episode_0074

[I get it now.]

[Are you talking about the criminal’s method of committing the crime?]

[Yes. The culprit used an electric fan that was near the sleeping victim.]

[A fan? That’s right! Turn it on all night after pointing it at your face and suffocating you!]

[No. The fan is pointed at your stomach, not your face.]

[A ship? But that wouldn’t induce suffocation…]

[The culprit was aiming for abdominal pain, not suffocation. To do that, he took one more action besides turning on the fan.]

[Stomachache? No way, the blanket?]

[Yes! The culprit secretly took away the blanket while the victim was sleeping after eating ice cream, and made her stomach hurt, killing her!]

[How could he do such a heinous thing…! Okay, now that everything has been revealed, it’s only a matter of time before we throw him in jail!]

…what am I looking at right now?

Ha-eun and I were watching a movie on a projector in my room, but the content was really interesting.

When I was having trouble concentrating and was thinking about something else, Ha-eun, who was lying in bed with me and hugging me, stroked my chest.

Looks like this kid can’t concentrate either.

Or is it because you’re stuck with it that you want to do it?

With that thought in mind, I turned my head to the side and saw Ha-eun looking at my chest with an expression full of curiosity rather than excitement.

“My brother is a guy, but why is his dick so big?”

“Huh? Because you usually exercise?”

It’s not like he’s bulky like a bodybuilder, but Ha-eun finds it strange that a man’s chest is slightly bulging.

“Aha. Did your butt grow because you exercised?”

He fiddles with his tongue as he asks the question.

“It was like that before I started exercising.”

“Glkunaa.”

Then he slowly takes his hand away and focuses on the movie again.

… What? Is this the end? I got an erection?

I thought about it for a moment, but I didn’t really feel like attacking Ha-eun.

Because there was something that had been bothering me for a while.

It was not only because the content was boring that I couldn’t concentrate on the movie, but also because of that.

… I wonder if Gia is speaking well.

Before Ha-eun came to my room to play, I got a call from Jia.

For some reason, my mom contacted me and asked if I wanted to eat with her.

I told him he was so nervous that he didn’t know what to do, so I cheered him on and told him it would be okay, but I kept worrying about what would happen.

[I finally caught him! As expected, you are the queen of mystery.]

[Don’t make a fuss like this. If you need any help, contact me anytime, Partner.]

Finally, the movie that seemed like a joke has ended.

“Wow! Oppa, was it fun?”

Ha-eun got up from bed and stretched, and asked that.

“Huh? Huh… wow, that was fun.”

“I hope the second part comes out soon. I’ll go to the bathroom for a bit!”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t long before she went into the bathroom and the room became quiet.

The sound of the door lock creaking was heard, and then Zia came in through the open door.

“Dohyun!”

“Jia? Huh!”

As soon as she sees me, she jumps into bed and hugs me.

First, I put my arm around her shoulder and asked.

“How was it? Did you have a nice time meeting me?”

“Oh, ugh… Dohyun-ssi… .”

Looking at you crying, does that mean you’re not feeling well?

At the moment when I was silently comforting her with a pitiful heart, I heard an unexpectedly bright voice.

“I made up with my mom… . She said she was sorry for everything she did to me… . We decided to contact each other more often from now on.”

“Really? Haa, thank goodness. I was startled when you suddenly started crying, thinking something was wrong.”

“I’m sorry. I was so happy… I held it in, but I think I started crying when I saw Dohyun’s face.”

Jia raised her head and asked with a smile, wiping away her tears.

“By the way, what about Ha-eun? Weren’t you with us?”

“Ah, I’m in the bathroom right now… .”

While answering, the bathroom door opened and Ha-eun came out and was surprised to see Ji-ah’s face.

“Sister Ji-ah, why are you crying? Did your brother play a prank on you?!”

“No, Ha-eun… I was just too happy.”

“Why? Did something good happen?”

Jia, who was about to answer the question, closed her mouth as if she thought, “Oh no.”

I had told Ha-eun before that she and her mother were not on good terms, but I didn’t tell her that we were going to meet today.

For Ha-eun, who had unexpectedly become estranged from her parents, it seemed difficult to readily bring up the story of reconciling with her mother, whom she had been estranged from for so long.

“What is it? Please tell me too!”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing… .”

“If it’s not something big, can you tell me? I’m just curious.”

If we leave it like this, Ha-eun’s whining will probably never end.

When I was about to stop her, thinking that it wouldn’t work, Jia reluctantly opened her mouth.

“That’s… .”

—

“You made up with your mom? What should I do? Congratulations, sis!”

