Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Messiah Complex
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"Hahahaha! Hahaha!"
The employees' gazes toward Ji-hoon, who had been grinning ear to ear all day—no, more like beaming like an idiot—were anything but ordinary.
"Amy, is the boss on drugs these days? He looks exactly like someone who's just gotten high..."
In the direction the employees were whispering about, Ji-hoon was endlessly laughing "haha" with the customers, showing no signs of fatigue as he attended to them.
His laughter sounded like something was a screw loose, and his stamina was far beyond his usual limits.
It was more than enough to make them suspect he was on drugs.
Oblivious to the employees' murmurs, the world looked entirely different in Ji-hoon's eyes.
'Ah. I've misunderstood what love is all this time. I mistook physical affection for real love!'
It was the kind of thought that anyone else would dismiss with, "What nonsense is that?"
Every man harbors a bit of "Messiah Complex" psychologically.
It could manifest as pure altruism, but as a human—and as a man—there was also the desire to affirm one's own value and importance by playing the role of savior.
Men are creatures of recognition.
Recognition at home, and social recognition.
The rewards from that are immensely important to a man.
Or perhaps it was a way of expressing the urge to save someone else to avoid repeating his past marriage failure.
All these factors combined, putting Ji-hoon in a euphoric high, as if he'd actually taken drugs.
"Ah! Welcome! Let me show you to your seats!"
His stamina showed no signs of waning.
He was handling the workload of two or three people without breaking a sweat.
Yet his mind was filled with countless thoughts.
'Ah. How many square feet should the newlywed home be?'
That's right.
Ji-hoon was already searching for a newlywed home.
The place he lived in now was fine for a single person, but it wouldn't do as a newlywed home.
'Ah. Where should I look for the newlywed home...'
Ji-hoon sat in a corner of the shop, lost in happy deliberations.
Then, suddenly, he recalled his conversation with his mother a few days ago.
He let out a soft chuckle without realizing it.
That day, Ji-hoon had said it very matter-of-factly.
"Ah! Mom, good news! I'm getting married. You and Dad will have to come to America."
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.
A stillness as if time had frozen.
And then, the next instant.
[What~?!?!?!?]
His mother's scream exploded, nearly bursting his eardrums.
[What do you mean all of a sudden?! Ugh, you little punk! Not a single call for a year, and now you phone out of the blue? Ma... married? Oh my god! What kind of child is this that came out of my womb! Ugh, I'm gonna die of frustration!]
Her voice was so loud it felt like the phone might shatter.
But Ji-hoon didn't flinch at all and replied calmly.
"Ah. You needed citizenship anyway, so it's perfect."
[What? Citizenship? Is that what you're saying right now?! Did you mess up again?! Who's the girl this time? Is she right in the head!?]
"She's a very kind and pretty friend."
[Friend? You're marrying a friend?! You're completely insane!]
Despite his mother's infuriated cries, Ji-hoon remained composed.
"Anyway, I'll call back once the wedding date is set. Gotta go, busy here, Mom."
[Hey! Hey! Kim Ji-hoon! I wasn't done talking! Hey!!!!]
Ji-hoon ended the call, leaving his mother's desperate shouts behind.
His mother probably clutched her neck and collapsed from high blood pressure that day.
Finishing the recollection, Ji-hoon chuckled again.
Lily sat quietly on the bed.
Her small heart was pounding much faster and more irregularly than usual.
'What... is this?'
Lily placed her hand on her chest.
The throbbing heartbeat transmitted directly to her fingertips.
It was a strange sensation.
An emotion she'd never experienced before—utterly unfamiliar and confusing.
Suddenly, she recalled the moment Ji-hoon got down on one knee and proposed.
His serious gaze, his gentle voice.
And the words, "Will you marry me?"
Every time, a corner of her heart tickled.
Like dozens of tiny butterflies fluttering their wings.
Lily furrowed her brow.
'Am I sick somewhere? Did I develop some illness I don't know about?'
For Lily, who had lived her whole life alone in a confined space, the feeling of excitement was utterly foreign.
Her life had only held basic emotions like joy, sadness, and loneliness.
Having been cut off from the entire world, this sensation that made her heart race and brought inexplicable happiness was entirely new.
When Ji-hoon said he wanted to see Lily become happy, she thought he was just trying to help her.
She saw marriage as something she should gladly accept if it benefited him.
Having calmly accepted even her own death, the decision felt utterly natural and rational to her.
But at this moment.
This tickling in her chest couldn't be explained by pure reason alone.
Ji-hoon's smiling face kept popping into her mind.
The warmth when he hugged her, the large hand patting her back.
And even the soft touch of his lips brushing against hers at the end.
Lily cupped her flushed cheeks with both hands.
She didn't know what it was, but somehow... it didn't feel bad at all.
No, rather... a tiny wish began to sprout in her heart that this feeling would continue.
