Chapter 005: Nightmares
With a sense of disappointment, I released Yumi and lay down to sleep.
To be honest, I felt terrible.
It was like standing before a stunning beauty, ready to undress her when suddenly realizing you’re impotent.
Yumi must have sensed my frustration, for she embraced me from behind to comfort me.
After soothing me for a while, she got up and went to check on Jihoon’s room.
Seeing her walk over in that sexy nightgown, I didn’t have any particular thoughts or plans…after all, Jihoon was still just a child.
Soon, Yumi returned.
“Did the kid fall asleep?” I asked groggily.
Glancing at the clock, it was already 10:35 PM.
Normally, unless I was working overtime, Yumi and I would have been asleep by now. Sleep was precious to me.
“Not yet. He’s lying awake, lost in thought. Sigh, it’ll take time for his emotional wounds to heal. Let’s not rush him. We need to be patient. Come to bed.” After saying this, Yumi gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Yumi wrapped her arms around me from behind. Exhaustion washed over me, and I drifted off into a drowsy sleep.
This period had been utterly draining… both mentally and physically. Honestly, I hadn’t slept soundly once since being abroad. Home felt so much better, no psychological burdens, just my wife’s warm embrace.
“Ahhh…”
I was jolted awake by a sudden scream.
I bolted upright in bed, a habit ingrained from my days as a war correspondent.
On the battlefield, you never knew when a shell might land on your head, so constant vigilance was essential.
After waking, I instinctively checked my watch…2:30 a.m. I never slept without it. Precise time awareness is essential for military personnel and war correspondents.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
I turned to see Yumi stirring groggily beside me.
She seemed dazed, as if she’d forgotten there was suddenly an extra person in the house.
“It sounds like Jihoon next door is yelling…” I muttered.
“Oh… no…” Only then did Yumi react, rushing over in her slippers…
“Yumi, your…”
I started to tell her she should put on a jacket…
Was it really appropriate to dash over in a nightgown that showed off her ample chest and beautiful legs?
But Yumi seemed not to hear me, rushing over in a panic.
Oh well, Jihoon is still young, and since we’ll be living together every day from now on, he’ll see it sooner or later anyway.
Besides, he’s my and Yumi’s child now… no need to worry too much.
I scrambled out of bed and followed Yumi over.
When I reached them, I saw Yumi sitting on the large bed, holding Jihoon tightly in her arms.
Jihoon was drenched in sweat, trembling all over as he leaned against her, his eyes tightly shut, as if he’d been through a tremendous fright or shock.
“It’s okay, he just had a nightmare…”
Yumi looked down at Jihoon with heartache before turning to me, her eyes brimming with maternal love.
Yumi had always adored children, yet she herself couldn’t have any.
Now, all her maternal instincts found an outlet, and she swiftly slipped into the role of a mother.
“There, there. It’s okay now. Mommy’s here…”
Yumi gently patted Jihoon’s back, soothing him softly.
Only then did I notice that since Jihoon was lying in Yumi’s arms, his head was resting right on her ample breasts.
The nightgown had squeezed them together, creating a deep cleavage, and the little guy’s head was perfectly positioned within it.
“You lucky bastard…” I thought to myself.
After all, no other man besides me had ever touched Yumi’s breasts.
Even knowing he’d be my son someday, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy.
Slowly, under Yumi’s soothing strokes, Jihoon calmed down, his trembling subsided, and he drifted into a deep sleep.
Yet his hands clung tightly to the hem of Yumi’s nightgown, as if she were his sole anchor and lifeline.
Yumi gently pried his hands away, afraid to wake him.
After much effort, Yumi finally laid him gently on the bed and tenderly tucked the blanket around him.
Only then did I get a chance to observe Jihoon lying on the bed.
His bare chest was noticeably tanned. Though still a student, he seemed to have inherited the robust genes of his African heritage… his muscles were well-defined.
Of course, for his age, his height was already approaching 170 cm. Most Korean boys his age barely reached 160cm.
At 170cm, he was nearly as tall as some adults.
I’m only 176cm myself… At this rate, he’d surpass me sooner or later.
Yumi stands at 168cm, and Jihoon was already catching up to her height.
Having such a tall son… was that really a blessing?
I glanced at the time—we’d already been busy for 31 minutes. I’d been sleeping soundly, but after Jihoon’s mid-night fussing, I was wide awake.
Yumi, however, fell asleep again shortly after lying down. Half-asleep until dawn, Yumi rose early to prepare breakfast, then woke Jihoon, whose eyes were bloodshot and who looked utterly exhausted.
Yumi cleared away breakfast while I helped Jihoon wash up. Thankfully, we had spare toiletries at home.
He moved like a puppet, and after washing, he just sat there dumbly eating breakfast.
Yumi watched him, her eyes filled with pity.
“Honey, could you go help Jihoon get some things later?” Yumi handed me a sandwich and said gently.
