episode_0115

The deep blue sky had darkened.

Store signs and streetlights illuminated the darkness in place of the disappearing sun.

In the bustling streets, brighter than daytime, Han Jihoon and Park Yuna walked side-by-side, looking quite the couple.

And Kang Minah was secretly following them, observing their every move.

“Oppa, that place earlier was so delicious, wasn’t it?!”

“Yeah. I was worried because the reviews were mixed, but it was good. Right?”

“Yes! Let’s go again with the three of us next time!”

The two chatted amiably.

Park Yuna remained close, linked arm-in-arm with him, and Han Jihoon walked along without any resistance.

The more she saw, the more Kang Minah’s worries and suspicions grew in her mind.

‘Is Jihoon really cheating on Seo…?’

The Han Jihoon she knew was upright and solid, the kind of good young man any parent would want as a son.

So, even after witnessing the scene before her, she should believe there was another reason besides cheating. But Kang Minah couldn’t shake her doubts.

Just a few days ago, Han Jihoon had confessed to her, the mother of his girlfriend, no less.

“Wow! Oppa, look at this! Isn’t this hair clip so pretty?”

“Try it on. I think it would look good on you.”

The two were canoodling in front of the accessory shop, looking just like any other couple.

Still, Kang Minah wanted to believe in Han Jihoon.

For her daughter’s sake, she wanted to find proof that her suspicions were unfounded.

‘Ah, I don’t know yet… Maybe Yuna is just a naturally affectionate person with men.’

But as if mocking her desperate hope, a scene unfolded before her eyes.

“Jihoon Oppa! Smooch!”

Park Yuna, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him on the cheek.

Han Jihoon was taken aback by the sudden action for a moment, but then a smile spread across his face.

“What’s with the sudden kiss?”

“It’s just… I’m so happy that I can go out and date you, Oppa!”

‘They really are dating…?’

Kang Minah froze on the spot, realizing her worries were true.

Not only had he confessed to her, the mother, while dating her daughter, but he was secretly having an affair with someone else.

It was as if she had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

“Aren’t you going to give me a kiss, Oppa?”

“Okay, okay. I will.”

His lips, which should only be for his daughter, touched another woman’s cheek.

Kang Minah watched in dismay, but they, unaware of her presence, cheerfully continued on their way.

===

“Phew, done.”

He finished uploading a game review video to his YouTube channel.

His updates had become less frequent because he was busy with school and spending time with his girlfriends, but he was still uploading videos fairly regularly.

He had been pressed for time editing because he had been out on a date with Yuna yesterday, but he had barely managed to make the deadline.

‘Oh, it’s past nine. I should watch his sister’s stream.’

Buzz! Buzz!

‘It’s his auntie?’

If she was calling him when his sister was streaming, there was only one reason he could think of.

He eagerly answered the phone, excited at the prospect of spending quality time with her.

“Yes, Auntie.”

—…Jihoon. Do you have time? Could Auntie come over to your place?

“Of course. Are you coming right away?”

—Yeah… I’ll be there soon. Wait for me.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”

Click.

The call ended with the bare minimum of words.

At any other time, he would have joked, “I see you couldn’t hold back any longer,” but Auntie’s voice sounded heavy today, so he didn’t.

‘Is she worried about something?’

If so, he would have to do what he could to cheer her up.

He made up his mind, and about twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang.

“Come in.”

“…”

The auntie, who entered the apartment, had a very dark expression on her face. It wasn’t his imagination.

“Auntie. What’s wrong?”

“…”

The silence that followed made the air in the living room heavy.

Whatever was going on, it didn’t seem like the kind of atmosphere for anything lewd.

The auntie’s voice, which he heard next, also seemed to confirm his thoughts as she lowered her voice.

“Jihoon.”

“Yes?”

“Auntie came to ask you something….”

“Oh. Yes, what is it?”

“Well….”

The more she hesitated, the stronger the feeling that it wasn’t going to be a normal question.

The auntie then moved her hesitant lips.

“Last night… were you home by any chance?”

“No. I was out in the evening.”

“Actually… Auntie was out and about, and she saw you.”

“You saw me?”

As he had said earlier, he had been out on a date with Yuna yesterday.

But Auntie said she saw him?

“You were with Yuna… You two aren’t just friends, are you?”

For her to ask like that meant she was already sure of what was going on in her mind.

In short, he had been caught by his girlfriend’s mother having another woman besides his girlfriend.

It wouldn’t be strange if his brain froze from shock, but he was actually calm.

‘Okay, let’s talk about it now.’

From the beginning, his goal had been to have a serious relationship with Auntie, so he had been thinking about when was the right time to tell her about Yuna.

It would have been better if he had told her first, but since things had turned out this way, and since it was a hurdle he had to overcome anyway, he thought it would be better to come clean and persuade her in this situation.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“How… You can’t cheat on Seo when you have her.”

