“Are you suggesting I sleep in my room?”
Back in my college days, I never even crossed the threshold of a woman’s shared apartment, let alone be invited to sleep over. So, it took me quite a while to process her words.
“My room has a formation set up, so you’ll sleep comfortably. Ah, probably.”
Maybe I froze in shock. Miss Zhuge struggled to provide additional explanation.
That’s right. During the raid on the sect, we set up a mechanism in the main building. Thanks to Miss Zhuge’s formation, the main building was unharmed, so we didn’t need to use it.
It seems she must have added more to my room afterward, but surely Miss Zhuge’s room also has it set up.
What a good idea. I nodded in agreement.
“Indeed. Changing rooms might be a good idea.”
“Well, that’s because the formation only activates when I’m present.”
You mean, you want me to sleep together?
I looked at Miss Zhuge in surprise, but she merely avoided my gaze with a flustered expression. It was an incredibly tempting proposal, as long as I could sleep without a guard.
But she is the cherished youngest daughter of the Zhuge family.
If scandal were to arise regarding the unengaged youngest daughter, all the arrows would point back at me. No need to make enemies. I should decline.
“Thank you for the offer, but…”
“What’s the matter?”
Kil-san, who had been quietly listening, threw in his two cents.
“What?!”
“As long as it doesn’t reach the ears of the Zhuge family, it’ll be fine. Just keep it under wraps, it’s not that big of a deal since we live in the same house. As long as you don’t create distance between each other, it should be fine. You’re going to collapse at this rate.”
Yeah, but if we share the same room, people will see us coming out in the morning, and that’s a bigger problem.
“I think that sounds g-great.”
Did I look that distressed? Miss Zhuge carefully chimed in.
“Miss Zhuge?”
What should I do?
“Of course, if it reaches the Zhuge family’s ears, the head of the family will chop my head off, haha!”
Kil-san mimicked the act with dramatic flair, like a father whose child had just caused a disaster at a nuclear power plant, choking the air dramatically.
“Hmm….”
“Don’t worry! Don’t worry! It’s just sleeping in the same room, right? Would your personality ever cross the line? I have to go ahead now. Hyan, you have to put in the work. Do well.”
“What? Huh?!”
Kil-san, why do you make it sound like everything depends on Miss Zhuge?
“Use the formation well. I’m leaving!”
“….”
After Kil-san stormed out, a strange silence fell.
Miss Zhuge found it hard to meet my eyes. Now what? Kil-san, you made things awkward.
“I-I’ll go prepare.”
What preparation?
I nodded without asking any further.
—
“Uagh! Uagh!”
Was there an earthquake in the bed? Zhuge Hyan returned to her room and rolled around, recalling the words she had just said.
“Wh-what made me say that!?”
A woman who isn’t even married asking a man to sleep in the same room? That’s something no matter how charming or popular you might be, you wouldn’t say.
You don’t think I’m being too easy, right? If Kang Yoon-ho knows me, he’d never think that!
Should I cancel right away? The thought crossed Zhuge Hyan’s mind, but she quickly shook her head.
“It’s my fault.”
I am so furious.
Master Kang is up to stuff in bed with Hyun unnie. Even when I’m right at the door, he’s lying!
It was a huge misunderstanding, but there was so much circumstantial evidence. I was beyond rational thought because of that anger.
In the end, I defeated the assassin, but my room ended up a mess. Therefore, I have to take responsibility. Zhuge Hyan nodded.
“I’ve never even invited a friend to my room, so this is too difficult.”
Though I have no friends. If Master Kang comes to my room, what should I do? I can’t disappoint him.
“What could we do all night together?”
What should women and men do together?
Though Zhuge Hyan intended to have him sleep over, now that Kang Yoon-ho was going to sleep in her room, sleep became a secondary concern.
Zhuge Hyan’s gaze shifted slightly to one side.
She was looking at her drawer where pretty underwear lay, bought with care for her.
“No! That can’t happen!”
To block her wandering gaze, Zhuge Hyan covered herself with her blanket.
She’s not a clueless woman who doesn’t know what could happen between a man and a woman at night. After all, she’s a fan of The Rise of the Tang Family. She had a keen interest at an age close to that.
But, she was raised as an upstanding lady. Last year’s teachings from her parents echoed in her mind.
“Hyun, what am I to do when I’m sure that man will be my husband?”
“Don’t let go, don’t.”
“Yes. And it’s also important to maintain boundaries. You shouldn’t give everything. Even though it’s the same person you love, what lovers and married couples can give is very different. It might be hard for you at first, but rejecting will be harder. Be clear about it.”
