"Excuse me, may I ask where your village doctor is?" asked Hyungjun politely to one of the villagers. The woman in ragged clothes simply shook his head and answered. "We do not have one."

"But... How--" he stopped when the woman had already turned and walked away. Looking around, he saw a young man around his age working in the fields. He hurried over, pushing the crops of his way. "Excuse me!"

The man looked up at him. Hyungjun was quite surprised to see that such a countryside had such nice features. "Yes?" the boy questioned him. 

"I heard that this village has some sort of healer. May I meet him?"

The latter shook his head. "What are you talking about? There's no such of that sort. We've never had a doctor or a healer."

Hyungjun knotted his eyebrows in confusion. "But... Then... I'm a professional doctor and I want to see who is the one that has been working miracles around here. We heard that there was someone healing all the sick."

The peasant shook his head. "No, it's just that we take better care of ourselves then city people. If you have nothing else to do here, please leave and don't come back."

The doctor, startled by the sudden hositility, huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I know this village is hiding something and if you don't want an army coming to search, then you'd better spill it."

***

"So? Did you find the miracle-worker?"

Hyungjun shook his head, his elbows on his knees as he hunched over on a chair, letting out a deep breath of surrender and shaking his head. In the end, he was still kicked out no matter what threats he had thrown at the man. 

"What do you mean you didn't find him? We have to get him to our side before the other doctors!" exclaimed the head doctor as he stood up and paced up and down the room, biting his nails as he thought rapidly. 

"The villagers refused to tell me," explained Hyungjun in exasperation, combing through his unkempt brunette hair. "They said that there were no healers in their village and that they were simply taking better care of themselves. It might actually be true--"

"No! There is definitely someone there!" cut in the head doctor as his eyes burned with determination. "There were reports saying that the villagers have been getting severe colds, tuberculosis, and all that but a month later, the reports would say that they have all recovered. It can't be because they are simply taking good care of themselves. They are low-educated! They shouldn't know how to treat tuberculosis properly!"

"Mr. Kim, I--"

Hyungjun was cut off when there was a knock on the door. The head doctor stopped pacing and gave the permission for the outside person to come in. Hyunjoong stepped in slowly and looked at the two, noticing the tense atmosphere. 

"I... just wanted to ask Mr. Kim something..." he said slowly. 

"Hyunjoong-ssi!" suddenly yelled the head doctor, as if a lightbulb had just lit up in his head. "You! I want you to go to that village and find that healer!"

The other doctor stared at him. Hyungjun stood up in protest. "But that's supposed to be my job! Why are you giving it to him?"

"Because you already failed," hissed the head doctor before turning back to Hyunjoong. "Please go to the village in Gochang-gun and... You have heard of the miracle-worker in the mountains, right?"

Hyunjoong nodded. "Neh..."

"Then I want you to go around and find him or at least get the villagers to tell you where he is and then bring him back to this hospital," explained Mr. Kim hurriedly and slapped the doctor on the back. "Now go!"

"But how about--"

"Hyungjun-ssi will take care of it."

***

Hyunjoong looked around as he stood in the middle of the dusty road after hopping off the van with his hiking gear on and a pack on his back. He gazed up at the tall mountains and squinted his eyes due to the glare of the sun. That must be where Mr. Kim was talking about... In the mountains... But the mountains are huge, how am I going to find him? Does he even exist?

The doctor began strolling along the road and dug into his pocket for his sunglasses. After he put them on, he spotted a young man coming out from a roadside market and hurried over. "Excuse me."

The man glanced over at him and groaned. "Don't tell me... Are you also here to ask about the miracle-doctor or something? That person is not here so please leave!"

"Ah, wait!" cut in Hyunjoong and quickly caught the man's arm. "I'm sorry, I just came here to hike. I've heard that these mountains are especially challenging to climb and so I've come here to try it out. By any chance, do you have a map anywhere?"

The latter raised an eyebrow and then looked over at the mountains, as if hesitating. Hyunjoong watched carefully at his reaction but then the man sighed. "Yes, sure, follow me."

Hyunjoong nodded and trailed after him. They arrived at a community center and the man allowed him in. Soon, Hyunjoong got his hands on the map of the route of the mountains and thanked the man gratefully before running off.

