IBMAW 09

Chapter #9

First Kiss

The black-haired hero said to be in the enemy country.

The husband smiling gently before her now looked the same—black hair and black eyes.

For a moment, she wondered… could he also be—

Then she shook her head in surprise.

‘That can’t be.’

If he really were the hero, he would be in a grand palace in the capital, surrounded by nobles.
There was no way he would be brought here among criminals.

She had never even heard that this country had performed a hero summoning ritual.

Lizy secretly glanced at her husband.

Noticing her gaze, he lowered his face slightly.

Now she could see him clearly.

Sunlight streamed into the house, illuminating his hair and face.

‘Ah…!’

He wasn’t the hero.

Under the light, she saw his true colors.

His eyes—black at the center, but brown around it.

His hair—dark, but not truly black.

In the sunlight, it was clearly deep brown.

‘That’s a relief.’

Black hair and black eyes… somehow, that felt unnatural.

She imagined the hero would look almost like a monster—something beyond an ordinary human.

Thinking that, she felt reassured.

Her husband wasn’t a hero.

Just a normal man—albeit a very large one.

No one from the kingdom would take him away.

‘Wait… then why did I feel like I didn’t want him to leave?’

It was strange.

They had only just met today.

Originally, she didn’t care who her husband would be.

She couldn’t choose anyway.

As long as he wasn’t violent, that was enough.

If he could provide a bit more food, even better.

‘…That must be it.’

She had never met a man this kind before.

No one in the village had ever treated her this way.

A useless woman—small, slow, unable to work properly—no one had ever been gentle with her.

So that must be why.

Because he was kind.

Because he wasn’t violent.

That’s why she felt relieved he was her husband—and afraid of losing him.

Yes… that must be it.

Her husband stroked her head again.

He really did seem to think she was a child.

Was that why he was so kind?

‘Even so… I like it.’

Lizy closed her eyes.

More… she wanted more.

She wanted him to keep touching her, keep patting her head.

It felt like she had gone back to being a child—back to a time when she wished someone would stroke her gently.

‘I have to try harder.’

The wife of a mountain keeper had far more work than usual.

From what she had heard in passing, it included things like processing hides and even draining blood from animals during busy times.

Of course… she didn’t know how to do any of that yet.

He didn’t know how to hunt either.

Would they really be able to manage this small cabin together someday?

The man hunts and chops wood.

Everything else falls to the woman.

‘Can I do it?’

Fetching water, cooking, farming, taking care of a child, sewing clothes, repairing the house, selling goods at the market—

Anything that didn’t require great strength was the woman’s responsibility.

That was normal.

As a daughter, and now as a wife—it was the same.

With fewer men due to war, even communal labor often fell to women.

So their burden had increased even more.

But Lizy was slow and weak.

She couldn’t even do half the work other women could.

Everyone in her hometown knew she was useless.

That’s why she couldn’t get married.

No one wanted her.

Her father had probably lied when selling her—saying she was hardworking.

The merchant may have known the truth but bought her anyway because she was cheap.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have even been sold here.

“… ”

She didn’t want this man to know that.

To her current husband, she wanted to be useful.

‘I’ll try my best.’

So please… don’t hit me.

Don’t hate me.

Don’t abandon me.

Let me feel these gentle hands again.

Please.

After spending some time gently stroking Lizy and Dorothy’s heads, Kim Juhwan realized he couldn’t sit around forever.

If they didn’t act, they would freeze to death tonight.

First—water.

Luckily, there was a large barrel and a smaller wooden container inside the house.

They must be for storing water.

The villagers probably left them so he wouldn’t die immediately.

Trying to ask about water, he awkwardly mimed flowing water while making a “drip drip” sound.

It was ridiculous.

Even he felt like an idiot.

But surprisingly, Lizy and Dorothy smiled a little.

Then quickly hid their expressions, as if worried it was rude.

When he mimed drinking water, Lizy understood immediately.

He really should’ve done that from the start.

