Ch.284284. When That Child Grows Up

“……Woohee?”

“Yes. Woohee.”

[Well. If nothing’s decided yet, just be honest….]

“Woo… hee. It’s Woohee. Han Woohee.”

[Hmm, is that so? Woohee, huh. Which Chinese characters are you planning to use?]

“Well… I’ll use the character for ‘Woo’ meaning ‘excellent’ and ‘Hee’ meaning ‘joy’ for a woman. The naming specialist said this combination would bring good fortune.”

The naming specialist excuse was obviously just that—an excuse. Since I only know a few Chinese characters, I chose a name I’ve heard often.

Woohee, literally meaning “beautiful woman of the Woo family”… It’s quite famous among the public as the name of the woman loved by Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu. I’ve heard she was so beautiful that she sometimes replaces one of China’s Four Great Beauties, excluding the fictional Xi Shi.

Well, let’s put aside such trivial details for now. What matters is whether Grandfather likes this name or not. I waited anxiously for his response. Glancing sideways, I could see Hwa Nabi looked just as nervous as I felt.

[I see. I’ll make note of that.]

“…Ah, yes. I understand.”

It seems he’s going to let it slide. Whew, I’m saved. Relieved, I smiled as I answered, but at that moment, Grandfather added one more thing.

[So, how is my grandson’s wife recovering?]

“She’s resting well after everything went smoothly. She’ll need a few more weeks of rest to fully recover, so we’re planning to be discharged around then.”

[Hmm, that’s right. After giving birth, she should rest completely without worrying about anything. You’ve done well.]

“Yes, thank you. Oh, I should have asked earlier—have things been well with you lately?”

[For an old man like me, every day is a battle, isn’t it? There’s never a day I can rest easy.]

Though he said it jokingly, there was truth in his words. Well, that makes sense. Being the head of a major corporation means there’s never a day of peace. There must be hyena-like people everywhere, constantly looking for opportunities.

“Ah… um, that must be difficult.”

[This is nothing compared to what you and Jiwoo will face in the future. Don’t you think?]

“…Pardon?”

—Chairman, the shareholders’ meeting starts in five minutes…

[Ah, is it that time already? Well, Wooya. Take good care of your wife, and steel yourself. I’ll call for you soon.]

“Wait, what? What do you mean? Grandfather? Grandfather?”

There was no answer despite my calls. The call had been abruptly ended. I stared blankly at the dark screen. What did he mean by calling for me soon? He made several meaningful remarks but left out the crucial details, which is frustrating enough to drive me crazy.

Should I call back and ask? As I held my phone contemplating, I heard a snickering sound beside me. Turning around, I saw Hwa Nabi staring at me with an amused smile.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this flustered, husband.”

“…You find this funny?”

“Yes, extremely funny.”

Of course she would. It’s not her problem. I was about to say something but decided it wasn’t worth it and just smiled wryly.

“So, husband. Is Wooa’s name officially Woohee now?”

“Hmm, well. I guess so? Why, don’t you like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but I’m wondering if it’s okay to decide so spontaneously. It’s a name she’ll have for life.”

“Nabi, names have no meaning. What matters is what kind of person she becomes.”

“Oh… that sounds like a wise saying. Who said that?”

“It’s my life motto.”

“Heh, you’re lying.”

“I’m serious!”

I said with a smile, so she probably thinks I’m joking, but this really is my life philosophy. Names and appearances are just superficial. What matters is a person’s inner self—how they treat others and their personality.

No matter how attractive someone’s appearance might be, if they’re rotten inside, it’s hard to keep people around. You can get by on looks alone maybe until your early twenties when nobody knows each other well. After that…

“Then, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“You? You’re…”

Outwardly bubbly, but surprisingly deep inside. Your way of speaking is incredibly cute, and your lips are soft… something like that.

Wondering how much I should say, I quietly smiled and reached out my hand. As I interlaced our fingers, Hwa Nabi let out a soft laugh as if tickled.

“An extremely charming person.”

I didn’t express the part about “sometimes to the point where I feel insecure.” It seemed like an unnecessary addition.

“Heh, really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“What a coincidence. I think similarly.”

“You think so too?”

“Yes, why? Does it sound like a lie?”

“Hmm, well…”

Even if we’ve reached a level where we can communicate with just our eyes, it’s impossible to fully understand each other’s innermost thoughts. As I hesitated to answer, Hwa Nabi gently pulled on our joined hands.

Naturally, our eyes met, and the distance between us shortened.

“I think you’re an extremely charming person, husband.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, so charming that… sometimes I feel anxious. Afraid you might go elsewhere if I look away.”

“…”

The moment I met those slightly moist eyes, my body moved before my mind could.

I pulled on our joined hands and embraced Hwa Nabi tightly. She quietly nestled into my arms without saying anything.

“That won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, now that we have a child too… where would I go?”

I meant it as reassurance that she could feel secure since we now had one more person to be responsible for. But she seemed to misunderstand something, making an odd nasal sound.

