The Baby-Making Project: Seong Yua
I forced my body to stay rigidly still even though it kept trying to squirm in discomfort. Seong Yua and I had suddenly found ourselves in an unexpected three-way meeting with her mother.
Unlike her daughter, Seong Yua’s mother had a warm, kind face—the very picture of a typical, nurturing mom.
“Ahem. Well, first of all… I’m sorry, Mr. Kim. Our Yua has never brought anyone home before, so I’ve been coming and going freely with the passcode.”
Mr. Kim…?
“Oh, no, please don’t worry about it! If anything, we’re the ones who should apologize for showing you something so improper!”
“Oh goodness, improper? I’ve never seen our Yua look so happy while doing anything. This might be a bit forward of me, but since we’re already talking about it… it seems you two are very compatible. That puts my mind at ease.”
“Y-yes… compatible…”
I had been worried she might explode in rage at seeing her daughter getting pounded right in front of her. But from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem like empty words—she genuinely looked delighted.
“M-Mom! What do you mean, Mr. Kim?!”
“Hush! Be quiet! You have to set the tone right from the first meeting! Look at how handsome he is—you need to lock him down immediately!”
“Ugh, seriously…!”
“I was so worried because you never dated anyone. Turns out it wasn’t because of work. You just have high standards, don’t you?”
…She clearly thought she was whispering, but I could hear every word, Mother.
So the team leader had this side to her too…
The Seong Yua before me was calling her mother “Mom” and bickering with her just like any other daughter. It was a side of her that differed greatly from her usual image. If it were anyone else, maybe not, but for a beauty like her… that gap and unexpectedness came across as an endearing charm.
After glaring at her daughter, the mother turned to me with a gentle gaze.
“Does our Mr. Kim have any favorite side dishes? I often come by to bring Yua some. That’s why I stopped by today too.”
“Ah, no, that’s all right. I appreciate the thought, though. And… please speak comfortably with me.”
“Oh ho! Such good manners. All right then. I’ll speak casually from now on. And Mr. Kim, you can call me Mother-in-law!”
“Y-yes? M-Mother-in-law…”
“Aigoo, we’ve gone off on a tangent! It’s fine, just tell me what side dishes you like!”
Mother-in-law clapped her hands, cutting me off. Thanks to that, the titles between us naturally settled into “Mr. Kim” and “Mother-in-law.”
No matter how nervous I was, I did have the Eloquence skill… Her social skills were impressive.
“We’re not strangers anymore, so don’t feel burdened. Okay?”
“Haa…” Seong Yua let out a deep sigh.
“…Mr. Kim Junyoung, just tell her. My mother will probably keep asking until you agree.”
“This girl! What’s with the stiff ‘Mr. Kim’ toward your boyfriend? You need to be a bit sweeter and melt his heart!”
“Mom, seriously…!”
“I like braised beef!”
Seeing the two about to start bickering again, I quickly spoke up. Mother-in-law, who had been scolding her daughter, softened her eyes at my words and smiled brightly.
“Oh my! How nice. Your tastes match our Yua’s perfectly! She loves braised beef too, so I always make it with chuck tail fillet. It’ll be delicious! I’ll bring some soon.”
“Th-thank you.”
“It’s such a blessing when a couple’s tastes overlap like that. How wonderful!”
“…” Seong Yua clutched her forehead, frowning.
Heh heh.
Watching Seong Yua suffer like this strangely made me want to laugh.
…It looks good.
At first glance, it was just a meddlesome mother and a irritated daughter… but it simply looked nice. It was a heartwarming, harmonious scene.
Mother-in-law looked at me with her characteristic warm expression.
“You know, Mr. Kim.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“I know it’s not proper to bring this up at our first meeting. But earlier… I ended up seeing it, didn’t I? The two of you sleeping together without protection.”
“Mom! I’m the one handling contraception—”
“I know. You’ve always been responsible about your future. You’re my smart daughter, after all.”
Mother-in-law’s demeanor changed. While her warm smile remained, there was a seriousness and maturity to her now—a truly motherly air.
“My daughter isn’t the type to ruin her body with something like a loop procedure… so it’s probably chemical contraception, right? But those methods aren’t perfect.”
She was talking about the pill. Of course, I wasn’t even taking any…
“I’m not scolding you for using the wrong method. My daughter isn’t careless enough to fail at that. And Mr. Kim, though we haven’t known each other long, you don’t seem like an irresponsible person either.”
I had accidentally gotten her daughter pregnant without any plan…
“To me, this sounds like you’re saying it would be fine if the two of you had a child. That you can take responsibility. Am I understanding correctly?”
“…Yes, you are.”
