Wandering Through Vol. 2 Chapter 59 - Reunion 🔞

Ban stopped in her tracks, startled, as she returned home and saw the messy yard.

 

These were clearly the items she had brought to the temple earlier. 

 

The Buddhist scriptures, rice, and a few bolts of fabric she had given to the monks were now scattered haphazardly across the yard. Yiseo, sitting blankly on the wooden porch, gestured to Ban.

 

“Come here, Ban.”

 

“W-what happened, Madam? Did the monks do this?”

 

Ban approached Yiseo while picking up the items from the yard.

 

“No, it wasn’t them. You don’t have to clean it up.”

 

“But…”

 

“It’s fine. Ban, come here.”

 

Yiseo took the items Ban had already gathered from her hands as she hurried over. 

 

After setting them aside on the porch, Yiseo carefully wiped Ban’s dirtied hands with the hem of her skirt and spoke.

 

“We’ll have to leave tomorrow instead of today. I feel bad since you worked so hard to pack everything.”

 

“I don’t mind, but why? Why leave tomorrow?”

 

“I forgot there was something left to do. So, Ban, could you stay at the temple and play for just one more day? The monks won’t say anything.”

 

Ban stared blankly at Yiseo, who was smiling awkwardly, then pointed at the stepping stone with her hand.

 

“Is that what Madam has left to do?”

 

On the stepping stone lay the Taesahye shoes Leegwang had worn.

 

Honestly, Ban was familiar with shoes of that size. Outside the door to Madam’s room, only shoes of that size were ever left.

 

“Are you really okay, Madam?”

 

“…”

 

“Madam always says she’s fine, so I don’t know if you really are or not. Maybe I’m just stupid, but I can’t tell if you’re truly fine or just saying it. Even though I know the difference now, I’m still a bit slow, so can’t you just tell me honestly?”

 

It was a childish yet unchildlike thing to say.

 

Yiseo thought Ban had grown a lot. 

 

Even though her body had already reached adulthood, Yiseo had always considered her a child—but she realized now that she was wrong. She wiped Ban’s already clean hands one more time and whispered.

 

“Ban, you’re not lacking—you’re just growing a little slower. And it’s not because you’re stupid that you can’t tell whether ‘I’m fine’ really means I’m fine or not… It’s because even I don’t know whether I’m fine or not, so of course you wouldn’t know either.”

 

“Why don’t you know if you’re fine or not?”

 

“Right. Why don’t I know? Maybe I’m the stupid one, not you.”

 

“Even now, you don’t know if you’re fine?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Do you not know if you like it or not, either?”

 

If she had to choose, she neither liked nor disliked it.

 

Yiseo had never deeply examined her own emotions or thoughts. Most of her choices weren’t based on her feelings but on whether her decisions would benefit others more.

 

“I really don’t know.”

 

At Yiseo’s weak reply, Ban sighed like an adult.

 

“Alright. I’ll come back tomorrow morning, Madam.”

 

Ban let go of Yiseo’s hand and stepped back.

 

“If even Madam doesn’t know, what can I do? All I can do is hope that you’re truly okay.”

 

“I know. Ban, you’re the one who likes me most in the world, aren’t you? Always on my side, no matter what.”

 

Yiseo reached out, tucking a loose strand of Ban’s hair behind her ear, and smiled. 

 

Even though she had said it as a joke, Ban nodded solemnly, making Yiseo’s stiff shoulders relax a little.

 

When she thought about it, it wasn’t a big deal.

 

It wasn’t the first time she had slept with Leegwang, after all.

 

After seeing Ban off, Yiseo stepped back onto the porch and suddenly glanced at the stepping stone. 

 

Leegwang’s shoes and Yiseo’s were placed neatly side by side.

 

It felt a little unfamiliar.

 

Before, Leegwang had always hidden Yiseo’s shoes where she couldn’t find them. 

 

Honestly, if she wanted to run away, she could have done so barefoot—so why had he kept taking and discarding her shoes?

 

Even when he held Yiseo in his arms, he was always uneasy.

 

Yiseo hated that.

 

It seemed that unease was eating away at him. 

 

Even when their bodies joined, he was always restless, unable to relax. He left marks on her skin, clung to her, unable to let go…

 

Yiseo stepped inside the room. 

 

The man leaning against the wall looked up at her.

 

…Would it be any different now, without the memories of their past life?

 

“You seem close with your maid. Have you kept her long?”

 

At Leegwang’s question, Yiseo sat across from him, answering casually. 

