Chapter 12

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Their walk stopped at the edge of the lake so as not to tire Jongin's body too much.

They thus avoided drawing too much on the power of medicinal plants, which didn't soothe the disease itself, but just his muscles and nerves exhausted from suffering.

They then sat down on the grass of the beach, Jongin's back leaning against one of the large rocks planted on the left, the very one behind which he hid to spy on Baekhyun's swims when he was only the legendary Huaiteu Ulpeu.

His arms wrapped around the latter, who had settled against him, between his legs, it was first in silence that they watched the lake and the sun unraveling the last strands of its sheet of morning mist.

Then Jongin planted a kiss on Baekhyun's neck, who threw his head back against his shoulder shivering, his eyelids forced closed over the tears he mustn't let escape...he must smile at him.

A pain of grief lingered in his heart, but he wanted to enjoy their love while he still could. He was unhappy, but he had to love him, while he still could…Love him, while he still could! …Love him, while he still could!… His inner struggle was intense. If he had let himself go, he would have just screamed.

" -Have you always lived in these woods?" Jongin asked suddenly, snapping him out of his tortured thoughts.

" -Yes. Over the centuries I have fallen hopelessly in love with this lake… He said, caressing the thigh of Jongin's right leg, which was folded up against his hip.

" -It's true ?

" -Oh yes. He was my companion for so long... He was my patient friend, when I gazed at him for long hours, my confidant, when I told him of our love and my longing to find you one day, but also the receptacle of my tears, the days of depression and loneliness… when I realized that I was talking to a body of water… the one who had seen you die, with me… but above all, I love this place… because it it is here that you promised to return to me and here that you found me...

" -I died on this beach?"

" -Yes here. He said, pointing to the large, flat white stone that stretched out in the middle of the beach and on which Jongin had unconsciously sat dozens of times to contemplate the lake.

“ -I understood that it was in those mountains, but not that it was in this precise place. My body is somewhere there?

“ -Oh no, they left you here for a while, but the guards came back to get your body. I guess the king realized it would be dirty, if a peasant found the Prince's body lying there in the middle of the mountain.

" -That was King Yongjo, right?

" -Yes.

“ -I believe he was the longest reigning king in Korea.

" -It's unfair that he had a long life, considering what he did... Did he have any other descendants?"

" -I don't know. I was really a donkey in history lesson at school and all that stuck with me was his name and the fact that he died at eighty-one. It may not be so insignificant after all that he marked my mind, when his name came up during the history lesson, if he was my father.

" -Yes. Hearing his name must have caused a flash in your subconscious. Your hatred for him, at least that of Kai, for his father, was so powerful that you were marked by it in your present.

" -Anyway, I'm glad he didn't manage to kill you. That you're still here, with me... in spite of him... it's kind of a victory... what he did to you, what he did to your father is...

" -Shhh... please I don't want to talk about this. He said grimacing in sadness and concentrating on his hand on Jongin's thigh, as the images of his poor father's death and his guilt still haunted his mind.

…

Taken out of bed violently by the king's guards, he had been taken by force to the jails without being informed of anything and had been horrified to find his son gagged and tied on a block, screaming and crying under the whippings of two guards, who seemed to take evil pleasure in it. He had then courageously risen up against his sovereign, the space of a handful of seconds, during which, the king had seized the sword of one of his guards and the following second, his head rolled on the floor in front of Baekhyun's eyes who screamed with rage, pain and mixed pain... He didn't want to think about that anymore.

…

" -Sorry. I won't talk about it anymore, I...

“ -He died without knowing why…by my fault and…and it was horrible and…

" -OK OK don't think about it anymore, I get it. He said, encouraging him to turn his head from his hand to his cheek to kiss him softly.

But Baekhyun, wanting to forget, greedily responding to his kiss, quickly amplified it, and their excitement immediately came to the party.

They then let themselves be carried away by the passion that bound them together, a kiss full of passion and desire, a kiss that screamed their love, a hungry kiss… before they realized where it would lead them if they persisted on this path and they slowly stopped, out of breath.

They both knew that in other circumstances, they would have made love, there, on this beach, but things being what they were, it was with a smile that they embraced and kissed each other again, a little more gently.

Then they broke off again and Baekhyun settled back into Jongin's embrace, who lovingly wrapped his arms around him, his nose buried in his neck.

" -It makes me crazy that I can't honor your body My Treasure...

A shiver going through Baekhyun at the hearing of this turn of phrase and this old name, he closed his eyes once again to hold back his tears.

" -Hey there's my old self again!" Jongin continued. It's really confusing what's going on in my head.

Baekhyun finally smiled and placed a kiss on the corner of his lips.

" -I do want to believe you. The cut fades and it may also cause inconsistencies.

" -But as I know, I don't have to worry about that.

" -No.

" -I imagine that a lot of people with multiple personalities, are considered insane and locked up in asylums, when they are just people who relive their old lives in their memories... That too is something disturbing . I must not be the only one.

“ -There must indeed be others but not that many, because souls must have a quest, a reason, to be cast back into a body in order to reincarnate.

" -You were my quest then...

“ -Yes, you had to come back to me, because you promised me. He said, his right thigh more fully.

“ -I never would have thought it worked that way. I didn't believe in reincarnation at all anyway. It's... He trailed off before sighing in relief. Hmmm...Baek'...

" -Is it good ?

" -Ah yeah…very… He said, blowing softly near his ear, his eyes closed.

Baekhyun's caress on his thigh, had gradually changed into a light, barely pressed massage, lengthening his leg so far slightly bent by his foot flat on the ground and it was so relaxing, that his mind sank. was frozen in that feeling and suddenly made him forget what he was saying.

“ -Maybe I could massage your whole body, it would balance the flow of your energies.

" -My energies?

" -It's tantrism...

" -For libido issues?"

“ -No, tantrism is not only about the ual, physical or relational aspect of well-being. It also concerns the spiritual, the psychic... I'm sure that a session could bring you a lot of well-being and that's what you need, failing to be able to cure you...

" -And you could do that?

" -You know i could.

" -How do I know that?

" -We've done this kind of thing before, you and I for the…relationship side. He finished with a mischievous smile.

A flash of very clear images in Jongin's mind and...

" -Oh yeah...relationship indeed, that's coming back to me! And I remember… some details… about your body… He said before biting his lower lip.

“ -Yes your hands know me by heart, they have already proven it.

" -It's true. Said Jongin with a smile.

Baekhyun smiled back.

" -So ? Would you be ok with a massage session that was…relaxing?

" -If you think it might be useful.

" -Yes, I'm sure.

" -So it's okay. When do we begin ?

" -First of all we're going to start with that little bath in the lake, which we talked about yesterday.

“ -Hmmm… Jongin shook. I have shivers in advance.

" -Don't worry the sun is high and warming already, can you feel that?

Jongin nodded when he saw that the sun's rays were indeed warming their faces and Baekhyun smiled.

" -So let's go ?

" -Let's go !

Kissing his lips beforehand, Baekhyun then pulled away from him, before standing up and extending his hand to help him up off the ground.

Quickly on his legs, Jongin then in turn pulled on his hand to make him come against him and they hugged, before kissing again... for a long time... lovingly... with the desire never to interrupt...

../..