[TOMORROW X TOGETHER Beomgyu] To the point of aching

Episode 12. Follow along

In fact, the heroine was not asleep.

Keeping her breathing carefully even, she had been watching Bomegyu from the very start as he cautiously got up.

It seemed a low voice came from the next room, then came the sound of a door opening and closing.

As if she had been waiting for it, the heroine also got up.

 

"...Miss?"

 

The one who had been awake was Dani, too.

 

"I’m going out. Follow quietly."

"I’ll go too, Miss."

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

The two hurriedly gathered their things and followed the sound of his receding footsteps.

This time, she was determined not to let him slip away while she slept.

 

The hidden night path was rough.

Boulders and tree roots lurked in the dark, so they had to keep moving without even a moment to check the ground beneath their feet.

Hurrying so as not to lose Bomegyu, who was ahead, the heroine stumbled.

 

"...Ah!"

 

The moment a muffled scream slipped out, the shadow ahead spun around like lightning.

 

"...Miss?"

 

With nowhere to hide, the two ended up meeting face to face like that.

After a brief moment of surprise, Bomegyu immediately knelt beside the heroine.

 

"It’s your ankle. Let me take a look."

 

Bomegyu’s hand gently wrapped around her ankle. Each time his fingertips brushed it, a heat different from the pain spread with it.

 

"It’s quite swollen. You won’t be able to go any farther today."

 

Instead of a bandage, he tore a strip from his clothing to bind the ankle, his movements especially careful.

 

"...Why did you recklessly chase after me like that?"

"I knew it was reckless, but I couldn’t help it."

 

Bomegyu fell silent for a moment, only staring blankly at the wrapped ankle.

 

"...Does it hurt?"

"A little. Still, I can bear it."

 

It was a lie. Her ankle throbbed, but even more than that, she didn’t want to miss this moment.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

In the end, they decided to camp that night under the shade of nearby rocks.

In front of the campfire, the three sat side by side.

Before long, Dani was the first to move away, turning his back and lying down; through the firelight, a silence fell that made it seem as if only the two of them remained.

 

"...Weren’t you afraid? Of following a road like this."

"I was afraid. But it was better than leaving you alone."

 

Bomegyu looked at the heroine’s face lit by the fire for a long, long time.

 

"I have always... lived a life where I tried to protect someone and ended up losing something precious. I’m most afraid that it’ll happen again this time."

"Then just don’t lose it. This time."

 

At those words, the corners of Bomegyu’s eyes turned red. His fingertips gently rested over the back of her hand.

 

"...I understand..."

 

The heroine quietly smiled as she took his hand in hers.

As the campfire crackled and burned down, the two sat that way for a long time, wordlessly sharing only each other’s warmth.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

But that peace didn’t last long.

In the middle of the night, a group in official uniforms stormed in from all sides with torches.

They wore government uniforms, but Bomegyu recognized them at once. They were Jo Seunghak’s private soldiers, disguised as government troops.

 

"...Seize Choi Bomegyu!"

 

Drawing his sword, Bomegyu stepped in front of the heroine to block them.

Even as he cut down one after another, the numbers kept surging in endlessly, driving him farther and farther back.

Though shallow wounds kept multiplying on his forearms and side, Bomegyu never gave even one step toward the heroine.

 

"Dani, take the young lady and fall back!"

 

Then, another shadow leapt out of the darkness.

It was a man who appeared, cutting his way through the assassins with a sweeping blade.

 

"Miss! It’s me, Yeonjun!"

 

Kim Yuhyeong’s right hand, Yeonjun.

 

"It’s the order of the lord. He told us to bring only the young lady."

"No! I can’t leave him behind!"

"There’s no time, Miss!"

 

As the heroine struggled desperately, Yeonjun hesitated for a moment, then briefly pressed the back of her neck.

The world went distant, and darkness swallowed her vision.

As Yeonjun, carrying the unconscious heroine, turned around, Dani quickly followed behind.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Toward the backs of the two receding figures, Bomegyu silently mouthed the words without a sound.

 

Go. Please, safely.

 

Left alone, Bomegyu raised his sword again toward the swarming assassins, but he was hopelessly outnumbered.

Blood flowed from the wounds cut here and there, and in the end his legs gave out, his knees buckling.

Rough hands pinned him down and forced him completely to his knees.

 

"...Bind Choi Bomegyu!"

 

Even as the rope constricted around him, Bomegyu’s eyes remained fixed beyond the darkness where the heroine had disappeared.

Even if he were dragged away like this, he thought he could at least hold on to the single fact that she had gotten out safely.

 

As he was hauled to his feet by the rope, a faint smile of relief brushed his lips.