Chapter Text
Hyunjin's breath hitches when the brisk water of the stream gets splashed against his face. He knows by now to quickly shut his eyes close as Yongbok begins to roughly scrub at his face, trying to remove the last traces of his make-up. Yongbok’s hands, which to the eye appear dainty and delicate aggressively roam around Hyunjin’s features, brushing at his brow bone. Feeling somewhat used to the routine, Hyunjin silently sits through the discomfort without making too much of a fuss but his facial expression does scrunch up as if he had just bitten into a ripe lemon.
“It’s not coming off..” Yongbok mumbles, more to himself because Hyunjin knows better than to open his mouth while the smaller continues to scrape at his face in earnest. He has now resorted to using his knuckles and at this Hyunjin does end up letting out a groan before he blindly reaches out to push Yongbok aside.
“It’s fine,” Hyunjin gets up from where he was crouching, his hands coming up to pat at his face in an attempt to dry it before he dares to peak through his wet lashes. “I’m sure you got most of it off.”
From where he’s standing, he looks down at his friend who was still squatted down, his hands lazily pooling in the stream. Not much is left for them to be said, not while the exhaustion had just hit them after a long day spent training. Hyunjin hated days like today the most, where they would focus on practicing martial arts and archery for hours upon hours. The only breaks they got being limited to a quick stuffing of their stomachs in between sparring and the occasional meditating session. Usually, his friends would feel recharged after meditation, returning to the practice grounds with newfound vigor but being alone with nothing but his thoughts never did Hyunjin any good. Instead, it just gave his brain the perfect opportunity to dwell on everything he lacked and focus on all the tiny errors he had previously presented that day during training.
Hyunjin wasn’t weak per se, he was one of the tallest after all, but when it came to martial skills, he definitely fell short when being compared to his peers. It mostly came down to his balance and focus, striking often just a tad bit too late or being unable to forecast a blow and getting shoved to the ground. Originally, Hyunjin had only been scouted to join the Hwarang for what most others presumed were his fair looks but people quickly began to realize he actually excelled in many skills such as creating poetry and reciting classics. At first, being a good soldier had not mattered much to him, up until recently he could very well blend into the group and not stand out during a mock battle but with Shilla’s increasing efforts to unify the peninsula in an attempt to reign over its entire capacity, they’d likely be dispatched to some battlefront soon. The chief officers hadn’t necessarily mentioned anything like this to them but with them heavily prioritizing martial practice over the art and spiritual lately the Hwarang members had all been able to make sense of their possible motives overtime. For some this had resulted in a tense atmosphere which was definitely the case for Hyunjin and his friend Seungmin while the more battle-driven portion of the bunch had gotten excited, reckless even, as they picked up the pace, starting to lose some of their original elegant charms. It made him wonder what had even been so elitist about them anymore.
With his head slouched down to hide his fatigue, Hyunjin made his way back home while his wet hair uncomfortably prickled against the skin of his neck. Tired elbows and shoulders of the boys around him, especially Yongbok and Seungmin, occasionally bumped into his body unintentionally while he was sandwiched between the two of them. They had started off their day before sunrise, so he was especially desperate to get home before the dark and picked up his pace to walk just a few steps ahead of his friends. It didn’t make much sense for him to take the lead as the other two found their ways back home before him, Hyunjin still having to walk on for a while before he would reach his residence located in one of the better parts of town.
Despite his original determination to get home before dark, Hyunjin finds himself going off-route as the sun had already started to set before his eyes, no longer bothered to make it home on time although his body craved sleep. The scent of a deep summer’s night proving to be ever as intoxicating and prompting him on to stroll around for just a little while longer. Swiftly swinging his arms next to his sides, he lets himself be led into the open space before him as he decides he likes his surroundings like this the best, completely void of people. He takes his time to recall the events of his day with a more lighthearted approach as compared to when he couldn’t block out his string of negative thoughts during meditation under strict supervision of one of the monks earlier. Around him he can hear nothing but the buzzing of cicadas, but the sound is being subdued by his thoughts as he tries thinks of how he could become a more martially skilled soldier. It makes his head throb and he’s about to grab for his head until he’s distracted by what sounds like loud grunting. Hyunjin’s not sure from what direction he had heard the noise as both the throbbing of his head and the clicking cicadas made it difficult for him to make sense of any other sounds. In the end it becomes even louder and Hyunjin stumbles towards what he thinks is the right direction. Pulling himself together for a moment, he figures it would be better to approach whatever the source of the noise was carefully as he begins the slip past stone walls back to a more wooded area. As Hyunjin got closer, he could make out fires in the distance and he could even hear laughter rather than grunting which made him feel more relaxed.
Perhaps too relaxed as he soon heard the all too familiar release of a bowstring followed by a loud thud as an arrow pierced right next to his head into the damaged bark of an old tree behind him. Hyunjin’s pupils were blown wide and his heart was violently beating against his chest as he reached to grip the tree from behind to stabilize himself all while franticly trying to locate the shooter.
“Who are you? Come show yourself!” A voice demanded and Hyunjin traced it back to a dark figure standing behind one of the firepits ahead of him.
Pushing himself up, Hyunjin hesitates before taking his next step but he surely wouldn’t dare to disobey after seeing firsthand just how precise of an archer the other was. Hyunjin thought the shot was all the more impressive considering the distance it traveled as it took him quite a while to get closer to the figure.
