Chapter 118: The Maid and the Master-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 118: The Maid and the Master-4
Before reading today’s chapter, I would appreciate it if you could play some barbershop shaving ASMR content from YouTube or a similar platform.
*
As the sun prepared to return home and a vermilion hue began to settle over the sky, Emma headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
She thumped her chest with her palm, promising to prepare a delicious meal for her master, who had finally regained some of his strength.
In-ho watched the setting sun through the window, resting in a lounge chair.
"The day still isn't over. Usually, time flies."
He muttered to himself, recalling how he had been frantically swept up in one incident after another.
"Mmm..."
Sipping the tea Emma had brewed for him, he rocked his body back and forth.
The wooden joints of the chair let out a rhythmic creak, creak.
"This is nice. This kind of thing."
Slurp. The warm liquid traveled down, soothingly wetting his throat.
The water wasn't scalding hot, nor was it tepid and bland; it was the perfect temperature.
It had been so long since he’d received such treatment—not since his time as the Young Sect Leader of the Black Sky Cult—that he felt a bit dazed by it all.
"It’s a shame my body is like this, though."
In-ho examined his deeply wrinkled face and hands.
Then there was the coarse beard covering the area beneath his nose.
He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror sitting on the side table.
With proper grooming, he might be able to pull off a distinguished look, but beards weren't exactly his style.
"I wish I had a razor. Forget Gillette—I wonder what they even use to shave around here."
Unlike his usual habit of agonizing over survival strategies after a dimension transfer, he spent his time on idle thoughts for once.
Perhaps it was because his body was old, but he felt like the day was exceptionally long.
"The key to this dimension is obviously Emma."
The person connected to his death would undoubtedly be her.
A normal person would have left the mansion the moment they stopped receiving wages, but Emma hadn't. That was the basis of his deduction.
Of course, she could simply be a person of great loyalty, but the hardships In-ho had endured were far too severe for him to entertain such naive thoughts.
"How will I die this time?"
He contemplated his end.
The first thing that came to mind was death during intercourse.
Emma, driven into a frenzy for some unknown reason, would demand physical union, and he would die while being forced into the act. Given his elderly body, it seemed entirely plausible.
"If it's death in the throes of passion, isn't that a decent way to go?"
Considering the ways he had died so far, it felt like a merciful end. In-ho nodded to himself.
It was certainly a hundred, a thousand times better than being stabbed, having his head burst by a straight punch, or dying of thirst.
"Besides, with my body like this, it’s hard to go anywhere alone."
Emma said he had recovered his strength, but In-ho was currently in a state of extreme physical discomfort.
It felt similar to the sensation of finally coming home after pulling three consecutive all-nighters at work.
He was weak, and everything felt like a chore.
It was as if he were moving with heavy sandbags tied to his arms and legs.
"Let's stay inside as much as possible. If I need fresh air, the front garden should be enough."
Looking through the window, the mansion seemed to sit on a large plot of land, even if it was dilapidated.
There was bound to be at least a small walking path within the estate.
'Do nothing as quietly as possible.'
This was the conclusion In-ho reached after much thought.
Knock, knock.
"Master, dinner is ready."
"Yeah, come in."
The door opened, and Emma wheeled in a cart.
The savory aroma of food tickled In-ho’s nose.
As Emma pulled out the overbed table, In-ho spoke to her.
"Emma. I’m sorry, but could I ask a favor?"
"Sorry? Master, please, speak freely. I am your faithful maid."
"I’m sorry to make you bring the food all the way up here, but... could I eat dinner in the dining room?"
In-ho made the suggestion because he felt that eating in bed made him look even more like an invalid.
"I think that’s a wonderful idea, Master."
It must have been difficult to wheel the cart up, yet Emma didn't show a hint of annoyance. She immediately took the dinner back down to the dining room.
Five minutes later, Emma returned to his room after finishing the preparations.
"Master, I will escort you to the dining room."
Emma held out her hand, but In-ho stood up from the lounge chair without taking it.
Emma quickly stepped closer and offered her arm.
"You need support, don't you?"
"Um... no. I want to try walking on my own. If it feels like I’m going to fall, I’ll grab you then."
When In-ho declined with a smile, Emma smiled back and maintained a respectful distance.
'Ugh. My body won't do what I want. How did I move when I went to get water earlier...?'
In-ho muttered inwardly as he took careful steps.
It took a while to get from the second floor to the first, but when In-ho managed to descend the stairs under his own power, Emma spoke beside him, her voice thick with emotion.
"To see you becoming so healthy, Master... today is the best day of my life."
"Haha. Thanks."
With an awkward laugh, In-ho entered the dining room.
*
After finishing his meal and washing his face and teeth, In-ho returned to his room.
