An Unfamiliar Heat
Rule number one: do not succumb to this unfamiliar heat.
“Mmh...”
My chest fluttered with a floating, hazy lethargy. A cozy warmth radiated through every inch of my body, yet at the same time, every single nerve felt hypersensitive, prickling on edge.
I inhaled gently through my teeth.
There was a smell in the air. If I had to describe it... it was sweet. Wonderful. Delicious enough to tempt me out of sleep, pulling me up all on its own just to hunt down where it was coming from.
“Nnngh...”
I drifted awake.
What time was it...? God, it smelled so good.
Taking one sluggish step after another, I followed it.
Sniff.
“Ah—”
This was it. A scent I had never encountered before in my entire life, yet my nose answered to it instantly.
“Haah... mnh...”
From the tips of my wolf ears down to the end of my tail, a shiver rippled through me. My lips parted slightly.
Nuzzle, nuzzle.
I wrapped my arms tight around it.
“Mmm... nh...”
I could spend the rest of my life breathing in this scent and die happy.
Ah... why was my whole body getting hotter and hot—
“What on earth are you doing?!”
Thwack!
“Hyagaak—!”
A sharp rap cracked across my skull. Along with the blow came Gawol's scandalized voice—yes, it was definitely Gawol who had just struck me.
In an instant, my vision snapped back into focus. Perhaps thanks to the shock of the blow, the thick, murky fog clouding my mind dissolved away like morning mist.
Now flushed with a completely different kind of heat, I glared up at him and yelled, “Hey! What was that fo—”
...For?
Wait. What was with that look on his face?
Gawol was staring down at me with an expression of sheer, horrified disbelief.
“Haaah...” He exhaled a long, deeply aggrieved breath. “Why the hell did you suddenly glom onto me like that? If it were midsummer, I would've kicked you straight into the bushes.”
“...Me?”
I clung to you?
“Yes, you. Did you have some kind of weird dream or something?”
“A dream...?”
I hadn't had any dream. Hell, far from a dream, I could barely even recall what I was doing two seconds ago.
“Don't know.”
“Then do you at least remember what you just did?”
“What do you mean, what did I do?”
I told you, I don't know! If that dazed, floaty state counted as waking up, all I did was follow a delicious smell and start rubbing my face against it, didn't I?
“Um... I don't remember.”
Gawol shook his head as if resigning himself to a lost cause. “Never mind, then. It's probably better you don't know...”
“Huh? What's better?”
What is better for me not to know?!
“The sun is about to set,” he said, deflecting. “Considering you've been dead to the world for nearly ten straight hours.”
Startled by his words, I hurriedly scanned our surroundings. Sure enough, twilight was already staining the horizon in dusky hues.
“I only laid down for a minute, and I slept that long?”
“Indeed. You were rolling all over the place, so I bundled you up like a rolled pancake in a blanket... only to end up suffering an ambush.”
“Ah...”
That 'ambush' had to mean whatever I had just done to him. But I swear, I have no memory of it!
“S-So, where are we now?”
“Right now... we've just cleared the lowlands. We'll likely enter the rocky highlands starting tomorrow. When the road gets rough, it's wiser to take it slow.”
“True enough.”
Mhm. Rush through treacherous terrain and you're just begging for an accident.
“Oh, and there's a mountain stream nearby. Go wash up.”
“Aren't you washing?”
Gawol gestured toward the left side of the carriage, where a pot hung over a crackling campfire. “I already bathed earlier and even got the fire going.”
Daeseong gave an energetic whinny from her tether.
“I fed Daeseong, too, since there's hardly any edible grass around here.”
Efficient bastard...
Faced with that, all I could do was nod meekly. “All right.”
“One more thing.”
“What now...?”
Gawol handed me something that looked suspiciously like coarse, white farmhand robes. “Take off what you're wearing and leave it behind. Exactly how many days have you gone without washing those?”
“Well, I mean... we're on the road anyway...”
What a hassle.
“Save your excuses. Either bring them back after you strip or leave them by the stream, and I'll wash them myself.”
Looking at the sheer resolve in his eyes, I had the distinct impression that if I refused, he would iron the clothes right off my back with me still in them.
“Urgh... fine.”
