NTH 88

“Yes. What’s more, His Majesty conspicuously favors the royal prince born to his concubine, Lady Yeon, so Her Majesty the Queen is always anxious that the crown prince’s position might be taken by that side.”

“Ah…”

“The Queen prayed to Buddha every day for His Highness the Crown Prince to grow up safely one way or another. I, too, continued to collect and read historical records, trying to find a solution.”

“So, did you find one?”

“Yes.”

“What is the method?”

“Do you remember when I told you earlier that His Highness the Crown Prince was born in ‘the instant the star of the Great Inauspicious Constellation, which appears once every one hundred and twenty years, eclipses the sun’?”

“The words are difficult, but basically he was born at an ominous time when a sinister star covered the sun, right?”

“That is correct. But there was a destiny that was the polar opposite of such a fate.”

“Polar opposite? A destiny that can overcome that fate, or something like that?”

“Yes. It is the destiny of being born in ‘the instant the moon eclipses the star of the Great Inauspicious Constellation.’ I discovered that a child with such a destiny could serve as a shield against misfortune for His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“It’s amazing you managed to find something so strange. But what exactly is this shield against misfortune? Is it something like, all the bad things that are supposed to happen to His Highness the Crown Prince go to the shield instead?”

Sonyeong’s delicate lips hesitated for a moment. Although Meoru was planning to run away anyway, he felt a slight anxiety, not knowing what would come out of his mouth.

“Originally, a shield against misfortune means a shield that prevents bad things from happening, but using a person as a shield is, in a word, a deception. When wicked things try to latch onto His Highness the Crown Prince, the shield pretends to be His Highness to lure them away, thereby protecting the real Crown Prince.”

“How can he pretend to be the Crown Prince when he’s a completely different person? Are all wicked things blind?”

“It is not a visual matter. Of course, it is a difficult task that not just anyone can do, but it is possible for me to make it so.”

Sonyeong’s expression was as nonchalant as if he were saying he could fit two yakgwa cookies in his mouth at once. Seeing Meoru look confused, unsure how to take all this, Sonyeong quickly added.

“It was I who informed the Grand Tutor and Her Majesty the Queen that your existence could serve as a shield against misfortune for His Highness the Crown Prince. At that time, I was so filled with joy at finally finding the solution I had been searching for for years that I did not think deeply about the consequences.”

“…”

“But from the moment I heard the news that the Grand Tutor had found you, my heart began to grow endlessly heavy. Although it is for the sake of the well-being of this nation’s royal family, the thought that your innocent life might be sacrificed made my fear and guilt grow.”

“If something happens here that is difficult for you to bear, I hope you will not be too distressed. I will do my best, whatever it takes. Please, just endure it for a while.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just lock him up and keep him barely alive? What will you do if he tries to run away, tsk.”

Meoru could finally understand the context of what Sonyeong had said to him on his first day there, and what the Grand Tutor had said to Sonyeong in the main hall.

“What’s the use of saying that now that I’m already here? If you truly feel sorry, you should pretend not to see me run away.”

When Meoru spoke bluntly, Sonyeong nodded his head.

“You are right. However, if that happens, His Highness the Crown Prince will soon pass away. Did I not tell you earlier that your age is twenty years, minus three months and fifteen days?”

“You did.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince’s birthday is exactly fifteen days earlier than yours. Therefore, in three months, His Highness will turn twenty, and at the same time, he will be freed from the fate tied to the star of the Great Inauspicious Constellation.”

“Putting that aside, what happens to me, who was used as a shield? Whether I get caught up in some terrible event and croak or become a cripple, my life will be ruined either way, won’t it?”

“That may be so. But now that it has come to this, I intend to use your help to exorcise the wicked things.”

“Help? What help? Help that uses my life as collateral?”

“The day of the full moon, ‘mang,’ and the day of the new moon, ‘sak,’ are the times of the month when the yin energy is strongest. At those times, ghosts approach to possess His Highness the Crown Prince’s body, and their intensity is growing stronger by the day. I am going to try a trick to make them mistake you for His Highness.”

