Chapter 26

“It feels like time has stopped.”

At that moment, Hyun Woo’s mind was filled with only one thought.

‘This is bad.’

Perhaps he even blurted it out loud.

This much was certain: the reality before his eyes was hard to believe.

“Umm… It hurts a little, Hyun Woo.”

Tension had stiffened her body, but perhaps due to the strain, Chae Ah let out a sound that could be misinterpreted while being pinned under Hyun Woo.

Mother’s eyes widened in shock.

With a creak, the door began to close quietly—

“Just a moment. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Only then did Hyun Woo come to his senses and pull away from Chae Ah.

“Wha, what?”

Chae Ah, who had just noticed Hyun Woo’s mother, hurriedly sat up. Even if she didn’t remember, she instinctively realized something: the only person who could walk in now was Hyun Woo’s mother.

“Misunderstanding?”

Mom crossed her arms as if ready to hear the final defense. Of course, her expression already seemed like a verdict.

“We made a bet while playing a game, and somehow…”

Hyun Woo explained the situation. Surprisingly, instead of rambling, he gave a logically clear account of everything that had happened after school, leaving nothing out. He simply didn’t want to be wrongly misunderstood by his only parents.

After hearing Hyun Woo’s explanation, which was not only concise but almost heartbreakingly detailed, Mom nodded.

“Chae Ah, is what Hyun Woo saying true?”

Mom naturally turned her gaze toward Chae Ah. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust her only son—it was just that the person on top might not be as reliable as the one underneath.

“Ye, yes!”

Caught off guard, Chae Ah jumped slightly but quickly nodded.

“That’s right. We just threw things on the bed. He didn’t touch me anywhere or anything.”

Hmm?

Mom’s eyebrow arched, and Hyun Woo closed his eyes tightly.

‘Her explanation is helpful, but why so specific?’

The unnecessary examples only deepened Mom’s suspicious look, making it seem like a reprimand was about to drop any second.

“Chae Ah seems a bit different lately.”

“Huh?”

A somewhat unexpected comment came through.

“She used to be more straightforward, but as she grew up, she became a bit distant. Now, she seems like her old self again?”

Mom’s raised eyebrow wasn’t for scolding but rather out of curiosity at Chae Ah’s changed personality.

‘Well, she wasn’t really like that before.’

Hyun Woo silently sighed in relief after indulging in his own guilty fantasies.

“Anyway, come out to the living room for a moment. Did you two order this?”

Mom held up a paper bag in her hand.

“Ah.”

The forgotten late-night snack amidst their frantic gaming session. The hamburger they had ordered earlier.

“It looks like it’s already cold, so I was going to bring it in, but since we’re here, how about we talk a bit? It’s been a while.”

There was no way to refuse in such a situation, and Hyun Woo nodded with his face still burning.

*

The hamburger tasted terrible.

Not only had it gone completely cold, but also…

“How were your exams?”

“Cough, cough!”

“Anyone watching would think you’re choking, kid. Have some cola.”

“Yes, yes…”

Mom was watching them intently, waiting until they finished eating. Plus, considering the recent misunderstanding, Hyun Woo couldn’t tell whether he was chewing a hamburger or its wrapper.

“The exam went okay, I guess.”

“Hmm, from the way you say that, it sounds like you did well.”

Mom nodded approvingly.

Though the conversation between the two family members felt somewhat rigid, this was always how Hyun Woo and his mom interacted.

Mom, a businesswoman who traveled frequently and returned home once a month. And Hyun Woo, her taciturn son who managed his studies within the allowance limits and consistently brought good grades.

While their conversations might sound bleak to outsiders, it was precisely because of this that the previous incident felt even more embarrassing.

“Is Chae Ah doing alright? No discomfort living here?”

“Yes! Hyun Woo takes great care of me, so I’m very happy.”

“Are you saying Hyun Woo is good?”

“Huh? No, no… I mean, I’m comfortable living here.”

“Hmm. So, you two aren’t dating yet, I see.”

Muttering something about possibly never seeing them get together before she got old, Mom continued:

“If you’re still thinking about Hyun Woo, don’t you remember Auntie at all?”

“Th… Yes. Sorry.”

“Huh? What are you apologizing for? It’s not your fault.”

Mom tilted her head in confusion.

“Ohhh…”

At that moment, Chae Ah thought she understood what kind of person Hyun Woo’s mom was.

‘A slightly drier and colder version of Hyun Woo.’

No matter how it played out, Hyun Woo being her son meant inheriting some traits was inevitable.

“You mentioned having headaches sometimes when you first arrived. Are you feeling well enough now to play games?”

“Ah, yes. After the accident, I only had a few headaches. Whenever Hyun Woo hugs me, I feel better.”

“Hey, why are you bringing up irrelevant stuff?”

