episode_0108

“Saega, try this too~”

Sitting next to me, my mother-in-law recommends a large piece of meat. Even though I’m pregnant, she insists on feeding me. I can use my hands perfectly fine, so I don’t understand why she’s treating me like a child.

“Oh, okay.”

Unable to resist her continuous urging, I reluctantly eat the meat on the chopsticks. It’s embarrassing to do this in front of my in-laws, but I can’t refuse when she insists so much.

“Wow, it melts in your mouth. This is beef, right?”

“Oh, Saega, you eat so well. Eat a lot.”

Embarrassed, I feel the warmth of my mother-in-law’s hand patting my back. It’s oddly comforting.

“Hehe, I’ll enjoy it.”

Unable to hide my smile, I enjoy the sumptuous meal in front of me. It’s a relaxed mealtime with just my mother-in-law, without any tension, both physically and mentally.

It’s been a month since I moved in with my in-laws. Fully embraced by their kindness, I’ve settled into this comfortable life.

The servants are always kind, and they take care of me without making me feel burdened. The nervousness of the first day is long gone.

Even on Christmas and New Year’s Day, I spent time laughing with my grandfather, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and my beloved husband and daughter.

I often hear that I look happier now. My complexion has improved, my skin is getting better… I’ve heard these compliments before.

Oh, I also heard that my husband has changed for the better, but I’m not sure. What has changed about him?

“Saega, you eat everything so well. These men in this house always eat so carelessly, ruining their stomachs… Always meat, meat, meat. Oh my.”

My mother-in-law briefly frowns, then returns to her bright self.

Yes, mother. I understand.

The youngest son of the family. Without me, he wouldn’t eat properly, just filling up on instant noodles.

I remember how surprised I was when I first lived with my husband in a house full of instant noodles…

Indeed, I can’t do without my husband.

“Don’t worry too much. Mother! I’ll take care of him!”

“Child, finish what’s in your mouth before talking.”

As I confidently speak up, my mother-in-law chuckles.

It’s embarrassing to do such a shameful thing in front of her, but the food is delicious. Meat is the best…

“Come to think of it, since you came here, you’ve been looking for meat. Did you always like it?”

My chopsticks pause briefly at my mother-in-law’s words. It’s true that ever since I moved in, I’ve been looking for meat.

Was it always like this? It seems like I started craving meat more often a few months before the college entrance exam.

Strange. I do like meat dishes, but not to the extent of looking for them every day.

“Could it be because of the Kang family bloodline in your stomach? People go crazy for meat because of that.”

“Huh?”

It makes sense. The craving for meat started when Byul became pregnant, so it’s reasonable to suspect that.

“So, does that mean our Byul might become a picky eater who only wants meat?”

“Probably including Seonga too? Blood doesn’t lie… It’ll be tough, but we have to raise them right before the habit sets in.”

“…Yes, I will work hard. And Mother! You agreed to call our child by their nickname, remember?”

The mother-in-law made a disapproving expression. It was something we had all agreed to follow, so we can’t break it already!

During our stay at the in-laws’, our Star’s gender was confirmed, and a name was decided.

The gender was confirmed to be a girl. My husband, who was hoping for a daughter, was overjoyed, his smile reaching his ears.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected this child to be a boy. My younger sibling in my memory being born a boy? It’s unbelievable.

But maybe it could be possible…

Oh, anyway, our daughter’s name was decided through a family meeting to be Kang Seonga.

Using the characters for star and clear, it becomes Seonga, meaning starry and clear.

It’s a name that suits our child perfectly, like a bright and clear star coming to us from our family’s dreams.

When Grandfather spent days contemplating this name, how surprised he must have been… It must mean that our child is precious to him.

By the way, it seems our Star also likes the name. It almost felt like she was breakdancing in my belly when the name was decided?

What I see and feel, Star seems to feel it too.

…I wonder if she also remembers when we were siblings?

— Kakao~

As we finished our meal, an alarm sounded from my smartphone. The sender was none other than my husband. Just seeing Kakao makes my heart race.

– Arrived, having dinner with friends.

– Honey, what are you doing?

My husband went to meet friends after a long time. He always postponed plans because of me, how bored must he have been all this time.

I have a slight feeling of resentment, but my husband also needs time to relax. I’m not so selfish as to cling to him all the time!

“Sunwoo?”

Sitting quietly and fiddling with my smartphone, I could see that my mother-in-law was curious about what I was doing.

“Yes, I’m having dinner with some friends right now.”

Seeing the screen, my mother-in-law frowned for a moment.

“The pregnant wife is left alone. That’s a good move. Kang Sunwoo.”

…It seems my mother-in-law is angry. But it’s been a while since I met my friends, she wouldn’t be that mad, right? I’m fine!

“Baby, can you respond like this? Mom is watching. I see everything you do.”

“That, I think that’s too much…”

Even to the youngest son, she was a strict person. She must be quite intimidating.

Mom –

Had dinner with her –

Honey, have fun and come back safely~

I couldn’t relay my mother’s words exactly, so I just mentioned having dinner with her. I emphasized the word ‘mom,’ so I believe it was conveyed sufficiently.

No matter what I do, I’ll be dead when I get back anyway.

