Don't Misunderstand. I Just Came to Do Laundry.
Passing the exam and securing my spot at the Mugwa Academy hadn't changed a thing. I went about my ordinary daily routine, no different from before the test.
"Haa, haa, haa... I'm back."
As always, I finished my morning jog and headed home.
"Have you returned, my lord?"
Geum-ok was in the middle of housework at our newlywed home when she came out to greet me. With a headscarf tied on and an apron around her petite frame, she eyed me coldly.
"I thought you'd gone off to some gisaeng house or another."
"Why the hell would I go to a gisaeng house?!"
"You went to one in Jeonju, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"Hurry up and wash. I'll set breakfast out once you're back."
Geum-ok made no effort to hide her bad mood as she headed into the kitchen.
She hadn't always treated me like this. Sure, she'd gotten snippy plenty of times as we grew closer, but she used to insist on following me to help with my bath after workouts.
The reason for her sudden prickliness after my Jeonju trip was obvious. The gisaeng house.
Okay, fine—a guy does some networking in society, he might visit a gisaeng house once or twice... but it's not like that never happens. Right?
Even in Joseon, a married man hitting up gisaeng houses wasn't exactly praiseworthy. Women giving him the side-eye, like Geum-ok just did, was par for the course.
I had no idea why my not-quite-wife was acting this way, though.
Anyway, for the sake of smooth daily life, I needed to soothe her. I'd already burned through body, heart, and nights making up with Eori for forgiveness—but trying that with thirteen-year-old Geum-ok this year would land me in chains. Not that I had any intention of it in the first place.
"Haaah...!"
Just thinking about placating Geum-ok brought a sigh.
Still, I had to wash up, so I headed to the porch for my toiletries.
"Hm?"
No need. A basket was already waiting on the porch, packed with a change of clothes, fragrant soap, and a cloth for drying off.
Geum-ok must've prepared it while I was out.
"Geum-ok! Thanks!"
"...It's nothing."
Her curt voice drifted from the kitchen a moment after I called out. It was kinda cute, drawing a slight smile even amid the awkwardness.
"Be right back!"
"...Go ahead!"
Tucking the basket under my arm, I headed out, picturing her kind heart beneath the tsundere tone and unseen scowl.
"Oh! My lord!"
I'd barely taken a few steps past the gate when a warm voice called from behind. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Bongnyeo's mother—one of the villagers—approaching with an awkward smile.
"My lord! Off to wash up?"
"We're headed to do laundry ourselves. Why not come along?"
Empty-handed? Laundry with no laundry in sight. Her intentions were obvious to anyone watching.
But we'd shared joys and hardships in the village, bled together during the Burat uprising scare, and our paths overlapped anyway. I nodded.
"Sure. Let's go."
"Hehe. This way."
I walked through the village alleys with Bongnyeo's mother.
"..."
"..."
The trip was painfully awkward, full of sidelong glances. I'd never been alone with her like this, and she kept shooting me those looks.
"Um, my lord."
As we left the village behind, she finally spoke up.
"My lord, is it true there's a tiled-roof house in Hanyang?"
"Yeah. The king gave it to us after seeing Eori shoot."
"Really? Have you seen it? How big is it? As big as a whale's back?"
"Dunno. Pretty big, though. Like four or five of our houses combined."
"Ooooh, that big?!"
Bongnyeo's mother's lips twitched upward in awe, her eyes sparkling like fresh copper coins as she gazed at me.
"Aigoo! But my daughter!"
She sighed as we took the path to the stream.
"She's of marriageable age, but she never leaves the house!"
She wasn't talking about Bongnyeo, who'd married into another Hwacheok village, borne kids, and was thriving. This was about her second daughter, Bong-aengi.
Fourteen this year, Bong-aengi was Eori's closest same-age friend, with her mother's warm features overall—body included. But at fourteen, there was still hope for how she'd grow.
Of course, no matter how pretty she turned out, she'd never outshine our Eori!
"Aigoo, really! I wish she'd go out and snag a man!"
Glance.
"But if she brings home just any guy, that's no good, right?"
Glance.
"Someone decent, who knows how to cherish a woman, strong in the loins, with some status... wouldn't that be perfect?"
Glance.
Even the densest person would've caught on by now.
"Oh, Mother! Y-You've arrived? I-I've been waiting!"
