Ch.325325. Between Love and Love

“Haa… Huu, huuung… Haah.”

“…Phew.”

After causing quite a commotion in the bedroom, I, with my mind suddenly clear, laid Hwa Nabi down on the bed. Since this kind of activity consumes a lot of energy, I’m also a bit out of breath.

I sat quietly, regulating my breathing, and after calming down a bit, I glanced at Hwa Nabi. After our intense encounter, she was completely disheveled, practically naked, and gasping for breath.

I stared blankly at her fair chest where her ribs were visible, then suddenly came to my senses. Hmm, I just tormented her, so I shouldn’t be like this again. I should cover her body with something.

Looking around, all the clothes were crumpled, and nothing suitable was available, but a thin bedspread seemed appropriate. I spread the bedspread over Hwa Nabi’s body.

“Huaa, huu… huu, darling. You’re really like a beast…”

“……”

I couldn’t deny being called a beast since I had relentlessly tormented her even when she begged me to stop for a moment while gasping.

If I were to make an excuse, it would be that I was in a switched-on state… Well, anyway, since I’m the one who made Hwa Nabi like that, I’ll accept being called a beast.

“This beast, stallion… monster with only that part big.”

“…Want to taste the monster again?”

“Eek…!”

When I approached her threateningly, Hwa Nabi was startled and squeezed her eyes shut. What is she, an ostrich that hides only its head when a predator approaches? Does she think I’ll disappear if she closes her eyes?

Finding her reaction somewhat cute, I placed my hand on top of the bedspread and gently patted her.

“Want something to drink?”

“Hmm… some water please. My throat hurts from screaming too much.”

“Okay, wait a moment.”

I left the bedroom and went to the mini-fridge in the hotel living room, taking out two bottles of water. One for Hwa Nabi, and one for me. I also used a lot of energy and sweated quite a bit, so I need to replenish my fluids.

I opened the water bottle cap and moistened my throat as I entered the bedroom. It took less than thirty seconds to go back and forth, but by then Hwa Nabi had regained her composure and was sitting at the edge of the bed looking at her phone.

They say women live with their phones even if they’re dying, and seeing this when she was about to pass out just a moment ago is sometimes amazing. I approached her and offered the water.

“Want me to open the cap?”

“Yes, please.”

“Here you go.”

I handed her the water and sat down beside her. Curious about what she was doing, I peeked and saw her frantically typing on the keyboard. It seems she’s chatting with someone.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Jinhee. She woke up because the baby was crying, and she said she contacted me because she thought of me.”

“Oh, really? She’s having a tough time too.”

Hwa Nabi and I are in no position to talk about others. Since Woohee recently learned Hangul, and Woocheon is learning to walk… they’re still at an age where they wake up crying.

…Ah, thinking about Woohee and Woocheon suddenly makes me want to see their faces. But as much as I want to see Woohee and Woocheon, I also want to be alone with Hwa Nabi.

“Tomorrow is Saturday, right?”

“Yes, it’s Saturday. Why?”

“We need to pick up the kids tomorrow, so I was just checking.”

It would have been easier to make a decision if one feeling was stronger than the other, but that’s not the case, which makes it more difficult. I love the kids as much as I love Hwa Nabi, and I love Hwa Nabi as much as I love the kids.

Unable to express such complex feelings, I unconsciously let out a deep sigh. At that moment, something soft overlapped on the back of my hand.

“Darling.”

“Oh, yes?”

“This is the record of my conversation with Narin. Do you want to see it?”

Hwa Nabi, who was gently holding the back of my hand, offered me her phone. Though a bit bewildered, I took it since she was giving it to me.

What is this? What did Narin say in the KakaoTalk message that she wants me to see? Did she send something strange? Like children’s typical curiosity or something like that?

“Why, did she ask something difficult to answer?”

“Well, not really… just look at it first, then I’ll tell you.”

“Okay…?”

There must be something she wants me to see. I followed Hwa Nabi’s instruction and scanned the phone screen. The first KakaoTalk message was at 6 PM, with Narin initiating the conversation saying she would take good care of Woohee and Woocheon, so we should go without worrying.

Hwa Nabi replied that she understood and that she only trusts Narin, even using emoticons… but there’s nothing special up to this point. It’s just a typical conversation between close sisters.

“There’s nothing special here?”

“There’s more below, scroll down.”

I scrolled down. The next conversation took place an hour later at 7 PM.

Narin♡ [Did you meet brother-in-law?]

Me [No, haven’t met him yet. Waiting nearby.]

Narin♡ [Oh no, are you outside? It’s still cold in February. Go wait in a cafe or something!]

Me [I’m waiting in the car, so it’s fine. hahaha]

Narin♡ [Then turn the heater on full blast, okay?]

Me [Yeah, sure. Oh, by the way, Narin, are Woohee and Woocheon doing well?]

Narin♡ [Yes, they’re fine. They’re playing by themselves next to me right now.]

Me [What are they playing?]

Narin♡ [Woohee is shaking a rattle in front of Woocheon.]

“Hmm….”