Starting from the entrance of the hiking trail, he began to climb the dusty path and the stony steps. In half an hour, he looked down, panting to see how far he had climbed. To his surprise, the ground seemed only a few meters below him. His shoulders felt as if they were going to fall off due to the heavy backpack but he carried on.

All of a sudden, rain began to pour down and the winds picked up without warning. In a split second, Hyunjoong felt as if he was going to fall backwards and quickly ran into the trees for shelter. This wasn't what he had expected. The weather forecast said that the whole day was going to be sunny not to mention that it was summer right now, so it wasn't supposed to rain. But strangely, the rainstorm soon grew into a monsoon and the trees began to shake and quiver.

"What the hell is happening?" he muttered to himself. He hadn't brought an umbrella and he was completely defenseless against the sudden storm.

Snaking through the trees, he tried to take cover while continuing to climb the mountain without the path but then a strong gust of wind blew forward and hit him. He felt himself slipping backwards and the next second, he found himself rolling down the mountainside, his body hitting all kinds of objects as he couldn't stop himself. The ground was too slippery and seemed already to be forming puddles.

Finally, he flew into a tree and his backpack protected him from getting too much of a serious injury but his vision became blurry. Without knowing, he out.

***

Slowly, he stirred when he felt a cold towel placed on his forehead. He felt a hand at his chest, gently moving around in circles as it soothed his breathing. He opened his eyes slowly to see a person with an animals mask on, hovering above him, one hand on top of the towel and one hand at his chest. The person wore a traditional men's hanbok, which indicated that the person was male.

"You're awake?" an angelic male voice came from behind the mask quietly.

Hyunjoong blinked and tried to move but when he did, he felt a sharp pain shoot up his back and up his spinal cord. The boy softly placed his hand on his cheek and moved his head back to where it was.

"Please don't move for now," he murmured and brought the covers of the blanket over Hyunjoong's chest. "You were hurt very badly when I found you. You've been asleep for around three days already and had a fever but you've already recovered from it. Your spine is bruised right now. It's a good thing you had a backpack on or else you would've really been done for."

The older man coughed, his throat throbbing, and saw that his arm was in a cast. "I got a broken arm, too?"

The latter nodded. "Neh."

Hyunjoong didn't answer and he stared at the boy. The boy tilted his head in confusion. "What is it?"

"Do... Do you live alone?"

The boy nodded again. "Yes."

"What should I call you?"

"Youngsaeng is fine," replied the boy.

"Neh, Youngsaeng-ssi..." Hyunjoong murmured and he tried to lift his head but again, another sharp pain seared through his back. Gritting his back, he fell back ont the pillow.

"Here, let me help," the boy said gently as his hand dug under Hyunjoong and cautiously lifted up his back and leaned him against the wall, taking off the wet towel. "Is that better?"

Hyunjoong nodded and looked at the latter curiously. "Why are you wearing a mask...? Is it an animal?"

Youngsaeng hummed. "Yeah, it's an otter. And I am originally very shy and prefer to hide my features so I don't let people see my face. Sorry if it is considered rude to you but I feel safer this way."

Awkwardly smiling, Hyunjoong quickly replied. "No, no, it's alright."

Youngsaeng turned and took a cup from the table, passing it over to Hyunjoong. "Here's some water. I'm sure your right hand is fine now so you can use it."

Hyunjoong lifted his right hand and took the cup, bringing it to his mouth. As he swallowed, he noticed that the water tasted a little sweet, as if he had added a dab of honey, and there was a cooling sensation at the back of his dry throat.

"You added honey in this?" questioned Hyunjoong, gulping the last drop. "It's quite good."

Youngsaeng shook his head, taking the cup back. "It's just one of my secret ingredients. It's good for the throat, since I can tell yours is probably inflamed. Don't talk too much and allow some rest to your throat."

"I--"

The latter shushed him. Hyunjoong stared at the boy as he lay him down back onto the bed and pulled the covers over his body. It was quite awkward for a professional doctor to be taken care of by a boy who seemed younger than him always wearing an apparent otter mask. Now that he thought about it, the mask was actually quite cute.

Youngsaeng turned and brought out a bowl with a spoon sticking out of it. He gently scooped a bit of the liquid out into the soup spoon and brought it over to Hyunjoong's mouth, gesturing for the man to open his mouth. He poured the liquid in and Hyunjoong swallowed, gagging at the bitter taste.

