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By the twelfth drink, Jang Uk could feel the dizziness starting and he waited in anticipation for what was coming. By the fourteenth drink, it did. As his vision started to blur, her form slowly materialized. He hurriedly gulped down the fifteenth drink and his eyes nearly drifted shut. She was here. At first, she was walking towards him but hadn’t seen him yet. And when she looked up, her steadfast gaze was directly on him, piercing his soul. “MuDeokah…” he whispered softly as he slumped against the chair, his head lolling back. She was in the circle of his arms now and he could see her orbs glowing blue with energy. Her stunningly beautiful orbs – a sight he never tired of, a sight that aroused equal parts awe and reverence, a sight that allowed him a glimpse into the coiled strength of her character. These were the only moments he lived for now – fleeting as they might be. Like always, she blinked too soon for his liking and his vision morphed. He saw a different pair of eyes now – eyes jet black and mysterious, set in a radiant face with full lips that looked as alluring as rose petals. He felt a pull so strong that he was sure he would drown in this woman’s eyes and have no strength to escape. “Seobangnim” she replied with a wide, knowing smile and he jerked awake as if icy water hit him.
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The past two weeks of her life as Lady Jang were the most carefree and joyous days in her life. She woke up earlier than usual to watch the swift summer sunrise by the pagoda. She spent time with Kim Doju every morning, chatting animatedly with her in the kitchen over tea, and even learning how to cook chicken. She charmed all the helpers in Jang household to do her bidding and got them to make a map of Daeho must-do’s. And like clockwork, every day after breakfast, she would head into the town with her map to explore. She had explored the lakeshore, the bamboo forests, the famous waterfall, the lover’s bridge, and of course the shopping district centered around Chiseonworu. She gorged on Daeho street food, putting it all under her husband’s tab. She spent her afternoons browsing books from her husband’s study and finding a comfortable spot under the groove of trees that lined the back-end of Jang household where she often fell asleep reading until a worried Kim Doju woke her up and served tea.
Evenings! Evenings were her absolute favorite. On her second day in the Jang household, she had managed to climb up to the rooftop of her & Uk’s living quarters, and instantly decided that it was the best spot in all of Daeho. The Jang household was at an elevation providing an unobstructed view – at the front, she could see much of the lighted, bustling streets of Daeho and at the back, she could see the dark hills full of foliage. The summer wind was balmy, carrying to her the hustle of the city and the rustle of trees. On her third day, she carried two bottles of strong liquor to the rooftop and waited for her husband to return home. When he walked in, she whistled to get his attention and dangled a bottle of liquor, motioning him wordlessly to join her. He did. And they spent the evening in comfortable silence, gazing up at the stars, and drinking well into the night.
Soon, it had become their routine to get drunk on the rooftop. She could tell that Kim Doju was dumbfounded at this but the kind lady kept her thoughts to herself. Every evening she demanded her husband to use his energy and carry her up to the rooftop, and every evening he replied with a “Forget it” making her huff & puff her way to the top while he flashed through in a micro-second. Over drinks, she shared with him the exciting things she witnessed that day and bickered with him when his sharp replies pissed her off. All through, he shared very little about himself. But every night, when she would doze off on the rooftiles, she would find herself tucked up in the bed – alone, of course – with no sign of her husband wanting to share their marital bed.
One day, she purchased seeds from the market. “Roses and Bougainvillea” she said, spreading the seeds in the wet sand outside their bedroom window before motioning him with her eyes to use magic and make them grow. He complied with a sigh and magicked the flower plants to bloom while she held his arm and looked up at him in utmost happiness.
A week into their new routine, she brought home a purchased bottle of best-aged liquor from Chiseonworu. “Jang Uk” she called out as they were perched on the rooftiles with the bottle in between them. “Do you drink chaste tea?” she asked brusquely, slightly swaying in drunkenness.
“What !” he turned around startled, nearly dropping the contents of his drink.
“It’s just that…it’s been 11 days since our marriage, and you seem to have no interest in your wife” she said, pouting in disappointment. “So, I counted…” she continued, “the number of heads that turned my way in the streets today is 29. And by the boat dock, a man even recited poetry on the spot” she drawled, confusion contorting her face. “Given the overwhelming amount of proof, the only hypothesis I have for your non-interest in me is that you practice chastity” she concluded.
