The Woman’s War
The summons came two evenings later.
Liu Bang had been unusually quiet that day. The moment he scraped the last grain from his bowl, he announced without preamble, “I’ll bring the two of them tomorrow at noon.”
…So it’s finally here.
The morning of the appointed day arrived wrapped in pale, thin dawn light that slipped through the cracks of the paper window. Truthfully, I had barely slept the night before. I had tossed and turned on the bed like a fish on a hot pan, counted the cobwebs on the ceiling, glared at Liu Bang snoring away beside me without a care in the world, then stared back at the ceiling again in an endless loop.
How should I handle this…?
Today I would meet the two of them—Lady Cao, Liu Bang’s former concubine, and her son, Liu Fei. This would be my debut as the principal wife and my first real trial. Honestly, negotiating with Xiao He had been far easier. He was an elite who spoke the language of logic, numbers, and mutual interest. A simple negotiation based on those was enough.
But Lady Cao was different. She was a woman. A being who might let emotion override reason. To her, I was the rolling stone that had stolen her husband—though I certainly hadn’t asked for it—and she was the stone that had been firmly planted there first. Moreover… she was an unknown creature with whom my original self had never shared any connection in an entire lifetime.
“Haa…”
My inner self was a thirty-year-old single Korean man. Romantic experience? Zero. Female friends? None except Deputy Kim from the office. In short, I knew absolutely nothing about a woman’s heart. And now I had to deal with a child on top of that.
Liu Fei was six or seven years old. In modern terms, a kindergartener. An age when children absorbed parental affection like sponges. Would a “new mother” who suddenly appeared before such a child look like the witch from a fairy tale?
If I were that little brat…
I had tried imagining it, but no answer came. Even my own childhood memories were hazy. My parents had both worked, so they were rarely home. The memories of craving affection, or of craving it but never receiving it, felt like faded black-and-white photographs.
…This isn’t helping at all.
The conclusion was simple: I don’t know. Not a woman’s heart, not a child’s heart. Nothing at all.
So the night before, I had sent out an urgent SOS. An expert who could help someone like me. One of the few hidden cards Lü Zhi could play.
“Sister~!”
She’s here.
It was Su-a. My adorable little sister, whose womanly charm was maxed out unlike mine. I sprang up like a coiled spring. Liu Bang, lying beside me, groaned “Mmm…” and rolled over, but showed no sign of waking. I hurried outside to greet her.
There stood my sister, wrapped in a lovely pink robe and carrying bundles nearly as large as she was in both arms.
“Good morning! Oh, did I come a little too early?”
“No, your timing is perfect. Come in quickly.”
I stepped out at once, took the bundles from her, waved lightly to the familiar servants who had escorted her, and led Su-a into the house.
“Wow. It really is tiny.”
Her brutally honest first impression came the moment she stepped inside. I smiled awkwardly and set the bundles down beside the stove.
“Still, the inside is cleaner than I expected. From the outside I was honestly a bit worried.”
“I cleaned pretty thoroughly.”
“You cleaned, sister?”
“Well… I’m a housewife now.”
I quietly jerked my chin toward Liu Bang, who was still sprawled out asleep. Only then did Su-a flinch and lower her voice.
“He’s sleeping quite late.”
“It’s his day off today. I let him rest on holidays.”
I spread a straw mat in one corner of the room and prepared a seat. Su-a plopped down and pulled the bundle I had set by the stove toward herself.
“Here, a gift. I brought it secretly from Mother.”
When she unwrapped it, a sweet fragrance burst out. Honey-hardened jujube sweets, jujube preserved in honey, chestnuts simmered in honey—every single one a luxury snack rarely seen in this rural backwater.
“Thank you. But is it all right to bring so much? You’ll get scolded by Mother.”
“It’s fine. I stole them secretly from Father’s study.”
“Then that’s even worse…”
I let out a helpless laugh and pressed my forehead. Father, I’m sorry. I seem to have raised a thief.
But Su-a showed no sign of concern and simply beamed. I sighed and got to the main point.
“Anyway, the reason I called you so urgently today is…”
“Because Lady Cao is visiting, right?”
“Huh…?”
My eyes widened involuntarily. The letter I had sent Su-a had only said, “There’s an urgent matter, so please come.”
Su-a puffed out her chest with a triumphant grin, as if she had expected this. “Looks like I was right. Hehe.”
“How did you know?”
“There’s only one thing you’re bad at, sister. Dealing with people. Especially women.”
“……Was it that obvious?”
“Of course. You were so awkward even with the maids.”
It was shocking. I knew I was romantically inexperienced, but I hadn’t realized I was that clumsy with women. Su-a chuckled and continued.
