The Middle-Aged Women of the Hwangbo Clan
She patted Jeonghu’s shoulder several times as he drew near, then gently stroked his back. The touch held no hidden motives whatsoever. Baek Yeohwa had always doted on the young Jeonghu as if he were her own son.
“Aigoo, Jeonghu has grown up so much. How did that tiny little boy turn into such a dependable, handsome young man?”
“Haha… It’s truly wonderful to see you again, Elder Baek. The memory of how kindly you treated me is still crystal clear.”
“Hohoho. To me, our Jeonghu was no different from my own child~ Even now I could just eat you up, you’re so lovely.”
The warm atmosphere and affectionate smile brought it all back. Jeonghu remembered how she had especially cherished and looked after him. She had two children around his age and was now in her mid-fifties, yet traces of her youthful beauty lingered everywhere. She possessed a mature charm impossible to find in younger women, along with a comforting yet strangely arousing scent that rose from her skin.
Hmm.
A dark glint flashed across Jeonghu’s eyes for an instant. He licked his lips, met Baek Yeohwa’s gaze, and smiled brightly.
“Thank you for viewing me so favorably, Elder.”
“Oh, you~ We’re in private, so why so formal… Hoho. You can call me Aunt like you used to.”
Baek Yeohwa was the wife of Hwangbo Jun’s cousin, which made her Jeonghu’s aunt by courtesy.
“Yes… Haha! I’ll come visit you separately one day.”
“Good, good. Come whenever you like. If you have any worries or troubles, tell me anytime.”
Baek Yeohwa spoke from the memory of how the young Jeonghu would come to her instead of his parents whenever he had a problem, chattering away. The boy would visit her room and speak with what he thought was grave seriousness, but to her adult ears it had only been adorable and amusing. A pleasant memory no matter how many times she recalled it.
When did he grow up like this…
With his father now the family head, the boy would soon take the position of young clan leader. He must carry many worries and feel a heavy burden. After all, he had lived cut off from the world for a long time. She intended to be a source of strength for him.
What she failed to notice, however, was that the Jeonghu standing before her was no longer that cute, innocent child. The kind invitation she had offered with pure goodwill had planted utterly obscene thoughts in his mind—thoughts she could never have imagined.
Jeonghu turned and greeted the rest of the adults. Compliments and congratulations flowed back and forth. The last to receive him was the youngest member of the council of elders, Fifth Elder Yu Sukjeong.
“Jeonghu…”
Her gaze brimmed with affection. When Jeonghu looked at her and smiled, she naturally opened her arms. Remembering how he used to run and cling to her alone when he was small, the long-awaited reunion stirred those precious memories so strongly that she spread her arms out of habit, forgetting for a moment that he had become a grown man.
Yu Sukjeong had once been an elder; now, at fifty, she had entered the council of elders after Hwangbo Jun became family head. She had first seen Jeonghu when she was around thirty. How adorable he had been, waving those tiny hands… It was after that she had developed a longing for children and finally married. So how special must Jeonghu be to her? He was the lovely child who had awakened her maternal instincts even before she had her own.
Jeonghu remembered too—how his grandson would spot her and immediately toddle over at full speed to leap into her arms. As he smiled and leaned forward, their faces met sideways in a warm embrace.
Heh.
Jeonghu’s lips twisted into a grotesque grin. The soft, yielding pressure against his chest—her unusually full bosom… Was it not truly mouth-watering?
Yu Sukjeong, still believing him to be “that child,” had no inkling of the thoughts running through his mind as he nestled in her arms. She simply hugged him with motherly warmth and patted his back.
Pat, pat.
“You’ve truly been through so much, Jeonghu. Come visit Auntie’s house later. I’ve just received some excellent tea.”
“Really? You still love your tea, I see. Haha… I’ll stop by soon.”
Tea was her hobby, and she had always enjoyed drinking it while chatting quietly with Jeonghu. Something occurred to her as rather funny. When she thought about it, the people Jeonghu had been especially close to were all women. He loved visiting their homes, and staying over had been common.
