379. With the Woman I Despised (End)

Honestly, I didn’t want to recall what happened afterward.

First, Haeun smacked my back, then Ye-eun scratched my reddened back raw with her nails, and Hinami, deciding it was absolutely impossible otherwise, squeezed until no more semen came out,

and once I forced the other two into unconsciousness, the remaining one would cling on stubbornly, only for the two I’d put to sleep to wake up.

I didn’t feel wronged, but I had to pay back enough to make it feel like I was wronged.

To the point where I was still getting chewed out.

At first, I thought I’d been scammed out of a surgery, but it was all my fault.

At least the other girls were intentionally impregnated after a decision, but this wasn’t like that.

Honestly, I felt quite guilty.

I should have ejaculated or something after the surgery, but I was unsure because I’d heard the explanation in Japanese, and it was such a complicated time that I didn’t have the headspace to worry about it.

To say ‘Isn’t it just a matter of getting rid of it?’ would have been too much for my conscience.

If Soo-ah had wanted to abort, I probably would have agreed, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to abort first.

Eventually, Soo-ah, who returned to Korea, decided to have the baby, and as a result, she had to take another leave of absence from university.

But the fact that she took a leave of absence while also taking a long break from her internet broadcasts caused rumors to snowball.

Rumors of marriage, pregnancy, all sorts of things circulated, and crucially, photos of her going to the OB-GYN were taken, escalating the situation exponentially.

At that time, I was still in Japan and couldn’t help, but seeing Soo-ah, furious, boldly start a live broadcast and defiantly say, ‘Isn’t it possible to get pregnant?’, was quite amusing.

Of course, the aftermath was no joke.

Soo-ah’s parents got so furious that her uncle couldn’t even utter a word, to the point where Soo-ah was about to flee to Jia’s empty house.

Even amidst such a huge fight, Soo-ah didn’t mention who the father of the child was, not even a word.

…Because the moment she said it, she wouldn’t be able to raise the child at all, so it was unavoidable, I guess.

Soo-ah wasn’t extremely famous, but it was such a provocative topic that talk about ‘Who is the father?’ circulated for a while.

While people with too much time on their hands were digging around, my past employment at her gym was coincidentally revealed, leading to strange rumors involving me.

Actually, rather than strange rumors, they were pretty much the factual details, anyway.

That kept growing and growing until the fact that I had registered my marriage with Haeun was revealed (fortunately, my bigamous marriage with Hinami wasn’t discovered), and Jia’s fans swarmed Haeun’s channel, forcing us to shut down the comments section.

Everyone was already suffering from the stress of childcare, so their sensitivity reached extreme levels.

…Honestly, I was pretty pissed off then too, so I just went head-on.

Even during my pregnancy, I occasionally filmed myself playing the guitar.

I just casually uploaded videos of myself playing the guitar while wearing maternity clothes, which I had saved up after blocking comments, and the views were quite good.

Articles that had been quiet for a while started pouring in, but fortunately, the fact that we were living together as four people in Japan wasn’t discovered.

Actually, I had prepared myself for this and done it.

It was probably just an issue everyone picked at for amusement.

More than I expected, people didn’t have much deep interest in us.

Now, there weren’t as many people getting angry when they picked at us as before.

As a result, the children were growing up well, we had plenty of savings and income, and we were living happily and lovingly amongst ourselves without any major disputes.

On the internet, they were chewing us up, creating all sorts of slanderous rumors using us as material, but it wasn’t as vicious as when the scandal first broke out.

Society, which had been temporarily disconnected due to the pandemic, was gradually normalizing.

After quite some time had passed like that, I set foot on Korean soil with two children.

Ye-eun’s child and Haeun’s child.

Of course, all three wives had returned home yesterday.

Haeun and Ye-eun were permanently returning.

Hinami had temporarily entrusted her child to her mother, so she was planning to return soon after a short visit.

However, I first put the sleeping children down at home and went to see Soo-ah, who was upstairs.

“Ah, Boss…”

“Is the baby inside?”

“Yes. She’s sleeping right now.”

To be precise, I went to see the face of the daughter Soo-ah had given birth to.

“…She’s pretty, isn’t she? Maybe it’s because of good genes.”

“My genes aren’t exactly that great, though.”

“Still, for someone like you, Boss, it’s fine. You’re tall, and your features are distinct. …And, well, I think I’m a bit cute too.”

…This is the third time I’m seeing her, and the more I see her, the more she resembles me, which makes me feel a bit complicated.

