Chapter 1 — Eunuch Official of Joseon 4 - How to Eat with Gums When You Have No Teeth

“The king holds you in very high regard, it seems.”

The door clicked shut from the outside.

Unable to leave, Daniel Park and Sarah Lee sat huddled against the door, backs pressed to the wood, talking quietly. The thick steam that had once filled the room had begun to clear, leaving behind a faint coolness in the air.

Sarah Lee stole a glance at Daniel Park.

His hair… still damp.

He wasn’t wearing his official hat—only his topknot tied neatly. He must’ve washed his body but not his hair, because while most of it was dry, the strands near his ears clung damply to his skin. It was oddly captivating.

Too captivating.

Why was she so drawn to wet hair?

Still not fully dried. His skin, either.

Looking closer, she noticed the nape of his neck, just below his ear, deeply tanned from the sun. His fingers, peeking from beneath his sleeves, weren’t slender and refined—they were uneven, the knuckles thick and pronounced.

Was he born a commoner?

She’d heard eunuchs came from all walks of life, but almost never from the noble class. To cut one’s body was considered shameful among scholar-officials—men who even saw trimming their beards as disgraceful would never cut off their genitals.

Most eunuchs were from the middle or common classes.

But what about this man?

When did he become a eunuch? As a child, probably?

So many questions swirled in her mind. The more he answered, the more she wanted to know.

Was this how people felt—when sitting, they wanted to lie down, and when lying down, they wanted to sleep?

No, that wasn’t quite right.

It was more like—knowing one thing made you curious about two, and knowing two made you crave five.

“Have you served His Majesty since childhood?”

“I entered the palace not long ago.”

“Then you rose quickly compared to others.”

“One could say that, if you insist.”

He said he was thirty. How old had he been when he entered?

“How old were you when you joined the palace?”

He’d mentioned a dog tearing off his testicles when he was young. So he’d lost them as a child, but only entered the palace later?

“It was just before the current king ascended the throne—about five years ago.”

“In only five years, you became a chief eunuch of the royal chamber?”

Sarah Lee’s eyes widened.

Was this man exceptionally capable? Or was the king’s favor beyond imagination?

“The king simply has few people he can trust. He keeps me close—not because I’m skilled.”

“Then when did you first meet the king? If you entered the palace just before his ascension, you must’ve met him before that.”

“We met by chance.”

Daniel Park gave a faint, bitter smile. When he smiled, his brow furrowed slightly, and fine lines appeared across the bridge of his nose.

Even those lines were handsome.

The more I look, the more handsome he seems.

Sarah Lee hadn’t seen many men outside her family. For unmarried women, the only chance to glimpse outsiders was during Dano festival, when they swung on swings in the village square.

On Dano festival, men gathered around the swing grounds and nearby wrestling pits—mostly young, strong bachelors.

That’s why Dano festival was also called “a day for young women to look at eligible men.”

But weren’t the bachelors feasting too?

Of course, Sarah Lee had never been to the swing or wrestling grounds on Dano festival. She’d seen only the men around her home. Still, even with so little experience, she could tell this man was striking.

Even a child would recognize true handsomeness.

“Chance is truly fascinating, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“What do you think about chance?”

“Chance?”

He’d answered her question with another question.

But Sarah Lee liked this—this slow exchange, learning each other piece by piece. A single word could reveal a person’s character, their thoughts, the path they’d walked. Through conversation, she could glimpse a life she’d never lived, step into a mind she’d never entered.

She loved that feeling.

And she wanted him to do the same for her—slowly, like drizzle soaking through cloth.

“I don’t believe in chance.”

“No chance? Why?”

“There must have been a path leading up to that so-called ‘chance.’ A clear road.”

“A path?”

“The way you walk determines who you meet by ‘chance.’ The world has countless paths—yet you meet someone on one of them. That’s not random. If you hadn’t walked that path at that moment, the meeting would never have happened. So chance is just the result of which path you took.”

“I agree.”

“Truly?”

Sarah Lee stared at him, surprised he shared her view.

Ah, there’s a scar on his eyebrow.

Up close, she could see a small scar above his right eyebrow.

How did he get that?

It was faint, barely noticeable unless you looked closely. But how did such a wound end up there?

Unless he’d fought hand-to-hand with a blade, such a scar wouldn’t form.

Lowering her gaze slightly, she noticed his fingers again—this time more clearly.

Earlier, she’d only noticed their roughness. Now, she saw the tiny scars scattered across the back of his hand and along his fingers.

“So… how did you meet the king?”

Her question had veered off course.