“You are truly crazy” he stuttered, looking away from her.
“So, it’s not true?” she tried to get a confirmation – pushing the bottle to her other side and scooting closer to him. “Jang Uk” she slapped her hand on the rooftiles in frustration when he did not respond.
He flashed her a look of exasperation that angered her further. “It is true then?” her tone raised a notch “But I don’t see you drink tea…so…is the liquor laced with chaste herbs then?” she prattled away “Wait…but, we have been drinking the same stash and I still feel….” her eyes unwittingly lingered on his lips and her voice trailed away, her cheeks coloring at what she nearly blurted.
“It’s late. Let’s call it a night” he said, trying to get up before she pulled him back to her with force. Looking into his angry dazzling eyes, she asked softly “Seobangnim. Yes?... or … No?”. His eyes moved over her face then and the intensity of his gaze sparked a flame within her. Her husband was chiseled perfection and, in that moment, he was not as composed as he usually appeared. “No” he said inching closer, making her breath hitch, before pulling away.
She held his hand and tugged hard, pulling him back to her for the second time. “Then, can I try something?” she asked her eyes wide and misting over, her earnestness plainly visible on her features. She inched closer and let her lips meet his for a brief, gentle touch. What started as a spark morphed into a lightning bolt when he took her mouth with a suddenness, deepening the kiss. Involuntarily, her body pressed into his fully and barely a beat after, he was gone. He practically vanished into thin air leaving her in an abysmal state of relief and agony.
Her husband did not come home for the next two days.
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“How does Master Jang look today?” she heard the lanky servant ask Kim Doju as she entered her & Jang Uk’s living quarters after watching a sad sunset by Lake Gyeongchengdaeho. “Worse than usual. I don’t know how long he will be able to hold on tonight. He killed several soul-shifters today” she heard Kim Doju sigh. “Prepare the guest quarters. I will ask Lady Jang to sleep there tonight. She doesn’t need to suffer the chill here” Kim Doju ordered. “Yes, and I will place some extra braziers and liquor for Master Jang” the servant replied in a worried tone.
She quietly stepped out of their living quarters and walked towards the pagoda. Two courtyards separated their living quarters and the guest quarters. Kim Doju retired to her quarters on the north-east end of the house compound after suggesting her to take the guest bedroom. Gripping the pagoda railing, she started into the night contemplating whether or not to visit him when he was suffering, especially considering that he left because of her. An hour passed before she first sensed the resentful energy. Soon, the negative energy hit her in waves – with each wave stronger than the previous wave. She couldn’t stay still any longer, tip-toeing back into their living quarters to check if he was doing alright. It was the night of no moon and the house was pitch black and uber cold, teeming with negative energy. “Jang Uk” she called out stepping forward when she spotted his silhouette. He was seated in a lotus position on his bedding and appeared to be meditating or trying to. In the faint blue glow of the ice-stone within him, she noticed that he was gripping his fingers into tight fists to the point that his knuckles were white. The wraiths swarmed around him, screeching in pain and cajoling him to lose control so they can take over him altogether. He was resisting admirably but she could tell that it was extremely taxing.
She stood by the door helplessly, her tears spilling over, not knowing how to channel her still-nascent divine powers to ward off the numerous wraiths away from him. Her husband shook suddenly then, as if he was close to relinquishing his tight control. “Jang Ukkkk” she reached forward, shielding him completely with her body. He was ice-cold.
“GO AWAY” she commanded in “the voice” – a voice that didn’t sound like her own but it seemed to have bent the will of the wraiths who dared to harm her husband. She felt an awakening in her mind then that she couldn’t control. She laid her husband down in a comfortable position before she rose to tackle the wraiths that were still lurking in the corners of the room.
She picked up his nearly finished bottle of liquor from the bedside table. “HERE”, she commanded again in “the voice”, waving her hand and tapping the wooden bottle with her finger-tips, mentally willing the ghastly wraiths to enter the container. When they were in, she fastened the lid effectively trapping them in a physical barrier. She then left the bottle in a drawer so no one would accidentally disturb it.
