Ch.149Chapter 149. I Have Received Your Daughter (2)

“Welcome. Cuss is here too?”

As soon as the door opened, I could see my mother-in-law greeting us with a bright face.

Was she always this pleasant-looking?

Now I understood who Juliane got her beauty from.

“Please accept this, mother-in-law.”

“Oh my. Roses? Thank you, new son-in-law.”

I handed the bouquet to my mother-in-law and gave her a light hug.

From now on, she was like my own mother.

I should visit without fail during every Lunar New Year and Chuseok holiday.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He’s waiting inside… pretending to be angry. Just play along.”

“Ah…”

My mother-in-law leaned toward us and whispered quietly.

So my father-in-law was putting on an angry act?

Thanks to that, I felt a little less tense.

It seemed I could enter more comfortably now.

“I should say ‘excuse me for intruding,’ Cuss.”

“Excuse me!”

“Oh my, how pretty.”

“Uuugh…”

My mother-in-law was all smiles at whatever Cuss said.

Well, with Cuss’s appearance, it would be harder not to receive affection wherever she went.

But the way my mother-in-law touched Cuss’s cheeks and kept stroking her hair seemed a bit excessive.

“Hehehe. Isn’t our daughter cute, Mom? Hm?”

“Indeed. How did she grow up to be so slender and pretty?”

The way she stroked Cuss’s chin and head resembled someone petting a puppy or a cat.

Cuss seemed to quite enjoy it, even closing her eyes to savor the touch.

This was the same person who would complain when Juliane touched her.

It seemed I didn’t need to worry about the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter.

Now we were passing through the hallway toward the living room, and the house was incredibly spacious.

I had guessed it would be big before entering, but seeing it in person exceeded my expectations.

I was confident I could get lost in this house.

“The house is really spacious. I guess you have a housekeeper?”

“We don’t have a housekeeper.”

“Wow. Really?”

So my mother-in-law was an amazing homemaker?

I felt a bit resentful about why she hadn’t passed that talent on to Juliane, but then…

“Instead, we have a cleaner, a gardener, and a chef.”

“Ah…”

At least now I was certain Juliane wasn’t adopted.

That much was clear.

“Are you crawling here? I heard the door close quite a while ago, yet you’re only arriving now.”

“I was showing them around the house, hoho.”

After passing through the hallway, we finally reached the spacious living room.

Congressman Conrad, no, my father-in-law, was sitting on a rather old-fashioned—or should I say, antique—sofa, holding a newspaper.

So paper newspapers are still being published.

It was a bit surprising to see one after so long.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you sitting next to me?”

“You didn’t say not to sit next to you.”

“…”

The newspaper crumpled as my father-in-law’s mouth twisted along with it.

So this was all part of his angry act, right?

Knowing that made me feel more relaxed and reassured.

“I’ll bring some coffee. You two talk.”

“…”

After my mother-in-law left, silence quickly fell over the living room.

I hoped Cuss would act up as usual and lighten the mood, but it was no use.

She was being unusually well-behaved today.

You’re not normally like this.

It feels strange.

“I hear you went ahead and changed your surname.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I changed it, hehe.”

“It’s bad enough when the man changes his, tsk…”

“Come on, Dad. That’s not fair. You’re suddenly being so progressive about this?”

“Be quiet. I’m trying to talk to your husband.”

“…”

Juliane’s mouth was sealed for the crime of speaking too much truth.

Now it was entirely up to me.

Even if it was just an act of anger, if I said something disappointing here, he would be greatly disappointed.

As Juliane’s husband and the head of a household, it was my duty to show him I was reliable.

“Do you know how many years apart you and Juliane are?”

“Um… about 8 years, I think?”

“It’s 12 years.”

So we were a full zodiac cycle apart.

My goodness.

I was a bit surprised but tried not to show it.

“Do you have sexual desires toward elementary school students?”

“Ah, n-no?”

I stammered at the sudden question.

Elementary school students were definitely off-limits.

At least middle school…

“When you became an adult, Juliane had just entered elementary school. So liking Juliane is no different from being a pervert who loves elementary school children. Are you a pervert?”

“Ah…?”

I took a hit.

A perfect argument with no loopholes.

Is this what makes him a four-term congressman?

I was so taken aback that I couldn’t speak for a moment.

“Dad! What kind of sophistry is that?!”

“You be quiet. This is a man-to-man conversation right now.”

“Ugh…”

“Answer me!”

“I’ll be a pervert! If loving Juliane makes me a pervert, then I’ll gladly become one!”

“You bastard…!”

What difference does it make if the cutoff line moves from middle school to elementary school?

I declared without hesitation, and my father-in-law’s brow furrowed.

“Damn it! You pass. I’ve confirmed your determination to love Juliane even if it means bearing a stigma.”

“Father-in-law!”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What on earth are you two talking about…?”

I made eye contact with my father-in-law and firmly grasped his large hand for a handshake.

I could feel his love for his daughter in that passionate gaze.

I promise to take your daughter and make her happy without fail.

We exchanged a man’s gaze as if making that promise.

“I guess your anger has subsided? Hoho.”

