episode_0042

“Who said this.”

The future’s subdued voice continued. Somehow, the bathroom felt a little cold… .

“Huh, huh? This… Ah, that!”

I had completely forgotten about it because it didn’t hurt. I had left it alone because it was bitten in an awkward location, but could it have been a bigger wound than I thought?

“You know, today my mom was in there as an examiner… .”

This is something I would have said a long time ago if Hanna Yeon hadn’t suddenly barged in. It’s a happy thing that could be a chance for promotion, and by chance, I’ve even met a future friend.

I explained to Mirae in detail what happened today.

He told me everything, from the moment he got to work and was called in by the branch manager, to the fact that his arms hurt from writing the evaluation, to the fact that he met Serika Tachibana at the end.

“I got bitten then. It seems like I need blood to use my powers… Are there any vampires at the Academy?”

I’ve never met one, but I wonder if there are vampires or werewolves in this world. My heart is pounding at the fantastical topic that has come up after a long time.

“Tachibana Serika… ….”

But instead of satisfying my curiosity, Mirae suddenly turned on the shower and washed the remaining foam off my head.

“Mom.”

Swaaa …

It’s an old building, but the water pressure is strong. That’s one of the reasons I’m satisfied with this house. I feel refreshed after washing with a strong stream of water.

“Don’t bite anyone other than me.”

A small murmur could be heard beyond the sound of the water pouring down like a waterfall.

“Don’t touch me… Don’t smile.”

If you’re going to talk, you should turn off the shower. Oh, oh! I think there’s water in my ears.

“Huh, huh? What did you say?”

He waved his hands in the air, asking for me to stop, then tilted his head to the side and asked.

“Nothing.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw Mirae smiling gently.

No matter how hard I shake my head, the water in my ears doesn’t go away. Future’s voice also sounds like it’s in water, making a humming sound.

“Wait a minute. I’ll drain the water from your ears and wash your hair.”

Knock knock. I tilt my head to the side and tap my temple. Then, warm water trickles out of my ear. My stuffy chest feels relieved.

“Ah, okay… Hiyaang… ?!”

It was then that I felt something lukewarm touch my neck, like water that had just drained from my ears.

But it was just a momentary illusion.

The lukewarm temperature suddenly surpassed my body temperature, and soon brought about an unbearable heat.

The heavy pressure on my thighs. The slender arms wrapped around my back from my waist. Above all, the hot tongue that kept flickering at the back of my neck made me flustered.

“Mi, Mirae? What are you doing?”

“Disinfection.”

As I tried to move my body back, Future’s hand that was touching my shoulder blade gained strength.

As a result, I became more closely connected to the future, and the feeling of smooth, moist skin began to be felt clearly.

“Ugh… What, what disinfection! You don’t have to do it, so get down! Hey, Mom, it’s hard!”

Because I was so desperate, I ended up saying things to my daughter that I shouldn’t have said. If I were to say something so direct and serious, it would hurt a teenage girl. But I didn’t have the luxury of such sensitivity at the moment.

“Ugh… Ugh… .”

Even after doing that, Mirae didn’t fall apart. Rather, she pressed closer to me as if she wouldn’t allow even the slightest gap, and doggedly followed me along the nape of my neck that was hidden under my wavy hair.

“Future… Huh… .”

My head feels like it’s going to explode.

Is this a common occurrence in mother-daughter relationships? How much skinship is acceptable between family members?

There was no way I could have guessed exactly. In the past, I was a son, and now I am a mother. Besides, I have never raised another daughter, and I have never had a younger sister or older sister.

That’s why the daily lives of mothers and daughters in other families are almost like an unknown world to me.

As you walk down the street, you sometimes come across mothers and daughters walking around holding hands. Kissing each other was something that was done at Seo-hu’s house, and sleeping together or taking a bath together is a natural thing for a family.

But what about hugging and licking the back of your neck while you’re taking a bath?

Although it was done in the name of disinfection, even I, who am still lacking as a mother, thought that something was strange.

Is it strange that Mirae licks her mother’s neck so nonchalantly?

Or maybe I was wrong for thinking it was weird to be licked by my daughter.

I don’t know. It doesn’t matter now either way.

“The future!”

When I felt my body become abnormally hot, I unconsciously grabbed Mirae’s shoulder and pushed her away, shouting.

“This, this is not it.”

As he urged her with a firm voice, Mirae’s eyes, which had been wide open, began to sink sadly.

Was this really the right thing to do? It could have been a joke disguised as a joke. But I overreacted and brushed it off.

I had assumed the worst, but seeing the look on the future’s face made me believe it.

“Ah, no…! Oh, Mom was a little surprised… It’s… It’s not that I don’t like it… It’s… .”

I didn’t have the confidence to look straight into the future. I could have just smiled and gotten over it.

“I know. Sorry for startling you.”

Looking at the bitter smile on Future’s lips, a feeling of guilt came over me.

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you apologizing?”

I shook my head and tried to smile. My mind was blank, but my face was hot. My whole body felt like it was floating, as if the future was happening on my thigh.

“But, at least say something next time! If you suddenly rush in, anyone will be surprised.”

As I got up from the bathtub, rubbing my cheek with one hand, the future reflected in the mirror nodded.