“…Yes. That’s right.”
Seong Yua and I answered. It hadn’t been in the plan, but we would take responsibility. It might differ slightly from the responsibility Mother-in-law was thinking of… but in any case, there would be no such thing as an accident that ruined both their lives.
“Then… are the two of you dating with marriage in mind?”
It was a question that might have been too much for a first meeting, yet it didn’t feel unpleasant at all.
…Now I understood who Seong Yua got her sharp mind from.
“Yes.”
“…!”
I answered without hesitation, and Seong Yua looked slightly surprised. Whether I would actually file a marriage registration with her was unknown, but I couldn’t say no in this moment. I could clean it up later with the app.
To me, that answer was simply a declaration of my will to take Seong Yua for the rest of her life and take responsibility for her entire future.
At my resolute answer, Mother-in-law smiled kindly.
“Thank you. For answering that way.”
“…”
“Our daughter is twenty-seven. For young people these days, that’s not late at all… but she’s so passionate about her work. She’s never dated because of that… I was worried she might stay that way forever.”
Seong Yua, listening from the side, grumbled quietly.
“I told you I’ll handle it myself…”
“Yes, yes. Where in the world is there another woman as smart and reliable as our daughter? But a mother’s heart doesn’t work that way, you know.”
“…”
“But now that you’ve brought home such a handsome and dignified man, I’m so happy I don’t know what to do with myself!”
“…Yes.”
“Ahem, did I get too serious? Anyway, please take good care of our daughter, Mr. Kim.”
The serious demeanor vanished, and she returned to her usual warm, familiar motherly self. Mother-in-law grinned and poked Seong Yua in the side.
“But honestly, Mom wouldn’t mind if you two stopped using contraception.”
“Wh-what?! What are you…!”
“You know Mrs. Kim next door, right? She’s already seeing her grandchild, dear!”
“Mom! That daughter is thirty-five!”
“Does age matter? If my pretty daughter quickly gives me a grandson or granddaughter to hold, how happy would Mom be?”
“Ugh, seriously!”
“Ho ho, that was only half a joke, dear.”
…So Seong Yua was this expressive at home. If we got married and my arms became her home, would she show me that side too?
“…”
I imagined her acting affectionately like Yang Ara or Min Chaeseul. Suddenly, Seong Yua looked incredibly attractive to me.
After talking more with Mother-in-law, she prepared to leave.
“Well then, I’ll be going now!”
“Why aren’t you staying the night?”
“This girl, I’m not that tactless!”
Mother-in-law bowed politely to me.
“Please take good care of my lacking daughter.”
“Ah, no! I’m the one who should be asking for your good favor!”
I was so startled I bowed deeply while blurting out something strange. It was true. If I could live with a beauty like Seong Yua… even bowing three times with every step wouldn’t be enough.
“I’ll be going now. It was nice meeting you.”
“Yes, please take care on your way, Mother-in-law.”
“Bye, Mom. Call when you arrive.”
Mother-in-law kept smiling at us as she opened the front door and left.
Click—
“…”
“…”
All the energy drained from my body. It felt like a storm had swept through.
“Whew…”
“…I’m sorry, Mr. Kim Junyoung. My mother has so much energy and playfulness…”
“…No, it’s fine. The first impression I gave was a bit much, but… it was a pleasant meeting.”
This was my first time meeting the mother of any of my women, except for Jo Minji and Park Seoyun. Even then, I had only seen Jo Minji’s mother before our strange relationship began, and Park Seoyun’s mother had already been modified.
It was a very fresh… and thought-provoking experience.
Marriage, huh…
When it came to marriage, I had only ever thought about Jo Minji. Since our country only allows one legal spouse, only one person could be on the marriage registration. Min Chaeseul and Yang Ara were already in common-law relationships, so that was fine. As for Gong Jiyun… until now, I had simply thought I could just modify her family and left it at that.
But now… it seemed I would be thinking often about how to treat all my women.
The team leader will get pregnant.
I looked at Seong Yua. Beautiful face, perfect figure. Yet the urge to impregnate her didn’t arise. It was the same as with Gong Jiyun. It was already confirmed.
I had tried to be careful, but now I had another reason to visit the OB/GYN clinic.
Yu Sieun will be happy.
It was good that I had bought a car.
“…Would you like to have lunch before you go?” Seong Yua asked me.
She must mean the side dishes Mother-in-law had packed.
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
“Please have a seat. I’ll prepare it for you.”
Seong Yua opened the refrigerator and took out the tightly packed containers of side dishes.
…She’s beautiful.
My heart felt strangely restless as I watched her transferring the side dishes onto plates.