Chapter 77
Chapter 77
This is going to be tough. Jae-gyu felt a mix of restless emotions.
“Jae-gyu. Did you eat? I’m getting a bit hungry now. If you haven’t eaten yet, let’s eat together.”
Bom’s words snapped him back to reality. Jae-gyu was also on an empty stomach, having only fed the kids at the rest area.
Bom had clearly been through a lot these past few days, skipping meals. He wanted to feed her something hearty, but there weren’t really any good restaurants in Rodeo. Jae-gyu squeezed Bom’s small hand.
“I have some abalone at home. I’ll make porridge with it and grill some for you too. Let’s go.”
“Huh? You don’t have to go that far... It’s okay, we can just eat something simple here. No need to bother.”
Bother? He could make Abalone Porridge with his eyes closed.
“Those are live abalones from Wando, palm-sized, absolutely top-notch.”
They were premium grade, too. His lips curled up at the thought of having just the right thing at home. He’d actually procured them to make abalone seaweed soup.
Finely chop them, add the guts, simmer a rich, thick bowl of porridge, then grab a few cabbage leaves, make some jeon, and eat it all together – perfect.
“...Eating out, the taste is a bit lacking, I suppose.”
Bom, too, seemed to want it. How could he not know? He led Bom back to the car and set off for Shinsu-eup.
It was sweltering summer, but today the sun was blazing and the sky was a clear, brilliant blue. Jae-gyu hummed in admiration of the weather, then glanced at the quiet figure beside him.
“What are you doing, Bom-Bom?”
Bom was looking at the Tattoo Sleeve he kept in the glove compartment.
“Try it on.”
“You want me to try this on?”
“I think it’d suit you. Show me. I washed it, so it’s clean.”
It was 80% a joke. He was trying to coax her, but also prepared to get hit by Bom’s gentle ‘cotton paw.’ But unexpectedly, Bom started to try on the Tattoo Sleeve.
One of Bom’s charming points was her occasional impulsive actions. Bom raised her arm, wearing the Tattoo Sleeve, and needlessly clenched her fist.
“Does it suit me?”
Colorful tattoos appeared on her slender, white arm. Jae-gyu pulled the car over to a secluded shoulder.
“...The Bom-Bom Gang really exists. Boss, come here.”
“There you go again. I told you not to do that.”
“Boss, just your face this way for a moment...”
“Why?”
As soon as Bom’s head turned towards him, Jae-gyu unbuckled his seatbelt and urgently kissed her. Bom immediately parted her lips, accepting Jae-gyu’s tongue as it plunged in.
“Hnnngh...”
He licked and sucked at Bom’s tender flesh, sweeter than candy and softer than clouds. The more he swallowed, the thirstier he became. As he kissed Bom, his body was completely ablaze.
‘I’m going crazy.’
Jae-gyu lowered his gaze, panting as he looked at the hem of the One-Piece Dress Bom was wearing. He slipped his hand inside and slowly stroked the soft inner thigh.
Feeling the dampness, his body stirred even more. Bom had clearly gotten wet in an instant too.
How could her skin be so soft? He wanted to enter Bom’s glutinous rice cake-like depths right then. As his desire intensified, his voice cracked.
“I want to do it.”
“...Hnnngh, here?”
“I’ve wanted to put it in since earlier.”
If he had his way, he’d push back the seat, lay Bom down, and devour her right then. But he couldn’t. It was broad daylight, someone might see Bom, and the thought of that made his blood boil.
He had to hold back. Jae-gyu composed himself and pulled his lips away.
“We still have five more minutes to go, how can I hold back? This is an emergency.”
In his regret, he stroked Bom’s long neck a few times with the back of his hand, and now his pants zipper felt like it would burst. Feeling Bom’s pulse quicken as he touched her neck only made it worse.
“Let’s go, quickly.”
Feeling a sense of urgency, Jae-gyu sped up and pressed the accelerator.
Bom was still wearing the Tattoo Sleeve. He hadn’t realized she cared so much about the Tattoo Sleeve he’d received as a prize after fueling up a while ago.
“If you like it, keep it.”
“No, it’s okay. It seems like something you cherish.”
“Rather than cherishing it... sometimes I need it.”
The burn scar on his left forearm, a remnant from when his house burned down, was usually fine, but it was a problem when his condition wasn’t good. It would itch and sting. He’d tried wearing the sleeve because it bothered him, and found that it wrapped around smoothly and completely soothed the stinging.
He’d only worn it occasionally when it stung, but it must have made quite an impression on Bom.
“Once you’ve had your Abalone Porridge and everything else, and you’ve got your strength back, be prepared. I’m really... completely fired up today.”
“What’s ‘fired up’?”
“I was going to abstain until Bom-Bom’s birthday, but I’m crumbling two days before.”
Bom was startled, taking her hand off the sleeve she’d been fiddling with, and turned her head.
“How did you know? That my birthday is the day after tomorrow?”
Well, knowing her birthday was as easy as chewing gum while lying down.
“That time when we drank.”
