Mom's Lover (1)
After Se-hyun returned, Sun-hwa carefully knocked on Min-ji's door.
Knock, knock, knock.
At the soft sound of the knock, Min-ji's voice came from inside the slightly locked room.
"Ne.."
"Min-ji-ya, can Mom come in?"
If it had been usual, there would have been a bit more lively conversation going back and forth. But today, that wasn't possible. The mother and daughter knew each other's situations far too well, and in this situation, both were worrying about the other.
Min-ji spoke while forcing her voice to steady.
"Ne, it's okay."
As soon as Sun-hwa heard that, she opened the door and stepped inside. On the desk were the exam papers Se-hyun had brought, notebook notes, and textbooks full of study marks. Seeing that sight, Sun-hwa's heart ached.
A brief awkward silence filled the room, and Sun-hwa was the one to speak first.
".. Shall we talk?"
"Ne."
Sun-hwa sat on the backless chair Se-hyun had been sitting in until just now. She gently held Min-ji's hand and said carefully.
"Mom and Dad.. you know the situation, right?"
".. Ne, I know."
Min-ji wasn't stupid. From childhood, she had no memories of her father. She missed field days, talent shows, field trips, even the kindergarten prize day when her father was supposed to show up. It was always just Mom who came, always just Mom.
It wasn't enough to think her father was just too busy. Sometimes when he came home for dinner, someone would always call. Dad would grumble that he was trying to rest and then calling. Min-ji just thought that was normal.
But in her third year of middle school, on the way to the convenience store, she overheard her father's voice in an alley talking on the phone.
"I don't know, I don't want to go fast either. Kids? Kids? What, if I had raised you, maybe fatherly love would still be there. You know. We only did it once, that's when I got married. What a mess, I don't even want kids."
At that moment, Dad must have realized he'd been overheard. Because of that, with his strong will, Min-ji was sent overseas. The reason was simple. Since he hadn't done well in school, he needed to find another way to go to university.
From when did he ever care about me like that? Thinking that, she left for overseas. It was fine. It was better to avoid the complicated feelings about Dad. She didn't need to worry about telling Mom either. She was busy learning English overseas, and talking with Dad and Mom on the phone over the line was enough.
There was no need to think about what kind of relationship the two of them had or what problems they were carrying. Min-ji's own head was already complicated enough with her own problems.
But this time, hoping against hope that she could see Dad, yesterday she went to meet him and saw him kissing another woman her own age.
Taking it back, there was no real fault. She hadn't contacted him and just went, but she hadn't thought that was wrong either. Still, the sight right in front of her was truly, truly shocking.
After returning, Mom seemed to have called Dad after reading her expression. She could hear them shouting and arguing.
Through conversations with the teacher, her complicated mind had been somewhat organized.
Still, Min-ji had wanted Mom to be happy.
Dad had left to find his own happiness, or rather, he had already been gone long ago.
So, it was only right to sincerely hope Mom could be happy too.
".. Mom."
"Ne."
"I know everything. No, I knew."
Min-ji's voice started to tremble.
"Sorry, I know.. I'm sorry.. In fact, I knew everything.. Dad, Dad's cheating, I knew for a long time.."
Tears poured from Min-ji's eyes. She had no choice but to express it that way, since they flowed without regard to her will. Min-ji sniffled and told Mom.
"It was scary.. to tell Mom.. so I hid it.. I ran away.. Hic! I ran away.. I'm sorry.."
"No, no.. Min-ji-ya. Look at Mom. Ne, Mom's okay."
"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry.."
"Mom knew everything, ne... Mom's sorry, Mom.. is sorry for making our daughter suffer.."
Sun-hwa held back her tears and hugged Min-ji.
"Mom, Mom-ah...!"
For a long time, longer than the crying she had done in front of Se-hyun, Min-ji's tears flowed. After a while, when she had finally let out all the emotions piled inside, Min-ji said with swollen eyes.
"Hic.. Thank you, Mom.."
"All cried out, our daughter?"
"Ne.."
Sun-hwa wiped Min-ji's face and said.
"Mom's fine. Mom knew from a long time ago.. If I had known it would turn out like this, Mom would have decided sooner so our daughter wouldn't suffer."