She used to think the boy simply had excellent social skills and a bright nature… but eyes only see what they want to see. Now that his personality had changed, she wondered whether he had actually loved women from a very young age. After all, he had never gone near the homes of the male elders who cherished him.
So that Jeonghu had the makings of a flower prince.
Thanks to that realization everything had become much simpler, and she could only feel glad.
After greeting all five elders, Jeonghu turned his steps once more. The place he headed toward was, naturally, the table where the next highest elders—the ones just below the council—were gathered.
“Oh my, oh my, Jeonghu.”
The woman who rose immediately to welcome him was Sixth Elder Yu Jiran.
“Auntie!… It’s been so long! You haven’t changed at all from what I remember, Aunt Yu. You must be aging backwards. Hahaha.”
Auntie. Yu Jiran was forty-three and not actually related by blood. It was simply a title of affection, like calling his father’s friends “Uncle.” Back when she was not yet an elder, the young Jeonghu had called her “Auntie” at her own playful insistence. She remembered how, during family meals, her grandson had been delighted to announce he had a new aunt. She could still vividly recall him proudly boasting that “Aunt Gyo” had bought him something.
Perhaps because she had grown younger, her memory seemed remarkably sharper.
“Oh my goodness! Hohohoho! Look at you—this child has become an adult who can say such things?”
Yu Jiran slapped Jeonghu’s shoulder in delight. The boy who used to trail after her begging for sweets because his parents wouldn’t let him have any had grown into a young man who knew exactly what words would please a woman. It was both comical and deeply moving.
“Goodness… An elder acting so undignified…”
One of the elders sipping wine made a sour face and glanced over. While some watched with warm smiles, others felt their own dignity diminished by such open affection in public and looked on with disapproval.
“Why not? It’s lovely to see. Still… ten years really is a long time. It’s hard to find any trace of the little boy he used to be.”
The woman watching Jeonghu and Yu Jiran with a pleased expression was Second Elder Yim Miryeong. At forty-seven she was a full-fledged middle-aged beauty, yet she too had adored the young Jeonghu. After all, who could dislike a bright, cheerful child who was essentially the direct heir?
“Jiran, let him go. You should at least give Jeonghu a chance to greet everyone.”
“Ah! Where are my manners? Hohot.”
At the First Elder’s words, Yu Jiran sat down. Jeonghu offered them a brief, respectful bow, then began exchanging greetings and asking after their well-being, starting with “Have you been well, Elder Wu?”
His gaze settled on the woman looking at him with gentle eyes—Second Elder Yim Miryeong.
“Aunt, I’m sorry my greeting is so late.”
“My goodness… The child who used to come to our house all the time and sleep over has grown so much… How much hardship you must have endured. Well done. You’ve done very well.”
Yim Miryeong was not actual family either, but the grandson had always called her “Aunt.” Among the three female elders, she was the one he had followed most closely. He had slept at her house more often than his own.
“It wasn’t really hardship. Haha… I still remember how comfortable your house felt when I was little, Aunt. It seems like only yesterday I was sleeping over, yet ten years have already passed. It’s astonishing.”
“Is that so? Well then… our house hasn’t changed at all, so come sleep over whenever you want. The room you used is still exactly the same.”
At Yim Miryeong’s words, Jeonghu’s eyes flashed with sudden intensity—like a hawk that had spotted prey.
“Really? Then… I may have to impose on you soon. To be honest, coming home after so long feels a bit unfamiliar. I think I’d feel comfortable at your house, Aunt.”
“Aigoo—come anytime. Auntie will cook all your favorite dishes.”
Perhaps moved by his admission that his own home felt strange, she took his hands and stroked them. Had she known what thoughts were running through his mind, she would have recoiled in horror, but there was no way for her to know. With a warm smile, Yim Miryeong simply wondered, What were Jeonghu’s favorite foods again? She had no inkling of how her affectionate offer would come back to her.
A strange smile played on Jeonghu’s lips. It looked like the smile of a starving man staring at food set before him, or the pleasant dilemma of someone whose stomach was already full yet who kept eyeing one delicious dish after another, wondering what to taste next.
