#GeunYuno

[peachchanvidel]

Finished an old Geunyuno sketch. But the pens I use for them are dried out so everything looks off... 🥲 Need to exchange them as they are the only kind working for this sketch book.

Also.. when was the last time art kept me up 'til past midnight 🥹💗

[psithuchor-moved]

Happy Valentine's Day from Lord Geun-tae and Lady Yun-ho!

AkaYona Week: Day One

Favorite Romantic Relationship:

Geun-tae & Yun-ho

The reference used was made by @edamame_out on Twitter.

[sorasan000]

Geun-tae and Yuno have a baby BOY YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[incorrect-akatsuki-no-yona]

[In the early stages of their relationship]

Geun-Tae: We can make this work! We're Romeo and Juliet!

Yun-Ho: It didn't work for Romeo and Juliet. That play ends in a tragic double suicide.

Geun-Tae: That's how it ends? Why do people like it so much?

[carrotcouple]

Flirting under fire and married to the job - Geunyuno

Ooooh, I really like this one. It’s really hard to imagine cause both ideas conflict with each other. Let’s see.I’d make this a dramatic one shot. Geuntae would be a special crimes detective and Yunho is a seemingly normal tea shop owner, but in reality she’s the daughter of one of the heads of the two gangs that Geuntae and his group are trying to crack down on. Yunho and Geuntae have been quietly dating for about two years, but the past six months, Geuntae’s been so immersed in work, he’s barely seen Yunho at all.

Geuntae would walk in to take down the gangs and find Yunho there. She’s been taken captive because she failed in an assassination attempt on the other gang’s leader. Geuntae asks why she’s there as there’s a dramatic fight and running around and him dragging her around to try and find the key to her handcuffs. 

Yunho would yell at him, telling him if he hadn’t been so busy all the damn time then maybe he’d know. They would get into an argument over how Geuntae has been so distant and how he should just marry a detective or something and stay away from Yunho. 

When he finally gets Yunho out of her cuffs, instead of listening to him telling her to get out, she pulls out a small dart gun from within her clothes to fight. She tells him she’s not fighting to help him, it’s her duty - which he would have known and he could have prevented had he been around.

Then as they continue to argue and fight during the shootout raid, their insults and angry comments slowly turn to flirting and they’re laughing and shooting people out. When they finally leave the building, Geuntae laments over the fact that he’ll probably have to arrest her before his superior reveals that Yunho was an inside undercover agent and had Geuntae stayed around her he would have figured that out.

I’d put in a couple of lighthearted shenanigans and then Geuntae would follow Yunho dutifully back to her tea shop so they can talk things through.

{Fanfiction Trope MASH-UP Asks}

[ehyde]

The Beast of the Chi’shin Hills

@peachchanvidel asked for Geuntae/Yuno with prompt #16, “urban legend.” Though it’s from a list of “spooky prompts,” this didn’t turn out spooky at all. Hope you still like it!

Rumor came to Chi’shin Castle in the height of summer, of a fierce monster stalking the green hills above the town. No one could say they had seen it themselves, yet everyone had that friend of a friend, who’d heard tell of its thunderous roar, or its enormous height, or its dense shaggy fur, or sharp talons, or—no one could agree exactly what it was supposed to look like, of course. 

The one fact that everyone accepted was that the monster protected the forest. Chi’shin had prospered lately—so much so that it was bursting at the seams, the neighboring farmlands no longer able to provide for all the city-dwellers. Geuntae himself had proposed clearing the forest, and that was when the monster first appeared.

After two weeks of delays as scouts sought out the truth behind the rumor, Geuntae grew impatient, and announced that he would slay the beast himself.

“Wait! You can’t!” Lady Yuno protested upon hearing his decision.

“—huh?” It seemed that Geuntae had not expected this—had expected, rather, for his wife to applaud his firm resolve.

“Isn’t…isn’t it too dangerous?”

