Mythical/historical AU

The sun was barely risen when he found it, laying in the grass, wet from the morning dew. The fog in the forest created a mysterious air as the sunlight pierced through the floating mists. The heaviness in the atmosphere was casting a sign. A warning. And Yongguk should had known.

The white fur gleamed under the sunlight, a peculiar running gold stream that disappeared with a whip of white light. Yongguk raised a brow at the strange sight and blamed his weakened eyesight on his tedious handiwork.

He nursed the odd creature which was grasping onto the last of its life with its shallow breathes. It was larger than a house cat but too lean to be an adolescent tiger. It did not even have stripes of a tiger. They were faint red lines that seemed to fade with the shift of the light. But it was small enough for Yongguk to carry it home. Yongguk thought it was a strange looking lynx.

However, as the days passed by, Yongguk's uneasiness grew. The animal was too intelligent to be an average beast. It had a twinkle in its eyes. Whenever their eyes met, Yongguk felt transparent. 

Chills ran down Yongguk's spine as the creature lept down from its makeshift bed one night and as if an ominous sign, the wind whistled and wrestled with the windows. Is it coming to eat him now that it is healed from its injuries? Perspiration formed like beads on Yongguk's forehead as the beast cornered him and bared its fangs, the glaring glint in its intelligent eyes rooting Yongguk to the ground.

His knees gave way and he cowered under his arms, praying for his life as the strange beast lept off the ground towards him.

Boo, it said.

It was not claws that grasped his forearms, but human hands. Calloused, boyish, human hands. He looked up and saw the same pair of intelligent eyes beaming at him with the joy it could not express in its bestial form. It-- He observed Yongguk's features as if it had not spent the last couple of nights in Yongguk's house and eating from his hand. The young man had features of a blessed beauty one of its kind. Those eyes that had unnerved him looked harmless and amiable upon the handsome face.

The creature-turned-man was adamant on staying with Yongguk. It saw Yongguk to be a great shelter for its weakened form. For somebody deemed demon to humans, the mountain spirit received great care from the isolated carpenter, even when he revealed his true identity. Yongguk's acceptance and lack of hostility was unusual for the mountain spirit who lived more than five centuries and then more which he lost count of. Yongguk, the human name rolled strangely on his tongue, was unlike those that were out to kill anything they feared but didn't understand.

To repay his kindness, the mountain spirit wanted to make Yongguk happy.

Fortune?

Yongguk shook his head.

Strength?

Yongguk shook his head.

Power?

Yongguk shook his head.

Wisdom?

Yongguk looked up slightly and the mountain spirit knew he had piqued his interest. He smiled.

Humans have desires. It is in their nature. The mountain spirit did not look down on that. He, too, was born with flaws that could not be altered.

Just when he was to ask the quiet carpenter how much of the wisdom he wanted, Yongguk scoffed.

How can wisdom be given just like that? 

The carpenter returned to his work and paid the spirit no more attention. Surprised by the man's words, the spirit stared and frowned. He was unlike any human. There was nothing wrong about him, but it made the spirit feel a tad bit unhappy. 

There must be something he wanted. He's a man after all.

The mountain spirit was keened on repaying Yongguk, even if the man insisted that the gesture of kindness was for the sake of itself and nothing more. The mountain spirit lingered around Yongguk and pretended to be human, wearing Yongguk's clothes and mimicking human actions to play Yongguk's distant cousin--Daehyun was the human name Yongguk gave him-- before the neighbours in the village.

It was alright having the mountain spirit around. He had powers that made felling as easy as a flick of the wrist. Owing to his extraordinary strength and powers, Yongguk could spare the hard labour in collecting wood for his work. The mountain spirit knew which tree to fell and did something strange to the furniture Yongguk made. The furniture was sturdier and gained Yongguk more business than usual. In return, Yongguk repaid the mountain spirit with foods the spirit loved. Without the need for nutrition and sustenance, the mountain spirit was merely eating for enjoyment and Yongguk laughed at the strange sight. The mountain spirit looked abashed but could not give up the chicken in its hands.

