Chapter 352: Like Mother, Like Daughter (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 352: Like Mother, Like Daughter (4)
It was breakfast time, just like any other day.
No… most of it was the same, but a few differences caught my eye.
And all of them stemmed from Jeong-hee.
“Ajumma… are you hurt somewhere?”
Her gait was strange as she moved between the kitchen and the dining table.
Like someone who was injured, her back and pelvis were hunched over, and her stride was much shorter than usual.
Her posture was awkward, and today, her hips and butt were swaying with an unusual exaggeration.
I had no idea what was going on, but she looked hurt, so I asked.
“Hm…? I’m fine…?”
“…Are you sure?”
She said she was fine.
No, she’s not.
To my eyes, she didn’t look fine at all.
The expression on her face was a little awkward, too, as she forced a smile to insist she was okay.
The proof was in her exaggerated smile, as if trying to hide something, and the uncomfortable look she couldn’t quite conceal.
And yet, she stubbornly kept repeating that she was fine.
“Yes, I’m fine, so hurry up and eat so you can get to school.”
After going back and forth between the kitchen and the table a few more times with a pained expression and a difficult gait, she gently sat down in the chair across from me.
But even that was strange.
“Ughn…”
The moment she sat down, she let out a nasal sound tinged with a strange emotion, then, with a slight frown, she began to shift her body from side to side.
Was it not her leg that was hurt, but her lower back or pelvis?
If not that… maybe her butt?
I couldn’t tell exactly where she was hurt, but it was clear she was in some kind of discomfort.
“A-anyway… Do-jin, you don’t have a first-period class today, do you?”
“…No, I don’t.”
“Then why are you up so early? You could have slept in a little.”
“Ah, I have some business at the Association.”
Noticing my gaze, which had picked up on something being off, Jeong-hee kept trying to make conversation.
“The… Association? Why?”
“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? That I’m thinking of creating a guild.”
“Oh… y-yes, you did.”
“I think it’s about time.”
The nasal sounds she let out and her broken speech punctuated our conversation.
Something was clearly wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
“Th-then… ughm, are you going to be the guild leader, Do-jin?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my, how cool…”
It was because of her tone. A desperate atmosphere that seemed to plead, ‘Don’t ask me anything.’
That’s why I could only wonder to myself.
What on earth is the problem?
Then, one thing suddenly came to mind.
…Could it be that time of the month?
The magical day that visits women once a month.
“Uhm.”
If it was that day, it would certainly make sense.
I’d heard that many women suffer from severe pain during that time. Was Jeong-hee one of them?
I knew from decades of experience.
At times like this, you should avoid getting on the other person’s nerves at all costs.
If she didn’t want me to pry, then that’s what I had to do.
I should probably buy some sweet things like chocolate on my way home this evening.
They say eating sweets helps ease the pain during that time of the month.
The source, of course, was my ex-wife.
As I was trying my best to act like I wasn’t paying attention to it and continuing our brief conversation…
“So, what time will you be back from the Association?”
Yu-jeong, who was sitting next to me, suddenly jumped into the conversation, blatantly pressing her chest against my arm.
“Yu-jeong, you…?”
Jeong-hee glared at her daughter, her brow furrowed.
Ignoring her mother’s gaze, the girl pressed even closer to me.
This kid is really going for it.
Geez, this clueless girl.
How can she live with her mom and not even know when she’s on her period? What’s she thinking, provoking her like this?
It’s Jeong-hee’s time of the month; if she pokes the bear, even her own daughter won’t get away unscathed.
“Probably… if there are no issues, I think I’ll be back before lunch.”
“Heehee, then I’ll wait for you without eating lunch, okay?”
I snuck a glance at Jeong-hee to gauge her reaction.
Her expression was terrifying.
“…Yeah, okay.”
As I agreed to Yu-jeong’s request, Jeong-hee’s glare became even fiercer.
Her face seemed to ask, ‘How could you?’
It was a little chilling, but everything was going according to plan.
If I kept fanning the flames between these two like this, I should be able to get some meaningful results.
However, I couldn’t let the fire ignite all at once.
Because.
“Oh my, this seems to have gone bad, so don’t eat it.”
“……?”
“……”
I might have the side dish I was just enjoying without any problem snatched away.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After finishing the emotionally and physically chaotic breakfast, I drove not to the university, but to the Association.
When I parked in the underground garage and headed for the elevator, a familiar face was standing there.