“No one has even seen this creature,” Geuntae assured his wife. “But come now, Yuno, you know that I’m a match for any beast.”

“Yes—I mean, yes, of course you are!” Yuno backtracked. “It’s just—well—in that case, take me with you!”

“What?” It was possible this startled Geuntae even more than her demand not to go. “Didn’t you just say it was too dangerous?”

“But you’re right, it won’t be dangerous at all if you’re with me. Lord Geuntae,” she pleaded, “it’s been barely a month since you returned from fighting in Sei. Oh, how I wished I could have seen you in action then! But I’ll never follow you onto the battlefield, so this—”

Geuntae paused, considering. Perhaps he was remembering those first few nights after his return from Sei. “Well…when you say it like that…oh, fine, you can come along. But you can’t wear those frilly clothes! We’ll be in the wilderness, remember!” Lady Yuno only nodded happily.

Lady Yuno’s large and varied wardrobe was well known throughout Chi’shin, so it should not have been a surprise when the next morning found her in pracitical outdoor clothes. She promised to stay behind her lord as they entered the woods, but with the cool morning breeze, the sweet singing of birds, they found themselves walking hand in hand as often as not. 

“Maybe there’s nothing to this story after all,” Geuntae grumbled as the day wore on.

“Why do you say that?”

“No tracks or trails, no disturbed brush…no sign of any large predators at all, let alone this rumored monster. Damn! I was hoping for some action.” He sighed. “Well, the workers can start, at least.”

“Not yet!” Yuno protested. Then, when Geuntae frowned at her, “I mean…shouldn’t we keep going?”

“Ah, Yuno, you’re right. Maybe we’ll see something yet!”

The forest grew more dense, more dark, the further up the mountain they climbed, but still there was no sign of the rumored monster. “Well, that’s odd,” said Geuntae, stopping in his tracks.

“Ah? What is?”

“There’s a ribbon tied to that bush. There’s ribbons tied to a whole lot of them.”

“Maybe…maybe someone’s using this forest, and we should leave it alone!”

“Someone’s using it for something, that’s for sure,” said Geuntae. “They’re different colors…some kind of weird cult? Did they summon a monster, or did they just tell stories? I wonder if I should get the army involved to investigate. No,” he kept on, murmuring to himself, “that went pretty badly the last time…”

“I—” Lady Yuno no longer held her husband’s hand. She was looking down, wringing her hands together, nearly trembling.

“Yuno. What’s wrong?”

“I did it!”

“…huh?”

She blushed a furious red. “I started the rumors about the monster! I didn’t want you to cut down the forest, you see, because there’s wild-grown tea out here, really ancient trees, and you can’t reproduce that on a plantation—that’s what the ribbons are for, to mark when they’ve been picked—and—”

Geuntae stared at her in stunned silence. Then a guffaw escaped his chest. “Yuno, Yuno,” he said, when he��d finally stopped laughing. “Why didn’t you just ask?”

“You’d have said it was just a hobby, and a smelly one at that!”

He sighed and shook his head. “You’ve got to stop thinking of it as a hobby when your tea is the reason Chi’shin is doing so well in the first place! You can have your dumb forest.”

“You won’t cut it down?”

“’Course not. They can find other farmland. By the way,” he added as they turned back to walk out of the forest together, “I’m impressed with how you got that rumor going so fast.”

“Oh, well, when you sell a product, you learn who to talk to, to spread word quickly…”

And thus ended the brief reign of the great beast of the Chi’shin hills, whose name lives on as a marker of the Earth Tribe’s highest quality of high-grown tea. Later stories would tell how the monster came forth to protect its crop until Lady Yuno could show the world its worth, but this is the truth of the matter.

[yelenawithaj]

Inktober day 22- Trail Ballroom AU once again. With a close up of the lovey-dovey couple bc they're a bit blurry in the first pic.

[yotd-incorrectquotes]

Yuno: Darling, we have to start thinking of names for the baby!

