I Truly Missed My Wet Nurse Bathing Me
"...Who are you?"
The woman tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Despite the extraordinary memory he'd gained after Banro-hwandong, no face came to mind. At his words, her eyes glistened with tears even as she smiled. Seeing that Jeonghu didn't recognize her brought a pang of life's transience, yet the sight of him so grown filled her only with joy.
"It's me... Ok Sang-a. I was your wet nurse, Young Master... Sniff!"
Emotion overwhelmed her mid-sentence, and she burst into tears. To Ok Sang-a, who had lived with her gaze fixed solely on Jeonghu from the time he was a newborn for a full fifteen years, he was both a young master to serve and a child born of her heart. How vast must the accumulated longing and happiness have been after so long apart?
The last time she'd seen him, he'd been suffering from some terrible illness. After that, a physician had taken up permanent residence and outsiders were barred from visiting, so she could no longer see her young master. Weeks later, word came that he'd recovered his health and entered closed-door training to elevate his martial realm. The regret of not being able to see him off lasted only a moment. Hearing he'd grown healthy again, she breathed a sigh of relief. At thirty-five, her position as wet nurse was terminated. She married the Outer Chief Administrator—who had shown interest in her at the time—and became a wife instead of someone's wet nurse.
Even as she lived happy days with the child born between them, her longing for Jeonghu only grew. She'd told her husband that if Young Master Jeonghu ever returned to the family, he must let her know at once. After a long wait of ten years, she finally received word of his return and had her husband deliver a letter to the family head.
The letter contained a request: since so much time had passed, the young master might find the clan unfamiliar upon his return. She wished to serve by his side again, at least until he grew accustomed to his surroundings. Today, having received permission, Ok Sang-a had rushed here and waited.
Wet nurse... wet nurse...
Jeonghu's mind spun at incredible speed. Then it hit him. Huh? This woman was that girl? The one who'd been his grandson's maid and later became his wet nurse. As the former family head, how many times could he have seen his grandson's wet nurse? The girl in her twenties he'd seen when visiting the infant had returned as a full forty-five-year-old woman. Even with his exceptional memory, it was no wonder he hadn't recognized her at first glance.
He was delighted.
"Wet nurse...!"
With a face blooming with joy, Jeonghu strode forward and embraced Ok Sang-a. A woman had rolled into his arms. The soft, yielding flesh characteristic of one who had never practiced martial arts. The breasts pressing against his chest were so bountiful that their heavy, crushed weight spread wide enough to be felt against his abdomen.
Her body, grown plump with age, still carried faint traces of the slender figure from her youth. Where it should dip in, it dipped slightly; where it should protrude, it protruded abundantly. In modern terms, was this what they called voluptuous beauty? She was the very definition of voluptuous.
Where has a woman like this been hiding all this time?
Wonderful. Simply wonderful. Jeonghu wrapped his arms tightly around her back.
"Just how long has it been...! Haha! It's truly good to see you."
"Our young master has changed so much too, hasn't he? You're much bigger than me now, ho ho. Still, your face carries the same features from your childhood."
Ok Sang-a stroked Jeonghu's face as if savoring old memories. Her touch was tender, tracing the lines of recollection. Everyone else she'd met claimed he'd changed beyond recognition, yet she alone said he remained the same. In truth, even if his grandson had grown up normally, his appearance would have fallen far short of Jeonghu's now. Having undergone Hwangol-taltae, his entire body's balance had been corrected. The asymmetry and irregularities in his face had been perfectly aligned as well. Thanks to his natural bone structure, while not delicately handsome, he'd transformed into a form that would draw admiration from any woman who appreciated true masculinity.
After all, even the elders who'd seen the Overlord in his prime hadn't recognized him. It was simply that the current Jeonghu possessed an exceptionally striking appearance. The direct bloodline of the Hwangbo family had never been particularly noted for outstanding looks. They were simply large-framed and reliably manly. The reason she spoke this way was...
The aftereffect of memory. Idealization. Having thought of him as the most lovable child in the world, she'd unconsciously beautified the Jeonghu in her memories while longing for him. By now he must have grown this much. He was so pretty as a boy... Even if he fell short of her memories, she would have seen only handsomeness. Deep affection blinds the eyes, after all.
"Haha, please sit first. I'm curious how you've been all this time, wet nurse."
Jeonghu and Ok Sang-a walked to the nearby table and sat down. He rang a bell to call Somi and ordered her to prepare tea. Moments later, they sipped the steaming Longjing tea and shared many stories.
Ok Sang-a spoke of how she'd lived after Jeonghu entered closed-door training, and how much she'd missed him. In response, Jeonghu recalled his memories of closed-door training in his youth. "The Byukgokdan really tasted awful." "I'd eat a few pills, train, sleep, wake up, eat more pills, train, sleep." He answered with such tales.
Having been obsessed with martial arts, the only complaint in that life—aside from the tasteless meals—had been minimal. Rather, he'd been satisfied that he could focus solely on training. But Ok Sang-a's reaction was different.
"Our young master... going through all that..."
"How did you endure ten whole years eating nothing but grass? Sob... You suffered so much, truly..."
Every time he spoke in a calm, indifferent tone, she made a pitying face and added sympathetic interjections. Eating, sleeping, and training. From those words alone, she seemed to imagine some horrific ordeal. She looked on the verge of breaking into tears.
"You suffered so much, really... From now on, I'll make you lots of delicious things. Your body—is there anywhere that still hurts? They said you caught some illness as a child and we couldn't even see you... I worried so much."
"The Hwangbo family's physician was more skilled than I expected. That sickness from back then is completely cured. But..."
