38-62

Chapter 62: The Duty of Marriage 

I steadied myself, thinking of what to say in rebuttal to my wife. Meanwhile, she continued speaking. 

“Even if today is that kind of day, I don’t feel drawn to have sex with you. I mean sex out of a sense of marital duty. But don’t misunderstand-this doesn’t mean I want to have sex with another man. I just heard about today, hadn’t even thought about it, and right now I just want to eat dinner and go home to sleep. Like I said, to me, you’re just an equal among my other colleagues. Just because you want it doesn’t mean I have to spread my legs.” 

As my wife turned to leave, I grabbed her wrist. 

“Think carefully. Our lives don’t end here. Our real life starts when we get back. Don’t let actions taken on impulse eat away at the much longer life we have ahead of us.” 

My wife glared at me, her eyes full of contempt and disappointment. 

“Are you threatening me right now? Was your talk about opening your heart and living with these people a lie? Were you just pretending to agree with me to get that professor position?” 

She shook off my hand and walked away. I couldn’t follow her. I felt a bit wronged. I really hadn’t been thinking about the professorship for a while. I only said what I did because of something I’d overheard a few days ago, but it seems I was misunderstood. 

On the other hand, if what I said wasn’t really something to upset her, maybe she had always doubted whether I was being sincere. 

I stood there for a while, thinking, before returning home. Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol were resting at the house, but when the drumming started, they pulled me out to eat. My wife hadn’t appeared since we parted ways. 

The three of us took our seats and waited for food. I kept looking around for my wife, but she was nowhere to be seen. Where could she have gone? Food was served, and the alcohol was handed out. Ho-cheol and Soo-hyuk, apparently unaware of what kind of day it was, accepted their drinks with awkward smiles. Lately, we’d all been so hungry from physical labor that we ate a lot, and with the rare alcohol, Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol drank enthusiastically. Knowing what was in the drink, I only sipped. 

The rare alcohol made the two men giddy, and they were already several drinks in. I stuck close to Ho-cheol, watching his behavior, determined to act decisively if anything happened. But nothing seemed off, and he and Soo-hyuk kept toasting and enjoying themselves. Ho-cheol also seemed to want to relax for once. 

After the meal, as the children left the group, the drumming sped up and, as always, the men went forward. I kept scanning the area, but my wife was nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol were thoroughly enjoying the evening, their faces flushed. As people stood and began to dance, they too got up and started dancing, trying to pull me up as well, but I kept refusing. 

Soo-hyuk grabbed my arm, pulled me up, and whispered in my ear, “Professor Jung, is this because of Professor Hyun?” 

I looked at his face, smelling the alcohol. He smiled and whispered again, “Didn’t we agree to suspend the rules and customs of marriage from our world while we’re here? And you agreed, didn’t you? So don’t try to restrain Professor Hyun. She’s really dived into this culture to get what she wants. So trust her and watch over her.” 

I looked at Soo-hyuk’s face. Though flushed from drink, he was serious. 

“And since you decided to do this, try living as one of them, too.” 

With that, Soo-hyuk let go of my hand and started dancing. His words were a little different, but it was clear he thought the same as my wife. I wondered if I was the only one still stuck in my own world. But then I looked at Ho-cheol dancing beside me, and my thoughts changed. The memory of my wife and Ho-cheol’s passionate sex came to mind, and my heart started pounding. My pent-up desire was strong, and as that memory resurfaced, I became intensely aroused. It didn’t seem to be the effect of any substance-this was jealousy. 

A little later, some women danced by, smiling at us. One of them stopped in front of Soo-hyuk and looked at him shyly. He smiled kindly, and she took his hand. That meant she intended to have sex with him tonight. She pulled him away, and though he looked a bit embarrassed, he soon disappeared with her. 

Another woman took Ho-cheol’s hand, and he left with her as if he’d been waiting. Two women smiled at me, as if waiting for me to get up. I felt that if I stayed, they would take my hand. I bowed my head and slipped away. I had no desire to have sex with the tribe’s women. Without looking back, I walked toward my house. I was a little dizzy, maybe from the alcohol, maybe from the plant’s effects. I thought that maybe if I inhaled some of that smoke that counteracted the drink, the dizziness would go away. 

I turned and headed toward where the jars of alcohol and water were kept. I remembered there was some of that dried grass there. When I arrived, there were a lot of people coming and going, mostly to refill their drinks. I looked around and saw a pile of dried grass in the corner. That’s it, I thought, and grabbed a handful. As I turned, I saw someone. 

A man was turning from the alcohol jar, holding two cups. It was Bu-chi. His broad shoulders made him stand out even among the others. It wasn’t unusual for someone to bring drinks for someone else-Ho-cheol and Soo-hyuk had done it, too. But something about seeing him with two cups made me feel strange, my heart pounding. Was this intuition? 

I watched him from a distance. He walked, swaying his hips, with both cups in hand. His hips were firm and powerful, even compared to the other villagers. 

I followed him from afar. He didn’t go to the square where everyone was gathered, but instead skirted around to somewhere else. My heart was pounding with all sorts of thoughts. Even among the crowd, his superior physique made him easy to spot. 

He headed for the village entrance. Once outside, he walked quickly, not looking around at all. I hurried after him. He went down the forest path leading into the village. Even though it was dark, he walked as if he knew the way well. I was a little scared, but I kept following. 

After a while, I saw a light. I recognized the place-it was the hut where we’d stayed when we first arrived in the tribe. There was a small campfire in front. He went straight to the fire and then into the hut without hesitation. I quickly went to the entrance, pressed my back to the wall, and listened to the sounds inside. 

“Thank you.” 

My eyes widened. It was my wife’s voice. She was speaking in the tribe’s language. Then I heard the man’s deep voice-also in the tribe’s language. From here on, I’ll present the dialogue in Korean, but it was actually in their language, which is simple and has no honorifics. 

“Is the food okay? Should I bring you more?”