Chapter 24 Family Gathering (Mom, Seon-ju, Gyu-ri, Se-hee, Se-young, Su-a)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24 Family Gathering (Mom, Seon-ju, Gyu-ri, Se-hee, Se-young, Su-a)
While Mom and Se-young were preparing lunch, Si-woo went into his room and started looking at his smartphone again.
It was the 'Slave Contract' for Aunt Gyu-ri that Cheol-jin had found.
'Kim Gyu-hyung shall possess Park Gyu-ri as a slave.'
If this Slave Contract was merely a private agreement used between Cheol-jin's father and Aunt Gyu-ri, it wouldn't have been a problem at all. If it was just that level of playfulness between a married couple, Si-woo might have even found it to be good fantasy material.
—Si-woo had already developed a certain level of immunity to the SM genre through Cheol-jin's collection of SM adult videos—
But the problem was the shocking 'Slave Rental Contract' on the back page.
Below it, the name of Si-woo's father, 'Yoo Jin-seong,' was written twice.
The total number of times she had been leased out was six.
It listed the names of the lessees, dates, and brief personal details...
And next to those were 'Special Remarks.'
Most of the lease periods were around one year, and the remarks contained words like 'Failure' or 'Fraternal Twins.'
Si-woo thought that writing a Slave Contract was something a woman with a submissive tendency like Aunt Gyu-ri might do for fun.
—Especially someone who could enjoy being spanked by her son or her son's friend—
However, being leased out as a slave was something that went far beyond the realm of mere play.
If this had been going on for over 200 years, then Aunt Gyu-ri wasn't just a promiscuous woman who enjoyed playing the submissive role; she was essentially a real sex slave.
There was no way a Slave Contract could have any legal effect or binding force.
In that case, was she in debt, or was she being blackmailed because someone held a weakness over her?
Did Mom and Aunt Seon-ju know all of this?
Si-woo felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation slowly blooming inside him.
* * *
The sound of voices drifted up from downstairs.
It seemed Aunt Seon-ju and Su-a had arrived.
Si-woo went down to the first floor to greet them.
Aunt Seon-ju and Su-a were standing in the foyer.
"Aunt Seon-ju, you're here? Hey, Su-a~"
Si-woo greeted Aunt Seon-ju and his younger cousin, Su-a, warmly.
Su-a gave him a shy smile and waved her hand.
The timid Su-a had her hair in pigtails that reached down to her waist.
Her well-proportioned body clearly showed the superior genes of his youngest aunt.
She was the same age as Se-young, but her physical development seemed a bit faster than others her age.
Looking at her budding breasts and hips, and her long, slender limbs, Si-woo thought she could easily be a model.
She was wearing a pink T-shirt with a single banana printed on it and a flowy, light green lace skirt with many pleats. Overall, she gave off the vibe of a fairy from a fantasy novel.
The 37-year-old Aunt Seon-ju had such a youthful face that it was impossible to imagine her as a mother—she looked like she could be in her late 20s.
She was wearing a knee-length, wine-colored sleeveless dress.
The dress was a slim-fit type that emphasized her figure with a slight plunge at the neckline.
Aunt Seon-ju's appearance and size closely resembled Mom's.
Their faces, heights, breasts, and hips made it immediately obvious they were sisters.
However, their personalities and vibes were quite different. While Mom was a bit of a nag who sought stability, Aunt Seon-ju was a witty, spirited activist with an open-minded feel.
She got along very well with Si-woo and his siblings, and she loved hanging out or going on trips with them.
"Si-woo, you look more like a grown-up every time I see you!"
Aunt Seon-ju greeted him with her usual exaggerated tone.
"You look younger every time I see you too, Auntie. But didn't we just see each other last week?"
Si-woo matched her energy as he greeted her, used to her personality.
"That's why we need to see each other even more often!! Si-woo needs to grow up fast, and I need to stay young so we can match our ages, hehe!"
It was a joke Aunt Seon-ju made with a playful expression.
They exchanged banter as they always did.
"Seon-ju, stop saying weird things to the kid and just come in. What's with all the stuff in your hands?"
Mom cut in, asking Aunt Seon-ju, who was holding plastic bags in both hands.
"Oh, this? Alcohol, of course!! Since we're all gathering for the first time in a while, we have to throw a party, right?"
The plastic bags in Aunt Seon-ju's hands were filled with various types of alcohol.
"Why are you talking about drinking in the middle of the day? Besides, we're taking the kids out for dinner tonight, so you can't drink."
Mom spoke to Aunt Seon-ju with an exasperated look.
Since they had plans for shopping and dining out in the evening, they negotiated to only have a little bit of daytime alcohol.
