"Still, at the time I was simply afraid and miserable… but through that experience, I can now walk roads at night alone and sleep in places like this without hesitation — so was it not also something that became a root that supports me?"

His eyes, ripening to a quiet strength, turned back up to the night sky. Hwi had been watching Yunseo in silence when he opened his mouth without thinking.

"How do you…"

He had opened a sentence readily, but the words stretched on and trailed away. Finding it strange that he hadn't finished, Yunseo turned to look at Hwi with a curious expression. That gaze tied the end of the sentence that had been trying to dissolve away.

"…manage to be so optimistic?"

"Pardon?"

"Is it because you lived comfortably under your employer that you do not despair?"

That isolation could not have been nothing to this young man. That was surely why he had set out on the road fleeing, leaving behind the lives and safety of his household. He was neither naive nor foolish enough to be unaware that someone could be pursuing him from behind at any moment.

And yet — leaping into a beautiful lake, pausing briefly to offer a prayer for the destitute, giving his money away even after it was taken from him, not faltering even when rain pinned him in place, and finding romance even in this humble shelter — where did that ease and optimism spring from?

He was curious about what kept Yunseo from breaking. How was it possible to hold onto such vivid light? Perhaps because even in isolation, he had lived in a good place wearing good clothes and eating good food? But were those who grew up in the palace he had been raised in few in number? And were those who fell apart among them few in number either?

Yunseo glanced at Hwi and smiled faintly.

"I can't deny that I lived comfortably — but did my heart ever know only ease? There was a time, once, when I too… despaired. When the sun rose, I would curse it for rising; when the moon rose, I would curse it for rising."

Imagining Yunseo looking straight up at the sky and cursing and raging was completely impossible. Would it have been good to see him like that? A vague and absurd question flitted through his mind.

"But as I went on like that, one day… I was losing myself. And so I made a resolution. Even if I lose everything else, at least I must not lose myself. I will turn each small despair into the ground I stand on. Like that."

Transparent sorrow shone in the clear eyes continuing their recollection. Yet as Yunseo had said — as he had intended — it only served as a support to make him more seasoned. The eyes from which the sorrow had passed held even more brilliant light within them. In that place, a yearning for life burned.

Something stirred and budded in a corner of his chest. Hwi looked at it without letting it slip away. And he found a certain desire that was trying to blossom from within himself.

The compassion and magnanimity he possessed, his optimism and conviction, his perseverance, his soft and yet firm heart.

He would be a fine Eternal Spring Flower. More than that…

Suddenly, an image rippled and rose, pressing down upon the budding desire. Yunseo — who had cut through the water and risen up out of the lake where wavelets sparkled and a gentle wind tickled the cheeks.

The wet hair cascading down his shoulders, the corner of his eye curving down as it shook a droplet from his long lashes, his cheeks glowing brightly in the sunlight, the flash of red tongue between widely parted lips, his white and straight neck, and the lively and innocent gaze that had turned toward him.

That was that young man's life.

The place where that young man belonged was right there.

At that moment, Hwi was utterly overwhelmed. And helplessly, he admitted it.

It seemed Yunseo was embarrassed to have shared something so deep, and he couldn't keep his lips still. Hwi had been watching Yunseo quietly, and to shift the air that had grown somewhat heavy, he threw out a remark.

"Judging by the fact that you were so scared you pressed close to my side, it seems those roots didn't quite finish growing."

He had expected this to make Yunseo roll his eyes or puff out his chest insisting he wasn't scared at all — but instead Yunseo glanced at Hwi and curled the corners of his lips up gently.

"I'm glad you're here."

Hwi's gaze rested on Yunseo, helplessly, until Yunseo's eyelids flickered and drooped and finally closed entirely.

Only when another gust of wind stirred and Yunseo shifted in his sleep did Hwi tear his eyes away and rise. He stepped quietly outside, and Jeongju, who had been waiting, bowed his head. Hwi glanced back once, then moved away, putting distance between himself and the shelter.

"We'll spend the night here, so you go rest comfortably at the house that's been arranged."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Is there a local magistrate's office in this area… with Seon-tae and Hwa-jeong?"

"Yes, there is."

"Tell them to report without omission: where the provisions were diverted, why this situation was not detected, and if it was known, what was done about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

With the acknowledgment, Jeongju held out what he had been carrying. It was a blanket of soft, even fur — exactly what Yunseo needed right now. Hwi took the blanket and looked over Jeongju's face.

At times Jeongju anticipated his intentions a step ahead. It was for that reason that he was convenient, and it was why Hwi had kept him close as a trusted aide — but not only for that reason.

