Border.
Torches burned on the city walls, their minuscule warmth unable to penetrate the icy armor in the harsh winter border. Red flags atop the walls fluttered in the cold wind.
Before the exhaled hot breaths could turn into soft masses of mist, the biting cold, like knife blades, pierced through their mouths into their chests. The soldiers’ hands were wrapped in leather or cloth, gripping long spears, standing motionless, gazing into the pitch-black darkness ahead.
Ice flakes clung to their faces and eyelashes, colder than ice itself. In such weather, shifts changed quite frequently, lest they freeze to death standing there.
Among them was a young man in golden armor. His armor was more ornate in style with a rim of animal fur along the edges. He looked barely seventeen or eighteen, and his face appeared remarkably delicate and cute amidst the rugged older men. Yet the scimitar across his waist was tougher than any of the adult men there.
Hearing the sound of armor clashing behind him, he looked back. When he saw the newcomer clearly, a smile blossomed on his frozen face and his eyes softened.
The newcomer’s steps were heavy and he was also clad in golden armor. He walked with an imposing demeanor, his handsome face adorned with a hearty smile.
Approaching, he grabbed the young deputy wearing the scimitar around the neck, forcefully pulling him close.
The young deputy didn’t struggle either, staggering a bit before leaning against the other person with a smile, his hand resting feebly on the man’s waist.
“Ah Jin, why aren’t you sleeping? You came here to freeze in the cold wind?”
He finished with a laugh, patting the butt of the deputy general named Ah Jin, joking like a rough fellow.
Such a lightly spoken word, yet it was heard.
He let go of Ah Jin, his large hand forming a fist, lightly hammering the armor on Ah Jin’s chest.
“What’s with this ‘master’? You’ve been my deputy for so long, yet you still go on with ‘master, master’ every day. If your men hear that, you’ll lose all authority!”
Ah Jin blinked to cover up his emotions. “If my men don’t obey, I’ll beat them. But you, master, are my master. I came out with you from the mansion, and as far as I’m concerned, no identity is as important as this one.”
“Haha, oh you~”
The young general, who was An Xie, shook his head helplessly. “Blockhead, you have grown so handsome in vain.”
Ah Jin’s lips curled with a hint of shyness, but he remained silent.
As the cold wind blew again, An Xie cursed under his breath, carried his deputy, and started walking back. After a few steps, he noticed a few scattered individuals on the streets of the city smiling at them. It dawned on him then — his deputy was such a grown man, would he feel embarrassed and angry being carried around like a child?
He turned around, only to see Ah Jin, who had been with him since childhood, staring at his back obediently and with a smile. His usually calm eyes held something in them at that moment, disappearing in the blink of an eye when he turned around.
An Xie stared blankly, then let go of him, and Ah Jin walked beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
Back at the military camp, as the people who had just been blasted by the cold wind entered the room with the roaring brazier, a shiver ran down both An Xie and Ah Jin’s spines the moment the chill faded away.
“Damn, awful weather!”
An Xie began to peel off his armor, but his frozen fingers were somewhat uncooperative. Ah Jin quickly approached, using his own stiff fingers to deftly help him remove the armor.
The lamps were burning, and the orange light illuminated Ah Jin’s lowered brows and smooth forehead in front of him, his long eyelashes casting shadows. In that moment, there seemed to be an added warmth and affection.
An Xie stared blankly.
The armor on his body was removed and hung on a nearby rack. Ah Jin came over again to help him remove the fur-lined chest protecting soft armor and inner garments.
“I’ll do it myself!”
An Xie chuckled awkwardly, intending to do it himself. However, as he lowered his head, something soft suddenly pressed against his lips. In an instant, the smile vanished completely from An Xie’s face, replaced by an expressionless gaze as he watched Ah Jin, who was engrossed kissing him.
Ah Jin’s eyes were half-closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he gently and carefully brushed An Xie’s lips with his own. Despite his delicate appearance, Ah Jin was a soldier, his lips dry with some peeling, different from the one in the palace whom An Xie had kissed.
The lamplight flickered.
After Ah Jin kissed for a long time without being able to part An Xie’s tightly closed lips, he closed his eyes and took a step back, tears streaming down his cold cheeks.
An Xie just looked at him expressionlessly, showing no sign of wavering.
“Why can’t you accept me… I don’t want anything. Whatever that one refused to give you, whatever he denied you, I’m willing to give… No matter what you do, I’ll submit and cater to you… Why can’t it be Ah Jin? Will Ah Jin do?”
Ah Jin spoke softly, without raising his voice, just standing there weakly opposite him, watching him and crying.
They both knew that the name wasn’t the crucial point at all.
“My heart is with him.”
Ah Jin took off his armor and clothing one by one, and the scimitar, which had drunk countless blood, was also placed on the table, until everything that wrapped and protected him was gone. Without any pretense, he stood before the person he was infatuated with, completely vulnerable.
He looked at An Xie.
“I know I can’t get you. You’re at this age, enduring isn’t good, but I’m willing to endure it all…”
Ah Jin forced a smile, spreading his legs as he lay on the table, looking back at An Xie.
Seeing his pitiful manner, An Xie closed his eyes, sighed, grabbed the nearby blanket, wrapped Ah Jin in it, and tossed him on the bed.
The candlelight was extinguished, and An Xie climbed onto the wooden bed. In the darkness, Ah Jin gasped and desperately tangled himself with An Xie as if he had been drugged…
Border.
