Tread Lightly on Thawing Ice

"Starting today, your residence has changed."

It was the Third Internal Officer who came early in the morning to the servants' quarters and informed Woo of this. Woo found it puzzling but did not voice his questions. After all, any changes to his situation must have involved Jin-rang's intervention. Protesting was meaningless.

Since he had encountered Kang-oh, he had guessed that there would be consequences sooner or later.

Under the Third Internal Officer's urgent orders to leave immediately, Woo barely had time to gather his few belongings. He was practically pushed outside. He could feel the stares of the other servants sticking to his back. Although Woo had stayed in the same building as the other servants, he had been given a private room due to "special circumstances." Occasionally, the Black Sky Lord would call Woo for errands, so none of the other servants dared to approach him. It was clear to them that despite being a fellow servant, Woo was treated differently.

Having always been in a position where he did not easily mingle with others, it took Woo some time to realize he was truly alone. Even then, he did not find the realization uncomfortable. He merely gained the understanding that he wore solitude closer than his own clothes, an all-encompassing isolation that loomed endlessly ahead.

There had been a time when he considered himself a noble crane preening its white feathers, a white heron avoiding the company of crows. In truth, however, Woo was the most sullied and wretched of beings. His once lofty pride had been doused in filth, and his life had been wholly invalidated. Paralyzed by helplessness, the only force driving him forward was guilt.

A life born of sin must be spent repaying it, must it not?

That alone was why the Third Internal Officer shoved him around, causing him to stagger and nearly collapse to the ground, yet Woo steadfastly kept moving forward.

The place where Woo was led belonged to the Black Sky Lord's territory, a desolate mountain area. There was a ramshackle hut that seemed like it would barely keep out the rain. It looked so precarious that one might think it could collapse with a strong gust of wind. The Third Internal Officer pushed Woo toward the house.

"From now on, you'll live here."

"Yes, sir," Woo answered.

"There's no one else who burdens the Black Sky Lord as much as you, yet you still manage to cling to that vermin-like life of yours."

"....."

"If you had even an ounce of shame, you'd have ended yourself already. But no, you're worse than a beast, which is infuriating."

The Third Internal Officer spat on the ground. Woo lowered his head deeply.

How ridiculous. He didn't understand why Jin-rang kept Woo close despite despising him. The officer's relentless loyalty to the Sky Lord was the reason he treated Woo so harshly. No matter how much Jin-rang tried to hide his feelings, his loyal subordinate, the Third Internal Officer, could read the displeasure on his lord's face whenever he looked at Woo. Without the slightest doubt, he blamed Woo for every wrong and took it upon himself to punish him in Jin-rang's stead.

The beatings had started years ago. At first, there had been occasional restraints, but now, even those were gone.

Without any real reason—because he stood out, because he was in the way, because he was unpleasant to look at—the hatred toward Woo only deepened, never fading. Yet, Woo silently endured it.

"From today onward, cut down the trees on this mountain."

"Understood."

"Don't come down until every tree on this mountain is felled. There's rice in the hut."

At the spot the Third Internal Officer pointed to, a rusted, toothless axe was buried in a stump. At a glance, it was clear that trying to chop trees with it would ruin one's hands before anything else. But Woo knew better than to complain. Even being given a tool was a stroke of luck.

After the Third Internal Officer left, Woo stepped into the hut to check the rice. As expected, it was half rice and half sand. It had been so thoroughly mixed that it was impossible to separate the edible grains. Still, he was grateful there was at least some actual rice he could eat.

It looked like he would need to strip bark to make a sieve. Otherwise, even if he worked through the next two weeks without sleeping, he'd never be able to separate it all.

Picking up the axe, Woo headed to a nearby tree. His muscles had wasted away, and the internal energy that once filled his dantian was gone, but the calluses on his palms remained—a testament to the life of a servant he had grown accustomed to.

Once, these hands had strummed zithers and written poetry, but now they were rough and worn. Woo knew, however, that this was a skin that suited him far better.

"Let's get started."

With the early sunset, fatigue hung on Woo's shoulders like a heavy burden.

The lengthening shadows signaled the end of the day. He needed to light a fire before it got any darker. While the mountain forest within the Black Sky's domain likely lacked wild beasts, knowing the Third Internal Officer's temperament, it was better to be prepared.

If he wanted to torment Woo, that man would likely capture a wild dog alive and release it nearby, just for the sake of cruelty.