Even though I’m her father, I can’t call myself her father, which is really frustrating.

Ye-eun couldn’t claim to be the mother of her own son, I wonder if she felt this way.

“…Do you regret it?”

“? Why?”

The baby was truly adorable, but I did feel a bit of regret.

Getting her pregnant by accident was a sin worthy of death, and even considering the COVID situation, unlike the others, she really gave birth alone.

“No, you took so much criticism because of me. You even fought with your parents. I mean, I can’t exactly marry you, right? I can’t take full responsibility.”

“I don’t regret it. The baby is… so cute. And, …you’re taking good responsibility, aren’t you? I could never live in a house like this even if I saved money my whole life.”

“You should thank Jia for that.”

“Well, Jia’s owner is you, Boss. Ahaha….”

However, even Soo-ah didn’t regret giving birth to my child.

…Whether that’s due to maternal instinct, or because she loves me.

It’s most likely both.

Honestly, my shoulders felt a little heavy.

“Well then, it’s late today, so get some good rest. I’ll come up occasionally from now on.”

“Yes. …You worked hard today, Boss.”

“Just call me ‘Dad’.”

“No, well, if it sticks, it might be problematic…, Ahaha…”

Leaving Soo-ah behind, I head back downstairs.

My home, where children a bit older than the daughter I just saw were sleeping.

As I stepped into the house that had been left lonely for a while, my three wives welcomed me again.

“Come in quickly, Joo-hyuk. What do you mean coming up alone after leaving the kids?”

“Did you see the baby’s face well, Oppa?”

“…Come in, Brother-in-law.”

…These people, too, are ones I must take responsibility for.

They were my own women who accepted everything I did, no matter what, and simultaneously gave me their all.

It was such a heavy and scary word that my shoulders felt quite cold, but I didn’t want to throw it away either.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t see Soo-ah often, so it couldn’t be helped.”

“I know. …So who told you to get her pregnant after performing the surgery?”

“I said I’m sorry.”

Since some time ago, I had nothing to say in front of them, even if I had a hundred mouths.

We know everything about each other, and in fact, there’s a lot of resentment piled up, but the reason we can talk so normally is probably because we trust each other.

“Ehehe, well, it can’t be helped since it’s you, Oppa.”

“…That’s just like you.”

I had no intention of seeking recognition for this relationship from anyone.

I wasn’t hoping for others to understand.

Even I wouldn’t understand someone else being like this.

It was enough just for us to understand each other.

“Hinami, how long did you say you’d stay?”

“I’ll be here for about two weeks. It feels wrong to leave her with my mom for too long…”

“I’ll go back and forth with you when you leave. Japan’s close anyway.”

“Okay. For now, I’ll tell the baby that Dad went on a business trip.”

“…Uh.”

“But you’ll still come once a month, right?”

“I’ll go once every two weeks.”

“Ehehe.”

…I don’t think I can be understood by the children either.

Someday, when they grow up and learn the whole truth, they’ll probably treat their dad like trash.

I know that.

That I am trash.

I know it’s okay to be treated like that, so I’ll just strive not to become trash that can’t even be recycled.

“Ah, are you both returning (to work)?”

“Hmm? Well, my contract is up, and I do get occasional contact, but I think it’s better to raise the kids a bit longer before deciding.”

“…I’m not planning to return. I’m tired in many ways. I just want to go on dates with you.”

“…Shall we?”

Just as I once subdued the women who despised me.

Thanks to the women I hated and despised,

I too have changed a lot.

“I need to work too.”

“What work, Joo-hyuk? You’re busy enough taking care of us. Anyway, we have enough money to live comfortably for the rest of our lives without working, so don’t push yourself unnecessarily.”

No matter how heavy my shoulders felt, I didn’t need to bear it alone.

Unlike when I was young, now I had people to share the burden with.

“…Anyway, you must be tired from the flight, so let’s go to sleep quickly, Joo-hyuk.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s sleep together today, the three of us, Brother-in-law?”

“Jia, why are you leaving me out?”

“…Then the four of us.”

No matter how hazy and uncertain the future may be, one isn’t afraid if there’s someone holding their hand.

…Once, I truly hated them,

Once, I wanted to destroy them as much as I hated them,

Now, I love them so much,

Together with my wives.

Together with the women who despised me.

“Okay. …Let’s sleep for now. I’m tired.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

We will keep walking forward.

No matter what happens, without caring.

Because we despised each other, now we are more tightly bound,

Holding each other’s hands.