Ch.185Mom, I Love You (8)

“Ah, senior, since you also went to Wonsuk Middle School, do you happen to know Teacher ‘Si Daechan’? When I was young, I used to run away a lot because I was scared of him, but thinking about it now, he was really a passionate teacher.”

“Ugh… ah. Teacher Si Daechan…! Ahaha. Of course I know him. That… mad dog?”

“Ahaha, I see everyone had similar nicknames for him back in your day too. That teacher really was consistent. Still, if you got to know him, he wasn’t a bad person. He was also a Wonsuk Middle School graduate, so he had a lot of affection for the school.”

“Well, every school needs at least one teacher like that… haha.”

I was somehow able to keep the conversation going about memories with Mom, or more precisely, with Dohami-chan.

Whenever there were gaps due to generational differences, like completely different homeroom teacher names, Mom mixed in stories from my school days to somehow create common ground.

Fortunately, it seems that teacher Si Daechan’s nickname was also “mad dog.”

Well, people’s lives are pretty much the same everywhere.

Especially places from the past that have been polished by nostalgia.

Everywhere, kind teachers are nicknamed angels,

And everywhere, strict teachers are nicknamed mad dogs.

Even though she was clearly a mother with a strapping son right beside her,

Dohami-chan, happily talking about her childhood memories, looked just like a fifteen-year-old girl who perfectly remembered her middle school face and emotions.

Though her face already looked like that of a fifteen-year-old girl without needing such mental adjustments.

Even when just mothers get together, they have so many things to talk about—

Stories about their children, husbands, housekeeping, and even the TV dramas they watched yesterday.

It’s no wonder that mothers in classic old animations are always nagging or chatting with other mothers as a hobby.

And to think that someone I had simply considered my boyfriend’s mother

Turned out to be an alumna from the same middle school.

Though there was quite an age difference.

It wasn’t strange at all when her mouth curved into a bright smile,

Dimples appearing as she chatted away.

“What’s wrong, senior? You don’t look well. Oh, am I getting too excited talking about things only I know about?”

“Oh, no! Not at all! I had the exact same Wonsuk Middle School experience as you did! I just got lost in memories for a moment—both good and bad ones!”

“Phew… that’s a relief. I was worried I was the only one getting excited about middle school stories from 20 years ago. I’m glad we have some overlap in our experiences to connect over!”

“Hahaha…”

“Middle school was 20 years ago… for me it’s 32 years ago…”

“Oh, Doyoung… why are you crying?”

“It’s nothing, Mom… just got some dust in my eye… ugh.”

“H-hang in there. Ma’am… I mean, Doyoung.”

Talking with Dohami-chan was enjoyable.

While her son Dohamin occasionally acted or spoke in naive ways,

Yet had such straightforward thoughts that made him enjoyable to be around,

His mother, Dohami-chan, had something about her that made people feel good just by conversing with her.

Fresh, petite, cute, lovable, pure, dainty, and full of bright energy.

I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to praise my boyfriend’s mother like this, but anyway, that was the impression both my mom and I had of Dohami-chan.

However, the guilt of deceiving Dohami-chan, who was talking about old memories with such an innocent face,

Naturally weighed heavily on both my mother’s and my shoulders.

In my mother’s case, I think the weight of the years was also pressing down on her shoulders along with the guilt.

Of course, it was impossible to tell the truth now.

This was the school uniform we had chosen, our battle gear specifically designed for mandatory defense against Dad.

“Oh, Mom. Shouldn’t we be leaving soon? If we wait any longer, we might get caught in rush hour traffic.”

“Oh my, is it that time already? Goodness, it’s past 3:30.”

At that moment, Dohamin, noticing the weight on my and Mom’s shoulders, spoke to Dohami-chan.

Following Dohamin’s words, I looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was well past 3 o’clock, approaching 4.

Of course, my room’s clock was set 20 minutes behind, so the actual time wasn’t even 3:30 yet.

Without realizing it, I had been sitting here pretending to be a mother,

Chatting for nearly two hours.

Assuming Mom put on my school uniform right after I returned from my part-time job,

She must have been in this state for at least 4 hours.

Hmm, the buttons on my uniform were probably reaching their limit.

You picked a very appropriate timing for going home, Dohamin.

As a reward, +10 likability points for you.

“My son is right, we should leave soon to avoid the rush hour traffic. I also need to do some grocery shopping on the way home. Thank you so much for having us today. Next time, please come to our house. I’ll prepare lots of delicious food and wait for you.”

“Ohoho, I’m looking forward to that. How exciting to try your other dishes besides tarakjuk.”

“Oh my, you’ve already heard about that from Doyoung? That we made tarakjuk at our house.”

“…hiccup.”

“If you’d like, I’ll make it for you when you visit, senior! Of course, along with many other more elaborate dishes!”