Torches burned on the city walls, their minuscule warmth unable to penetrate the icy armor in the harsh winter border. Red flags atop the walls fluttered in the cold wind.
Before the exhaled hot breaths could turn into soft masses of mist, the biting cold, like knife blades, pierced through their mouths into their chests. The soldiers’ hands were wrapped in leather or cloth, gripping long spears, standing motionless, gazing into the pitch-black darkness ahead.
Ice flakes clung to their faces and eyelashes, colder than ice itself. In such weather, shifts changed quite frequently, lest they freeze to death standing there.
Among them was a young man in golden armor. His armor was more ornate in style with a rim of animal fur along the edges. He looked barely seventeen or eighteen, and his face appeared remarkably delicate and cute amidst the rugged older men. Yet the scimitar across his waist was tougher than any of the adult men there.
Hearing the sound of armor clashing behind him, he looked back. When he saw the newcomer clearly, a smile blossomed on his frozen face and his eyes softened.
The newcomer’s steps were heavy and he was also clad in golden armor. He walked with an imposing demeanor, his handsome face adorned with a hearty smile.
Approaching, he grabbed the young deputy wearing the scimitar around the neck, forcefully pulling him close.
The young deputy didn’t struggle either, staggering a bit before leaning against the other person with a smile, his hand resting feebly on the man’s waist.
“Ah Jin, why aren’t you sleeping? You came here to freeze in the cold wind?”
He finished with a laugh, patting the butt of the deputy general named Ah Jin, joking like a rough fellow.
Such a lightly spoken word, yet it was heard.
He let go of Ah Jin, his large hand forming a fist, lightly hammering the armor on Ah Jin’s chest.
“What’s with this ‘master’? You’ve been my deputy for so long, yet you still go on with ‘master, master’ every day. If your men hear that, you’ll lose all authority!”
Ah Jin blinked to cover up his emotions. “If my men don’t obey, I’ll beat them. But you, master, are my master. I came out with you from the mansion, and as far as I’m concerned, no identity is as important as this one.”
“Haha, oh you~”
The young general, who was An Xie, shook his head helplessly. “Blockhead, you have grown so handsome in vain.”
Ah Jin’s lips curled with a hint of shyness, but he remained silent.
As the cold wind blew again, An Xie cursed under his breath, carried his deputy, and started walking back. After a few steps, he noticed a few scattered individuals on the streets of the city smiling at them. It dawned on him then — his deputy was such a grown man, would he feel embarrassed and angry being carried around like a child?
He turned around, only to see Ah Jin, who had been with him since childhood, staring at his back obediently and with a smile. His usually calm eyes held something in them at that moment, disappearing in the blink of an eye when he turned around.
An Xie stared blankly, then let go of him, and Ah Jin walked beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
Back at the military camp, as the people who had just been blasted by the cold wind entered the room with the roaring brazier, a shiver ran down both An Xie and Ah Jin’s spines the moment the chill faded away.
“Damn, awful weather!”
An Xie began to peel off his armor, but his frozen fingers were somewhat uncooperative. Ah Jin quickly approached, using his own stiff fingers to deftly help him remove the armor.
The lamps were burning, and the orange light illuminated Ah Jin’s lowered brows and smooth forehead in front of him, his long eyelashes casting shadows. In that moment, there seemed to be an added warmth and affection.
An Xie stared blankly.
The armor on his body was removed and hung on a nearby rack. Ah Jin came over again to help him remove the fur-lined chest protecting soft armor and inner garments.
“I’ll do it myself!”
An Xie chuckled awkwardly, intending to do it himself. However, as he lowered his head, something soft suddenly pressed against his lips. In an instant, the smile vanished completely from An Xie’s face, replaced by an expressionless gaze as he watched Ah Jin, who was engrossed kissing him.
Ah Jin’s eyes were half-closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly as he gently and carefully brushed An Xie’s lips with his own. Despite his delicate appearance, Ah Jin was a soldier, his lips dry with some peeling, different from the one in the palace whom An Xie had kissed.
The lamplight flickered.
After Ah Jin kissed for a long time without being able to part An Xie’s tightly closed lips, he closed his eyes and took a step back, tears streaming down his cold cheeks.
An Xie just looked at him expressionlessly, showing no sign of wavering.
“Why can’t you accept me… I don’t want anything. Whatever that one refused to give you, whatever he denied you, I’m willing to give… No matter what you do, I’ll submit and cater to you… Why can’t it be Ah Jin? Will Ah Jin do?”
Ah Jin spoke softly, without raising his voice, just standing there weakly opposite him, watching him and crying.
They both knew that the name wasn’t the crucial point at all.
“My heart is with him.”
Ah Jin took off his armor and clothing one by one, and the scimitar, which had drunk countless blood, was also placed on the table, until everything that wrapped and protected him was gone. Without any pretense, he stood before the person he was infatuated with, completely vulnerable.
He looked at An Xie.
“I know I can’t get you. You’re at this age, enduring isn’t good, but I’m willing to endure it all…”
Ah Jin forced a smile, spreading his legs as he lay on the table, looking back at An Xie.
Seeing his pitiful manner, An Xie closed his eyes, sighed, grabbed the nearby blanket, wrapped Ah Jin in it, and tossed him on the bed.
The candlelight was extinguished, and An Xie climbed onto the wooden bed. In the darkness, Ah Jin gasped and desperately tangled himself with An Xie as if he had been drugged…
