22. Harmonious Mother and Daughter (2)
22. Harmonious Mother and Daughter (2)
Bbi-bi-bik-
I pulled out the thermometer from under my armpit and checked the temperature. It read 37.8 degrees, a little higher than average.
'... I had a feeling.'
Honestly, I never thought it would actually spread to me.
Of course, we'd spent last night in the same room, sharing breaths, even sneaking kisses without Miyagi knowing, so it wasn't strange for the cold to catch me...
But now that I'd caught it and my body felt all sluggish, I couldn't help a twinge of regret. Maybe it was my age—colds didn't just go away easily anymore.
"Keol-lok-"
Now the coughing was starting too.
Should I have taken the medicine first like Miyagi said? Back then, I didn't feel like I had a cold, so I thought I'd be fine... guess not.
'Guess I'll have to go to the hospital...?'
I needed to go before it got worse, but heading to the hospital on my day off felt like such a hassle, and lately, I'd been going so often it left a bad taste.
It really drove home how much older I was getting. Every time I went and got a prescription, it hit me that my body wasn't young anymore, and I hated that.
The drawer was filling up with supplements, and packets of pills from who-knows-when. Even without any major illness, aches popped up everywhere, dragging me back to the doctor.
Every time, it sank in that I was a mom with a 20-year-old daughter...
Embarrassing as it is, that's why I hated going to the hospital.
'There's gotta be some left...'
I rummaged through the piles of medicine packets in the drawer and found some leftover cold pills from a few months ago. Not many left, but...
Too lazy to drag myself to the hospital with this lethargy, I figured I'd take these instead. I tore open the packet and dumped the pills into my mouth.
'... Wait, don't meds have expiration dates?'
I checked the packet to see when I'd gotten it from months ago, but then shrugged it off with a 'What, am I gonna die?' and shoved it back in the drawer before flopping onto the bed.
Lying there staring blankly at the ceiling, my right hand—the one I'd burned making porridge earlier—started throbbing with a stinging heat.
'How anxious I was trying not to let Miyagi find out...'
It hit me anew: as a parent, my life skills were seriously lacking.
A mom who couldn't even make proper porridge for her sick daughter without burning herself... Was there a dumber mom in the world? I should at least know basic cooking.
Then again, I'd never done housework in my life, so what cooking could I possibly do? Whenever it was time to cook, I'd get annoyed and just grab whatever fruit or veggies were in the fridge for a meal...
I'd always left laundry, cleaning, cooking—everything—to the helper and thrown money at it, so of course this was par for the course.
It'd been years since I last turned on the kitchen gas. I didn't even know it was locked and had to call the management office wondering why the flame wouldn't light.
'Now here I am, trying to play mom for once and causing all this chaos.'
Self-loathing washed over me, but it felt like it was time to start acting like a parent, even if clumsily. After all, now I knew that child wasn't a 'monster' but a 'person.'
So even if she didn't feel like my 'daughter' most days, I needed to treat her like one as her 'mom' from now on.
If I showed her I'd changed first, maybe she'd start changing too?
Then, instead of hiding her feelings like earlier, she'd show her true, lovable self like last night, right?
And if that happened...
I could love her like my 'daughter' even on normal days.
I wouldn't have to push her away because of this constant sense of wrongness.
**
Maybe it was the porridge Kaho made me and the medicine I took, but while I wasn't fully recovered, my condition had definitely improved.
Plus, after a solid nap, my head felt clear too—like I was back to my usual self. At this rate, I'd be fully better by tomorrow?
"Eugh, euuugh—"
I got up and stretched my arms overhead, and out came this gross old-man groan no actress should ever make.
Feeling refreshed, I headed to the living room, but the house felt eerily quiet. Kaho had said she had no schedule today and would be home, right?
But for someone who said that, it was way too quiet—like I was alone. Her shoes were still by the entrance, so she hadn't gone out...
Suddenly, I remembered her coughing in front of me that morning. What if her condition had worsened? She'd said it wasn't from me, but...
Just in case, I cautiously headed to Kaho's room. I knocked on the firmly shut Master Bedroom door—ttok-ttok—waiting for a response, but no sound came from inside.
"... Mom? Can I come in?"
Ttok-ttok—
I knocked again, asking if I could enter. Still, no sound from the room.
With no answer at all, worry started creeping in. Was she suffering alone because she caught my cold? What if she had a fever?
Anxiety turned to fidgeting, and even without permission, my hand twisted the doorknob.
"Mom... I'm coming in...?"
With a cheol-keok-, the Master Bedroom door opened, and I carefully scanned the room.
Truth be told, this was the first time seeing Kaho's room or even turning the knob. She'd always hated me coming in here.