GeunTae: Pineapple.

Yuno: What?

GeunTae: We're naming her Pineapple.

Yuno: No. . .No. We're not naming our baby after a fruit!

Yuno: Hm, what about Sen-Cha?

GeunTae: That sounds nice, I gu-

GeunTae: Wait! That's a name of a tea!

Yuno: Exactly! It's a beautiful name!

GeunTae: Yuno, that's a crazy name! No!

Yuno: You're the one who wanted to name the baby 'Pineapple' earlier!!

JooDoh, coming in out of nowhere: What about you losers just name her, Kiya or Aiko?

GeunTae & Yuno: hoW'D YOU GET IN HERE?!

[sorasan000]

CHONK

Oh no Lili! :( Mini Geuntae!!! so cute!

[bunny-of-kouka]

welp I finally picked out which zenokaya comic and which geunyuno comic to draw for incorrect quotes stuff

[peachchanvidel]

I should finally upload these here as well ♡

Photographer: @ordinary_words

[sorasan000]

Geun-Tae and Yuno Fanbook Comic

Narration: When Yuno was 19, she came to Chishin castle to help out in the flower gardens.

Yuno: Ah! You there! Don't step on those!

Arrow at Yuno: Gives orders without knowing he's Geun-Tae

Geun-Tae: Wha?

Arrows at Geun-Tae: Currently 32. General Geun-Tae, who strolls around in shabby clothes

Narration: Lord Geun-Tae, who was surrounded by beautiful women, found a muddied-up Yuno refreshing and interesting, with her frantic scoldings of him.

Geuntae: [She still doesn't realize that I'm the General, does she?]

Arrow at Geun-Tae: Visits the gardens everyday for no reason

Yuno: Oh no! You sat in the flower bed again!

Narration: Yuno was a bit oblivious, and because more and more people were trying to woo her, he made her his lady-in-waiting.

Yuno: WHAT? You're Lord Geun-Tae?!

Geun-Tae: [She finally figured it out?]

Narration: There was opposition from all around due to the differences in their social standings, but Lord Geun-Tae, who never let's go of what he wants, pursued Yuno and shut everybody down. Currently they are the dream couple of the Earth Tribe.

[yelenawithaj]

@peachchanvidel geunyuno AU idea

But imagine Hades, the God of the underworld, the mighty and powerful seated on a throne of skulls handing out punishment to sinners cowering in front of his dark and fearsome aura and suddenly Persephone skips in the room, humming a bright tune, twirling in her pretty colourful dress and she skips to Hades and places a flower crown on his head and Hades is like ‘Honey, I’m trying to do my job here.’ or ‘I have an image to maintain, I’m the God of Underworld!’ and Persephone just smiled cutely at him and pecks his cheek and Hades just kinda sighs because he’s so whipped by his little sunshine but it’s just so hard.

[buri-art]

Another commission from @peachchanvidel, this time for her GeunYuno Yakuza AU, with a nice Edo period tea house setting. Thank you!!

[carrotcouple]

Lady Yunho of The Flowers (AO3)

Lady Yunho has many sides to herself, sides she shows others and sides she doesn't.

This is for @peachchanvidel and based off a couple of her headcanons

ジャスミン - Jasmine

On some days, Yunho was light and cheer. She smiled at everyone in the castle, helped the attendants even though they told her not to and made the entire of Chishin feel comfortable. It was her duty as the wife of the General after all. She glided across the floors with elegance, made teas like no other, took care of the castle in her husband’s absence and when her husband was there, she was doting wife. She was the example, the role model for all women in the earth tribe and she tried her hardest to live up to that standard.

Of course, she was still herself. Cheerful, sometimes shy, easily made happy and deeply in love with her husband. If she strived to be someone she wasn’t, what was the point of being married to someone who loved her for her? At least that was what her husband had told her during the first month of their marriage when she was overwhelmed by insecurity and inferiority.

