episode_0011

It took about an hour to wash. It was thanks to the silver needle Yehyang had given me, but in this day and age, washing with hot water required the troublesome process of heating the water with firewood and then carrying it.

Bubbles rose from the water as I lowered my body enough to submerge half my face. It was a day full of problems in many ways.

Even if I whine like I’ve been drenched in rain, nothing will change, but thanks to the misguided advice from Jeomsoi, I suddenly experienced a situation that I would normally experience in a comic book or novel.

“Am I just overreacting a little bit?”

He clicked his tongue and bubbled again. He couldn’t tell if it was because the water was hot or if his face was burning because the scene he had just seen was etched into his retina.

In this world, it wasn’t a big deal for a man to see a woman’s naked body.

In my previous life, if a man walked around completely naked, he would have been treated as a crazy person. But if I were to say it another way, as long as he didn’t walk around naked from the waist down, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

Of course, it wasn’t to the extent that women would run around with their upper bodies exposed, but it was a perfectly normal and natural sight to see them wearing sleeveless clothes or exposing their bellies as a substitute for martial arts uniforms while training in the hot summer.

Going a little further from that, if you see a completely naked upper body, you might flinch for a moment, but it wouldn’t be a big problem or something to be reluctant about.

“If that’s what you meant, then it’s an overreaction, but… … .”

If the genders were reversed, I wouldn’t know, but as a reaction to a man accidentally entering a woman’s shower and seeing her, it was a bit excessive. It’s like I was just making a fuss about it on my own.

But I also had a lot to say. And I felt quite wronged.

How should I put it? Should I say that it was too stimulating? If I saw a scene filled with too much flesh color without any immunity, then it would be natural for it to be stimulating.

Above all else.

“I didn’t know because the clothes were loose, but it was bigger than I thought… … .”

The scene still hasn’t been erased from my mind. And although it was only a few seconds, what I could confirm from the intense scene was that it was quite big.

Wow, the thought of being instantly transported back to my past life makes me feel so guilty that I want to hang myself.

Until now, I thought I had little sexual desire, but it seems that wasn’t the case. Not only was I reincarnated into a martial arts world where the roles of men and women were reversed, but I was also kidnapped by a demonic cult.

Even leaving aside the painful fact that men live in a world where their chastity is threatened, they literally lived a life dominated by the desire to survive, putting their sexual desires on the back burner while coming close to death several times.

In fact, they received extremely harsh training from a young age, and some of them even died. Seeing that, I realized anew that this was a demonic cult.

… … and for me to live. No, this is not a very pleasant memory, so let’s bury it again. Anyway, it seems that I am not in my right mind after living such a life of semi-forced abstinence and receiving a sudden stimulus.

I can’t help but wonder if something is seriously broken because all I can think of is pink.

I sighed as I scrubbed my body with the foamy, barely-rising foam that was incomparable to the ones I had used in my previous life.

“No matter what, if the woman next to me is the future Cheonma, the difficulty level is too high.”

Since I am not a goja, it is natural that I feel some human affection for Yehyang. Either rationally or out of affection.

She’s pretty, at least she treats me well, and she has a nice personality. It’s strange that I don’t feel good about her. Unless she’s a dull and boring character like the ones I read in my past life, who gets entangled with women, I can’t help but feel good about her rationally.

But apart from that, the gap in status was clear.

In this era, the powerful clans of each region, especially the ones in the martial arts world, were like warlords. Rather, they were closer to the real power and ruler of each region than the royal family members such as princes or bureaucrats such as provincial commanders or police commissioners.

Even the so-called Five Great Martial Arts Factions, a single martial arts sect, is treated like that, so what about the leader of the Cheonma Sect, who, as soon as he gathers just a little bit of strength, rushes to wage war against the entire martial arts sect, saying he will conquer the Central Plains?

Apart from the difference in legal status, there is a huge difference in social status as perceived by the world.

… … Of course, that’s because I thought it wouldn’t work out based on my own assumptions, and in reality, even though Yehyang is kind to me, I can’t tell if it’s rational kindness or not.

“You have that much shame.”

He muttered as he washed the foam off his body with water.

Anyway, Yehyang is a kind of benefactor to me. Thanks to her, I was able to learn the Yeokgeunse Su-gyeong, which only an elder or a powerful general can learn. If it weren’t for Yehyang, I would have suddenly gone into the shadows and learned how to trick beauties.

Even a three-year-old child knows that if you are greedy for more than you have already received, you will end up ruining things.

I tried to erase the sight vividly engraved in my mind, dried myself, changed into new, fluffy clothes, and returned to my room.

“Still, you washed up and came out faster than I thought.”

“Didn’t it take about a meal?”

“Doesn’t it usually take boys half an hour to wash? Jin-ah, you’re on the fast side.”

Yehyang tilted her head and asked again.

Even if it is an environment where it is difficult to wash frequently, wouldn’t it take half an hour to wash? I’m not sure. But if it is the opposite here, it could be because men are perceived to wash for a long time.

Even so, I don’t think it takes me even half an hour to wash up, so I answered with a grin.

“I can’t wash for that long. Even if I wash thoroughly, it takes about a meal? This is also a bit longer than usual.”

Yehyang made a subtle expression at my answer. I wondered if she had given me a strange answer, but I thought it was nothing serious and let it go. It was almost time to go to bed.

However, an unexpected problem occurred here.

“But… … It would be a bit difficult to sleep on the floor. I was thinking of just laying a mat on the floor and sleeping.”

“Try to make sense.”

Yehyang scolded him.

As the saying goes, the only room left in the guest house was quite small. Even if it was small, it was a simple structure with only a bed, a table, and a chair on the floor where you could walk around with your shoes on.