From then on, I focused on showering in silence. I hated being awkward with the future, but for some reason, I wanted to maintain this silence for now.

* * *

“Are you done packing? Is there anything I can help you with?”

She came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. Hanna Yeon, who had just finished unpacking and was putting clothes in the future room, stood up in front of her suitcase.

“Your face is red.”

Hanna Yeon, who was passing by, placed her palm on my cheek. It must have been hot. My body shivered at the sudden cool sensation.

“Hot, I washed it with hot water, so that’s why.”

He covered his face with the towel he had placed on his head and tried to cover it up.

“… Is it that red?”

“Very much.”

As he asked casually, Hanna Yeon nodded and went into the bathroom.

“Unnie Haru, what is this?”

“A memorandum written by Mirae when she was seven years old. Isn’t it cute?”

I wondered what Narin was doing instead of following along, and when I looked, she was looking at the memorandum hanging in the future room.

─ Mom only sleeps with Mirae.

─ Mom only kisses Mirae.

─ Mom only takes a bath with Mirae.

─ Mom only eats with Mirae.

─ Mom, don’t leave the future behind.

─ Mom is going to marry Mirae.

A copy of a memorandum written in a round, cute handwriting. It is coated so the outside is shiny.

When Mirae was in the third grade of elementary school, she spent her own money at the stationery store to make copies and laminates. And once more in the second year of middle school. I thought it was a memorandum that would soon be thrown away, but our memories are still cherished to this day.

“Good, something like this. Both of us in my family have this kind of personality… .”

“Why, what’s with your personality?”

Even if Hannayeon is like that, I have never met a person with a better personality than Narin in my life. If there were vampires and other races living together in this world, Narin would definitely be an angel. An angel who lost her wings and fell to earth.

“My sister and I are both a little… shy, I guess…? We did something embarrassing… Oh, it’s not that the memorandum is embarrassing!”

Narin waved her hands in confusion.

It’s okay if you feel embarrassed. Isn’t that how memories shine? It also highlights the cute aspects of the future.

I thought about it like that and smiled, but then a question suddenly occurred to me.

“But Hanna Yeon is good at doing embarrassing things. She hugs me all the time and says embarrassing things without any hesitation.”

How many things Hannah Yeon has done to me. Of course, it was all helpful and I was secretly happy about it.

“… Is that your sister?”

“Hanna Rin, wash first.”

When Narin tilted her head in confusion, Hannayeon, who had entered the bathroom first, called out to Narin.

“I’ll be in soon!”

Narin smiled faintly, untying her hair that was tied short like the tip of a brush.

“I guess it’s because I’ve known you for a long time. You do that to your friends too… .”

Is it because she is more uncomfortable with her younger sibling than with her friends? If not, maybe Hanna Yeon is trying her best to maintain her relationship with her friends.

“Should I try on some clothes?”

Left alone with Mirae in the living room, I opened my mouth in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

When I opened the box with the cutter knife in the room, I saw clothes wrapped in plastic and stacked neatly.

“You sent a lot this time too.”

Mirae approached from the side and looked inside the box. As expected from the volume and weight of the box, it was excessively large.

“The chairman even sent me winter clothes all at once… .”

Actually, it was a big concession for a chairman. At first, he sent the designer to his house and caused quite a stir. Incidentally, the following year, the security guards brought a large hanger and made me scared again.

“Oh, it’s Chuchu pajamas this year? Last year it was bear and panda.”

I took out a winter coat, a black hoodie that Mirae likes to wear, the uniform of Easty Academy, a pantsuit that I wear to work, and so on. There were so many clothes that it was hard to list them all, and then I found a character pajama that took up quite a bit of space.

“I told you not to send it… .”

A pair of black tutus. A jumpsuit-style outfit with cat ears on the hat.

Mirae only wears it when she first receives it and takes pictures, and once she takes it off, she never wears it again. On the other hand, I sometimes wear it when it’s cold.

Because you don’t have to worry about what other people think at home. It’s surprisingly soft and warm, so it feels like you’re in a sleeping bag.

“What is this…? Mirae, you asked your aunt to send you underwear too?”

“No, I told you not to send me clothes.”

I told you not to send the clothes themselves, not the pajamas. After all, it’s hard work to organize them every season, and it’s a waste to throw away perfectly good clothes.

Still, my heart ached as I imagined the chairman hanging up the phone, muttering in a heartbroken voice, “Oh, really… It must have been burdensome… Okay… Okay.”

In the end, Mirae, whose heart had weakened, compromised and asked to be sent somewhere moderate.

“Then what is this?”

Just in case, I carefully opened the plastic. The hanger seemed to have been put in so that its shape wouldn’t collapse. I grabbed the handle of the hanger and slowly pulled it out, but the side got caught and the string that was tied came loose.

Wait a minute… a string?

“No, this is… .”

I blinked and checked it carefully.

The underwear set was almost like a string, almost like a piece of cloth, and it was all over the top and bottom.

“Did I…come wrong?”

“I think it’s mom.”

“… What?”

I took another close look at the future words. Indeed, the area was too small to cover the chairman or the future.

I was the only one who could use this frugal underwear for its intended purpose. Sadly, that was the reality.

“No, why on earth… .”

What is this supposed to mean?