Nothing special stands out here either. The only thing I could tell was that Narin seems to care a lot about her sister… That’s about it. Just reading a few lines of KakaoTalk, it’s clear that Narin is quite considerate of her sister.

Is the good personality perhaps inherited from the mother’s side? Hmm, that wouldn’t be right. Both mother-in-law and Hwa Nabi have decent personalities but are somewhat mischievous. Wouldn’t it be better if Narin didn’t have that trait? Being mischievous might be fun for oneself, but it tires out the people around you. I’m living proof of that.

“Darling, are you thinking something strange right now?”

“…No, I’m just thinking that you and Narin get along really well.”

“I don’t think so, it doesn’t seem like that.”

“Well, anyway. Why did you show me this? There’s nothing special even if I look further.”

“My, our darling is so impatient. There’s still more below, isn’t there?”

Feeling like there would only be similar conversation content if I scrolled down further, but since she insisted I keep looking, I reluctantly scrolled down. The next conversation was twenty minutes later at 7:20 PM.

Narin♡ [Still haven’t met him?]

Me [No. But it seems like it’ll end soon, darling’s meat-eating speed has slowed down a lot.]

Narin♡ [You can see that from the car?]

Me [Modern phone cameras have really good zoom functions haha]

“……”

“Scroll down more. More, more.”

Narin♡ [By the way, Woohee and Woocheon are really cute. Sis, why didn’t our mom give me a younger sibling? I’m confident I could take care of them well, like I’m taking care of Woohee.]

Me [Well, if we had talked about it about ten years ago… maybe it could have been possible?]

Narin♡ [Ten years ago I was a baby, sis, you should have spoken for me!!]

Me [Narin, the result of me begging for a younger sibling is you, you know?]

Narin♡ [Oh, that’s right. Because I’m your younger sister…! (small cat shocked emoticon)]

Hwa Nabi and Hwa Narin, the look-alike sisters seem to get along well. Reading through the conversation content, I chuckled and turned my head to look at her.

Hwa Nabi was just tilting her head in confusion, not understanding why I was looking at her. Finding her cute, I reached out my hand.

Since she was within arm’s reach, I wrapped my arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer. She didn’t panic at my sudden skinship, but rather docilely offered her body as if telling me to touch her comfortably.

“What, did you give me your phone to show me this in the end?”

If the purpose was to play with my heart by showing me this lovely conversation, then it’s a great success. I whispered while rubbing Hwa Nabi’s lower abdomen with my fingers under the blanket, and she smiled prettily, enjoying my playful touch.

“Hmm, that’s part of it… hehe, but the more important part is after that.”

“This is a kind of privacy, is it okay for me to look further?”

“Yes, you can look more.”

I don’t think there’s a need to look further, but since she specifically asked me to, I have no choice. While still holding Hwa Nabi’s waist, I playfully moved my fingers and skimmed through the rest of the content.

After exchanging various small talk, Hwa Nabi and Narin ended their conversation saying they’d talk later since “darling” had left the store. The conversation resumed about an hour later, which, if my memory serves me right, was around the time we had just arrived at the hotel.

Narin♡ [Sis, are you busy?]

Me [I’m in the shower, why? Is something wrong?]

Narin♡ [Woohee said she’s sleepy, so mom put her to bed? But Woohee said it’s fun being with grandma and me, and she wants to sleep at grandma’s house tomorrow too. What should I say?]

Me [What did mom say?]

Narin♡ [Mom said to ask you?]

Me [Hmm, today is Friday, right? Then… would you tell her it’s okay if we come around Sunday lunchtime?]

Narin♡ [Yes, wait a moment.]

Narin♡ [Sis, mom says it’s okay.]

Me [Really? Then Woohee and Woocheon will stay at Narin’s house on Saturday too, and I’ll come to pick them up around Sunday lunchtime. Got it?]

Narin♡ [Yes, got it! Have a hot night with brother-in-law!]

Me [Narin, where did you learn to say such things…?]

Narin didn’t answer Hwa Nabi’s question, and the conversation ended there. I stopped tickling Hwa Nabi’s lower abdomen and organized what I had just read in my head.

So… to summarize, we have free time until Sunday lunchtime?

“…Nabi.”

And today is Friday night, the current time is not even midnight yet.

“Yes, what is it?”

“This doesn’t have any more content that you’ve cut off, right? For example, Woohee changing her mind and asking us to pick her up first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Hmm, what do you think? Do you think I’m lying?”

As if she had no intention of answering straightforwardly even when asked nicely, Hwa Nabi looked at me intently with a meaningful smile.

Her beautiful emerald eyes trembled softly as her face drew closer.

“Alright, so you don’t want to answer nicely, is that it?”

“What are you going to do? Darling, your eyes look a bit dangerous.”

Despite saying this, she’s still smiling, and judging by her playful attitude, Hwa Nabi doesn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

If she doesn’t want to answer when asked nicely, there’s only one option left. Instead of asking verbally, I’ll have to ask physically.

I abruptly pulled off the blanket that Hwa Nabi was wrapped in, grabbed her waist, and instantly laid her down on the bed.

“Darling, I have one request.”

“What is it?”

“This time, can you be a little gentler?”

“…I’ll think about it.”