Reunion (2)
Once the initial rush of excitement had settled, the two of them began to properly share the stories of their reunion.
How Cheongwol had trained under Soga-yul at the Kongdong Sect and formed a bond with Unhak that was as close as any true martial brotherhood.
How she had met Ak Seo-a by chance outside a mountain stronghold and ended up traveling with her.
How they had carried out a chivalrous deed against the black-clad men at the inn in Wuhuahai.
And even the sparring match against Ak Ji-ho at the Emei Sect only three days prior.
Leaving out the twins of the Shandong Ak Clan and their past left a few details that did not quite line up, yet Seomun Hwi listened in silence the entire time.
Only after pouring everything out without so much as catching her breath did Cheongwol realize she had spoken of nothing but herself.
"I went on and on about my own affairs without any tact. How have you been all this time? Ah—I heard on the way here that you're betrothed to a young lady named Dang Sohye?"
Though Cheongwol could not see it, Seomun Hwi gave a slight shake of his head.
"The talk has only just begun. I came to the Dang Clan on clan business as well."
"The same as when you went to the Kongdong Sect?"
"Yes. Speaking of which, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask."
A sharp prick of unease in her chest told her the question she could no longer dodge was about to leave his lips.
"Seo-a called you 'young lady.' I thought it too deliberate to be a mere slip of the tongue. Does it have anything to do with why you're buried under that blanket right now?"
She had believed only Soga-yul and Jeonghwa could see straight through a person. Now even Seomun Hwi was doing the same.
Cheongwol hesitated a moment before she managed to open her mouth.
"...Yeah. A side effect of the martial art made my body change a little. That's why I asked you to come to the room. It's fine if it's you, but I don't want to show it in front of anyone else."
A change so thorough that a man could be mistaken for a woman.
Whatever the side effect truly was, he had never even heard of a martial art capable of such a thing.
Of course, if one ventured into the realm of the demonic and unorthodox it might be another matter—yet Cheongwol had received her techniques directly from Soga-yul.
Unable to guess the situation easily, Seomun Hwi finally chose to ask outright.
"I understand. In that case..."
"Wait—before that."
A hand shot out from beneath the blanket and seized his collar.
It was so long and slender that even if someone had told him the side effect was in the hands alone, he would have found it believable.
"Promise me you'll never speak of this in front of others. And promise you won't laugh."
"..."
If she was going this far to extract a vow, the weight of the worry she carried over revealing the side effect was plain enough.
And yet she had sought him out—proof of how much she valued the bond between them.
The brief anxiety that rose when he did not answer was soon soothed as his hand settled over hers.
"I promise. I'll keep every word of what you asked."
A simple "I understand" would have been enough, yet he had always spoken this way. Cheongwol found it a little amusing, and at the same time she liked the dependable weight in his tone.
She slipped her hand free of his grasp and carefully took hold of the edge of the blanket.
Then, slowly, both hands began to draw the covers back from her head.
Skin as pure and white as flawless jade, without a single blemish.
Eyelashes as long and fine as her own fingers.
A high, delicate nose; lips of vivid red.
And when Seomun Hwi met those amber eyes, he lost the power of speech for a moment.
He had always known her features leaned more toward the feminine than the masculine, yet now she had become a beauty so rare that one could scour the entire Central Plains and still struggle to find her equal.
"...Indeed. A change of this degree would make it only natural for Seo-a to mistake you for a woman."
Seomun Hwi nodded as though understanding at last, but Cheongwol tilted her head.
"...I haven't even shown you the part that actually changed yet?"
Then this face had nothing to do with the martial art's side effect at all.
While he sat speechless with bewilderment, Cheongwol let the rest of the blanket fall away from her body.
"..."
He had always prided himself on living with the abstinence of a monk, yet this time was different.
That which no proper man should ever possess.
Seomun Hwi found himself staring, unbidden and entranced, at the full, heavy presence of Cheongwol's chest.
"...Hey, I said I'd show you, but could you not stare quite so hard? It's a little embarrassing."
Cheongwol scratched her faintly reddened cheek with a finger and gave an awkward smile.
Only then did he whip his head away and bite down on his cheek, trying to quiet the wild pounding of his heart.
This would not do.
His dearest friend had trusted him enough to reveal a body altered by side effects. If he could not even offer comfort with a clear mind, he at least must not show anything more shameful than this.
