Chapter 349: Like Mother, Like Daughter (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 349: Like Mother, Like Daughter (1)
A woman’s intuition can be, at times, astonishingly accurate.
Especially when it concerns her man.
That intuition—the one that had fallen silent, as if mocking her for no longer being a woman—showed a razor-sharp reaction for the first time in ages.
It happened yesterday.
It was directed at her daughter, Shin Yu-jeong, who was anxiously wringing her hands, worried about Kim Do-jin, who, like her, had been out of contact.
“Where the hell is that bastard…?!”
At first, she thought it was simple concern for a friend she couldn’t reach.
But as she watched her daughter’s emotions intensify over time, she, Seo Jeong-hee, came to a realization.
‘Yu-jeong… sees Do-jin as a man.’
How had she not known?
The same university, the same profession, the same team.
At some point, they had started spending so much time together, yet why hadn’t she harbored even a sliver of suspicion?
Was it because Yu-jeong was her daughter? Or was it because the remnants of her past dislike for Kim Do-jin still lingered?
‘If that’s the case, what about Do-jin….’
She understood that her daughter liked Kim Do-jin as a man.
But what about Kim Do-jin’s feelings?
He might have already accepted her daughter’s heart.
Considering how generously he accepted her daughter’s constant involvement in his affairs.
Of course, this was all just speculation. The possibility that it wasn’t true was also high.
She herself knew the reason why better than anyone.
His gaze, which she met dozens of times a day.
Whenever their eyes met, his were always brimming with a deep, thick affection for her. It was so common for the sight alone to leave her wet between the thighs.
‘Yes, there’s not a hint of falsehood in that emotion. I’m sure of it.’
She was certain.
The feel of his strong arms enveloping her body, his breath on her lips, his passionate movements.
Not a single one of those things could be shown if his feelings for her weren’t genuine.
And because it was her, she could say it with even greater conviction.
Through experience, she had learned more clearly than anyone what the emotions and actions of a man whose heart had grown cold looked like.
Watching Kim Do-jin happily lift his spoon to eat a side dish she had placed on his bowl, she smiled wryly.
‘I knew a day like this would come eventually.’
Watching him grow more handsome and rise higher each day, she had been preparing her heart, little by little.
For the day a woman prettier, younger, and wiser than herself appeared by his side.
At first, she had intended to let him go.
She would express her gratitude to the man who had reawakened the joy of being a woman, something she thought she’d never feel again in her life, and send him off with a serene heart.
That was definitely what she had thought at first….
‘…I don’t want to.’
As time passed, a sense of greed began to grow.
A flower that had been withering like a century-old evening primrose had bloomed once more.
Her self-esteem, which had hit rock bottom, soared once again in the heat of a love so passionate it felt like her whole body would melt.
As she was now, she could be loved by him.
And she could love him back just as passionately as the love she received.
So why on earth should she step aside for another woman, rather than being pushed out?
‘I don’t want him to be taken from me.’
Being loved had made her realize something.
The place where she belonged wasn’t maintained by someone else protecting it for her.
It was something she had to protect herself.
As the withering flower bloomed, the emotions that had faded with age were rekindled.
A fighting spirit.
In her twenties, her competitive drive had been second to none.
Where else would her daughter’s “I’d rather die than lose” personality have come from?
Being kicked out of someone’s heart once was enough.
Now, she would use that bitter experience as nourishment and take root in his heart.
Any woman who coveted her place was an enemy.
That included her own daughter.
Yielding?
That was something you did for a young child.
Why should she yield to a child who was already grown and capable of earning her own keep?
‘If anything, I should be the one being yielded to.’
And so, she asked.
“By any chance… are you and my Yu-jeong dating?”
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.
Only by knowing the exact nature of the feelings passing between her man and her daughter could she formulate a response.
The extinguished flame of her fighting spirit began to blaze to life once more.
*
I’m speechless—no, I can’t even breathe.
I was so surprised that the strawberry I was swallowing came back up into my mouth before going down again.
That’s how sudden, how bewildering, how shocking it was.
Asking if I’m dating Shin Yu-jeong out of the blue.