Hyun Woo jabbed her side with his elbow, startled.

“What does that mean? ‘Hugs you’?”

There was no way Mom, who had already heard it, would let it slide.

“According to Chae Ah, she feels more secure when hugged by someone she remembers, which is only me.”

Fearing another unnecessary comment, Hyun Woo quickly interjected. His one mistake, however, was failing to silence Chae Ah entirely.

“That’s right. So every night, I hug Hyun Woo while sleeping.”

As Hyun Woo shot Chae Ah a “Are you crazy?” glare,

“Why should we hide this? We’re not doing anything wrong. We should just tell her everything honestly.”

“…”

An impeccable response left Hyun Woo speechless.

“So, you two sleep in the same bed every night?”

Whether Mom perceived it as honest or not remained unclear.

In any case, with the situation as it was, hiding anything further was futile, and everything needed to be laid bare.

“It started because Chae Ah said she gets scared alone. So, when I lie down beside her, by morning…”

Ultimately, Hyun Woo recounted every detail of their daily routine since the incident.

“In short, our son needs to be nearby for her to feel stable, right?”

“That’s right.”

They barely avoided a major misunderstanding.

“Phew… Well, if you had the courage, you would’ve caused trouble sooner.”

Sighing deeply, Mom stood up.

“I’ve been on the plane for too long; I’m tired. Are you two going to keep playing games after eating this?”

“Probably.”

“Don’t stay up too late. And do something other than gaming.”

“Huh?”

Mom casually waved her hand.

“I have to leave early tomorrow, so I’ll go to bed now.”

“Another trip?”

“Yeah, domestic this time. I’ll be back soon, so don’t get caught doing the same thing next time. You know how surprised I was earlier, right?”

“…I’ll be careful.”

After delivering her final warning, Mom returned to her room.

“Phew…”

Collapsing onto the table with a heavy sigh, Hyun Woo felt like a massive storm had just passed over.

“Hyun Woo.”

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Chae Ah poked his cheek from the side.

“What?”

“So, are we still playing that horror game today?”

“…Do you really have the energy to play a game after all that?”

“I’m not the one playing, you are.”

“…Why are you making so much sense today?”

Regardless, the agreement to spend the night gaming remained unbroken.

“If you get scared, I’ll immediately pull you behind me.”

“What kind of game is that?”

“If you made me play, you have to watch. If you’re just going to shake in fear from behind, what was the point of the bet?”

Hyun Woo and Chae Ah returned to the room and selected a horror game.

…This time, they double-checked the door lock just in case.

*

The next day.

Lost in the frustrating maze-like levels of the horror game, they ended up playing until nearly morning.

By the time Hyun Woo struggled to lift his eyelids, it was already past 2 PM.

“Grrr…”

Gently rolling Chae Ah, who was predictably cuddling his arm, to the side,

he entered the living room and drank a glass of water.

“Aaaah…”

After clearing his throat, he habitually turned on his phone.

A yellow chat bubble icon appeared on the notification screen.

‘Who could it be?’

Without much thought, he tapped the icon, revealing several messages from his mom sent at 9 AM:

[Didn’t I tell you not to stay up late? I’ll leave a message for you to see when you wake up.]

Among them, the first read:

[I’ve deposited this month’s allowance. Don’t say it’s enough and refuse to take it. It’s all I can do for you, so please accept it.]

“But it’s already overflowing…”

An amount closer to a salary than a high school allowance flashed on the transaction history.

And the second message:

[Something I ordered last night will arrive before I go to bed. If you woke up late, it should already be there. Check outside the door.]

A delivery message.

Curious about what Mom had ordered despite rarely coming home,

Hyun Woo opened the front door to find a box large enough to be cumbersome in one hand.

“…? It’s not heavy though.”

Given its size, the box felt surprisingly light.

Once inside, upon opening it, he saw:

“!?”

A collection of items resembling vitamin packaging filled the box.

‘Did Mom really order this?’

He checked the chat again.

[I bought as many as possible, just in case. Let’s pretend yesterday didn’t happen. But you never know when it might happen again, so if it does, make sure to use condoms.]

Slap.

Hyun Woo pressed his palm to his forehead. Mom’s unnecessary consideration felt overwhelming.

[I got the thinnest ones available, so don’t skip using them because it’s inconvenient. Sure, money isn’t an issue, but I can’t exactly support child support, can I?]

Grip.

Hyun Woo turned off his phone and carefully closed the box.

No wonder the content wasn’t labeled on the outside…

Hyun Woo pondered.

If Chae Ah woke up and asked what this was, it’d be awkward.

Should he throw it away now?

The conclusion was to hold off for now.

“…This is all money, after all. It’d be wasteful to throw it away.”

Even though no one said anything, he muttered to himself and carefully hid the box in a drawer before Chae Ah woke up.