Contrary to our worries, Ha-eun is happy about it as if it were her own business.

Jia looked bewildered by the unexpected reaction.

“Oh, thank you.”

“It’s a good day, so eat something delicious to celebrate! I’ll buy it for you!”

“No, it’s okay. Thanks, but I’ll have dinner and come back… .”

“Then I’ll buy some convenience store popcorn, so the three of us can watch a movie! Can we eat the popcorn?”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“I’ll be right back, so just wait a moment!”

Ha-eun, who was jumping around excitedly, suddenly ran out of the studio.

“That’s really great. We decided to keep in touch more often in the future?”

Jia nodded with a bright face.

“Yes. It’s still a little awkward… .”

“It’ll get better.”

Gia told me what she talked about with her mother.

The conversation also included the reason why Cha Seon-yeong distanced herself from Ji-ah.

Of course, what her father had done, and that he was no longer in this world.

“Hearing that story, I thought that Mom must have had a hard time too.”

“That’s right. That…my father passed away… .”

“It’s okay. I wonder if this is okay, but since I’ve never seen it since I was born, I don’t think about it at all. Am I being too harsh?”

“No, not at all. Nothing will change even if you worry about it. Just take it easy.”

“Yes, I will.”

After a while, Ha-eun came back carrying a bunch of popcorn.

So the three of us ended up watching a movie together, and fortunately it was much more interesting than the movie we had seen before.

—

The next evening.

I went back to the luxury apartment I had visited two days ago.

And then I sat down again across from her at the table in the living room where I had talked to Cha Seon-yeong.

“I heard from Jia that the two of them made up.”

“Rather than reconciliation… I just apologized and the kid accepted it.”

Cha Seon-yeong’s expression was dark.

As if he still hasn’t gotten over his guilt towards his daughter.

“Still, Jia was very happy. She said that she thought she would be able to get along well with her mom from now on.”

“Yeah… .”

The other person’s mood is more subdued than I thought, so it’s difficult to say anything.

As I was waiting quietly, I heard her soft voice.

“Thank you for helping us.”

“No, I just want Jia to be happy.”

“I’m sorry for hitting you.”

“When?”

“The first time we met, you slapped me… .”

“Ah. It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

It was unpleasant at the time, but looking back now, I realize there have been worse things I’ve done.

You should forget about getting slapped once.

“… I used to think that Ji-ah was the one who made my hatred for her father grow, but I guess not. Rather, I think that being with Ji-ah would help me forget those bad feelings.”

“That’s good. Now that I think about it, are you going to tell people that you have a daughter? Or are you going to hide it?”

“I thought it was right to reveal it, but the kid told me not to. He didn’t want me to get in trouble because of him.”

“That’s so typical of Jia.”

“He really was a good kid… . I’m glad his personality doesn’t resemble his mother’s.”

She becomes lost in thought again, as if recalling the conversation she had with Jia.

Now it was time for me to speak up.

About why I came here.

“It’s the promise we made the day before yesterday.”

“… Yeah.”

“That… Can’t I keep it? I feel bad about doing it with another woman without telling Jia.”

Of course, I have had quite a relationship with Cha Seon-yeong up until now.

But that’s when you have to grant the goddess’s request.

I honestly didn’t think it was right to meet in private like this, and even have sex with my lover’s mother.

However, I felt uncomfortable deceiving Cha Seon-yeong in order to reconcile with Jia.

In the end, I couldn’t make a decision until it was right in front of me, so I ended up speaking in such an indecisive manner.

It would be better if I could be honest with Jia, but I couldn’t do that because it was also the goddess’s request not to tell her.

“What?”

“It may sound a bit strange, but maybe the goddess will call us again someday. Then we will have no choice but to do it, so if you want to do it, then do it then… .”

“… No.”

Short and sweet answer.

Then she got up from her chair and approached me.

“Your attitude caused me to change my mind. I didn’t go to see Jia because I wanted to hug you. But please keep your promise. Please.”

“But Jia is there… .”

“I know this isn’t right. But I just can’t stand it. I can’t sleep properly for days because I’m thinking about your body… If I stay any longer, I’ll go crazy from loneliness.”

“… .”

“Please. I won’t say a word to Jia. I won’t cause any harm to the two of you. Please, think of it as saving one person… .”

She desperately holds my hand with both of her hands and pleads with me.

I still feel sorry for Jia, but my heart is weakened by the sight of Cha Seon-yeong throwing away all her pride.

After much deliberation, I was finally unable to harshly cast her out.

“Okay.”

Let’s make sure you’re satisfied so you don’t have to think about it twice.

With that determination in mind, I stood up from my chair.