Chapter 116: Side Story - Mother (37)
Chapter 116: Side Story - Mother (37)
"Oh my, Unnie! It’s been so long! Is this your son?"
Kang Yu-jin struggled to suppress his awkward expression as he sat beside his mother, facing a woman who felt like a stranger.
She lingered faintly in his memory, though he couldn't quite recall exactly when or where he had seen her before. However, having already been briefed on the situation, Yu-jin didn't voice any objections or offer much comment.
Instead, he opened his mouth and spoke calmly.
"Yes, I'm Kang Yu-jin. It’s been a long time, Auntie."
The woman—a former ballerina herself, though the passage of time and a lack of maintenance showed in her features—seemed delighted by his mature greeting and the way he addressed her as 'Auntie.' She let out a bright laugh.
"How dependable he looks. Do you remember me?"
"No, not really..."
"Oh, really? You don't remember your auntie at all?"
"It’s not that I don't remember you at all. I remember you being very kind to me."
And that wasn't a lie. Yu-jin felt a sense of familiarity in the woman's features, and he was able to pull up fragments of memories associated with that feeling.
Though the details were hazy, he had a vague recollection of her watching his mother's rehearsals or occasionally looking after him.
"Really? That’s a relief. My goodness, when did you get so big? Honestly, Unnie, you should show your kids' faces more often."
True to that impression, Yoon So-young—the woman who claimed the title of 'Auntie' and insisted on being called such—was someone who vibrantly displayed her bright personality and social grace.
She was a person of common sense, someone who radiated a bright and warm energy. She was the type to always make time for the weddings and funerals of those around her—the complete opposite of his mother.
Facing such a woman, Yu-jin looked at his mother with slightly trembling eyes.
"Anyway, Unnie, didn't you say you called me here because you had something to tell me?"
His mother, addressed as 'Unnie,' nodded. As she carefully stroked her lower abdomen, the aunt's eyes filled with curiosity.
She knew full well that Seon-mi was a widow. While she didn't look particularly pregnant yet, that specific gesture usually meant only one thing.
Yoon So-young looked at Lee Seon-mi with questioning eyes, and Lee Seon-mi spoke.
"I'm getting married."
"Huh?"
The aunt's eyes widened in shock. Yu-jin, who should have been used to this by now after several repetitions, watched the situation unfold with bated breath.
"To whom? I mean, are the kids okay with it? Usually, with a remarriage..."
"To my son."
Yoon So-young froze. Her wide eyes darted to Lee Seon-mi, then scanned Yu-jin.
Mother and son.
A pair that should never be joined, symbolizing a blatant taboo.
The common-sense response was already predetermined here.
"Are you joking? Or..."
"I'm serious. We're even having a baby."
The shocking confession continued. And if Yu-jin were to guess, the normal reaction from this point was also predetermined.
Horror, screaming, disgust, or fleeing the scene in a panic—or perhaps demanding an explanation. Ultimately, every response should involve a refusal to understand and a questioning of the 'why' without acceptance.
That was the common-sense response. At least, as far as Yu-jin knew.
"...Wow, really? Congratulations! You're going to have a grandchild now!"
As expected, the reaction he received far exceeded his expectations and imagination.
It was something he felt he should be used to, yet he never quite could. Yu-jin kept his mouth shut and looked at his mother, who nodded while continuing to stroke her belly.
"My goodness, our nephew is already going to be a father?"
The follow-up reaction was equally mind-numbing. Yu-jin managed a forced smile and a nod. It was a reaction born of necessity, but the situation continued to flow in a direction that defied all logic.
"Hey now, why the lukewarm reaction? It's your baby, isn't it? You should be happier!"
"...It's a baby I'm having with my mom. Isn't it strange?"
"Hmm? What's strange about it? It’s perfectly fine for Yu-jin to have a child with his mother."
"What about the marriage?"
"You can do that too. Oh, then how will he be listed on the family register? As both son and husband?"
An subtle sense of depravity and a faint thrill of pleasure crept up his spine. Yu-jin had to suppress himself as he felt the heat rising, his lips quivering at this clearly bizarre situation as he looked at his mother.
His mother had long since grown accustomed to this. More than just accustomed, she had long been relieved to know that their relationship had become an exception to the world's rules.
Acquaintances from overseas sent their congratulations and asked what the child's surname would be.
Even though they couldn't attend the wedding, they left messages saying how truly happy they were for them.
Not a single person tried to stop them or expressed horror.
To Yu-jin, it was blatantly abnormal, but his mother was using that very fact to stimulate her son.
"Yes, he'll be registered as both son and husband. The baby will be both a grandchild and a child to me, and both a sibling and a child to Yu-jin."
"I thought so. I don't know much about that specific field, but..."
The aunt continued her chatter. Yu-jin stared blankly at his mother and the aunt as they conversed, his expression unreadable.
He couldn't understand why this was happening or how it was possible. This was because Yu-jin did not have a status window.
With no clue as to the cause, Yu-jin was simply swept away by the conversation.
The talk even drifted into more suggestive territory.
"...So, how did it happen?"
Yu-jin's jaw dropped in shock. The aunt let out a giggle as she watched him.
"It happened because we were trying to have a baby at home."
"Oh my, oh my."
She commented on how she hadn't realized he was so vigorous, or how he was the ultimate example of filial piety.
Watching the aunt say things that sounded equally insane, Yu-jin remained unable to react, still failing to adapt.
