Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 186

Chapter 186 Side Story 8

 

If only there had been a heads-up, some sprucing up could’ve been done beforehand…

Standing in the entryway, Nataek took off his shoes. Thanks to having called in a cleaning service in advance, the inside of the house was spotless, with not a speck of dust even on the window frames.

Medeus stood by the wall, looking around outside. In front lay a wide stretch of fields, and in the distance behind, low hills. Perhaps because the scenery was more familiar than the city, his face looked much more at ease. As he drew in a breath and slowly lifted his gaze to the sky, a small shadow approached from the side. Sensing someone, Medeus lowered his head. Beside him stood an old man leaning on a cane.

“The village head’s wife said Taek was coming by, but looks like a foreigner showed up. Are you Taek’s friend, then?”

“…”

Medeus stared silently at the old man.

“Oh, can’t hear me? Asked if you’re Taek’s friend. Don’t you speak Korean?”

“Who is Taek? Do you mean Teresi?”

Because of long years as a noble, plain speech had seeped into Medeus’s bones. Flustered by the sudden appearance of a stranger, he answered in his habitual register without thinking. The old man promptly smacked Medeus’s calf with his cane.

“Why’re you using informal speech to an elder when you can obviously speak Korean!”

“Since people here strongly defer to age, be sure to use polite speech with anyone who appears older.”

Recalling Nataek’s words at last, Medeus straightened up at once. The old man asked again,

“What’s your name, lad?”

Medeus hesitated, then answered in a low voice,

“Medeus.”

“What? Med… what?”

“…Medeus.”

“Maeng-su? The Ahn family’s grandson over there is Maeng-su too. What’s your surname?”

At the old man’s gravelly question, Medeus’s gaze wavered. The old man raised his cane again and tapped Medeus’s calf.

“What’s your surname! Can’t even say your own name right!”

“…Anu Medeus.”

“Ahn Maeng-su. See? Would’ve been better if you’d said it clearly from the start!”

Hearing the commotion outside, Nataek came out of the house.

“Grandma!”

“Oh, ah, Taek. Been a while. Same with that rascal Jungyeom, the grandkids in this neighborhood never come home, do they. Been keeping well?”

“Yes. Sorry I didn’t visit more often.”

“As long as you know. So I asked about folks going in and out of this place, and they said you were coming to live here again? What wind blew you back? Thought you were settling down with a job in Seoul.”

“It just turned out that way. Have you been in good health?”

“Don’t even ask. Even with weather this warm, my knees ache so much I can barely live.”

With a flustered Medeus between them, a warm conversation flowed. After just a few exchanges, a deeper smile bloomed on the old woman’s cheeks.

“If only my grandson would live as steady as this. That punk’s job seems to be roaming around like a layabout. Can’t tell if he’s going to take over the farm or not. Since you’re here, Taek, grab the kid and have a word with him.”

Whether it was Nataek, who had just graduated and was about to dive into the job market, or the neighbor grandma’s grandson, who was supposed to carry on the farm—neither had achieved much yet, but the old woman rated Taek more highly. That came from the trust conveyed by his demeanor.

“Yes. I’ll talk to him.”

Medeus stood dumbly at Nataek’s side, rubbing the dirt with his toe where the old woman had whacked him. The old woman’s attention was about to shift to him, but Nataek deftly redirected it.

“I’ll come by as soon as we finish unpacking.”

Thanks to Nataek saying just the kind of things that would please her, the conversation wrapped up easily.

Once even the sudden visitor had gone, quiet fell. Wind blew across the empty fields. Brushing back the black hair tickling his forehead, Nataek held out a hand to Medeus.

“Let’s go in.”

His bright smile caught the sunlight and shone even more. As if entranced by that smile, Medeus reached out his hand. The warmth that passed through their joined hands felt even hotter than usual. Holding onto Nataek, Medeus drank in the wind that swept across the wide plain.

Medeus, well-practiced, took off his shoes at the entryway. As Nataek was about to step inside, Medeus stopped him.

“Wait a moment.”

Nataek looked at him as if to ask why. Medeus moved to his side and suddenly bent down, then scooped him up so that his injured arm faced outward. With his feet abruptly lifted, Nataek steadied his upper body with a hand on Medeus’s shoulder.

“I’m heavy! Put me down.”

