Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 187

Chapter 187 Side Story 9

“What are you talking about.”

“He was glaring like crazy.”

Jungyeom whispered, jerking his chin toward Medeus. Nataek turned back with a puzzled look.

“Teresi. Give it to me. It’s heavy.”

But Medeus, who was trying to take the basket from him, was smiling gently. Nataek tilted his head and looked back at Jungyeom.

“Why accuse an innocent person like that.”

Jungyeom’s eyes went wide and his mouth fell open in disbelief.

“Wow. Hey. Seriously,”

I’m telling you, he was totally glaring.

Mouthing his grievance, Jungyeom protested silently. Nataek looked back at Medeus again. The potatoes and sweet potatoes that had been in Nataek’s hands were already in Medeus’s. Still perplexed, Nataek gave Jungyeom’s shoulder a pat.

“Got it.”

“You little punk, you don’t believe me, do you.”

Before they knew it, Medeus had taken the basket to the kitchen and disappeared into the main bedroom. He called out,

“Should we start by arranging the blankets?”

“Yeah.”

Answering Medeus, Nataek tossed Jungyeom a half-hearted “I believe you, I believe you,” and gave a perfunctory nod.

“Hah. Unbelievable.”

Jungyeom stood there with his mouth open for a long moment. Then suddenly he stuck close to Nataek again and asked in a small voice,

“Hey. Why does he call you Teresi? Come to think of it, isn’t that your game nickname?”

Only then did Nataek notice how unnatural the form of address was. It had become second nature after being used so long. He mumbled and headed toward the kitchen.

“He’s a foreigner. Said ‘Nataek’ was hard to pronounce, so I told him to call me ‘Teresi.’”

“…He seems to speak Korean better than I do, though…”

Muttering with a tilt of his head, Jungyeom fortunately didn’t take much interest in their terms of address.

Jungyeom’s grandmother and Nataek’s grandmother had been close friends since their youth. Because of that, the grandparents’ house—which hadn’t been sold—was looked after once a month by Jungyeom’s grandmother. Nataek learned this right after he sent word that he would be coming down here.

Regardless of having hired a cleaning service, the basic fixtures they hadn’t thrown out—like the screens and dining table—were still being kept clean. Even so, no matter how much care is taken, a place doesn’t feel as warm as when someone is actually living in it. Even after finishing a simple unpacking with Medeus’s help, Nataek could still smell the unfamiliar scent of this house.

“Maybe it’s just because it’s been so long—I can’t quite get used to it.”

As he murmured by the window, a shadow fell across the setting sky, and a warm touch came to his waist.

“The night wind is chilly. You’ll catch a cold, Teresi.”

“The weather’s warmed up so much. It’s fine.”

Feeling the cool breeze, Nataek appreciated the mild weather all the more. If the modern time they’d arrived in had been the dead of winter, it would have been much harder for Medeus to adjust here. Tapping the hands at his waist, he asked,

“Isn’t this much better than the city?”

The light brown head seemed to nod faintly, then stilled. Rubbing his cheek against Nataek’s shoulder, Medeus said,

“When are we going back to where we were before?”

At the unexpected reply, Nataek tilted his head back.

“You don’t like it here?”

Could it be he disliked how it’s just fields and paddies? He asked in alarm, and Medeus shook his head gently.

“No. That’s not it. I like it a lot.”

“Then why?”

When Medeus didn’t answer right away, Nataek released his hands and turned fully around. Faced with Nataek’s steady gaze, Medeus dropped his eyes to the floor.

“I know you came here because of me. For you, that other place is better to live in.”

An unexpected answer.

“So I thought maybe I should try to adapt there too.”

At his continuing consideration, Nataek could only freeze, mouth open.

“Uh…”

He couldn’t even get the words out. Then the daytime conversation popped back into his mind.

“What wind brought you back? Thought you were going to find a job in Seoul and settle down.”

“It just worked out that way. Have you been well in the meantime?”

Clearly, it was still on his mind.

“Um… Medeus.”

