Husband! I've Been Waiting for This Moment!
"Husband! I've been waiting for this moment!"
It hadn't even been a full week since the feast celebrating the village's first grand wedding. I'd suggested keeping things modest, but the folks of Chaekho Village wouldn't hear of it.
"Hahaha! Captain! Why not make it an annual tradition?"
"No way! I nearly died from just this one!"
"And yet you're still kicking strong! Here, have another!"
"Whoa! Hey! Enough! Enough already! It's spilling over!"
"That's just them saying drink up! Think of it as our blessing to you! Glug glug gluuuug!"
He filled the bowl to the brim—then some—and downed the overflowing takju in one go.
"Gulp gulp gulp... Ahhh!"
"Heh heh! That's the spirit! We'll be seeing grandchildren in no time!"
"Y-yes... Th-thank you... urp... thank you...!"
I couldn't even remember how many bowls of takju I'd knocked back. It wasn't as strong as cheongju, but its porridge-like thickness was bloating me up good.
"Husband. Are you all right?"
Eori, seated beside me at the head of the banquet table, gazed at me with a worried face. I started to say I was fine, then suddenly wanted to hear those words again.
"Eori. What was that?"
"Are you all right?"
"No, not that."
"...!"
She caught on to what I was after and bit her red lips with her white front teeth.
"Yes, I understand."
With a nod, Eori leaned toward me, her sweet scent wafting over as she whispered ticklishly into my ear.
"Husband?"
"!"
Her soft breath tickled my earlobe, filling my chest with an indescribable emotion. If the villagers weren't right there, I'd have pulled her into my arms on the spot.
"Kim hubby! Looking forward to those grandkids?"
"If you like it that much, why not do it twice instead of once?"
"Heh! What nonsense on a wedding day! Hahaha!"
Of course, the villagers were watching our moment like it was prime drinking fodder.
"Brother-in-law!"
"You sure you're okay?"
Eori's younger sisters—my sisters-in-law, Eoji and Eosu—approached with bottles of liquor in hand. Eoji poured first and asked,
"Brother-in-law. Tell us straight—just between us. She's blackmailing you into this, right?"
"...!"
Eori, who'd been smiling softly until then, shot Eoji a fierce glare, as if to say, You trying to get yourself killed?
"Heck yeah! Of course she is!"
"H-husband?!"
I nodded readily, and Eori stared at me in shock. Meeting her eyes as she nearly used my familiar name, I continued,
"I was dying to marry your sister."
"Oh! Husband! That's embarrassing!"
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Whatever."
Eoji's face fell in real time. For some reason, it reminded me of Takji back in Hanyang making that exact expression.
"Brother-in-law."
I drained the cup Eoji had poured, then took one from Eosu.
The more serious of the two, Eosu said with a straight face devoid of any playfulness,
"It's not too late. You can still back out. Just say the word that you don't want to, and we'll take your side."
"Hey."
Eori dropped her ladylike pretense again, her eyes flashing.
"For real? I could really do that?"
"Husband!"
Eori made a wounded face and cried out. Even that was adorable, so I gazed at her fondly before adding,
"In that case, I'd marry your sister a hundred times—no, a thousand."
"Kyaa! Husband!"
Eori let out a joyful squeal and hid her smiling face behind her hands.
"For real, brother-in-law?"
Eosu's face, by contrast, stayed dead serious.
"You could fight our dad a hundred—no, a thousand times?"
"Uh, no. One, maybe two or three times tops..."
"Husband?!"
No, even two or three was a lot. I thought my back was gonna break carrying Father-in-law around.
"Haa, what can we do."
"We tried to stop him, but he won't listen...!"
Eoji and Eosu shook their heads in indignation, though their eyes shone with genuine concern for their sister.
"Still, brother-in-law."
"Don't make our sister cry."
I stood, handed each a cup, poured them drinks, and said,
"Got it. I'll spend my life taking care of your sister."
"Huh? Nah, that seems a bit much."
"You don't have to go that far. Just boss her around like normal."
"You two really wanna get beat?"
The last line didn't come from me or even the brothers-in-law—it was Eori. Meeting my eyes, she flashed an innocent smile like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.
"Husband? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just... you're so pretty."
"Heehee. Thank you."
I knew Eori put on ladylike airs in front of me. Even that was cute, so I just played along.
