Ch.44Chapter 44. Party (2)

“It was definitely a party I opened to get drunk.

I don’t care if it’s Cuss’s first period or whatever.

But how did it end up like this?

“Hehehe… Jinsoo. Jinsooo…”

“Are you listening, Mr. Jinsoo? This is really, really important! Do you know how aggressive child protection agencies are these days!”

“Sigh…”

When I came to my senses, Cuss was hugging my arm and rubbing her head against my shoulder, while Juliane was drunk and rambling incoherently.

I suddenly noticed the white wine bottle was already empty.

Did Cuss drink it all by herself when I wasn’t looking?

No wonder she’s drunk after finishing an entire bottle, even if it’s low alcohol content.

“Listen to meee! Mr. Jinsoo!”

“Yes, yes. I’m listening. Go ahead.”

But why is this person already drunk when she hasn’t even finished one glass of wine?

No wonder she kept drinking peach crush at the bar.

I didn’t realize she was this bad with alcohol.

There’s still some wine left.

Once I finish that, I should end this party.

“I’m cold, Jinsoo.”

“Are you? Let me adjust the air conditioner…”

“Nngh!”

“What are you doing?”

Cuss naturally climbed onto my thigh and sat down, using my chest as a backrest.

She pulled on my sleeves until my hands ended up wrapped around her waist like a seatbelt.

“This is warmer.”

“Is it warm?”

“Mmhmm…”

Cuss purred and rubbed her head against my chin.

Her hair was so annoying that I poked her crown once with my chin, which finally made her behave.

I wonder what Juliane will say if she sees this.

“Oooh! Mr. Jinsoo!”

“Ah…”

“That’s right! That’s it!”

“Pardon?”

“If you apply warm compresses to the lower abdomen before or during menstruation! It improves blood circulation and feels good!”

Surprisingly, it was a compliment.

Warm compresses on the lower abdomen.

I’m learning something useful.

“But apart from that… Mr. Jinsoo, you really need to be careful… *hiccup*”

“About what?”

“About everything! Anything that could be used against you… There are even parents who’ve hired paparazzi to monitor your daily life.”

“Come on. No way.”

Surely they wouldn’t go that far.

I tried to laugh it off, but Juliane glared at me with what seemed like a hurt expression.

She must have been serious, despite being drunk.

“Your criminal record… Anyone who should know probably already knows about it, and they’re probably spreading exaggerated rumors to take you down in one go.”

“…”

Shit.

The rape and murder record alone would be enough to socially destroy not just me but Cuss as well.

And they’re adding more to it?

I had a bad feeling about this.

“But don’t worry too much! The Ministry of Justice is doing everything to prepare for this!”

“The Ministry of Justice?”

“No… Actually, it’s just me…”

“…”

I figured as much.

We’re screwed.

Maybe I should prepare to move.

If someone like Snyder exposes my criminal record, neither Cuss nor I will be able to live here anymore.

“So! We need to blow this scandal wide open quickly! We need to prove your innocence quickly… hmm…”

“Ah, this woman, really.”

Juliane plopped down next to me, closed her eyes, leaned on my shoulder, and fell asleep.

Her drunken rambling wasn’t great either.

Sigh, I wonder what kind of man will take this woman home someday.

Noticing how quiet it had become, I saw that Cuss had also fallen sound asleep.

“Haah…”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

The person who actually wanted to get drunk was still wide awake.

I closed my eyes hoping to fall asleep too, but I wasn’t sleepy yet.

I should clean up.

I carefully moved Juliane’s head and put Cuss down on the sofa.

Since Juliane kept tilting, I propped her head against Cuss’s.

Except for Cuss’s slightly pained expression from having Juliane’s head on top of hers, they looked stable and fine.

Looking at them like this, I realized Juliane is quite tall for a woman.

“Smile.”

Click.

I took a photo.

It was funny seeing them sleeping while leaning on each other and drooling.

Now I really need to clean up.

I downed the half-empty wine bottle in one go.

There’s only a piece or two of meat left.

I’ll finish that too.

I took the plates and glasses straight to the sink and washed them.

“This is overwhelming.”

Then I noticed the messy living room.

Ribbons and strings were stuck all over the place—when did they put all that up?

“I knew this would happen…”

I felt like I’d seen the future.

I knew I’d end up taking everything down myself.

I grabbed the trash can and threw in all the garbage.

After two hours of cleaning, the living room was back to normal.

I must be crazy.

Why did I suggest having a party in the first place?

“Ughh…”

I groaned as I sat back down on the sofa.

I was starting to feel the alcohol now.

But not enough to get drunk.

Maybe I should down two more bottles of soju.

“Hmm…”

As I was thinking this, Cuss’s head fell onto my thigh with a thud.

Using my thigh as a pillow, she slept soundly.