The presence of the mountain spirit blessed Yongguk with more profits and lighter labour. That gave him more time to sculpt wood, something he hadn't had time to do for ages. Yongguk looked focused, absolutely lost in his own world when he carved wood. Beautiful they were, those sculptures, but the mountain spirit was more intrigued by the man himself. Perched atop one of the raw trunks, the mountain spirit wondered if the man who lived alone, surrounded with his woodwork, had something he truly desired. 

He landed on the floor without a sound, stepping slowly towards the focused carpenter as he transformed into something else.

He stood before Yongguk's desk and waited as the carpenter looked up and jumped in fright, almost losing a finger to his carving knife.

Is this what you want? The mountain spirit asked earnestly and Yongguk's shock turned into slight annoyance.

Even such beauty-- you do not want it? The mountain spirit was taken aback. He had never failed to mesmerise any man in the skin of a beautiful woman. He edged close to Yongguk and pushed the carving knife out of the carpenter's hand, holding the wood-powdered hands in his own and sat in the man's lap. He was too fast for Yongguk to stop him as he planted kisses on either side of Yongguk's face.

Daehyun! His name was yelled but he did not feel guilty. He kissed Yongguk on the lips to silence the man but got shoved away roughly, his back meeting the wooden workdesk with force. That little pain was not enough to deter him. He needed Yongguk to admit to his desires. He was determined to make Yongguk give in. Humans, they always have something they wanted no matter who they are.

Yongguk's reluctance only spurred him on as he kissed the man forcefully. Yongguk, shocked and repulsed, opened his eyes and were met with enchanting hazel eyes. Angered, Yongguk stilled and gave no response to the misbehaving spirit. Affected by Yongguk's sternness, the spirit stopped and blandly stared at the man before chiding him for being boring. 

It seemed the spirit was intent on awakening Yongguk's lust. He stayed in the form of a woman and stuck close to Yongguk all day. Yongguk paid him no extra attention and carried on his work as usual, making the spirit cut down trees and carry logs for him. Daehyun called him ungentlemanly but it only made Yongguk chuckle with real amusement. 

You're not a woman, you're a mountain spirit!

Daehyun didn't like that but he didn't let Yongguk see his frown as he turned away to another aged wood.

One night, Yongguk was awoke by the rain and got up to close the windows. He found Daehyun in his original form of a young man in his sleep. He must have let his guard down. Yongguk squatted beside Daehyun's makeshift bed and observed his features. He merely chuckled goodnaturedly when the spirit awoke with a jump and chided him.

It's been so long since I've seen your true self, Yongguk said. I like your real appearance more than that woman. Change back tomorrow!

Yongguk, amused, went back to bed and fell asleep quickly. But Daehyun was kept awake for the night.

To Yongguk's surprise, Daehyun did listen to him and returned to his original form. But something was unusual and Daehyun was the only one feeling it.

Daehyun's holiday in the human realm had to come to an end. The other spirits were beckoning his return and who knows when he could come back to see Yongguk. Yongguk was sad, talking about the loss of a friend but Daehyun felt something more miserable than that. 

Yongguk, would you give me something before I leave. I want to remember you.

In his own realm, time will go by in decades and centuries. By the time he realised, Yongguk would have already died and reincarnated a hundred times.

Daehyun kept his sorrow hidden as he watched Yongguk carve a miniature mimicry of himself. Yongguk threaded it with a string and tied it around Daehyun's neck. Carressing the smooth wood under his fingertips, Daehyun smiled brightly at Yongguk but who knows how heartbroken he felt inside.

Humans, they have desires. Maybe he's spent too much time with them.

Daehyun gave no time for Yongguk to say goodbye. The night he promised Yongguk to go to the nearby river to catch dragonflies the next day, he disappeared and left behind the necklace and his human name. Afraid of being forgotten, he wanted Yongguk to have the replica of himself. As upset and vexed as he could be, Yongguk could not do anything but bid his goodbye to the four walls of his isolation. 

A decade passed and Yongguk's craft became well-known and sought after. Only the greatest craftsmen could carve for the emperor and as Yongguk marvelled in the grandeur of the palace, he wondered if this was all because he had a certain mountain spirit working his magic behind his back. Unlike the others who fought f