“The king went out in disguise. Back when he was still Crown Prince. He was in danger, and I helped him.”

“…before you met the king—before you helped him—may I ask what you did?”

She was curious.

What had this man done before becoming a eunuch?

His appearance gave no clear clue.

“It’s not something I care to speak of.”

“It’s alright. Even if you weren’t a noble, I wouldn’t mind.”

Daniel Park looked at her, a faint smile on his lips.

“What kind of man do I seem to you?”

“Your hands are rough… a blacksmith?”

She ran through the few laborers she knew whose hands would be calloused.

“Wrong.”

“…a butcher?”

Butchers handled knives constantly—scars were inevitable.

“Wrong.”

“….”

He was strong, well-built, handsome, not noble, rough hands, a scar on his brow—what could he have been?

“A constable?”

She threw it out blindly.

“Wrong.”

“A bandit?”

She blurted it out, and Daniel Park burst into laughter.

“A bandit? Was I really a bandit?”

Of course, she didn’t actually believe it.

“If I were, would that be so bad?”

“It wouldn’t be terrible.”

“A bandit becoming a eunuch—now that’s a story.”

“Did I guess right?”

“Wrong.”

“A woodcutter?”

She’d run through every job that could scar hands. Nothing else came to mind.

“I don’t know.”

“If I told you, you might be disappointed.”

“I promise I won’t be disappointed—even if you were a worm before becoming a eunuch.”

“I wasn’t a worm.”

Daniel Park glanced at his own hand, then extended it toward her.

“You can touch it.”

Sarah Lee gently placed her fingers on his palm.

“It’s so hard.”

His hand was solid—calloused, like stone, on both palm and fingers.

“I used to kill people.”

Sarah Lee nodded, unfazed.

She should’ve been shocked, frightened. But strangely, hearing he’d killed people didn’t scare her at all.

“A headsman?”

She asked, thinking of the executioner at the gallows. Daniel Park burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

Sarah Lee laughed too, caught in his mirth.

After a long while, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and looked at her again with those deep, serious eyes.

“I was born a nobleman’s illegitimate son. I worked in the secret police—hunting and killing men.”

Sarah Lee recognized the truth in his gaze.

A noble’s bastard, working in the secret police, killing people.

In another time, another place, that would’ve been terrifying.

But not here. Not now.

Was it the setting? Or had she already begun to like this man?

It didn’t feel frightening. It didn’t feel strange at all.

“Later, I happened to meet the king during one of his secret outings. Helping him became my fate—so I left that life and entered the palace as a eunuch.”

“Which life do you prefer? Then, or now?”

“Back then, people pointed fingers at me. Now, their eyes are different. Of course, I prefer now.”

“But not others’ eyes. What about yourself? Which life made you happier—then or now?”

“Happiness?”

Daniel Park narrowed his eyes slightly, surprised by the word.

“No one’s ever asked me that.”

He paused, thinking.

Then or now? No need to hesitate.

“Of course, I’m happier now. At least there’s one person who trusts me, who needs me.”

Sarah Lee finally understood why his words didn’t frighten her.

Even when he spoke of the secret police, of killing, it didn’t scare her—because this man wasn’t that man anymore.

The man who said now was better, who said now was happier, who found fulfillment in one person’s trust—this wasn’t the same rogue from the secret police.

The past couldn’t make the present man frightening.

At least, not in her eyes.

“Now it’s my turn to ask. Which is happier—before marriage, or after?”

“I’ve only been married one day.”

That was an unfair question.

Shouldn’t such a question wait at least a year?

“Is that so?”

“At the very least, I’d need a month to answer properly.”

“I could help you. If I help, you might have time to reflect on the answer after we leave. I’d like to hear it soon—so how about I help you think it through?”

“What?”

“You did get married, but nothing happened. So you probably don’t feel married at all. You might even wonder if you’re just a guest in this house. At least, that’s how it seems. Am I wrong?”

Half-right.

Sarah Lee thought his words were half-true.

She’d come in wedding robes, wearing the ceremonial headdress—but she didn’t feel married.

More like she’d gained a good friend who actually listened?

But she’d married a eunuch. What else could she expect?

She hadn’t expected anything—so when she found someone she could talk to, she’d felt like she’d discovered treasure. She was content.

But what did he mean, help?

How could he help her feel married?

“I can make you truly realize you’ve married me.”

“How?”

“Don’t drink tonight. And don’t fall asleep.”

“What?”

Sarah Lee blinked in confusion.

Then Daniel Park’s hand tugged at the ribbon of her jacket.

The knot gave way with a soft swoosh, and the fabric parted to the side.

“D-Daegam?”

