Chapter 5: Certainty
Chapter 5: Certainty
Sohee's smartphone screen showed Jihoon's DM.
She clutched the phone with trembling hands and stared at the screen for a long time.
"......!"
Her pupils shook, and her lips quivered.
Without looking at Jihoon, she simply kept her eyes fixed on the phone.
Jihoon quietly watched her from the hallway.
The slight tremor in Sohee's hands, the fear and confusion flashing across her eyes—everything sent a thrill through Jihoon's chest.
He deliberately asked in his usual natural tone.
"Omma, are you okay? You don't look so good......"
Sohee jerked her head up in surprise.
Her face had gone deathly pale, and her pupils darted anxiously.
"Ah...... I'm fine. The alcohol probably hasn't worn off yet......"
She tried to force a smile, but her lips trembled so badly she couldn't manage it.
"Omma...... I'm going to rest in my room for a bit. The alcohol isn't wearing off. Sorry about breakfast, eat whatever you want. Omma doesn't feel like eating this morning."
Clutching the phone tightly to her chest as if no one should see it, Sohee hurried into the master bedroom.
Thud——
Her retreating figure was rushed, and even the way she closed the door was clumsy.
Watching her, Jihoon's lips curved into a smile.
'That account really is omma's after all.'
He slowly walked into his own room and turned on his laptop.
Tap tap— tap tap—
As the screen lit up, he opened the S_Private account again.
Then he checked the time Sohee had read the DM.
Just a moment ago.
His gaze turned cold yet satisfied.
Now the real game had begun.
"Now...... let's see how omma responds......"
He decided to act not like a son, but like a complete stranger blackmailing her.
A little later, a reply came from her.
Ding——
S_Private
[......Who is this? I'm going to report you! And I'm blocking you!]
Jihoon smiled coldly.
He immediately sent the next message.
Tap tap— tap tap—
S_Stranger
[Report me? Go ahead. But what if your husband isn't the only one who finds out? What if your daughter Jieun and son Jihoon find out too? Well...... if you block me, I can just DM them instead.]
Sohee's reply came much later.
The text seemed to tremble.
S_Private
[Do whatever you want. I can just delete the account or quit, right? You pervert attention whore.]
Jihoon's eyes sharpened.
Without a word, he began attaching the photos he had collected one by one.
Four Instagram photos that had been posted on the S_Private account. The face was hidden, but the body and background were clear.
Below them, he added screenshots he believed were evidence.
A close-up of the mole on her armpit.
The scar on the inside of her thigh.
Even the secret mole near her groin.
All perfectly clear.
Click.
He pressed send and added a short message.
S_Stranger
[Go ahead and do that then. I have all the evidence. Quit? Do whatever you want. I'll just send these exact photos to your family.]
Sohee's reply came after quite a long time.
Ding——
S_Private
[......I understand. What do you want?]
Reading those words, Jihoon slowly smiled in satisfaction.
He typed a new message into the DM window.
Tap tap tap tap—
S_Stranger
[Good. From now on, you just do whatever I tell you.]
A reply came back quickly, filled with fear.
S_Private
[O-order me? Are you going to make me do something weird......?]
Jihoon grinned as if he had her hooked and began carrying out his plan.
S_Stranger
[Don't worry. I won't make you do anything illegal.]
After checking Sohee's reply, Jihoon slowly smiled.
He typed another message into the DM window.
S_Stranger
[Good. From now on, you just do whatever I tell you. If you successfully complete ten assignments I give you, that's it. I'll overlook up to three failures, but if you fail four, I'll let you know what happens then. If you succeed, I'll disappear forever. How about it? Pretty good deal, right?]
Sohee's reply came much later.
Ding——
She seemed to have agonized over it for a long time.
S_Private
[......How am I supposed to believe you? Aren't you just going to blackmail me again?]
Jihoon thought for a moment, then began typing.
Tap tap— tap tap—
S_Stranger
[Haha. Right now, you have no choice but to believe me, do you? This isn't the time to be picky about cold rice or hot rice...... If people found out that the influencer Ssomom was a pervert...... that would be pretty entertaining too.]
This time a reply came immediately.
S_Private
[Ah...... I understand...... You have to keep your promise...... So what are the assignments?]
Jihoon smiled in satisfaction.
"Heh...... Everything's going exactly according to plan."
He immediately sent the first assignment.
S_Stranger
[Good, first assignment. Since it's the first one, I'll go easy. Don't be nervous. By tomorrow night, spread your legs as wide as possible on the bed, rub your clitoris with your fingers, and take a photo. Spread your pussy entrance with two fingers so the inside is completely visible. Success if your love juices are flowing and you climax once. Pretty easy, right? Ah! The video has to be at least three minutes long, and you have to film yourself actually climaxing. If it's past midnight tomorrow, it's a failure. Remember that.]
Sohee's reply was short and trembling.
S_Private
[You pervert bastard...... I just have to send it via DM by midnight tomorrow, right?]
Seeing that DM, Jihoon leaned back in his chair and slowly exhaled.
"Hoo......"
Now she was slowly falling into his grasp.
Jihoon's reason for blackmailing his stepmother was clear.
First, he was furious that omma was showing her body to other men behind his father's back.
Of course, some might call that rationalization.
But the fact remained that when Jihoon first discovered the secret account, his very first thought had been, "Should I tell father?"
Betrayal.
And the anger that bloomed from that betrayal.
