An Ordinary Mom and Dad
I smiled and pulled Mireyeong into my arms. Kissing her lips, I said,
"I don't know… Lately, even during the day, I can't stop thinking about you."
Mireyeong answered in a low voice.
"Is that… because I've been away for a few days? Or…"
"Both."
She stared at my face for a long moment, thinking something through, before she spoke.
"I'm endlessly grateful that you think of me, Jisin… but you should think of the other Jiseonnyeo as well. And there's the matter of the Jiseonsa I mentioned before…"
Jiseonsa. It was a topic that had come up more and more often of late. As the influence of our Cheonsiman-gyo slowly expanded, delivering every sermon myself was becoming exhausting, and believers who lived far away were finding it difficult to attend gatherings. Consensus had begun to form that we needed people who could convey the Word in my place. I still believed the greatest strength of Cheonsiman-gyo was my gift for speaking, but others insisted that our doctrine itself was exceptional. In other words, if we could find someone who could transmit the teachings with absolute clarity—and who also happened to be an outstanding speaker—they could cover occasional sermons and meetings in other regions. Most people agreed. Of course such a talent would be a tremendous help to me, but finding that kind of person would not be easy, so I had been dragging my feet.
Because of that, Mireyeong had grown even busier refining the scriptures and organizing the doctrine. Watching her stay up late over that work made me anxious. They said the early stages of pregnancy were critical… I looked at her face, then kissed her mouth again.
"Is it all right if we do it today?"
Mireyeong nodded. I began to explore her body once more, sucking at her lips and drinking the saliva from her mouth. Wetness welled thickly from between her legs, and I turned her onto her stomach and moved between her thighs. Spreading her firm, round ass, I buried my face in the cleft of her body.
"Nngh…"
A muffled cry escaped her. Ignoring it, I licked her anus and her sex. It was the place on a human body most likely to smell foul, yet Mireyeong carried no odor at all. I lapped at her until her entrance was soaked with my spit. No matter how long I went on, I never grew bored or tired of it.
It was strange. I didn't know if it had always been this way, but the moment I learned she was carrying my child, a fierce urge to treat her even better took hold of me—and once that thought settled in, I found myself liking her to an almost unnatural degree. As she had said, it was true that my interest in the others had cooled a little. Part of me wondered if it came from not having grown up in a normal family, from some peculiar obsession with the idea of family itself. I had been the son of a single mother, and she had never given me enough love to make me feel what a warm family truly was.
Maybe the ease I felt now came from a new sense of security. I had settled Gu Yeonsu's problem, and the drug trafficking Ma Juri had been running had stopped. Her smuggling route was known only to Myeongsuk and me in Korea now. Of course neither of us would ever use it. I was simply satisfied that I had blocked that kind of social poison from seeping into the country.
Our following kept growing as well. I had long since stopped remembering the exact number of new initiates when they reported it. The numbers were clearly rising, and the people seeking out Cheonsiman-gyo had become remarkably diverse. Even those who could not meet me in person were offering, through Myeongsuk, to lend their influence to the order. Doctors and lawyers were the most common. I had only heard that Yongjin was meeting with them separately to work out terms of cooperation.
With everything so comfortable and going so well, how could I not rejoice that a woman was carrying my child? I had never found Mireyeong so lovely. I rolled her onto her back and pushed myself into the warmth of her body. She was a woman who rarely showed her feelings, yet when we had sex she poured affection onto me without restraint. She kissed me first. Every sensation from below rose plain and unfiltered across her face. She moaned freely, and she looked at me with eyes full of love. That was why I always wanted more of her. I wanted to feel those emotions of hers, and sex was the only way I could. On top of that, her thighs and sex, hardened by exercise, delivered a physical stimulation that was simply overwhelming.
After a satisfying climax, I lay down beside her and pulled her into my arms. Mireyeong was still breathing hard, shyly curling her body into mine. Once her breath had steadied a little, she asked,
"Does it make you happy, Jisin… that I'm carrying your child?"
I smiled and looked at her.
"Of course."
She hesitated a moment before she spoke again.
"Even though we can never be an ordinary mom and dad?"
I rolled onto my side so that we faced each other.
"Why can't we?"
"You can never be mine alone. And you can't remain an ordinary man, either."
The smile left my face.
"What… is that supposed to mean?"
Mireyeong's expression returned to its usual blank calm.
"I am not carrying the child of a man named Park Donghyeon. I am carrying the child of the leader of Cheonsiman-gyo. I have conceived the Holy Spirit."
I frowned.
"Then you don't like me?"
"'Like'… isn't even close to the right word. I have devoted my entire life to Cheonsiman-gyo and to you, Jisin. It isn't some worldly level of feeling. If you merely like someone, you can also come to dislike them—but what I feel when I look at you can never be that. I have received your grace. Think of it as the relationship between a god and a human, if you like. Have I ever refused a single request of yours? I can't refuse. It's my mission."
Her words left me with a strange, unsettled feeling. Mireyeong slowly pushed herself up and climbed on top of me as she continued.
"Even so, I'm so happy that I was the first among the Jiseonnyeo and the believers to conceive your grace. Lately it feels as if I'm walking through heaven."
From above me she pressed her mouth to mine. Unlike sticky, clingy Minhwa or Jeongmi, when a woman like this suddenly showed her feelings, my reason vanished in an instant.
I made love to Mireyeong one more time, and she drifted into a light sleep. So that she could rest comfortably, I carefully slipped out of bed and left the room. When I stepped into the living room, Yunchae, Jeongmi, and Myeongsuk were all looking at me. Jeongmi in particular wore a sly little smile.
I went and sat beside Myeongsuk. I was still completely naked. She glanced down at my cock and said,
"You've been doing it more ever since you heard Mireyeong is pregnant. A dangerous period is coming soon, so please hold back then."
I nodded at her. Something like regret must have shown on my face, because Myeongsuk looked at me with a subtle expression and said,
"You really do love children, don't you, Jisin."
At the time I didn't dig into the deeper meaning behind her words. I took them at face value and gave her a foolish smile.
"I was raised by a single mother. Maybe that's why I have this vague longing for everything connected to 'family.'"
Myeongsuk nodded with a thoroughly satisfied smile.
"Still, you mustn't neglect your love for the other Jiseonnyeo."
As she said it, she quietly took hold of my cock, still slick with Mireyeong's juices. My shameless flesh twitched in response. The smile vanished from Myeongsuk's face as she spoke to me.
"Jisin. About the Jiseonsa matter I mentioned last time…"
I focused on her words, even as I wondered why she was holding my cock while talking about work. With a face that clashed absurdly with her own nakedness and the thing she was gripping, Myeongsuk continued.
"There's an excellent candidate. Mireyeong is currently verifying his understanding of the doctrine. Once that process is finished, I'd like you to take over his training from there."
I had no reason to refuse. In the end it was someone who would lighten my load, and I figured we would need to be in sync. The tension on Myeongsuk's face still hadn't eased.
"Our influence keeps growing. It won't be long now."
I tilted my head.
"What won't? What won't be long?"
Myeongsuk sank into thought for a moment, then looked at me and smiled.
"Never mind. More importantly, I heard the Gangha Group has an executive training retreat next week. I've already secured a lecture slot for you there. Of course you'll handle it well, but they aren't people who came to Cheonsiman-gyo of their own free will to hear your words. Some of them will definitely feel resistance. You have to win over every heart in that room."