Ideal
The door opened a crack, and Ak Seo-a stepped into the room, water droplets dripping steadily from the ends of her wet hair.
On the bed, Cheong-wol half-reclined against the wall, holding the hidden weapon she had received from the innkeeper.
"It seems you've taken quite a liking to it."
When she spoke, Cheong-wol glanced over but soon averted her gaze.
"Are you still angry? I already told you. I swear, this humble one knows little of the affairs of the martial world. It wasn't that I deliberately withheld anything."
When Cheong-wol did not reply, Ak Seo-a could not hide her dejection as she shifted slightly onto the bed.
Having washed for a long time in hot water, a faint flush of heat lingered on her cheeks.
"...I'm not angry. More importantly, could you move away a bit? And dry your hair properly. Water keeps dripping."
Undeterred even by the palm that tried to push her away, Ak Seo-a burrowed into Cheong-wol's embrace and began to pout.
"I refuse! No matter what you say, I will never move away! You ignored me when I suggested we bathe together and just left!"
Cheong-wol's refusal had been a matter of her own conscience, but Ak Seo-a, knowing nothing of the circumstances, had returned after washing alone, sniffling.
"Fine! So just let go for a moment!"
As her nightclothes grew steadily wetter, Cheong-wol finally chose to yield first.
What could one gain from arguing with a child?
"...You won't hate me for it?"
At the wistful question, Cheong-wol gently stroked the water-laden hair.
"I could never hate you over something like this. And the reason we couldn't bathe together was because there was a reason for it."
"...Truly? It wasn't because you dislike me?"
"Of course not."
"Then, tomorrow, bathe with me."
"..."
When Cheong-wol did not answer, Ak Seo-a tightened the arm around her waist as if urging a reply.
"...Alright. But only on the condition that we cover ourselves with cloth."
In that instant, Ak Seo-a lifted her head with a bright smile.
"You have promised! I shall never forget it!"
At the more intense reaction than expected, Cheong-wol let out a soft laugh.
"Aren't you getting a bit too excited over just bathing together?"
"What nonsense is that! 'Just'?!"
Ak Seo-a shook her head vigorously and spread both arms wide.
"Bathing with a dear friend who shares one's heart! Honest conversation exchanged through the steam! It is something one must do to become true friends!"
"..."
"Do you understand? How important it is to bathe together!"
Though she emphasized its importance repeatedly, Cheong-wol wore an expression as if seeing something for the first time in her life—a face that seemed confused yet unable to look away, revealing complex feelings.
"...?"
Wondering what she was looking at to make such a face, Ak Seo-a slowly turned her head toward where Cheong-wol's gaze lingered.
And at the end of it was her own front collar, which had come almost completely undone.
"...W-what are you staring at!"
How startled must she have been to forget even the speech of the chivalrous heroes she so loved?
She herself seemed quite shocked, lying on the bed with her back turned.
"..."
With the situation completely reversed from moments before, Cheong-wol felt awkward yet carefully spoke up. After all, about half the reason things had come to this was her own fault.
"...I'm sorry. I absolutely didn't look on purpose. That is, well... how should I put it? When something like that suddenly appears before your eyes, even you would have no choice but to..."
As the words grew stranger the more she continued, she simply closed her mouth.
At times like this, a concise word filled with sincerity was enough.
But before she could open her mouth to say anything, a dejected voice came from Ak Seo-a.
"...It's fine. As Lady Cheong-wol says, it wasn't deliberate."
So saying, Ak Seo-a slowly turned her body.
"Thinking about it, it seems this humble one made a fuss over nothing. To scream just because one woman saw a bit of another's bare skin... especially after pestering to bathe together."
"Well... it's not something to assign blame over. It was just a simple accident."
Cheong-wol offered an awkward smile, trying hard to erase the skin that kept trying to surface in her mind.
"As expected, Lady Cheong-wol has a generous heart."
This time with her front collar firmly fastened, she approached Cheong-wol's side again. Then, flushing, she slightly lowered her head.
"...Please forget what I said earlier. I... was too hasty, and the words just slipped out."
Knowing that pretending not to know was best in such moments, she simply nodded slowly.
"Still, I should say this."
"...What is it?"