"I'm sorry if it tastes bad," the latter murmured, getting another spoonful. Hyunjoong looked strangely at the dark substance before letting Youngsaeng feed him again, again making a face at the taste.

Finally, Youngsaeng finished feeding him and placed his hand on his forehead. In an instant, he felt a warmth flow throughout his body all the way to his fingertips and barely a second past before he fell fast asleep.

***

The next time he woke up, he heard footsteps from beside him. As he opened his eyes, he turned his head to see Youngsaeng, again with the otter mask and hanbok on, lighting the fire place. The man turned and stood up, walking towards him.

"I see your neck has finally healed," he remarked.

Hyunjoong was also surprised. He hadn't realized that he could move his neck now without agony. He looked at his left arm and saw that half of the cast had been removed. In a state of shock, he suddenly sat up and hissed as his back shot pain up his body again. And there was something else. He really needed to pee.

"You were asleep for another two weeks," informed Youngsaeng. "Anyways, I think you're probably going to need the washroom now so please go outside and do your business. Don't bend your back too much though or it'll really hurt."

The latter nodded and slipped off the bed, searching for shoes. The younger boy passed him a pair of shoes and he quickly stuffed his bare feet inside, running outside and pulling down his pants. That's when he realized that he wasn't wearing his hiking pants anymore, and he wasn't wearing his jacket. Instead, his clothes were completely different. He was wearing sweats and a t-shirt.

Looking around, the sun was setting and the sky was a beautiful array of red, orange, and pink. According to Youngsaeng, he had already been there for almost three weeks and he still hadn't found the doctor due to his injuries and his unusually long-periods of sleep. Not to mention, his bruised neck and broken arm healed incredibly fast, in a mere two weeks. Even in the hospital, it would take at least three weeks to a month, sometimes even two months, and the patient would have to stay in the hospital for a while longer to make sure his blood pressure was stable.

He looked beside him and realized that the house he had been sleeping in was actually a small, brick hut. It looked to be quite old and hand-built, the red color of the bricks turning dull.

Something felt strange to him around here? There was a giant monsoon in the middle of summer even when the weather forecast said that it was going to be sunny. His major injuries healed in two weeks. This stranger, who took care of him, seemed quite knowledgeable in herbs and such, saying stuff about secret ingredients but then Hyunjoong shook his head. He couldn't be that miracle-healer.

After finishing his business, he breathed the cool air of the fresh evening air for a while longer and stretched, forgetting that his back was still bruised and quickly put his arms down when the pain seared through him.

He walked in and saw Youngsaeng mixing something at the side. He carefully sat down on the bed, scrutinizing the latter's movements. He was putting herbs into the mixture, seeming as if it was random. He didn't even look at the herbs he was putting or even the amount, simply grabbing a few leaves and throwing them into the bowl.

A few moments later, the boy seemed to have finished and he took the bowl, turning and bringing it over to Hyunjoong. "Here you go. You can drink that for your arm to heal faster. In a few days, I think you'll be well enough to be on your way. Rarely anyone ever comes hiking in these parts. May I ask why you suddenly decided to?"

Hyunjoong didn't want to reveal his true intention and quickly made up a part lie as he took the soup of herbs. "I heard from my friend that these trails were quite challenging. He didn't describe them specifically so I decided to come see for myself."

Youngsaeng sat beside him on the bed. "This hut is placed pretty high from the ground. The place where the monsoon occurred is the frequent area of the reoccurrence of monsoons. They usually catch hikers off guard and come on the best days. My place doesn't get blown away since the monsoon isn't usually this high."

"I've..." Hyunjoong started slowly. "I've also been hearing rumors about a miracle-healer in these mountains... Do you know any thing about this?"

The latter was silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Well... The miracle-healer they're talking about doesn't exist. There really are no miracles in this world. That "miracle-healer" they are gossiping about is simply a normal person, just like the rest."

Hyunjoong knotted his eyebrows. "Do you know him or her?"

Youngsaeng shrugged. "He used to be very active, he used to actually work in the city and did very well, accomplishing many things. But when he came into the countryside, he realized something he had never realized before. An epiphany. After that, he decided to not work in the city anymore and stayed here."

"How do you know so much?"

