As True as a Dream Chapter 61

Yi Ho absentmindedly brushed a few long strands of hair across Hae-Joo’s face.

 

“I am a wolf cub.”

 

She said that all men were wolves and only got drunk when they were alone, but she ended up being a wolf cub and kissed him.

 

The first time was an illusion, the second was an accident, and the third was a way to get out of a situation.

 

‘And this time? Hae-Joo is a wolf cub? And then what? And the last time?’

 

This time it wasn’t her, it was him who grabbed her and wouldn’t let go.

 

“…I just wanted to.”

 

Murmuring to himself, Yi Ho looked at Hae-Joo as if hypnotized for a moment, then smiled.

 

All his senses, heightened by the fact that he was a fox, were focused on her.

 

Her softly pressed lips, her smooth, flicking tongue, her luscious body, the warm scent of her body melting in their mingled breath, the sound of her heart contracting and relaxing as fast as the pulse on his wrist…

 

He felt hot all over.

 

Heat surged from the depths of his core and seeped into the whiteness of his limbs.

 

He wanted to take this woman, this woman who made his head spin, into his belly and lick, taste and rub every inch of her.

 

The beast inside him urged him to never tire of her, to want her more the more he indulged, to wonder.

 

He hadn’t realized that male lust could be so insanely possessive.

 

He was neither human nor fox, so he was indifferent to anything that didn’t involve his own survival.

 

He didn’t want to be a human, and he didn’t want to be a fox.

 

That’s what he’ll say.

 

It’s as if he was hit in the back of the head at the end of his life.

 

The recent happiness he had experienced because of Hae-Joo was more intense than the happiness he had experienced for 400 years.

 

Like the kiss before, the uncontrolled intensity was dazzling.

 

And it did not offend him in the least.

 

On the contrary, he wanted more of the sensation.

 

Yi Ho looked down at the sleeping Hae-Joo and leaned forward.

 

He kissed her small, slightly parted lips and left the back room.

 

* * *

 

“…I will never drink with Uncle Jige again.”

 

Hae-Joo clutched her throbbing head and clenched her teeth.

 

She doesn’t know how long this hangover has lasted.

 

She doesn’t think she’s ever been this sick.

 

She clearly remembered coming out of Uncle Jige’s thatched hut, but then she choked.

 

“How did I get home? Where’s the boss?”

 

She sat cross-legged on the futon, rubbing her tender temples and glancing at the tinted window.

 

The sun seemed to have risen in the middle of the night.

 

And for some reason, there was a commotion outside.

 

Resisting the temptation to lie down, Hae-Joo crawled over the threshold of the back room and stepped out into the great hall.

 

What she saw were her aunts and uncles from the small villages surrounding Yi Ho.

 

The hustle and bustle and the peacefulness of the courtyard made it seem like yesterday was just a dream.

 

Hae-Joo felt a pang of bitterness, but she pushed it away with a sigh and smiled.

 

“My son-in-law understands that Hae-Joo is still young. I heard you drank too much at Jige’s last night. Here’s some haejangguk, you and Hae-Joo should drink it.”

 

“Haejangguk and this too! This is my own bean paste. I guarantee its taste even if one of you dies while eating it.”

 

“How can you live on rice alone? After eating it, drink it cool. It’s a crystal fruit.”

 

The middle-aged women who looked at Yi Ho’s face appetizingly had a shy blush on their faces, the kind of blush that could only be seen on a wedding day.

 

Each of them held a piece of food in their hands as if they were going to starve him to death.

 

Hae-Joo laughed in disbelief and shook her head.

 

“Aunts, aunts! You didn’t take care of me like this the last time I was here. Why do you treat me differently now?”

 

Hae-Joo raised her voice to announce her presence, and the four aunts surrounding Yi Ho turned to look at her.

 

Then they clicked their tongues at her, expressing their concern in a harsh way.

 

“Hae-Joo, I heard you ate a lot with Jige yesterday, are you okay? Have some haejangguk first. If it weren’t for my son-in-law, you wouldn’t even be able to come home, would you?”

