Reunion, Part 2
As the first burst of excitement gradually settled, the two of them finally began to share their long-awaited reunion in earnest.
From the time Cheongwol had trained under So Gayul at the Kongdong Sect and become close enough with Unhak to be no different from a sworn sibling.
To the day she had met Ak Seo-ah by chance before the bandit stronghold and ended up traveling with her.
To the righteous skirmish they had waged against the men in black at the inn by Ohwahae.
And even the martial contest three days ago, when she had crossed hands with Ak Jiho at the Amipa Sect.
Trying to leave out the history of the Shandong Ak Family twins made the story a little uneven in places, but Seomun Hwi listened without complaint, saying nothing at all.
By the time she had poured out everything in one breath, Cheongwol realized she had done nothing but talk about herself.
"I’ve been so thoughtless—I've only talked about myself. How have you been all this time? Ah, I heard on the way here that you’re betrothed to a lady named Dang Sohye?"
Though she could not see it, Seomun Hwi gave a slight shake of his head.
"It has only just been mentioned. I came to the Dang Clan for clan business as well."
"Like when you went to the Kongdong Sect?"
"Yes. Still, hearing that, I have something I’d like to ask."
The pain in his chest was unmistakable now; it seemed there would be no escaping the question on his lips.
"Seo-ah called you 'lady.' I thought it too strange to be a mistake. Does it have to do with the fact that you’re hiding under the blanket right now?"
So Gayul and Cheongjin had always seemed like the only ones who could see straight through people, but now even Seomun Hwi?
Cheongwol hesitated for a moment before finally forcing the words out.
"...Yes. Because of the side effects of a martial art, my body changed a little. That’s why I asked you to come to the room. It’s fine for you to know, but I don’t want other people finding out."
A change so severe that a man could be mistaken for a woman.
Setting aside what sort of side effect it was, he had never even heard of a martial art like that before.
Of course, if one delved into the realm of the heterodox and the evil, perhaps such a thing might exist—but had not So Gayul personally taught Cheongwol the art?
Unable to make sense of the situation, Seomun Hwi eventually chose the most direct path and asked outright.
"I see. Then..."
"Wait, before that."
A hand shot out from beneath the blanket and seized the edge of his collar.
It was so long and so slender that even if he had been told the side effect was in her hands, he might have believed it.
"Promise me you absolutely won’t tell anyone, and that you won’t laugh either."
"..."
If she needed this much reassurance, then it was obvious how much turmoil she must have gone through before revealing the side effect at all.
And the fact that she had come to him regardless meant she valued their relationship that much more.
For a moment, Cheongwol feared his silence had unsettled her, but then his hand settled over hers.
"I promise. I’ll keep every word you’ve asked of me."
He could simply have said he understood, and yet he always insisted on speaking like this.
Even if it was a little amusing, Cheongwol liked how dependable it sounded.
After slipping her hand free from his grasp, she carefully caught the edge of the blanket.
Then, slowly, she lifted it back over her head with both hands.
---
Skin as white and flawless as polished jade, without the slightest blemish.
Eyelashes long and fine as her fingers.
A straight nose and red lips.
And then Seomun Hwi, meeting those amber eyes, was struck speechless.
He had known from before that her features leaned more toward the feminine than the masculine, but now she was so beautiful that even if one searched the whole of the Central Plains, a face like hers would be difficult to find.
"...I see. With this kind of change, Seo-ah really would mistake you for a woman."
Seomun Hwi nodded as if things had finally become clear to him, but Cheongwol only tilted her head.
"...I haven’t even shown you the part that changed yet."
Then this face had nothing to do with the martial art’s side effects at all?
While he stood there too startled to speak, Cheongwol lowered the rest of the blanket from around her body.
"..."
He had always prided himself on living like a monk, keeping himself disciplined and untouched by desire, but this time was different.
What no proper man should ever see.
He stared, dazed, at the great, unmistakable presence beneath Cheongwol’s chest before he could stop himself.
"Uh, I did say I’d show you, but could you maybe not stare so hard? It’s a little embarrassing."
Cheongwol rubbed at her slightly flushed cheek with one finger and gave an awkward laugh.
Only then did he wrench his head away, clenching his teeth as he fought to steady the frantic pounding in his chest.
This was wrong.
His friend had revealed herself to him after suffering bodily changes from the side effects, trusting him enough to come here and show him everything.
If he could not even keep a clear head and offer comfort, he had no right to show her anything uglier than this.
