How Does Brother Namgung Know About Pork Soup Rice…?
“Um, what exactly does this inn sell…?”
After fainting at the end of no fewer than a dozen climaxes and then waking up again, I had been dressed in reasonably comfortable clothes—though I hated to admit it, the dolphin shorts really were comfortable—and led by the hand by Brother Namgung to yet another inn packed to the rafters with customers.
“You’ve been eating nothing but sweets these past few days, and at least five portions every single meal, haven’t you? I thought I’d feed you something a little different for a change. Ah, two bowls of pork soup here, please.”
Brother Namgung casually ordered food for me as well, then launched straight into expounding his personal theory without missing a beat.
“You have to balance the proportions and total amounts of grains, meat, and oil the way I do, and then pour your whole heart and soul into training the Femboy Divine Art. Only then can you sculpt a beautiful body like this.”
“Ah… I see.”
Certainly those firm eleven-pack abs and sleek thighs were, even to my eyes, rather… well. Honestly speaking, it was a beautifully cultivated physique.
The problem is that it’s Brother Namgung’s body that’s beautiful…
Just as I was admiring that physique—
“……? B-Brother Namgung, what are you doing in a place like this?!”
Brother Namgung suddenly shifted from the seat across the table to the one right beside me and began groping my body without warning.
“Let’s see… Just looking at you, I’d say you’ve put on at least four or five geun these past few days…”
His pale, slender fingers kneaded with exquisitely controlled pressure over the bare thighs left exposed by the dolphin shorts, and over the navel, flanks, and waist revealed by my short top.
“Hngh… Hnn… Haaah…”
A shiver raced down my spine and a tingling shot through my perineum; without thinking, strength surged into my lower body…
…or rather, it tried to.
“Ugh…”
Because of the chastity belt still locked around my lower half, I could feel the blood rushing there, yet all I got was a crushing pressure; nothing actually swelled, so at least the front of my pants didn’t tent up and create an awkward situation. As if in compensation, though, every inch of my skin felt far more sensitive than before. Even now Brother Namgung’s touch sent shivers down my spine on a completely different level from anything I’d known, and I couldn’t stop the strange little sounds from slipping out.
“Haaah… Brother Namgung, please stooop… ♡”
“Come now. As you yourself always say, we’re both men here. What’s there to be so shy about?”
In the end I was helplessly toyed with by Brother Namgung, who lightly ignored my protests, and could only clap a hand over my mouth to stifle the moans that kept escaping.
“Hnn… Ngh… Hnnngh… Haaah… ♡”
I was enduring with everything I had when Brother Namgung, who had been freely fondling me, suddenly stopped and let out a sigh of pure exasperation.
“Good grief… Just what is going on with your body? You’ve clearly gained a full four geun, yet every last bit of that flesh has gone straight to your thighs and rear.”
Having said that much, Brother Namgung looked faintly dazed and muttered under his breath, “A natural-born femboy golden spoon, I swear…” before falling into stunned silence. Thanks to that I was at least temporarily freed from him and could catch my breath.
“Two bowls of pork soup—!”
The ordered food arrived and was set in front of me. I stared at the unfamiliar dish. Thick steam rose from a broth packed full of pork and chives.
“Brother Namgung, so this food is… a pork soup that you mix rice into?”
There was the old joke that people of the Central Plains would eat anything with four legs except a table, but this was still a dish I’d never seen before, so I felt a little hesitant to pick up my spoon right away.
“That’s right. It’s a dish that crossed over from across the sea… Looks like you’ve got some preconceived notions. That’s only because you’ve never been to a place that does it properly.”
Clack—
“Kuaaah, FUCK YEAH!”
As if to provide living proof of Brother Namgung’s words, a foreigner at another table drained an entire bowl of soup in one go and let out a shout of pure delight in his own tongue.
“Tsk tsk. You’re barely past twenty, yet your inability to accept new culture is practically on the level of a seventy-year-old. Look at that Westerner enjoying Eastern cuisine without a shred of prejudice—far more open-minded than you. Try living with a more open heart, will you?”
Listening to Brother Namgung’s endless nagging was starting to make my head spin, so I had no choice but to pick up my spoon.
“W-well then… just one bite first…”
I scooped up a spoonful of broth and swallowed. The distinctive, robust aroma of pork stock filled my mouth.
“Mmm… It’s pretty good, actually. Some people might hate the pork smell, but for me it’s… decent enough.”
If I had to score it… maybe a six out of ten.
Apparently my reaction was less than satisfactory, because Brother Namgung tapped the table with his fingertip.
“Hmm. Then how about this? One serving here costs only half a silver coin.”
“What…? Is that true?”
No matter how many times you explained it, the importance of value for money—or rather, value for taste—could never be overstated. Side dishes, rice, and soup all for half a silver coin? Considering how expensive prices were south of the Yangtze, that was genuinely cheap. With a spread like this for half a silver, it was easy to see why the place was doing such roaring business.