So Yunho devoted herself to her husband when he returned from the first five general meeting there had been in a long time. She made sure their quarters were clean and comfortable and scented the room with all of his favorite scents. She had the clothes she knew he would probably desire to wear set out and meal plans discussed with the cooks. She prepared his favorite tea for him, one that didn’t smell so floral but was smooth and rich.

“The King is dead?” Yunho gasped as she poured tea for him in their private quarters.

“Yes. The Wind Tribe is making a big fuss out of it and the Sky Tribe and Fire Tribe are trying to lay the blame of the King’s death on the shoulders of Son Hak, the general of the Wind Tribe. Says he escaped Hiryuu castle with Princess Yona as a hostage.” Geuntae accepted the tea she slid towards him. “Ha! I don’t care much if Il died, but I know a blatant and foolish lie when I see one. Hak would have never killed the King and he was more loyal to the Princess that the best dog there is.”

“So then, there’s something amiss?” Yunho asked him, sipping her tea.

“Something is always amiss in this country.” Geuntae muttered.

“And how do you plan to deal with this?” Yunho put the pot to the side as Geuntae stretched and his feet bumped against hers which were folded underneath her.

“We’ll have to see. Either way, I don’t know how much will change and I’m not very interested.” Geuntae grumbled. Yunho could tell her husband was not pleased with the five general meeting and tried to quickly think of a way to lift his mood.

“Oh yes, Chul Rang and the other boys were waiting to see if you could train them again today. They’ve been practicing.” Yunho informed him with a smile on her face. Geuntae’s foot twitched just the slightest against her own.

“They are? Eh, I’m a little tired right now. They’ll have to wait. Anyway, what makes them think I’ll train them again? They should have picked things up from my first lesson and gone with it.” He said grumpily. Yunho’s smile widened. His mood was picking up.

Yunho put her cup of tea down. She wasn’t satisfied though. Just making him a little happier would not do. It upset her when he was upset. So she started to think of what could possibly make him happier. An idea struck her and she grinned. Her husband caught the look on her face and his eyebrows rose in question.

Bodily throwing herself at him with as much grace as she could manage in her excited state, she linked her arms around his neck and beamed down at him as he gazed up at her both curious and surprised.

“Won’t you teach me how to use a sword too?” She asked, wanting to see his reaction and genuinely eager to learn how to use a sword from her own husband. His face went from surprised to shock and then a devilish grin spread across his face.

“What’s this? I wonder what people would think if they heard the Lady of Chishin is learning to sword fight.” Geuntae said teasingly.

“Oh, you know that I can do other things than sword fight, it can’t possibly hurt to have another knife up my sleeve.” Yunho chuckled.

“As my Lady wishes.” He laughed.

Friendly, Graceful

------o------

パンジー - Pansy

On some days Yunho was concerned and comforting. She was a loving person and helping people was something she did a lot. What kind of wife of the General of the Earth Tribe would she be if she could not even sympathize with the people’s problems, if she could not cry with them, hold them in their despair and help them into the light? It was her duty for her husband was not the only one ruling their people, she was too.

She acknowledged her husband’s strength, more than anyone else did. She knew he was strong and proud. He rarely asked for help and if he ever did it was a matter of great importance. He was a man of iron defences and a mind of steel. But even a man as strong as her husband had a weakness, had fears just like every other man. It tore her inside to know he suffered and she could only hold him and whisper reassurances she was not sure would reach him in his darkness.

Yunho first woke to the sound of tiny whimpers and grumbles. She turned to see Geuntae on the other side, restlessly twitching, his face twisted in discomfort. She knew what it was and she was the only one who did know. She reached for him, knowing she had to break through the cage of monsters his mind had conjured. She gently shook him, her touch soft and warm.

“Wake up, it’s just a dream. It’s just a dream.” Yunho urged him awake and his eyes opened with a start and a strangled cry left his mouth. Yunho stroked his cheek with her thumb comfortingly. “It’s alright. You’re alright. I’m right here. You’re here in our room. You’re safe.”