He heard a soft chuckle as Youngsaeng stood up, straightening his traditional blue pants. "It's merely a myth. Who knows if it's really true or not? Myths and beliefs raise hope in those who truly care. They used to say that those who don't care suffer the hardest consequences."

Hyunjoong was quite confused as to what Youngsaeng's point was but decided not to ask anything more on that matter was to not raise suspicion. "I hope this isn't a rude question but may I ask how old you are?"

"Ah, I'm twenty four," chimed the boy as he walked over to the fireplace, throwing firewood in to heat up the room.

"I apologize, I'm grateful to you for taking care of me, even though I'm a complete stranger," said Hyunjoong with a small bow. Youngsaeng shook his head. "But don't doctors do that all the time?"

Hyunjoong nodded. "Yes, but it's different. This is your own home while the doctors take care of patients in the hospital."

"All the same, you're still saving a life, aren't you?" Youngsaeng stood up.

The older man stopped, blinking as he realized that the latter was right. He had never noticed and thought that homes were just not the right place to treat patients but Youngsaeng took care of him just fine here without needles for IVs.

"Youngsaeng-ssi..."

"Neh?"

"If you don't mind a hindrance, may I learn from you?"

The latter turned to him in surprise. "Learn? Learn what?"

Hyunjoong his lips in hesitance and slipped off the bed, getting on his knees. Youngsaeng jolted. "Wh-what are you doing? Hurry and stand up. This isn't good for you back!"

"I... I've been observing you as you mixed herbs and such and you really seem to possess a vast amount of knowledge in that field so I want to learn this from you."

Youngsaeng seemed to be thinking as he stared at hm. Hyunjoong couldn't tell due to the mask, looking back up at the man. The younger man shrugged. "I don't know. It's your choice, I don't mind if you do. I mean, visitors are always welcome here but many usually run away because of my mask. Is it really that scary?"

Hyunjoong flashed a grin. "No, I think it's cute, now that I've gotten used to it." He stood up and walked over to Youngsaeng. "I was rude not to introduce myself in the beginning, it completely flew out of my head. I am Kim Hyunjoong, nice to meet you."

Youngsaeng bowed in return. "Neh, nice to meet you, too, Hyunjoong-ssi."

***

For the next few weeks, as Hyunjoong watched Youngsaeng mix herbs and explain to him what each did and where to find him, he began to become more and more suspicious of the man. There were many visitors from the village at the bottom of the mountain during his stay and Youngsaeng told him thoroughly what their sickness was, telling him how to cure them even only with herbs. He never forget what Youngsaeng had told him about that miracle-healer a while before.

"Well... The miracle-healer they're talking about doesn't exist. There really are no miracles in this world. That "miracle-healer" they are gossiping about is simply a normal person, just like the rest."

"He used to be very active, he used to actually work in the city and did very well, accomplishing many things. But when he came into the countryside, he realized something he had never realized before. An epiphany. After that, he decided to not work in the city anymore and stayed here."

"It's merely a myth. Who knows if it's really true or not? Myths and beliefs raise hope in those who truly care. They used to say that those who don't care suffer the hardest consequences."

It seemed strange to him. The whole face that Youngsaeng lived alone up in the mountains he found weird. Mr. Kim, the head doctor, had told him that the miracle-healer lived somewhere deep in the mountains and here he was, deep in the mountains. He had looked over the map over and over again but this location wasn't even on the map. There were no familiar landmarks either. There were numeral times when he had wandered so far by accident that he couldn't find his way back and had to wait for Youngsaeng to find him in the middle of the night.

But even Youngsaeng said it himself. The miracle-healer didn't exist and if Youngsaeng really was the miracle-healer, he would be saying that he, himself, didn't exist. But then he also said that the miracle-healer was a normal person, claiming that everything of the rumors were myths and weren't true.

The last line confused him the most. It was true but it was hard to comprehend.

Hyunjoong lay on the bed with his hands behind his head on the pillow, staring blankly at the dark ceiling as he was in deep thought. No only was he wondering about the miracle-healer, but he was also beginning to wonder what Youngsaeng really looked like under that mask. If it really was that embarrassing to show his face, then perhaps he was ugly?

The man made a face when he thought of a face full of warts and moles, tiny eyes and a giant nose and mouth. That really would be shameful. But when the two were outside, Hyunjoong saw that the latter's hair was actually quite well straightened out down his neck, a light brown color when hit directly under sunlight.

