My Lost Prince (English translation)

Chapter 2: How to be a prince

After filling his belly, Junior was taken to a pension. This was where Mark and Shindong were staying, at least for that period of time. The owner of the pension was an old gisaeng in a bad mood, but she melted when she saw Mark, because she thought he was incredibly handsome. She wore carmine on her lips and liked dressing red hanboks. Shindong hated her because she always disturbed him and shouted at him, while Mark was given sweet words and fresh and warm food every day. When she saw Junior, she was irritated, because she didn't want a beggar living in her pension. However, Mark convinced her that the young man was a traveling friend who had been robbed, and would be looking after him from now on.

The pension's employees prepare a wooden tub with hot water so that Junior could take a shower. It was his first bath. Before that, he had only bathed in the river that was close to the temple. He went into the small room, looked at the walls, at the tub ... It all seemed like a dream. When he entered the tub and felt his skin touch the warm water, the boy almost passed out from the satisfaction. The smell of the rose essence placed in the water seemed to take him to paradise. He lay down inside the tub, closed his eyes and gradually lost consciousness, and a few minutes later, in his dreams, he could hear a sound of familiar music:

I'm still dreaming

Like moonlight blurred in the night sky

The person in my dazzling memories

I only vaguely remember

You came from the scattering of flowers in the wind

I smell your warm aroma

Our meeting was very short because ...

Mark was concerned. Junior had been in the bath for over two hours. After calling him countless times, the foreigner decided to enter the bath compartment to see what was happening. When he entered, silence. It was then that he realized that Junior was sleeping inside the tub. Only his head was out of the water. His hair was completely wet, whose water droplets fell and ran down his face. He had whiter skin than Mark imagined. Because of the dirt that covered his face this had not been noticed.

Mark came over to watch him more closely. That young man was too handsome to be just a beggar. Instinctively and wanting to see his face in more detail, Mark touched his wet hair and pushed it away from his face. The two were very close at the moment.

Junior opened his eyes, startled. Mark felt a burning pain in his left cheek. A slap.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" He asked scared, causing the water in the tub to spill into the room.

"You hurt me! That hurt!" Said Mark, holding his face after being slapped. "Damn, this will leave a mark!"

"You scared me! What are you doing here? Did you want to see me naked?" He asked, and then grabbed a towel to cover his lower body.

Mark blushed. That was not his intention. He was just worried and went to check if anything had happened. Why was that guy drawing that kind of conclusion?

"I ... I ... You were here for hours! I thought you were dead!"

Seeing how disconcerted Mark was, the boy calmed down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just fell asleep here ... I had never bathed in a tub before ... It was wonderful ... I am very grateful that you brought me here ..."