“You little brat.”

“Mmm…”

When I pinched her cheek, it stretched like rice cake.

If she were any less cute, I would have thrown her out long ago.

You should know how lucky you are, really.

Suddenly, I wondered what this child—the one before Cuss took over her body—was like.

I know she was a human experiment subject, but… what would have happened if her body hadn’t been taken?

Would she have died during cruel experiments in space?

“Yawn… I don’t know.”

As my thoughts became complicated, I started feeling sleepy.

I checked how much Cuss’s chest had developed and then closed my eyes.

I’ll just sleep for an hour.

***

“Holy shit…”

Alexander flipped through the file with trembling hands.

It was a document he had requested a few days ago and received today.

Inside it was…

-Jinsoo Kim. Indicted for rape and murder. Charges of rape and murder acknowledged. Death penalty.

Alexander abruptly closed the file as he skimmed through the trial records.

Rape and murder…

Although his wife had asked him to look into it, he hadn’t expected such an extensive criminal record.

If he handed this over to his wife, she would almost certainly spread the rumor immediately.

Then, as she wanted, the child named Cuss would never be able to attend this school again.

“This isn’t right.”

A child shouldn’t inherit the sins of their father.

Alexander shook his head and put the file back in his bag.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

Just then, the bathroom door swung open.

As Sarah came out drying her hair with a towel, Alexander flinched and hid his bag behind him.

“What’s wrong? Why are you acting like that?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“You know you’re terrible at lying, right?”

“…”

“There’s something, isn’t there?”

Sarah crawled onto the bed with a smile.

Backed against the wall, Alexander could only remain silent, avoiding her gaze.

“What on earth are you—”

“Mom!”

“…?!”

The door suddenly burst open, and an excited voice rang out.

The couple quickly turned their heads to see Alice standing there, hugging a large backpack.

“Mom! I love you!”

“Huh…?”

“Thank you so much for the backpack! I’ll use it well, Mom!”

“Um, sure. It’s late now, so go to bed.”

“Okay!”

Alice giggled, closed the door, and ran to her room.

Sarah, who had been smiling at Alice, was now holding Alexander’s face with both hands, staring at him intently.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“I bought it for her. With a note making it look like it was from you.”

“Sigh… I must be crazy.”

Sarah pressed her forehead and backed away.

She remembered Alice returning home dejected after begging for a backpack.

She knew Alice would immediately turn to her husband, but she hadn’t expected him to buy the backpack and pretend it was from her.

“Fine, I get it. There’s nothing wrong with the backpack. It’s just a trend among kids…”

“The child isn’t at fault either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Cuss. That child. Why do you dislike her so much? She gets along well with Alice.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t like her…”

Sarah groaned as she lay down on the bed.

“Her father is worthless, and she seems to have a physical disability or possibly autism, and her personality doesn’t seem good.”

“Don’t you think Alice can discern that for herself? Let’s trust our child. From what I see, Alice has better judgment than we do.”

“But… but… above all, that father and daughter have turned Snyder against us.”

“Ah.”

“The game is already over. No matter how long it takes or by what method, Cuss will eventually be expelled. If that’s the case, we should cut ties before Alice gets too attached…”

“…”

Alexander looked at Sarah with pity, then wrapped his arm around her waist to comfort her.

It seemed Sarah was also struggling emotionally in her own way.

“You worry too much about Alice.”

“So what? Are you saying I should care less? Is that it?”

“That’s not it… What I’m saying is that what we do for Alice’s sake might not always be helpful. Sometimes we need to teach Alice what’s right.”

“Right and wrong aren’t that important in life. You know that better than anyone.”

“…”

Alexander fell silent.

As a prosecutor, how many people had he put away?

Among them were some who seemed genuinely wronged.

“But there’s still a minimum standard. I don’t want to appear as an ugly adult to Alice.”

“…”

Looking at Alexander’s righteous gaze, Sarah exhaled deeply.

She could understand why, despite his numerous achievements, he had been passed over for promotion and remained in the same position for years.

“Wait, just a moment…”

Unable to hold back, Alexander leaned in and began caressing Sarah’s nape.

Sarah’s arms, which tried to push him away, had no strength in them.

The knot came undone, and her shower gown slipped off.

“You’ll leave a hickey…”

“Then I just won’t leave one.”

“The way you’re sucking… ah! How could you not leave one, you idiot.”

“Let’s make a second child tonight. Okay?”

“W-wait. Alice is still…”

“Alice went to bed.”

“Ahh… Why are you so excited today…!”

“Weren’t you trying to seduce me by wearing just a shower gown?”

“Really… Aren’t you tired after coming back from work? Kyaang?!”

“Shut up.”

Though she might dominate her husband during the day, in bed, Sarah was pinned down and couldn’t move.