Marriage.
The greatest turning point in life, something that happens only once for men and women alike.
'Heh heh, but I'm doing it twice.'
The fact that Ji-hoon was gleefully reveling in having a second marriage, as if conscience didn't matter, showed that Kim Ji-hoon wasn't exactly normal either.
Marriage is the union of two families.
It's called the great matter of male-female ethics.
In other words, families exert strong influence over the event.
'No!!!!!'
But Ji-hoon, the mutant of the Kim family, was not one to care about such things.
In a way, Ji-hoon and Lily.
With two mutants coming together, one might think, "Huh? Could actually work."
Ji-hoon had no intention of having a socially recognized lavish wedding.
He'd already done a grand one in Korea, so it held no meaning.
This was something he'd already discussed thoroughly with Lily.
The church where they first met.
They decided on a small, quiet ceremony at dawn in that very church where Ji-hoon volunteered, just informing God in front of the pastor.
The pastor was startled by the sudden news but happily agreed to officiate.
Thud thud thud!
Ji-hoon, who had bought a standalone house near the shop, was now watching the interior construction site.
Noisy work sounds echoed continuously.
His requests were simple.
Install UV-blocking film on every window of the typical American two-story house.
In truth, as long as UV rays were blocked, Lily's skin wouldn't have major issues.
The UV coating blocked 99% of harmful rays, and using film with maximum heat rejection meant the house didn't need to be dark.
Plenty of light could still come in, so there was no need to live in darkness.
It was like turning the entire house into giant sunglasses.
All indoor lighting was replaced with indirect lights.
The ceiling was done in a recessed style, with soft LED lights installed inside.
LEDs produce almost no UV, and the light diffuses gently through the ceiling, so it wouldn't affect Lily's vision.
He paid special attention to the kitchen.
Since he'd have to make albino-friendly meals for Lily every day from now on.
The bedroom was also fitted out cleanly and comfortably.
Since it wasn't major structural work, the interior was finished in about a week.
In the meantime, Ji-hoon spent every evening after work at Lily's place.
Before they knew it, the two had naturally become a new family in their daily routine.
The attitude of trying to teach others.
In Korea, it was behavior not just women, but most people disliked.
Why?
Because everyone had received basic education and constant schooling until adulthood.
'What, I got lectured enough as a student, and now you're trying to teach me in society? Are you some boomer?'
Such sentiments permeated society.
Especially women, who extremely despised the know-it-all "big brother" types who went, "I've lived longer, so let me tell you~."
'Argh! So where are men supposed to get their recognition fix?!'
The current Ji-hoon was engaging in exactly that so-called "boomer" behavior.
Fortunately(?), it suited Lily perfectly.
Just the fact that Ji-hoon slept beside her every night filled Lily's days with joy.
Their conversation time naturally increased as well.
Lily had never received proper education.
Like elementary school kids curious about everything and constantly asking questions, that's exactly how Lily was.
Lacking social skills and knowledge, Ji-hoon's explanations weren't nagging to her—they were fascinating and fun stories.
When Lily asked questions, Ji-hoon excitedly answered and explained in detail.
Far from annoying, her pure curiosity was adorable.
"Wow~ I see!"
Lily's sparkling-eyed admiration at his explanations gave Ji-hoon a satisfaction nothing else could match.
'Ahh, her reactions are so delicious. Perfectly juicy! I'm being recognized. Even if I melted away right now, I'd have no regrets!'
Having lived alone, Ji-hoon felt his loneliness melt away like snow as he spent every day with his soon-to-be wife.
This must be why humans are social animals.
That night was the same.
After washing up and lying side by side in bed, Lily broke the silence of the dark room by calling out to Ji-hoon.
"Hoon!"
"Yeah?"
"......But, when will our baby come?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Ji-hoon was caught off guard by the sudden question.
'What? Out of nowhere? You can't pick stars from the sky without looking up.'
He had no intention of being intimate with Lily before the wedding.
"Hmm? Mom said... that when a man and woman sleep in bed together, a baby comes...?"
Following Lily's innocent reply, her voice trembled slightly with anxiety.
"But Hoon... I'm scared... scared that I'll pass this curse-like disease to the baby."
'No, mother-in-law! What the heck did you teach her?!'
Ji-hoon realized Lily had received no sex education at all.
At the same time, her worry about the child tugged at his heart.
In truth, Ji-hoon had worried about it too and looked into it beforehand.
To be precise, if one spouse has albinism and the other is normal, the chance of the child having albinism is 50-50.
Exactly half.
If the child didn't inherit the mutant gene and Ji-hoon's normal melanin production gene combined well, the baby could be born normal.
However, the child would inevitably be a carrier of the albino gene, with a possibility of it manifesting in descendants generations later.
Still, Ji-hoon thought it was worth trying.
'By the third generation, I'll already be in a coffin. Who cares about albinism then?'