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Naksu has never met anyone like Jang Uk; fire burning bright, the heat of a lone star in the night sky.
Once, maybe once, during a time far lost in the corridors of her youth, she met someone who came close. A noble young lord draped in the colour of cornsilk in autumn, a bird whistle crafted from the finest oak tree dangling from a chain around his waist. He came close, but she managed to sever the ties that bind them before they cut through her skin. She chased him away and he never came back.
But Jang Uk was different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly set him apart from others. He is relentless and persistent, she’ll give him that. She thought he would run away with his whiny tail tucked between his skinny legs after a few harsh lessons, so she pushed him over the edge, mercilessly. She has no time to waste with a young lord who can’t even master his own energy, what more cast a spell. She pushed him against himself, hoping he would fail and she would then be free to go on her way.
But he bounced back every time, stronger than before, and soon she was forced to acknowledge her own misjudgments. He was hungry for power, and she used that against him. He was a fast learner too, that pupil of hers. She realised he was fueled by the same thing that fueled her; pain. For her, it was all those years of dreaming that one day she would be able to avenge her father’s death. For him, it was all those years living behind his father’s shadow, unable to find his true self or discover his own place in this world.
He called her callous, and insensitive. So be it. She promised to become his master, but she never promised to be a kind one. She watched as he practiced the same moves repeatedly for days on end. Perhaps somewhere deep inside, a part of her is rooting for him to break free from his mold and find who he was meant to be.
“Master, what are you thinking of?”
“…”
“Mu Deok-ah?”
“…”
“Mu Deok-ah, don’t go there without me.”
“Go where, my pupil?”
“To that tree in Danhyanggok. Don’t go there without me.”
“Why are you spewing nonsense again out of nowhere?”
“I know that look in your eyes. I could read you now, Master.”
“Hah! You speak as if I am one of the many books you were forced to study at Jeojinggak—what look?”
“The look that you have just now—you’re imagining yourself standing on top of that tree again, aren’t you?”
“Why should I even answer any of your questions?”
“I mean it, Master. You can’t go there without me, understand?”
“Are you going to control even my thoughts now? I don’t remember settling for such an arrangement.”
“Mu Deok-ah, I just don’t want you to go there alone even in your thoughts. You are not alone anymore, Master. You have me now, remember?”
“…”
“Master, are you going to just ignore my confession again?”
“…”
“Did you forget? Last time I couldn’t even swallow anything after you rejected me. I couldn’t sleep either and—do you know how difficult it was to pick myself up again? Are you just going to pretend not to hear me now?”
“…”
“Mu Deok-ah…”
“Jang Uk.”
“Yes.”
“You keep forgetting one important thing.”
“What?”
“I am a bird’s egg on top of that tree.”
“And?”
“One day I will hatch from that egg and fly away. So don’t be too clingy with me. I don’t want to hurt you unnecessarily later.”
“…Master, you amazed me every time—your cruelty knows no boundaries.”
“You better get used to it. I have no room for such weakness, even if it is for my one and only pupil.”
“You don’t happen to have a remedy for this lovesickness either, don’t you, Master?”
“I never wished such illness upon you.”
“Sure, sure. You never wished anything upon me—you only know how to hurt me again and again, don’t you, Master?”
“Don’t be so childish. Why are you blaming me for your own undoing? I never tempted you or promised you anything other than teaching you some spells.”
“Yes, you certainly never did that. It was all my own fault for liking you, wasn’t it?”
“…”
“Master, I’m going to be childish!”
“What?”
“So you better be the adult and take responsibility for what is about to happen next.”
“What do you mean—”
But she never got to finish her question, as Jang Uk leaned towards her and covered her slightly opened mouth with his. He sucked the question from the tip of her tongue and swallowed her anxiety, his hands palming both sides of her face, cutting off all her exit routes so she could only turn into the direction he has mapped out for her—straight into his soul.
Panicking, her breath hitched and her hands fisted against his chest, desperately trying to put some distance between them. Any distance, however small, however insignificant.
My pupil, you must stop this.
But he didn’t stop. He dove deeper against her, hot breaths warming her skin.
Jang Uk, I can’t breathe…
He ignored her protests and keep going, teeth gnawing upon her resistance, tearing it apart with his passion. Devoid of energy, her arms went slack and fell to her sides.
I admit defeat, my one and only pupil.
He felt the slight shift in both her emotions and movements, and Jang Uk wasted no time in closing the small space between them, trapping her tight in his embrace and kissing away all her lingering objections into oblivion.
A truly skilled individual attacks when their enemy least expects it. Keep that in mind, my pupil.
I remembered that. You have taught me well, my master.
And that is when Naksu realised she has never met anyone like Jang Uk—fire burning bright, the heat of a lone star in the night sky. He burned all her wings until she couldn’t fly away, no matter how badly she tried to escape from the cosy nest he has made for her.