THWCS 34

Chapter 34

“…Shall I… bring you some water?”
“Phew… yes.”

Ishin truly didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
Just sitting like this was exhausting.
“Please wait a moment.”

With his consent, Yeongwon hurriedly opened the door of the annex and stepped outside.

Left alone in the room, Ishin closed his eyes tightly.
He hadn’t slept at all last night.
So this was the first time he was experiencing the curse of this damn half-dream.
But he hadn’t expected it to be this miserable.

When he opened his eyes from the sharp pain radiating from his lips, he met Yeongwon’s bright, joyful gaze and thought: Am I glad to be alive?
He couldn’t even remember the last time he had felt someone’s sincere relief that he was still alive.

Immediately after, Yeongwon bit his lips mercilessly.
Even knowing that his lips had turned into a mess, he didn’t feel much like scolding him.
He didn’t have the strength for it anyway.

Above all, every time he unintentionally groaned from the pain in his lips, the way Yeongwon flinched like a guilty little cat was oddly entertaining.

“Haa…”

Ishin frowned and adjusted his sitting posture.
His whole body felt limp, a sensation comparable to the exhaustion he felt after the full moon pain he endured every month—not lacking in the slightest.

And I have to go through this every day?
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.

He could vaguely understand why Yeongwon had chased him to the Yeonggyeong Hall so desperately today, spouting nonsense about marrying him or making him like her—it was terrifying, but he could understand.

“Water! I have water here!”

Ishin, leaning against the wall with closed eyes, waiting for his strength to return, opened his eyes at Yeongwon’s voice as the door suddenly swung open.
Yeongwon approached the bed with hurried steps, holding a bowl with a chipped edge.

The bowl was filled with water, and Ishin took it with trembling hands, bringing it to his lips.
After taking a few gulps… his eyes caught sight of Yeongwon’s wet clothing.

It wasn’t just a little damp.
The white bed cover, from her chest to the upper thighs, was clearly soaked.

“Ah… It’s my first time drawing water from the well… I’ll do better next time.”

Receiving his puzzled gaze, Yeongwon explained sheepishly.

Ishin stood in front of the bed, watching Yeongwon.
The annex where he slept faced north, so sunlight rarely entered, leaving the room dark most of the day.

Since Ishin often slept during the day, the north-facing annex had gradually become his place of rest over the course of one, two, four, five days… until it had practically become his home.

Usually, the room would be pitch dark, but now a single candle burned on the writing desk.
Thus, Yeongwon could move around the room without difficulty, and Ishin could see her as clearly as in broad daylight.

Ishin removed the bowl, half-full of water, from his lips and glanced at Yeongwon, standing with her hands clasped.
Their eyes met briefly, as if asking if there was anything else to do, and she blinked.

But Ishin’s gaze lingered elsewhere—on her lips.

Some time had passed, and the blood on Yeongwon’s lips had dried.
But if she went out like this, rumors of a virgin ghost haunting the Geom family house the previous night would surely spread.
The white bedcover, her long black hair, and the blood-stained red lips made her look exactly like a virgin ghost.

Ishin weakly twisted the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“Come here.”
“Me?”

Instead of answering, Ishin slowly blinked.
Yeongwon hesitated, then stepped closer, and Ishin gestured with his chin for her to sit.

“Sit?”

She asked but obediently sat, twisting her upper body slightly toward him.
Ishin leaned back from the wall, placing the bowl she had brought on the bed.
He dipped the tip of his right thumb into the water and withdrew it.

With his left hand lightly holding Yeongwon’s chin, he rubbed her lower lip with his wet thumb.
Startled by his sudden action, Yeongwon tried to pull back but had to return when her chin was held.

“You need to wipe the blood, and you won’t see it otherwise.”

He spoke lazily, and Yeongwon hesitated, gradually relaxing.
She seemed slightly awkward, blinking rapidly and scanning the empty air with her eyes.

Ishin slightly raised the corners of his mouth, dipping his thumb in water again.
He gently rubbed her soft lips, pressing them here and there.
Although he did not show it, he was considerably flustered.
The sensation at his fingers was more sensitive than expected—soft, pliable, and yielding to pressure. For some reason, it made him thirsty and his lower abdomen warm.

Finally, he wiped the dried blood from the edge of her lips and released her chin.
Yeongwon immediately stepped back, taking a deep breath.
Seeing her, he quietly observed as she straightened her posture, regaining her composure. Her earlier clumsiness had vanished.

Ishin slightly pulled his lips and lowered his eyelids.

Then she spoke.
“Do… you have medicine?”

Ishin raised his eyes.
Yeongwon had stepped closer, pointing at his lips, repeating:
“Do you have medicine? I’ll apply it.”

At her indication, Ishin felt a twinge of pain and looked toward the drawer beside the writing desk.
As his gaze moved there, Yeongwon approached and asked:
“Is it in this drawer?”
“Yes. Ask Unjeong to do it.”

Ishin, recalling the feeling of wiping the blood from her lips, mentioned Unjeong without hesitation.
Yeongwon then opened the annex door as if to call Unjeong.

Ishin raised his hand again, lightly touching his lips.
It stung, like a bruise.
He should probably apply the medicine.

But Unjeong, whom he was waiting for, didn’t come, and Yeongwon returned alone.

“Unjeong Seonbi isn’t here. I’ll just apply it myself. Is it here?”
“No…!”

Rarely, Ishin leaned forward urgently, trying to stop Yeongwon.
At that moment, the long-awaited Unjeong appeared in a corner of the room, shrouded in mist.

“Ah, Seonbi-nim, the master’s lips… I need to apply medicine…”
“Medicine?”

Unjeong, surprised by Yeongwon’s way of waking Ishin, had left Yeonggyeong Hall and only now returned, unsure what had happened.
He saw Ishin awake at a glance and noticed Yeongwon was fine, letting out a relieved sigh.
It seemed his judgment at that moment had been correct.

“Where… are you hurt… ah… oh.”

Unjeong, glancing casually, almost laughed at Ishin’s visibly torn lips but managed to cover his mouth.
If this was the only way to wake him from the dream curse, he would never manage to wake Ishin otherwise, even if he died and came back to life.