With his hands raised and palms spread out open in front of his chest, he slowly approached the shooter only to find out he wasn’t alone. He felt a knot forming in his stomach as he focused on yet another person appearing from where he couldn’t see before. From where he was standing now, with his chest raising irregularly, he could make out two men who were around his age. They were dressed in loose and dirty clothing and Hyunjin noticed his shooter must have been at least two heads shorter than him. It, however, didn’t make the man any less intimidating as he still had one fist tightly clenched around his bow. Hyunjin let his gaze shift over for a second to inspect the other man who appeared to be just slightly taller than his companion yet was holding a dagger in his hand and an another object Hyunjin couldn’t identify in his other hand.
Clearing his throat, Hyunjin turned his attention back to the shooter who had started to make his way over, causing the taller to stop in his tracks. “I don’t mean any harm! I was just going for a night stroll, I swear,” Hyunjin manages to blurt out before being interrupted.
“You’re a Hwarang?” The shorter man spits out in a questioning tone as he gets closer to Hyunjin.
Hyunjin figures the traces of red, handcrafted cosmetics probably still evident on his face under the moonlight must have been a dead giveaway to his identity. That or his attire which obviously declared his status as he stuck out like a sore thumb between the soberly dressed individuals before him.
He can only nod in response, still not daring to lower his hands although the shorter man’s expression had turned into something he could only identify as close to apologetic.
“Shit... I’m so sorry, man,” he apologizes as he dashes forward to pat at Hyunjin’s shoulders as if he was attempting to patch him up from his shock while the taller just remained frozen. “Do you think you could stay quiet about this? I thought you were like an animal, or worse... a barbarian! Look, I’m a soldier, so we’re kind of colleagues? But if anyone finds out I tried shoot a Hwarang, I’m fucking dead.”
Hyunjin swallows thickly, he can’t be sure the other won’t turn on him and just kill him to save his own ass if he wouldn't comply. Not that he didn’t want to, he would never want to ruin the someone's career like that, despite just being shot at. He could definitely see where the other was coming from, this late at night even the slightest things could appear as a threat. He tries to speak up, though nothing but a nervous laugh falters from of his mouth. “Yeah, no of course. I got you.”
“Thanks,” the shorter man once again pats at his shoulder, straightening out the fabric of his clothes. “Hey Minho? Come here will ya?”
The other man, who Hyunjin has now learned to be Minho, just snorts before he makes his way over. Numerous twigs break under his feet as he steps through the green, coming to a halt next to his companion and right in front of Hyunjin who decides they are an intimidating pair indeed.
“He’s a Hwarang,” the other explains with a strained voice to Minho who just inspects Hyunjin with an amused expression. “Yeah, I can tell. God, you’re such an idiot.” Minho replies as he swiftly raises his hands and shakes them in front of Hyunjin’s face as if to tell him they mean no harm. He seems to forget he’s still holding a sharp-pointed dagger and is literally swinging it right in front of his eyes, albeit it does look a little less threatening once Hyunjin notices the small piece of carved woodwork in his other hand.
“Please do forgive Changbin here. He’s one of our finest soldiers, Shilla really can’t afford to lose him.” Minho clarifies and he swings one of his arms around Changbin’s shoulders.
Hyunjin just nods, meeting Changbin’s eyes which showed glints of fear and hope simultaneously. “It’s fine really,” he stops as the weight of Changbin’s hand on his shoulder feels heavy on his body and distracts him from what he wanted to say, a little caught up as he stares down at him. "God, I broke him. He won’t stop shaking.” Hyunjin hears Changbin speak, probably to Minho as he finally feels his hand lifting from where it rested on his shoulder. This is when Hyunjin realizes he was still holding up his hands, quickly dropping them to let them fall next to his sides.
“I’m mostly just… impressed?” Hyunjin confesses and he’s immediately met with confused expressions from the both of them. “I mean,” he starts off but pauses in an attempt to find the right words, wettings his lips with his tongue. “You missed, but I’m sure that was intentional. That was an insanely precise shot, I mean you were standing all the way up there!”
At his words, Changbin seems to only be able to snicker breathlessly and Hyunjin can hear Minho calling him nuts under his breath. For a while Changbin just eyes him with a puzzled look, arms crossing in front of his chest. “I almost killed you.”
“I know. But that was such a good shot. I can’t use a bow to save my life.” Hyunjin’s quick to confess again, clueless as to how he’s making himself look like an even easier prey.
Changbin remains silent, obviously taken aback by the taller’s words. “Thanks,” he says after contemplating for a while. “So what’s the point of being a Hwarang, then? Are you guys really just pretty? No skill, nothing?” There’s spite in his words when he does speak up again and it takes a while for Hyunjin to comprehend everything that’s being said. He doesn’t miss the way Minho grips at Changbin’s shoulder, fingernails pressing in as he obviously does not understand why Changbin had to stir things up again as for a while it seemed both parties could finally part ways damage-free.
Luckily, Hyunjin had learned how to swallow his pride a long time ago and doesn’t walk straight into the trap created by Changbin’s ego. “If you must know, I have plenty of other skills,” is what he settles for until he’s struck by a sudden sense of realization.
“Though, if it bothers you that much, why don’t you just teach me? I’ll promise to keep my mouth shut about how you just tried to kill a Hwarang if you start tutoring me.” Hyunjin offers, feeling bold.
It’s obvious he’s hit a nerve within Changbin as he just clicks his tongue in thought, not even bothering to look Hyunjin in the eyes anymore. With another tight squeeze at his shoulder from Minho, the smaller nods in compliance. “I suppose I can give it a try for the sake of the future of our kingdom.”
“Think you can be here tomorrow?” is what Changbin adds when he finally looks up to meet a smirking Hyunjin.
“I’ll be here, same time tomorrow. Try not to shoot me.” Hyunjin teases, although he doesn’t feel confident at all as he turns around on the balls of his feet and takes off, not daring to look back and see if he had garnered any reaction from the other.