This chapter turned out to be a little longer than initially planned, but I'm hoping you will enjoy it.

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Dinner party

Chapter 25

"What is this smell?" Choi Young's nose was not happy. He found his wife laboring in the communal kitchen, her face covered with sweat, hair pulled up under a headscarf, her sleeves rolled up, and wearing an apron. "Aish!" she was obviously frustrated with the pot that boiled over and the smell of burning food now permeated not only the kitchen, but the dining hall, the meeting hall and even escaped through the small windows outside onto the courtyard. "Daejang," she sounded pitiful, her mouth forming a pout and her eyes pleading to be saved, "I burned our dinner."

"I figured as much," he hugged his wife, feeling very sorry for her. "I'll get the boys and we will barbeque outside. Dae Man is quite skilled at that sort of thing."

"Thanks," Eun Soo was very grateful. She had an idea of her own - a take out of the famous Suribang soup.

Eun Soo was a wonderful woman of many talents, but cooking was not one of them. She tried to be a good housewife, but all of her attempts at cooking a real meal failed. He ate soups and stews she prepared because he loved her very much. That extra 'very much' was something that helped him not choke on her meals. Burned, undercooked, too salty, or too bland – you name it, she has done it all. He was actually happy that he would not have to suffer a lifetime of his wife's handy work if theirs was a traditional marriage - living in the barracks, he was always assured of decent, and frequently even great meals.

Lately, they have been discussing building a separate house for themselves. The dowry chest, besides amazing gifts from the royal couple, contained a small box with a deed to the land right next to the Woodalchi compound. The location was very convenient and covered the territory both inside and outside of the palace walls. When they first discovered about this generous offer from the King, they were still on their honeymoon. Rolling around in bed, they were too busy to think this through and afterwards, they would sometimes imagine what it would be like to actually live by themselves, like a normal couple. But they were not a normal couple: A Goryeo general and a doctor from the future – what was normal about that?

Choi Young was secretly excited about the idea, especially after realizing the opportunities complete privacy presented during their honeymoon. If they had a separate building of their own, they could do anything, anywhere, anytime. Even thinking about such things made his loins harden… Eun Soo was strangely easygoing about this whole idea, making him suspicious whether his wife was trying to hide her real feelings. All too often, she cared about him too much, and to please him or avoid having getting him upset, his wife would swallow her pride and opinions for his sake. He appreciated it more than he ever let it be known, but he did not want her to turn into one of those women who obediently followed husband's orders. Her spunk, her passion, her temper, her stubbornness - all those difficult attributes were what made her so attractive and so special. So having learned from the issue with the marriage, Choi Young broached the topic in his favorite "frontal breakthrough". Eun Soo swore up and down that she was ready to start planning for construction and that she honestly did not mind. "Daejang, why would I? It is close by to the Woodalchi compound, so you don't have to feel too removed and worried about your men, and we can have the privacy of our own family home. It is not far for me from the clinic, either. I love it. We just need to decide when and where exactly." Their lives revolved around the palace, whether they liked it or not.

This dinner was something that Imja suggested as a way to get their closest friends together to make this announcement. Choi Young wanted to build the house with his own hands, just like his father did before him. He loved carpentry and he was good at it. Hard honest physical labor gave him a special kind of happiness he could never receive from his day job. So he planned to offer the guys to join him for the construction and also ask their opinions, since his move and the new building will affect their lives as well. As the Commanding General, he did not have to ask anybody, but as a friend, he hoped this news would be welcomed.

Eun Soo's guest list was short: Deok Man and Deo Gi, Dae Man and Go Jin Ah, Choong Seok and… Zaphira. The girls asked if they could bring her along, dragging her into this intimate dinner setting, displeasing doctor's husband, who felt very uncomfortable around strangers, especially women. He wanted to relax among his closest friends and the ladies they loved, since now he was a family man, he learned the benefits of the woman's company as well. But Zaphira was a perfect stranger and had no business coming.

