I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 9
009 First Kiss
The black-haired Hero rumored to be in the enemy nation.
The husband smiling gently before her eyes was the same. He had black hair and black eyes. Perhaps this man was… She shook her head, startled by the thought.
‘There’s no way.’
If he were the Hero, he would surely be in a magnificent palace in the royal capital, surrounded by high-ranking officials. He wouldn’t have been hauled off to a village like this along with criminals. Nor had she heard any word of a Hero Summoning Ceremony being held in this kingdom.
Lij stole a quick glance at her husband’s face. Noticing her gaze, he lowered his head slightly. She could see his face clearly now. The light streaming into the house illuminated his hair and features.
‘Ah…!’
This man was not the Hero.
Under the shimmering light, Lij looked closely at her husband’s hair and eyes. His colors were not those of the Hero.
While the very center of his pupils was black, the surrounding iris was brown. She had never seen the Hero, so she didn’t know for sure, but this had to be different. They said the legendary Hero had black eyes, so they would be entirely black, not brown.
Looking closely, his hair wasn’t pitch black either. Though it looked black at a glance, it was actually a very deep brown. When the sunlight hit it, it was clear that it wasn’t truly black.
‘What a relief.’
Black hair and black eyes—wouldn’t that be incredibly strange? She had imagined the Hero might be like a monster. At the very least, he would look different from an ordinary human.
Thinking that way put her mind at ease. Her husband was not the Hero. He was just an ordinary man who happened to be large. The high-ranking officials of the kingdom wouldn’t come to take him away.
‘Wait, but why did I think it would be bad if he left?’
They had only met today; it was strange.
Originally, it hadn’t mattered who her husband was. It wasn’t as if she could choose, anyway. She had simply thought that as long as he wasn’t violent, it would be fine. Beyond that, anyone who could provide a little extra food would have been good enough.
‘…That must be why.’
She had never met such a kind man. No one in the village had ever treated her like this. No one was kind to a useless woman who was small, couldn’t work well, and only wasted food.
That was likely it—because he was kind and not violent.
Because she felt lucky to have him as a husband, she must have thought it would be a problem if he disappeared. Yes, that had to be it.
Her husband stroked her head again. As expected, he seemed to view her as a child. Was that why he was being so kind?
‘Still, I like it.’
Lij closed her eyes. She wanted him to touch her more, more, and more—to keep stroking her hair forever.
She had become an adult long ago, but she felt as if she had returned to her childhood. She felt like the girl from the days when she had desperately longed for someone to pat her head.
‘I have to work hard.’
The life of a Forester’s wife was much harder and busier than average. From the bits and pieces the village women used to mention, she knew she would have to handle hides and even drain the blood from animals during busy seasons. Of course, she didn’t know how to do any of that yet.
This man didn’t know how to hunt yet either, but would the two of them eventually manage this little cabin together?
The man hunts and chops wood.
Everything else is the woman’s responsibility.
‘Can I do it?’
Fetching water, cooking, growing vegetables, looking after the child, making clothes, maintaining the house, and selling goods when the market opens—unless it requires immense physical strength, the woman does it all.
That was the norm. It was the same whether one was a daughter or a wife.
Now that the number of men had dwindled, women often took on the village’s communal labor as well. Consequently, the burden on women had increased even further.
Lij was slow with her hands and lacked strength, so she couldn’t even manage half of what other women did.
Everyone in her home village knew how useless she was. That was why she hadn’t been able to marry. No one wanted her.
Though she didn’t know for sure, her father must have lied to the merchant when he sold her. He must have said she was a hard worker.
The merchant might have known the truth from rumors, but he likely chose her because he could buy her for less than the payment he had received.
If not for that, she wouldn’t have even been able to be sold to a place like this.
“….”
She didn’t want the man currently by her side to know about such things. She wanted to be a useful woman to her current husband.
‘I’ll try my best.’
So please, don’t hit me. Don’t hate me. Don’t abandon me. Please let me feel this kind hand every now and then. Please, I beg of you.