Jeonghu's face darkened with melancholy. At his trailing tone and the deliberate expression suggesting something was wrong, Ok Sang-a—who had been looking at him with pity—grew visibly more serious and asked with concern.
"But...?"
"...Sigh. During my closed-door training, I ended up suffering Qi Deviation."
"Qi Deviation!? Oh heavens...!"
"Ah, I'm fine now. Fortunately, I had heavenly luck and managed to overcome it... but there were side effects."
"What..."
Ok Sang-a covered her mouth. Though she hadn't practiced martial arts, having lived in a martial family for over ten years, she'd heard enough to know how dangerous Qi Deviation was. The energy channels twisting, the body escaping control? It could leave one crippled or even dead... and her young master had gone through that? It wasn't just hidden suffering. A child as dear as her own son had endured pain severe enough to kill him in a place where no one could watch over him...
"Haha! Wet nurse, there's no need to look so serious. In a way, the side effect that appeared is rather minor... It's fortunate my body remains this healthy."
Suddenly. Seeing Jeonghu smiling as if it were nothing, Ok Sang-a couldn't contain her emotions. She rose from her seat and pulled his head into her embrace.
"Sob... Our young master... how much you must have suffered... Hic, sob..."
Her chest heaved with sobs. Good... Heh, so good... The sensation of breasts rubbing against his face. Jeonghu's crotch rose sharply, twitching upward. He wrapped his arms around her waist and, as if throwing a tantrum, buried his face between the abundant breasts, rubbing several times before finally pulling away.
"I'm fine, really. Has our wet nurse become quite the crybaby while I was gone? Hahaha!"
"Sob... So, what side effect did you develop?"
She wiped her tears with effort and sat back down. Her hands resting on the table trembled slightly with worry and anxiety.
"This is... well... rather embarrassing to say. I'll tell you next time..."
"I see. Anytime is fine... Our young master, you've been through so much, truly..."
"By the way, you mentioned earlier that you got married. Does that mean you have a child as well?"
"Yes, of course~ He's ten years old now. Hehe..."
She answered with a warm smile, as if thinking of her child.
"I see... But is it all right for you to come here and be my wet nurse? Your child must need his mother too."
"How can our young master's kind heart remain so unchanged? Ho ho. I have rest days every two or three days, so don't worry. When you were little I stayed by your side all day, but... now that you're all grown up. More importantly, my in-laws adore my son even more than my husband does and take good care of him, so it's fine."
"Oh—then that's a relief. Ah... did you know? During closed-door training, I thought of you even more often than my parents. Even when I was exhausted and it was hard to wash, I'd complain, 'If only wet nurse were here, she'd wash me herself~' Haha. Everything reminded me of you, wet nurse."
As Jeonghu finished speaking, his eyes gleamed. Like a seasoned hunter setting a trap along the path his prey would take.
"My goodness!... You did? Ho ho. Shall I wash you then, Young Master? It's been so long."
Ok Sang-a was simply happy. Since she thought of Jeonghu as a son born from her heart, hearing that he'd missed her more than his own parents touched her more deeply than any words in the world.
"Oh, would you really? I'd love that! I was just about to wash anyway—this is perfect timing."
Ok Sang-a had been smiling with a face that said she could die of affection, but Jeonghu's answer left her stunned.
"My goodness!... I was only joking... You want me to wash you for real?"
"Of course, I'm serious. Didn't I say it? I really missed the way my wet nurse used to bathe me."
Hesitation filled Ok Sang-a's face—she clearly didn't know what to do. She was a woman who would die for her own child and would die for Jeonghu, yet no matter how much she thought of him as a son, washing the body of a fully grown man was...
Reading the trace of her dilemma, Jeonghu's expression changed.
"Is it... not allowed? I really... missed it. Is it truly... not possible?"
Dejected. It was a pitiful face, as if he'd innocently tried to hug her out of joy at seeing her after so long, only to be told it was disgusting now that he was grown. His changes in expression were truly astonishing. More natural and sincere than an actor performing in a Sichuan opera troupe wandering the central plains. He'd never learned such things, yet how could he do it so well? Perhaps because he'd lost several aspects of his humanity, including emotions like guilt? It seemed to help, but considering that the basic training for an assassin—whose main occupation was disguise—included eliminating emotions such as fear and guilt, it made sense. Having gone through such processes, pretending to be another person came naturally. Or perhaps it was a natural talent he'd been unaware of before.
What mother could resist a son making such a face?
The hesitating Ok Sang-a finally let out a small sigh. It was the sigh of a mother who, unable to withstand her son's coaxing, ultimately gave in and placed the desired object in his hand.
"Then... shall we do it after so long? Ho ho..."
Speaking the words brought a smile to her face. Our young master has only grown in body—his heart remains exactly as it was. Thinking that made him adorable again. After all, he'd been confined for so long during the age when one learns about such matters... He probably hadn't yet realized the differences between men and women.
Our young master, how pitiful... what am I to do with him...
Unaware of Ok Sang-a's pitying gaze, Jeonghu rose from his seat with a bright smile.
"Excellent! Haha. It's been so long since we've bathed together. I told the maid before you arrived to heat the bathwater, so it should be ready by now."
"Then, Young Master, finish your tea and come in about one tea's time (roughly fifteen minutes). I need to change my clothes too if I'm going to wash you... Understood?"
"I understand, wet nurse."
Left alone in the room after Ok Sang-a departed, Jeonghu lifted his teacup and took a sip of the Longjing tea.
"Heh..."
A smile crept across his lips. His crotch remained prominently bulging upward.