Factoring in the price, that jumps it to a solid nine out of ten…?
Seeing my expression, Brother Namgung’s lips curved upward in satisfaction.
“Haha. Who would ever claim you’re not a merchant’s son? I can practically hear the sound of you calculating profit margins from all the way over here.”
“No, that’s—”
“Just a joke; don’t take it to heart. …Anyway, is there anything you want to do?”
Having already taken a spoonful of the soup-rice and swallowed it, Brother Namgung fixed me with a direct gaze as he spoke.
“Well, first I want to follow Brother Namgung around and learn martial arts…”
First, master enough martial arts to protect myself. That was the most urgent task at hand, but Brother Namgung shook his head.
“That’s a given. I’m asking what kind of work you want to do in the future.”
“Hmm…”
What I want to do, huh…
Well. For the ten years I’d been cooped up in the mountains, survival had been the only thing on my mind. I had never seriously thought about the distant future.
Once enough time has passed that my family’s notoriety is forgotten, I’ll think about it then and somehow make it work.
…That was about as far as my plans for the future had gone.
“Looking at the way you act, the moment money comes up you turn into a completely different person. From where I’m sitting, commerce seems like your true calling. Even if I’m wrong, no matter what you end up doing later, it would be wise to earn some seed money first through various jobs. What do you think?”
“……”
Having such a serious conversation sprung on me in the middle of a meal was a little uncomfortable, but Brother Namgung’s words still made sense.
No matter how I look at it, I’m not cut out for living by the sword. Even if I take it slowly, I should start thinking about a way to put food on the table… right?
“If you have any ideas, I’ll help as much as I can. First, let me introduce you to some work that can earn you seed capital—”
“Outrageous!!!
When it comes to cross-dressing, Type A is king! The classic situation where someone is shy and half-forced into it is still the bestseller!”
A sudden roar from another table cut Brother Namgung’s words short. The sheer volume and the pressure packed into that booming voice made even my body, seated quite a distance away, tingle. It seemed to be one of those internal-energy-infused voices I’d only ever heard about.
“Brother Namgung, the atmosphere looks pretty bad no matter how you slice it. Maybe we should move first…”
“No, the content of their argument is extremely interesting… Let’s listen a bit. Ah, but if you keep listening it might damage your body. Come here. I’ll cover your ears for you.”
Since Brother Namgung was the one buying the meal, I, as the freeloader, had no choice but to let him cover my ears and sit quietly on his lap like a puppy.
“I-it’s a little embarrassing…”
“Come now. Safety first. Just stay still.”
“Nonsense!!
What’s popular these days is Type C! The type that actively cross-dresses of their own free will and uses that charm to seduce men is selling way better!”
“Oho…”
I had my ears covered, so I couldn’t hear a word of what was being said, but Brother Namgung seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Bah! You’re all completely off the mark!
The type that says ‘You get turned on by a man in women’s clothes?’ while cross-dressing yet looking down on it with contempt—Type D—is going to be the next big trend!”
“Now, now, calm down. Type B, the one who feels a little shy yet still hesitantly cross-dresses for someone they like, combines the best points of all the other types, so of course it’s the most popular, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hey! Don’t go quietly ranking your preferred cross-dressing type at the top!
……Anyway, Geungwang, what do you think?”
“Hmm…? Geungwang?”
“U-um, is something the matter?”
It was fortunate that Brother Namgung had covered my ears so the internal-energy-laden voices hadn’t damaged my hearing, but it was still inconvenient not being able to hear even Brother Namgung’s voice properly.
“…No, never mind…. Looks like the argument will wrap up soon.”
Brother Namgung briefly opened the hands covering my ears to tell me that, then covered them again.
“Actually, I’ve got a more urgent personal matter…. Something that happened at the gym…”
“What happened? If it’s interesting, go ahead and tell us!”
“At the gym, I saved a young lady who almost got crushed under a barbell……”
“……and then I ran into that same young lady in the bathhouse, only it turned out she wasn’t a woman—does that make sense? And even though she was the one who showed me her lower half first, the moment she saw mine she turned tail and ran…”
“In that case, from where I’m sitting it’s still not quite a green light…. Besides, Geungwang, you used to be pretty negative about this whole scene. What changed?”
“Well… I don’t really know. How could anyone with a face like that possibly be a man…?”
“Hmm hmm…. Is that so.”
“Brother Namgung… is the debate still not over…?”
Unable to take it any longer, I patted Brother Namgung’s thigh. Only then did he finally remove the hands covering my ears.
“The argument’s finished; now they’re just whispering among themselves. Looks like things have more or less settled, so let’s get back to our meal.”
And so we resumed eating. Yet throughout the rest of the meal Brother Namgung seemed somehow distracted, his mind elsewhere. It felt difficult to bring up any more serious topics, so I simply focused on the taste of the food and ate in quiet.