She returned to her husband then and covered him with thick blankets before arranging his head on her lap and gently cooing that the wraiths were gone. As she ran her fingers repeatedly through his hair, he relaxed bit-by-bit, unclenching his jaw and fists and insides. Slowly, he curled himself into her, seeking her warmth, and slipping into an exhausted sleep.
While she still didn’t fully comprehend how she accomplished what she just did, she felt too depleted at that moment to give it much thought given how she had trouble sleeping over the past two days. Her last conscious thought as she slipped into sleep was that her husband was strong not because he possessed the ice-stone but because he resisted his mind from being corrupted by every being that coveted his power for over three long years.
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“MuDeoki…” he murmured into her neck affectionately. “hmmm” she responded involuntarily in her sleep.
As sunlight streamed into their bedroom, she slowly stretched awake from what felt like a long, uninterrupted sleep only to realize that she was in bed, with her husband, who at the moment was embracing her from behind. She jolted awake at that and the sudden movement had her husband curling his hands around her waist and pulling her in closer. A hot flash zapped through her body. Slowly, she craned her around to face him and saw that he was asleep, with the remnants of last night’s struggle still visible on his tightly drawn features. Arousal and anger coursed through her at once.
She was angry with herself for being so vulnerable with him two days ago and possibly making an uninvited advance. She was angry with him for not touching her. She was angry with him for touching her and unceremoniously discarding her soon after. She was angry that even now - after being rejected by him for two days straight - as she watched his chiseled face, her body was responding to his proximity just as helplessly.
Her anger won. She tried to squirm out of his hold again only to have him slide his heavy leg over hers possessively and bury his large head in her neck while his fingers caressed the underside of her breasts in a maddening arc. Her heart sped up and she felt an intense pulse deep inside her belly.
“MuDeokah” he whispered in a gruff voice laced with sleep and full of longing. It took her a few seconds to register how he addressed her as his voice penetrated the dense haze of fluffy clouds in her head. She blinked rapidly as hot tears of mortification suddenly crowded her eyes. Was he only touching her thinking she was someone else? Her heart crumbled yet another time. She reminded herself that he was just a tool for her freedom and that she was just a tool for his peace and that it was way too soon to feel this intense connection with a man – husband or not. The lump in her throat got heavier. This time, she managed to jerk free all at once, jolting him awake in the process.
Jang Uk nearly protested at the loss of warmth before catching himself and pulling his hand back. It registered that until moments ago he was entwined with this new-wife, and that he was still in a state of painful arousal. Anger zapped through him at how his newly-wedded wife – who in this moment looked no less than a goddess – was threatening his memories with his beloved. He had once made many lofty promises and failed to fulfill most. He had failed to protect his master, his beloved but he vowed to love & cherish her to death and beyond and he intended to uphold the last promise he made to her.
When his wife came to help him last night, he never meant to fall asleep in her arms. But the selfish creature that he was, he accepted the care she extended and allowed himself to think that he deserved a night’s worth of peace and comfortable sleep. Self-disgust rolled off him as he saw his wife rise rapidly. Her eyes were wide and moist with tears and like every time she was distressed, he felt the irrational compulsion to hug her, comfort her, kiss her, distract her. This helplessness made him angrier for he didn’t understand why he felt such visceral emotions towards a woman he just met.
He stood up and pulled her dangerously close, letting their still aroused bodies collide. Their eyes clashed - blazing with purpose, fury, and defiance.
“I am a poisoned man. Don’t you dare come this close to me ever again” he warned.
“And I will personally feed you chaste herbs with every meal for the rest of your life if you dare take another woman’s name when you are in bed with me” she threatened.
He held her gaze for an intense moment before his eyes unwittingly lingered on her slightly parted lips & he nearly leaned in before walking out of their bedroom.