The living room was unavoidable—we'd run into each other—but the Master Bedroom was different. It was purely her personal space, a strict no-entry zone for me.
Even now, standing there gripping the knob, I hesitated about stepping foot inside. Would she hate me for invading her territory? Was I crossing a line?
But all those worries...
Vanished the instant I saw Kaho curled up on the bed, groaning.
"Uh, Mom...?"
I rushed in to check on her. Her forehead was slick with cold sweat, like she had a fever, and her breaths were hot.
It was my fault. I'd caught the cold and passed it to Kaho. If I hadn't asked her to nurse me...
Guilt had me flailing in panic when Kaho stirred awake, slowly opening her eyes to look at me.
She smirked at my flustered hovering, finding it ridiculous apparently.
"What's with all the fuss?"
"B-but it's because of me you caught the cold... Because of me, your schedule's all messed up—"
Ttaak—!
Mid-sentence, a flick nailed me. The sharp sound and rising pain made me reflexively rub the spot.
I shot her a wronged look, but Kaho ignored it and even sent me on an errand.
"Anyone would think I had some fatal disease. Quit the drama and fetch me some water."
"O-okay...!"
I scrambled to get water and handed it to her. She took a sip, then stared intently at me. Why, why was she staring like that...?
Feeling like a criminal, I stood awkwardly avoiding her gaze until she sighed softly and patted the bed, beckoning me closer.
I sat on the edge, and she grabbed my wrist, pressing it to her forehead. My palm cupped it, her warmth seeping right through.
"How is it? Not that hot, right?"
Sure enough, the heat against my palm wasn't too bad. But even so...
"Still... I'm the one who gave it to you... I feel so guilty making you catch a cold for no reason..."
Like Kaho said, an actress's body is her asset. One cold could mess up her schedule and burden everyone around her.
Plus, missing work because of illness meant hearing all sorts of nasty rumors.
Like 'You think you're the only one filming?' or 'Dozens of people waiting on you—think it's okay to skip because you're sick?' or 'What were you doing all night without managing your health?'...
I hated hearing that stuff, so I'd always powered through without showing sickness. So Kaho canceling her schedule because of my cold...
Meant she'd hear crap she didn't deserve, and that guilt crushed me. Sure, no one would dare say it to her face...
You never know what people think.
That's showbiz—avoid incidents like that from the start. As I hemmed and hawed, avoiding her eyes, Kaho muttered super softly.
"......Why'd you change so much?"
"Huh?"
"Nothing, dear. Anyway, a good night's sleep and I'll be fine. So don't blame yourself—take care of your own body first."
She flopped back onto the bed like she was done talking, shoo-shooing me out with her hand. No, I was basically better now, so that was fine for me...
"S-still, let me help. Aren't you sticky from sweat? Want me to wipe you down?"
It slipped out without thinking, and Kaho's eyes widened in disbelief before she chuckled, her face turning sly as she asked.
"Why? Planning revenge for yesterday?"
"Huh? N-no! That's not it...!"
Seeing that sly look, heat rushed to my head again. I got exactly what she meant by 'revenge.'
N-no, what was this mom saying to her daughter...?! I-I just unconsciously blurted it out because she wiped me down while nursing me yesterday...!
It was so absurd I couldn't speak. As I flapped my lips uselessly, Kaho sighed softly and said.
"If you wanna help that bad, there is one thing..."
"What? I'll do anything I can!"
I had to change the subject, anything—cooking, errands, whatever. As I waited eagerly...
Kaho, still lying down, spread her arms wide toward me. Like she was inviting a hug. No way, right...?
"Perfect, I need a body pillow. Come on, let's nap together."
"A b-body pillow...?"
"Yeah. Or not, if you don't want."
She looked like it didn't matter what I chose. Hug her as a pillow or leave right now—either was fine.
'Is she asking this assuming I'll bail and go outside?'
That expression sparked some rebellious fire in me. Normal me would've bolted to my room...
But I sighed deeply and crawled into her open arms, settling in.
Once nestled against her, it was embarrassing, but seeing her surprised face felt satisfying. Guess she really didn't expect me to do it?
Thinking we'd nap like this, I closed my eyes—then her body shifted closer, burying my face in her chest.
Her breasts brushed my nose, and my heart dropped. I tried to pull away, but her leg hooked over my hips, trapping me tight.
Stuck as a real 'body pillow,' I protested to Kaho...
"W-wait! Too close...!"
"What pillow talks this much? Just sleep quietly."
She called me a chatty pillow and shoved my head deeper into her chest, hugging tighter. Now my whole face was buried in her breasts.
With every breath, her skin's scent hit me...
"~~~~!!!"
A silent scream exploded inside me.