I spent some time stroking Lij’s and Dorothy’s hair. However, I couldn’t just play around forever. To avoid freezing to death starting tonight, I had to get moving.
Ah, but before that, I needed to secure drinking water. Fortunately, inside the house, there was a large barrel about the size of a drum and one slightly smaller wooden bucket. They looked like containers for water.
The villagers must have left them, thinking we couldn’t survive without at least that much. Well, I suppose they didn’t actually want us to die.
Wondering if she knew where the water source was, I mimicked the sound of flowing water to Lij. It was a bit pathetic. Not knowing how to express it, I said “trickle-trickle” with my mouth while moving my hand in a wavy motion. I felt like an idiot.
If there was any silver lining, it was that Lij and Dorothy chuckled a little at the sight. However, as if thinking that laughing was rude, they quickly hid their expressions.
After that, when Kim Joo-hwan mimicked drinking water, Lij understood immediately. I should have just done that from the start; I really am a fool.
Lij tilted her head curiously. She didn’t seem to understand why I was asking for the location of the water.
But without saying anything in particular, she took Juhwan’s hand and led him outside.
She said something to the child and closed the door. She was likely telling her not to come out alone.
Then, Lij pulled on his hand again.
The two of them walked for quite a while along a narrow forest path.
This mountain was different from the dense forests of Korea. Unlike Korean mountains, where dry branches are tangled and packed together even in midwinter, the trees in this world were sparse, even on a mountain.
The trees were also incredibly tall. Looking up at the trunks reaching toward the sky made me feel like Gulliver in the Land of Giants.
Even with his large frame, Juhwan felt that way. Naturally, Lij’s body looked as tiny as a squirrel’s in this forest. Watching that small body walk so diligently was somehow cute.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Lij’s body tilted forward. She must have stepped on some ice hidden in the dirt.
His hand moved faster than his thoughts. As he scooped her up by the waist with one arm, her startled eyes caught the sunlight filtering through the trees as she looked at him.
Their faces were close. His heart began to pound loudly.
“….”
The child was at home, and now they were alone. They said women tended to value atmosphere and always put love first, but they were already a married couple. If it was just a little taste, that should be fine.
“Lij.”
Juhwan called her name and softly pressed his lips against hers. Lij didn’t pull away. But she didn’t exactly reciprocate, either. She just stood there, frozen. Seeing how her eyes remained wide open without blinking, this might be her first kiss.
He tilted his head slightly and pressed his lips to hers again; this time, her eyes went even wider. She seemed startled by the sensation of his tongue.
Ah, this woman really hasn’t ever kissed before. Maybe the concept of a kiss doesn’t exist in the middle ages. No, maybe the man who died wasn’t her husband but her father. Then would Dorothy be a younger sister with a large age gap?
In the mountain forest where a cold wind blew, Juhwan held the woman who had just become his wife tightly and savored the sweetness beyond her lips for a while.
Their noses brushed against each other.
As their body heat overlapped and shared, a surge of affection welled up within him.
[Affection grows as you live together. When you share skin and spend nights together, people who were nothing to each other suddenly become family.]
He had heard someone say that once, a long time ago. He wasn’t sure who it was. Was it a senior at work, or a boss?
He had brushed it off without a thought back then, but it seemed those words were right.
Surely, his affection and love would grow even more from now on. Right now, they were simply within the framework of a family, but soon enough, she would surely become his one and only.
His one beloved woman, his one precious daughter—or sister-in-law.
No, let’s just go with daughter. Even if the two of them were actually sisters, she was as good as a daughter to him. Since that was what he had wished for from Santa, it was fine to think of her as a daughter.
When Christmas came a year from now, he hoped to be in a position where he could leave something at their bedsides on Christmas Eve. He wanted to be able to gift them something, even if it was very small.
‘I have to work hard and earn money.’
With that thought, he reluctantly pulled his lips away, lingering until the last moment.
A silver thread stretched between them. The woman’s eyes, which had been filled with nothing but shock at first, were now like half-melted candy.
Cute. She’s my wife. My wife.
