could have simply stayed at the main estate,” Myeong-joo questioned in bewilderment.

“Hmm? Haha…”

At Myeong-joo’s bewildered question, Yi-tan lifted his head slightly, staring intently at him before bursting into soft laughter. Rather than providing an answer, he merely chuckled, prompting Myeong-joo to knit his brow in genuine perplexity. Just as he was about to demand what was so amusing, Yi-tan leaned in closer.

“Is there any need to let my mother listen to her grown son and his spouse exchanging harmonization sounds through the night?” Yi-tan countered with a mischievous smirk.

“…Good grief.”

To be honest, a curse nearly slipped past Myeong-joo’s lips. Blinded by unrequited love in the past, he had never realized how mischievous Lee Yi-tan could be. Regardless of their marital ties, Myeong-joo was older and had once been his instructor; to make such brazen remarks at the crack of dawn was unthinkable.

Perhaps noticing the severe glint in Myeong-joo’s eyes, Yi-tan chuckled, “Haha, do not be angry,” and buried his face once more against his shoulder. “I even prepared space for a vegetable plot at the new house. You used to grow peanuts, didn’t you? Since spring is here, it would be nice to grow them again once we return to Seowon.”

Myeong-joo blinked in surprise, touched that the youth remembered such a minor detail. A faint chuckle escaped him. Yi-tan likely assumed Myeong-joo grew peanuts out of personal fondness, never guessing that in those impoverished days, unable to afford sweets, Myeong-joo had secretly cultivated them simply to provide treats for the younger children.

“You must tend the plot in my stead, then,” Myeong-joo said, turning onto his side. “I am getting older now, and my joints ache too much for hard labor.”

Releasing a quiet sigh, Myeong-joo shifted his weight. As long as he made no attempt to leave the cot entirely, Yi-tan seemed content, loosening the possessive arm wrapped around his waist.

“What else should I do? I know nothing of farming, so you must teach me that as well, Instructor.”

“It is hardly complicated.”

Lying on his back and staring up at the canvas roof, Myeong-joo felt Yi-tan’s unblinking gaze upon his profile, yet did not turn his head. His voice had grown thick with fatigue. Perhaps because the young man had urged him repeatedly to rest, drowsiness began tugging his eyelids shut once more.

“I also had your study arranged to match the previous one as closely as possible,” Yi-tan added quietly.

“…”

At those words, Myeong-joo slowly forced his drooping eyelids open. He, too, retained vivid memories of that study. As someone merely taking shelter under another’s roof, it had been Yi-tan’s room rather than his own, yet even now, closing his eyes brought the atmosphere back with startling clarity. He could still feel the cold texture of the demonic fiend’s fang he had pulled from the smashed mahogany drawer. A wave of unease swept through him, causing a grimace to cloud his face as though he were being pulled back into that fateful day.

“…I look forward to seeing it,” Myeong-joo murmured faintly.

It was an empty pleasantry squeezed out with effort, his voice emerging rough and strained precisely because he felt no genuine anticipation. Just then, a rough, calloused palm lightly cupped Myeong-joo’s jaw. Yielding to the gentle pressure, Myeong-joo turned his head to find Yi-tan gazing down at him with unblinking intensity.

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence settled between the two men. Yi-tan’s dark eyes seemed to pool with a dense, viscous intensity, flashing with an occasional glint that made looking away impossible. Ah, he wants harmonization. The realization arrived late once more. Resigned to his duty, Myeong-joo compliantly closed his eyes.

Just as an ordinary person waking from a night of fasting inevitably felt hunger, perhaps Aberrants craved harmonization anew after a single night. Though Yi-tan had drawn a generous measure of energy from him only hours ago, his exceptionally high tier likely meant that modest amount barely scratched the surface.

Waiting with closed eyes for the impending kiss, Myeong-joo felt the expected soft pressure settle over his mouth. He tilted his head slightly to facilitate the transfer of energy, taking care to prevent their noses from colliding in the close dark.

“Instructor…” Yi-tan whispered softly.

