[TOMORROW X TOGETHER Beomgyu] To the point of aching

Episode 6. Throwing Myself In

That night too, Beomgyu slipped out through the side gate, killing any sign of his presence.

Yeoju stayed still with her eyes closed, even after hearing those footsteps from under the blanket.

The footsteps that repeated every night were especially careful today.

Where on earth did the person who said he had no memory go, and why did he leave at this hour every time?

Over the past few days, the hand that hid the jade pendant and the sleepless look in his eyes kept nagging at her.

Even when she asked, he only laughed it off. It was clear he was hiding something behind that smile.

Just for today, she wanted to see it for herself instead of waiting.

 

After he disappeared over the wall, Yeoju quietly got up, put on her outer robe, and followed after him.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Her heart was pounding unusually hard. It wasn’t so much fear as the feeling that she could no longer pretend not to know.

 

The night path was darker than she had expected.

Beomgyu climbed the mountain path with familiar steps, and Yeoju followed behind, muffling her footsteps.

Even the sound of her clothes brushing the grass felt loud, so she had to hold her breath more than once.

The ground kept slipping beneath her feet, but she gritted her teeth and refused to lose his distance.

After walking for a while, he stopped in front of an old village shrine.

Soon, low voices exchanged words in the dark. She couldn’t see the other person’s face.

 

“…It’s still not certain. Just a little more time.”

“We don’t have time. They’re already sweeping this area too.”

 

Yeoju held her breath, hiding behind a tree.

 

It was an unfamiliar conversation. An unfamiliar Beomgyu.

Was this really the guest who had lost his memory? A chill ran down her spine.

So all the awkward smiles and clumsy gestures she’d seen until now had been lies?

Before long, the other person turned without even a greeting and vanished into the darkness, the sound of heavy footsteps gradually fading away.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Only after those footsteps had completely disappeared did Beomgyu slowly turn around.

And his eyes met Yeoju’s, frozen in place.

 

“…Miss?”

 

There was nowhere left to hide.

 

“You should be the one telling me what you’re doing here. And who was that person just now?”

“…You followed me?”

“Answer the question first. What do you mean there’s no time? And who exactly are you, anyway?”

 

Beomgyu’s face flickered in the dark for a moment.

 

“…I can’t tell you right now. Let’s go back first.”

“That’s not happening. Not until I hear everything properly today……”

 

Before she could even finish, Beomgyu’s expression changed in an instant.

The awkward look from just a moment ago vanished, leaving only a chillingly unfamiliar gaze.

 

“Quiet.”

 

It was a low, firm voice. A voice she had never heard from him before.

He grabbed Yeoju’s arm and pulled her in, raising his other hand to his lips.

In that instant, Yeoju’s whole body went rigid. It was a familiar hand, but goosebumps broke out as if she had been seized by a complete stranger.

Was this really the guest? Fear rose all the way to her throat.

 

Startled, she stumbled back and stepped on a dry branch.

The snapping sound tore through the mountain’s breathless silence.

 

 

“There!”

 

A sharp shout echoed out.

Torches wavering below all turned toward this way at once.

Beomgyu’s face stiffened again. This time it wasn’t the chill from before, but urgency.

 

“…I’m sorry. For now, this first.”

 

He muttered low and clutched Yeoju’s hand tightly. That hand alone was gentle, unlike before.

There wasn’t even time to hide. The men closed the distance in an instant.

The blade in their hands flashed in the torchlight. They were no ordinary men.

Yeoju’s legs were shaking so badly she could barely stand, but she tried not to lose the warmth of the hand clasped with hers.

 

“Run!”

 

Beomgyu grabbed Yeoju’s hand and raced up the mountain path.

Again and again, she heard arrows slicing past behind her ears.

Her cheek was scratched by branches and her skirt snagged and tore, but she had no time to look back.

Then one arrow grazed Yeoju’s forearm.

 

“Ah……!”

 

With a short cry, Yeoju’s steps lurched violently.

 

“Miss!”

 

Before Beomgyu could even turn around, the strength left Yeoju’s legs and she collapsed where she stood.

 

Without hesitation, he scooped her up in his arms.

 

“Please bear with it a little longer. We’re almost there.”

 

Even as his breath caught in his throat, he ran with all his strength, holding Yeoju in his arms.

Arrows kept whizzing past behind him, but his feet never stopped.

The blood flowing from Yeoju’s forearm in his arms stained the front of his clothes red.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Once the entrance to the village came into view, the signs of pursuit gradually faded.

Only when he reached the house did Beomgyu carefully set Yeoju down.

At the shocked servants’ screams, Kim Yu-hyeong and Dani rushed out.

 

“Miss! What on earth happened here!”

 

The people hurriedly carried the unconscious Yeoju into the room.

Only after watching that back disappear completely did Beomgyu’s knees give way weakly.

 

“…Guest!”

 

At Dani’s frantic cry, when everyone turned around, the front of his clothes was already soaked red.

An old wound that they’d thought had healed had split open again and was pouring out blood.

 

As hands moved to support him as he collapsed, his collar opened and the jade pendant slipped out.

 

The hand that picked it up, Kim Yu-hyeong’s, froze like ice in an instant.

 

It was a familiar pattern. The pattern from that day ten years ago, one he could never forget.

The thought that maybe… flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to follow it to the end.

Clutching the jade pendant with trembling fingertips, Kim Yu-hyeong looked once more at the face of the man being carried away.

 

 

 

Yeoju, moved into the room, drifted in and out of consciousness the whole time Dani was cleaning her wound.

Even in her dazed state, only that urgent voice of his from earlier kept echoing in her ears.

 

“...Please bear with it a little longer. We’re almost there.” Those words kept ringing in her ears.

 

In the next room, the commotion of calling for a doctor continued all night without stopping.

With the relief that both of them had made it home safely, Yeoju sank back into a deep sleep.

Maybe because she had lost so much blood from her arm, a fever began to rise, and after that night Yeoju could hardly open her eyes.