“What did you say? What if the ghosts possess my body instead of the Crown Prince’s? Won’t I be the one possessed by a ghost and lose my mind?”

“I will protect you so that will absolutely not happen.”

“I refuse.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t trust you. It would be a different story if the ghosts revealed their faces and were so captivated by a pretty person that they lost their senses, but who are you to protect anyone? You look like you can barely take care of yourself.”

As Meoru spouted whatever came to his mind and flew into a rage, Sonyeong stopped walking and turned his body. Feeling self-conscious under his direct gaze, Meoru spoke awkwardly.

“Why, what, did I say something wrong, wo-whoa!”

When Sonyeong twisted his fingers in a peculiar way and stamped his foot—stomp—Meoru began to stiffen, starting from his feet. Like a tree turning to stone from its roots up, in a short while, Meoru’s entire body was frozen solid.

“Ugh, uhhh…!”

A terrified groan escaped from Meoru’s stiffened mouth. Without so much as frowning, Sonyeong asked him.

“Do you know how many Gukboks there are in this country?”

“Ughhh…!”

“There is one.”

“Ugh…?”

“And that is me.”

“…”

“Thousands of people, including monks, shamans, fortune tellers, diviners, and people from all other fields, came to the palace seeking to become the Gukbok, but no one other than myself was able to pass my master’s test.”

“…”

“If you judge me lightly by my appearance alone, you will be in for a big surprise. I did not let you roam free because I lacked the power to confine you. Do you understand? I will loosen your mouth, so please answer.”

“Yes…”

Still feeling nothing below his neck, Meoru answered dejectedly. Sonyeong cupped Meoru’s rough cheeks, chapped red from the cold, with his own delicate hands.

“Do not worry. Unlike His Highness the Crown Prince, you are a person overflowing with yang energy, so you will be more than able to overcome this. And, I will definitely protect you.”

“…”

“Please trust me and endure for just three months. Once His Highness turns twenty, the nation will bestow a great reward upon you. Until then, let us fight strongly together.”

The touch on his cheeks was as soft as silk, and the scent that brushed his nose was as enchanting as the fragrance of flowers. As if possessed by a spirit, Meoru could do nothing but nod his head.

From that day on, Meoru was often in a daze, like a man who had lost his mind.

Even while doing menial tasks like cleaning the temple, feeding the chickens, and collecting eggs in a basket, Sonyeong’s face would keep popping into his head.

When he remembered Sonyeong’s soft, warm touch on his rough, cold cheeks, the area between his legs would unwittingly swell. If Sonyeong’s spell had not paralyzed his whole body from the neck down at that moment, Meoru would have shown Sonyeong the shameful sight of his member standing erect.

Two or three times a day, Meoru would hide in a dark storage shed, lower his trousers, and soothe his aroused lower half. When he held and shook himself, Sonyeong’s face would inevitably come to mind, and each time, he would feel inexplicably wronged.

‘Where’s the rule that says only you can touch my face as you please? It’s only fair if I get to touch you back.’

Just the thought of his large, rough hands touching Sonyeong’s small, fair face made him feel like he was about to come. But after he actually finished, a sense of emptiness and guilt would wash over him. On top of that, a fire would rage in his chest with worry that other guys might be having the same disgusting fantasies about Sonyeong.

How dare any of those filthy bastards in the world lay a hand on him. If anyone touches even a single hair on Sonyeong’s head, I’ll chop off their dick with a fodder cutter and feed it to the pigs.’

As he made that vow and was about to pull up his clothes and leave, he would remember what Sonyeong had said, his eyes shining as he touched his face.

“I will definitely protect you.”

“Ha, I just managed to calm it down!”

He had no choice but to lower his pants again. He had rubbed it so much that after just a few days, the tip of his dick was sore.

