Ch.179179. Karma

“……We’re a bit busy, so could you close the door and leave?”

After saying it, I immediately regretted my words. Asking her to leave because we’re busy? When I should be making excuses, what kind of nonsense am I saying? It was such a ridiculous request that I wondered if I’d gone temporarily insane from shock.

…What was Hwa Nabi doing? Glancing straight ahead to check, it didn’t seem like I could expect any help from her. She was just as frozen as I was, unable to move in any direction. With her arms still crossed, her pupils trembling slightly as she stammered—that said it all.

With my only hope, Hwa Nabi, in this state, resolving this would be even more difficult. What should I do? Maybe because I thought getting my sister out of this room was the most urgent matter, I ended up saying something completely absurd. From my sister’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange at all if she got angry.

I waited for her response with an almost criminal sense of guilt.

But then.

“……Already trying for a second child?”

“Huh? Uh… yeah. I guess so.”

“Well, have dinner later then. I’ll tell mom you two are busy.”

My sister’s words and actions were different from what I expected. I thought she’d get angry first, but instead she responded as if it was no big deal, looking elsewhere while continuing the conversation.

“Mmm, thanks.”

“Sure, good luck.”

I’m not sure what she meant by “good luck,” but anyway, that’s how our conversation ended.

-Creak, thud.

The open door closed firmly, and suddenly the world went quiet. A silence so profound that even an ant’s footsteps would be clearly audible.

The one who broke that silence was none other than me.

“……Shall we continue?”

“C-continue what?!”

Hwa Nabi, who was straddling my thighs, smacked my shoulder. There was no strength behind it so it didn’t hurt, but it stung enough to snap me back to reality.

“Siwoo. Are you c-crazy? What on earth did you just say?!”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed by our recent conversation, Hwa Nabi, her face bright red, grabbed my shoulders and shook me vigorously.

Hmm, if I act embarrassed too, we won’t get anywhere with this conversation, right? With a slightly shameless expression, I placed my hand on top of hers and gently said:

“What? It worked out well, didn’t it? That’s all that matters, right?”

“It didn’t work out at all! Aah, seriously! How am I supposed to face your sister later after you said something like that? What will she think of us?!”

“……That we have a good marriage?”

I made an unnecessary comment and only made things worse. Hwa Nabi, finding my answer outrageous, shook my shoulders even harder.

Feeling like my brain was about to be rattled loose, I grabbed her waist to steady her, signaling her to calm down.

“But it’s strange. I’m sure I locked the door, so how did she get in?”

“Maybe the lock is broken…?”

Having regained some of her senses, Hwa Nabi replied grumpily, now calmer than before. My sister’s surprise attack wasn’t my fault.

Looking at it objectively, it wasn’t anyone’s fault, but if blame had to be assigned, my sister was probably more at fault. If she had just knocked before entering, we wouldn’t have been caught in such an embarrassing situation.

“Should we check?”

“We’ve already been caught, what’s the point of checking now?”

“Well, we need to prevent it from happening again.”

I meant that we shouldn’t get caught again if a similar situation arises in the future. But Hwa Nabi grabbed my wrist to stop me.

“We can check that later. Right now, we need to get out of here!”

“And do what?”

“What do you mean? We need to explain to your sister that this isn’t what she thinks it is!”

“How are you going to explain it?”

That’s the question—how exactly would we explain this? Me with my upper body exposed, and Hwa Nabi wearing only a shirt, pressed against each other in a room—how could we possibly explain this in a convincing way?

That I suddenly had a fever and she was checking my temperature? Or that even though our bodies were pressed together, that wasn’t our intention? We might know that wasn’t our intention, but my sister, as a third party, wouldn’t see it that way.

In fact, both objectively and subjectively, it did look like we were about to do something intimate. Neither explanation makes sense, and even if they were true, they’d be hard to believe. If I were in her position, I wouldn’t believe it either.

“That, that wasn’t our intention…?”

“Nabi, would you believe that if you were her?”

A man and woman embracing half-naked—who would accept such a flimsy explanation?

Realizing herself that it made no sense, Hwa Nabi bit her lower lip.

“……I probably wouldn’t believe it.”

“Right, so there’s no point in trying to explain.”

“That’s true, but… just doing nothing doesn’t seem right either.”

“I understand how you feel, but there’s no way out of this. How can we explain this to my sister?”

It might be a better choice to just admit it outright and tell her not to interfere, rather than making excuses and trying to explain that it was an unavoidable situation.