She asked him that question, unable to get over the shock.

Before her feelings could get any stronger, he quickly opened his mouth.

“It’s not cheating. Seo also knows about it.”

“What?”

“Seo and Yuna both know, and they’re dating me.”

“What is that….”

He continued to explain to her in a serious voice, her expression more confused than before.

“It’s a long story… The two of them like me, and I have a hard time choosing just one, so I ended up dating them both at the same time.”

“I can’t believe that someone normal would accept dating at the same time….”

“It’s ridiculous, but it’s true, and it’s so ridiculous that Seo and I couldn’t tell you.”

“Ah, I don’t understand. How can someone who likes you just let you date another woman….”

It was a natural reaction from Auntie’s point of view.

But since everything he had just said was true, he didn’t have any hesitation.

“I understand why you think that. But Seo really accepts our situation and is happy dating me.”

“Really… Is Seo really happy?”

He gave her a confident answer to her, who was reluctant to believe him.

“Yes. Seo told me herself. She said that she’s happy to be dating me, and that she’s close to Yuna because they have me in common, so she doesn’t think it’s a bad thing for the three of us to be dating.”

“Seo said that….”

“If it’s hard to believe, you can ask her yourself. But she’ll answer exactly the same way I did, so please understand us then.”

“…”

A heavy silence settled in the living room once again.

After spending a short but considerable amount of time deep in thought, Auntie shook her head from side to side.

“No. If Jihoon says so, I’ll believe you. Seo wouldn’t want her mother to interfere too much in her affairs….”

“Thank you for believing me.”

Auntie was surprisingly willing to accept it.

However, the shock hadn’t completely worn off, and her voice was still trembling slightly.

“I, I’ll be going now. My head is a bit of a mess, so I think I should go home and rest….”

“Yes, please do. If you have any other questions, you can call me anytime.”

“…Okay. I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. Get some rest.”

With those words, Auntie left, and he was left alone in the bright living room.

He was a little worried because she seemed so shocked, but he was very relieved that Auntie was so open-minded.

Now that Auntie knew about our secret, he had to tell his girlfriends about it.

‘Seo is streaming, and Yuna is already asleep, so it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.’

Since he had nothing to do, he should go to bed early.

He hoped that Auntie’s shocked heart would calm down safely, and he wondered how he should approach her in the future as he went back to his room and prepared to sleep.

===

“Haa….”

Kang Minah, returning home, sat down on her bedroom bed and sighed.

The fact that she had just learned was so unexpected that her heart, which was beating loudly, wouldn’t calm down.

‘Jihoon is… dating Seo and Yuna at the same time?’

She still couldn’t believe it was real, but her words about believing in Han Jihoon weren’t a lie.

He had never lied to her before, and his eyes, which she had seen earlier, were full of sincerity.

And the words that Park Yuna had said when she was stalking the two of them yesterday, that she wanted to go to the satisfying restaurant again with the three of them, were also supporting Han Jihoon’s words.

‘If Seo wasn’t happy, it would have shown on the outside, even a little bit….’

She still couldn’t believe it, but she should still believe him.

Even after making up her mind, there was still one thing she couldn’t understand.

That was the fact that Han Jihoon had even confessed to her.

She was too flustered to ask him at his house, but his confession was just as bizarre as the fact that he was dating two women at the same time.

‘He’s already dating two people, but he’s greedy for me too… Does that mean he’s confident that he can make all three of them happy…?’

The scenes she had seen yesterday flashed through her mind.

A young, innocent couple giving each other affection in a friendly way.

It was a scene that she would have been happy to see in the past, but for some reason, her already loud heart was now beating even faster.

‘If I were to meet Jihoon, I would date in that way….’

She had never thought about it before, but was it because she had become conscious of Han Jihoon as a man for various reasons?

Even though she thought it didn’t suit her, she couldn’t stop imagining herself standing in place of Park Yuna in yesterday’s bustling streets.

‘Stop it. Dating at my age is embarrassing. And Jihoon is dating Seo.’

No matter how unusual Han Jihoon’s love life was, she shouldn’t be a part of it.

Even though she knew that, the imagination and excitement that wouldn’t end.

The only way to end it seemed to be to force herself to sleep.

‘…I should wash up and go to bed early today.’

Kang Minah quickly finished showering and lay down on the bed.

But no matter how late it got, her restless mood didn’t disappear.

===

While Kang Minah was having trouble sleeping, Kang Yiseo was lying in bed.

She had finished streaming and preparing to sleep, but instead of closing her eyes, she was replaying a scene in her mind.

The unfamiliar face of her mother, which she had seen that day when she was wearing headphones in the living room at Han Jihoon’s request.

And after being lost in thought for a long time, she came to a conclusion that would have shocked Kang Minah if she had heard it.

‘…I think I should help her myself. So that Mom can date Jihoon.’