Geuntae rolled towards her and into her touch, hands gripping at his scars and Yunho felt her heart sink as his body shook and incoherent and muffled sounds left his lips. Yunho let him hold her in his arms tightly until his tremors stopped.

“They can’t hurt you anymore.” Yunho whispered. “I won’t let them.”

She got up to make him some calming tea and he got up to follow her, clutching her hand tightly. She made some as quickly as possible and he didn’t say a word, he only held her. It hurt her to see him so silent, so vulnerable, so shaken. He was usually loud, boisterous and he laughed in the face of danger.

But of course, she knew, he was only a man.

She finished making the tea and she led him out of their room to sit on the floor facing the garden and the sky lit with stars as they sipped their tea. She heard him sigh and he melted into her side, leaning on her as if drinking in her warmth.

Now that he had significantly calmed down, it was rather nice. Yunho felt glad that he was using her as a pillar of support, she was glad she could see parts of him no one else did, she was glad he accepted her with no hesitation. It was moments like these she remembered that her husband was human too. He was a scarred and wonderful human and he picked himself up despite all those scars.

“How are you feeling?” Yunho asked quietly. If he answered, she would accept that answer, if he did not answer, she would not question it.

“I’m feeling grateful,” Geuntae answered. She turned to him in surprise. “I’m grateful that you’re here right now. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here drinking tea and looking at those beautiful stars.” He lowered his head and bumped his forehead against hers. “Thank you, Yunho.” Yunho’s eyes widened and her heart swelled with love.

Thoughtful, Caring

------o------

小百合 - Orange Lily

On some days, Yunho was cunning and dark. For all her good traits, for all her kindness and her good heart, Yunho was not an innocent and weak child. Being weak as a General’s wife was not an option and Yunho had learned that early on. She was the leader of their tribe when her husband was not there. If she could not stand up, if she could not make decisions like her husband, if she could not be ruthless when her people or anyone she valued was in danger, she lost the right to stand by her husband’s side.

To the people, Yunho was everything good in the tribe, but she was not to be taken lightly and only palace attendants that had dealt with assassination attempts knew. She was intelligent and resourceful. Her husband did not marry her for just her beauty or her kind heart. He married her for her strength of character too.

One of the things Yunho was most learned in was plants. She had enjoyed brewing tea so she had already had a solid knowledge of certain plants and flowers. It was after she had married Geuntae, she started to learn about herbs and medicinal plants. She eventually learned different poisons after a girl in the castle ate a poisonous fruit that had somehow made it into the kitchen. She was also very adept at gathering information. Perhaps it was because she talked with everyone with a smile and others seemed to view her as innocent and naive, so they let things slip.

“I heard something interesting today, Chul Rang,” Yunho murmured as she poured herself and Chul Rang a cup of tea. He looked up at her, attention drawn by the tone of her voice. She took a sip of her tea and then leaned back. “It would seem that a group of rather notorious drug dealers General Geuntae defeated are staying here in Chishin in a shady inn and are seeking vengeance,” she informed him nonchalantly. His eyes widened significantly and he put his tea cup down.

“Shall I help you access that inn, Lady Yunho?” He asked seriously. She smiled at him with no light behind her eyes.

“I would appreciate that, Chul Rang.”

The two of them continued to sip their tea. Later that day, Yunho wore a very simple and plain kimono and let Chul Rang lead her to the inn. Chul Rang dealt with the inn owner and Yunho slipped in unnoticed. Everyone in Chishin knew her face, so she had made her hair differently and kept her head lowered as she passed by locals.

She crossed into the section that divided into rooms and calmly walked down the length of the hall, straining to hear anything. She heard boisterous laughter and she quickly flattened herself against the wall, pretending to be dealing with the small laundry cart that was coincidentally next to her. Three men came out of the room in front of her and it didn’t take Yunho a long time to realize that the men matched the descriptions she had been given. They walked away and she gracefully and silently glided into their now empty room.