When Ak Seo-a looked up fixedly, Cheong-wol whispered softly into her ear as if she had been waiting.
"Your original way of speaking was pretty cute too."
"...!"
Had she teased too much?
Ak Seo-a instantly flushed red and began pounding on Cheong-wol's back and arms.
"Too much! Too much! This humble one asked you to forget!"
But with such a cute reaction, how could one simply let it pass?
"Alright, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"...Truly? If you tease me once more, I won't speak to you until tomorrow!"
At her frightening threat, Cheong-wol let out a soft laugh.
"Spare me that at least. This humble one wishes to converse with Lady Ak Seo-a."
Once Ak Seo-a seemed somewhat calmed, the two extinguished the light and pulled the blanket up together.
When they first slept together, her whole body had tensed up awkwardly, yet now even pressed close like this, it felt fine. Of course, that did not mean she no longer felt her as a member of the opposite sex. Recalling the earlier incident, her heart still pounded as if it would burst.
...Even with this body, nothing much has changed.
Just as her heart eased and her mood began to lift, Ak Seo-a's voice came from beside her.
"Lady Cheong-wol."
"Hmm?"
"About what happened today. To be honest... this humble one is a little afraid."
So saying, Ak Seo-a shifted her body slightly.
"Of what?"
"Even a small inn like this was not spared from the flames of disaster. If an even greater calamity should arise, what will become of the Central Plains... that is what this humble one fears so greatly."
Cheong-wol turned her head to look at her.
Ak Seo-a lay facing Cheong-wol quietly, with a fear in her eyes that was unlike her.
"...Is the situation that serious?"
"This humble one only learned of it today. At this rate, the saying of a frog in a well fits perfectly..."
With a self-reproachful expression, Ak Seo-a let out a small sigh.
"When I first left the clan, I didn't understand why we were going to the Emei Sect, but now I think I know. It was to draw those who maintain neutrality to our side. Because this humble one alone is unreliable, together with my younger sibling."
"Seo-a..."
"It's fine. I know well that this humble one is not trustworthy. Father must have thought the same, which is why he didn't tell me."
At her continued self-reproach, Cheong-wol lightly took her hand.
"...Lady Cheong-wol?"
This kind of comfort was awkward even for Cheong-wol, but what choice was there? She was her second friend, so even if it meant enduring embarrassment, this was a moment to step forward.
"Certainly, as you say, it's a bit like that."
"..."
"Acting without considering the situation before or after, starting things without a plan. Stirring up matters that could have been quietly passed over... Looking at it any way, you're not the talent to entrust the clan's affairs to. It's no wonder your father can't trust you."
"...This humble one knows that."
Even though they were her own words, hearing them from another's mouth made Ak Seo-a feel even more sorrowful.
"But you know, I... think you're rather cool."
"...?"
Her face had already flushed red with embarrassment, but Cheong-wol did not stop the words she had begun.
"If you're going to weigh every situation, what kind of chivalrous hero is that? That's a judge. And only standing up to easy opponents is unsightly too. Or am I the only one who thinks that?"
"Lady Cheong-wol..."
"So what I mean is!"
Their gazes met in the faint moonlight.
"No matter how it may look to others, I like those foolish points of yours. And as you know, if you're not a fool, you can't become a chivalrous hero, right?"
"Do you... truly think so?"
"I do. What is the dream a chivalrous hero seeks to achieve?"
At Cheong-wol's question, a smile began to return to Ak Seo-a's face.
"A dream that can never be achieved."
As her words ended, the two almost simultaneously uttered the same low phrase.
"Yet still, for the sake of an unreachable dream."
Feeling surging emotions, Ak Seo-a deliberately showed an exaggerated reaction.
"Lady Cheong-wol!"
Though a little surprised by her burrowing into her embrace, this time she did not push her away. For Ak Seo-a was quietly, yet with a happy face, shedding tears.
She had thought that even in this vast Central Plains, there might not be a single person who understood her. Having a friend whose heart and will were in accord, how could she not cry?
Knowing she cried not from sorrow but from joy, Cheong-wol also gently stroked her hair.
"If anything troubles you, tell me anytime. We're friends who pursue the path of chivalry together, after all."