And yet, he was clearly becoming aroused. The sense of depravity and the dizzyingly blunt expressions were stimulating him simultaneously.
"But will you be okay? You're over forty..."
"It's fine. The hospital said it would be okay."
"Really? Well, you've always taken such good care of yourself, Unnie... I'm honestly so jealous."
"You should try harder too."
"Does trying harder just make a man appear?"
Only after the gossip moved away from him did Yu-jin let out a sigh.
Ever since the declaration of marriage to his mother, Yu-jin's daily routine had felt like this.
Going to meet his mother's acquaintances to break the news of the wedding.
Explicitly revealing their incestuous relationship—that he was marrying his mother—to confirm the situation and find a sense of security.
Receiving congratulations, and sometimes, lewd jokes.
Occasionally hearing serious concerns about a late-term pregnancy.
Though it wasn't actually that late of a pregnancy, Lee Seon-mi faced those concerns head-on, expressing her firm resolve to give birth.
From Yu-jin's perspective as the son, it was complicated, yet somehow pleasing.
However, he couldn't be completely at ease. Since he didn't know how this strange phenomenon had started, he feared it might suddenly vanish just as inexplicably.
If that happened, he had no idea how his closest family members would react.
What would happen to the children who were both grandchildren and children, siblings and children?
How would the world's perception change? Yu-jin couldn't help but worry.
His mother, however, didn't seem to care. It was as if she had wished for this all along.
Furthermore, she acted as if she would protect this relationship even if those advantages were to disappear.
"Setting the wedding aside, when are you planning to file the marriage registration?"
"We already did."
"Oh my, really? You're already a married couple?"
"Yes."
Lee Seon-mi linked her arm with his, pressing her chest against him, and Yu-jin felt a mix of discomfort and arousal.
Just as she said, Yu-jin and Lee Seon-mi were already a married couple.
On the family register—or rather, the family relationship certificate—Yu-jin and Lee Seon-mi were already listed as both a married couple and as mother and son.
The fact that they were a government-certified incestuous couple sent a chill down his spine.
But that wasn't all.
"Then, what about the wedding ceremony?"
"We're having it next month. At the same place where I had the ceremony with the kids' father."
"Ah, there?"
Lee Seon-mi and Yu-jin had decided to hold a wedding ceremony.
And they would invite everyone: the entire family, including the paternal grandparents they had lost touch with after his father's death.
Along with his sisters Yu-dam, Yu-min, and Yu-ri, they would invite classmates, his mother's former colleagues, and acquaintances.
In front of everyone they knew, this mother and son would formally reveal that they shared a bed every night, and that she was carrying the fruit of their love.
It was unbearably arousing yet naturally anxiety-inducing. Despite that, Yu-jin couldn't bring himself to tell his mother not to hold the ceremony.
Because, more than anyone, Yu-jin himself wanted this wedding.
"Then the honeymoon...?"
"We're thinking of going somewhere else. Probably Hawaii or the Maldives."
"Oh, how passionate! It’s good to be young, isn't it?"
Just as the smirking aunt said, all the honeymoon destinations were chosen specifically for their reputation as places where one could share passionate love.
In that regard, the change in this mother-son relationship was quite visible.
Back when they traveled to Japan, they had tried desperately to hide the truth, but now, they hid it no longer.
Anywhere they went, he would proudly call her 'Mom' and kiss her, wearing the wedding ring inherited from his father.
They even went to the OB-GYN together. There, too, they revealed that he was both the son and the husband, the father of the baby.
They were even told that since this was the first generation of incest, the likelihood of genetic issues was low.
There were countless signs that this twisted mother-son romance was being accepted by society. It was only Yu-jin who worried because he couldn't fully believe it.
Lee Seon-mi had long since accepted all of this within herself.
Even these rounds of greetings were mostly a way to convince her son of that reality.
They chatted, they ate.
"Your mother must have been so lonely after your father passed away. I'm so glad our Yu-jin is taking care of his mom. Right?"
They parted ways after hearing those depraved words that served as a fresh reminder of the fact that he had become both son and husband.
As they walked down the street where the evening glow was beginning to fade after leaving the cafe, Lee Seon-mi suddenly spoke.
"Son."
"...Yeah."
"Mom will give you at least two children, so let's use that to get you a military exemption."
She spoke the words casually, unconcerned by the eyes of those around them. People who turned their heads in surprise soon looked away with a look of understanding, as if they had just seen a celebrity who was uniquely permitted to engage in incest.
"...Ah."
Realizing he had forgotten about the military issue, Yu-jin finally remembered what his mother had said back when his enlistment notice had arrived.
'If there was a way to avoid the military, would you do anything?'
The way her face had flushed slightly back then.
'As long as it's not a crime or getting hurt.'
The way she had spoken firmly but couldn't quite explain the method.
'Yes, it's not a crime, and no one gets hurt. The conditions are a bit... difficult, though.'
Her troubled yet somehow determined attitude.
'Mom needs preparation too... mental preparation.'
And finally, the words she had said after steeling her resolve.
'...Then, Mom will look into a way, too.'
Yu-jin looked at his mother with eyes full of realization, and Lee Seon-mi met his gaze with a soft smile.
It was the benevolent and gentle smile of a mother.
And the melting smile of a woman looking at the man she loved.
The son, though dumbfounded, accepted his mother as his partner.