She filled snatched up the teapot that looked like it had been used before and swiftly turned the water in it into a lethal floral tea. She had picked oleander that morning. She poured it into the three cups set there and smiled to herself. It smelled sweet and pleasant. Nodding to herself, she exited the room and then walked back to where Chul Rang was waiting. As she walked out, the three men walked by her and Yunho smirked.

The next day, news spread in Chishin of three illegal drug dealers who mysteriously died.

“What a horrible way to die,” Chul Rang murmured innocently, shaking his head as he accepted the cup of tea Yunho passed to him.

“Very true. What a horrible way to die.” She smiled into her cup as she drank her tea.

Hatred, Revenge

------o------

エーデルワイス - Edelweiss

On some days Yunho was bold and strong. She stood tall and received respect from all those who looked upon her. She walked with power in her steps and exuded confidence no matter the situation. It reminded her of the weight of her position. She was more than just General Geuntae’s wife. She was the representative of all the women in the Earth Tribe and would one day be the mother of the next Earth Tribe General.

It had been several years since she had visited Kuuto, she had last visited the bustling city when she was a child. She had been surprised at first, when Geuntae offered to take her with him for when he attended the newly revived fighting festival. But she held her head high as she took a seat with the audience and she was only flustered for a moment when she noticed that King Soowon was drinking her tea.

There were skilled fighters from every tribe and several were even women who looked fierce and experienced. She should have felt small among the all of the clearly accomplished warriors but she wore a relaxed but strong face as she helped her husband adjust his arm braces. It was not that she wasn’t strong. Her strength was different.

Three fights into the festival, Soowon invited her to sit by him so they could share her tea and talk about the fights. The fights were enjoyable and Geuntae ended up getting far too excited in his fight against General Joodoh and had injured his arm. They weren’t a part of the fighting festival since they were Generals, but they put up a good show. Her husband took a seat near her when he was done fighting and General Joodoh stayed near the front lines, keeping an eye on the fighters in case he would need to break a far too serious duel.

Yunho had just moved forward to get more tea when it happened. A dark haired male rose from the crowd of several over excited fighters and audience and started to run towards the King. His eyes held pure hatred and he held a hunting knife in one hand.

“Die, son of Yuhon!” The man shouted.

Her husband moved first and he stood in front of the King, his hand on his sword, his eyes challenging and sparkling, eager for a fight. Yunho glanced at him. His right arm was injured and his left hand was on his sword. She knew her husband was equally skilled with his left hand, but in that one moment, protectiveness bubbled in her chest and overflowed.

She was closer to the man anyway.

As he passed by her she stretched out her foot and tripped him. He landed smack on the floor and before he could get back up, she picked up the teapot and dropped it on him. It shattered, the pieces hit the ground loudly and tea spilled all over the man’s clothes and hair. She quickly kicked the knife out of his outstretched hand and glared down at him as all the warriors turned to see what the commotion was about.

The man’s face indicated that he knew he had lost any chances.

“You have chosen the wrong time to attempt an assassination, you foolish man.” Yunho said loudly, her voice now washing over the quiet arena. “Not only did you threaten the life of the King of Kouka surrounded by his loyal servants, you undermined the strength of everyone here and undermined the authority of the five tribes.” Yunho said harshly. There was fire burning in her veins, like molten lead.

Then she felt a firm hand on her arm, pulling her away and she was suddenly next to her husband. She realized everyone was staring at her and felt internally shy and embarrassed although she tried not to show it on her face.

“This is my wife,” her husband said, his voice clipped and short and a raspy breath easing it’s way out of his lungs once he had uttered the words. She turned to look at him and he was looking her in awe. Yunho flushed.

“Someone’s quite clearly losing his mind in amazement,” General Joodoh snickered as he bent down and pulled the fallen man up.