There were also times when he had tried to take the mask off of Youngsaeng's face when the man was sleeping but somehow, was unable to. It seemed as if it was glued to his face yet when Youngsaeng took it off for a second with his back to Hyunjoong, he didn't have any problem.

Hyunjoong stiffened when he heard a shuffling from the other bed and peeked over to see Youngsaeng getting off his bed, slipping his shoes on, and walking across the hut and out the door.

The older man furrowed his eyebrows, curious as to where Youngsaeng was going. Perhaps this could reveal all the hidden truths. Carefully and quietly, he stalked the man with the mask in the shadows. He was cautious as to where to place his feet so he wouldn't crack any twigs. After around ten minutes of creeping, his eyes met with a clear, glistening river at the edge of the forest, on the other side, another forest. It glistened in the moonlight, the water reflected the stars and moon.

Hyunjoong quickly climbed under a bush and watched. Youngsaeng slipped off his shoes and Hyunjoong couldn't look away when he saw the man strip his traditional clothes and step into the starlit water. Youngsaeng's pale skin also seemed to glow under the bright light. If only he took his mask off, then everything would be perfect, unless the man really was that ugly.

The older man froze when he saw Youngsaeng's hand move up to the mask, grasping it and seeming as if he were about to take it off but then to his surprise, Youngsaeng didn't take it off and lowered his hand again.

Hyunjoong's heart pounded against his chest hard until he thought that maybe Youngsaeng could feel it from all the way across from the tremors on the ground. The man waded deeper in the water until the water was up to the middle of his stomach. Youngsaeng had always provided warm, shower water for Hyunjoong with soap and such, never saying much. That's when Hyunjoong realized that he had never seen his "teacher" take a bath back at the hut.

All of a sudden, as Youngsaeng dove under the water, he saw the otter mask floating on the surface of the water. Hyunjoong's eyes widened when Youngsaeng surfaced again, his heavy dripping hair covering his face. As he used his hand and combed his hair back with his fingers, his fair features of his face revealed. Hyunjoong couldn't breathe, unable to rip his gaze off the man.

The latter's eyes twinkled in the starlight and his cheeks were somewhat round, just like the mask. His lips sweetly curved into a gentle smile and the wet hair made him look more than just pretty.

Youngsaeng held in the mask in one hand, facing the moon and splashing water onto himself. In a matter of time, Hyunjoong moved deeper into the bushes as the younger man waded out of the pool and dried himself with a towel before he slipped his clothes back on and put on his mask.

Hyunjoong quickly ran back to the hut and managed to arrive before Youngsaeng. He dived into his bed, pretending he was asleep by the time Youngsaeng stepped into the hut. His heart skipped a beat when he heard footsteps slowly approaching him. They seemed to stop right at his bedside, as if checking if he were asleep. He tried to steady his racing heart and breathe properly. He sighed silently in relief when the footsteps left to the other side of the room.

For the days to come, Hyunjoong couldn't forget that time when he had saw Youngsaeng without the mask, not to mention, completely and soaked. It was breathtaking. The moment played over and over in his head like a broken record. Every time he thought about Youngsaeng's face, his cheeks heated up and he had to slap himself a few times to get out of it. This was the first time he had ever felt like this; his heart was thumping hard and blood seemed to flow faster than before. He even wondered if he was getting high blood pressure.

Every time he saw Youngsaeng, he would blush. He asked the man to take off the mask to let him see but Youngsaeng shook his head, saying that he wasn't confident. Hyunjoong huffed in disappointment and tried to concentrate on what Youngsaeng was explaining to him but couldn't help but glance at Youngsaeng's mask and try to see what was underneath the mask.

"Hyunjoong-ssi, what's wrong? Do you have a fever?" questioned Youngsaeng worriedly when he noticed that Hyunjoong's face seemed unusually red. He placed his cool hand on the latter's forehead and it was quite warm. "I think you have a fever. I think you've been working too hard."

Hyunjoong did feel quite faint and he knew that it was because he kept on staying up late thinking about that night he had followed Youngsaeng to river. He could never sleep and only got around two hours of sleep every night because of it.

Youngsaeng pulled him to the bed and helped him lie down, pulling the covers over again. "I'll cook you some porridge. You stay here for now, alright?"