“Welcome, Mr. Do-jin.”
It was Yoon Ji-an.
“Why did you come down to meet me? I was going to come up anyway.”
As I asked with a wry smile, she approached with hesitant steps and met my eyes.
“W-well… that is… I… I wanted to see you.”
A shy confession.
I immediately reached out, gently cupped the nape of her neck, and pulled her in.
A searing kiss followed.
“Mmph… Hah, slurp, mwah…♥”
At first, she seemed flustered, but then she began to match the movements of my tongue as if she’d never been hesitant at all.
Just as our bodies had warmed up nicely from the fond entanglement of mutual desire, I pulled my lips away.
“Hah, hah…”
Her breathless panting.
I replied to her in a low voice.
“I wanted to see you, too.”
“Mr. Do-jin…♥”
The atmosphere had grown so heated that if we went just a little further, we might have had sex right there in the elevator.
If I had my way, having sex in a moving elevator sounded like it would be fun and thrilling, but…
“They’re waiting upstairs, right?”
“Hah… yes.”
Yoon Ji-an replied with a gloomy expression.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time.
Because I had made an appointment in advance, there was someone upstairs waiting for us—or more accurately, for me.
“…Let’s get in.”
We got on the elevator, and I gently stroked the dejected woman’s back and whispered in her ear.
“Just be patient for a little while. I’ll stop by your place soon… We can do it as much as we want then.”
At that, she asked with a pout.
“…If you don’t give me an exact date, I won’t be patient.”
“……”
My words must have sounded like the empty promise of ‘Let’s grab a meal sometime!’ that Koreans often say to friends they haven’t seen in a while.
Only after we set a specific date did she finally drop her sullen expression.
Though it seemed she was still struggling to cool down.
Ding!
[15th Floor.]
We got off at the floor we arrived at just as our conversation ended.
“This way.”
I followed Yoon Ji-an, who had appointed herself my guide, to a conference room.
Knock, knock!
She knocked on the door, and a deep, dignified voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and entered to find two people sitting in a modest conference room.
One was Kim Seong-tae, the head of the General Affairs Department, whom I’d met several times.
The other person… it was my first time meeting him in this body, but he was someone I had met a few times when I was Son Si-woo.
He was a man with a massive, muscular build unbelievable for his middle age, and a chiseled, handsome face that couldn’t be a better fit for the word ‘manly,’ all topped with a good-natured smile.
His name was Kim Deok-geun.
He was a 1st Generation Hunter active during the chaotic early days, who announced his complete retirement about ten years ago and, not long after, took a position as a director at the Association.
He stood up, his massive frame rising, and extended a hand to me.
“Oh, so you’re Hunter Kim Do-jin? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Deok-geun.”
“It’s an honor, Sunbae-nim.”
As I greeted him politely and shook his hand, he let out a hearty laugh.
“Gwahahaha! What’s with the ‘Sunbae-nim’ for a washed-up old man who retired because he got old!”
Even as he said this, a smile never left his lips.
I knew a thing or two about this old guy; he loved being called ‘Sunbae-nim’ by his juniors in the industry more than anything.
He said the title ‘Director’ made him feel like some old geezer who’s been put out to pasture, or something like that.
“Now, now, have a seat.”
After finishing our greetings and sitting down, I asked.
“May I ask why you wanted to see me, Sunbae-nim?”
“Haha! This fellow here is a bit impatient, isn’t he?”
Grandpa Deok-geun laughed heartily and lightly tapped the conference table.
…Of course, “lightly” was by that old man’s standards.
Thump! Thump!
Seeing the table shake precariously as if it would collapse at any moment, Kim Seong-tae tried to stop him.
“Director… you’re going to smash another desk if you keep that up.”
“Oops, I almost made a mistake again. The Association President already threw such a… no, such a fit after I broke a few desks the other day.”
I think he was about to say ‘threw a fucking fit.’
“Anyway… since you asked so directly, I’ll speak frankly as well.”
“Yes.”
Kim Deok-geun completely wiped the smile from his face.
“I heard you’re considering creating a guild.”
“That’s correct.”
It wasn’t just a consideration; I had already made up my mind to establish one.
That was why I came to the Association today.
But things got complicated.
I mentioned I’d be stopping by soon about creating a guild, and suddenly that old man asked to see me.
He leaned forward, bringing his face close to mine, and asked.
“That idea… is there any chance you could reconsider?”
What the hell is this about?