Courage, Power

A/N - still not used to writing Geuntae and Yunho as characters, I need to work on that. I used Hanakotoba and about oleander being used as poison, I looked it up and it’s supposed to be a deadly poisonous flower (I’m sorry if I’m wrong). The title alludes to another Geunyuno fic in the works~

[ehyde]

Coming Home

Here's some Geun-tae/Yun-ho fluff for @peachchanvidel! Hope you like it. 1432 words, PG.

“Welcome home, Lady Yun-ho!”

Yun-ho stepped out of her carriage and took the hand Chul-ran offered her. She was exhausted from her travels. Her brief stay in Port Awa had been a nice respite after nearly a week at sea, returning from the Kai Empire, but it was good to finally be home. “Thank you, Chul-ran.”

“I’ll send some servants to bring your trunk and your bags.” They stepped through the gate, and Chul-ran kept up an excited stream of chatter at her side. “Did you do a lot of business? What did all those fancy merchants in the Kai Empire think of your tea?” After a few months of successfully exporting her tea to the Kai Empire, Yun-ho had been invited to present it in person to an elite consortium of merchants. It was an opportunity she couldn't pass up—but because of his duties to the kingdom, Geun-tae hadn't been able to go with her. By now, they'd been apart for nearly a month, the longest since they'd been married.

“They really loved it!” Even after it had a week to sink in, she still had a hard time believing her success. “I think we'll need to expand the plantation—but we can afford to do that, now! Oh, I wonder if the hills above Chi'shin will produce the right quality…”

“We were all praying for your success!”

“Oho, even my husband wants this 'smelly tea’ to do well?”

“He keeps saying that if people in the Kai Empire have bad taste, it can’t be helped,” Chul-ran laughed. Then he paused, looking into Yun-ho’s eyes. “He does, though. He brags about you whenever he gets a chance, and he’s been so worried—he barely slept at all the first week you were gone—”

Yun-ho smiled, thinking of what she would say to greet her husband—and then all those words vanished from her head as Geun-tae stepped into view on the other side of the courtyard. She dropped Chul-ran’s hand and ran to him, leaping into his arms, feeling his embrace for the first time in what felt like forever.

“Yun-ho!”

And his voice—as dreamy as the day they first met. But the effect was ruined by the next sentence out of his mouth. “...the hell are you wearing?”

He set her back down and she stepped back, twirling around to show him. “Do you like it? It’s the latest fashion in Southern Kai!” Her new qipao, of soft pink silk embroidered with white and gold flowers, with its wide, high collar and slim sleeves, was nothing like what she usually wore.

“It’s so...sleek.” The expression on his face as he said that made her take it for a “yes.”

“I brought back some men’s clothing for you, too,” Yun-ho said. “You’re going to look so handsome!” She took Geun-tae’s hands again, letting him lift her into the air and spin her around.

“My lady,” said Chul-ran. “I’ll have your bags brought to your rooms. Is there anything else you need?”

“No,” said Yun-ho. “Everything I want is right here.”

“They liked it, right? You sold a bunch, right?”

“Now, now,” Yun-ho laughed. “Is business really what you want to talk about right now?”

“Just tell me, do I congratulate you or not?”

Yun-ho took a deep breath. “I signed a contract with a supplier to the imperial city!” she announced. “Not that there’s really an emperor right now, but—”

“Yun-ho, that’s amazing! That’s really—”

“And that’s all the business for tonight. I know that news isn’t all you want from me, is it, husband?”

Geun-tae grinned, pulling Yun-ho close. “No...no, it most certainly is not.” Yun-ho closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of his breath on her cheek, the touch of his lips on hers. Then their kiss was interrupted by a tap on the door.

“Lady Yun-ho, your things—”

“Ah—yes—bring them in!”

Geun-tae eyed the array of bags and boxes after the servant left. “That's more than you had when you left.”