Startled, Sarah Lee stared at him.

Why was he undressing her?

And in broad daylight?

Not even in a room—but in this bathhouse?

“You know how a eunuch who can’t use his organ pleases his wife?”

“I-I thought… tools?”

“Wrong. Hands are better than tools.”

“What?”

What was he saying?

Hands? What could hands do?

“When you have no teeth, you eat with your gums.”

As he whispered, Daniel Park slid the opened jacket down from her shoulders.

Sarah Lee barely had time to watch the rich emerald silk flutter to the floor.

The knot of her skirt, fastened over her chest, had come undone with the jacket.

Her crimson skirt slipped down, revealing the white under-skirt beneath.

Daniel Park removed her white inner jacket, then gently tugged down the under-skirt.

Her breasts were exposed.

It was daytime—the bathhouse was bright.

She wished for steam to hide her, but there was nothing to cover herself. Her cheeks burned.

“I’m late, but I’ll give you your wedding night.”

“B-But, I mean—.”

“A eunuch’s wedding night—you can feel it fully. Honestly.”

Each whisper sent his breath across her ear and neck, making her fingertips tremble.

“Wasn’t that what you were most curious about?”

She was caught. Truthfully—yes. That was exactly what she’d wondered.

But to learn it here?

“H-ah…”

Sarah Lee let out a soft moan.

Daniel Park’s arm had wrapped behind her, and his hand now gripped her breast.

His palm was firm, warm, covering her nipple completely.

“A…”

“A eunuch still has a mouth. And I can use it very well.”

As he spoke, he pressed his tongue against her nipple.

Warm, damp, it coiled around her peak and sucked—stealing her breath.

That wasn’t all.

His warm mouth took her nipple and the surrounding flesh into his mouth, sucking deeply.

“Mmm, ah!”

This wasn’t the time to scream like a virgin.

Yesterday, she’d become this man’s wife.

Even if the marriage had ended with just arriving in a palanquin, it was still a marriage.

She was his wife. He was her husband.

A wife didn’t scream for help when her husband desired her.

“B-But here… this place…”

“The door’s locked.”

True. The door was locked.

Unshim had locked it from outside—probably on purpose.

“Ah, ah!”

Each time Daniel Park’s mouth twisted around her nipple, Sarah Lee shuddered and moaned.

One arm wrapped around her back, he pulled her onto his lap and devoured her breast.

His topknot swayed before her eyes, but Sarah Lee’s vision blurred with moisture.

Heat turned to dampness—her breath came in hot gasps, her chest tight.

She didn’t even know how flushed her ears had become.

“Can you see how hard it is?”

Daniel Park pulled his mouth away, then used his finger—slick with his saliva—to gently roll her wet nipple.

Then he pressed that same finger against her lips.

“Suck it.”

“What?”

“I’ll be touching your lower parts with this hand. If it’s dry, it’ll be uncomfortable for you.”

“What?”

What was he talking about? Put what where?

Staring into her wide, round eyes, Daniel Park repeated himself, this time with a mischievous glint.

“I said I’ll use this finger to part your lower lips—and push it deep inside.”

“What?”

“My penis doesn’t work. But my fingers do. Shouldn’t I use what works?”

“I-It’s not—.”

“Don’t worry. My fingers are as thick as a penis.”

“No, still—.”

“And long enough.”

He wiggled his fingers in front of her eyes.

“Thick, knobby…”

His long, rough fingers writhed.

“And I have five of them.”

When he spread them wide, Sarah Lee gasped.

Surely he didn’t mean to put all of them in?

“Suck it.”

Trembling, Sarah Lee took his finger into her mouth.

It pressed against her tongue, and her neck flared with heat.

Biting another man’s finger? She wasn’t a dog or a cat.

“Mmm, mmm…”

Daniel Park’s finger scraped her tongue.

Then he added a second, moving them in and out like crude thrusting. Saliva dripped from the corners of her lips.

All the while, his mouth stayed on her nipple.

With his fingers in her mouth and his lips on her breast, Sarah Lee’s hips swayed unconsciously.

“Hah… ah, ah, ah…”

After several thrusts, his fingers finally pulled out. Sarah Lee gasped for breath.

“Haa… haa… haa?!”

But only for a moment.

His wet fingers lifted her under-skirt and slipped beneath.

The fabric rustled as he pulled down her undergarments and traced her mound.

She didn’t know if her pubic hair was wet from his fingers—or from her own arousal.

“Haa…”

Sarah Lee tilted her head back with a moan.

Daniel Park tossed her undergarments aside, then fully lifted her under-skirt and spread her knees wide within his embrace.