Lizy tilted her head, confused about why he was asking.

But without questioning further, she grabbed his hand and led him outside.

She told Dorothy something and closed the door—probably telling her not to come out.

Then she pulled him along a narrow forest path.

The forest was different from Korea.

The trees were taller and more spaced out.

Even Kim Juhwan felt like Gulliver in a land of giants.

Lizy, small as she was, looked like a squirrel in comparison.

Watching her walk so earnestly felt… cute.

Just then—

She slipped.

Her foot had stepped on ice.

Before he could think, his hand moved.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her.

Startled, she looked up at him, sunlight filtering through the trees into her eyes.

Their faces were close.

His heart pounded.

“… ”

The child wasn’t here.

It was just the two of them.

Women cared about mood, about love first—

but they were already married.

A little… should be fine.

“Lizy.”

He called her name softly—and pressed his lips to hers.

She didn’t resist.

But she didn’t respond either.

She froze, eyes wide open.

Maybe it was her first kiss.

He tilted his head and kissed her again.

Her eyes widened even more—probably startled by the unfamiliar sensation.

‘Ah… she’s never kissed before.’

Maybe kissing didn’t even exist in this world.

Or maybe the dead man wasn’t her husband—but her father.

Then Dorothy could be her younger sister.

In the cold mountain air, Kim Juhwan held his new wife tightly, savoring the sweetness of her lips.

Their noses brushed.

Their warmth blended.

A deep affection welled up inside him.

He remembered something someone once said:

[Live together, and affection grows. Share your body, spend nights together, and before you know it, strangers become family.]

He didn’t remember who said it.

A senior? A boss?

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it.

But now—it felt true.

Affection would grow.

Love would deepen.

Right now, they were simply bound as family—

but soon, she would become his one and only.

His one beloved woman.

His one precious daughter—or sister-in-law.

No…

Daughter.

Even if they were sisters, she would be his daughter.

That was the wish he made.

Next Christmas, he hoped he could leave gifts by their pillows.

Even small ones.

‘I need to work hard and earn money.’

Reluctantly, he pulled away from her lips.

A thin strand of saliva stretched between them.

Her eyes, once startled, were now soft—like melted candy.

Cute.

My wife.

Wife.

The word echoed warmly in his mind.

Even though life began in hardship, he was glad to be here.

Glad he met Santa.

The gray memories of his past thirty years finally felt meaningful.

He felt truly alive.

Then he remembered something else.

[She just becomes your wife. Your flesh becomes hers, hers becomes yours. It’s our 30th anniversary—how could I not drink?]

That had been his boss.

Strict, hard to approach.

But his phone wallpaper was always his family—his wife or children.

Unflattering photos—sleeping with mouths open, messy hair, silly faces.

He used to complain while showing them:

“Get married and you’ll end up with this.”

Back then, Juhwan thought it was ridiculous.

Now… maybe it was pride.

“… ”

Someday, he wanted that too.

To carry a picture of his family close to his heart.

Boss… sorry for always badmouthing you.

The place Lizy led him to was a small spring.

Just big enough for a couple of people.

Surrounded by stones and sparse vegetation.

It wasn’t too far—but still a bit of a walk.

Why wasn’t the house closer to water?

That would’ve been easier.

Still, this was inconvenient.

If he wasn’t home, Lizy would have to come here alone.

Who knew what dangers lurked in the forest?

Even on Earth, there were wild animals.

Here, there might be worse.

Still, at least it wasn’t deep forest.

He returned Lizy home and lifted the large water container onto his back.

She looked shocked.

Then tried to take it from him—probably insisting it was her job.

But no way.

He shook his head repeatedly.

Her face turned red for some reason.

Dorothy stared in amazement as he carried the container.

He felt a bit proud.

At the spring, he heard birds suddenly fly away.

Startled.

‘Something scared them…’

He filled the container—

Then suddenly—

A chill ran through his entire body.

His instincts screamed.

He dropped the container—

And spun around.