“I-I’ll look forward to it… ohoho.”

Right up to the end, I was creating crises for myself.

If Dohamin hadn’t suggested to his mother that they go home at the right moment and had stayed a bit longer, this would have been exposed immediately.

“I really enjoyed today. When I ran into Doyoung at the market earlier, I thought I’d used up all my luck for the day. But it seems today was an exceptionally lucky day for me. Hehe.”

“Y-yes, I think Doyoung and I also used up all our luck for the day meeting junior Hami.”

Indeed, both Mom and I had used up all our luck for the day.

We managed not to expose each other’s identities until we saw the two of them off at the front door.

“I’m glad I came back to this neighborhood after so long. Since we moved away during high school, I rarely visited. When Hamin said he would attend high school in this area, I was a bit surprised and worried… but seeing everything now, I think it was a good choice for both Hamin and me.”

Dohami-chan said this while tightly hugging her son who was standing beside her.

“Uh, Mom?”

“Thank you, son. For letting me meet Doyoung like this. My son is really the best. Hihi.”

“I don’t think I got such intense praise and skinship even when I ranked first in school…”

“Of course not, my son. You’re a taken man now, aren’t you? I’m a woman too, how could I casually touch a man who belongs to someone else?”

“Then now…”

Subtly, Dohamin slightly raised his head to check my reaction.

Hey, you should be checking your mom’s reaction right now, not mine.

You’re making things precarious at the last minute.

“I’m sorry, Doyoung. Today, please let your ex-girlfriend—his mom—have him.”

“Well, I can’t argue with his mom. Ihaha.”

In the end, Mom gave permission on my behalf.

Even if I had been there, I probably wouldn’t have reacted much differently.

“Well then, we’ll be going now! Today was really wonderful!”

The Dohamin father-son duo waved their hands vigorously as they left the entrance.

“…ugh.”

“Phew….”

*Thud*

And as soon as the front door closed,

Mom and I collapsed against the entrance wall.

As the tension released, our legs gave out.

Although there were several close calls, in the end,

We managed to get through without Dohami-chan discovering the truth.

“W-we survived… I can’t believe we didn’t get caught.”

“That’s why I told you earlier we should just switch back to our original positions. Why did you have to show up wearing my clothes….”

“But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

Perhaps it was thanks to Dohami-chan’s childlike nature that she saw us simply as we were dressed.

Both Mom and I had about five or six moments of crisis due to absurd slips of the tongue during our time together, but we managed to get through them all safely.

“So… who was this Teacher Si Daechan that Dohami-chan mentioned earlier? Wasn’t there such a teacher when you were attending?”

“…There was a class president named ‘Si Daechan’ when I was in school.”

“Pfft! Hehehe…. Hey hey, so it wasn’t a teacher from your memories but a classmate’s name. Hehehe.”

“Enough laughing, hurry up and change out of those clothes. How long are you going to stay like that? What if Dad comes back and gives you a back hug?”

“That’s horrifying… Is there an incest tag in ‘Half of Half’?”

“That’s why you should change quickly while no one’s here. Dad should have woken up from fainting by now.”

We had safely sent the Dohamin mother-son duo away, but the crisis wasn’t over yet.

We didn’t know when Dad and Siyoung would return home.

Though somewhat improper, given the urgency,

Mom and I decided to quickly exchange the clothes we were wearing.

“Ah… I would have liked to chat more enjoyably with Hamin’s mother, who went to the same school. You kids don’t know this yet, but when you grow up, it’s really hard to meet middle school alumni outside of reunions.”

“What would you talk about if you met? That you were in the same class as Dohami-chan’s homeroom teacher?”

“Daughter…? Should I tell Dad to bring a stick when he comes home?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll take off even my underwear for you.”

“The underwear is yours. Just give me the outer clothes.”

Just as we were trying to restore our original positions before Dad or Siyoung returned home.

*Creak*

“Ah, I forgot my bag. Mom, wait in the car first. I’ll just grab my bag from Doyoung’s room.”

The front door that had closed opened again, and Dohamin returned.

“Ma’am, Doyoung, I’m sorry. I left my bag in Doyoung’s room earlier, so I just came up to find it…”

Dohamin, who had come to the living room to announce he was looking for his bag,

Made eye contact with us as we were exchanging our uniforms.

“H-Hamin? You’re looking for your bag?”

“Ah… not a bag, but if you mean a baby bag, it’s right here.”

*Thud*

Dohamin collapsed at the entrance with a nosebleed.

“Hamin!”

“Hey, Dohamin! Wake up! If you’re going to faint, at least tell me whether you fainted from seeing my underwear or Mom’s boobs—that’s an important distinction!”

“Stop saying useless things and let’s help Hamin up before the nosebleed flows to his head!”

It seemed that Dohamin had also used up all his luck for the day.