Grinding his teeth, Kang pushed forward, though every step sent more of the viscous liquid sliding down his thighs, soaking them. The unfamiliar sensation terrified him. It was deeply unsettling, but he fought to suppress his fear as he crawled toward the window. He had to unlock the latch and climb over it—anything to escape.
His trembling hands edged closer to the window. His breaths grew labored. Fixated on escape, Kang didn’t notice the soft laughter behind him until it was too late. His shoulders stiffened.
I have to run.
But the gentle, warm laughter clung to his ears, rooting him in place. There were no chains, yet Kang’s body shook as the sound grew closer. He collapsed by the windowsill, trembling as the Emperor’s scent enveloped him. It was fresh, like a forest breeze, mingled with a warmth that seemed to embrace him in sunlight. Yet it chilled Kang to the core, twisting into sheer terror.
"Don’t… Don’t come closer."
Kang’s voice wavered as he sobbed, his fear breaking through. He hurriedly wrapped the robe tighter around himself, trying to hide from the Emperor’s gaze.
"Were you trying to run away?"
The Emperor’s voice came from above him—soft, elegant, yet piercing like a thunderbolt striking the crown of Kang’s head. The chill it sent through him radiated to the tips of his toes. Overwhelmed, Kang instinctively searched for a corner to retreat to, but all that surrounded him was the window.
This was the Emperor’s domain. There was no escape.
The Emperor effortlessly blocked Kang’s attempt to flee with an arm, pressing his chest lightly against Kang’s back. The warmth of his breath tickled the nape of Kang’s neck. The closer the Emperor’s presence loomed, the more Kang’s shallow breathing quickened in panic.
"Did you think you could escape?"
Kang could not answer. His head hung low, as if in apology. Amid the cascade of his long, disheveled hair, a glimmer of tears shone like a transparent jewel. The Emperor, watching the pitiable sight of Kang weeping without any visible sympathy, straightened his bent posture. He leaned against the window and let out a short laugh at Kang, who trembled like a drenched puppy. His scoffing laughter abruptly ceased.
Kang's trembling had grown uncontrollable. Although the Emperor had done nothing in that moment, Kang quivered, seemingly gripped by fear of the man who had so recklessly stolen his dignity.
“Wearing the Emperor’s robe, where were you planning to go?”
“W-what?”
Kang stammered awkwardly, lifting his tear-streaked face. His teary eyes held an innocence that struck a chord. Should he wipe those tears away? The Emperor briefly entertained the thought. But his gaze lingered on the tears tracing Kang's flushed cheeks, finding them oddly captivating. The sight of Kang crying was as breathtaking as if his entire vision had been ensnared by the poignant beauty of the moment.
Kang’s calves, bruised and mottled red, peeked out from beneath the Emperor’s royal robes, revealing the disarray of his body. Marked by days of unbridled indulgence, his ivory skin bore the remnants of bruises and handprints that spoke to the chaos endured. The delicate pink tips of his nails, lightly clutching the hem of the robe, seemed as helplessly charming as the boy's temperament. Beneath the tousled black hair was a face pale and cool, resembling the moon emerging from behind clouds. The Emperor’s hand brushed aside the curtain of Kang’s hair, revealing cheeks flushed with the heat of tears. Each tear fell easily, pooling on the Emperor’s fingertips as though beckoning him closer.
“A-Abamama… I, I was wrong,” Kang stuttered, his voice shaking as he knelt at the Emperor’s feet, pleading through tears. Trapped in the corner, he wept as though he had nowhere else to go. The Emperor reached down and ran his hand over Kang’s hair, feeling the silken strands brush against his palm. Kang, as if comforted by the silent gesture reminiscent of his childhood, timidly grasped the hem of the Emperor’s robe.
“If you wish to escape, you had better prepare yourself.”
The Emperor lifted Kang’s chin, who hiccupped as he tried to suppress his sobs. His tear-filled eyes shimmered like the moon immersed in cold water, appearing as if they might dissolve at any moment. When that moon melted, it would create a river of stars—a path glittering like a galaxy in the night. The Emperor thought he need only follow that path, for it would lead to Kang. At the end of the road, Kang would stand, and the Emperor would remain a shadow trailing him, bound forever.