 

‘When did Ban Yi Ho become “our son-in-law”?’

 

Hae-Joo looked at Yi Ho, who smiled at her with a ridiculous look on his face.

 

When their eyes met, he raised an eyebrow.

 

He looked at her as if something was wrong and she laughed.

 

He had done her such a favor, she thought, that she would probably be converted when she went to Gyeongseong a few days later.

 

“You should have drunk in moderation. What are you doing to my son-in-law?”

 

Hae-Joo pursed her lips.

 

It seems the customer has already been converted.

 

“Yes. I’m the sinner. The boss suffered a lot.”

 

Hae-Joo confessed bitterly and then turned to Yi Ho.

 

Yi Ho raised an eyebrow and stared at her.

 

“Don’t even talk about it. I don’t remember anything, but I’m home, so I’m sure it’s because of you. You had a hard time.”

 

“You don’t remember?”

 

Hae-Joo looked at Yi Ho, confused by the slightly hushed tone in his voice.

 

His face, which had been as cheerful as a spring breeze, was suddenly as sharp as a winter wind.

 

Of course, the smile on his face couldn’t be wiped away.

 

But the longer she looked at him, the more she realized that there was a subtle, different undercurrent to his face.

 

“Really? Nothing?”

 

Yi Ho asked her again, as if to confirm.

 

A shiver ran down Hae-Joo’s spine.

 

“Did I do something wrong yesterday?”

 

Hae-Joo asked carefully and sat down again.

 

For some reason, Yi Ho’s jaw seemed to clench.

 

‘Why? Did I do something wrong?’

 

She’s not a big drinker, so she rarely gets drunk.

 

And since she always waits until she gets home to sober up, there’s no one to check her drinking habits.

 

But yesterday, as soon as she left Uncle Jige’s house, she had a blackout.

 

That’s why she was stunned when she woke up earlier.

 

She’d never had such a blank space in her head before!

 

“I didn’t make any mistakes.”

 

Hanging her head down and going through yesterday’s memories one by one, Hae-Joo lifted her face again.

 

“Because that wasn’t a mistake.”

 

“That? What was that?”

 

Hae-Joo had no idea.

 

Instead of answering, Yi Ho calmly placed the food that the neighbors had thriftily brought on the table one by one.

 

“We’ll talk about it later. Let’s eat first. You must be hungry.”

 

The gentle smile on his face became more and more unnerving as he continued.

 

It was like the calm before the storm.

 

‘Why am I so nervous?’

 

“My, my, we’re still here, unwillingly. Come on, let’s go. Don’t disturb the young lovers!”

 

“Giggle, yes. Hae-Joo, enjoy your meal and see you son-in-law later!”

 

A series of laughing and chattering voices filled the courtyard.

 

It seemed that the only people who weren’t having fun were Yi Ho and herself.

 

An awkward silence fell over the courtyard as they left.

 

Hae-Joo wiped her tongue across her parched lips and crawled to stand beside Yi Ho at the edge of the great hall.

 

Yi Ho still wore that frighteningly pale smile, and he shied away from Hae-Joo as she approached.

 

Hae-Joo locked eyes with Yi Ho and immediately smiled.

 

“I don’t know if you’ll believe it, but it’s the first time I’ve ever actually felt like yesterday. I woke up and my head was spinning, and I remember coming out of Uncle Jige’s…”

 

After scratching her head exaggeratedly, Hae-Joo added with a very serious and sincere face.

 

“So I’ve just been thinking about it, maybe I trust you very much, and that’s why I let go, and that’s the only way I can explain this situation right now.”

 

The corner of Yi Ho’s mouth twitched involuntarily.

 

He didn’t know if he was talking or farting.

 

‘The boss is fine.’

 

He said so yesterday.

 

And then she did it, and she set him on fire.

 

He can’t remember ever wetting his tongue with nectar like he’s never tasted before, awakening a lust he didn’t even know he had.

 

At that moment, Yi Ho burst into tears and nearly tore off the mask of her “sweet and affectionate fiancé”.

 

“So… what was it you said earlier that wasn’t a mistake?”