“Not heavy at all.”

Still carrying him, Medeus stepped into the house.

“In Uruk, when entering a new home for the first time, you always carry the wife in like this. Then you’ll live happily for a long time.”

“I already stepped inside earlier.”

“But it’s my first time setting foot in this house.”

Whether it was an excuse or not couldn’t be checked, so there was no choice but to take his word for it. Still holding him, Medeus peered into one room after another.

“What are you looking for? Put me down already.”

Through the open door, a big bed was visible. Crossing the threshold, Medeus grinned wide.

“And they say if you carry the wife and take the first step into the new sleeping place, your love will deepen further.”

After a moment’s thought, Nataek shot him a suspicious look.

“You just made that up, didn’t you?”

“No. Want to check whether it’s true?”

Medeus stopped in front of the bed and set Nataek down as if dropping him, then climbed onto the mattress on his knees. But something felt off on contact.

“Ugh.”

Sensing something was wrong at the same time, the firmly deposited Nataek let out a short cry. Startled, Medeus braced himself on the bed and slid a hand under Nataek’s back.

“Teresi. Are you okay?”

“Uuugh…”

“W-why is the bed like this? Teresi, are you okay?”

Flustered, he groped over the blanket. Under Nataek wasn’t a soft mattress, but a stone bed covered with a thin quilt.

“Ah… I should’ve told them to put the mattress here. Forgot.”

Sitting up, Nataek let out a disbelieving laugh. Medeus still looked shaken. Shrugging, Nataek patted the bed.

“I forgot this house’s bed was a stone bed.”

“Stone bed? You make a bed out of stone?”

“Yeah.”

At that, Medeus’s eyes went round in incomprehension.

“Even the servants in Uruk lay down reed straw when they sleep—how could you sleep worse than slaves… Teresi, what on earth…”

His voice trailed off as he rubbed the bed. It was partly a look of sorrow asking how he had lived like this, and partly a reaction of shock at such a bed’s existence. Either way, Medeus was genuinely astonished by the existence of a stone bed. As he lay there looking at it, a thought followed. If he showed the miracle of the stone bed heating up here, how would he react then? Imagining Medeus startled like a child made the laughter keep bubbling up.

He had vowed not to laugh when Medeus marveled at some new contrivance. He hadn’t wanted Medeus to feel looked down on as ignorant. But this time, he couldn’t help it. At last, Nataek snorted, wrapped his arms around Medeus’s neck, and pulled him to his chest.

“A bed really is better when it’s soft, right?”

“Exactly. How could anyone sleep comfortably on something this hard.”

“Yeah. Let’s get rid of this damned stone bed.”

Only then did Medeus give a broad grin, hugging Nataek and rolling them over. It seemed to mean he would serve as the mattress. His body was just as hard, but Nataek didn’t let it show. He didn’t want to reject the heart that volunteered to be a bed in order to lay him on something even a little softer.

Fixing his gaze on Nataek, Medeus kissed his forehead. The corner of Nataek’s mouth curled up and one eye scrunched. Medeus’s red lips pecked his forehead, eyes, and cheeks, and were just about to land on their real destination when—

Beep, beep, beep—.

Clunk—!

“Lee Nataek!”

With the sound of the front door opening, Jungyeom boomed out his name. Startled, Nataek sprang up and stepped off the bed. He hid his thundering heart behind a composed face.

“Uh. Jungyeom. What’s up.”

“Mom told me to bring this.”

He held out a wicker basket. Inside were potatoes and sweet potatoes roasted in a hearth, and a heap of eggs.

Emerging from the bedroom a beat late, Medeus was scowling. Naturally, Jungyeom’s gaze shifted to him. Meeting those sharp eyes, Jungyeom hunched his shoulders and carefully approached Nataek. Not noticing Medeus behind him, Nataek reached out his hand to Jungyeom. Passing the contents in his arms to Nataek, Jungyeom muttered quietly,

“Hey. I came to bring you food, but to anyone else, I’d look like some kind of spoiler.”

 

Footnotes:

1. “Stone bed” (돌침대): A heated stone-bed furniture common in Korea that can be used like a mattress platform; associated with warmth and supposed health benefits, but feels hard without a mattress.
2. The last line = “I came to bring food, but to anyone else I probably look like I’m interrupting your intimate moment.”