How Does Brother Namgung Know About Missing Bottoms…?
“Mwah, mwah…. Haa, heuup…♡”
From beyond the hole in the wall came the lewd sounds of the waiter and some unknown man kissing.
“……….”
Forced to listen to all of it, I found sleep impossible.
Why on earth did this inn have a hole punched through the wall, and why could I hear even the softest wet sounds of lips so clearly?
The waiters I had seen while dining with Brother Namgung earlier.
The ones Brother Namgung had called “missing bottoms”—
wearing nothing but long tops that reached their crotches, completely bare below, so that depending on the angle their underclothes flashed into view…
Even when I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to sleep, that indecent attire kept floating before me.
‘Hey there, waiter. How about coming to my room later tonight…?’
A guest’s hand stroking the waiter’s bare thigh, openly inviting him to bed.
I had only seen the waiter’s back, so I couldn’t catch his expression then—but hearing what was happening in the next room now, I could easily imagine the look on his face when that guest had made a pass at him.
“Hnn, haa…♡ Guest,
have you gotten this big because you want to make me yours alone…?”
‘……Just what are the two of them doing in there
to make him say such filthy things….’
It was a little strange that I couldn’t hear the guest’s voice at all, only the waiter’s—but the waiter’s heated moans were so loud that they were probably drowning everything else out.
“Tsuup…, mwah, chuuup…jup, kuhup?! Huu…, gulp…♡”
Listening to the two of them—man and woman… no, the two of them—sharing the pleasures of cloud and rain, my body temperature climbed until my face burned and the bedding grew so hot that sweat began to bead on my skin.
“Ehehe, tasting the guest’s thing has made this one of mine unable to hold back either…♡
Please let me taste you over here as well…♡”
Trying desperately to ignore the endless cries of pleasure, I buried my face in the pillow and decided to replay the events of the day instead.
After the whole uproar over clothing had settled down.
There was nothing to pack beyond my own body, so we left the cabin almost at once.
“I have an inn I’m staying at for now,
so we’ll lodge there while we discuss what comes next.
Come on, step into my arms.”
“……What do you mean by that?”
Brother Namgung simply opened his arms toward me without another word. The gesture was so abrupt it left me completely flustered.
“……… Like this, you mean?”
I stepped forward and hugged him face-to-face.
“…….”
Beside my ear I heard him suck in a sharp breath.
“…You really do have talent, don’t you.
I meant I would carry you in my arms and use light-foot technique because the inn is some distance away—
I never expected you to do something so bewitching….”
“…You should have explained properly!”
What in the world had I just done?
Brother Namgung’s… well, it felt embarrassing to apply the word to a man, but…
his strangely magnetic, refined beauty and the sweet scent of figs meant that looking at him from so close made my heart lurch,
…and that must have clouded my judgment.
“……….”
An agonizing silence stretched until Brother Namgung finally broke it with a cough.
“Ahem….
Once we reach the inn I’ll teach you all sorts of things.
Do you know how much makeup techniques have advanced since you went into hiding?
These days the healthy brown-skin look imported from Wa is all the rage. I’ll teach you from the very beginning.”
He had probably started talking just to thaw the frozen atmosphere, but once the chatter caught fire he grew excited and rattled on,
and listening to him already drained what little energy I had left.
“Haa, I see….
………Wait, makeup…?
How does Brother Namgung know about that?”
“…Haha, you really are something.
Come to think of it, there’s still something I haven’t asked you.
What do you plan to do about your name…?”
“…Ah!”
…Right. Considering what my family had done, I would probably never be able to use my original name again for the rest of my life.
…I didn’t know the details, but it was obvious that people wanting to put a blade in me would gather like clouds—exaggeration or not.
“…Well now. Looks like you hadn’t thought of that at all.
…Which brings me to what I wanted to say. Listen carefully.”
‘Here comes another strange demand….’
My expression must have given me away, because Brother Namgung spoke again.
“Your face already shows roughly what you’re thinking.
Don’t look like that and just hear me out.
…I’ve already decided, in my small way, to help you by
taking you in as an adopted son of the Namgung clan.”
“Hold on a moment… Brother Namgung.
You’re saying you did that before I even agreed to follow you?”
“Don’t interrupt.
