Little Pill Bug

Hwa Miye was unable to leave his room for many days. The sickness had only gotten worse. In a situation like this, many refrained from disturbing his sleep, and because of incessant sleeping, he always missed his meals and medicines.

This time, however, was different.

Choi Yuna had stayed by Miye's side almost all the time -- feeding him soup, ensuring warmth, bringing medicine on time. She cared for him in everything except the bath.

Of course, he would die rather than agree to let her see the secret he hid between those slender legs.

And yet..

Eventually, she discovered the truth...

That the esteemed Flower Princess was, after all, a man.

It had taken several years, but the truth was finally out.

The revelation came by accident.

Hwa Miye had been bathing and, in his distraction, forgot to bring a towel with him. Needing something to cover himself, he stepped out to retrieve his robe. He was certain the doors had been closed. No one was ever allowed inside while he bathed.

Yet the moment he emerged...

Choi Yuna froze.

The neatly folded clothes slipped from her careful hands and scattered to the floor.

Bathed in sunlight pouring through the window, the Flower Princess stood exposed, water still clinging to his porcelain skin. Droplets traced slow paths down his slender frame, catching the light. His build was lean and delicate: narrow waist, prominent collarbones, a body far too slight to belong to a woman. His chest lay flat beneath the glow, two soft pink petals lingering, unmistakably so.

Then her gaze fell further, and her breath caught.

Yuna gasped.

Hwa Miye stood rooted to the spot, utterly speechless. His mind went blank - no thought, no reaction, no instinct to flee or speak.

Realization struck her all at once.

The honorable and esteemed flower princess was a man!!

She turned away immediately, face burning yet drained of color, shock trembling through her limbs as she hurried toward the door.

Panic surged through Miye.

No, he couldn't let her leave. Not like this. Not now. Not now. Not now.

He wanted her to stay. He wanted, selfish as it was, someone to remain by his side. Someone who cared. He wanted to continue to feel loved.

Grabbing his robe from the floor, he hastily draped it over his wet body and stumbled after her. His steps faltered, but he managed to catch her hand just before she reached the door.

His damp hair clung to his cheeks, lashes tangled together with moisture. Once again, his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Please…" Miye pleaded, voice breaking. "Don't go. Please, listen to me."

Choi Yuna stopped. She had no choice but to stay

Hwa Miye told her everything.

From the moment he was born… to how he ended up here.

It was a story no one else knew. The servants who once knew the truth had all gone "missing." Anyone who had learned that Hwa Miye was male had vanished without a trace. To the world, only the Flower Princess existed, nothing more.

Yuna struggled to comprehend it all. Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

At last, she spoke.

"Your Highness… I will not leave you," she said quietly. "I will pretend that I never saw anything. I believe… this is for the best."

Indeed, it was.

Miye had only told her what she could bear to know. Nothing more.

True to her word, Choi Yuna stayed.

She continued to care for him, unwavering and gentle. She loved him, not in grand gestures, but in quiet constancy. So much so that Miye found himself missing his mother less with each passing day.

This very same person...

The one who loved him despite every secret he carried...

Now her severed tongue lay before him.

All because of him.

All because she knew the truth he was never meant to reveal. Because of him, she must have suffered unimaginable pain… perhaps even lost her life.

Clutching his chest, Miye forced himself upright and staggered toward the windowsill.

No matter what, he had to see her.

If it was true....if she was truly gone, then he would at least give her a proper burial.

That much, he swore to himself.

As he rested his head against the windowsill, Hwa Miye stared at the bright moon, its silver light brushing his face.

Tonight, the moon seemed especially aloof: grand yet unreachable, brilliant yet framed by darkness, beautiful yet mysterious. Hwa Miye had always resonated with this moon. He had cried before it, spoken to it, even smiled, as though it were his only companion.

Yet tonight, the moonlight did not fall upon him. Instead, it fell on a figure not far from his window. Curled behind a bush, the small form glimmered in the moonlight, resembling a pill bug in a deep slumber

"It's that boy from before," Miye murmured.

Rubbing his red, swollen eyes, he squinted to see clearly.

Indeed, it was him.

Why hadn't he left? Did he truly mean it when he said he would wait? Was the job so important that he would endure this merciless cold rather than abandon it?

Then, Miye remembered the words from the earlier quarrel: "And yer mother? Just some lowly bitch who ruined yer father's life!"

Is that it? Was that reason enough for him to risk his life? What was he trying to prove? Was it to honor his mother? To defy the cruel words of a bully?

Miye's fists clenched. He believed the boy was wasting his youth. Why fight for someone who no longer exists? For parents who cannot understand the depths of your devotion?

If only they knew....the suffering we endure just to see their smiles…

Anger surged. He turned from the window and slammed it shut. Already steeped in grief and pain, the sight of the curled pill bug only deepened his despair.

....

It was supposed to be a bitterly cold night. Dohyun should have awoken with purple lips, a frozen throat, and icy feet, no matter how tightly he curled himself.

That was how it was supposed to be.

Yet, Dohyun awoke surprisingly refreshed. His hair tousled, a stray blade of grass caught within it, he rubbed his warm eyes. When he fully stirred, he noticed a soft white blanket draped over him.

What…