Medeus had come into this world with nothing but Nataek in his sights, abandoning his status, wealth, material comforts, and familiar environment. Yet rather than ask anything of Nataek, he kept trying to accommodate him. The attitude Nataek had vaguely felt, he now confirmed through this exchange.

Should he say there was no need to keep adjusting to him? And yet, for Medeus to live happily, adapting to the times was unavoidable. Adapting to the times went hand in hand with adapting to Nataek, a modern person.

Even so…

He didn’t want to force Medeus to endure pain just to adapt to modern civilization. If one of them had to be the one to adjust, he wished it would be “Lee Nataek,” Teresi. He was filled with nothing but the desire to accommodate the one he loved as much as possible. How to convey this? After a moment’s thought, Nataek slowly cupped Medeus’s cheeks.

“There’s no place that’s better for me to live. It’s all the same. City or countryside, it’s the same modern world in the same country. So now, I want to live where you can be even a little more comfortable. It was like that in Kish too, remember.”

“As long as I have you, I like anywhere.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Medeus replied. With an abashed laugh, Nataek pressed his lips together, then gently kneaded Medeus’s cheeks.

“You ought to be greedy sometimes. You’re too soft for your own good, this won’t do.”

Though his cheeks were mashed like dough, Medeus kept letting out soft little puffs of breath as he laughed, clearly delighted. Like a gentle lamb, he suddenly lowered his shoulders and hoisted Nataek up in his arms.

“You won’t hate me if I get greedy?”

Startled in midair, Nataek answered in a fluster,

“Why would I hate you? There’s no way.”

“Then let’s go wash.”

Still holding him, Medeus headed for the bathroom.

And how does getting greedy lead to washing…?

There were two things Medeus, still unaccustomed to modern trappings, had mastered perfectly: how to take a taxi, and how to use the bathroom. A large part of why he got used to those two so quickly was Nataek’s injured arm.

Setting him down in the bathroom, Medeus first took off his T-shirt. As Nataek’s head slid out through the hole with a soft shff, Medeus smiled radiantly. Momentarily captivated by that smile, Nataek then shook out his messed-up hair and said,

“The cast is off. I can wash by myself now.”

“Don’t take away one of my few pleasures.”

With that excuse, Medeus had always taken it upon himself to bathe Nataek. This time, too, Nataek thought he meant to wash his hair and resigned himself, beginning to turn around—when Medeus gripped his shoulders and didn’t let go. As Nataek stood there, bewildered, Medeus gradually pressed him to one side. His back met the wall beneath the showerhead. In front of him, Medeus slowly lowered his body, beginning to kneel.

“Medeus…?”

Medeus took hold of Nataek’s belt buckle.

“There’s one more thing you have to do on the first day in a new home. It’s a way to bind a couple even closer.”

Pressing his cheek to Nataek’s hip area, he looked up at him.

“Devoting oneself carefully to the other’s body.”

The soft cheek tickled Nataek’s center. Startled, Nataek tried to pull him up, but Medeus clung tight and wouldn’t budge. Burying his nose in Nataek’s groin, he drew in a deep breath.

From the moment they crossed into the modern world, with the hospital stay and treatment and lessons in the new civilization, their relationship hadn’t progressed. The cast solidly affixed to Nataek’s arm had drawn a line of restraint. But now that it was gone, there was nothing to brake Medeus’s heart.

“What kind of house move has so much to do. You’re making this up.”

“No. It’s true.”

“Fine. Fine, I get it—so get up a bit. If you keep doing that down there…”

Medeus kissed Nataek’s bulging center with an audible smack.

“If I keep doing what?”

As his playful answer floated up with a hazy laugh, Nataek sensed danger. A tingling tremor spread through his waist. With an awkward chuckle, he gripped Medeus’s arm.

“If you keep that up, it gets… difficult.”

“Why difficult?”

Clink.

As Medeus undid his buckle, he tipped his head back slowly. Clinging to his lower half like a mischievous child and peering up at him, the look in his eyes thudded against Nataek’s chest.

“Teresi… do you dislike me doing this?”