episode_0074

I sat down on the bed and wiggled my fingers, then very carefully opened my mouth.

There’s nothing particularly wrong with it, I just have some comic books, but why do I feel so nervous… .

“The original resident was… a woman, right?”

I’m not sure, but she was probably a gentle-looking woman.

At first glance, he seemed to be around my age, but he left a vague impression on me, so I don’t remember him very well.

In the first place, I don’t know if he comes out of the house often, but we’ve only met a few times.

“The previous resident left it behind. You can throw it away.”

Even the people who lived there before… .

There are more cases than you might think where women fall in love with other women.

Or was it just a hobby?

Anyway, it doesn’t matter who lived there before. This comic book was found in Hannayeon’s room, not in the living room.

“Um… But why did you bring it into the room?”

Am I being too picky?

Because it felt like the atmosphere was flowing towards an interrogation, I gave Hanna Yeon an awkward smile.

“Because guests are coming.”

“There’s one volume missing… .”

“I didn’t know it was that kind of comic book… because it was a shame to just throw it away.”

Rarely did an excuse come out of Hanna Yeon’s mouth.

I wonder if he thought I was angry. I was a little surprised, but I didn’t mean it like that.

Rather, my current mood could be seen as the complete opposite of anger.

“Can I… read it for you?”

Pure curiosity.

Don’t they say knowledge is power?

Since there have been a lot of similar things happening in comics recently, I couldn’t help but become interested.

“Why… .”

Whether because she didn’t want to show it or because she was just embarrassed, Hanna Yeon hid the comic book behind her back.

“Because I want to see it…? I originally liked comics too.”

Back in the old days, I was also quite into comics. I wasn’t like Seo-hu, who would read them while walking down the street, but whenever I had time, I would spend most of it reading comics or web novels.

But since I’ve hardly seen you since I came here, I’m a little excited to read some comics after such a long time.

“I want to see… ?”

Hanna Yeon looked at me with strange eyes.

A look that seemed to ask, ‘Why do you want to see that?’

You saw it too… .

Oh, no way.

“By any chance… is that… a somewhat adult… book?”

It was a reasonable suspicion.

This is the only reason why Hanna Yeon won’t show me her comic books.

“What… !”

Hanna Yeon slowly backs away, avoiding my gaze.

Her pure white cheeks were completely red, and her original color could not be seen, and even the nape of her neck, visible above her T-shirt, was bright red.

I’m not a middle school boy who got caught doing something weird… I guess a mother can be lenient and overlook this much.

“Oh, no.”

“But why can’t I read it?”

Hanna Yeon shook her head, covering her mouth with her arm, and I looked at her and questioned her again.

“… … .”

Oh, it was too sticky.

Hanna Yeon’s eyes became scary.

Hannayeon slowly approaches me without answering.

Her face was still flushed, but her eyes were shining as if they were going to eat me at any moment.

I felt like a very excited carnivore with its prey right in front of it.

“Ha, Hanna Yeon?”

If you notice that they don’t want to show you, just give up and don’t look.

Although belated regret came flooding in, Hanna Yeon was already right in front of me.

Get eaten, get eaten… … .

“Do whatever you want.”

At the sound of a sigh that finally burst out, the tension that had filled the room dissipated without a trace.

A comic book resting on one’s lap.

Hanna Yeon runs out of the room.

A glimpse of her reddened neck through her tied-up hair only heightened her curiosity about the comic book.

What on earth could it be that makes Hanna Yeon so embarrassed?

I carefully open the first page, my heart pounding with excitement.

At that moment, my consciousness was completely sucked into the comic book.

* * *

love.

What a mysterious and difficult feeling this is.

And yet, it brings happiness, and sometimes makes you sad and miserable.

No matter how selfish and ugly it may be, in the end it ends beautifully in the name of love.

It may be different for everyone, but at least that’s how it felt to me.

I also thought that it was the power of love… .

“Don’t fall in love with me… .”

I think our daughter has become a little strange because she has been exposed to so much love.

Mirae, crouching next to me under Hannah Yeon’s bed, repeated the lines from the cartoon.

“When did you come…?”

“A long time ago… when Mom started sobbing?”

Mirae, who has a big smile on her face and nods her head, wondering what is so enjoyable about it.

I rubbed my moist eyes with the back of my hand and closed the comic book.

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah… .”

The intention behind the question from the future is obvious. I guess he was glad that I opened my eyes to a yuri manga.

I wanted to keep denying it, but I couldn’t allow myself to do that.

It is disrespectful to comics to mix lies into your appreciation.

“I like it.”

“i like you.”

