Desert • Flower | TaeJin || BOOK 3#

X. Knowing a little more about the strange lord

"I'm sorry. She eats too much."

"It's okay. Seok once swallowed all of my mother's decorative rocks. It was a terrible scandal. That at least grows back."

Jin watches with discomfort and some nervousness as Eunji keeps eating some of the vegetation in the yards. It's the only thing she can eat that helps her stay strong. Her fangs do not allow her to tear flesh in any way. Something comical happens and that is that the dragon with dark, corrugated scales approaches her. It carries a huge rock in its snout that could well crush the head of the weaker and more delicate looking dragon.

Eunji stares at Seok with startled surprise and a bit of strangeness because it's not exactly normal for someone to be dragging rocks around. Seok puts the rock down and looks at her as if he were a puppy, waiting for some sort of approval. Eunji continues with his food without paying attention to it and finally what was about to happen happens, a terrible sound is heard, Eunji almost chokes on his food. Seok took a huge bite of the rock and chews it, his fangs are not sharp, but they are very big and have the shape of a saw that allows him to tear practically anything.

For him it is very easy to eat anything, however, his favorite is rock. With that it becomes bigger and it is easier to detect the minerals embedded in the ground. Taehyung covers his face with one hand. He has a slight impression that Seok really liked Eunji and about to say that the dragon is not the least bit interested in him. His giddy dragon is trying to impress her, at least it seems that way. That's the only thing he can think of with this behavior.

As Taehyung turns around with the intention of making a joke about it, he notices Jin walking away down the corridor. Although the days that have passed, they have not talked much. Jin is very reserved, very quiet, even when he speaks he can only hear a miserable trickle of voice, Taehyung would say that he even tries to keep himself in check so as not to draw attention to himself. Jin doesn't wear hanbok that have come for him, nor does he dress up the way he has seen the kisaeng usually dress up. He wants to go unnoticed, but his pink hair won't allow it is the most voluminous thing anyone is going to encounter. It's awkward and a little clumsy, Taehyung feels just like his dragon at the moment: trying to get the attention of someone doesn't care about.

~ * * * ~

Jin is noticed which Taehyung goes way down into, what looks like, some sort of cave behind the dwelling. It is practically subway, although he sees people going in and out, he is struck by the fact that he is the lord of the house. Accompanying his comings and goings there are slight tremors on the ground, making Jin think that something is happening down there. It scares him to think that it is something bad, he is already getting used to being here. For the good things, he doesn't need time to get used to it, it practically happens instantly. Much less in something that is the way of life he is used to, not traveling, starving, being cold, surviving under the sun almost incessantly.

Jin wants to find out how much Taehyung is doing down there, if it's something bad and thus make a run for it. When he sees it going up he risks going behind some decorative rocks, hiding the entrance so he can get through. Jin is surprised to find stairs, large handrails, lamps on the ceiling; everything is perfectly designed despite being earth and solid rock.

It is much better done than some of the village houses in the more frontier areas of Korea. Jin hears laughter and people talking, it surprises him as he reaches the back, holding the hanbok cloth he wears. He finds people having their own village down here. There is no difference between a village up there and this one, except of course that the sun doesn't shine directly in, at least not everywhere. There are some crops, houses made of wood and earth, people doing carpentry, having stalls, children running around, animals going here and there; some keeping their livestock together, and so on.

This takes Jin off base. He thought there would be something wrong, not that there would be people living here and after a few moments he realizes what is the particular detail of this place they are all Japanese.

Or most of them

"Are you new here?" Jin gives a little jump at a lady's question, she speaks Korean very awkwardly, he could barely understand her. "Mr. Taehyung didn't tell us anyone else had arrived, although you look very Korean. Maybe you are from here, you just arrived."

"Yes... I just... arrived a month or so ago... like that" Jin stammers still stunned. "Why are you here? Is Mr. Taehyung keeping you here?"

"No no no no, not at all, he gave us this place for us to keep us safe. Mr. Taehyung created this cave for us to take shelter because we come from Japan, the war was not very bad" explains the lady in a hurry and almost shocked that Jin dares to say something like that. "Mr. Taehyung is someone very kind he is someone very loving".

"How do you know? I don't think you know him that well?" Jin contradicts curious what can they say to them, from the workers he can't trust, they are going to say they love and adore him because he is their lord.

"Not even in our country they had not treated as people. No one, in our country or in this country had not treated us in the same ways that he treats us. We will be eternally grateful that he treats us like people, and not like animals or a nuisance." explains the woman moving a little her hair that came to her face.

Jin clenches his hands and looks around. It seems all very normal and almost perfect, why everything here looks like that. It's like it came out of a fairy tale. That kind of perfect lord he always dreamed of when he was just learning to be a Kisaeng. A ball collides against his foot, the kids talk to him in Japanese, makes him not understand them, but his common sense leads him to kick the contact forcefully that hits one in the face.

"OUCH! SORRY!"

Jin runs to see that nothing happened to him and the only thing you find that the boy laughs, he didn't even understand what happened. Eunji gives a snort, the scare got even her. She lets a couple of girls climb on her back, curious and starts gurgling at a smaller boy who tries to nuzzle her nose. Jin gives a soft smile as the children giggle with their dragon; more people approach to see him, murmuring and speaking in Japanese. In spite of being incomprehensible, they give the sensation that they don't speak badly, everything sounds so harmonious and sweet.

Jin would like to know Japanese to understand them, but he is sure that he will not be able to learn it now or in this life. Jin was downstairs for a while, those who know Korean being some who were kidnapped to Japan and were able to come back here, told him a little bit about their arrival, the fact that Taehyung just welcomed them and gave them a space in the cave; that the reason for the tremors is to increase it every so often and so he doesn't have to be cramped.

It is very sweet, too sweet. Jin considers Taehyung to be unlike anyone he has ever met.

~ * * * ~

"I noticed you went down the cave today."

"I'm sorry my lord I didn't think I was going to bother you."

"You don't bother me at all" Taehyung remains slightly wary and cautious, contrary to his playful attitude and childish house. "However, Jin, I need you to understand that this must remain a secret. If anyone were to find out, I have no doubt they would have my entire house burned down, murder my workers, everyone I shelter, and then me after putting the family name my parents left me to shame."

"I would be incapable of ratting you out, my lord. I can't be ratted out either."

"Did you do something wrong?"

Jin doesn't answer, he just continues his meal in total silence.

. . .

Sometimes Taehyung finds it hard to sleep because of the sound they detect, the floor is a kind of inability he is losing over time, they feel more and more. He starts to walk through the corridors of the house to find some sleep and this time, in the process, Taehyung accidentally found a scene that was the strangest to him. Jin is throwing up in a bucket and seems to have been crying for a while, he wonders how could have missed it if it is so quiet in the house, he should be able to hear it even in his room. Taehyung was tempted to approach him to ask him if he is fine, but decided to leave him alone when noticed that Jin locked himself in his room and continues there in silence.

Coupled with his still mysterious escape, Taehyung wonder what is forcing Jin to be so quiet.