Chapter 120: Side Story - Mother (Epilogue)
Chapter 120: Side Story - Mother (Epilogue)
As time passed, Kang Yu-jin came to a realization.
Whatever had transformed this world, it wasn't going to revert back now.
That realization left him with a sense of relief, but also a lingering doubt. This warped bliss, which felt almost like a free gift, didn't seem like something he truly deserved.
His life lately had been just that happy.
Yet, that happiness brought a simultaneous anxiety. The worry that it might be snatched away at any moment, or that tragedy might strike, grew into a deepening sense of unease the happier he became.
Even so, he was happy enough for that joy to overwhelm the anxiety.
It was a vague, baseless, and illogical feeling, but perhaps that was only natural.
As Kang Yu-jin accepted this new life he had grown accustomed to, he realized that even having the luxury to harbor such thoughts was a sign of how stable his life had become.
And he knew exactly where that stability came from.
"Son."
"Mom."
"It’s okay. Come closer."
Following his mother’s soft call, he approached and saw the infants lying in a pair of cribs.
"Are they asleep...?"
"Yes."
As Kang Yu-jin gazed at the sleeping babies, he felt an indescribable swirl of emotions.
It was a mixture of paternal love, a sense of depravity, and affection—emotions so tangled together that he couldn't tell which had come first.
The fact that the twin infants before him were both his children and his siblings sent a chilling, sharp sensation through his mind just by thinking about it.
He never imagined he would become a father at this age, let alone with his own mother.
Yet, despite the sense of depravity that surfaced, an unerasable tide of affection welled up within him.
"...It’s really amazing."
"Is it too hard for you?"
"No, it’s not hard at all."
Kang Yu-jin was a bit surprised by his own words, but then he thought it might be only natural.
He had expected raising children to be exhausting, but it was easier than he thought.
There were several reasons for this.
First, the family had plenty of money, and his mother, Lee Seon-mi, was a professional when it came to childcare.
Having already raised four children, including Kang Yu-jin himself, his mother seemed to have no trouble raising the new twins.
Of course, she had to wake up frequently in the middle of the night to tend to them.
But even that seemed familiar to her.
Kang Yu-jin remembered waking up several times beside her to the sound of crying, only to see her already getting up to care for the babies.
He felt a surge of affection mixed with guilt. It meant he had already come to see his mother’s maternal instincts as the virtue of a lover he ought to cherish.
But he didn't mind. In fact, wasn't it a good thing?
Considering Yuri’s age, it had been a long time since she last raised a child, so one might expect her to be out of practice. Yet, his mother handled and cared for the babies with practiced ease.
I guess it’s because she raised four of us, including me.
Kang Yu-jin looked at his mother, finding the reality of it quite surreal.
Suddenly, seeing her care for the babies brought back memories of the past.
Back when Kang Yu-jin was just a small child. He remembered his mother, who had cared for him and looked after his every need, loving him with an overflowing maternal instinct that couldn't be hidden even by her expressionless face and cool demeanor.
Seeing his own children being cared for in the same way he once was felt incredibly strange, yet beautiful.
As he was lost in thought, a voice reached his ears.
"I like it. It reminds me of the old days."
They say a couple grows to resemble one another. Kang Yu-jin smiled as he looked at his mother, who was reminiscing about the same past—back when he was simply her son.
Looking back, his mother’s expression had seemed remarkably at peace ever since the wedding ceremony.
It felt as though many things had been resolved, and in reality, they had.
Though Kang Yu-jin didn't know it, the messages no longer appeared before her eyes.
The advice, the cheeky messages informing her how many times her son had masturbated while she was pregnant...
None of it appeared anymore.
Lee Seon-mi took this to mean that she no longer needed them.
It meant her son was no longer in danger, and she no longer had to sacrifice herself to resolve his crises.
Now, her devotion belonged entirely to her son and their children.
She fell into thought as she gazed at the sleeping babies—the children of her and her son.
"Son, what do you think of the babies?"
"...It feels very strange."
"Strange how?"
At her worried look, her son waved his hands dismissively.
"Not that kind of strange. How should I put it... I never thought I’d end up having children with Mom. They’re so healthy and beautiful... it’s just strange. The fact that I’m a father."
"I suppose it is."
Many things were strange.
The fact that a mother and son had conceived children, and that society viewed it as nothing out of the ordinary, was incredibly bizarre.
However, she had already fully accepted this reality.
Feeling the labor pains after so long, and seeing the fruit of her and her son’s union emerge from her uterus...