After the Harem women were officially allowed to remain in Goryeo, they were offered a choice to either work at the palace or leave and be on their own. A few women chose to leave right away, but the rest of them stayed on the palace grounds, hoping to find a place in this new land. Eun Soo kept her end of the bargain and took the women who expressed interest under her wing to be trained for the medical clinic as nurses.

Zaphira immediately stood out from the bunch. She held herself differently: polite, helpful, attentive, but removed, keeping a thin, but impenetrable wall between herself and others. Eun Soo could relate to the independent spirit and came to respect the hardworking and intelligent student. Zaphira showed her abilities, gaining quick trust among the permanent staff of the clinic. Deo Gi began to use her as an assistant during the herbalist classes and Go Jin Ah was eager to mentor a new comer in the ways of battle wound and injury treatments. As the two girls spent more time together because of the Woodalchi friends they dated, they also found another shared interest, taking care of Zaphira. They convinced Eun Soo to allow the woman to sleep in her old room, because she had no need for that any longer. They also started taking Zaphira along on personal errands, trusting her opinion with shopping. That woman had an expensive and impeccable taste. Zaphira was always friendly and courteous, but never crossing the invisible line she drew to keep herself at an arm's length.

Eun Soo watched this strange relationship between the Harem woman and the girls develop, not interfering, but cautious. So when she casually invited them to dinner, she was a bit put off at their insistence to bring Zaphira along. "She is very nice and quiet, she won't cause trouble, and she can recite poetry, sing and dance," they were enamored by her. Eun Soo protested that it was not a girls only gathering and that her husband had a very unpleasant encounter with the Harem in the past. She insisted that no dancing or singing would be required at the dinner and that it was just for the very close friends to hang out together, eat and have a good time. "Daejang wanted to tell the boys something, and you are only invited along to keep me in check and occupied."

"Please, doctor, please," the way they begged was almost embarrassing. So she caved, and then had to think of a way to gently break the news to her husband.

"No, absolutely not." This is how most of the sensitive issues were addressed by him initially. She had to work harder on this one, yet it was not even her fight or her idea, but in solidarity with the fairer sex, she persisted, cunningly and indecently using her feminine wiles to get him confused and turning his mind to mush, extracting an agreement at his most vulnerable. She really did not want to resort to this, but she could not find a faster and more certain solution. At least they both would enjoy it, thanks to Zaphira, and thinking that way, she did not mind the uninvited guest any more.

She brought fruits and sweets and thanked Eun Soo for inviting her into her home. The touches of exotic and alluring in her appearance and costume were carefully omitted: the makeup is gone, perfume nonexistent, the hair is done simply; she wore a very plain pant and tunic combination of a modest color, the jewelry was toned down to a minimum, just a pair of golden earrings and a thin golden chain for a necklace. She kept her eyes down most of the time and moved in a way that did not indicate her abilities to lure a man with a slight movement of her finger. Zaphira sat beside her friends at the corner of the table farthest away from Choi Young. She immediately sensed the tension coming from him. And made sure to never lock eyes with the General.

Choong Seok was sitting next to him, with all the men on one side and the women on another. The groups quickly divided by gender, as well as the conversations. But before, Choi Young made a toast to friendship and announced about their plans put the deed for the land to use. To his relief, all the men jumped to the idea and congratulated him wholeheartedly, offering to help even before he asked. They right away shared their opinions about the house and how it would be fun to build it together with all the Woodalchi, making Choi Young groan and fret, as he did not want to make this a big deal. But it was a big deal and this would change their lives, in small ways, but it will.

Choong Seok was awfully quiet and reserved. He barely joined the conversation, pensive and controlled in his emotional expression. "Are you OK?" Choi Young was bothered by his friend's indifference. "You don't like it, do you? Just tell me. You think your responsibilities will increase if I move out?" He was trying to guess unsuccessfully, as the Assistant General, calmly denied all of his suspicions and even patted his back with a restrained smile to confirm how agreeable he was. "What is wrong with you?" Choi Young did not like to be in the dark. He was used to open line of communication between them and was at loss on how to interpret his behavior.