The latter nodded and watched Youngsaeng's back as the man walked away over to the cauldron-like pot in the middle above the fire. It was smaller than a cauldron though.

He saw Youngsaeng take out a book from a drawer and squinted to read the title. 'Rare Herbs'. The man began to flip through it, as if looking for a specific ingredient. A few seconds later, Youngsaeng looked up. "Sorry, I have to go out for a second. Stay here."

Youngsaeng quickly took a basket from the side and ran out the door, closing it behind him. He left the book behind, leaving it open on his desk. Hyunjoong looked around to make sure nobody was watching and quickly hopped out of bed, running towards the book and looking at the page it was left on.

"What is this...?" he murmured to himself, picking up the book and flipping through it. It really was a book on herbs, a majority were a few he had never seen before.

To his astonishment, he saw that there were even a few herbs that looked exactly the same except their effects were different; such as one could kill you and another could cure you instantly but they were identical as if they were the same flower.

He put down the book and spotted a calender on the wall. It was never there before, at least he didn't notice it. Inspecting it, he saw that it was already October. It had already been almost 4 months since he came here and he was studying under Youngsaeng for about 3 months. The head doctor was probably worried. He needed to leave soon, he knew that.

"I think... I should leave in around two days..." he whispered, looking and seeing which day would be a good time. "But wouldn't it be a little sudden? It's okay... I'm only a disciple... Not really, I guess."

"Hyunjoong-ssi," Youngsaeng's voice came from the door.

He whipped around to see that man with the mask again. Suddenly, he felt his heart melt and didn't want to leave anymore. The resolve he had just a second ago disappeared without a trace. Somehow, he felt that if he left, he would feel guilty. He was already feeling guilty. The only reason he had decided to become an apprentice of his man was so if he could see if Youngsaeng was the miracle-healer or not.

"Youngsaeng-ssi," he started quietly.

Youngsaeng put down the basket on the desk in front of him. "What is it?"

"You're a doctor, right?"

The latter looked up at him. "Yeah. What about it?"

"During the four months, I noticed that you really have a vast amount of knowledge," admitted Hyunjoong. "How come you don't go to the city to work then? You would probably a way higher pay than what you get here. You often get visitors but they don't even give you money for curing their sicknesses."

Youngsaeng sighed, letting go of the handle of the basket. "You know yourself. Doctors are trained to save lives no matter when, where, or how, right?"

Hyunjoong nodded. "Neh..."

"Let me tell you about that myth of the healer again. He used to work in the cities but when he came to the countryside, he stayed here to heal those who were sick, do you know why?"

The latter simply stared at the younger man. Youngsaeng continued. "The villagers can't get treated because hospitals are too expensive. Just because they are poor doesn't mean they don't deserve to be cured of their sicknesses."

Hyunjoong began to understand where Youngsaeng was going from this.

"If I were to leave, then what would happen to all these people?"

At that moment, Hyunjoong felt a burst of adoration in his heart for this man. He, himself, was a professional doctor who had worked for years as a white collar worker in a hospital and never once had he realized what Youngsaeng had just told him.

He looked down, feeling the guilty pit in his stomach dig deeper. He swallowed and decided to unveil the truth.

"Youngsaeng-ssi, I'm sorry," he said. The latter was puzzled. "Sorry for what?"

Hyunjoong took a deep breath. "I know you might not forgive me for this but I am a doctor with a master degree from Seoul. I came hiking in the mountains in search of that miracle-healer because the head doctor gave me the orders to. After you saved my life, I took advantage of you and decided to investigate further into your medical activities to see if you had any secrets. I'm sorry."

He didn't dare look up at that man, afraid of the reaction. His heart was pounding and he could just imagine the betrayed and hurt expression Youngsaeng must've had on his beautiful face. His palms became sweaty and unable to hold back the urge, he glanced up to see the man looking down, his finger tapping on the desk.

"I..." Youngsaeng started quietly. "Sorry, I just need some time alone."

"Wait, Young--" Hyunjoong stopped when he heard the door close and Youngsaeng was already gone. He bit his lower lip and fell to the ground, slamming his fist on the floor in frustration. "Dammit! Why did I-- Just what did I do?"

From that late afternoon, Youngsaeng didn't return. Hyunjoong paced around the hut in worry, combing his fingers through his hair. He didn't know what to do. How was he supposed to confront when Youngsaeng did come back? What if the man kicked him out? He didn't know his way out of the mountains. He would understand if Youngsaeng never forgave him but somehow he felt an aching in his heart and he felt strangely cold.