 

As a result, they both ended up sitting on the unfolded bedding—though, in truth, the room was so small there was nowhere else to sit anyway.

 

“No. Only about a year. She was originally my husband’s servant, but I took her with me when I left after the divorce.”

 

“Took her?”

 

“When my husband forgot about her, I just brought her along. Luckily, it seems he still hasn’t remembered.”

 

“Your husband must’ve been very old, then. To forget a servant he kept—sounds like his mind was far gone.”

 

“…”

 

‘That husband is you.’ Yiseo thought.

 

And Leegwang was a year younger than her.

 

…Well, if they counted the years from their past lives, then yes, he was significantly older than her.

 

Yiseo stared at Leegwang silently. She considered saying something but ultimately kept her mouth shut. 

 

As her silence stretched, the room grew quiet. 

 

The familiar tension before intimacy settled in, and Yiseo exhaled deeply, slipping off the sleeveless vest draped over her jacket.

 

The air felt slightly colder without the thickly padded layers. She neatly folded the vest, set it aside, and waited for Leegwang’s touch.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

And yet—nothing happened.

 

“…?”

 

…usually, by this point, she would already be undressed and lying down.

 

Yiseo lifted her downcast eyes. 

 

Leegwang was staring straight at her, but his unfocused gaze made it impossible to tell where exactly he was looking.

 

He seemed… distracted.

 

“…Aren’t you going to undress me? Should I do it myself?”

 

When Yiseo grabbed the ribbon of her jeogori, he reached out and took hold of her hand. Then, he slowly pulled at the ribbon of her jeogori.

 

Pop—the ribbon came undone.

 

What shocked Yiseo more than the fact that he had only loosened one ribbon in the time it would have taken him to strip her completely before was the faint trembling in his hand as he tugged at it.

 

It was such a slight tremor that she might not have noticed if she hadn’t been paying attention—but she had already realized.

 

Rustle, rustle…

 

Her eyes wavered roughly as she watched his large hands removing her clothes layer by layer. 

 

Did he even know how to undress her one piece at a time?

 

Yiseo came to a shocking realization she hadn’t even considered. Now that she thought about it, if Leegwang had no memory, then this…

 

This was their first time.

 

It felt like a blow to the head.

 

After all those times he had thrust into her so relentlessly in the past, this was their first time…

 

“…”

 

Suddenly, Yiseo felt deeply wronged.

 

They had both rolled around in the mud, yet now one of them had suddenly become clean. How could this be?

 

The hand that had forgotten every last thing he had done with Yiseo now grasped her bare, exposed shoulder. Then, he lowered his head and gently pressed his lips to her cheek.

 

“Haa…”

 

“…”

 

He let out a long sigh, as if satisfied.

 

Of course, Yiseo was anything but satisfied.

 

Had he always been the type to be content with just this? Then what had all those other things he’d done to her been?

 

What about the shock and humiliation she had felt? Her tension melted away under the weight of her resentment.

 

Now that she thought about it, the one who should be nervous wasn’t her—it was him.

 

Yiseo knew his body, but he knew nothing of hers.

 

Leegwang, unaware of her thoughts, pulled his lips from her cheek and carefully pressed them against hers. 

 

The softly meeting lips parted, and their tongues intertwined.

 

“Mm, hnng…”

 

Swallowing each other’s saliva greedily, Yiseo felt good. Leegwang, with dazed eyes, repeatedly pressed his lips against hers—soft, moist kisses.

 

That only made it more unfair.

 

She couldn’t suffocate. She couldn’t…

 

He didn’t probe her throat with his tongue, didn’t suck on her tongue madly, didn’t swallow every breath she took.

 

How could this be? How? How…

 

Gently pushing the stunned Yiseo down, Leegwang kissed the nape of her neck and removed his clothes. His bare ears were red.

 

Did he even know what shame was?

 

If he did, then who was the man who had rolled around half-naked with Yiseo outside, in full view of everyone?

 

As he rubbed his lips against her nape, Yiseo instinctively flicked her tongue out, licking the tip of his red ear flickering in front of her.

 

His ears turned even redder. Holding his twitching head, she ran her tongue over his reddening ear and lightly bit it with her teeth. Then, sliding her lips down to below his ear, she sat up.

As if entranced, his body followed hers.

 

Yiseo grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down onto his back. His large frame moved effortlessly under her touch. She climbed onto his stomach.

 

The firm, tense muscles of his abdomen pressed against her. Leegwang’s dazed eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking. 

 

Placing a hand on his chest, she whispered,

 

“Since Your Highness doesn’t know what to do, it’s better if I take the lead.”