"There is nothing wrong with me. Just thinking. It's unrelated to the house or your move. I'm thinking about my life, General." The man looked up to him, searching for support and sincerity to help him understand, "Do you think I should have been married a long time already?"

Choi Young did not see this coming, stumped he stared and licked his plump lips as his habit for when he needed a bit extra time to formulate a thought.

"I did not set a good example. I thought that none of us should be tied down by the burden of a family, by having the need to protect somebody besides the king. I thought having a wife would be a liability and give enemy advantage… Choong Seok, if you were not a Woodalchi and my right hand, taking care of everything like the head of the household for years, you would have had already been married with children and happy. Are you worried it is too late?"

"Is there a woman like the Doctor, who would understand who we are?"

"Look at those fools. If they could do it, so could you." Choi Young motioned to the boys who were stuffing themselves with the food, getting their faces and hands dirty, not even paying attention to the ladies who kept throwing stern glances at them. "Trust me, they are in for some scolding for bad manners tonight, lucky bastards," and he laughed.

The man produced a strained smile and allowed himself a glance to the other end of the table where his Goddess was sitting. She never looked his way and he wished for the black eyes to acknowledge him and give him the glimpse of fragility he saw in her once. He poured himself a cup and emptied it till the bottom, settling the vessel on the table in front him, he decided to let it go, because his chances with her were none to zero. She was not a typical lady of the palace, she was too refined and too spectacular to be a soldier's wife. He drank more, making Choi Young glance at him in curiosity. Choong Seok did not show any of his feelings, nor did his eyes betray him, staring right in front, avoiding the other side of the table on purpose. His secret was safe with him.

"Would you like me to ask Eun Soo if she knows somebody who might be a good partner for you?" The general decided to offer, feeling stupid to act like a matchmaker, and was quite appreciative when Choong Seok politely declined.

Eun Soo drank tonight more than usual, despite knowing that Choi Young did not like her to indulge too much in liquor, as he was not the one to do it himself. But she was in a good mood, and the rice wine always put her in this place in-between of euphoria and quiet contentment. Choi Young did not want to embarrass her in front of the company, taking away her cup or hiding the bottles, he watched, growing upset, as his wife filled cup after cup, her face keeping the deepening blush as the evening progressed. He told her many times and whispered gently at first and then more forcefully to stop, but she only waved him off and smiled, her eyes sparkling. She looked beautiful even when drunk. How often could she let herself be her wild self if not in front of the friends? How could he deny her such simple silly pleasure? She was safe under his watchful eyes.

The guests were all very gracious and pretended not to notice the hostess' behavior. To Choi Young's surprise, Zaphira stood from her place and joined Eun Soo on the bench. The quiet conversation was indiscernible, but while Eun Soo was entranced by the story, judging from her eyes and mouth wide opened and her hand propping the side of her face up, Zaphira took the wine bottle and Eun Soo's cup and getting up, walked away with them to the kitchen. Eun Soo did not realize till her hand searched for more and not finding it, she only looked sad, pouting for a second and then losing her focus, turned to the girls, waving to get their attention. "Interesting," thought Choi Young, and when Zaphira returned, he gave her a slight nod and mouthed "Thank you." The woman smiled and looked him in the eyes for the first time, without hesitation.

The dinner ended late, winding down naturally as the guests started to show signs of exhaustion and the boys fought against fatigue and alcohol to be steady on their feet in order to escort women home. Zaphira bowed out first and was ready to leave when Choong Seok approached her, simply asking if he could take her home because it was dark and unsafe for a lady to wonder on her own. She was not surprised and agreed, but did not speak to him on the way. In silence he followed her to the clinic building, and when she reached the door and turned to say goodbye, Choong Seok stepped back respectfully and bowed. "Good night, Zaphira." She only glanced and before she had a chance to thank him, turned around and walked away. She stared, now intrigued.

Choi Young helped his wife to the bed and took care of her shoes and clothes first, before clearing off the mess she left behind after dinner. She was already asleep and he got into bed trying not to disturb her. She stirred, sensing his presence and cuddled up to him. The dinner was a success, they will be building a new home for themselves, they were happy together, enjoying the calm of their lives.

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