38-69

Chapter 69: It Was the Best 

The truth is, what I really wanted to say was, "Don’t be with that guy..." But the words wouldn’t come out. My wife looked at me and gave a cold smile, pursing her lips. 

“Mating event? Why? Do you want to?” 

I could feel my face burning. My wife put her hands on her hips and said, 

“We agreed to suspend our marital relationship while we’re here. And as far as I know, you agreed to that too, didn’t you?” 

I couldn’t say a word. Her cold smile froze me in place. 

“So I don’t think I have any obligation to have sex with you just because you want it.” 

I shouted to myself: It’s not too late. There’s still a chance to fix this twisted situation. Say something. Say it now. 

“And I know you’ve been trying to assimilate with these people lately, but the you I know isn’t someone who lets go of everything so easily. I don’t think you’ll be able to accept their sexual customs so easily either.” 

I waited, thinking, “Huh?” and listened for what she’d say next. 

“So tonight, let’s just have dinner together and all sleep together. But I don’t want to have sex with you tonight. Just sleep, okay?” 

I nodded. At the very least, I could stop her from holding that big guy’s hand and going off to have sex somewhere tonight. Not everything was resolved, but at least I confirmed that my wife wasn’t one of the tribe, that she wasn’t following their sexual customs. If that weren’t the case, knowing her personality, she would have said, “I’m going to satisfy my sexual desires with a strong man. That’s nothing here.” I felt that the last thread in my wife’s heart hadn’t yet snapped. Maybe yesterday was just curiosity? 

After finishing the conversation, my wife walked over to the man, took his arm, and went off to a place where there were no other people. I watched them, then sat back down next to the tribal woman and resumed working, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the two of them. My wife and the man stood facing each other, and my wife explained something quietly. The man listened to the end and nodded. He didn’t look very happy; I figured my wife told him she couldn’t be with him tonight. After they finished talking, my wife turned to me and called out in Korean, 

“We’re going to dig up more roots!” 

I nodded. Not everything was solved, but I felt a bit lighter and got back to work. At that moment, the woman next to me gave a faint smile and said, 

“You asked that woman to do it with you tonight, didn’t you? But she refused, right?” 

I gave a slight laugh, thinking, “She doesn’t know anything…” I didn’t want to answer, but couldn’t help saying, 

“That’s not true.” 

The woman kept smiling. 

“Then I’ll have to find someone else tonight.” 

I smiled and nodded. We both returned to our work. 

After the day’s work ended and the sun began to set, everyone who’d been out returned to the village and dinner was being prepared. We gathered in the square to eat. Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol looked exhausted. 

“Ah... I should’ve just stayed and dug up roots... I’m so tired,” Soo-hyuk grumbled, flopping down next to me. Ho-cheol sat down as well. 

“Seriously. I’m really tired too. I just want to eat and go to bed early tonight.” 

I smiled and listened to them. While we waited for dinner, the drumming started again and the smell of roasting meat filled the air. Then, I heard people behind us and turned around-my mouth dropped open. 

My wife was coming up behind us, with Moi on one side and... that big guy, Bu-chi, on the other. Smiling brightly, my wife said in Korean to us, 

“We decided to have dinner together.” 

With that, she sat behind us. Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol gave a quick greeting and turned away. I couldn’t look directly at my wife. I hadn’t expected this, but so far, nothing she’d said had been a lie. I thought that complaining about eating together would really set her off, so I just turned away with an uneasy expression. 

While eating and drinking, I couldn’t even tell where my food was going. My mind was entirely focused on what was happening behind me, and I couldn’t taste anything. Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol, apparently very hungry, ate and drank a lot and quickly. 

Behind me, the three of them were laughing and talking, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying over the drumming and noise. Maybe it was also because I still didn’t fully understand the language. But it was clear they were having a good time. The man went back and forth several times with bamboo cups, so it seemed they were drinking quite a bit. 

As always, the drumming continued and people began choosing their sex partners for the night. We didn’t get up; Soo-hyuk and Ho-cheol just wanted to go to bed early. Glancing back, I saw the three of them weren’t getting up either. That made me even more anxious. 

I went to relieve myself and, on my way back, walked behind my wife and the others. I saw the man’s hand reach behind my wife and touch her buttocks. He was holding a cup in one hand, chatting, and with the other hand, he was groping my wife’s butt. 

I froze. At that moment, the woman I’d worked with earlier tapped my shoulder. 

“See? I was right, wasn’t I?” 

I turned to her, feeling a bit dazed. She smiled and said, 

“Can you hear what they’re saying? You probably can’t understand well yet; it’s noisy here, too.” 

Without thinking, I blurted out, 

“What are they saying?” 

She frowned, leaned forward to listen, then after a moment leaned back and smiled. 

“Looks like Moi is telling that woman about that man-how he’s the strongest in the tribe. Moi is saying, ‘See, I was right, wasn’t I?’” 

My wife smiled at the man, and he gave her a light kiss on the lips. My wife said something. I couldn’t hear, but the woman seemed to read her lips. 

“She said, ‘That’s right. He was the best.’” 

My heart began to pound. I saw my wife’s hand, resting on the man’s thigh, slip toward his groin and then pull away. I didn’t know if the woman noticed. My wife smiled at the man, then turned to Moi and said something. 

“She said she enjoyed spending the whole day together today.” 

My wife’s hand slid back and grabbed the man’s hand, which was on her butt. The two of them laced their fingers together. Moi said something, and my wife shook her head. The woman next to me laughed and said, 

“Moi asked if they did it while working, and she said no... but that they almost did.” 

I felt my heart pounding so hard my fingertips were shaking. Moi said something else, and my wife turned back to the man and said something. The man nodded and gave her another light kiss on the lips. 

“They say sometimes couples who were together the night before end up doing it again while working the next day, so she said, ‘Should we try it tomorrow too?’” 

The woman turned to me and said, 

“I’ve been with Bu-chi too, and I could barely walk the next day. But that woman is amazing.” 

Moi said something else, and my wife pointed at Ho-cheol and said, 

“Moi said she’s jealous because you two are so close, and your wife told her, ‘Then be with that man tonight. He’s very strong too.’” 

The man said something to my wife, and she shook her head before kissing him again. This time, it looked like a longer, deeper kiss. 

“When Bu-chi said, ‘Stronger than me?’ she replied, ‘No, that’s impossible...’” 

I spun around to the woman next to me. 

“That’s enough. I get what they’re talking about.” 

She smiled kindly and said, 

“You seem to like peeking into other people’s business. Actually, so do I. Let’s work together again tomorrow. I’ll tell you lots of interesting stories.” 

With that, she coolly walked away, disappearing into the crowd.