Rubbing tree bark to start a fire, Woo let out a small, bitter laugh. It was laughable how he clung to this miserable life, stubbornly enduring. His face remained dry and expressionless most of the time, yet moments like this brought a fleeting smile he couldn't quite understand.

There was nothing left worth living for, and yet his body instinctively sought survival. It was exhausting, even maddening.

But how could he seek death? Woo's life was not his own to throw away.

As smoke began to rise from the bark, he stuffed it between dry branches and blew gently, fanning the growing embers. With a soft crackle, flames finally sprang to life. By then, the surroundings had fallen into deep darkness. Staring at the fire as it spread, Woo curled up in front of the only warmth granted to him.

Close enough to burn if he reached out, yet still the only way to push back the silence that crept in with the night.

In the distance, a wolf howled. Woo swallowed a sigh. He had underestimated the Third Internal Officer's malice. Somehow, the man had managed to pick a mountain within the Black Sky's territory where wild wolves still roamed. The sheer cruelty and precision with which the officer wielded his influence was almost impressive.

Woo quickly stood up in case a wolf appeared. In his haste, he lost his balance for a moment and staggered. Barely managing to steady himself, he looked down at his injured leg and let out a bitter smile. After spending over twenty years as a sturdy martial artist, his old habits remained, causing him to move too quickly and lose balance like this. It had been ten years since he ended up like this, yet sometimes, he forgot his current state entirely. Even though his bent back and awkward posture should've reminded him every time he stood.

Still, surviving a fall from such a towering cliff was nothing short of a miracle. Woo could only vaguely guess that he owed his life to the incredibly strong body he had built as a martial artist, one that had nearly reached the level of unbreakable resilience.

But no matter how strong a martial artist was, no technique or skill could strengthen the internal organs. After the fall, he had spent months, even years, confined to bed. During that time, it was Ye Jin-rang who helped him.

Until he could stand and walk again on his own.

Despite his noble status, the Black Sky Lord personally tended to Woo. He set Woo's broken bones, cleaned the fluid oozing from his torn wounds, and applied medicine until they healed. Woo owed him an unrepayable debt—not just for nursing him back from death's door, but for accepting Ye Kang-oh into his care.

*Rustle—*

Lost in his thoughts, Woo flinched at a sudden sound. For a moment, he thought it might be a wolf, but if it were a real beast, it would have already attacked him by now. Still, this presence felt too real to be just the wind playing tricks on him.

Was it just his imagination? Somehow, Woo felt a strange sense of déjà vu as he slowly turned his head toward the direction of the voice.

"Lost again, it seems… May I share your fire?"

Ye Kang-oh, the third disciple of the Black Sky Lord, stood there, shrouded in the darkness of the night.

"H-How did you get here?"

Woo asked, utterly shocked. Realizing too late that the question had escaped his lips, he bit his tongue in regret. He had shown his unease at Kang-oh's unexpected presence in a place he shouldn't be. It was unusual for someone like Woo, so accustomed to maintaining his composure, to be this flustered. Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about Kang-oh only moments before.

"I was searching for a path when I saw the firelight and followed it."

A lie.

Woo knew instantly. Their chance meeting by the stream yesterday could be written off as pure coincidence. But running into Kang-oh again after relocating to this remote mountain felt far too deliberate to dismiss.

"Y-You were just passing by?"

Kang-oh nodded. At that moment, the distant howl of a wolf echoed through the night.

"There's been a report of wolves spotted nearby," he said.

It was clearly an excuse hastily made up, but Kang-oh's expression remained unshaken. Feigning curiosity, he asked in a casual tone,

"By the way, didn't you say yesterday that you were attending to Master?"

"Yes, that's right."

Woo nodded earnestly, bowing his head repeatedly, but Kang-oh's face darkened.

"Then why were you reassigned here?"

"T-that's because I... I made too many mistakes, so I was punished."

Woo's lie was far worse than Kang-oh's. His nervous demeanor gave him away completely. Kang-oh stared at Woo for a moment before clicking his tongue. While he had suggested to the Black Sky Lord to give Woo a leave of absence until his injuries healed and even provided him with top-grade ointment for his wounds, Kang-oh hadn't been overly optimistic that such considerations would actually be followed.

Still, it was puzzling that Woo had been sent all the way out here.

What was even stranger, however, was the fact that Kang-oh had gone out of his way to find this lowly servant.

One of his subordinates had reported upon returning from surveillance that the Third Internal Officer had taken Woo to the mountains. The moment Kang-oh heard this, he shot to his feet.