"Brother-in-law. Don't forget—we tried to warn you."
"It's all your choice. No regrets."
The brothers-in-law downed the drinks I'd poured in one gulp, shot me pitying looks, and left.
After that, more people came to congratulate us on the marriage. Eori's relatives I'd sparred with, the neighbor uncle next door, old man Yu from next to our family's place, the now-grown kids from Hwacheok Village, and...
"Ahem! Ahem!"
"J-Jinsa-nim? What brings you here?"
Kim Jin-sa, whom I hadn't expected at all.
"I had business nearby and stopped by. Give them this."
The last part was directed not at us, but at Dol-soe, who'd come with him. The bundle Dol-soe handed over contained a bolt of fine silk.
"No, sir."
"Heh! Quiet! I had no use for it, so I'm giving it away! Sell it, toss it, burn it—do what you want! I'm off! Don't even think of seeing me out!"
For something he called trash, it was impeccably fine silk. What was with this guy? Was he on his last legs or something?
Anyway, after seeing Kim Jin-sa off beyond Chaekho Village and returning, the feast continued. I drank what the elders offered, exchanged blessings, and even lightly sparred with some of Eori's male relatives who arrived late.
All the while, my eyes kept drifting to the silk Kim Jin-sa had brought. I'd pretended not to notice, but he'd come all this way just to deliver a gift. Was it because he was my father after all, looking out for my wedding? Or was he bragging that he was taking care of me because I was the bigger man, unlike him?
Of all the sides of Kim Jin-sa I'd seen, today's made the least sense. Even as these thoughts swirled, the banquet rolled on smoothly.
Before long, the highlight of the wedding arrived.
"...!"
Two pillows on the bedding. A lantern illuminating the darkness. Voices from beyond the door—Eori and her mother.
"Daughter. You really haven't done that with your husband yet?"
"Mom! No! Keep it down!"
"Your voice is louder, girl. Just leave everything to your husband, shut your eyes, and lie back. Wait, no—better yet, you pounce on him first."
"Mom?!"
"Girl, you've been glued to him for over ten years—how haven't you done it even once? Here, Mom'll show you. You take yours and fit his in like this—"
"Ah! Stop! I won't! I'll figure it out! I know everything already!"
I had a pretty good idea what she meant by fitting what where, but curiosity gnawed at me anyway. Still, I held my breath, waiting for the moment I'd become a real man.
Stick it in the center and advance. Stick it in the center and advance. Stick it in the center and advance.
"Haa... Hooo...!"
I muttered the key points to myself and took deep breaths. It didn't ease the tension, of course.
Honestly, I'd had plenty of chances for our first night before today. Strolling alone in Chaekho Village, heading to Hanyang, staying at Yi In-su's place, coming back from Hanyang. But I'd never crossed the line with Eori. Even with condoms from the Crown Prince, our intimacy stopped at kisses and hand-holding.
Eighty percent of that was my own fear. Twenty-three in modern times, sixteen in Joseon. Pushing forty total, and I'd had zero experience with women. Dating and kissing? Firsts in this life.
"Husband. May I come in?"
Right then, Eori entered with the liquor tray, and my heart pounded like it would burst.
Bathed in lantern light, she was even more beautiful than in the bright day. The flickering flames played across her, revealing ever-changing allure. I couldn't tear my eyes away as she set the tray down.
"... "
"... "
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Neither of us spoke, so the sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears. One wrong move, and she'd hear it too.
"Husband."
Eori, sitting across from me in silence, finally looked up. Gone was her usual sparkling, eager gaze—replaced by eyes burning like flames as she stared at me.
"E-Eori?"
"Husband!"
Just as I sensed something off, Eori lunged at me.
"Eori?!"
"Husband! I've been waiting for this moment!"
"No! W-Wait! Hold on, Eori!"
"I can't wait anymore! Do you know how long I've held back?!"
Eori pinned me down, roughly untying my robe strings. Her eyes looking down at me were like a beast eyeing prey.
"Husband, it's not over yet!"
"Husband? One more time, how about it?"
"M-More, you say? I need to sleep soon—no, yes. Understood."
"H-Husband! Husband! J-Just a little rest... just a little reeeest...!"
"W-Wait! Husband! The sun! The sun's up! Husband! Please!"
"Husband...! I was wrong...! Mercy...! Ugh...!"