I should stick close to him to avoid any trouble.

— Kakao!

The alarm rang again. This time, my husband sent a photo.

It was a picture of six people sitting at a barbecue table.

Hmm, I think my friends all have decent looks.

Each one of them looks lively. And among them, my husband looks a bit out of place.

He’s really handsome.

If he had taken off his shirt for the picture, it would have been more charming.

My husband. He’s amazing when he takes his shirt off.

Hmm, anyway, I should reply with a photo too. But taking a picture with my mother… would make my husband more uncomfortable, so I’ll postpone that.

Then, let’s check the photos we took before.

If you look carefully, you might find some suitable photos to send. Even though I don’t have any friends.

Wow… why are there only photos of me with my husband?

There are many photos that I don’t remember when they were taken. There are photos from the amusement park… and we even took photos at the aquarium?

Oh no, I had the gallery sorted in reverse chronological order. I should rearrange it from the most recent.

Photos in the gallery properly sorted again… oh.

I’m sorry. All the recent ones are just inappropriate photos.

Who on earth took these photos… oh, it was me. I’m sorry.

“Sunwoo, go out and have fun by yourself. Is it unpleasant for the child?”

My mother-in-law said to me with a displeased expression. I had a different reason for feeling that way, but she misunderstood.

Uh… but hearing that makes me feel even worse.

My husband is really too much. Leaving his beloved wife behind and having fun with friends!

I allowed it back then, but now I wouldn’t.

Hey, try the food! Send the photo!

Seeing that the number 1 next to the attached photo was erased, I put my smartphone in my pocket and stood up from my seat.

Your husband is out there having fun with friends.

I’m going to play with my mother here.

#

“Marriage? Sunwoo, you’re getting married?”

“This is crazy.”

“Hey, where are you getting this nonsense from? You should say something reasonable.”

My friends, whom I met after a long time, were shocked with expressions that said it was unbelievable when I revealed the fact of my marriage.

It’s understandable. After being close for over 15 years, they know me well, so it’s no wonder they reacted that way.

“Sorry, but it’s true, you guys. And… I’m having a child.”

When I showed them the ultrasound picture, they finally started to believe me.

I wanted to brag at some point, but now that I’m actually doing it, it feels even more exhilarating than I thought.

Until last year, when I had zero experience with women, did these guys ever imagine that I would be the first to get married?

“This guy is crazy for real.”

“What the heck?”

“A daughter or a son? No, who’s the other person? Why didn’t you tell us anything!”

I didn’t have the intention to tell, so I didn’t. If I say that, I’ll definitely get scolded, so I’ll just keep quiet.

But it was really a situation where it was hard to talk about.

I didn’t even see Eunhye as a woman from the beginning.

Just as the daughter of Grandfather Eunin, I had to take care of her like a younger sister, and she ended up becoming a fake wife, which turned into a real wife, so how can I express this situation in words?

“My wife is—”

“Wow, Sujeong must have had a hard time.”

Just when I was about to reveal Eunhye’s existence, the guy sitting across from me, Jungwoon, brought up an irrelevant topic.

“Sujeong? Is that Sunwoo’s wife?”

“Hey, Park Jungwoon, do you know who she is? What kind of person is she?”

Jungwoon attracted attention, and he seemed to be trying to bring up a story about Im Sujeong while smiling mischievously.

“Wow, I’m amazed. The first meeting between Sujeong and Sunwoo~ was when Sunwoo and I were having a drink, and Sujeong came there~”

“It’s been a long time since Sujeong and I broke up.”

Jungwoon, who was always full of nonsense, widened his eyes.

Im Sujeong.

A name that I never want to mention again.

The woman who slapped Eunhye that day, caused a scene at the police station, and was dragged to the juvenile detention center.

I’ve reached the point where I’m not even curious about what she’s doing now.

I knew for sure that day. Im Sujeong was just using me as a target to fulfill her own desires.

Friends started talking a lot again, but I was feeling extremely annoyed at the mention of Im Sujeong’s name, so I ignored them and took out my smartphone.

I need some healing.

The lack of my wife’s presence in my body is evident.

– KakaoTalk!

Just then, I received a message from Eunhye. I thought it would be a reply to the message I sent before eating, but she sent a photo instead.

*Inhales sharply!*

I checked the photo.

It was a selfie that Eunhye took alone.

And it was taken almost six months ago, back when she hadn’t yet become honest. It was a photo from the motel we stayed at during our trip together.

The problem is this photo.

It’s a photo of Eunhye, drunk, wearing a revealing cat swimsuit.

Why does Eunhye, who is so scared and dislikes cats, imitate a cat in such a provocative pose in the photo? I still have no idea.

But looking at this photo jogged my memory.

It reminded me that Eunhye has an amazing body when she undresses.

Thanks to that, the lack of my wife’s presence was not fully filled, and even a physical reaction occurred.

“Hey, Sunwoo, I’m chatting with Jima.”

“Take a look. Who is this girl?”

“If it’s not Sujeong, then who is it?”

At this moment, this photo is nothing short of a deadly poison.

Why did she choose to send this photo at this timing? Honey, what did I do wrong for you to do this?

Still, I’m grateful for the photo.

I love you.