Chains (5)

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

Yu Jihwan stood there, lips twitching, hesitating like he was wrestling with some impossible dilemma. …Why the hell is he overthinking this…! He had no problem shoving that spoon I’d been sucking on right into his mouth, but now confessing is suddenly embarrassing? I couldn’t wrap my head around whatever weird corner of his brain was making him stall like this.

The frustration was killing me. I wanted to demand why he wasn’t answering, but I knew I couldn’t. Forcing a man to confess was the fastest route to defeat. If he felt even the slightest pressure, he might just run away. That’s what Rarenik had said.

“…”

But I couldn’t just wait forever either. At this rate, I was going to lose my mind. If Jihwan had just confessed to me first like he was supposed to, none of this would be happening….

…Yeah. This was all Yu Jihwan’s fault.

He kept barging into a single woman’s house, filling it with his manly scent, and then had the nerve to act like my boyfriend. He’d enjoyed everything there was to enjoy, and now he thought he could just walk away empty-handed? No way in hell. I wasn’t letting him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get away with that.

Anger toward Jihwan kept building until I finally glared at him, eyes wide, silently urging him to answer. He flinched, then slowly opened his mouth.

“…I like you.”

I like you? Was it just me, or did that phrasing sound a little… off? But the moment I realized I’d finally gotten the answer I wanted, I forgot all about it.

…He likes me.

…Yu Jihwan… likes me….

Yu Jihwan… likes me…?

It wasn’t just my imagination…!

What could possibly feel better than having the person you love confirm their feelings for you? My heart, which had been sinking like a stone, suddenly started pounding wildly. I tried to hide the stupid grin creeping across my face and looked at him.

For someone who had just confessed, his expression wasn’t exactly glowing. He was probably embarrassed. I could understand that completely. Right now, I felt like I was going to die from embarrassment too.

“…O-okay then… See you next week…!”

“…Huh? Y-yeah, get home safe….”

I gave him a quick ninety-degree bow without thinking, then spun around and dashed through the gate, leaving a bewildered Jihwan behind. The gate slammed shut with a heavy thud as I crossed the yard.

“…Hehe… hehehe….”

Like some village idiot, giggles kept slipping out of me. I clamped a hand over my mouth and hurried inside the house, eager to brag about this wonderful news to my “friends.”

On the way to Gangwon-do, I stared blankly at the streetlights whipping past the window and fell into deep thought.

The question Soyeon had thrown at me earlier—whether I liked her—kept spinning around in my head.

Of course I liked her. How could I not? She was my one and only daughter. No matter what horrible crimes she might commit, even if she got into an accident with some boyfriend, I would always take her side. That’s what parents do.

I had told her I liked her, and she had gone home satisfied. That should have been the end of it. It should have been a perfectly fine day that left both Soyeon and me content.

But… something kept nagging at me, poking holes in my heart and planting doubts.

Was the question Soyeon asked me really just a pure, innocent “Do you like me?”

That shy, flushed face. Those pitiful eyes craving affection. It felt… strangely familiar.

Yeah. It reminded me of Ju Yeonhee back in the day.

The day I went on my first date with my wife, she had asked me the same thing.

“Do you like me?”

I had answered that I did, of course, and then ended up eating ramen with her. The next day, when I finally came to my senses, there was a ring drawn on my left ring finger—in permanent marker. It took forever to scrub off….

When I thought about what my wife had been like as a girl, Soyeon really did resemble her a lot. So much that if someone said Ju Yeonhee had been turned into a child, I would believe it.

…What if, just like my wife back then, Soyeon had asked if I liked her… not as LIKE, but as LOVE? What if she was trying to confirm my feelings?

“…Haa…”

I let out a long sigh and dragged a hand down my face.

It was a worry I had come up with myself, but it felt incredibly pathetic. Soyeon loving me? Romantically? I had to be crazy.

“Ha.”

I was definitely losing my mind.

…I had to be crazy, right?

