Chapter 57

The plan to do the Banana Diet was perfect.

It involved replacing three meals a day with bananas. Eating one banana instead of a full meal seemed just right. However, this diet method had a fatal flaw.

“I’m hungry…”

From the very first day, my body started rebelling against my plan. An adult woman’s body couldn’t sustain itself on just one banana. Replacing all three meals with bananas left a critical lack of calories and satiety. Sure, I could fill my stomach with water, but the absolute hunger was unavoidable. Filling my stomach with just one banana was nearly impossible.

I glanced at Ha-yeon eating her meal. I didn’t plan to steal it, but the steaming hot rice and side dishes caught my eye. It felt like just one spoonful of rice could solve this unbearable hunger. I never thought I’d miss warm rice this much. I wasn’t usually this weak to hunger…

Seeing me like this, Ha-yeon casually said, “Mom! Let’s eat together!”

That one sentence sounded so sweet, I almost crumbled in front of her. But I quickly regained my composure, waved my hand, and said, “Nooo, Ha-yeon… Mom’s on a diet.”

And I had to finish the bananas I had bought. I had to survive on bananas for at least two weeks. Ha-yeon looked at me with worried eyes.

“Mom, are you really okay?”

“Yeah, Ha-yeon. After two weeks of eating only bananas, I’ll manage my weight while eating rice.”

I forced a smile as I spoke.

I just had to endure for two weeks. After that, I planned to eat rice again, just in smaller portions.

—

The next morning, I grabbed another banana. The banana on the second day had lost its freshness from the first day and felt oddly heavy. The sweet scent started to feel burdensome. The sweetness of the banana was becoming nauseating. It had only been two days, and I was already feeling this way. I couldn’t imagine how I’d feel after a week.

Lunchtime was the same. I peeled the banana and sighed. Well, I decided to diet… I had to endure. But the smell of Ha-yeon’s rice drove me crazy again. Why did rice smell so good? My nose must have gone crazy from hunger.

“Mom, wouldn’t it be okay to eat just a little?”

Ha-yeon asked with worried eyes, but I shook my head.

“No, Ha-yeon! Mom’s on a banana diet.”

Ha-yeon pouted and said, “But Mom, not eating at all doesn’t look good.”

Time passed like that.

In the evening, while holding a banana, I suddenly lost my grip and dropped it on the floor. At that moment, Ha-yeon asked in surprise, “Mom, are you okay?”

I sniffled as I picked up the banana.

“Ha-yeon, Mom… wants to eat rice.”

Ha-yeon smiled and grabbed my hand.

“Then just eat rice! Mom, it’s not good to hold back from eating rice because of a diet.”

I slightly shook my head at Ha-yeon’s words.

“Still… I’ll try to endure a little longer. Just two weeks.”

But deep down, I wasn’t sure if I could stick to this diet until the end. It felt like I had already lost.

—

A week had passed. I couldn’t take it anymore. Late at night, I took advantage of Ha-yeon being deep asleep. I carefully went to the dark living room and looked at the dining table. Today, too, a banana was sitting there. I was sick of seeing it. Instead, the leftover cold rice caught my eye. Even if it was cold rice, it looked so appetizing. And there were side dishes too, which was a bonus. I immediately sat down and started eating the rice.

Imagining my reflection in the mirror, a bitter smile escaped. The sight of me eating so desperately looked like a beggar, which made me laugh. But what could I do? I was so hungry. Forget the banana diet, eating rice while dieting was much better.

As I was eating, I sensed someone. I quickly turned my head. Ha-yeon had woken up and was rubbing her eyes, watching me eat.

“Mom…?”

Her eyes seemed to say, “Weren’t you on a diet…?” I stopped chewing and just stared at her. I felt like a criminal caught in the act, unable to move. Ha-yeon’s silent, calm gaze only made me feel more cornered. I didn’t know what to say… She just kept staring at me. Eventually, I had to speak first.

“Ha… Ha-yeon…”

I tried to make some excuse, but before I could finish, Ha-yeon ran over and tightly hugged my waist, crying out, “Mom!”

Then she said, “Mom, you haven’t gained any weight! So it’s okay to eat rice! Moooom… I was wrong.”

Ha-yeon clung to me as if it were her fault. It wasn’t her fault at all, but I didn’t know why she was clinging to me like this. It was just a diet, after all.

But I soon realized how much Ha-yeon had been worried about my diet. Seeing me eat only bananas and not my usual meals must have piled up a lot of worry in her heart. Now I understood why. I patted Ha-yeon’s head and said, “Really?”

“Yeah! Mom is very slim! It’s okay to eat rice!”

“Hehe…”

Hearing Ha-yeon say that, I felt a surge of confidence. I stood up and stepped back onto the scale. Sure enough, compared to before, my weight had definitely dropped. The week of eating only bananas had paid off.

Come to think of it, I heard that this weight was still normal.

This much meant the diet was a success. But now, it seemed like I could finally be freed from bananas. Just reducing my usual portions would be enough to maintain this weight. Of course, it was probably a weight where I could occasionally enjoy chicken or a nice meal out. And I wasn’t the type to eat a lot like in those eating shows. I just ate like an average woman.

My diet diary ended shortly. I heard that diets are usually done over 2-3 months.

By the way, I was worried about what to do with the bananas scattered on the dining table. Should I eat them with Ha-yeon…?

“Ha… Ha-yeon, what should we do with the bananas?”

“Huh?”

“We have to finish all of those…”

Ha-yeon looked at the pile of bananas on the table and let out a deep sigh. It was as if she had known this would happen.

“Mom…! That’s why I told you not to buy so many.”

“Sorry, Ha-yeon…”

I had no choice but to take Ha-yeon’s scolding. It was true. Ha-yeon had warned me when I was buying the bananas. Of course, I never thought I wouldn’t be able to eat this much.

Trying to eat three bananas a day was too much. That was the mistake.

“Let’s share the bananas with Ha-yeon. Okay?”

“Okay! But Mom, don’t buy so many next time!”

And so, the bananas remained on the dining table. Maybe we’d have to live on bananas for another week. I heard bananas don’t have a long shelf life. Ha-yeon and I would have to forcibly continue the diet for another week.

Of course, Ha-yeon would have to eat rice and have bananas as dessert. Ha-yeon was always a growing child, so she absolutely couldn’t diet. It was crucial for a growing child to get balanced nutrition. Doing something weird like a diet could stunt her growth.

I imagined Ha-yeon becoming shorter. It didn’t suit her. Ha-yeon had to grow tall and become a woman with a good figure. Of course, since that’s how she was described in the novel, I wasn’t worried.

We weren’t so poor that we had to skip meals. From my position of providing three meals a day, I just had to watch Ha-yeon grow slowly.

And there was no need to stay up late at night. My job was to put Ha-yeon to bed by 10 PM. Of course, sometimes I ended up falling asleep with her, but that was a minor flaw.

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