Yesteryear

Immortality

Wooyoung's thoughts were full of Suusaandar. In the time window between going to bed in the evening and waking at the next day that he would use to get in touch with Mingi, he knew nothing else but the way the man's veils had fluttered around his body and how his sensual lips had wrapped around the soft plum. Wooyoung had spent half of the night outside in the lush gardens after the man had left, and he swore the plum had tasted more divine than any he had ever eaten before.

Waking with his mind occupied with the other man's dark eyes had Wooyoung turn to bury his head in his pillow. He yearned for the Suusaandar in a way he had never yearned before. This yearning was feverish, as if Wooyoung's senses had become addicted to the other man like a drug. He knew that was the exact ploy the concubine established. To reel fools in to be on their knees for him and gave him anything he asked for with a bat of his lashes. Wooyoung wanted to call himself a moron for falling for the age-old game, but he couldn't bring himself to it. Suusaandar was simply ravishing. He deserved all the attention on him.

The modern man in Wooyoung disliked how primal and sexually oriented the attention towards Suusaandar (his own included) was. Rather than people merely lusting for him, Wooyoung wondered if he wished for a loving embrace and if he ever felt lonely without touches of authentic affection. Wooyoung knew that his conception of romance settled between people only far later, long after Suusaandar would have become the dust that the desert carried through the skies. Yet, his thoughts as he got dressed only coursed around the satisfaction of the concubine. Was a lavish life enough for an ancient Babylonian? Would history bestow him with an unlikely lover that freed him from his confinements as an object of desire to run away with him through the night?

Wooyoung regretted not kissing him last night in the gardens. The tension had been there, the invitation obvious. The chance would never come again, and Wooyoung would leave soon.

Sunken in his own mind-space, Wooyoung arrived at Mingi's room. He knocked on the door gingerly as to not disturb the man if he were still sleeping. A moment after, however, Mingi opened the door to usher Wooyoung in with a big smile.

"Good morning! How have you been while I was gone? I got us breakfast." Celebratory, Mingi gestured at the ground. He had laid out two pillows for them to sit on and prepared a feast of fruit, meat, bread, and sweets. Wooyoung's stomach grumbled at the sight. Flattered by Mingi's early morning preparations to greet a sleepy Wooyoung with, Wooyoung sat down with him.

"I visited the gardens last night. They are truly a gift by the gods," Wooyoung recounted. He didn't mention Suusaandar, since he was unsure whether that would alarm Mingi. Their nightly encounter would stay a secret between Wooyoung and him.

"They are, yes! In just a few years, the king created such a marvellous place! I spend my evenings out there often and just listen to nature and watch the stars. It's a dreamy garden!"

What had Suusaandar done out there? Also doted on the stars? Relished in his hours of peace? Wooyoung had interrupted his lonesomeness.

"It truly is," Wooyoung said, "I hope to find more places like these during my travels but I believe it to be too unique to replicate." And it was. He knew best.

Mingi's chest swelled with pride. He hid his smirk behind a bite of bread. His gaze soon returned to curiosity after Wooyoung had mentioned his departure.

"Right, let us review my research today so you won't have to linger too long. Will you have time to visit the tower with me tomorrow?"

"I can spare a day more for that, yes," Wooyoung smiled. He wanted to stay forever, but Yongguk already had the new location for him. Getting caught up in the past was never good in Wooyoung's job. He knew not to linger in a dream.