I vaguely imagined a structure similar to a Hanok, but thinking about it, it was different from my previous life, and this place was basically a standing-up culture. Of course, there was no way I could sleep on the floor.

“You sleep on the bed. As I said, it’s okay for me to just sit down and close my eyes.”

“… … .”

It was a very difficult situation. It was no one else, and I was lying comfortably in bed sleeping, but someone was sitting next to me with their eyes closed, so even if my body was comfortable, my mind could not be at ease.

I opened my mouth cautiously because it was a difficult situation in many ways.

“Then, I’d rather just sit on the chair and lie down to sleep… … .”

“Huh?”

“Yep.”

As soon as Yehyang’s eyebrows shot up, he immediately snorted and lowered his tail. I don’t know if this is because he is being treated with consideration as a man, but it was really an uncomfortable situation, like sitting on a bed of thorns.

I rolled my eyes and headed towards the bed. It wasn’t that big. Judging by the size, it was probably big enough for two people to lie down on. If the person lying on the outside had rough sleeping habits, it wouldn’t be strange if they rolled onto the floor.

So I asked cautiously.

“… … Then, how about we just sleep together on the bed? I’m fine with that.”

“Huh… … ?”

I know it might feel strange for me to bring this up, but the discomfort of not being able to make the future Cheonma sit down and sleep was greater than that. Feeling comfortable like a real sister and not being able to sleep comfortably were two different things.

I closed my eyes tightly, feeling like I had already done it, and then I carefully continued speaking and began to persuade him.

“It’s a little narrow, but it’s not too big for two people to sleep in. Well, it doesn’t matter since we’re sharing a room anyway. It’s better for two people to sleep together than for one person to sleep uncomfortably.”

“… … .”

I tried to explain my reason as convincingly as possible so that Yehyang wouldn’t feel strange, and Yehyang, who had been frozen in place like a stone statue for a moment, slowly moved her lips.

“… … I see. Since we already shared a room anyway. Maybe sharing a bed wouldn’t matter. It’s not like I’m thinking of something strange, it’s just something that can’t be helped since there’s only one room in the guest house. ”

“Well, that’s it, right? It’s a little cramped, but it’s better than one side sleeping uncomfortably. I really don’t mind. If I’m the only one lying comfortably, that’s uncomfortable in its own way.”

“… … Then.”

Was it an illusion that her cheeks looked slightly red? After a moment of hesitation, Yehyang answered calmly.

“Then Jinah, you should lie inside. I will lie outside.”

“Yes.”

Phew, I sighed inwardly and cleared my chest.

Somehow, the persuasion seemed to have been successful. This world is governed by the strict Confucian order of men and women not sitting together until the age of seven, but since they are literally just sleeping, it doesn’t matter.

As I lay down on the bed covered with yoga mats, the lamp that had been illuminating the room with a small light went out. Then, with a swoosh, the sound of the blanket being lifted, Yehyang slowly lay down next to me in the darkness.

In a dark room.

A man and a woman sharing a bed.

Even though I had suggested it, this was an even more awkward situation than I had imagined. The size seemed fine in my head, but when we actually lay down, we were so close that even if I moved just a little, our skin would touch each other through the thin clothes we wore when we slept.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Silence flowed in the darkness. It was a heavy silence, so loud that even the sound of someone swallowing saliva as their throat cleared could be heard.

This situation is difficult because there is no immunity at all.

To make matters worse, a sweet scent tickled my nose. I wasn’t wearing a scented bag or using any bath salts from my past life, but I guess I could just say that my body scent was nice.

In a situation where it would be stranger to not be conscious of it in a rational sense, an awkward scene was created where both people remained motionless for fear that even the slightest movement would touch or cause discomfort to each other.

I felt like I was lying still for a while, without saying a word. The position was so uncomfortable that I moved as carefully as I could to pull my arm out, and at that moment, my arm touched.

“… … !”

I was flustered as I moved, and judging by the momentary flinch, it seemed that Yehyang was flustered as well. In my panic, I moved to pull my arm away, and my hand touched it right then.

It was a moment when skin touched skin without even an arm reaching beyond the thin fabric or a single piece of cloth to cover it.

“… … No matter what, I can’t sleep like this.”

A soft voice was heard.

Between the soft voices, there was a rough breathing sound, as if he was gasping for breath. I agreed with that opinion, so at the moment when I was about to open my mouth to respond, the fingers that had touched me moved and grabbed my hand, interlocking our fingers.

“Uh.”

The moment I turned my head, Yehyang, who had already turned to the side, was staring at me with her bright red eyes shining in the darkness.

“Don’t worry, just hold my hand and I’ll be fine.”

“Cow, just your hand?”

“Well, isn’t that strange? We share the same room, and we even share the same bed. Is it normal to hold hands there?”

The eyes that had fully adapted to the dark could clearly see the corners of Yehyang’s lips slightly raised in the darkness.

“Didn’t you say that earlier when we were eating? All other women besides you are just like wolves. That also means that you are an exception among them. Jin-ah, do you understand what I mean?”

“That, that’s what you meant?”

For a moment, my body froze as if I was prey standing before a predator. I forced my tongue, which was not moving well, to answer, and a sinister smile returned.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m just thinking about holding hands.”

“… … I’m asking again just because I’m worried. Are you sure you’re thinking of holding hands? ”

“Even so.”

As if the person had changed, a refreshing answer came back beyond the dreary smile. Yehyang blinked her red eyes a couple of times in the darkness and smiled. Instead of using her usual polite tone of speech, she added in a tone that was subtly different from her usual tone.

“Jin-ah, trust me.”