Bong-aengi appeared, prettily dolled up with flowers in her hair, confirming it. These two were making a play for me.
I got it. Nobles might freeze them out, but here I was practically royalty. Nationwide fame, favored by the king and crown prince, topped the Mugwa exam. Marriage proposals had started flooding back in after my jangwon triumph—requests to take their daughters or nieces as concubines, even.
For a yangban, putting a daughter under a Hwacheok-born principal wife was humiliating, but my rising star made them forget it.
So Chaekho villagers eyeing my concubine spot wasn't unreasonable. Success was guaranteed, my wife was a hometown peer, and they knew I didn't mistreat women. I'd be itching to send my own daughter if I were them.
Problem was, I didn't want to.
It wasn't just about not wanting anyone besides Eori. Uh, well. Joseon was full of women outside my tastes.
"Did you sleep well, my lord?"
Bong-aengi was one of them. Her shy, head-down bashfulness was cute enough. But it was kid-cute, not the thrill Eori sparked.
Older women were no different. No sunscreen in Joseon meant no heavily made-up modern beauties. Natural stunners excepted, of course—Eori topped the list, followed by Cheong-wol and Cheong-yeon from the gisaeng house, and...
"My lord! My lord! Mylord!"
Geum-ok, whom I'd thought was at home.
Her childish features hadn't fully bloomed yet, but her peach-pink cheeks, big eyes, and perky nose promised a bright future.
"Haa, haa... My lord! Y-You were here...!"
Geum-ok came panting up, her pink cheeks flushed deeper, a laundry basket under her arm.
"Geum-ok? What's up? Something wrong?"
"Haa, haa... When you wash, laundry appears, so since we're doing it anyway, haa, haa, I thought I'd do ours together, haa..."
"Slow down. You'll pass out."
I was in a bind over Bongnyeo's mother's subtle pitch. Perfect timing—I swooped in, snatching Geum-ok's basket like it was mine.
"Here, I'll carry it."
It held barely half the usual load.
"This much, you could've done later."
"Haa, haa... Laundry's best done early...!"
Still, it was too little.
"Will you do laundry too, my lord?"
Bong-aengi perked up, flowers in her hair, and approached.
"I'm headed to the stream myself. Give it to me—I'll handle it."
"N-No!"
Geum-ok blocked her path, shaking her head firmly without even pretending to wipe her sweaty brow.
"Th-the lord's and front-room lady's clothes are gifts from Her Highness the Crown Princess Consort—they need delicate handling even for washing!"
They were from the crown princess consort, sure, but I'd never heard they required special laundry methods.
"M-My lord!"
Geum-ok turned from shielding me, clutching my hem with her small, slender hand and tugging me toward the stream.
"You need to wash up quick. Laundry awaits—let's hurry."
"Uh, y-yeah. Got it."
Being with Bongnyeo's mother was awkward anyway—perfect excuse. I let Geum-ok "drag" me off, calling back an apology.
"Auntie! I'll head out first!"
"Y-Yes! You're so busy with official duties, my lord!"
"P-Please go safely?"
Bong-aengi bowed awkwardly beside her mother's forced smile.
We'd barely entered the path when their voices filtered through the trees.
"Aigoo, you fool! Waiting here like that?!"
"You told me to wait here, Mom!"
"Would you die if I said to? I try to fix your fate, and you won't listen!"
Seeing a familiar auntie's calculating side stung.
"..."
Anyway, Geum-ok stayed silent the whole way to the stream. Clutching my hem, head down, ears red, she just walked.
"My lord."
Only at the stream did she speak, releasing my hem and turning to show her still-flushed face. Avoiding my eyes, she glanced sideways.
"Don't misunderstand. I just came to do laundry. Not specifically because that auntie might bother you. Got it?"
"Yeah. Got it."
"...You really mean that?"
She stared wide-eyed, as if surprised by my easy agreement. Then, hands on hips, she sighed.
"Ehew, fine. Give me the basket and go wash. I'll do laundry while I'm here."
"Weren't you here for laundry?"
"Yes. That's why I'm doing it now. Hand it over."
Now she snatched the basket from me.
Why the hot-and-cold? I didn't get Geum-ok's back-and-forth, but at least her anger over the gisaeng house seemed gone.