Everything Had Changed
As the surge of emotion subsided, Han Pan withdrew his hand.
A lingering sense of regret settled deep in his chest.
Park Miho smiled as she spoke.
"So, how does it feel?"
"Pretty damn good, actually. Makes me want to see them for real…"
At his sly remark she pinched his cheek again, laughing.
"That will never, ever happen. Hohoho."
With that she stepped out of the car.
Watching her, Han Pan climbed out as well, hauled his suitcase from the trunk, and followed Miho as she strode ahead toward the first floor.
A few paces in front of him, Miho opened the door that led up into the house and disappeared up the stairs; Han Pan hurried after her.
He could see her climbing ahead of him, every curve of her body laid bare by the tight wrap dress. With each step the fabric stretched taut over her hips and ass, drawing his gaze like a magnet. No panty line showed at all, and the thought that she might be wearing nothing more than a thong sent blood rushing straight to his groin.
Han Pan told himself he was acting strangely today, yet he had never imagined his own mother’s body could look like this. The new, overwhelming impression of her left him mentally floundering. Feeling sexual desire for his mother was shameful, but he could not stop the feeling from rising. Hormones ruled him now; the balls that had been emptied almost daily by Eunju were already heavy again, aching for release, and every little stimulus like this tormented him.
Miho was not unaware of the stare locked on her ass. Far from being offended by how openly her son was looking, she felt a quiet pride. Even a son who would never lack for women was taking notice of the results of all her hard work—it lifted the self-esteem that had been crushed so low. More than that, his frank gaze stirred an unfamiliar excitement inside her. The thought that her own son might be seeing her as a sexual object only made the excitement burn hotter. When she reached the top of the stairs she turned and looked back at him.
The moment their eyes met, Han Pan wondered if he had been staring too blatantly and felt a flicker of embarrassment, yet he kept his face calm and dragged the suitcase into the living room on the first floor.
Once inside, his eyes went wide as he took in the house.
Everything was completely different from the place he remembered. The new interior design, the furniture arrangement, the color scheme—all of it stunned him.
As if she had expected exactly that reaction, Miho met his gaze and nodded.
"Well? Mom decided to start a whole new life, so I changed the whole atmosphere of the house."
Han Pan looked around the living room once more. Gone was every trace of the cozy, slightly old-fashioned feel of the past; the first word that stamped itself into his mind was chic.
"Wow… the vibe really is totally different…"
"Right?"
A modern chic of perfectly balanced black and white now filled the entire house. A few pieces of the old furniture remained, but most had been replaced with new ones—every one of them modern, simple, and black-toned. The floor was covered in clean gray marble that gleamed like a mirror. Beside the floor-to-ceiling windows that always let in the sunlight stood a large L-shaped leather sofa, also black, its metal base giving it a solid yet luxurious air. Next to it was a black recliner, angled just right for reading or napping and looking supremely comfortable. On the wall hung a television that must have been a full hundred inches—movie-theater size—and on either side of it stood cabinets for the imported teacups that were her hobby. The walls had been almost completely opened up so that the entire first-floor living space flowed into one continuous area connected to the kitchen; everything was visible at a glance. Beside the kitchen sat a long kitchen table that could easily seat six, finished in the same black. Except for the central staircase leading to the second floor, the whole space had been opened wide and airy.
"Want to see something even cooler?"
"What is it?"
Miho stepped over to the recliner by the window and yanked the gray curtains aside. The outdoor view flooded in, and there, right in the middle of it, sat a beautiful swimming pool.
Han Pan stared at his mother again, eyes wide with fresh surprise.
"Huh? Since when do we have a pool?"
Miho looked at him, face full of pride.
"Isn’t it gorgeous?"
He walked to the window and gazed down at the pool. A clean rectangular swimming pool occupied the backyard, its blue tiles neat and filled with clear water. Beach chairs sat side by side beside it, complete with a parasol that made the whole setup look surprisingly stylish. The fact that such a pool existed right in the middle of the city felt refreshingly unexpected.
He turned back to his mother.
"Why’d you build a pool?"
Miho shrugged.
"I don’t know… I just wanted to invite people over for pool parties, and on nice days I wanted to strip down and sunbathe like they do in American movies. I talked it over with Seo-a and So-jo and we had it put in… They both love it to death. We sunbathe all the time now. Hohoho."
Only then did Han Pan notice how beautifully tanned her skin had become. The mental image of beautiful women in bikinis sunbathing with him in the middle of the city sent a sudden rush of excitement through him.
Miho stepped up beside him.
"Well… I just decided to indulge a little. How much longer will I even be able to play like this, right? Mom’s going to live and have fun from now on…"
She murmured the words as if speaking half to him and half to herself. Han Pan glanced at her face. An unreadable expression lingered there. He sensed that the wound of the divorce still cut deep, that she needed something—anything—to shift her thoughts. He quickly changed the subject, nodding toward a room in the corner of the first floor—the room that used to belong to Miho and Taesik.
"Hey… that room looks like the atmosphere’s changed too…"
He walked slowly toward it; Miho followed with a smile. When he opened the door, a sleek fitness space appeared. Several muscle-training machines stood ready, barbells were neatly arranged, and yoga mats and other exercise gear lined the floor in perfect order.
"Oh, this is nice."
"Right?"
"I’ve been really into working out lately… I exercise every morning. Let’s work out together, Mom!"
Han Pan nodded.
"Sounds good! So where’s your room now?"
She nodded back.
"I remodeled the room Seo-a used to use. That’s where I sleep now."
"Oh, really?"
"Well… since I’m sleeping alone, it doesn’t need to be big anymore…"
The remark left a brief awkward silence; he steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Uh… then I’ll go unpack in my room for now… Does So-jo unnie know I’m coming?"
"Ah… right… I haven’t told So-jo yet. I’ll call her. She’s been so busy lately she never gets home early… Let’s have a family dinner for once. I’ll call Seo-a too."
The eldest, Seo-a, lived separately from them. The thought of seeing his beautiful older sister again after so long made his chest flutter for reasons he could not quite name. Seo-a unnie was the woman who came closest to his ideal type. Warm personality, outstanding looks ever since they were kids. If little sister So-jo was the goddess of the body, Seo-a was the goddess of atmosphere. She had a natural charisma and a considerate nature that earned her excellent reputation with everyone around her. People had constantly urged her to enter the entertainment industry, but she had properly studied the pilates she had always enjoyed and opened her own studio—which had been a solid success. She had also gathered a huge following as an Instagram influencer, appeared on broadcasts now and then to promote her pilates, and by now had franchised a brand under her own name into a full-scale fitness center offering comprehensive training. At twenty-six she had already achieved quite a lot.
Miho glanced at her phone.
"Okay… finish unpacking. Meanwhile I’ll let Seo-a and So-jo know to come for dinner…"
"Yeah, yeah."