“In any case, leave the woman problem to me. I’m an expert at that sort of thing.”
Su-a’s confident voice rang out without hesitation.
“First of all, you must be dignified.”
“Dignified?”
“Yes. Lady Cao is not your enemy, sister. And you are not hers. Therefore, you must carry yourself with dignity.”
Be dignified… I frowned slightly.
“But from her perspective…”
“You’re the woman who took her place, correct? But that is Lady Cao’s emotional issue, not yours.”
Su-a spoke decisively. “If you look apologetic and shrink back, Lady Cao will become convinced that ‘I really am the victim.’ Once that happens, you will forever be the perpetrator and she the victim. You will have handed over the initiative.”
“……”
“That is why you must stand tall as the principal wife. You must not be servile. Of course, you must not become arrogant either.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Show respect.”
Su-a raised her index finger.
“Treat Lady Cao with respect as ‘a precious person to Lord Liu Zheng.’ Express gratitude to her for bearing a son by another woman. Treat her as an equal companion in the same man’s life—neither enemy nor ally.”
“Equal…”
Suddenly, the memory of our wedding night flashed through my mind. Just as I had demanded an equal relationship from Liu Bang, was I now supposed to show equal respect to his concubine?
“And…”
Su-a raised a second finger.
“You must never be awkward with Young Master Liu Fei.”
“Hmm…?”
“Children notice things faster than adults. They instinctively know when they are not welcome. Therefore, sister, you must properly accept Young Master Liu Fei as your stepson.”
“But even if you say to accept him…”
“It’s not difficult. Simply greet him with a smile, call him by name, and give him something delicious. That alone is enough to put children at ease.”
Su-a pointed at the bundle of sweets.
“That’s why I brought these. Bribes for Young Master Liu Fei.”
“……Huh.”
I stared intently at my sister’s face. I was genuinely surprised. I had thought Su-a was just an innocent, naive girl, yet here was such profound worldly wisdom hidden inside her head.
“Su-a.”
“Yes?”
“……Thank you.”
I expressed my gratitude sincerely. “Really, thank you. Honestly… I felt a bit suffocated.”
“I thought you might.”
Su-a grinned. “You’ve never been very… how should I put it… womanly, sister.”
“Ugh…”
My heart sank once again. What a sharp child. Su-a waved her hand with a giggle.
“Of course I don’t mean that in a bad way. I actually think it’s wonderful.”
She took my hand warmly.
“You have a brilliant mind, sister. You can speak with Father and other men as equals. I could never do that.”
“……”
“But when it comes to the role of a mistress of the house, I know a little more, don’t I? So if anything like this comes up again, please consult me anytime. What is family for, if not that?”
The sincere words flowed calmly. At those words… my chest grew hot deep inside.
This child truly…
Six months ago, I had fallen into this world alone. A strange land, a strange body, a strange fate. I had thought no one was on my side. That I would have to carry and calculate everything by myself.
But that wasn’t true. This little sister was on my side. A real family connected by blood… or rather, by the blood of this body. And the best partner who would never betray me no matter what happened.
“Thank you, Su-a. Truly.”
I clasped her hand in return.
I absolutely cannot allow the Lü clan to be massacred.
It was the moment my resolve grew deeper and firmer.
……
Su-a stayed in the house for about another hour after that. We cooked breakfast together, laughed at the sight of Liu Bang jumping in surprise at his sister-in-law’s visit, and devised even more meticulous strategies for today’s “meeting.”
“First, we need to fix your appearance, sister.”
“My appearance…?”
“Yes. Just look at yourself right now.”
I peered into the bronze mirror Su-a had brought. Reflected there was… a complete country housewife with disheveled hair, soot on her face, and dirty clothes.
“……It’s bad.”
“Right? At this rate Lady Cao will look down on you.”
Su-a rummaged through her bundle and pulled something out.
“Here, Mother’s makeup tools. I borrowed them.”
“……Just how many things did you steal?”
“I told you, I borrowed them, not stole them.”
Hum-ming a little tune, Su-a sat me down. Her hands moved like those of a master florist—swift and skilled. She spread powder thinly, trimmed stray hairs with a razor, and lightly dabbed rouge on my cheeks. She gave my lips a tasteful touch of red.
“You mustn’t make it as flashy as on your wedding day. That would look like you’re showing off.”
“I see.”
“But you mustn’t make it look ‘carelessly done’ either. That would feel like you’re disregarding her. Elegant but not overbearing. That balance is what matters.”
I marveled at Su-a’s words and obediently entrusted my face to her.