The women around Jeonghu had been limited while he lay in bed because only direct-line family who knew of his collapse had been allowed to see him—daughters-in-law or granddaughters, along with the maids they brought. But the Hwangbo Clan was one of the great houses of Murim. There were this many women in important positions alone.
Middle-aged woman after middle-aged woman. Wife after wife. To Jeonghu, who found women around middle age more appetizing precisely because of their age, the banquet hall was nothing short of a lavish feast laid out in an entirely different sense.
The last place he headed was toward Tenth Elder Gyo Yeojeong. The woman who had been staring at him intently from earlier. She looked far too young to be an elder. Though forty, she appeared to be in her early thirties. She was the newest youngest elder, newly appointed after Hwangbo Jun took the position of family head.
Since his grandson had never mentioned this woman, it seemed they did not share any particularly close relationship. Building a connection with Tenth Elder Gyo Yeojeong would be entirely Jeonghu’s task.
“Tenth Elder, my greeting is late. Congratulations on your appointment.”
“Thank you. I saw you a few times when you were little… Do you not remember? Hoho. Calling me Elder is too stiff, dear. In private you can just call me Aunt like before.”
“Yes… Aunt Gyo. Haha.”
Gyo Yeojeong looked up at Jeonghu with slightly hazy, dreamy eyes.
“My goodness… Jeonghu, you’ve become so handsome…. Your face, your body… Look at those broad shoulders. You’re a man through and through.”
“I suppose I was born with a strong frame. Even though I only took the Wall Grain Pill, this small body grew so much.”
“Is that so…? Our Jeonghu, can you hold your liquor?”
“Ah… Now that you mention it, I entered closed-door training when I was fifteen and only just came out… I’ve never actually drunk alcohol.”
“Oh my—this child. Just because you’ve grown big doesn’t make you a man~ You have to know how to drink to be a real man.”
She let out a clear laugh, picked up her wine cup, and emptied it between her lips. The graceful line of her neck revealed as she tilted her head back was exceptionally beautiful.
Setting the cup down, Gyo Yeojeong spoke to him in a suggestive tone, her face tinged with a faint blush.
“Shall Auntie… teach you how to drink properly later…?”
Her hand gently caressed his thick forearm.
“You shouldn’t drink your first cup with just anyone, you know? You have to learn from someone who knows how to drink right.”
“Ah… So you enjoy drinking, Aunt? Haha, I was actually hoping to try it. I’d like that.”
Hearing his answer, Gyo Yeojeong whispered in a voice only he could hear.
“If you’re interested, come to my house. Anytime is fine…”
“My husband happens to be away right now, so the house is empty.”
“I prefer drinking in a place with no one around… So you must come. You’ll like it very much too.”
Her voice was moist, her breath tickling. Each time she paused and continued, the wetness in her tone grew thicker, until by the end it was almost sticky.
Slowly—Gyo Yeojeong’s hand slid down to the small of Jeonghu’s back and softly traced the prominent muscles around his waist. Her suggestive expression as she waited for an answer, and those obscene fingertips following the dip of his lower back.
“I prefer comfort too. Then I’ll visit in the near future.”
Jeonghu’s face remained perfectly innocent as he calmly promised to meet again. His expression suggested he had no idea what her words truly implied.
His thoughts were different.
Heh heh, heheheh! A woman is throwing herself at me before I even start?
Hadn’t he said it before? Women start to starve around their early forties! With her husband away during her peak years, how desperate must she be? At this rate, a single touch would probably make her moan.
Hoo… How can he make such a face while thinking those things?
Jeonghu’s exterior and interior were perfectly at odds. Having lost a portion of his humanity, he felt no guilt or conscience when deceiving others, which allowed him to act this way.
“I will definitely come visit.”
“Good. Come whenever you feel like drinking… I rather enjoy it, you see.”
Gyo Yeojeong crossed her legs and smiled seductively. Though she had said she liked drinking, the sticky wetness in her voice made it sound more like she was saying, I rather enjoy men.
Having finished speaking with every woman he had targeted, Jeonghu exchanged brief greetings with the remaining elders and left the banquet hall.