"Uhn... No.."
After snuggling in Mom's arms for a bit like a spoiled child, Min-ji spoke carefully.
"Mom, you know.. I want you to be happy."
"Uhn?"
"Dad left because he wanted his own happiness.. don't get tied down because of me.. don't get tied down because of me, who was made by accident.."
"What?!"
When Sun-hwa heard that, it felt like blood was rushing to her head. The world, who would ever say something like that—
At that moment, her husband's face flashed through.
"Did Dad really..?"
"T-that.."
"... Min-ji-ya."
Sun-hwa said in a firm tone.
"Mom gave birth to you because it was Mom's choice. Of course, marrying Dad was also Mom's choice, and solving this is Mom's responsibility. So don't worry. Nothing is our daughter's fault in anything that's happening from now on."
"M-mom..?"
"And, Mom is.."
Sun-hwa paused slightly, then gave the gentlest smile she could manage while stroking Min-ji's head.
"Because of our daughter, I'm more than enough happy."
For several days, there was no contact with Sun-hwa. When asked by Su-ah, she only smiled softly and said.
"I think it's the right time to wait a bit."
Now that they were alone, she used plain speech and had even fixed the honorific to "yeong-ah." It seemed like she had given up on arguing with Su-ah. But previously...
Thinking about it, nothing had really changed.
Thanks to that, while Sun-hwa was away, my lower body was being warmed by another woman.
"Haah.. Haah.."
"Walk properly, Ji-ye-ya."
"Ne-hee.."
Right in front, Ji-ye was suffering as Se-hyun's replacement, walking naked except for a coat thrown roughly over her, white and sticky liquid dripping from between her legs. She seemed happy, so maybe it was okay.
They continued walking only in alleys where no one passed, and sometimes when the mood struck, she was roughly taken. As they walked, Ji-ye's feelings seemed to change gradually.
The anxious look gradually disappeared, and before she knew it, she looked a bit more relaxed.
After finishing a late-night walk, they returned to the convenience store and shared a bottle of water while talking.
"So, is it okay?"
"What, what?"
Manager Ji-ye jumped at my question and replied. I fiddled with the leash string and said.
"That. Is it okay to be my girlfriend?"
"G-girlfriend.. Students have sisters. I'm just.. not exactly a relationship like this?"
She said with a slight hesitation. I laughed lightly and answered.
"We've already got two, so three won't be a problem. You said two was fine."
"G.. but.."
Ji-ye clenched her fists and said.
"Not yet, not for actual dating. I want to focus on raising our daughter. I'm grateful for helping out when I'm stressed sometimes.."
"Hmm."
As expected, because I was the temporary owner. It wasn't a fully solidified master-slave dynamic. It was more like the situation where I could only play a little. It wasn't the perfect submissive feeling like with Su-ah or Sun-hwa.
Well, anyway, after a few more relations, Manager Ji-ye would probably submit soon enough. I didn't worry much. Instead, I said in a relaxed voice.
"What if more women appear later? Don't be sad when the turn doesn't come around."
"This kid.. started seducing women early?"
At that, I pulled the leash string a bit harder. Then Manager Ji-ye blushed and said.
"Huuu..! Haa.. Really.. I was wrong.."
It probably wasn't her real intention. It was a defense mechanism to not get hurt, like that. A strategy that was hard to see through now. Still, a strange unease stirred.
"But.. being with you like this is good."
Ji-ye looked at my eyes carefully and said cautiously.
"The first man who ever hugged me as a woman.. and the first who also does weird perverted things with me."
"What about Dad?"
"Dad? Heh... I don't remember. No, I do remember.. I said I'm a hopeless pervert, I disappeared without knowing I was pregnant."
"Eh.. sorry."
"No, no need to apologize. It was just something that happened. Just.. like a childhood memory."
Ji-ye fidgeted with her hands, stood up, and said. The coat hem fluttered slightly, showing a glimpse of her thigh.
"Ehh! Not the time to think that. I'll go in first, student. I have to put the kid to bed and take care of everything!"
Manager Ji-ye, or rather Ji-ye, smiled brightly and left first. Watching her back, I felt a bit strange.
Maybe it meant I could keep conquering her for a long time.