“Souvenirs! After all, I may never have a chance to visit the Kai Empire again.”

“Are you kidding?” Geun-tae asked. “They'd be crazy not to want you back.” He paused. “But they like that smelly tea, so you can't trust their judgement.”

“Oh, shush.”

“Those souvenirs don't include more smelly tea you're going to make me try, do they?” Geun-tae asked, suddenly wary.

“Well—” It was true she'd brought back a lot of tea, varieties and blends from the Kai Empire and beyond. She wanted to think that surely among them would be something here husband would like. “They do have just plain green tea there, too, you know,” she said. “But somehow, it tastes completely different! The leaves are—” Well, Geun-tae wouldn't appreciate the details. “It’s really interesting,” she assured him.

“‘Interesting’ sounds suspicious.”

“Oh, and also! There’s something else I brought back. It’s not tea.”

“...some kind of alcohol?”

“No, but I did bring back some fine liquor too. This is...it’s hard to describe.” It had been brought by merchants from far to the southwest, a hot drink made not from tea leaves but from some kind of berries. Those merchants had traveled even farther than Yun-ho and been met with less success, and buying a little of their wares was the least she could do.

“Well, fine, fine, I’ll try it now. Get it over with.”

“...you’re curious, aren’t you?”

“What? No! You have weird tastes and I know it’s going to be strange.”

Yun-ho laughed. Her husband was always like this. He either outright hated her teas or couldn’t tell one grade of leaf from the next, but he was always willing—even eager, though he’d never admit it—to sample her latest obsession. It was really, really cute. “I’ll have to go to the kitchen and prepare it myself,” she said. “The servants won’t know how.” She rummaged through one of her bags till she found the right package. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes!”

It was more than a few minutes, of course—she needed to grind the beans and boil the water and get everything just right—but soon, Yun-ho returned with a tray bearing two small cups of frothy, brown liquid.

“It looks like mud,” Geun-tae commented. He picked up one of the cups, about to toss it back all in one go.

“No, not like that!” He always drank his tea like that too, never savoring the flavor at all. “It's really strong,” she added.

“You think a little cup of mud is a match for me?” Geun-tae asked. Yun-ho rolled her eyes. Men. But Geun-tae did pause, sniffing the aroma of the beverage curiously. “It doesn't smell like mud,” he admitted. “Actually, it smells really good.” Tentatively, he took a sip, and his eyes lit up. “Yun-ho, this is amazing!” He hastily finished the rest of the little cup, before Yun-ho even started hers. “Yun-ho, you’re really amazing! You found something delicious!”

“You—you like it? You really like it?” After all the things she'd served him in all the years of their marriage, to finally find something he not only tolerated but actually appreciated—of course it would be this. “It's called 'coffee,’” Yun-ho said. Personally, she found the taste too bitter, and while she thought she'd be able to enjoy it on occasion, she knew she'd always prefer the delicate flavor of tea. But if Geun-tae really liked it—

“I love it.” Geun-tae stood up, a huge grin on his face, and Yun-ho held up her own cup to offer him. She didn't mind giving it up, to see him like this. “Damn, you probably only brought back a sample 'cause you figured I'd call it gross, right? Well, not this time! Though it still looks like mud. Let's order a year's supply, at least! I wonder if we can sell it. I wonder if that grumpy General Judo would buy it.” He was pacing the room, practically leaping with excitement.

“Oh, that's right,” Yun-ho remembered. “The merchants told me that coffee is usually a morning beverage, because it has an invigorating effect.” Much moreso than tea, they'd said.

“Invigorating, huh?” He set the cup back down and reached out to Yun-ho.

“Yes,” said Yun-ho, letting herself be pulled up to meet hm. “And since I already told you we won't be discussing business tonight—” She​ stood on her tiptoes and gave him a little peck on the cheek. “And since it's been so long—” She traced a finger down his cheek, then along his chest, then further down. “Shall we find a better use for all that energy?”