“The ministers have unanimously demanded your castration. But such a notion is absurd.”
The mere word "castration" sent a shudder through Kang’s body, and he trembled as though recalling a child lost in the cold after rolling in the snow. The Emperor’s smile deepened, dimples forming with a radiance that seemed to illuminate the depths of his expression.
He swept a hand through Kang’s hair, smooth and fragrant like silk, and whispered, “The Son of Heaven tasted you and found that there is no delicacy in the world to rival you. How could I cut it away?”
Kang’s face turned as red as a ripened persimmon. He clutched the royal robe tighter to hide himself from the Emperor’s prying golden gaze. Finding his bashfulness adorable, the Emperor chuckled, but soon seized Kang by the hair and forced him to meet his eyes. Kang squirmed, avoiding the Emperor’s piercing golden irises that seemed to see through him.
“I’ve stopped them from taking your manhood, yet if you flee, the Son of Heaven’s heart will be torn to shreds.”
Kang’s lips parted in protest, unable to withstand the pain of the Emperor pulling his hair. He trembled violently as the Emperor lifted him effortlessly, his body following the other’s strength without resistance.
“Don’t hurt the Son of Heaven,” the Emperor murmured.
But the one in pain was not him—it was Kang. Every place the Emperor’s gaze lingered burned, every part of Kang’s body that was touched ached unbearably. His heart, trampled and left in pieces, echoed with a ceaseless agony, leaving him gasping for breath, unable to find solace.
Even so, imagining Kang running far, far away, the Emperor's face contorted in visible pain, his agony genuine. With a sorrowful expression, he pulled Kang into a tight embrace, his voice strained and choked as he spoke.
"Comfort me."
The Son of Heaven murmured softly. His gaze remained fixed on Kang, his large, beautiful eyes filling with sorrow.
Kang couldn't understand why the Emperor seemed so tormented. He was the one in pain. The one who suffered so deeply that he wanted to beg, to plead not to be hurt any longer, was himself.
"If you would hold me, I feel like I could do anything."
"...Then would you let me go?"
Kang's trembling voice asked without thinking. The Emperor's eyes widened, a clear sign of surprise. Though Kang had anticipated his anger, the Emperor didn’t get angry. Instead, he gazed at Kang with a serene smile, as if asking, Are you still thinking about that?
"Then just run away," he said softly.
Kang pressed his lips tightly together, sealing them like a clam. The Emperor’s tone was gentle, his gaze tender, yet the words chilled Kang to his core. An inexplicable dread crept over him like a fog, enveloping his trembling form. Kang's grip on the Emperor's shoulders tightened instinctively.
Kang shivered, overcome by a fear whose source he couldn’t name. The Emperor's hands, which had been tracing Kang's spine as if soothing him, slowly began to slide away the loose robes draped over his shoulders. The touch, tender yet undeniably intentional, stung Kang’s eyes with unshed tears. The Emperor leaned down to press his lips against Kang’s exposed collarbone, the wet sound of his mouth sucking at the skin echoing in the room. Kang bit down on his lips, wrapping his arms around the Emperor’s neck.
In this state, the Emperor carried Kang to the bed, laying him back where he had just been lying moments ago. Kang turned his tear-filled eyes toward the Emperor, who began to lavish attention on his body. The Emperor licked his now-moist lower lip and smiled, his expression as if savoring the moment.
A chill crept down Kang’s back, leaving him feeling drenched in cold. He was terrified. Terrified of how endlessly tender the Emperor had become toward him. Terrified of the man who now blurred the lines between father and lover, pouring affection over him without restraint.
"Run away. As far as you can. Like when you were a child and we would play hide-and-seek in the royal gardens. The Son of Heaven will come chasing after you."
The Emperor spread Kang’s legs apart. With a practiced inevitability, he grasped the pale, firm curve of Kang’s hips and spread them wider, revealing the swollen, reddened entrance nestled within. As it opened slightly, remnants of seed spilled out, glistening against the tender flesh. The Emperor’s voice was steady and clear, even as Kang’s sobs grew louder.
"You haven’t forgotten, have you?"
"...Abamama," Kang choked out, the word laden with tears.
The Emperor pressed his thumb against Kang’s trembling lips, silencing him, and smiled.
"The Son of Heaven always wins."