Parting Myeong-joo’s lips with his own, Yi-tan coaxed him open. Meeting no resistance, that familiar heavy tongue swept inside once more. Radiating intense, unvarnished heat, the contact felt bizarrely overwhelming, leaving Myeong-joo with the eerie sensation that the younger man was invading and swallowing him whole from within.

“Mmh…”

The stifled sound escaped Myeong-joo’s throat. Whether that involuntary whimper sparked something within Yi-tan, the youth swiftly shifted his weight to mount him completely. The atmosphere felt distinctly different from the night before, his movements pressing their lower halves together with overt, insistent hunger. That fully rigid length bore down firmly against Myeong-joo’s groin.

Ever since falling ill with harmonization saturation, Myeong-joo’s morning erections had ceased entirely, subdued by lingering fatigue; but Yi-tan’s state was an entirely different story. Myeong-joo was certain the youth pressed his lower body forward with full awareness of what he was doing. Pressing that rock-hard length against him again and again could hardly be anything but deliberate.

Are we really going to do it now…?

Yi-tan had restrained himself last night out of consideration for Myeong-joo’s arduous trek to Mount Gaema, but there was little reason to hold back now that they had slept. Just as Myeong-joo thought they might simply get it over with quickly before the sun rose, a sudden noise shattered the mood.

“Platoon Leader!” a soldier yelled from outside the tent.

The urgent call tore through the canvas.

In the faint predawn glow filtering through the fabric, the silhouette of a soldier was clearly visible. Yet unlike Myeong-joo, whose eyes flew open in alarm, Yi-tan’s expression remained unchanged, nor did he offer any reply. The thick flesh exploring Myeong-joo’s mouth continued its relentless motion unabated.

While Myeong-joo debated whether to shove him off, the voice outside called again, “Platoon Leader! Are you awake?!”

Still, Yi-tan refused to answer, pressing his hips down harder and rolling his pelvis in a steady rhythm as if determined to coax life into Myeong-joo’s dormant flesh. Lost in the heavy friction and the suffocating kiss that threatened to draw his very soul through his lips, Myeong-joo struggled to maintain his senses.

“Platoon Leader, you need to get up right now! Down by the base of the ridge—!”

Only then did Yi-tan push himself up, his eyes blazing with fury. “Get lost before I kill you!” he snarled fiercely.

It was hardly an extravagant curse, yet the sheer venom behind it was enough to send chills through the spine. Outside the tent, the startled soldier flinched visibly, bowed hastily, and scurried away, his retreating silhouette shrinking beyond the canvas.

Lying beneath the youth, Myeong-joo stared blankly up at the angry flush staining his neck. Releasing a deep, ragged exhale, Yi-tan finally turned his head to look down at Myeong-joo.

“…I must go see to it.”

“Go on, then,” Myeong-joo answered calmly.

At Myeong-joo’s prompt reply, offered as though he had known all along how busy the platoon leader was, Yi-tan stared down at him before breaking into a helpless, self-deprecating smile. “I cannot fathom what disgraceful display I have shown you since morning. Seeing you in a place like this brought such joy that calming myself proved impossible.”

“There is no need to make such a fuss over it,” Myeong-joo murmured with a wry smile.

Whether spoken in earnest or mere flattery, knowing his arrival brought genuine pleasure warmed Myeong-joo enough to draw a quiet smile in return. His features quickly settling back into an impassive mask, Yi-tan studied him for a moment longer before lifting himself away.

Only then did Myeong-joo notice the youth was still fully erect. Walking around in such a state would hardly be comfortable. As a fellow man, Myeong-joo could not help feeling a twinge of quiet sympathy.

Yet Yi-tan brushed his teeth without the slightest hesitation, threw on his winter greatcoat, and stepped toward the tent flap, casting a lingering glance back over his shoulder. “Sleep a little longer. You must stay in bed until someone brings your breakfast.”

“…Very well,” Myeong-joo conceded obediently.

Myeong-joo almost asked out of reflex if he were being treated like an invalid, but caught himself like a guilty man with a guilty conscience and simply gave a docile nod. Offering him one last smile, Yi-tan stepped outside.

***