How good it would be if this journey became a catalyst that, in some way, stirred Jeongju's heart — but as to whether it truly would…

Hwi pushed away the meaningless thought and turned back. He spread the blanket wide on the floor, lifted Yunseo in his arms and lay him down on top of it, then covered his body with the remaining part. Yunseo's breathing became noticeably more at ease.

Now there was nothing left but a long and fleeting sleeplessness. His head was heavy and throbbed intermittently from the lack of treatment, but he had no will to do anything else to forget it.

Hwi simply watched Yunseo sleep. His sweet sleep. His life.

* * *

After disembarking and walking along the riverside, Yunseo kept looking at his own reflection in the water. He was clearly trying to check on the newly pinned hairpin — it was impossible not to notice.

"Do you like it that much?"

Startled by the offhand remark, Yunseo turned to look at Hwi, then mumbled with a sheepish expression.

"It's the first time I've ever received a gift from someone."

A rosy flush spread over his fair cheek, making him look like a single peach. The clear jade's pale color suited Yunseo's luminous skin and soft lines beautifully.

That he should be so delighted over a mere hairpin.

If he wished for it, Hwi could give him anything — every precious thing that existed in this world, he could place it all in his arms. But Yunseo did not want things like that, and what Yunseo wanted was not in his hands.

Hwi curled and unclenched his fist, feeling the emptiness within his hand. If only this emptiness were all that existed within it — then he could give it to him. What Yunseo wanted.

In seemingly good spirits, Yunseo hummed softly to himself and walked on ahead. Following a direction away from crowded places, they came to a riverside strewn with smooth rounded pebbles. Yunseo examined the round stones here and there, picked one up, and immediately threw it at an angle toward the river.

The stone that left Yunseo's hand failed to skip even once and sank beneath the water. It wasn't even a performance worth feeling disappointed about, yet Yunseo let out a sigh and picked up another stone.

"When I was young and went to the stream, there were children who were so good at this. How impressive they looked…"

He said this and this time threw the stone carefully, but it skipped just once on the surface and sank.

"I thought I'd be good at it as I grew older, but it's not easy. Are you good at it, sir?"

He had never tried it, but it looked simple enough. Without answering, he watched — and Yunseo, confident now in his choice of stone, tried once more.

Another failure. Anyone else might have lost interest or given up by now, but Yunseo, determined to see a result, picked up another stone.

A furrow appeared between his brows and his chin set stubbornly as though a walnut had lodged there. Looking at the face glaring at the river with a surprisingly fierce look, he felt, suddenly, a sweet taste tip of his tongue.

The moment Yunseo's stone flew toward the surface, Hwi flicked the hand hidden behind his back. The stone skipped — thump, thump, thump — and sailed far before sinking, and Yunseo let out a cry of delight.

"Wow! You saw that, didn't you? I did it!"

The corners of Hwi's lips were about to slant upward as he faced Yunseo, whose eyes were sparkling with wonder — and just then:

"I was repeating to myself that if this succeeded, my wish would come true — and it did. I suppose it must be about to come true."

Hwi's lips slowly returned to their original position. The veins in the hand hidden behind his back surged up sharply for a moment. A penetrating gaze cut across Yunseo's elated face.

Yunseo took up a new pebble. And threw it toward the river with confidence — but it sank without fail.

"Ah…. This time I was wishing for your health and peace, sir."

The bright face of just a moment ago fell at once into glumness. Looking as though he would not give up, Yunseo pressed his lips together and threw the stone again. After yet another failure, he was still bent on picking up another stone — and Hwi opened his mouth.

"Leave it. I'll take care of my own affairs."

"No. Stopping like this would leave me feeling unsettled."

Pointless stubbornness. Hwi watched with an indifferent eye as Yunseo threw stones. This one would fail too, he thought — so next time he would have to lend his power again — and just as he thought it…

"Wahh!"

Yunseo let out a cheer. The stone bounced and skipped far before falling into the water. Hwi watched the ripples fade, then looked back at Yunseo. He was rejoicing more wildly than he had when his own wish had succeeded.

"I protected your health and peace, sir."

His cheeks pushed up with pride and delight. The corners of Hwi's lips helplessly crumbled. Hwi was lost in Yunseo's clear, ringing laughter — and then, as though burned, raised his hand to brush his own lips.

Hwi's expression calmed and sank inward. He took the hand that had been touching his lips away and stared at it. His fingertips were heavy and tingling, but no sharp pain had brushed through them.

Since when — had the pain been absent?