“Oh dear. My dear, you’re asking this child difficult questions. Hyan, just let me know if anything happens.”
“Y-yes?”
“I’ll just twist that guy’s neck!”
“Father!”
“I hope he meets your expectations.”
The head of the Zhuge family does not know about his youngest daughter cohabiting with Kang Yoon-ho. If this fact comes to light, there would certainly be an uproar in the clan.
Zhuge Hyan imagined herself entering the Zhuge family side by side with the heir of Man Geum Battlefield, Kang Yoon-ho. Although Master Kang is a splendid person, her father’s protective feelings for her are no small matter.
She wouldn’t want to make Master Kang look bad in her father’s eyes due to a mistake made in the middle of the night.
“I’ll just think of it as a friend coming over!”
Imagining spending a night with a friend, Zhuge Hyan steeled herself and got up from the bed.
His sights fell upon the cluttered room filled with drawing tools. First, she needed to ventilate and clean. Diverting her gaze, she spotted a delicate, beautiful dress.
Should I wear something prettier to look good for Master Kang? Zhuge Hyan shook her head. No, no, she can’t mess this up. Just wear something casual, and think of activities instead.
Zhuge Hyan’s gaze shifted elsewhere and soon returned to the drawer again.
A small stack of cloth pieces gathered in the drawer. If a night of mistakes doesn’t happen, she wouldn’t need to glance back at that drawer.
But…
“I-I can never be sure.”
In case a mistake occurs, she couldn’t let him down.
Before even ventilating, cleaning, or choosing pastime activities, her hand inevitably reached for the drawer.
—
“Miss Zhuge, can I come in?”
As the sun set, a visibly tense male voice came from outside the door.
“Y-you can come in.”
Naturally, the woman inside was just as tense.
As Zhuge Hyan carefully opened the door, Kang Yoon-ho nodded and awkwardly stepped into the room.
“I can smell something nice coming from Master Kang!”
After sweating profusely during his martial arts training, Kang Yoon-ho had cleaned himself and arrived at Zhuge Hyan’s room.
The combination of residual warmth from his body, the scent of a bath, and some musky aroma troubled Zhuge Hyan’s heart and turned her cheeks rosy.
Unconsciously, she leaned toward his back, sniffing.
“Ah!”
As Kang Yoon-ho suddenly stopped, Zhuge Hyan’s nose bumped into him.
“Miss Zhuge?”
“Ah, uh, sorry! I—didn’t mean to.”
“What on earth?”
Zhuge Hyan panicked, struggling to condense the situation into an explanation, but Kang Yoon-ho’s attention shifted elsewhere.
His finger pointed toward a banner that was unfamiliar to him.
“[Praying for Master Kang’s peaceful sleep.]”
“Oh, um, I just thought it’d be nice to have even just one of these hanging up.”
“Hahaha. Thanks to you, Miss Zhuge, I think I can sleep well tonight.”
A flustered chuckle escaped Kang Yoon-ho’s mouth.
‘That’s a total failure!’
I thought he would appreciate it. Zhuge Hyan’s eyes trembled from the embarrassment of yet another blunder. Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-ho seemed to relax, thinking Miss Zhuge was just being Miss Zhuge.
“Where should we lay the bedding?”
“Uh, um…”
Zhuge Hyan lost her words, her eyes frantically darting without settling on a direction.
Today I need to say something important to Master Kang, but after failing twice already, what if I disappoint him for a third time?
No, I can’t let my spirit break.
“Miss Zhuge?”
“Ah! Uh, uh, how about we play Go?”
Zhuge Hyan decided to turn back for the moment.
“Go? That’s certainly… Maybe it’s a bit much to play right now. But, I’m not good at Go, is that okay with you?”
“I’ll play a smaller version with you.”
“Then I’ll learn a move from you.”
Kang Yoon-ho nodded and sat down in a chair.
“I have to put in a splendid performance.”
I mean, someone as smart as Master Kang can’t be bad at Go. Even if he doesn’t enjoy it, I’m sure he plays pretty well.
He’s clearly being modest. I would give it my all.
“I lost.”
First, by three stones.
“I lost.”
Next, by five stones.
“I lost.”
Finally, by eight stones. Contrary to expectations, Zhuge Hyan was victorious every time.
“That was fun!”
Zhuge Hyan wore the triumphant smile of a winner.
“You’re incredibly skilled!”