He patted my shoulder with finality. “Hurry along now.”
“I said I'm going, I'm going!”
Nag, nag, nag...
“Let's see...”
Though not particularly wide, the stream bubbled past, crystal-clear. It looked frigid just by glance, so I cautiously dipped a toe toward the surface.
“Gah—freezing!”
Way colder than the river down in the lowlands... I'd definitely have to ease in slowly.
“One foot... at a time... Eeeek!”
Nope, impossible.
I yanked my foot right back out and took a deep, steadying breath. “Whew... try again.”
I dipped my hand in first.
“Ah.”
Starting with my hands felt a little more bearable than shocking my feet. Still, it was painfully icy.
Now that my hands had grown somewhat numb to the chill, I braced myself. “All right, dive in all at once—!”
Splash!
“Hnk—squeeeaaak!”
The instant the water slapped my feet, my body launched itself backward on sheer instinct.
“I-I almost died...”
Out of the question. This water was far too villainous for any living human to submerge themselves in.
How the hell did that guy bathe in this? What, was he living up to his own name? Cha Gawol—Cha-gaw-un cold guy?
I cupped my hands and shouted toward the campsite. “Hey! Cha Gawoool!”
“What do you want?!” his voice echoed back from the distance.
“It's freezing cold!”
“......”
Then dead silence.
Hey, I wasn't deliberately making fun of your name! It just slipped out!
“Hey! Did you get your feelings hurt?!”
No sooner had I yelled than I spotted Gawol trudging toward me, hauling a small wooden tub.
It looked heavy... Wait, is he coming to smash that over my head?
“Hm...”
As he drew closer, I noticed wisps of steam rising from the rim.
Hot water...?
Thunk.
“Hooo...”
Coming to a stop a few paces away, Gawol set the tub down on the grass, looked me up and down, and spoke. “Here. There's hot water and a wooden dipper. Mix it with the stream water to a reasonable temperature.”
“That fire you lit earlier was to heat water?”
“...I'm used to scrubbing down in ice water in the backwoods, but I brought this just in case you couldn't handle it, Siun-ssi. If you don't need it, I'll just go wash Daeseong's hooves.”
From that distance, he definitely heard my banshee shriek. Look at him playing dumb...
I reached out to clap him on the shoulder, but my reach fell short, so I grabbed his forearm instead. “No, no. This is exactly what I needed. Leave it right there.”
Plumes of steam were still billowing up, looking heavenly warm.
“Very well. Oh, and dinner is porridge, so keep that in mind.”
“Got it. ...Wait, hold on.”
“Yes?”
“...Never mind.”
“?”
I had stopped him because, in the back of my mind, a part of me thought it would be fun to wash together like buddies hitting a bathhouse... but right, he said he'd already washed.
What a shame.
“Just make sure the porridge is tasty.”
“...I always do.”
With that curt retort, Gawol turned on his heel and walked back.
Right, my turn...
I stripped down, using the dipper to mix the hot water with the icy stream water in roughly a six-to-four ratio, and began to wash.
“Haaah...”
Heavenly warmth.
After finishing my bath, I changed into the clothes Gawol had given me.
“Ugh...”
The fabric was slightly scratchy, producing an odd sensation against my skin. It wasn't quite as rough as raw ramie, but still...
With every step on the way back to the carriage, the cloth brushed against all sorts of sensitive spots, sending persistent jolts of irritation through me.
I dumped my sword and dirty clothes into the tub for now.
“Ahem. Hey.”
“What is i—ah, you brought your laundry. Good work.”
Praise? From him?
“That's not it. Give me some of that... you know, the cloth strips we wrap around limbs.”
“Pardon? What for...? Didn't I replace your bindings just yesterday?”
“Yeah, but... I need to wrap somewhere other than my arms and legs.”
Just hand it over already.
“Somewhere other than...? Ah.” A look of realization flickered across his face, followed by a slight clearing of his throat. “Right. It should be inside, toward the back. Cut as much as you need.”
Man, he catches on fast.
“Got it.”
Following his directions, I climbed into the carriage.
Whew... at least this will stop the chafing.
Tucked beside the water canteen at the rear of the wagon was a box containing the rolls of linen alongside a pair of shears.