Fortunately, he had planted spies near the Third Internal Officer, which allowed him to quickly learn where Woo had been relocated. The Black Sky Lord's domain was vast, and finding Woo in a remote, nearly deserted mountain was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

No matter how much he thought about it, the actions of his master were strange. He had spoken as if allowing Kang-oh to investigate Woo's case, yet instead of punishing the perpetrator, the Third Internal Officer, he handed down judgment to Woo, the victim. Moreover, leaving Woo within the Black Sky's territory, rather than simply discarding him, seemed peculiar. It was as if he couldn't eliminate him outright or cast him far away, so he kept him within reach. Kang-oh also couldn't understand why Woo's residence had been changed in the first place.

Thus, Kang-oh chose not to order his subordinates to watch over Woo but instead decided to handle it himself. He remembered how his master had stepped back the moment Kang-oh became involved.

"Punishment, you say. What task were you assigned?"

"To… to chop the trees on the mountain. That's what I heard."

At those words, Kang-oh turned his head and noticed an axe buried in a tree stump. With his superior vision as a martial artist, he quickly saw that the axe was dull, rusted, and incapable of doing its job properly. A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

This… this seemed as if his master was deliberately tormenting this lowly servant.

"And how did you come to know my master?"

At that question, Woo's lips quivered slightly before he answered.

"H-he saved me… when this lowly one was on the brink of death."

It was a response that felt as though it had been prepared in advance.

"A debt of life, is it…? So, that's why you endure all this mistreatment and still can't leave?"

"M-mistreatment? N-no, I—…"

Woo jolted and quickly shook his head, startled.

"I saw your body the first time we met. Are you lying to me?"

"T-that was... it was a punishment. Because I was too... s-slow."

Woo bit his lip. His stuttering had started after he survived. While he could think of smooth sentences in his head, it was difficult to say them aloud. He hadn't considered it a problem since he rarely needed to talk to others. But right now, he wished he could bite his tongue hard enough to injure it, just to have an excuse not to speak.

No matter what explanation he came up with, it would sound like an excuse. Especially under the intense gaze of Kang-oh, who looked as though he could see straight through him.

""If someone resorts to violence just because you're slow, they don't deserve to exist in the Black Sky Clan."

"N-no… that's not…"

Woo began to sweat under the pressure of the interrogation. His mind grew blanker by the second, leaving him only able to shake his head in response to Kang-oh's questions.

Why am I like this? Why?

There was a time when he was known as a genius among geniuses. Surrounded by scholars, he absorbed knowledge so quickly that people claimed he could learn not just ten, but a hundred things from being taught one. But now, his mind felt sluggish, as if it were buried in a block of ice, unable to function properly.

As Woo stiffened, seemingly scared, Ye Kang-oh closed his mouth. Even though Kang-oh was someone who rarely fit in with others, he could tell that Woo's reaction was unusual. Moreover, he was not a ruthless person who would yell at a trembling baby bird.

"Thank you for letting me warm up by the fire. This is my token of appreciation."

Kang-oh stood up and took out a golden pill from his robes, placing it in Woo's hand. He had brought it along just in case when he was leaving earlier. He never thought he would actually hand it over...

Woo jumped up, startled, as if burned by fire.

"You can't give me this!"

It was the first time Woo didn't stutter. But before he could even understand what was happening, he instinctively reached out to return the item Kang-oh had given him. Despite the fire in front of them, he didn't care. He was too disoriented to even check what was in his hand.

"Be careful!"

Kang-oh roughly grabbed Woo's wrist and yanked it to the side. As Woo's sleeve tore, Kang-oh threw it on the ground and stomped on it to put out the flames.

"What is this?!"

Kang-oh's voice was filled with anger. He was completely caught off guard. The first reason for his surprise was that he hadn't expected Woo to refuse the gift he had offered with good intentions. And second, Woo's attitude, not fearing even the flames, trying to return the item forcefully, confused him.

"Please, take this."

The situation was strange, but Ye Woo kept his head lowered as he handed over what Kang-oh had given to Woo. On Woo's arm, which was holding the golden ointment, a burn scar had begun to form where it had never been before. When Kang-oh had offered him the healing ointment, Woo had rejected it, but in doing so, he had only ended up causing himself another injury. Kang-oh couldn't understand why Woo acted as though returning it was more important than caring for his own injury. He hadn't even bothered to look at what he was holding.

It was foolish. Foolish to the point of being beyond mere stupidity. This didn't seem like something that could be judged as simple clumsiness. It was almost as if... something inside him was broken.