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The next morning, she remained buoyant in the bath water for a long time. She closed her eyes and relished the wetness of the band of white cotton cloth that was wrapped around her torso reaching just below her knees and the sensation of water lapping across her bare shoulders and calves. The image of his eyes – as he held her hand before he cut the tracking bracelet, as he leaned over her on the rooftop moments before kissing her – was never far from her mind. She splashed water around in annoyance. It didn’t help to think of him all the time, especially when he had disappeared again yesterday without offering her any token apology or explanation. He was way worse than a thug, she had decided. She emerged from the hot bath and in the process of pulling out a bath robe from the stand, her hands knocked over a large wooden tumbler which bounced about a few times on the hard floor before creating a big splash in water and causing the red rose petals to scatter across the room. “Aigoo !! the mess…” she mused exasperatedly as she began donning the bathrobe.
Seconds later, the bath-doors opened with a force and she turned around startled. It was her worse-than-a-thug husband. He stood tall radiating energy; his sword unsheathed. “What?” she managed to ask before her throat ran dry.
“Are you okay? I heard loud noise and thought you may have fallen” he whispered hoarsely, taking a step closer. The blood in her veins gushed into her ears and cheeks as she drowned in his sharp, intense gaze.
“…ummm…the tumbler…” she mumbled and any remaining words on her lips died when she felt his gaze leisurely slid down her face and neck and lower. Suddenly, she was aware of nothing but an invisible crackle in the air between them. A curtain of intense emotion was beginning to fall thickly around her.
“Are you in pain?” his voice dropped another octave as his eyes caressed the barely-healed scar on her shoulder with an emotion she could only term as infinite tenderness. She nodded a no, her hands holding onto the wooden column behind her for support.
Jang Uk knew that he needed to step away from her. He wished he didn’t have the power to notice but he noticed it all – all the details that were otherwise too swift for a regular human’s eyes and ears. He could see the responsiveness in her eyes that made him feel like a fucking king, he could hear the sudden intake of her breath as he stepped closer, he could feel the way her pulse jumped when his gaze slid over the slope of her neck, and he could hear the droplets that streamed down her wet hair and body touching the floor. And despite knowing that the best thing was to walk away, he took another step forward standing close enough for their breaths to mingle. He picked up a rose petal that was stuck to her neck and blew it away.
He saw her gulp and look away from his gaze momentarily. He could sense her trying to fight off the spell that was consuming them. When she looked back at him again, her eyes were blazing with purpose. “Why are you standing this close to me?” she asked not mincing words.
“You are going to catch a cold”, he stated calmly hovered a hand over her belly and channeling energy to dry her dripping long bandeau.
“Are you here to spread your poison?’ she asked as he leaned forward to weave his hands through her long hair, drying it with energy. Her body felt languid and she melted back against the column.
“Or are you here for an antidote to your poison?” she finished as she felt him draw in a long breath as if he was inhaling her scent. She felt like she was going to spontaneously combust any second.
For Uk, it was dejavu all over again. He continued to be stumped at how much she reminded him of her. Was it his yearning for his beloved that he was projecting onto his wife? His wife was soft and innocent and bright-eyed – a stark opposite to the woman he loved and yet, he observed such uncanny resemblances between them. Was he loosing his sanity?
“Jang Uk” she rudely interrupted his musings. “I may have told you that I like you but I really do not like to be cheated upon” she stated, indicating that his straying thoughts were not acceptable.
“Did you just offer yourself to be my personal brand of antidote?” he asked, grabbing her around the waist. Her breath released an audible exhale when her barely covered breasts pressed into his chest. The heat was more than she could bear.
“Why? Will you let me?” she replied.
He watched her face as he brought one of her hands closer to him and slowly kissed the pad of each of her fingers. It was such a novel experience for her that all she could do was watch it happen in fascination. His lips moved down to her wrist then and when he kissed the pulse there, it became erratic at this attention. When he pulled back, he saw that her were hooded and brimming with intensity.
Her back arched and skin broke out in goosebumps everywhere when he moved her hair aside and nudged a sleeve of the bathrobe off to drop a kiss against the maimed skin of her shoulder. She had never felt anything as good as she did when his lips trailed up from her shoulder to her jaw and his teeth grazed the skin along the curve of her neck. He lingered there and sucked on the residual drop of moisture on her neck. “Seobangnim” she whimpered, arching off the wooden column and hugging him hard.
A beat later, he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up onto her tip-toes to kiss her lips. The kiss was frantic and hard and tender and sweet all at once. The moment felt inevitable – like it was an eternal flame of destiny that was pointless to try and douse.