He was already at an age of vigorous virility, but perhaps because of his destiny of the moon eclipsing the star of the Great Inauspicious Constellation or whatever, Meoru had far more yang energy in his body than other ordinary men. The fact that he was eating his fill three times a day but had no outlet for his energy in the temple also contributed to his lower body getting erect at any given moment.

Anyway, after soothing that part of him and calming down a bit, Meoru would wander around every corner of the temple looking for Sonyeong.

What kind of place was his residence, who did he eat with, what did he do during his daily routine—there were many things he was curious about, but he rarely caught sight of Sonyeong. Meoru was just frustrated, wondering where in the world he was hiding so well that not even the tip of his hair could be seen.

Then one day, Jeombaegi, the servant in charge of the kitchen, ordered Meoru to dig up a few roots of wild bellflower to be used as medicine for His Highness the Crown Prince.

Meoru took a small basket and went into a very deep mountain valley that was rarely touched by human feet. He was repeatedly digging up bellflowers by the root when the sky suddenly darkened and raindrops began to fall one by one.

“Why is it raining all of a sudden? Is it a shower? I should head back now.”

He hurried to return to the temple, but the rain grew stronger, and in an instant, it turned into a downpour so heavy he couldn’t see in front of him. Soaking wet, Meoru lost his sense of direction and wandered around. Then, luckily, he found a rock cave and quickly went inside.

The inside of the cave was much wider and deeper than it looked from the outside. He could see a faint light leaking from the inner part.

It was then, as Meoru, desperate for even a single ember, was walking toward it. Suddenly, a fireball the size of a palm flew toward him like an arrow, right in front of his nose. At the same time, a sharp voice echoed inside the cave.

“Who goes there!”

“W-wait a minute!”

Meoru spread his palms and raised them next to his face as a sign of surrender. The wet basket filled with bellflowers fell to the ground with a thud.

“Meoru?”

The person who appeared next was Sonyeong, whom Meoru had been searching for so desperately for days. Casually waving his hand to make the fireball disappear, he opened his mouth.

“How did you get here? Were you really trying to run away from the temple?”

“No, I wasn’t! What do you take me for? Mister Jeombaegi told me to dig up some bellflowers, but it suddenly started raining, so I was looking for a place to take shelter…, a-achoo!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Meoru let out a loud sneeze. Being in a gloomy cave after getting soaked by rain in the chilly winter weather, his whole body trembled on its own.

“I see. First, you should warm yourself up. I will start a fire, so take off your clothes and dry them. You will catch a cold if you stay in wet clothes.”

Sonyeong, who had brought a few logs from the inner part of the cave, started a fire with incredible ease using just a single talisman, without a flint. Meoru took off his outer garment, squeezed the water out tightly, and spread it out by the bonfire. Wearing only his knee-length under-drawers, Meoru crouched down by the fire.

Sonyeong took off his own overcoat and wrapped it around Meoru’s bare shoulders. Startled, Meoru exclaimed as if screaming.

“It’s fine! I used to live on the streets, so I’m more or less used to the cold. Don’t go catching a cold for no reason, hurry up and take it back to wear.”

“I came in here before it started raining, so I am not wet at all. It is fine if I do not wear an overcoat for a little while, so please wear it until your clothes are dry.”

The overcoat, which was long enough to cover Sonyeong’s entire body and reach his knees, barely covered the back of the larger-built Meoru.

“Thank you.”

Smelling the faint scent of Sonyeong’s body from the overcoat, Meoru’s face turned red as he gave his thanks. It was a relief that the bonfire right in front of him made it hard to tell that his face was flushed.

“What were you doing so deep in these mountains?”

As Meoru asked, Sonyeong, who had been momentarily gazing at Meoru’s firm chest, which was not fully covered because the overcoat was too small, answered aloofly.

“I was just visiting the shrine.”

“Where is the shrine?”

“It is in the deepest part of this cave. I have put up a barrier, but sometimes wild animals get in and damage it. That is why I come to check on it once every two or three days. Right now, I was waiting for the downpour to stop before leaving.”