“Hehe. Go can be practiced solo by studying the board game records. Ah?! I didn’t mean to imply I play alone!”
Solo play. To craft a home, form territories, and create a fort that denies access to others.
With expertise in formations and an appropriate personality, it was no surprise that Zhuge Hyan excelled at this game.
“Isn’t it interesting to ponder over answers based on set problems?”
Zhuge Hyan hurriedly corrected her slip of the tongue, but Kang Yoon-ho merely nodded, seemingly understanding everything.
‘What should I do? He doesn’t seem to be enjoying it.’
Master Kang didn’t look particularly pleased. Why? Did I need to make it a show? Shouldn’t I just enjoy myself by having fun with him?
“I-I’m so sorry for being such a boring woman!”
I need to cheer Master Kang up. Flustered, Zhuge Hyan quickly apologized.
“Huh? Hahaha.”
“Ugh.”
Zhuge Hyan was naturally flustered.
She’d never had a friend over in her room. While Go might well be an entertaining game for the time, she mistook competition for play.
It doesn’t matter if I lose. I don’t have to take it too seriously for the sake of appearing impressive. Play should be about sharing feelings and enjoyment.
Currently, Zhuge Hyan was acting like she had set up a scarecrow and was fanatically cheering.
A common mistake made by someone clumsy at relationships.
“How about we try a different game this time?”
Kang Yoon-ho, understanding the gravity of her missteps, suggested with a smile.
“Huh?”
“How about we play Dak-gyeok?”
“Dak-gyeok?”
“I’ll teach you a Korean version of slapping fingers.”
A game that allows mutual enjoyment while also provocation.
—
The essential elements of Dak-gyeok exploded in front of Zhuge Hyan.
“Ah!”
Slap!
A loud snap hit Zhuge Hyan’s fair forehead, leaving a red mark behind.
“I win.”
“Ugh, let’s do it again!”
“Shall I make it even for you?”
“I’m still from the Zhuge family!”
“But you’re also a martial artist.”
A strange mix of pride slipped from her lips.
“Let’s play with ten each.”
“Why are you so good at this?”
The Korean style of finger-snapping—a game of slapping each other’s hands—was already a few rounds deep with Kang Yoon-ho emerging victorious.
“I didn’t think I’d be this good, but I guess all that practice in memorization helped. Now, for the final touch!”
Earlier, I had made a mistake, but this time, not a single misstep occurred.
“Ugh. …Ah!”
Once again, the crisp sound of a slap landed on Zhuge Hyan’s forehead.
“Hahaha!”
Kang Yoon-ho couldn’t hold back his laughter as he watched Zhuge Hyan pat her forehead in a cute gesture.
“Wuwu, Master Kang, that’s too much!”
“The door to challenge is always open.”
“Please, just take two away!”
“I’ll make sure to slap you once if I win.”
Zhuge Hyan had almost forgotten her worries about sharing a room with Master Kang and now was burning with fierce enthusiasm.
—
“Just one more, and it’ll be over.”
“Not happening! I won’t give up!”
“Good job!”
“Noooooo!”
This is fun.
I love the serious expression on Master Kang’s face as he focuses on the game. When I land the final slap, his slightly flustered visage becomes hilarious.
Catching myself flushed over the sensation of Master Kang’s forehead, I felt a bit of envy watching his reaction to my slap.
Chatting and concentrating on games with Master Kang, sharing laughter in this moment makes me utterly delighted.
Of course, slapping does sting a bit!
“Ahh! Owie, owie, ow!”
At the moment when I’m supposed to dish out another slap…
Ping!
A gentle finger touched my forehead with affection.
“Ah?”
“Let’s call it a night.”
The night deepened. Kang Yoon-ho gently caressed Zhuge Hyan’s reddened forehead and spoke.
“Let’s do this again tomorrow!”
“Yes, sounds good. I’ll prepare the bedding. Just focus on sleeping soundly.”
Kang Yoon-ho nodded in regret and looked over at Zhuge Hyan heading towards the bed, inwardly feeling relieved.
‘What a needless worry.’
This was his first time sleeping in a girl’s room, after all, so Kang Yoon-ho was also trying hard not to show his tension.
Now it was up to him. After several days, he would be able to sleep at ease.
Tonight, he could finally rest soundly without worry. He relaxed and glanced around.
“Um, Kang Yoon-ho?”
But he didn’t realize.
“Yes?”
Why Zhuge Hyan proposed to play Go, why she hesitated and chose her words cautiously.
“Y-you need to get on the bed for the formation to activate!”
The real game was just beginning.