By the time, the moon rose high up in the sky, indicating the midnight had arrived, Youngsaeng still hadn't come back. Hyunjoong decided not to wait anymore and rushed out in search of the man.

"Youngsaeng-ssi!" he yelled in the woods. He flinched when he heard crows caw and fly out of the trees in flocks but he continued to yell, racing through the trees to find him even though he had absolutely no clue where he was going and was following his guts. "Youngsaeng-ssi!

After bumping into a few trees, tripping over a few snarled roots, and getting scratched by a few branches sticking out, he finally saw that figure of Youngsaeng sitting a cliff, gazing out into the open, his otter mask still on. Panting and his cuts bleeding, he slowly approached the latter, swallowing nervously.

"Youngsaeng-ssi..."

The younger man didn't answer and didn't turn around as a reply either. He sat there, not saying a word. Hyunjoong sat behind him as to not make him feel uncomfortable but continued to talk. "I... What I did was unforgivable, I know but I just wanted you to know something."

Youngsaeng responded softly. "What is it?"

Hyunjoong inched closer. "For the first few weeks until summer turn to fall, I believed I was doing the right thing. At first, I was simply acting like an apprentice but then as time went on, my intentions became pure. I simply enjoyed being by your side and I wanted to learn what you knew. It wasn't an act anymore."

The latter turned to face Hyunjoong, who was now beside him. "Why?"

Hyunjoong looked at him. "Please... can you remove that mask for me?"

Youngsaeng shook his head. "I really don't feel comfortable without the mask."

"Please, just this once," pleaded the older man and grabbed Youngsaeng's hand, clutching it tightly. "I've been with you for several months already. Jebal..."

The younger man hesitated but then slowly, his hand reached up and grasped onto the mask. With slightly trembling hands, he removed it from his face and Hyunjoong stopped breathing. It was even more beautiful than what he had seen before. Without thinking, he leaned in and tilted his head, his eyes fluttering closed and he pressed his lips against the latter's.

In surprise, Youngsaeng pushed Hyunjoong away upon reflex, eyes round with shock and his other hand at his mouth. "What..."

Hyunjoong quickly got on his knees. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I just wanted to tell you that after staying with you, I fell... I fell in love... I mean it! I love you! Even with the mask on all day, I fell in love because you were you. I was curious about your real appearance but this just makes me love you even more. I wouldn't care if you were ugly or not, I love you for you. I'm sorry if this is sudden and I'm sorry if that kiss was disgusting. I really couldn't hold back. I'm sorry... I'm really sorry..."

He continued to look down at the ground, his hands clenched together as he felt tears welled up. There was no answer. That probably meant he was rejected. Without another word, he was about to stand up when Youngsaeng suddenly reached out and grabbed the edge of his shirt. He looked up in surprise and saw Youngsaeng looking out, his gaze flickering down.

"Stay... with me..." he murmured.

Hyunjoong smiled softly and sat down again, bringing Youngsaeng into his arms. He tucked the latter's head into his chest, hugging him tightly. Youngsaeng's arms wrapped around his waist, snuggling closer. A strong wind blew and the otter mask that was on Youngsaeng's lap suddenly lifted and flew off, falling down into the river and rocks below. Youngsaeng's eyes widened and he almost jumped after it when Hyunjoong pulled him back into the hug.

"But--"

"You don't need it anymore," Hyunjoong interrupted, closing his eyes as he tucked his chin in and breathed the fresh scent of Youngsaeng.

Youngsaeng watched as the mask drifted downstream until it disappeared from view. Hyunjoong sighed as he gazed lovingly at Youngsaeng's face, reaching over and caressing the man's soft cheek, cupping it. Youngsaeng closed his eyes, tilting his head to enjoy the gentle touch.

Hyunjoong leaned forward and connected their lips again. This time, Youngsaeng didn't pull away. Instead he closed his eyes, staying there and letting Hyunjoong kiss him.

"I love you..." Hyunjoong whispered, pulling slightly away from the kiss to stare into the latter's eyes as he intertwined their fingers. Youngsaeng smiled softly, his free hand snaking around the older man's neck and tilting his head up as he pressed his lips against Hyunjoong's.