…I’m not especially powerful, but I’m not so weak that I can’t add one name to the family register on a branch line.
I’ve already arranged to enter you into the register and sent a letter to the main house.”
“You decided something this important without even consulting me…? What if I had refused to go?”
I didn’t want to show dissatisfaction when I was about to owe him so much,
but I couldn’t quite hide how displeased I felt.
“You’re a man without registration right now, aren’t you?
I was certain you would follow me.
And if you’re going to re-enter the secular world, you’ll need a family register.”
“……….”
His high-handed decision and casual attitude grated a little,
but the truth was I had no other options.
“Well, I’ve digressed. Back to the point.
So for now, your name is………”
“…………Bo…………
…………Chu (秋). I wrote that in the letter,
but if you don’t like it we can change it.”
‘Namgung Chu, using the character for autumn…?’
The way he had hesitated so long before saying it bothered me slightly,
but the sound of it wasn’t bad at all.
“No. Since Brother Namgung, who has shown me such great kindness, chose it for me,
I’ll use it as is.”
Ah, come to think of it….
‘What was Brother Namgung’s name again…?’
Talking about names made me realize I couldn’t remember Brother Namgung’s own name…
I couldn’t even recall the name of the benefactor who had helped me in every way possible.
And the fact that I was only realizing it now filled me with deep shame.
“…Brother Namgung. This is terribly presumptuous, but…
might you tell me your honored name?
…I’m sorry. My head is dull and my memory is poor….”
Hearing my careful question, Brother Namgung looked thoroughly awkward and gave a bitter smile.
“Haha…. No need to apologize.
I rarely give my name outside either.
…Come. Let’s be off.”
“Brother Namgung. Your name…”
The moment I tried to ask again, Brother Namgung slapped his knee.
“Ah, thinking about it, we have a long road ahead.
It would be better if you slept a little….
I’ll seal your sleep acupoint, so don’t panic—
have sweet dreams.”
“W-wait…….”
And so, after sealing my sleep acupoint and carrying the unconscious me to the inn, Brother Namgung woke me only after the sky had already been dyed red by the setting sun.
“Welcome—!
Ah, Great Hero Namgung! You’ve returned!”
“…………!”
Seeing a woman in that indecent outfit—completely without pants—greet Brother Namgung, I couldn’t hide my shock and stared at him.
But Brother Namgung didn’t even meet my eyes;
he calmly exchanged greetings with the woman.
“I did say I’d be back soon.
Anyway, this friend is here for the first time, so bring a menu.
And…….”
When Brother Namgung fixed the woman with a piercing stare, she smiled and nodded.
“Yes. I’ll bring it right away—!”
The moment we sat in the seats she guided us to, I started grilling him.
“Brother Namgung, who is that woman?
And why is she dressed like that?”
“Ask one thing at a time.
First, that friend isn’t a woman—he’s a waiter. A man.”
“What………?”
The completely unexpected answer blanked my mind.
“And not a child either. Every waiter is a full adult past the age of weak-crown—twenty years old.
Helping with household chores is one thing,
but employing a minor in a business like an inn is strictly forbidden by national law.”
“Here’s the menu! Call me again once you’ve chosen—!”
While my head was still spinning, the waiter returned with the menu.
“…First pick something you want to eat.
These days they even draw pictures.”
Just as Brother Namgung said, next to each dish on the menu was a modest illustration.
“Galyeobyeong…?”
What caught my eye was something like a flour pancake filled with strawberries and a white sauce.
“Ah, I somehow knew you’d pick that.
Strictly speaking it’s a snack rather than a meal.
…No, no, I’m not telling you to choose something else—
just that the portion might be small, so order as many as you like.”
After we chose our dishes, Brother Namgung called the waiter back.
“Two crêpes here, please.”
Once the waiter who took the order had left, I asked Brother Namgung about it.
“Brother Namgung. The menu said galyeobyeong, so what’s a crêpe?”
“Ah. It’s a foreign import,
so we call it by the pronunciation used in that country.
The menu writes it in characters, and plenty of people still use the character reading,
but more and more are using the foreign name.
Same with the clothes I introduced you to.
You’ll learn gradually.”
“I see….”
‘Even so…
I’m no immortal who’s been away from the world for a hundred years,
yet the world has changed this much….’