The Legend of Nakrang

Peep

It was almost funny how the same thing, when done by different people, could have such a profoundly different impact.

Hyun Bin almost sighed with pleasure as Yejin gently massaged his scalp, slowly working the hibiscus leaf wash into every lock and strand.

In the days before her arrival at Jolbon, the Crown Prince had been having his hair washed by randomly-assigned male servants.

It had been awkward, somewhat humiliating and not at all pleasurable in the least.

He had dreaded and detested bath time in those few days.

On the other hand, the Crown Prince thought, if what he was experiencing now was going to be his new daily bath routine...

...bath time would be amazing.

Would twice a day be too much to ask? He wondered inwardly, until she interrupted.

"Please lean forward, Your Royal Highness." Yejin shyly asked.

Hyun Bin complied, before warm water was repeatedly poured over his head, rinsing all visible traces of the hibiscus leaf wash out of his hair.

Bending over, the sight that greeted Hyun Bin's eyes was that of soapy water sloshing around princess' dainty feet, which were currently marred by angry-looking blisters and scratches.

That was the clearest evidence of her concern for him, he thought.

Yejin had not elaborated on the hardship she had gone through to reach him, but one look at her feet was enough to tell the prince all he needed to know.

Returning to a sitting position, the prince felt another rush of self-consciousness as Yejin delicately wiped his face with a washcloth, dabbing off the water which had inevitably run onto his face.

Up close, she looked endearingly childlike as she focused on the task at hand.

"Your Royal Highness, you have very smooth skin." Yejin softly commented. "Enviably smooth. What do you do to it?"

Hyun Bin chuckled somewhat bashfully. "I do not do anything special to my face, actually."

"May I touch...?" The princess asked, eliciting a nod from the Crown Prince.

As if appreciating a piece of art, Yejin gingerly traced the contours of Hyun Bin's cheek with her fingers. Then she grew bolder, ever so slightly, brushing the pad of her thumb over his cheekbone.

Despite his very masculine appearance, the Crown Prince's skin was indeed very soft, and his hair silky smooth, Yejin concluded, now that she had touched it for herself.

The contrast between his intensely masculine physical attributes, and the unexpected softness of his skin and hair came across as intoxicatingly attractive to the princess.

As she tenderly smoothed his long wet hair back, brushing matted strands out of his features, Yejin quietly concluded that Hyun Bin was incredibly handsome not just in the physical sense.

He was handsome from the depth of his eyes, in which swam unconcealed appreciation for her, to the unbelievably gentle expressions of his baritone voice.

He was handsome from the regal, respectful and dignified way he addressed others, to the bashful smiles that she had the good fortune of witnessing.

He was handsome from the way he seemed to come to life in her company, so much so that he could forget the mask - the boring, stoic one - that he wore for others.

Hyun Bin was anything but boring and stoic, and Yejin was grateful to know that.

She gently scooped up some of the herbal honeylocust water, carefully running it over Hyun Bin's right shoulder. Thankfully, the skin and flesh was no longer raw after a week, though his shoulder was still far from having fully recovered.