“Husband, do you know the story of the fairy and the woodcutter?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then you must know the moral of that story too?”

These days, there’s talk about viewing the story from the fairy’s perspective rather than the woodcutter’s, suggesting the woodcutter deserved punishment for his despicable actions. But ultimately, the moral of the story is to listen carefully to others’ advice, live honestly, and good deeds bring good fortune… something like that.

“To live righteously?”

“No, that’s wrong.”

“Then what is it?”

“You should still throw bait to a fish you’ve already caught.”

“…Huh?”

This is the first time I’ve heard this interpretation. Was that moral really in the fairy and woodcutter story? While I was momentarily confused, Hwa Nabi’s finger slipped through the gap in my shirt.

“Don’t you see? The woodcutter got complacent thinking everything was fine since they had two children, so he revealed where the fairy’s clothes were. Then she put them on and flew away.”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Are you really not getting it, or just pretending? Of course it’s related. The woodcutter treated the fairy like a fish he’d already caught, and then lost her.”

“…You’re putting strange interpretations on a children’s fairy tale.”

Someone might actually believe that’s the real moral if they heard you. Despite my cynical rebuke, Hwa Nabi showed no signs of stopping as she slowly unbuttoned the top button of my shirt.

“But you know, husband. I don’t plan to be complacent.”

“What are you trying to…”

“Shouldn’t you have caught on by now?”

Her finger reached the second button. Hwa Nabi licked her lips.

“I’m not letting you go until we have at least three children.”

“…So you’ll let me go after four?”

“What do you think?”

Hwa Nabi spoke only with her eyes.

‘I won’t let you go even if we have ten children, not just four.’

…Her gaze is dead serious.

“Husband, do you know something?”

“What is it now?”

“This VIP room has really good soundproofing.”

“…And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’?”

By the time I answered, the second button was already undone. Hwa Nabi’s right hand touched my collarbone.

“It means no one will hear us, so let’s have some fun.”

“You just sounded like some pervert uncle.”

“Are you going to keep changing the subject…?”

Despite my efforts to break the mood, Hwa Nabi curled her lips into a crooked smile and grabbed my shirt. Seeing she was about to rip all the buttons off, I gently held her wrist to stop her.

“Wait, you’re still not physically back to normal. This kind of thing should wait until you’ve recovered more…”

“202 hours and 24 minutes.”

“What’s that?”

“That’s how long I’ve been abstinent.”

Since a day has 24 hours, that’s over a week of restraint. It’s a record of sorts. Neither Hwa Nabi nor I had gone that long without doing anything since we started living together.

“…Oh, really?”

“I’ve held back for so long that my whole body feels tingly.”

Hwa Nabi placed her hand on her chest. Her breasts, more voluminous than usual due to Wooa’s influence, swayed gently.

“Especially here.”

“That’s probably not because you’ve held back too long, but because of breast engorgement…”

“…Husband, your problem is that you always have too much to say.”

So I’ll make it so you can’t speak, her eyes seemed to say as she brought her face closer. Her soft-looking lips slowly approached.

During that brief moment, I intensely debated whether I should stop her or not. Then I thought, how long must she have held back to be like this, and since the delivery went well, maybe once would be okay… As I was leaning toward the latter option—

Creeak.

“Wooa’s mother, the newborn nursery just finished being disinfected? You can visit in ten minutes…”

An out-of-place sound reached my ears, and our eyes met with the nurse who was holding a medical chart.

“…Ah.”

“Uh…”

Naturally, we both froze in surprise, and the nurse seemed equally shocked, creating an awkward silence.

“…I’m sorry. Enjoy your time.”

The door closed with a thud.

“…”

“…”

I was too surprised to even make an excuse. Our eyes met. We looked at each other for a moment, then awkwardly averted our gazes.

“The soundproofing is good, but the security is terrible…”

“Yeah, our room door doesn’t lock…”

I’d heard that VIP room doors are designed never to lock in case of emergencies. I didn’t think much of it when the nurse explained it, but now…

“…Should we continue where we left off?”

“You can still say that in this situation…?”

I’m not sure if she’s strong-hearted enough not to care about such trivial matters or if her desires have taken over her mind. From what I’ve observed, it’s probably a bit of both.

“Then what should we do? I like you too much.”

“I like you too, but… this isn’t the place, right? Hold on a bit longer. Once you’ve fully recovered, I’ll ask them to discharge you quickly.”

She came on so suddenly. My heart skipped a beat, but I pretended to be nonchalant as I gently stroked her hair.

She seemed to enjoy my touch for a moment, then tapped her cheek with her finger.

“Then give me a kiss.”

“Will that be enough for you to wait?”

“Yes, I’ll think of it as an advance payment.”

If that’s the case, I can’t refuse. I gently held her waist and carefully kissed her cheek. It’s far less than what she really wants, but for now, I put my heart into it as a token to help her wait until—

Creeak.

“Ah, I forgot to mention, will the father also be joining for the visit…?”

“…!”

“…”

“…I’m so sorry!”