Forbearance (1)

The road he was taking was quiet; not a single person could be seen while the midnight sun shone along with the blanket of stars in the night sky. The wind whistled, mumbled rather soft and weak as if it had not rained hard earlier.

After he had visited his sister, Hyun Sik decided to take a stroll. His thoughts were all over the place. He wanted to sort out the loose hemp in his head so he thought going for a short walk would solve it.

Hyun Sik produced a sharp sigh while he allowed his feet to wander, dawdle through the road ahead. Unconsciously, his hand turned into a fist when the sudden mental picture entered his mind. As he recalled the report given to him, stating what had occurred to his sister, it only added fuel to his towering rage.

"Hyun Sik." The call to his name made him snap from his thoughts. "Where were you?" snarled the familiar voice, which Hyun Sik caught coming from behind him so he shifted his body.

There, under the smiling crescent moon presenting a milky glow that cast their long shadows on the ground, he saw Daewon standing at the other side. The look on his face showed no amusement; it was vague, dreadful, and dire. His eyes appeared fraught with the sign of caution, shouting a warning to Hyun Sik.

"Don't dare walk further down this road without telling me." A burning temper filled up his eyes as he questioned Hyun Sik: "What have you done?" He snarled for the second time, his forehead creased, brows were drawn together.

"Took a short walk. Enjoying the fresh air." Although he said this, he could not hold the chuckle escaping from his mouth, knowing for the fact that he was simply using this as an excuse.

Who was he joking? He knew foremost he wasn't just walking around and taking his leisure time to unwind.

Seeing the man before him, wearing a harrowing expression, obviously not buying his excuses, Hyun Sik spoke, "Fine. I surveyed her court."

"Surveyed and what? Freed a servant?" The side of Hyun Sik's lips curled upwards as he sensed another presence coming. Shifting his gaze behind, he found the same person who he had met a moment ago while he was in his sister's court.

Facing back to Daewon in front, he shrugged his shoulder. "I had to. I need to know about the poison. But no need to fret. I wasn't followed nor tracked by anyone," was his reply.

Without fear of the man who was standing on the way, Hyun Sik walked near him, slowly decreased their distance then growled back at him. "That poison is still corroding my sister's body little by little. You can't stop me from worrying."

"Do you have a sister?" Hyun Sik continued trailing the road as he spoke.

"None," was the toneless answer he received.

"A brother?"

"..."

"Knowing your brother is in danger. The anxiety and worry eating you up enough to bug you in your sleep," he mouthed as he stopped beside him and side-eyed to his direction... "I say you'd do the same, Daewon."

The moment he claimed these words, the furious man went silent for a minute. Before Daewon could make a response to his opinion, he returned Hyun Sik's gaze and confessed, "I won't."

"Aren't you heartless?"

"What do you know about me?" Hyun Sik witnessed the dark orbs of his eyes flashed a firing glint. Perhaps he had hit a nerve. The person beside him looked back at him intently, as if warning Hyun Sik to choose proper words that won't snap the forming rage inside him.

"Sure, boy. Let's keep our businesses from one another." The burning emotion he saw on Daewon's overcast face made him descend away from his position and walk passed him. "Tell my sister I'll be visiting her again tomorrow night."

"... Don't crash the plan," Daewon chased out.