I quickly calm myself and study the face of the woman sitting across from me.
Judging by her question and her expression, it doesn’t seem like she’s asking because she has concrete proof.
That means she’s grown suspicious for some reason….
“Uh… we’re not dating.”
A firm denial would end it.
If I said we weren’t dating, that I only had eyes for Jeong-hee, her suspicions would melt away like snow.
However, that would only be a one-time excuse to evade the moment.
That’s why I chose a different option.
“But… I know that Yu-jeong likes me.”
To reveal a part of my relationship with Yu-jeong.
It might be a headache for now.
But looking at the bigger picture, this was the right answer.
Because what I wanted wasn’t one or the other, but both of them.
Shin Yu-jeong and me.
And Jeong-hee and me.
The feelings on both sides were as ripe as they could be.
Before they deepened any further, I needed to steer them in a new direction.
A direction where they would acknowledge each other’s existence, agonize over it, and finally, come to accept it.
“I see…”
Jeong-hee smiled bitterly at my answer.
What could she be thinking right now?
After a moment of deep thought, she asked me again.
“Then… how do you feel?”
A question I had expected.
In response, I ask one of my own.
“Should I be completely honest? Or should I mix in a little lie?”
“Tell me honestly.”
I knew she would say that.
It was a meaningless question, really.
In a situation like this, who would want to hear a lie-laced answer first?
“To be honest… I do get swayed a little. No, sometimes a lot. As you know… Yu-jeong might have a rough personality, but she has a lot of good qualities.”
“Hehe, that’s true.”
She smiled, looking pleased.
She seemed quite happy that I recognized her daughter’s charms, which were hidden behind a harsh personality that few could see past.
I take a breath and add the words that had been lingering on the tip of my tongue.
“But… I still like you more.”
This was quite sincere.
If I had to give one of them up, I’d rather fight to the death. That’s how serious I am about what’s mine.
But even if I try to love them equally, isn’t it inevitable that I’d have a favorite among my possessions?
Jeong-hee was a special woman to me in many ways.
She was the first woman to show me kindness after I entered this body, and the one who accepted me.
And she did so even when I was fat.
How could I not cherish a woman like that?
“So if you’re thinking of giving me up because of Yu-jeong…”
Just as I was about to tell her not to, she shook her head.
“I did think that at first. I was going to let you go without any lingering feelings if a woman who suited you better than an old lady like me appeared… but not anymore.”
A complex smile formed on her lips.
“I might not have been if I were my old self… but I’m confident now. Confident that I won’t lose you to some young girl.”
Voicing her confidence, she asked me.
“Do-jin, can you live without my cooking?”
“Uh… these days, I don’t think I could.”
I realized it clearly after visiting Ju-yeon’s house.
My palate has been thoroughly tamed by the taste of Jeong-hee’s cooking.
I mean, I ate a full meal there and came here to eat again.
At that, her smile deepened.
“Then your stomach is already mine, isn’t it?”
“…Is that how it works?”
“Hehe… back in my day, they used to say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach… I guess the kids these days wouldn’t know?”
“Definitely…”
There were sayings like that back in the day.
I think there was a similar one that went, “A pretty face keeps a marriage happy for three years, but good cooking keeps it happy for thirty.”
“But most importantly… I don’t think I can live without my man’s cock…♥”
Her leg, which should have been across from me, was slithering up mine.
Past my shin, my thigh… and deep into the space between my legs.
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
“…I can’t live without it either.”
My head was spinning.
The Jeong-hee I knew should have been devastated to hear that her daughter liked me. I never imagined she would come on to me so aggressively.
Is this… actually a good thing?
She wiggled her toes and continued.
“Sadly, since I was already a used pussy when I met you, I couldn’t give you my first time… but if you want it, Do-jin, I can give you a different kind of first.”
“A different… first?”
A different first? What could that be?
Besides a hymen, what else could be called a first… Don’t tell me.
Smiling shyly in a way that didn’t suit her age, she answered.
“I’ll leave that to your imagination…?♥”
The moment I heard those words, I felt it.
My existence had drawn one step closer to the abyss.