“It hasn’t.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure. Have some coffee.”

“…”

After my mother-in-law brought coffee, the atmosphere relaxed considerably.

It seemed he had decided to soften his angry act a bit.

“Eww. I don’t like coffee.”

“This isn’t coffee. Try it.”

“Hmm? It’s sweet…!”

“Hehehe. It’s hot chocolate. Is it good?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Look at you getting it all over your mouth.”

My father-in-law, who had been looking at Cuss with disapproval, slid over a napkin box.

Watching Juliane diligently wiping Cuss’s mouth with a napkin, my father-in-law seemed lost in thought for a moment before speaking.

“Aren’t you two having children?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s been quite a while since you got married, but there’s no news. Is there a problem with one of you…”

“Hahaha. It’s nothing like that, father-in-law.”

“I told you not to call me that.”

“We will have children. Until now, we’ve been careful, so there hasn’t been any news…”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I couldn’t possibly tell him that we couldn’t get pregnant because Juliane developed ovarian cysts from too much vigorous activity.

Now I noticed Juliane was blushing and avoiding eye contact as if embarrassed.

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

“I’ll go with you to show you the bathroom.”

“What about me?”

“Would Cuss like to stay with Grandma? Hoho.”

As I stood up, Juliane immediately followed and stuck close to me.

Once we were far enough from the living room, Juliane kept glancing back before bringing her lips close to my ear.

We needed a strategy session.

Was she going to give me tips on how to win over her father today?

“I want to have a son.”

“Excuse me?”

“You said we’d have a baby… I want to have a boy who looks like you, Jinsoo…”

“…”

It seemed I was mistaken.

Hot breath blew into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

Glancing sideways, I saw Juliane breathing heavily and clinging to my arm.

Her grip on my arm seemed somewhat desperate.

Wait, does she want to do it here, now?

“Juliane. This is not the place.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Weren’t you suggesting we do it here?”

“No, I wasn’t…? But if you’re really that urgent, maybe in the bathroom we could…”

“I can hear everything, you two! Just go to the bathroom! Separately!”

“…”

“…”

Juliane’s face turned bright red.

So much for acting like a modest lady in front of her parents.

“The bathroom is… over there…”

Following Juliane’s directions, I went to the bathroom.

As expected of an expensive house, the bathroom was spacious too.

The floor seemed to be some kind of marble, and despite looking like the kind of surface where you could slip, crack your head, and die, it wasn’t actually that slippery.

“Hmm?”

When I returned to the living room, I found my mother-in-law with Cuss on her lap, showing her a book.

Actually, looking closer, it wasn’t a book but an album.

It had been a while since I’d seen an album with actual printed photos pasted in it.

These days, everything is just kept as digital data.

I casually sat down beside them and peered at the album.

“Is this Juliane?”

“Yes. This was taken when she was 7 years old.”

“Hmm…”

Wow.

It’s Juliane without large breasts.

It felt really strange.

This was Juliane from a time I didn’t know, with a different appearance.

Looking at it gave me an odd feeling.

My father-in-law had said it.

That I needed to have the perversion to love Juliane even when she was in elementary school.

Now I understood why I had passed.

“From here on…”

Rustle.

As the page turned, my mother-in-law seemed choked up and couldn’t continue speaking.

The bright and cheerful young Juliane was no more.

Juliane in hospital clothes with limbs hanging limply.

Images of her lying in a hospital bed, staring blankly or forcing a bitter smile while looking straight ahead, continued on.

Juliane sitting on the bed looked extremely lethargic.

“Juliane looks really struggling here, doesn’t she?”

“Yes, she does…”

“She was actually suffering terribly. The electric bus she was riding exploded in an accident. The explosion bent the bus frame, which crushed her limbs…”

The Juliane in the photos was completely unfamiliar.

It wasn’t her usual energetic self who never seemed bothered by her disability.

She was all curled up, a sight that pained my heart just to look at.

“For a year, she did almost nothing but lie in bed. Prosthetic limbs need core muscles to support them, you know. But she refused rehabilitation… Then she met a benefactor. A nurse who worked at the hospital helped Juliane find strength. Thanks to this person, Juliane found the courage to start rehabilitation.”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“J-just a moment. Could you take out this photo?”

“…?”

A photo of Juliane in a wheelchair, smiling with a nursing assistant…

My hand trembled.

I saw a familiar face in that photo.

“Do you remember the name of that nurse?”

“I don’t remember her name well… But I recall Juliane called her ‘Sister Ellie.'”

“Ellie…”

I wiped the dust off the photo with my finger and looked at it closely.

It was a beautifully taken picture of both of them smiling brightly.

“Could I take this photo with me?”

“Yes, that’s fine. We can print another one.”

“Thank you…”

How much I regretted not taking a single photo when I was young…

This was truly a precious, precious photo.

I really need to treasure this.

“What were you talking about while I was gone?”

“We were looking at the album.”

“Aaaah! Mom! Why did you show that?!”

When I heard Juliane’s voice, I quickly hid the photo in my pocket.

Suddenly, I thought about how small the world really is.