That was the beginning.
At the same time, however, the jealousy he felt toward the woman he could only watch from afar—now unknowingly reduced to a plaything for countless men's comments—had also turned into hatred. It was true.
Back in high school.
Every night, he had even thought that if he could touch Sohee with his own hands just once, he would be fine with dying.
Yet the real reason Jihoon kept deep in his heart was different.
Revenge against his father.
His father had always been patriarchal and frightening only toward Jihoon.
His biological mother had left home when he was young because of that patriarchal behavior.
Then one day, his father brought home a new stepmother, and Jihoon had been overjoyed to finally have the beautiful omma he had always wanted.
From the night he secretly watched through the door crack as his father treated that longed-for stepmother like his personal sex toy and masturbated to it, a powerful desire to steal his stepmother away from his father had slowly begun to bloom in Jihoon's heart without him even realizing it.
Every time he saw his father handling Sohee roughly, Jihoon felt anger, but also a tender longing for Sohee and a fear of losing her the way he had lost his biological mother.
'If new omma were mine, I would have cherished her...... She should be mine.'
Without realizing it, he harbored an intense possessiveness toward his stepmother.
And the moment he became fixated on the word "training" in the comment on the advice post he had written, Jihoon made up his mind.
He would completely train his stepmother, thoroughly and perfectly make her his own.
So she could never leave his side again......
After finishing the DM, Jihoon left his room.
Creak——
Sohee still didn't seem to have come out of the master bedroom.
The house was quiet, and in that silence Jihoon headed for the kitchen.
He quickly poured cereal into milk, ate it, washed the dishes, then walked to the master bedroom door.
Knock knock.
"...Yeah...... come in......"
Sohee's voice sounded hoarse, as if she had been crying.
Jihoon opened the door and stepped inside.
Sohee was sitting on the bed, her eyes red and bloodshot.
She was clutching the phone tightly in her hand.
Her fingers were gripping it so hard they had turned white, and her pupils trembled anxiously as she looked down at the screen.
"Son...... why......?"
Looking at her like that, Jihoon spoke.
"Omma, aren't you hungry......? I had cereal...... If your stomach feels really bad...... should I make you some ramen?"
Sohee's eyes widened as if she had heard something unexpected.
She simply stared at him for a long time without answering.
Then she looked away and spoke in a small voice.
"Yeah...... Son. Then I'll ask you for that."
Jihoon nodded.
"Okay. Then rest and come out when I call you."
He went to the kitchen and started boiling ramen.
As he poured water into the pot and turned on the heat, the bubbling sound filled the house.
Sohee always made ramen for Jihoon and said, "Omma likes ramen with egg in it."
Remembering that, Jihoon cracked an egg into the ramen as it cooked.
A delicious broth aroma wafted from the ramen.
He placed a trivet on the table, neatly set out chopsticks and a spoon, and cut kimchi into bite-sized pieces on a small plate.
Just then, the master bedroom door opened.
Creak——
Sohee came out.
Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen from crying, and her cheeks were flushed.
She wiped the tears welling in her eyes with the back of her hand so Jihoon wouldn't see, then forced a smile as she approached him.
"It smells really good. This is the first time my son has made ramen for me."
Sohee's words were true.
She had always made ramen for her family, but had never eaten ramen someone else made for her.
This was also Jihoon's first time making ramen for someone.
He brought the ramen to Sohee in a pretty bowl.
"Would you like rice too?"
Sohee smiled brightly and answered.
"No, this is enough. Thank you, son. I'll enjoy it."
She began eating the ramen deliciously.
Slurp slurp——
Jihoon sat across from her and quietly watched.
While eating, Sohee suddenly had tears well up in her clear eyes.
Unable to lift her head for fear Jihoon would see, she began sniffling as her shoulders shook.
"...Hic......"
Jihoon stood up, walked over to her, and quietly handed her a tissue.
Swish——
Then, without a word, he gently patted her shoulder.
At first Sohee flinched at the touch, but then, as if finally releasing all the emotions she had been holding back, she burst into tears like a child.
"Waaaaah......"
She threw herself into Jihoon's arms and sobbed.
Jihoon was seeing her cry like this for the first time.
Ever since she entered the house, she had always smiled brightly at him, and even when his father treated her harshly, she had always smiled at Jihoon as if nothing was wrong.
He simply held her without saying a word.
Sohee trembled all over as she cried in Jihoon's arms.
Her thin silk pajamas gently yet sensually wrapped around her alluring figure.
Her heavy breasts pressed softly against Jihoon's chest, and her warm body heat seeped through the silk fabric.
Sweat droplets gathered in her cleavage glistened even more from her tears and trickled down.
Her waist was encircled by Jihoon's arms, the narrow curve clearly felt.
Her thighs were plump and smooth, and as the silk pajamas rode up slightly, soft skin was exposed.
Sohee's face was buried against Jihoon's chest, and her hot tears soaked his shirt.
The sobs leaking from her plump lips, the soft pressure transmitted every time her breasts swayed, and her faint body scent all stimulated Jihoon's senses.
Jihoon held her tighter.
Squeeze——
Every time his hand stroked Sohee's back, the warm, soft skin beneath the silk made his desire burn even more intensely.
A little later, Sohee, now calmer, spoke in a small voice.
"Jihoon...... I'm sorry for suddenly crying......"
She wiped her tears and slowly pulled away from his embrace.