Her most private place was fully exposed. Sarah Lee squeezed her eyes shut.

“Mmm…”

Her ear was wet.

Daniel Park had been nibbling it, then slid his tongue deep into her ear canal.

The wet, writhing sensation echoed inside her skull.

“If you’re already this overwhelmed, what will you do when it really begins?”

His voice was so soft, it made her burn hotter.

How could a man’s voice, so close and so sweet, make her feel like this?

When a man whispered like this, the only answer was go on.

That was when his wet fingers parted her closed folds.

“A!”

Sarah Lee tensed as she felt her lower body open under his touch.

Squish.

Just a light touch at the entrance—but a strange wet sound echoed.

“Did you hear that?”

Sarah Lee nodded.

“It’ll get wetter. Your under-skirt might soak through.”

That was an exaggeration. Unless she’d urinated, how could her under-skirt be soaked?

Then his finger pressed firmly into her moist membrane and pushed deep.

“A!”

Her instinct was to clench, but his finger forced her open and explored the inner folds.

Slowly, deliberately, his finger traced deeper from the entrance.

Each time it went deeper, her hips trembled more violently.

“A… ah… mmm…”

She didn’t realize she was moaning, her voice thick with breathy cries.

She didn’t notice the wetness streaming from her labia.

Her mind was too full of heat.

“Haa… mmm… haa…”

“Your sounds are lovely.”

Daniel Park never stopped whispering as he moved his hand.

His long, knobby finger danced inside her, he thought.

Each time it scraped her wet inner walls, she rocked her hips wide open.

The wet, squelching sounds mixed with his breath.

Her buttocks were damp.

Her under-skirt was soaked.

Knowing it was all from inside her only heightened her excitement.

“Do you carry a well inside your body?”

His whisper grew more teasing.

“I-I couldn’t… haa…”

“Then where did all this water come from?”

“I… I don’t know…”

How could she know?

“Ah! Haa! Ah! Ahh!”

Panting wildly in his arms, Sarah Lee couldn’t see the finger moving in and out—but she saw his forearm.

Beneath his rolled sleeve, his arm was thick, powerful.

Don’t eunuchs all look like flimsy bamboo skewers?

The washerwomen were all wrong.

Eunuchs weren’t flimsy.

They were solid, like old pine.

Had those women even seen a eunuch?

“Ah! Haa! Ah! Ahh!”

Just as her moans grew more intense and her hips rocked violently, Daniel Park pulled his finger out.

He held it before her eyes—glistening, soaked.

“Can you see?”

Sarah Lee, face flushed, nodded. She knew that wetness had come from inside her.

“How was the taste of a eunuch’s hand?”

“G-Good.”

She whispered, barely audible. Daniel Park leaned closer.

“I can’t hear.”

“G-Good.”

“If a eunuch’s hand feels this good… don’t you wonder how a real man’s organ would feel?”

“That’s….”

“Don’t you resent your husband, who carries a useless organ?”

“No. No, I don’t.”

“Who knows? Sometimes, among eunuchs, a dead penis revives. If you truly wish it, sincerity moves heaven—maybe my dead organ will come back to life.”

That couldn’t be real. How could a dead penis come back?

“H-Have you seen someone like that?”

“Someone whose penis came back?”

“Yes.”

“A few.”

Could it really happen?

“If you offered a hundred days of sincere prayer for my penis, I’d be very happy.”

No—how could she pray for a penis? But if his fingers felt this good… how much better would his organ be?

Should I really offer a hundred days of prayer?

For a moment, Sarah Lee actually considered the absurd thought.

“You know?”

“What?”

“You show everything you think and feel right on your face.”

“What?”

She stared at him, feeling like a fool who could only say what?

“Haven’t you heard that before? That you’re honest? Especially your face—it’s very honest.”

“Not really.”

She’d never tried to hide her emotions, but she hadn’t gone around openly expressing them either. Why did he say this?

Did her face really reveal everything?

Or did he just pay her so much attention that he saw what others missed?

“But your body is even more honest. You’re a truly honest person.”

“My body?”

“It gets wet the moment I touch—dripping without shame. Where else would you find such an honest body?”

Well, of course?

How could anyone stay dry when being touched, sucked, stroked, and thrust into like this?

Just then, a clink came from outside.

The latch on the door was being undone.

—
—

The moment they realized the door was opening, Daniel Park and Sarah Lee’s eyes met.

Daniel Park grabbed her jacket and pulled it over her shoulders.

“Let’s go to the room.”

Sarah Lee, face still burning, nodded.

Heat still pulsed deep within her body.