Snip.
“...Is this a bit too short?”
Once more.
Snip.
That ought to do it.
I tightly bound the cloth around the two most sensitive areas, then slipped the robes back on.
Stepping out of the wagon, I found Gawol sitting by the fire. He handed me a steaming bowl.
Looking closely, I noticed yellow shreds floating in the broth, resembling egg ribbons. When I glanced at him inquisitively, he offered an explanation.
“I found a few wild bird eggs earlier, so I stirred them into the porridge.”
“Why didn't you just catch the bird and throw that in too?”
The meat is way tastier than the eggs.
“Good grief...”
Fluff.
Ah.
Gawol's broad palm came down gently atop my head, folding one of my wolf ears flat beneath his touch.
“How do you expect me to catch a bird with my bare hands? Besides, there were plenty of eggs, but the bird itself was tiny... Wait, what's wrong with you?”
“Ahn... huh? N-No, nothing.”
My mind was turning entirely to mush.
“I like... eggs too. T-Thanks for the food.”
He had laid his hand down without any real weight behind it, giving off a pleasantly comfortable pressure. Comfortable for what, I had no clue... but regardless.
“Then eat up.”
“Ah...”
Gawol pulled his hand away and sat back down in his spot. For some inexplicable reason, a disappointed sigh escaped my lips, but surely that wasn't important.
“By the way.”
“Yeah...? What?”
“Wearing white really makes your gray fur stand out.”
“Does it...?”
I shoveled a spoonful of porridge into my mouth, chewing as I spoke. “Mmh... I guess I do usually stick to pitch-black clothes...”
Dark fabric didn't show dirt, and it made sneaking around at night a breeze.
...Though to be honest, I'd always worn black in my past life too, so it was mostly just personal taste.
“Also, with robes that baggy, I can't even tell where your stomach is.”
Can't tell where my belly is?
“Hey. You can't even distinguish that?”
I'm disappointed in you.
Grabbing his wrist, I planted his hand squarely against my navel.
“See! Right here—gya-heek!”
“......?”
I snatched his hand away as if burned, stammering, “H-Here, I said.”
Holy shit, what kind of sound just came out of my mouth?!
Gawol pulled his hand back with an immensely awkward expression. “Ah... right. Well, I get it now. Though I don't believe you needed to physically demonstrate...”
I couldn't bring myself to raise my head and meet his eyes.
Because I was mortified!
Instead, I forced out a strained squeak, desperately trying to sound nonchalant. “R-Right?”
Clatter.
I set the bowl down. “I-I'm going to sleep first, okay?”
“Without finishing your food?”
“Y-Yeah. I'm full.”
I heard the scrape of Gawol picking up the bowl behind me.
“Is she sick or something...?” he muttered under his breath.
Ugh...
I couldn't even say whether I was or wasn't. Everything just felt thoroughly, confusingly weird.
“Haaah...”
Why on earth had I reacted like that earlier?
Press, poke.
“There's nothing wrong here...”
Lying down, I pressed on my stomach again, but all I felt was a slight, tingling numbness—nothing out of the ordinary.
Yet my head was starting to spin faintly again...
Now that my belly was full and my back was warm, that soft, hazy fluttering from this morning seemed to be stirring back to life.
“Feels like something's missing...”
Tummy full, back warm, blanket wrapped tight—what else could I possibly need?
Yet despite the food in my stomach, an odd sense of emptiness lingered in my core. I sat up for a moment, poured myself a cup of herbal vinegar water, and drank it down.
“Keugh... Maybe I should chill this bottle in the stream later.”
That would make it delightfully crisp.
“...Ah, screw it. Let's just go back to sleep.”
Rummaging around for something suitable to use as a pillow, my eyes landed on an overcoat resembling a durumagi that Gawol had shed.
He wore it practically every single day, but he'd actually taken it off today. Well... whether you pillow your head on a jacket or a traditional durumagi, it amounted to the same thing.
Thanks to endlessly rehearsing vocabulary from my previous life since childhood so I wouldn't forget, I still remembered most modern words. The only side effect was that they occasionally slipped past my lips...
Regardless, I folded the coat, tucked it under my head, and laid down.
...It smelled so good.