Perhaps the walk back had served as good exercise; the slight bloating he’d felt was gone, and his stomach felt fine. His food seemed to have digested well.
He looked out the window again.
Darkness had fully settled over the street visible through the glass.
Gas lamps flickered here and there, casting faint light, but they were no match for the heavy blanket of natural night.
Scritch, scritch.
In-ho stroked his coarse beard again and sat in the lounge chair.
'I'll just spend some time like this and then go to sleep.'
Just as he thought that, Emma entered the room.
"Master, are you sleeping?"
She seemed to have finished the dishes and cleaned the dining room.
"No, not yet."
"If you aren't going to sleep right away, may I help you with something?"
"Huh? With what?"
Step, step.
The sound of Emma’s footsteps moved from behind him to his front.
Before he knew it, Emma was standing before him, holding a small blade.
In-ho flinched at the sight of the knife, causing Emma to step back slightly.
"D-did I startle you?"
"Oh, no. Well... that knife? What is it for?"
When In-ho spoke again, Emma let out a sigh of relief and closed the distance she had just put between them.
"It's a razor."
"A razor?"
"Yes. I used to trim your beard for you, but after your condition worsened, you became terrified whenever you saw a blade. I haven't been able to tidy it up for a while."
"That’s perfect. I was actually bothered by the beard. Can you give me a clean shave?"
Having grasped the situation, In-ho nodded in agreement.
"Of course," Emma said confidently.
*
Emma poured boiling water over a towel and waited a moment.
After testing the temperature with her hand to ensure it was just right, she wrapped the towel around In-ho’s upper lip and chin.
The towel was tied like a mummy's wrappings, leaving only In-ho’s nostrils exposed.
After reclining the chair to a half-lying position, Emma placed a solution into a small wooden bowl and stirred it with a brush made of animal hair.
Chabak, chabak, chabak.
The sound, tickling his ears, signaled the creation of lather in the wooden bowl.
Emma squeezed the lather-filled brush, whipped it again, and repeated the process.
The more she repeated the action, the more foam was produced, and the finer the bubbles became.
Emma removed the towel covering In-ho’s face.
After checking the state of the softened whiskers, she began to apply the lather.
She worked meticulously, layering the foam thickly to ensure no spot was missed.
Emma devoted quite a bit of effort to this task, and soon, the area below In-ho’s nose was completely covered in a seamless white beard of foam.
She took out the straight razor she had brought.
Then, she secured a leather strop to one side of the desk and pulled it taut with her other hand.
Sshhh, sshhh, sshhh, sshhh.
She ran the razor back and forth against the leather strop.
Scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch.
Stopping her work, Emma held the razor up to her eyes.
"Mmm..."
After inspecting the edge of the blade, Emma stepped lightly and positioned herself at the head of In-ho’s chair.
Her first target was the fine peach fuzz on his face.
She gently scraped the blade over the downy hair on his forehead and cheeks.
Skritch, skritch, skritch.
It was a pleasant sound.
She wiped the hair clinging to the blade onto a nearby towel.
Next was the beard growing from below the neck up to the chin.
As Emma leaned forward slightly, her chest brushed lightly against In-ho’s forehead.
Emma paid it no mind, placing the blade at the base of his neck and slowly drawing it upward.
Sliiiide. Sliiiide.
With every stroke of the razor, the overgrown beard was cleanly shorn away.
Emma carefully shaved her master’s chin, wiping the cut whiskers onto the towel as she went.
Whenever the lather ran thin, she reapplied it with the brush.
Shaving with the blade, applying the brush, shaving again, and reapplying.
"Hmm."
Emma smiled with satisfaction, seeing him return to his usual handsome self rather than looking like a frail old man.
She picked up the towel again to wipe away the remaining foam, then soaked a cotton ball in antiseptic and gently dabbed the shaved area.
Her movements were incredibly cautious, as if she feared her master might find it stinging.
"......"
Her efforts to be gentle were almost unnecessary, however, as In-ho had already fallen asleep some time ago.
Normally, she would have left some hair to maintain a certain line, but at In-ho’s strong request, she had cleared it all away.
Emma’s cheeks flushed as she looked at her master’s face, which appeared much younger than before.
"Master, I’m finished."
Emma whispered into In-ho’s ear, but there was no sign of him waking.
She tried to wake him a few more times, but he remained deep in sleep.
"I suppose it can't be helped."
Emma slid one arm under In-ho’s neck and the other behind his knees.
As she straightened her back, In-ho was lifted effortlessly in a princess carry.
Usually, the lightness of her master’s weight would have weighed heavily on her heart, but today, Emma did not feel despair.
Carefully moving him to the bed, Emma pulled the covers up to his neck.
"Have a peaceful night. My lovely master."
Emma pressed her lips to In-ho’s forehead in a soft goodnight.