"I understand."

Kang-oh responded coldly, snatching the ointment from Woo's hand.

He thought he should just walk away, dismissing the strange servant and never paying attention to him again. But his hand opened the ointment's lid and pulled Woo's arm closer.

"Ah...?"

"Stay still."

As the cold ointment touched Woo's skin, he instinctively shivered. The scent was one he knew well.

'Golden Ointment?'

It had to be high-quality, not something cheap. If it wasn't, Woo wouldn't have recognized the scent. He had always been surrounded by the finest things in life.

As soon as Woo realized that the ointment he was applying was a high-grade gold ointment, he twisted his arm, trying to pull away. However, with his current strength, it was impossible to escape Kang-oh's grip on his ear.

"Stay still."

Kang-oh growled softly again. Woo flinched and shrank back.

"Who reaches their arm over a fire? If you wanted to return it, you could have just said so."

"I... I don't deserve this."

The servant muttered while bowing his head deeply. After applying the ointment to the wound, Kang-oh stood up. Seeing that Woo seemed unwilling to accept the help, Kang-oh decided to apply it to his back as well. He knew it wasn't typical for him to act so kindly, but he couldn't just leave him like this.

"It's not burn medicine, but since it's gold ointment, it should work if you apply it."

After saying that, Kang-oh moved behind Woo-hyo and noticed goosebumps rising on Woo's neck through his disheveled hair. Although Kang-oh himself didn't realize it, the night on the mountain was undoubtedly cold for this servant.

Why did he notice all these details, things that had no business catching his attention?

Kang-oh clicked his tongue.

"Your back."

He said it bluntly, deliberately trying to hide his thoughts

Woo carefully lifted his top. In truth, Woo had already half given up. He simply wanted to do as Ye Kang-oh wished and hoped that he would leave quickly. He could only pray that they would never meet again.

Under the moonlight, Woo's bare body appeared not seductive, but pitiful. When he had suddenly collapsed by the stream, there had been no time to carefully examine him, so this was the first time Kang-oh had truly seen him.

Kang-oh took the golden ointment and slowly applied it to Woo's back. With each movement of his fingers, he could feel the sharp contours of Woo's emaciated body. It was as if Woo's body itself was whispering the hardships of his life as a servant.

The sensation felt strange. The very act of being this close to another person felt unfamiliar.

The longer Kang-oh's hand stayed on Woo's skin, the more Woo's complexion alternated between pale and blue.

He was more nervous than he had ever been. Every moment with Kang-oh felt like a thousand years. The sensation of his hand on Woo's bare skin was enough to stop Woo's thoughts entirely. But all he could do was offer his back and wait for the treatment to be finished.

Woo thought that perhaps it would have been better if he had simply accepted the golden ointment when Kang-oh first offered it. However, the moment Kang-oh reached out to him, Woo's vision went dark. Even though the fire was still burning, the night seemed to swallow him whole.

His chest tightened. He didn't want anything from Kang-oh. The past mistakes overwhelmed him.

The problem was that the foolish and senseless person was still clinging to a sinful life. He should have brought Ye Kang-oh to Jin-rang and then left right away. Even though he couldn't walk, he should have crawled away from Black Sky and gone as far as possible from Kang-oh.

But even then, Woo sometimes thought it would be nice if he could at least catch a glimpse of Kang-oh from a distance. He never intended to meet Kang-oh face-to-face, but he wanted to be in a position where he could occasionally confirm that the man, growing more radiant than jade, was blossoming under Black Sky's care.

He thought he didn't want anything, but deep down, Woo's heart was full of desires. Born into a life without lack, Woo was so used to getting everything that he didn't even realize when he was desiring something, thinking it was just a natural want.

Why did he only realize now that wishing to live under the same sky as Kang-oh was pure greed?

"You may put on your clothes now."

"Th-thank you."

The treatment, which had felt endlessly long, finally ended. Woo hurriedly grabbed his clothes and stepped back. Kang-oh, uncomfortable with the sight of the servant avoiding eye contact, furrowed his brows.

He couldn't even guess what ill intentions his master had toward such a small and insignificant person. Ye Jin-rang was whimsical, sharp-tongued, and impulsive. He didn't care about what others thought, standing in a position where he didn't have to. He also had the strength to back that up. While others spoke of the Black Sky Lord as a cruel and terrifying figure, Kang-oh knew that his master, surprisingly, had no lingering grudges. He was so straightforward that if something displeased him, he would deal with it right then and there.