She intended to protect this reality even if it were to suddenly vanish.
"Do you dislike it?"
All that mattered was her son’s will. Her son’s eyes widened as if he hadn't expected the question.
"No, no. How could I dislike it? I love it. I really do."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, because I... I love you too, Mom."
In the past, Lee Seon-mi would have taken those words as a simple expression of familial love.
She would have understood it as a son loving his mother.
But their relationship had changed completely, and there was no going back.
So, at Kang Yu-jin’s words, Lee Seon-mi wore a gentle smile and took her son’s hand.
Their hands met softly, and their fingers slowly intertwined. Their ring fingers, both adorned with bands, locked together as the mother led her son, who was also her husband.
In the quiet living room, the setting sun cast a low glow over the space. Lee Seon-mi led him to sit down, recalling the time she had first entered this kind of relationship with him.
The house was filled with various baby supplies.
Books her son had left out to study childcare, bottles bought in advance even though she was still breastfeeding.
Toys and clothes for the children, and reusable diapers.
Some were gifts from her daughters, and others were sent by acquaintances.
Every one of them had blessed the marriage of this mother and son.
Recalling that fact, Lee Seon-mi thought back to when it all began.
The time she had forced a relationship with her son just to save him, to break a prophecy that started with an ominous dream.
The moment when her initial vow, her resolve, and her maternal instinct were gradually overtaken by sexual desire and affection, until she finally fell in love with her son as a man.
And finally, to the point where she desired to bear the child of the son she herself had given birth to.
It had been a very short journey, but she no longer cared about such things.
She simply let her eyes follow her son’s gaze to the wedding photo displayed prominently.
Several photos were hung in different frames.
A photo of just her son, one of just her, and one of them together.
Seeing her son’s gaze linger on the photo, his mother smiled softly.
"Do you regret it?"
Her son’s eyes widened in surprise, and he shook his head.
"No, I don't regret it. I love you, Mom, and I want to cherish you as my wife from now on."
"Even though there’s an age gap, and I don't know if I can give you more children?"
"So what? You already gave me healthy twins. Besides, if I’d had them with another woman, I probably would have been incredibly stressed out by the childcare."
With a bashful laugh, the son gently accepted his mother’s touch.
"And you gave birth to them so healthily. Well, seeing that, I feel like we could have even more."
"Do you want me to have more?"
"...Honestly? Yeah, a little."
"Why?"
"...I feel like it might sound a bit weird if I say it."
"I want to hear it. Tell me, Honey."
The son flinched visibly at the word "Honey." Clearly excited, he tried to compose his slightly flushed face.
"You had four with Dad. Somehow, it feels like I’m losing to him."
It was an unexpected reason. Setting aside the fact that he was one of those four, wanting more children because he felt like he was losing to his father...
It wasn't normal, but for this mother and son, it was natural.
On paper, she was already listed as having remarried her son.
"So, I want to have at least three more in the future."
As he spoke, he looked at his mother with a worried expression. It was a face that showed both concern for her age and a desire to respect her feelings.
To her, her son was truly adorable.
Her kind, lovely, and precious son.
And at the same time, her husband, whom she loved dearly. She caressed her son’s hand with a gentle smile.
"Do you think you can raise five children?"
Raising even four children costs a fortune.
Then there’s the times they get sick, their education, and their discipline.
There were plenty of reasons to worry about the future, but...
If her son wanted it, she was willing to give birth as many times as he wished.
"I’ll work hard."
It was a vague answer. It was hardly enough of a reason to expand a family plan.
But as they say, no parent can win against their child.
Even if that child had become her husband.
She interlaced her fingers with his and spoke.
"Do you know why I’ve been working so hard to manage my body and stay healthy?"
"...No."
It was a lie, one he didn't truly believe.
Yet, he spoke the words, feeling that a kernel of truth might be mixed in somewhere.
"It was so I could give my son as many children as he wants. And because I wanted to create a happy, peaceful home with you."
Her son’s body stiffened, and his mother gently stroked his cheek.
"My honey, my lovely baby. Let’s work hard until you beat your father."
"...Yes, Mom."
Lee Seon-mi wrapped her legs around her son’s waist and closed her eyes, pulling his head into an embrace.
Grateful for the harmonious family she had never even dared to hope for.
Fully accepting the newfound happiness that had come to her.
The mother of a son kissed him, intending to remain both his mother and his wife forever.
And so, Lee Seon-mi was finally happy.
Now, and always.