The former leaves us with nothing, but the latter at least preserves some dignity, right?

When I shared this thought, Hwa Nabi gave me an incredulous look.

“So you’re saying you just want to give up and continue groping me?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying we should make a rational choice. There’s no need to waste time on something that won’t work, right?”

“Ah… is that so?”

Hwa Nabi, who had been listening quietly, let out a hollow laugh. But somehow, it was an odd laugh. Not a laugh of joy, but more like the final laugh of someone who has given up everything.

I can’t describe it well, but anyway, it doesn’t feel good. I tried to back away by shifting my hips backward.

But with Hwa Nabi on my thighs, it was all in vain.

“Then I guess it doesn’t matter if I do this.”

Hwa Nabi brought her hand to her lower abdomen and grabbed her shirt button. Then, pop, pop. She slowly began unbuttoning it.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

It looks like you’re undressing.

“I’m always the one being careful, always the one with a tight chest. I don’t care anymore. I’m not going to worry about such things.”

Having unbuttoned everything, Hwa Nabi grabbed my shoulders. Looking at her exposed fair skin around her chest, I said:

“….You were being careful?”

As soon as I said it, I realized I’d made a verbal mistake. I said it because I couldn’t hold back, but I should have kept quiet until the end. I’d just added fuel to the fire with my unnecessary comment.

I regretted it immediately. But as always, regret comes too late.

“Is that all you have to say?”

Did I mishear that as “Is that your final words”?

“…Wait, the lock. The lock is broken, right? And your family is outside.”

My hastily made excuse seemed to work as Hwa Nabi hesitated.

But only for a moment. With a mocking smirk lifting one corner of her mouth, she pressed her upper body against mine.

“So?”

“What do you mean ‘so’? Are you saying you don’t care if we get caught?”

“Yeah, I don’t care.”

…Well, this is unexpected.

“We’ve already been caught, do you think I care about such trivial things now?”

Her switch seems to have flipped already as she brings her face closer without thinking. I grabbed her wrist and tried to persuade her.

“You, you should care, shouldn’t you? If we just let things happen like this, it’ll be troublesome for both of us…”

“And?”

Hwa Nabi twisted her wrist in my grip, and somehow managed to intertwine her fingers with mine.

Pulling our interlocked hands, she came close and said:

“Do you dislike it?”

“……”

I don’t dislike it.

As if my silent cry had reached her, Hwa Nabi smiled softly.

“Then we’re good.”

“Are we really…?”

“Why, do you need something more?”

“…No, I don’t.”

We looked at each other for a moment.

And right after that, our faces drew closer.

***

On the first floor of the house, Han Jinwoo, who had come down the stairs, headed to the kitchen where his mother was waiting. He was going to tell his mother about his now grown-up brother.

“Mom, Siwoo says he’ll eat later.”

Sitting at the table filled with mouth-watering side dishes, Han Jinwoo looked at his mother and spoke. His mother paused while ladling soup.

“Why, is he not feeling well?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Han Jinwoo hesitated for a moment. How should he explain this so his mother would understand? Being direct seemed inappropriate, but he couldn’t think of a suitable indirect expression.

“Then, he’s not sick, is he?”

“Hmm, not that either…”

They’re both adults who know what’s what, so is there any point in being indirect? Ah, whatever. I’ll just say it.

Just as Han Jinwoo had made up his mind and was about to speak, it happened.

—Thud.

A loud noise suddenly came from upstairs, where Han Siwoo’s room was located. Startled, his mother looked up at the ceiling.

“Oh my, what was that sound?”

“The bed’s going to break.”

They should take it easy since there’s a child involved, it’s bad for the body. Muttering quietly, Han Jinwoo sat down at the table. His mother stood up.

“What if he fell in his room? I think I should go check.”

“No, there’s no need for that. …Ah, delicious.”

Home-cooked meals really are the best. After taking a quick taste with his spoon, Han Jinwoo picked up his chopsticks. His mother stared at him before saying:

“How can you say that when your brother might be hurt?”

“It’s not like that, Mom. You’re worrying for nothing.”

“Huh? Worrying for nothing…?”

His mother tilted her head at Han Jinwoo’s vague statement. Han Jinwoo looked up at the ceiling where the loud noise had come from, then at his mother, and finally took a spoonful of food.

“Going hard doesn’t make it better, he’s still a kid.”

“……”

His mother stared at Han Jinwoo for a moment, then smacked him on the back.