If Jin-rang had been a member of the White Path, he would have been considered a hot-headed but generous person. It was only because he was the leader of the Black Sky Lord's sect that even a simple sneeze would be followed by ominous rumors.

Because of that, Kang-oh became curious about how Woo and his master were involved. If his master didn't like Woo, it would have been easier to take his life than to torment him like this, so why keep him alive and make him suffer?

Kang-oh rebelliously felt a growing distrust towards his master. Jin-rang had saved the dying Kang-oh, took him as an apprentice despite having no prior connection, and gave him both a name and a surname. However, the discomfort Kang-oh felt regarding Jin-rang's unusual actions only grew the more he spoke with Woo.

As an apprentice of the Black Sky Lord, Kang-oh couldn't investigate his master's actions. It was difficult enough to work behind Jin-rang's back within the Black Sky sect. However, Kang-oh wanted to rid himself of the seed of distrust he felt towards his master as quickly as possible.

If he couldn't get answers from Jin-rang, he would have to hear them from Woo.

"I'll be staying around here for a while, as I need to get rid of the wolves."

Kang-oh repeated the excuse he had come up with when he first appeared. Even though there was no need to explain his comings and goings to a mere servant, his lips moved on their own.

"W-wolf, you say... I understand. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."

Woo lowered his head, feeling the urge to hit his own mouth. What was he saying? What could he possibly help with? With this pitiful body of his, it would be a blessing if he didn't become a hindrance to Kang-oh's actions.

No, he should be minimizing any connection in the first place. So why was he speaking as though there was a future to look forward to? Did he still have lingering feelings?

"Rest well."

"Ah, I understand…" Woo mumbled, trailing off. He regretted his words. The Third Internal Officer didn't seem like he would appear soon, so how should Woo report Kang-oh's arrival?

It was extreme, but if he set a fire in the mountains, the Third Internal Officer would probably come. But a forest fire could spread uncontrollably, and no matter how skilled Kang-oh was, if caught in the flames, he would be badly injured. So Woo could only pray that Jin-rang would realize as soon as possible that his youngest disciple had appeared in the mountains.

When the medicine was all applied, Woo, who had bowed down in thanks, still showed no sign of getting up. Kang-oh closed his mouth tightly. It seemed that his presence was nothing but a burden to Woo, the servant. Although the realization made him uneasy, he didn't want to see Woo, who was injured, lying on the cold ground any longer.

The longer their exchange dragged on, the longer he stayed, the less rest Woo would get.

Kang-oh sighed and, without a word, used his inner power to leave the place. Even after his shadow disappeared into the distance, Woo remained on the floor, still unable to sense that Kang-oh was gone. He waited.

He was afraid to lift his head and meet Kang-oh's eyes, afraid of revealing the regret and undeniable joy he felt from the kindness Kang-oh showed after so many years. He kept his gaze low, trying to hide the emotions in his eyes.

The only sound that remained in the silence was the crackling of the fire.

When Woo finally judged that Kang-oh had completely left, he slowly got up and collapsed again in exhaustion. The pain from the new burn on his arm surged. He didn't let out a single sound of discomfort. He simply curled up, hugging his knees, and waited for the pain to subside.

After some time passed, Woo decided it was finally time to get up and made his way toward the hut. Though mold had spread, there were still some blankets and straw to lie on. The hut was flimsy, serving only to shield him from the wind, but it had come to feel like a home.

"...."

As Woo tried to close his eyes, curled up on the floor, he suddenly remembered the warmth of Kang-oh's hand on his back. It was warm. Just like the old days.

He realized he should have never let go of that hand from the start. Even though he had pushed Kang-oh away, telling himself this wasn't the way it should be, he knew that Kang-oh would never truly abandon him.

Born with everything in hand, how could Woo understand loss? Woo's mother was the type of person who kept giving him more, afraid that he might not have enough. Even if it meant taking from others, if she thought it belonged to Woo, she wouldn't hesitate. Woo received all kinds of education, but in the end, he was just a clever fool.

Recently, Woo had been thinking a lot about the past. He clenched his teeth and pushed those memories aside. There was no intention to return, so why did he keep thinking about it?

When he closed his eyes, he could smell the mustiness of the blanket at the tip of his nose, and the refreshing scent of the golden ointment on his skin.

It wasn't the familiar silk bedding or the incense from the western regions, but for some reason, he felt like he might fall asleep easily tonight.