I knocked my knuckles against my skull, trying to shake the ridiculous thoughts away, but once the suspicion had caught fire, it refused to die down.

“…This is actually driving me insane…”

There was no helping it. I needed to have a serious talk with my wife about this.

After an hour of driving while tormented by that horrifying suspicion, I finally arrived at my wife’s house.

But…

“Jihwan, you’re here! We’ve been waiting so long!”

“It’s been a whole week off… Anyway, please take good care of our madam.”

The two housekeepers, whom I hadn’t seen in a week, greeted me while carrying large bags.

Huh? Apparently, my wife had given them vacation time.

“V-vacation?”

And not just any time—until Sunday night, the very day I was coming over.

“Our Jihwan, I didn’t know you were such a player! That face really delivers, huh?”

“Right? How on earth did you manage to seduce someone that cold and elegant?”

“…Excuse me?”

What the hell were these ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠aunties even saying…?

“We’ll be going now, see you Sunday!”

“Wait, the checklist…”

“Good luck, Jihwan!”

“…T-take care…”

Before I could even get a word in, they were gone. All I could do was stare blankly at the car disappearing into the distance.

…Wait, they wanted me to manage this massive house all by myself?

I was already stressed out enough over Min Soyeon’s situation, and now I had even more work dumped on me. They hadn’t even given me a proper handover. What kind of lightning bolt was this…?

“…I have no idea…”

I let out a deep sigh and turned around—only to freeze.

…Huh?

My eyes met my wife’s where she stood by the window. She gave me a mysterious smile and waved, as if beckoning me to come up quickly.

“…”

Between Soyeon’s issue and the housekeepers suddenly vanishing, I had plenty to talk about anyway. I waved back with a small smile, dropped my luggage, and headed straight up to the second floor.

And then…

“Welcome back.”

Wait, when did she do all this…?

I discovered that my wife’s room had been completely remodeled. The wallpaper, floor, and ceiling had all been redone in bright, cheerful colors. The room that once held only the bare minimum of furniture was now filled with luxurious pieces, as if she had set up a brand-new newlywed home.

“…Was the trip tiring?”

While I stood there stunned by the sudden transformation, she rose gracefully from a sofa so wide it might as well have been a bed and walked toward me.

And what the hell was she wearing…?

I couldn’t hide my shock at Ju Yeonhee’s outfit. Her long brown hair was loose and free. She wore an impossibly thin white camisole and gray shorts made of such delicate material they barely reached her knees. Her alluring body was barely covered by a single flimsy layer of fabric.

“I tried it on because it reminded me of the old days… Does it look okay?”

Okay? My heart was pounding so hard I was surprised she couldn’t hear it. Seeing her in what was practically underwear for the first time in three years was more than enough to wake up my long-dead chest.

When I slowly nodded, she gave me a mysterious smile and closed the distance until she was right in front of me. She pressed her enormous breasts lightly against my body and whispered in a seductive voice.

“…Then, will you cherish me?”

Cherish…? Oh no!

I snapped back to my senses at her words and quickly took a small step back. That was the signal my wife was sending me. The signal that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said, “Let’s secretly make Soyul while Soyeon isn’t looking.”

I quickly glanced down at her feet and saw that every single toenail was painted a vivid, seductive red.

Ten times.

This woman…! She was planning to wring me dry.

“N-no! Not in that condition…! Until you’re fully healthy again….”

“We won’t know until we try, will we?”

“W-we’re family! We can’t do that!”

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been a while since I’d seen her, so I was excited, but this was hardly the time to be leisurely rolling around in bed.

Then my wife glanced around the room and said,

“…Is there any family here?”

“What? No…”

She was going to be unreasonable again.

“…You’re being awfully casual with Noona. Should I punish you?”

I clamped my mouth shut and glared at her. She covered her lips with a hand, giggling quietly as if she found it amusing, then walked over to one wall. It turned out to be a refrigerator.

