이무기의 복 (Mourning Bride)

14. A Kiss

The cherry blossoms on the trees perished after only a few weeks of blessing Hanyang with their beauty. Spring passed fast in Joseon and summer established itself with the deafening hums of cicadas, summer rain, and humidity that had San's hair curl after just minutes of being outside. Rather than the gardens, San liked to hide in the shadow of his room and sprawled out on the floor to get some soothing coldness. Dragons didn't sweat, so he didn't get sticky, but he also didn't cool down well. The heat was torture on his body that was used to cold water.

Seonghwa noticed his struggle with the changing temperatures. He offered San to take cold baths more often or to cool his feet in the pool in his foyer. San suffered, and while the humans pitied him, they couldn't relate well to this struggle, for they were used to this climate.

San used the accumulating heat as an excuse to leave the building occasionally and to relax in the shade of the stables. The building was partly made of stone that sucked the heat from it and usually remained chilly despite the temperature of the horses. Since San wasn't allowed to bathe in the pond for his nude appearance was improper for anyone to see in the open, he insisted that the refreshing attic of the stables and the beds of hay serviced him just as well. Seonghwa let him go begrudgingly when Hongjoong asked him to go easy on San.

Thus, San had another excuse not to finish his speech that caused him so many migraines. He liked words, but he was bad at picking them when he was forced to. In the stables with Wooyoung, he found he had much more fun than brooding over his papers.

Sporadically, Wooyoung brought fruit with him to share with San while they talked. Neither upheld etiquette nor stiff postures. They had the time of their lives staring at the ceiling of the attic or petting horses while a million conversations passed between them. Wooyoung's wisdom differed from the dragons' and they captivated each other with their knowledge.

On some days, San stayed until the late evening when the sun disappeared and the temperatures got bearable again. Most of those times when they took breaks between their talks, San's mind wandered to his affections for both Seonghwa and Hongjoong, and to the evening he had seen them with each other.

Wooyoung lay by his side, munching on an apple when San spoke up about it. He trusted Wooyoung. He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't get carried to the wrong ears. Unlike Seonghwa, whom San doubted since he and Hongjoong had exchanged their enlightenments about San.

"Do humans kiss a lot?"

Wooyoung hummed, unperturbed by the random topic that didn't match their prior one. He followed the wanderings of San's mind as if the path was laid out clear as day for him.

"We do. We kiss our loved ones, our families, and our friends. I heard in some countries, it can even be a courtesy upon first meetings. I kissed the palace dog before."

San chuckled at the unexpected confession.

"Have you kissed many people?"

"I enjoy kissing my younger brother because he is the sweetest rice cake. I show a lot of my affection through it. Though I am not married, so I never kissed a person deeply."

San came up short.

"Married people kiss more?"

"But of course. They lie together, so their affections are much more physical than those of friends." Wooyoung's voice had spiked curiously and the hay under his head rustled when he turned his head to look at San. Careful of his antlers, San did the same, hay getting stuck in his hair.

"The king never kissed me."

Surprised, Wooyoung hid his gulp behind his apple. Once his mouth was free, his voice lowered to a hushed whisper, even when the other servants had left long ago to rest in their homes. Night at the palace brought a blissful silence while the animals came out of their hiding spots to enjoy their time in exchange.