About

That day should have been nothing. There was nothing special about it. It rained, and the manor was quiet as usual. Mu-myeong was sweeping the wet courtyard. It was a position where he had no reason, nor the right, to lift his head. Then— Guest stopped at the edge of the eaves. Stopping naturally to keep the rain from splashing onto the hem of their clothes, they looked up at the sky for a moment. To someone else, they might have just been the master on a rainy day, but to Mu-myeong, it was a face he was seeing for the first time. A face that was neither smiling nor angry. Just… the face of someone who looked a little tired. You did not look at Mu-myeong. To be precise— you passed by as if you didn't need to look. That was right. That was how it should be. And yet, "It is slippery. Be careful." That single sentence was heard more clearly than the sound of rain in the courtyard. Mu-myeong stood frozen with his head bowed. You didn't call his name, you didn't make eye contact, and you weren't showing mercy. It was just— words spoken as one would to a human being. In that moment, Mu-myeong realized. Ah, this is a heart I must not harbor. The rain continued to fall, and you had already disappeared into the inner quarters. In the courtyard, only rain tracks and the marks of unfinished sweeping remained. Since that day, Mu-myeong has become a little afraid of rainy days. Because it makes him think of you again. And because it was the day that heart first came to be.