Chapter 019: Mom
Chapter 019: Mom
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"Sir? Is there something you need? If not, please leave. We're clearing out and locking up..."
As I stood there, heartbroken and sorrowful, the night watchman's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
He used "polite language" to issue his eviction notice.
I glanced at the night watchman, whose eyes were filled with hostility and contempt, and slowly walked out of the office.
By then, Yumi and Jihoon were already gone.
I dragged myself out, my heart heavy with bitterness and embarrassment.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
Yumi seemed genuinely furious, she hadn’t even bothered to explain to the guard that I was her husband.
Perhaps she didn’t want him to know my identity, afraid of losing face.
This was bad.
Since our marriage, Yumi and I had never been this estranged.
I had no idea how to smooth things over.
Thankfully, Yumi only thought I suspected her of having an affair with another man.
If she knew I actually suspected her of cheating with Jihoon, she might be furious enough to slap me.
Yumi would never guess what I truly believed, that she was having sex with Jihoon.
Right now, she probably hadn't even considered such a thing; in her mind, Jihoon was just her son.
After stepping out of the office building, I scanned the area ahead but saw no sign of Jihoon or Yumi.
My earlier dejection had slowed my pace, while they must have walked quickly.
Had they already reached the car?
The keys were on me… without them, they couldn’t unlock the doors.
I couldn't help but sprint toward my car.
But when I reached it, Yumi and Jihoon weren't waiting there at all.
Yumi couldn't have missed her own car, it was parked right at the school gate.
She would have seen it the moment she stepped out.
At that moment, I turned my head and glanced toward the nearby bus stop.
I saw Yumi leading Jihoon onto the bus, leaving only their retreating figures behind.
The bus pulled away. I unlocked my car but didn't start the engine.
Suddenly, I felt uneasy about going home.
Yumi hadn't confronted me at school because the night watchman had arrived unexpectedly.
But what if she was waiting at home? How could I explain this?
Oh well, I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.
I started the car and headed home.
Since the bus had already been gone for five or six minutes by the time I pulled out, and my home wasn't far from the school, I arrived at my building to find the lights already on.
Yumi and Jihoon had clearly been home for a while.
Standing below, I hesitated and paced.
Then I remembered my afternoon's labor—a table laden with delicious dishes.
If Yumi saw all that effort after returning home, her anger would surely have cooled considerably.
These thoughts gave me the courage to climb the stairs home.
When I reached the door, I pressed my ear against it, listening for the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.
But after a long while, I heard nothing.
Steeling myself, I opened the door.
The sight before me was disappointing: the food remained untouched on the table, the bowls and chopsticks completely untouched.
Had Yumi not returned?
I spotted the shoes and clothes Yumi and Jihoon had changed out of, confirming they had indeed come home.
I took off my shoes.
The living room was empty, with no sign of Jihoon or Yumi.
I walked into our bedroom, but there was no one there either.
Returning to the living room, I noticed the light on in Jihoon's bedroom.
Jihoon and Yumi must be in there now.
Perhaps Yumi was sulking and didn't want to see me at all.
I approached the door to Jihoon's room, placed my hand on the doorknob, steeled myself, took a deep breath, and pressed down.
But I couldn't open it—the door was locked from the inside.
All my wild thoughts vanished in that moment.
I'd been overthinking, misunderstanding Yumi.
With the door locked, I steeled myself and knocked.
Moments later, it opened.
Jihoon sat at his new desk doing homework, while Yumi sat on the bed beside him, seemingly supervising his work.
Her eyes were red, as if she'd been crying.
"Let's eat. I made all this when I got back this afternoon."
I didn't know what to say.
Even though I was a reporter, this was my first time facing such a situation at home, and I suddenly felt at a loss.
"Jihoon, go eat..."
Yumi didn't glance at me, but spoke gently to Jihoon, urging him to eat.
"Mom, what about you?"
Jihoon didn't look at me, but at Yumi instead.
"Mommy isn't eating. You go ahead..."
Yumi said, running her fingers through Jihoon's hair.
"If Mom isn't eating, I won't either..."
Jihoon turned his head away and continued writing his homework.
"Alright, Mom will eat. Come eat with me..."
Seeing Jihoon's stubborn expression, Yumi couldn't help but sigh.
She sat up from the bed and gently tugged at Jihoon.
He set down his pen, stood up, and walked out with Yumi.
I stepped aside at the doorway to let them pass.
At that moment, I stood frozen in place.
It wasn't because I was happy Yumi had finally agreed to eat, but because of Jihoon's single word: "Mom."
You see, before I left, Jihoon had always called Yumi "Teacher."
When had he started calling her "Mom"?
It seemed that in these short seven days, their relationship had grown much closer, and quite a lot had happened...