“Sure…” This was a man’s job anyway, and I had a rare day off today.
“Jihoon, this is your home now. I’m your mom at home and still your teacher at school. He’s your dad. You might not be used to it yet, but when you feel ready, you can start calling him that, okay?”
Yumi gazed at Jihoon with tenderness. Her voice, usually gentle, now seemed to hold a magical quality that could melt anyone who heard it.
“Mm, okay… okay…” His speech was still a bit slow, but it was much better than when he first arrived.
After Yumi left with Jihoon, I went out to buy essential household items for the child, along with a study desk and such.
I ended up filling nearly half a cart with stuff. Clothes and such—I’d wait for Yumi to buy those. Women are better at picking out clothes anyway.
Once the delivery people brought everything inside, I started unpacking.
At the same time, I began sorting through Jihoon’s luggage from yesterday… simple clothes, books, and some personal items.
While organizing, I suddenly discovered something hidden in a secret compartment of Jihoon’s suitcase.
Inside were magazines featuring scantily clad women and pornographic books unavailable on the market. The printing was crude and clearly illegal.
Most people might find this strange, but it didn’t surprise me. After all, I started out as a journalist, covering countless stories… countless involving teenagers, no less.
And I’m a man myself. Who hasn’t been young?
Jihoon is now 13, the age when boys officially enter puberty. With sexual urges and nowhere to vent them, secretly reading pornographic books is perfectly normal.
When I was young, I did the same thing.
Back then, computers weren’t as advanced, so I’d sneak off with classmates to unlicensed video arcades to watch porn DVDs.
Would someone who’s been through the same experience really judge others?
I returned the books and magazines to their original places without revealing any trace of discovery. I knew it was best to pretend I hadn’t noticed, preserving some dignity for the child.
That evening, Yumi rushed home with Jihoon, his face worn and exhausted.
Upon seeing the things I’d prepared for him, he showed no excitement. He merely scanned the room briefly before sitting down dumbly to eat.
Watching the silent Jihoon, I couldn’t help but shake my head. Alas, in war, women and children always bear the heaviest wounds.
After dinner, Yumi sent Jihoon to rest. He’d barely slept these past two days, still processing the loss of both parents.
For a child his age, not crying constantly was already a testament to his resilience.
That night, lying beside Yumi as she scrolled through her phone, I wrestled internally with whether to tell her that Jihoon had entered adolescence.
Teenagers needed psychological guidance to prevent them from straying onto the wrong path.
But then I thought, maybe my worries were unnecessary. After all, I’d grown up without any guidance either, and nothing bad had happened.
Besides, as a youth counselor, Yumi probably knew all about this already. Maybe she was used to it by now.
In the middle of the night, drowsy sleep was shattered once more by Jihoon’s startled cries.
With no other choice, Yumi and I hurried back to his room.
Just like last night, Yumi held him close, soothing him.
Jihoon was practically a grown child now, but perhaps in Yumi’s eyes, he’d always be her foster son and student.
She kept comforting him until he finally drifted off. Even in his sleep, Jihoon’s hand clung tightly to Yumi’s nightgown.
It seemed he wouldn’t let go of her—the only person he could rely on—even when asleep.
After getting Jihoon settled, Yumi and I returned to our room.
But we had barely settled back into bed when Jihoon’s sleep-talking woke us again.
This time, Yumi went to him alone. I intended to sleep on, as I had work the next day and hadn’t fully recovered from the fatigue of my recent trip abroad.
So I drifted back into a hazy sleep, seemingly unaware of Yumi’s return to our room.
**
The next morning, I was roused by the alarm.
Since my work hours started early, I always set an alarm to wake up before Yumi’s classes began. She usually rose earlier to prepare breakfast for me.
Upon waking, I found her bed empty—she must have gone to make breakfast.
Still half-asleep, I dressed and dragged my weary body toward the door.
These past two days, that kid Jihoon had tormented me so much I hadn’t slept well at all.
But when I reached the living room and was about to head to the bathroom to wash up, I noticed Yumi wasn’t in the kitchen at all.
The whole house was eerily quiet. What was going on?
As if sensing where Yumi might be, I headed straight for Jihoon’s bedroom next door.
When I reached the door, I saw it was still ajar like last night.
Peering through the crack, I saw Yumi and Jihoon sleeping in the same bed.
Jihoon lay on his side nestled in Yumi’s arms, his head positioned directly facing the ample breasts encased in her nightgown.
Yumi lay on her back, The front of her nightgown had sagged, exposing most of her breasts.
The fabric barely covered her nipples, revealing the full curves of her flesh and the deep cleavage, even hinting at a trace of her areola.
The lower part of her nightgown had ridden up, faintly revealing the pink lace of her panties.
“Boom…”
My mind exploded.
What the hell was going on?
How did Yumi end up sleeping here?
When did she get here?
And why was she holding a tall guy who was even taller than her?