—Leaving behind the aunt's disappointment at not being able to get wasted—
Amidst the greetings, jokes, and negotiations, Mom had returned to her usual self in front of Aunt Seon-ju and Su-a.
For some reason, seeing Mom like that made Si-woo feel relieved.
* * *
Just then, Se-hee Noona came down from the second floor.
"Oh, Aunt Seon-ju~ Su-a, you're here?"
As soon as she saw them, Se-hee Noona greeted them while descending the stairs.
"Hey, Se-hee! I heard your mom gave you a hard time again? Honestly, there's no one quite like my sister!"
Aunt Seon-ju spoke to Se-hee Noona as she came down, having apparently heard about her getting scolded by Mom.
"Honestly, how could you buy the child clothes like that?"
Mom spoke to the aunt, as if the anger from earlier was resurfacing.
"She should be able to wear whatever she wants comfortably at home. Our house isn't like that, right, Su-a?"
At Aunt Seon-ju's words, Su-a just gave a shy smile while glancing at Mom's reaction.
For a moment, Si-woo imagined the mother-daughter duo of Aunt Seon-ju and Su-a in their underwear.
"That's because there's only the two of you in your house!!"
Mom spoke as if it couldn't be helped in their house because Si-woo was there.
The reason Se-hee Noona had been scolded wasn't just because of the clothes, but it seemed the story had been passed along as if the clothes were the only issue.
"Goodness, we're family, so what does it matter? Anyway, were you preparing food? Want some help?"
The aunt changed the subject when she realized they wouldn't see eye to eye.
"No, it's almost done. Just sit down and talk with the kids."
Mom also shook her head from side to side as if she was tired of the topic of clothes.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
It was Aunt Gyu-ri.
"Si-woo, could you get the door?"
It was the first time Mom had spoken to Si-woo first since she came out of her room to prepare lunch.
—Though she still wasn't looking him in the eye, he felt a sense of connection—
"Okay, Mom~"
Si-woo answered, feeling inwardly happy, and went to the intercom to open the gate.
Soon, Aunt Gyu-ri entered the foyer and greeted them.
"Oh? Everyone's already here? I'm not late, am I?"
"Welcome, Gyu-ri. You timed it perfectly. But why are your husband and son so busy?"
Mom welcomed Aunt Gyu-ri and asked about her family, sounding a bit disappointed.
"He's always working, you know how it is."
"What about Cheol-jin?"
"Oh, Cheol-jin got hurt a bit yesterday... He came home with a broken molar after playing around."
"Oh my, really?"
"He went to the dentist, but his face is all swollen, so he's lying down now. When I ask him what he was doing to get hurt like that, he won't even give me a straight answer."
Si-woo felt a pang of guilt.
"It breaks my heart thinking the boy might be getting beaten up somewhere."
Si-woo decided to play dumb, thinking there was no need for him to reveal what Cheol-jin hadn't mentioned.
Aunt Gyu-ri seemed to naturally possess the awareness of being a mother, even while she had a Slave Contract with her husband and was being passed around to other men under the guise of 'leasing.'
For some reason, Si-woo felt a strange sense of dissonance.
It seemed Cheol-jin's father had recently been transferred back to the head office and was home, but even before that, he hadn't shown his face much at family gatherings because he was busy with business trips and work.
In any case, with Aunt Gyu-ri and Aunt Seon-ju's family having arrived, they all sat down for lunch.
* * *
Thanks to Mom and Se-young's preparations, the table was laden with a feast.
There was tomato spaghetti, potato salad, sandwiches, rice balls... fruit juice, cola, and the alcohol that had been brought along.
"Come to think of it, it's not far off, is it?"
Aunt Seon-ju spoke while sipping her drink.
"What isn't?"
Mom asked, having also taken a sip of her drink.
"I mean the first birthday coming up since Brother-in-law passed away."
Aunt Seon-ju answered.
"Time really flies. I don't even know how it passed," Mom said, her eyes downcast as if lost in reminiscence.
"Have you decided what to do that day?" Aunt Seon-ju asked her.
"I'll probably just prepare a meal and spend it with the kids," Mom replied, sounding a bit lonely.
"Instead of that, why don't we all get together as a family for the first time in a while and go somewhere to get some fresh air?"
It was Aunt Seon-ju's consideration to ensure that Si-woo's family wouldn't spend his father's first birthday after his passing in a gloomy mood.
Si-woo's father's birthday was approaching.
Since Si-woo's family didn't particularly perform ancestral rites, they weren't accustomed to events like memorial services.
Since his father passed away, the family trips they used to take almost every quarter had disappeared.
It seemed Aunt Seon-ju wanted to use the upcoming birthday as an opportunity to bring back those normal family traditions.