The world of women is complicated…
Even in a single application of makeup, this much psychological warfare was hidden. It was a realm the life of Choi Dae-ri—who found even putting on lotion bothersome—could never have imagined.
“There, finished.”
Su-a set down the brush with satisfaction. I looked into the mirror again. Reflected there was… a completely different woman. Not flashy, yet graceful. Not sharp, yet dignified. She was so beautiful that even I found her unfamiliar.
“Amazing.”
“Right? I’m quite confident with makeup.”
Su-a puffed out her chest proudly.
“Next are the clothes. Take off what you’re wearing now.”
Su-a stared at me intently. I carefully opened the wardrobe and took out some clothes.
“How about this? I even washed it to wear today.”
“It’s not bad, but it looks a bit… too much. Especially around the chest.”
“C-chest?!”
I instinctively covered my chest with both arms. It was true that Lü Zhi’s development was rather outstanding…
Su-a clicked her tongue and began digging through my dowry items.
“Ah, this should be good. A pale wisteria-colored simui. Refined but not too flashy.”
“Mmm… All right. I’ll change into it.”
I changed into the clothes Su-a had chosen. When I looked in the mirror, it certainly gave off a more fitting aura for the principal wife than before.
“Your appearance is perfect now.”
Su-a smiled brightly and took hold of my shoulders.
“Then finally, the most important thing… let’s equip you with a smile.”
“A smile…?”
“Yes, a smile. The expression of the happiest woman in the world. That is the final secret.”
Su-a gently lifted the corners of my mouth with her fingers.
“If Lady Cao sees you looking unhappy, she will feel relieved. ‘That woman is suffering too. She’s no different from me.’ But that won’t do.”
Su-a shook her head firmly.
“On the contrary, if you look happy, Lady Cao will feel jealous at first. But at the same time, she will think, ‘Ah, that woman is not my enemy.’”
“……Why?”
“Because truly happy people do not attack others. A person whose heart is already full has no need to trample on anyone else.”
Su-a’s eyes sparkled.
“So today, even if it’s acting, pretend to be happy. Don’t talk too much, just smile gently. That alone will slowly melt Lady Cao’s wariness.”
I mulled over my sister’s words.
Look happy… huh.
It sounded easy yet difficult at the same time. Could I really look happy?
It had been six months since my reincarnation. Two weeks since I had married into this plank house. Every day I drew water, cooked, and did laundry as the wife of a debt-ridden, unemployed rascal. By any objective measure, this was hell itself.
But…
…It’s not as bad as I thought.
That was my honest feeling. Intellectual conversations with Xiao He, the peaceful (sometimes stomach-churning) daily life with Liu Bang, the lively scent of people, and warm exchanges with family who would rush over like this for my sake. None of these things had existed in the lonely solitary life of a twenty-first-century Korean.
It might actually suit me.
The realization was unexpected, but not unpleasant. I looked at Su-a and gave a small smile.
“Su-a.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll smile. Like the happiest woman in the world.”
“Yes, I’m sure you can do it, sister!”
Su-a beamed. And that smile gave me courage as if I had gained a thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses.
……
“Then I’ll be going! Do your best!”
“Thank you, Su-a. You really helped me a lot.”
“I’ll come again! Tell me how it went next time!”
Su-a left around the time the village grew noisy with the sounds of farmers heading to the nearby fields. She waved vigorously and trotted over to the servants waiting for her at the gate. As she grew distant, Liu Bang, who had been seeing her off with me, spoke calmly.
“Your sister really… has a completely different feel from you. Much more lively, I suppose.”
“That’s the charm of us sisters.”
I chuckled and turned to look at Liu Bang. He gave a short laugh, then looked up at the sky and continued.
“As promised, I’ll bring the children at noon.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Not nervous?”
“Su-a helped me a great deal.”
“I see. That’s good, then.”
Liu Bang nodded and turned to leave. A thought suddenly occurred to me and I caught his sleeve.
“Ah, before that, my lord.”
“What?”
“Please look at me for a moment.”
“Hmm?”
Liu Bang tilted his head and looked down at me. I quietly gazed up at him. Then, slowly, I formed the expression.
The one I had practiced dozens of times in front of the mirror. The face of the happiest woman in the world that Su-a had spoken of.
“Lord Liu… No, husband.”
“Uh… yes?”
“Zhi is truly happy with her current life.”
Soft corners of the mouth, eyes curved like crescent moons. This was the final inspection. A last rehearsal to see whether I could smile properly and whether I could appear as a “happy woman” to this man as well.
“……”
I could feel Liu Bang’s pupils trembling greatly.