Because Mirae keeps repeating the lines, it seems like she overlaps with the female protagonist of the comic I just read.

Of course, the future was hundreds of times more vivid and beautiful than the main character, but I avoided eye contact because I knew that saying this would cause a huge problem.

“Do you know what I mean when I say that?”

Then, without realizing it, I let out a gruff voice.

Actually, I was a little dissatisfied.

When a person is absorbed in their emotions for the first time in a while, you come next to them and disturb them… .

“I like you who doesn’t like me, so even if I like you, I hope you don’t like me… .”

I thought for sure you didn’t read it carefully.

I thought she was just teasing me by using the ambassador, but unexpectedly, Mirae gave a serious answer.

“What a complicated and annoying woman. Trying to tie me down with words like that.”

Mirae leans back on the bed, letting out a bitter sigh.

Is it okay for the future to say something like that?

A future where she declares that she will be a mother at home but a lover outside?

Even though the feeling is different, I think it’s similar in the end.

I want to leave a mark on the person I love. Mirae also just wanted to catch two rabbits at the same time: being a mother and a lover.

I decided to leave my mother’s side because I wanted to.

“You like what you like, right? I wish my mom liked me.”

How many times does a single word mix with like?

With that thought in mind, I glanced at my daughter sitting next to me, and Mirae caught my eye by surprise and leaned in towards me.

“Does Mom like the future?”

This time, I will definitely hit you hard.

I smiled at Mirae, who was leaning her head on my shoulder, but Mirae bit her lips with a look of dissatisfaction.

“Other people like it too.”

“Phew… .”

Look, I’m not in a position to complain and say that the heroine in the comic is annoying.

I found myself laughing heartily without realizing it.

“… … .”

Mirae looks at me with a puzzled expression.

After realizing the mind of the future, it became easier to deal with it. The future also became softer, as if a burden had been lifted from the mind.

“That’s right. The chairman, Hannahyeon. Oh, and maybe Tachibana too? I got help last time.”

As I thought about it, my future jealousy didn’t feel much different from my childhood jealousy.

If I come in even a little late, he keeps asking me who I was with, and he keeps pushing the memorandum in to reconfirm it as if he’s so anxious about something, and if I talk about someone else, he puffs out his cheeks and shows his discomfort.

Mirae, who always told me honestly how she felt. It was a little difficult to notice though.

“Mom.”

I was smiling broadly at the thought of teasing the future when suddenly a shadow appeared before my eyes.

“Uh, yeah?”

It was because the future had turned around and was coming towards me, but somehow the atmosphere seemed ominous.

Did I tease you too much?

It was even more frightening because I could vaguely predict future actions.

“I like it.”

“Mom too… Huh?”

This much is safe.

Even though I glanced at the door because I was feeling a little awkward, my current behavior is such that it would be okay if Hanna Yeon or Na Rin caught me.

“Don’t do it outside.”

So I naturally gave the same answer, but Mirae gently pressed her index finger to my lips.

“When you start liking me in a different way, then do it.”

“Okay, sleep… .”

As Mirae closed the distance between us with her fingers pointed at us, I quickly covered my mouth with both hands.

“Don’t do it here.”

Then Mirae turned away from me and ruffled my hair.

This is just childish behavior… .

Besides, I ended up overreacting because I was mistaken.

I feel somehow resentful. I feel like I can’t back down like this.

“Annoying woman… .”

A timid mutter came out of my mouth.

It was just as the future said.

When I came to like you in another sense. It is not yet decided when that will be. But isn’t the future word containing the certainty that that time will come?

A troublesome woman who tries to tie you down.

It’s really heartbreaking to say bad things to the future, but no, honestly, I did think about it to the extent of a grain of rice.

Of course, it’s not that I really find my daughter annoying. It’s just that ‘a woman who wants to be tied up’ is a perfect description of the present future.

“Uh… .”

The future that was about to rise up and fall away from me suddenly stopped.

A somewhat shocked look.

“Love is heavy.”

“… … .”

He added one more word and completely destroyed the future.

Future, with her knees bent at an ambiguous angle and her empty eyes turned towards me.

But too much pranking can be poisonous.

“Still… Thank you… .”

In the end, he wrapped it up with warm words filled with sincerity.

No matter how heavy and bothersome it may be, being loved is a happy thing.

Because I am worth it to myself and there are people around me who recognize that worth.

“Mom, close your eyes for a second… .”

Even after saying that, I felt a little embarrassed and lowered my head, but Mirae quickly approached me and crouched down in front of me.

“No, I hate it because it’s scary!”

I pushed that future away and ran outside.

I’m happy, but… .

Yeah, but it’s still a little heavy.