Wandering Through Vol. 2 Chapter 58 - Reunion

In a thatched cottage nestled in the mountains where the snow had yet to melt, a man and woman sat facing each other. 

 

The air was thick with a chilly stillness.

 

A long silence stretched between them.

 

Finally, breaking the silence, Leegwang spoke.

“Do you think I’m doing all this just to have you for a single night?”

 

Yiseo countered.

“Are you not?”

 

“If I’m going to take something, I take all of it. Why settle for just one night?”

 

His tone was precarious, as though he was struggling to hold back his anger. Suppressed emotions made his voice stiff.

 

“I’ve always been the type who won’t be satisfied until I have everything I desire, completely and entirely in my grasp.”

 

This was something Yiseo knew better than anyone. She had assumed it was due to his memories of their past life, but perhaps it was simply his innate nature.

 

“But you don’t know me well, so of course you’d assume I’d be content with just one night. It’s understandable. You refused me because I’m still a stranger to you. I can accept that.”

 

His words didn’t sound understanding at all, but Yiseo chose not to point it out. She could already tell he was holding back as much as he could.

 

Had Leegwang remembered their past life, Yiseo would have long been pinned beneath him, taking his member into her back hole until she passed out. 

 

And when she woke, she’d find herself locked inside an unfamiliar room. She had experienced it many times before.

 

The current him was indeed exercising restraint.

 

“How could I just follow a stranger so easily? We should meet more, talk more, and grow familiar first. Then we can discuss such things. I’ll put in the effort.”

 

Was he saying he’d keep coming back here? 

 

Yiseo’s expression hardened. Seeing her face, Leegwang’s lips twisted.

 

“You’re the first person I’ve ever wanted this badly in my life. That’s why I’m willing to invest the time and effort…”

 

He rose from his seat.

 

“If you’re going to offer yourself to me, don’t give me just one night—give me your entire life.”

 

His gaze bore down on Yiseo without even a blink—as if he wanted to imprint her fully into his eyes.

 

After staring at her like that for a long while, Leegwang finally left. He didn’t lay a single finger on her. 

 

Even though Yiseo had offered herself, he refused because he didn’t want just one night—he wanted her entire life.

 

…She wavered.

 

Yiseo smiled bitterly. The truth was, even without remembering their past life, she couldn’t help but be shaken the moment she saw him wanting her.

 

She had thought his nature and his desire for her were both because of their past life.

 

That the ties of their past life had ended when that life did, and they shouldn’t drag it into this one.

 

That was why she erased their past, why she left.

 

But if, even without remembering anything, he still wanted her the moment he saw her in this life…

 

She couldn’t help but falter.

 

Yiseo splashed cold water on her face repeatedly and shook her head. No. It wasn’t her he wanted—most likely, it was just her body. 

 

‘Maybe even he was confused’

 

At any rate, this Leegwang, who remembered nothing, was just a young man in his early twenties.

 

She didn’t want to be swayed by his youthful passion.

 

To be honest, the thought of starting something with him again terrified her. 

 

Their relationship had never ended well.

 

If she didn’t start anything, there would be no pain. To stop herself from wavering any further, Yiseo decided to run.

 

“My lady!”

 

As dusk fell, Ban, whom she had sent to the temple earlier, came scurrying back.

 

Yiseo stroked Ban’s head and spoke.

 

“Don’t you think we’ve stayed here too long, Ban? Should we go somewhere else?”

 

Ban tilted her head.

 

“Where to?”

 

“Anywhere. Is there somewhere you’d like to go?”

 

“Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you, my lady.”

 

“Then let’s pack up right now.”

 

“Right… right now?”

 

Yiseo nodded. Ban glanced anxiously at the darkening sky, her expression seeming to ask, But it’s almost nightfall?

 

“We’ll pack tonight and leave at dawn. Once I’ve made up my mind, it’s best to go quickly. Hesitating will only make things harder.”

 

The suddenness of the plan made Ban blink rapidly in confusion.

 

“But then we’ll have to leave behind all the rice and meat we just received…”

 

“We’ll donate the rice to the temple and take the meat with us.”

 

“You said you didn’t have a destination in mind…”

 

“Before we leave, we should stop by Nanny Yeongseon’s first. We can say our goodbyes there and decide where to go next.”

 

The swift, decisive answers left Ban no choice but to nod. She was wiser now—she could tell this wasn’t one of Yiseo’s usual impulsive whims. 