Bom immediately understood what he meant and exclaimed, “Ah!” in surprise. When they checked IDs at the bar, Jae-gyu had subtly glanced at the first few digits of her resident registration number. Bom said she hadn’t known he remembered it, and was amazed. Of course he’d remember, it was her birthday.
“Your birthday is right around the corner, and you haven’t said anything. I’ve been waiting to see when you’d tell me yourself, so why didn’t you?”
“I just don’t think of it as a special day... I don’t know. My family never really did anything big for birthdays.”
“We have to have a party, a party.”
Seeing that Bom hadn’t linked her birthday to SNS or messenger, it seemed she wanted it to pass quietly, but Jae-gyu had a party planned.
He had already figured out she had no other plans, so planning the schedule was easy. He’d booked a hotel with an ocean view in Haeundae, and they were also going to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. He’d even prepared a small gift.
“When’s your birthday, Jae-gyu? I didn’t see your ID that day.”
That was true. Only Bom had been asked for ID; Jae-gyu hadn’t. Still, didn’t he look like a high school senior at a glance? Why hadn’t they checked his ID? Jae-gyu gave a bitter smile.
“Ah! By any chance...”
“Yes?”
“Is it December 28th?”
“How did you know that...”
Jae-gyu was startled. He also hadn’t linked his birthday to SNS or messenger. It was because of the ‘gnats’ who’d contact him using it as an excuse every year on that day. How did she know?
“Actually... I’ve seen your SNS before. Your ID is JK_1228.”
“How long have you been spying on me?”
“...”
“Why didn’t you follow me?”
Taking this opportunity, Jae-gyu made a promise to start a Lovestagram with Bom.
Of course, it was a shame it had to be a private account just for the two of them, in case students saw it, but it was good to have a space to upload the photos he’d taken whenever he had a chance. He’d have to update today’s Four-Cut Life Photo too.
“I’ll make sure you have fun all day. On your birthday.”
Bom blushed and nodded. Then, remembering, she turned on her phone and said she’d register December 28th in her schedule.
“Bom. What’s wrong?”
Bom’s flushed face gradually lost its color as she looked at her phone. She pretended it was nothing, her voice hoarse as she spoke.
“Jae-gyu, my mother is coming to Cheongseol-eup tomorrow.”
Jae-gyu was surprised for a moment, then calmly nodded. Perfect timing, actually.
He couldn’t let Bom get depressed every time her mother was mentioned. He had wanted to meet her sometime, and that day had arrived sooner than expected.
Jae-gyu gave his mother-in-law a mental thumbs-up for her timing.
⋆★⋆
Dust billowed up from the dirt road, which had turned unpaved. Nan-hee’s expression crumpled in dismay.
“Ah, damn it! I just got the car washed!”
Even in the countryside, where do you find unpaved roads like this these days? She had already hesitated about this road, and regret briefly set in. But...
[Mom, I’m leaving now. Goodbye!]
Last night, she’d dreamed that Bom appeared as a little girl, constantly saying goodbye and going somewhere. She was already planning to go down, but the dream she had last night was so unsettling she couldn’t bear it.
Anyway, there were no shoots for a while, her husband was at a conference, and Cheong-i hadn’t been home for days, so now was the perfect time to go down and see. It also happened to be Bom’s birthday tomorrow.
Last year, she was so preoccupied that she barely remembered before midnight and hastily sent some money, and that was it. Still, she sent quite a lot, so Bom probably wasn’t disappointed.
“Two precious years in a place like this... Tsk.”
Anyway, it was all Yoon Jung-gi’s fault. If she hadn’t come to this kind of countryside, she wouldn’t have had to suffer the humiliation she did at Prosecutor Choi’s place this time.
To suddenly act like nothing happened. Where in the world does a family suddenly call off a marriage, claiming their son had a change of heart?
Anyway, it’s just... no manners, no manners. No matter how great they are, how could they possibly hope to find a woman with Bom’s education and beauty in this kind of backwater?
“Anyway, they’re so arrogant...”
It was utterly disgusting, but there was nothing else to do. That’s just how things are in this world.
Sending her to just any family wouldn’t guarantee respect, so even if it felt bad, she had to marry Bom into a family of a certain standing. Even when she married Yoon Jung-gi, how much did her mother-in-law torment her? And for such an insignificant family!
Nan-hee’s head spun. As soon as she recalled the mother-in-law who had tormented her throughout her youth, she felt dizzy.
“Oh, oh! What’s wrong with this thing!”
Thump, the car body hit something and shook violently while she was momentarily distracted. Panicked, Nan-hee tried to hit the brake but pressed the accelerator instead, screaming.
“Agh!”
She managed to switch her foot to the brake, but it was too late. Nan-hee reflexively swerved the wheel to the left, and the car veered off the unpaved dirt road. The front end of the car plunged into a ditch.
She had done some rather intense filming before, but this was her first actual car accident. Nan-hee screamed repeatedly, falling into a panic.
“Stay still.”
Just then, someone approached. Nan-hee cried out urgently.
“Help me!”