"I am curious what martial art could have given you such a body, but I will not ask. However."
Seomun Hwi's hands closed around both of Cheongwol's arms.
Before the change he had never noticed, but the strength was still a man's strength—fierce—and the hands that held her were large and firm.
"Just because those have grown a little larger does not mean you are no longer a man. I will stay by your side and help you find a way to return to your original body. Do not worry overmuch."
"Hwi."
That solid, reliable manner convinced Cheongwol of one thing.
He still had not noticed the full extent of the change.
"So... it isn't only my chest that got bigger..."
In that instant Seomun Hwi's eyes went wide, focus scattering in every direction.
Without meaning to, his gaze dropped from her chest to her dantian, then lower still—between her legs.
"What do you mean by..."
Wearing an expression that could neither laugh nor cry, Cheongwol let out a hollow, resigned laugh.
"I've become a woman."
The joy of reunion lasted only a moment. A heavy, suffocating air settled over the room.
"...So while learning the martial art, a side effect turned you into a woman. Is that correct?"
After hearing the brief explanation, Seomun Hwi asked, and Cheongwol nodded.
Strictly speaking it was less a side effect than the nature of the art itself, but revealing even that much would be too dangerous—even for Seomun Hwi.
"Yeah. Listen carefully. My voice has changed a little too, hasn't it?"
It had not been noticeable while she was buried under the blanket, but hearing it now, the tone was unmistakably too fine to belong to a man.
"Well?"
"It sounds nic— No. You seem to be right."
Something odd had slipped out, but Cheongwol deliberately ignored it.
For a while the two of them simply stared at their own feet in silence.
One of them afraid of what the other might think of her.
The other because the person beside him was sitting far too close.
He had never once considered himself a man who chased beauty.
Yet she kept pressing against him, rubbing close, and no matter how hard he tried to keep his composure, restless heat churned through his mind.
This was his precious friend—once a man, no less.
Even a lustful beast would not act like a dog in heat in front of a friend.
He had already turned his head away twice in self-reproach when his eyes met Cheongwol's, who was looking up at him through half-lidded lashes.
"I knew it. It's a little disgusting, right?"
"...What?"
"Well, of course it is. A man who became a woman. What use is a freak like this?"
At the baseless words, Seomun Hwi's brow furrowed slightly.
"I've always thought this, but stop deciding things on your own. I haven't said a single word yet."
Then, almost casually, he took her hand again and continued.
"It is not disgusting in the least. Man or woman, the fact that you are my friend does not change."
"...Hwi."
"And as for having no use—I have no idea what you mean by that. Did I not already tell you before? If you have nowhere to go, come to the Seomun Clan. I will accept you anytime."
"..."
He seemed to have a talent for choosing only the words that were pleasant to hear.
Cheongwol barely managed to pull down the corners of her mouth that kept trying to lift, out of place with the mood.
"...What if word spreads that the young master of the Seomun Clan is showing favoritism to some outside woman?"
In moments like this, the easy composure she had learned from Unhak proved useful.
The problem was that Seomun Hwi possessed just as much composure as she did.
"I do favor you, so I suppose I will have to endure a certain amount of that."
To say something so shameless even while knowing she had once been a man.
Belated embarrassment washed over her and she lowered her head a little.
"...Don't say things like that in front of other people. It's the perfect way to start rumors."
But Seomun Hwi showed no intention of closing his mouth.
"Very well. As you wish—I will only say them when you can hear."
"...!"
In the end Cheongwol could not hold back. She shoved him away and rose to her feet.
"Stop teasing me! And stop treating me like a woman! Would you have said any of that if I were still a man? I trusted you enough to tell you, so can't you take it a little more seriously?"
Cheongwol snapped the words out and fled the room as if running, carrying a tangle of complicated feelings with her.
If she stayed any longer, the blood really would rush to her head and something strange would happen.
Yes—this was all Seomun Hwi's fault for dragging the atmosphere somewhere weird.
So he had enough composure left to keep joking, did he?
How used to women must he be, to speak so freely even to someone who had once been a man?
A flicker of indignation rose in her, yet Cheongwol never realized the truth.
Seomun Hwi, far from composed, was covering his face with one hand and letting out a long, deep sigh.