 

If it were, Ban could have stopped her, but not this time.

 

Because if Ban objected now, Yiseo wouldn’t give up leaving—she’d just leave Ban behind instead.

 

“Then I’ll start packing right away.”

 

“Only the essentials. It’ll be too heavy to carry everything.”

 

With that, Yiseo went into her room to pack as well. Watching her, Ban suddenly wondered—

Does my lady even have anything she considers truly important?

 

She always seemed so detached, like someone already halfway to death, clinging to nothing…

 

Ban didn’t know. 

 

Did Yiseo ever have desires? Had she ever wanted anything with all her being?

 

It didn’t seem like it.

 

That was just… how Yiseo was.

 

🦋

 

By morning, the Buddhist scriptures, sacks of rice, and bolts of fabric Yiseo had sent Ban to donate to the temple lay scattered haphazardly across the courtyard.

 

The small yard was instantly thrown into disarray.

 

Leegwang strode into the courtyard, his imposing presence reducing it to chaos. Yiseo instinctively took a step back. 

 

Seeing her reaction, he halted.

 

“What have I done to make you flee like this?”

 

His tone was icy, but the undercurrent of frustration was unmistakable. Yiseo lowered her gaze.

 

“I didn’t punish you for stealing my lifespan. I didn’t drag you away when you refused to follow me. All I did was say I favored you—yet you act as if I’m some evil spirit haunting you…”

 

“…”

 

“Why is it only me you treat this way?”

 

“It’s not just you, Your Highness. I simply… no longer wish to be entangled with any man.”

 

Leegwang gritted his teeth at the flimsy excuse. 

 

Hearing the sound, Yiseo looked up—and froze at the sight of his blazing, ghostly blue eyes.

 

He seemed unable to control his emotions.

 

“Was I the first man to ever court you? You let countless others come and go from this house as they pleased, yet the moment you meet me, you’re ready to abandon your home and run?”

 

His words hinted at Suyeong, and Yiseo wondered just how much he knew about her household affairs.

 

“If you mean the scholar who sometimes brings rice, he’s like a younger brother to me—”

 

“What kind of brother looks at his sister like that? Like he wants to pin her down!”

 

‘Suyeong wasn’t that bad.’

 

Yiseo frowned instinctively, her distaste showing—but to Leegwang, it must have looked like she was defending him. His eyes flared with fury.

 

Unwittingly, Yiseo poured oil on the fire.

 

“…That scholar isn’t that kind of man. Could it be that Your Highness misunderstands him because you harbor such feelings toward me?”

 

‘So I’m a lust-crazed beast, and he’s the virtuous scholar?’ Leegwang thought.

 

Leegwang, who couldn’t remember the nights he had spent with Yiseo, could feel every last shred of patience he had mustered wearing thin under her gaze—as if she saw him as nothing more than a crazed beast lusting after her body.

 

He stepped closer to her and asked,

“So, I’m just some filthy bastard who only wants your body, and he’s the pure one? Is that why you’re planning to run to him?”

 

“That’s not it at all! When I said I didn’t want to get involved with any man anymore, it wasn’t just an excuse, I truly meant—”

 

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

 

Yiseo froze instantly. The man standing too close, his terrifyingly calm eyes, and the words he had once whispered to her…

 

‘How can I trust you?’

 

Memories of the past flooded her mind. Without realizing it, she stiffened, stumbling backward until she collapsed onto the ground.

 

To anyone watching, it would look like she was fleeing in terror.

 

Leegwang let out a hollow laugh. He crouched in front of her, meeting her eyes, and asked,

“What have I ever done to make you this afraid of me?”

 

“…”

 

“I’ve never laid a single finger on you… Honestly, if I had, maybe being treated like this wouldn’t sting as much.”

 

Acting on impulse, he reached out and gripped her cheek. It felt better than touching her in his dreams. 

 

Even now, the delicate warmth of her skin beneath his fingers was so intoxicating it was almost absurd.

 

Yiseo’s wide eyes blinked rapidly with unease.

 

“You took years off my life, and you think I’ll let you run away without giving anything in return?”

 

This was the first time he had ever wanted something this badly. He was ready to put in the effort, take his time, and give her whatever she asked for. 

 

But here she was, scared out of her wits and trying to flee when he hadn’t even demanded her body or her heart. 

 

It made him want to play the madman she expected him to be.

 

‘So who said she could run?’

 

“If you’re too scared to give me your whole life, then at least give me one night before you go.”