"I am curious what sort of martial art could have done this to you, but I won’t ask. However."
Seomun Hwi’s hands settled around Cheongwol’s arms.
Before she had become a woman, he had never realized just how strong his grip was, nor how large and solid his hands were.
"Just because it’s become a little bigger doesn’t mean you’re not still a man. I’ll stay by your side and look for a way to return you to your original body. Don’t worry too much."
"Hwi."
At his steady tone, Cheongwol became certain.
He still had not realized all of it.
"So... it wasn’t just that my chest got bigger..."
At that instant, Seomun Hwi’s eyes widened, and his focus shook violently.
Before he knew it, his gaze had moved from her chest to her dantian, and then lower still, between her legs.
"What do you mean..."
Cheongwol made a face that could not quite decide whether to laugh or cry, then let out a helpless, resigned laugh.
"I turned into a woman."
---
The joyful reunion lasted only a moment before a suffocating heaviness sank into the room.
"...So, while learning the martial art, some side effect occurred and you became a woman. Is that right?"
After hearing the short explanation, Seomun Hwi asked the question, and Cheongwol nodded.
Strictly speaking, it had been less a side effect than the art itself, but revealing that much would be far too dangerous, even for Seomun Hwi.
"Yes, listen carefully. My voice has changed a little too."
It had not been obvious while she was hidden under the blanket, but now that he heard her speak, it was clearly thinner than a man's voice should be.
"How is it?"
"It sounds pleas... no, I think you’re right."
Though something odd seemed to have slipped out, Cheongwol chose to ignore it.
For a while, they both fell silent and simply stared at their own feet.
One was afraid of how the other would look at her.
The other was afraid because the person beside him was standing far too close.
Until now, he had never considered himself the kind of man who was drawn to beauty.
But she kept pressing close and fidgeting against him, and even as he tried to keep his composure, unease kept clawing through his mind.
She was precious to him. A dear friend. A friend who had once been a man, no less.
Even if he were a lecher, he could not behave like some lust-crazed dog in front of his own friend.
Just as he turned away again, reflecting on his shame for what was already the second time, his half-lidded eyes met Cheongwol’s as she looked up at him.
"So... is it a little disgusting?"
"...What?"
"Well, it’s true, isn’t it? A man who became a woman. What use is someone like this, anyway?"
At the groundless remark, Seomun Hwi’s brow creased slightly.
"I’ve felt this from you for a while now, but stop making such assumptions on your own. I haven’t said anything yet, have I?"
Then, quietly, he took Cheongwol’s hand again and continued,
"It isn’t disgusting at all. Whether man or woman, you are still my friend. That does not change."
"...Hwi."
"And as for having no use, I don’t know what you mean by that either. Did I not already tell you before? If you have nowhere to go, come to the Seomun Clan. I can take you in whenever you need."
"..."
Was he born with the talent of only saying the things people wanted to hear?
Cheongwol barely managed to tug down the corners of her mouth, which kept threatening to rise in a way wholly unsuited to the moment.
"If the Young Clan Leader of the Seomun Clan goes around favoring some outside woman, won’t that cause trouble?"
At moments like this, the composure she had learned from Unhak came in very useful.
The problem was that Seomun Hwi himself was no less composed than she was.
"It’s true that I would favor you, so I suppose I’ll have to endure some of that."
Knowing full well she was a man and saying something so shameless anyway.
Late-arriving embarrassment rushed over her, and she lowered her head a little.
"Don’t say things like that in front of other people. It’s just asking for misunderstanding."
But Seomun Hwi did not seem to have any intention of closing his mouth.
"Understood. As you wish, I’ll only say such things when you can hear them."
"!"
In the end, Cheongwol could not take it anymore. She shoved him back and got to her feet.
"Stop teasing me! And stop treating me like a woman! Even if I were still a man, would you be saying things like that? I trusted you enough to tell you, so can’t you at least take it seriously?"
She barked the words out in frustration and fled the room, carrying a knot of tangled emotions with her.
If she stayed any longer, she really thought her face might flush so badly that something in her head would go wrong.
Yes, this was all Seomun Hwi’s fault for dragging the atmosphere in such a strange direction.
So you’re saying you were relaxed enough to keep joking like that?
Just how accustomed to women did one have to be in order to speak so casually even to someone who had once been a man?
She even felt a little resentful, though Cheongwol never realized that Seomun Hwi was no less unsettled himself, one hand over his face as he let out a deep sigh.
---