The meaning of that word echoing in his head felt wonderful. Though he was starting a humble life, he was truly glad he had come here. He was truly glad he had met Santa.
The memories of his thirty years, which had been gray and dull, finally took on meaning and became vivid. He sincerely thought that he was glad to be alive.
Ah, but it seemed the person who said affection grows as you live together had added something else afterward.
[A woman just becomes your ’old lady.’ When that happens, my flesh becomes your flesh, and your flesh becomes my flesh. This year is my thirtieth wedding anniversary. Do you think I can get through this without a drink?]
I think that’s what he said…
The thirtieth wedding anniversary. Now that he thought about it, the person who said that was his department head. He was a fastidious and difficult man to deal with.
The wallpaper on his phone changed occasionally, but it was always a photo of his wife or his children. They were sleeping with their mouths open, or had cucumbers stuck all over their faces, or had messy bedhead right after waking up—anyway, they were always strange photos.
He would occasionally show those screens to his subordinates and grumble, [You guys try getting married too. Eventually, you’ll end up living with a woman who looks like this and kids who just rip you off for money.]
At the time, Juhwan had wondered why he was showing such photos and complaining, or if everyone became that unsightly with age, or if he was just bragging about having a family he didn’t even want. But looking back now, perhaps he was showing them off.
Someday, he wanted to be exactly like that. He wanted to be the kind of person who carried a drawing of his wife and child in a small locket.
Manager, I’m sorry for always cursing you under my breath.
*
The place Lij showed him was a small spring a short distance from the cabin.
It was so small that it would be cramped for two people to lie down in.
Several round stones surrounded the water, and traces of withered grass and small trees stood around the spring as if protecting it.
It wasn’t extremely far from the house, but it was a fair distance to walk. Why had the house been built away from the water? It would have been much more convenient if it were right next to it. It was strange.
‘Anyway, this is a bit of a problem. I can’t help the lack of running water, but life is easier when water is close by.’
For now, he could always be with her, but there might be times when he wasn’t home. That would mean the woman would have to come all the way here alone to fetch water, and who knew what might be in these mountains.
Even on Earth, there were wild animals like boars and water deer in the mountains. Since there used to be wolves and tigers long ago, this world, with its less developed civilization, might be home to even more dangerous animals.
At least it was a relief that this was a shallow part of the forest. If it were any deeper, even a man like himself might have been in danger alone. There was no telling what else might exist in a world with magic.
Juhwan took Lij back home and hoisted the large wooden water barrel.
There were wooden handles on both sides of the barrel, and it was designed so that the whole thing could be tied with rope and carried on one’s back.
When he swung the barrel onto his back with ease, the way Lij’s eyes widened in surprise was a little funny.
Afterward, Lij tried to take the barrel away as if she were flustered. She likely wanted to express that fetching water was her job.
But that was nonsense. To fill this giant barrel, how many trips would she have to make with a small bucket? Moreover, the mountain paths were dangerous.
Juhwan pointed at the barrel and shook his head several times, indicating that she must never do such a thing in the future. Realizing his intent, Lij’s face turned red for some reason. He had no idea why she found that embarrassing.
Dorothy seemed to find it incredibly fascinating that Juhwan was taking the water barrel. Even as he headed outside with the barrel, her mouth remained wide open. Her jaw wouldn’t close. If it were summer, a fly would have flown in. It was a relief it was winter.
Heading toward the spring with the barrel, he felt slightly smug. He had no desire to brag about his strength, but seeing the two of them so surprised made him feel a bit proud.
When he arrived at the spring, he heard the sound of birds chirping.
Looking up at the sky, he saw several birds fluttering their wings and flying away.
It wasn’t as if they were just passing by; it seemed they had been startled into flight from the trees by something.
‘Did a wild animal show up?’
Thinking he should be careful, he dipped the barrel into the spring and filled it to the brim.
And just as he was about to lift the barrel…
Suddenly, the hair on his entire body stood on end. He felt a chill.
Instinctively, he dropped the barrel and whipped around.