“Heh…”

I let out a helpless laugh at how thoroughly she had prepared. So that’s why there were all those unnecessary pieces of furniture in the room. A bed-sized sofa, a king-size bed that could probably fit four people, and a thick, fluffy carpet covering the floor. She was clearly planning to squeeze every last drop out of me all weekend.

Once I realized that, it made sense why she had sent the housekeepers on vacation. I had no idea how long she had been preparing all of this… Her meticulousness left me speechless.

“…For now, can we talk? Once we start, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”

There was a slightly obscene implication in her words, but I was all for having a conversation. I followed her suggestion and sat on the sofa, but…

“…There’s so much space. Do you really have to sit there?”

“I like it here.”

She naturally settled herself on my lap.

“…Then at least stop moving your hips.”

“Something keeps poking me.”

At the sight of my wife smiling so seductively, I finally gave up and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“…Are you planning to do it right away?”

“…Yeonhee. I’m trying to have an important conversation right now.”

“More important than making Soyul?”

I lifted her up and sat her down beside me, then carefully spoke with a serious expression.

“…Yes. It’s about Soyeon.”

At that moment, my wife’s face stiffened slightly before she asked with a worried look.

“…Did something happen to Soyeon?”

The sly fox who had been seducing me moments ago had vanished. In her place sat Soyeon’s mother. As expected, a mother was still a mother. It was only natural, but seeing her put her child before her own desires made me feel strangely proud.

I thought for a long time, carefully choosing my words, before finally speaking.

“…For some reason, I think Soyeon might like me. …Romantically.”

She simply stared at me in silence.

…Ugh….

Feeling oddly guilty, I explained everything—from the recent events with Min Soyeon to the moment we parted ways today.

“I-it might not be true! Obviously I hope it’s just my misunderstanding… but somehow… it just feels that way…”

After saying it all out loud, I felt like a complete lunatic. No matter how much my body had changed, thinking that my own daughter might be in love with me was a disgusting notion even to myself.

I really was crazy….

The moment I clenched my fist, feeling utterly pathetic, my wife gently placed a hand on my back and said,

“…That can happen. Don’t worry too much.”

“…Yeonhee…”

Thankfully, my wife didn’t scold me. Instead, she understood my situation, comforted me, and reassured me that it was possible.

“…Come here. Let me hold you.”

She opened her arms slightly with a warm, loving smile. Maybe because my body had grown younger and my mind had followed, I instinctively crawled into her embrace. I hadn’t realized it while I was alive, but being held by my wife again after so long made my heart feel a little lighter.

“…I should have been the one taking care of Soyeon, but I couldn’t. You’ve really been through a lot.”

Her sincere apology made my eyes sting with tears. Yeah, as expected, only Yeonhee—

At that moment, my wife pulled me into a tight hug and said,

“…In my opinion, the problem seems to be on your side.”

“…H-huh?”

She had been comforting and patting me so gently, but suddenly she started blaming me.

“Have you… been holding it in all this time? By yourself?”

“…What?”

What on earth was she—

“At your age, full of vigor, it’s only natural for things to build up inside if you’ve never let it out even once.”

“…What…?”

My wife gently cupped my face, which was still buried in her chest, and looked down at me.

“It’s not that Soyeon likes you… Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…Th-that’s ridiculous…!”

Startled, I sat up and glared at her. Me liking Soyeon? This woman was seriously—!

My wife met my eyes with a bright smile and patted her own belly.

“So, why don’t you try letting it all out over the weekend? Then you’ll have your answer, won’t you?”

In the end, it all came back to Soyul.

“You… you—!”

The moment I tried to say something, she handed me a small bottle. The image of a snake biting its own tail was striking.

Uroboros’s Elixir. A “nutritional supplement” made from a monster captured alive from a Gate. The ultimate “nutritional supplement” that lets you go all day without issue after drinking just one bottle… It was the same elixir Soyeon made me drink every time she left the house for training camps or school trips.

“…You should drink it… If you’re going to pay back three years’ worth all at once, you’ll need some doping, right?”

…I was dead.