Chapter 16

Splash.

The wet silk cloth pressed down on the wound again. The water stung as it seeped in, and it hurt. Even so, Hisa didn’t care much since she knew it would heal if left alone. As she watched her wound, she caught sight of his slightly fallen hair. Sunlight spread over the pool, filling his hair with energy so it shimmered beautifully. It would’ve been even prettier if it were longer.

“Why. Want me to feed you lunch too?”

Hong Yeom-rang asked with a displeased look, only lifting his gaze.

He sounded like he already knew she had been staring at his hair. Hunger always tormented Hisa. Of course she was hungry. At his words, she almost nodded shamelessly, but the sight of him sitting confidently under the sunlight pleased her.

Enough to hold back both her hunger and her shame.

“It’s pretty, so I looked.”

When sunlight fell over the pool, everything around it sparkled despite the unfathomable depth. His pitch black hair was like that pool. It glittered under the light, impossible to measure its depth. If you stepped wrong and fell in, you’d keep sinking endlessly.

Once, when Hisa fell into that pool, she had simply stayed still. Her feet didn’t touch the bottom. She didn’t struggle to escape or fight to live. But the moment she relaxed, her body rose to the surface before she could even see the bottom.

“What’s the point of something pretty if you can’t eat it?”

“Then why do people say food that looks good tastes good?”

“You’re really sitting there talking about food right now.”

See. She never backed down. Watching her grin and compare his hair to food, he was just dumbfounded. She’d eat whatever he gave her anyway, yet she still held back.

“Can I touch it?”

“…If you pull any out, you’re starving for three days.”

Hong Yeom-rang said it coldly, still remembering how she had snatched his hair and disappeared. When he looked at people like this, they usually shrank back. But maybe she only heard that she could touch it, because Hisa reached out her hand. The strip of cloth he had tied yesterday was half loose, and her scarred, ugly fingers came closer.

Sway.

It felt like a breeze brushed past. Only later did he realize it had just been her hand lightly grazing his hair. Hisa slowly brought her hand back and stared at it.

“Miss, are you playing with me right now?”

He tried not to care, but the way she acted made it impossible.

Is she doing this on purpose? He got irritated, but when he looked at her face, he knew she wasn’t, so he couldn’t get angry.

“Hm?”

“That was touching? Do it properly. If you’re going to start something, do it right.”

Squeeze.

He wrung out the blood soaked cloth with one hand and spoke through clenched teeth. Hisa, still remembering the faint sensation of his hair against her sore fingers, blinked dumbly. But she felt like if she didn’t do as he said, she’d end up squeezed like that cloth, so she hurriedly reached out again.

Thud.

As if headbutting her hand, Hong Yeom-rang pushed his head into her palm.

His hair filled her entire hand and fingers. Warm from the sunlight. Smooth and glossy. Hisa’s eyes curved. It felt similar to touching a small, soft creature. His body was large, but his head felt small.

How long could she keep touching it.

For now, he stayed still, letting her, so Hisa gently ran her fingers through his hair.

It stung a little when her cracked fingertips brushed against it. Even so, her face was full of a pure smile.

“Your hair is warm.”

Hearing her say that so brightly, Hong Yeom-rang swallowed the words telling her to stop. Her fingertips reached all the way to his scalp. The rough edges of her skin parting through his hair felt strange. He had never let even his servants touch his hair. The last time someone had was when he was very young. When his mother was alive, or…

When was it.

He frowned.

Had his father ever touched his hair like that.

The sudden thought soured his mood, but before he could tell her to stop, Hisa withdrew her hand first.

“Did you get enough of the energy you like, Miss?”

“I don’t know about that. It’s just a shame you cut your hair…”

It would’ve been fuller and prettier if it were long.

“What. You think if I was going to burn it anyway, I should’ve just given it to you?”

“That would’ve been nice.”

“Oh, so your true feelings are finally coming out?”

Hisa quietly shut her mouth. Because it was true. Then she suddenly felt wronged and spoke again.

“You gave that to me, didn’t you? If you had, you wouldn’t have had to see me for a hundred days.”

“So now you’re blaming me?”

Who was it that pulled out his hair and vanished into the forest without a trace. Hong Yeom-rang had endured as much as he could. When she still didn’t show up, even though she had to be watching him somewhere, he had cut his own hair and waited.

“That’s your bad temper. And why burn it like that, such a waste.”

“What, should I just carry it around when it won’t grow back?”

“…I… you should’ve given it to me…”

“This is unbelievable!”

He shouted, louder than the waterfall for a moment. Hisa flinched and shrank her shoulders. Seeing that, Hong Yeom-rang ran a hand through his short hair roughly. He hadn’t meant to startle her.

“Miss, back then we didn’t have even a shred of trust… not even a little, right?”

There still wasn’t any trust now. The goblins had disappeared somewhere, and now he was stuck taking care of Hisa, a monster he couldn’t take his eyes off. A monster that could only eat hair and had no strength at all. The moment he looked away, she got hurt and bled somewhere. Hong Yeom-rang wrung the cloth tightly again.

He had called her Miss on purpose, but now it felt like he had been handed a clueless noble lady.

In a forest full of rocks, pits, sharp branches, and cliffs.

“There isn’t any now either.”

“Stop stating the obvious.”

The bleeding at her knees had finally stopped. Soon, ugly scabs would form.

Ignoring it, she dipped her feet into the pool and splashed the water. Leaves and twigs were still tangled in her hair, something that had been bothering him the whole time.

At her reply, he clicked his tongue and grabbed her hair, pulling it.

Her upper body, which had no strength, fell backward. She landed across his lap as he sat cross legged.

Under the sunlight, Hisa lay stretched out.

Her face was pale like a ghost, but after eating some hair, there was a faint color to it. Her gentle black eyes blinked as she looked up at him, not understanding why she had suddenly fallen back. Then, meeting his displeased gaze, she smiled softly. A monster that couldn’t do anything, just smiling.

She didn’t even complain about him pulling her hair.

No greed or malice could be found anywhere. It was ridiculous enough that a monster sat like this under the sun.

“Stay with me for a hundred days.”

As if she knew what he was thinking, Hisa said it.

Her lips parted, revealing neat white teeth.

“What do I gain from staying with you.”

“It’s quiet. There’s no one else.”

She spoke like she knew that was what he wanted. Everywhere was noisy. He was from a distinguished family, followed by countless rumors that were close to the truth. Whether in the capital or here, people talked about him the same way. The king never truly let their family close. Hong Yeom-rang met Hisa’s clear, unshadowed gaze.

“You’re here. A monster.”

You get hurt. You get angry. Just like everyone else.

He wanted to see her get angry. Meeting her eyes, he spoke mockingly. Like a hunter searching for even the smallest shadow, he examined her closely.

“Then I’ll just come at night while you’re sleeping and secretly eat a little.”

Hisa said it seriously, without a hint of discomfort. His wet, cold hand covered her eyes. A silent smile lingered briefly on Hong Yeom-rang’s lips.