Both Yumi and I had assumed he was going for her cheek, never expecting this “surprise attack” on her mouth.
Sitting quietly at my computer, my hands clenched involuntarily.
Yumi’s first kiss had been stolen by another man, and she was fully conscious of it.
“Jihoon, how could you kiss Mom like that…”
Yumi sounded flustered and coy, yet surprisingly not angry.
She couldn’t help but scold him playfully.
“My mom and I always kissed on the lips. It’s our family’s way of showing affection and respect… I’ve kissed almost all my elders like that…”
Jihoon looked utterly innocent, answering with carefree ease.
After hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Yumi’s face, followed by a hint of understanding.
She believed Jihoon’s words.
Though it seemed a bit much for a son to kiss his mother on the lips, in some families it was perfectly ordinary.
Young children often had their first kiss stolen by an elder long before they knew it.
I had told Yumi before that people in Africa were very open-minded, and some countries had peculiar customs.
Unlike the Koreans, they weren’t so conservative.
Behaviors that seemed bold to us Koreans were perfectly normal there.
With my prior guidance, Yumi readily accepted Jihoon’s explanation.
After all, in Korea, such a thing wasn’t overly scandalous.
Yet I, who understood the customs and etiquette of different countries, knew Yumi had been tricked by that little rascal.
He’d taken her kiss with such righteous justification, and Yumi hadn’t even shown the slightest anger.
“Jihoon, you mustn’t do this anymore. It’s not permitted in Korea. And you’re a big boy now…kissing your mother like that is inappropriate. Understand?”
Yumi retained enough sense to realize Jihoon was entering adolescence.
If she let this slide, it might plant unwanted ideas in his mind, so she couldn’t help but intervene.
“Oh, I understand, Mom. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again…”
Jihoon replied, his expression filled with disappointment and sadness.
It seemed Yumi’s words had hurt him.
Honestly, if I were Jihoon, hearing Yumi’s words wouldn’t feel good either.
Yumi seemed to realize her words were a bit inappropriate, and a hint of regret flashed across her face.
“Jihoon, you misunderstood what I said earlier. I’m not forbidding you from being affectionate with me. It’s just that you must never kiss me in front of your father. While it’s common in your country, in Korea, most families find it unacceptable. And your father… So, when it’s just the two of us, I’ll let you kiss me as a reward. How does that sound?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Yumi softened at the sight of Jihoon’s hurt expression.
She knew her earlier words had unintentionally wounded the child’s pride.
So, after mentally realigning their roles, she cautiously added, seemingly determined to adapt to local customs for her son’s sake.
She also felt that since Jihoon was now her son, some affectionate gestures weren’t such a big deal.
For a man, aside from his wife and lover, the closest female figure is his mother.
Jihoon, you’ve won another round, I thought to myself as I sat before the computer.
Now he could legitimately take advantage of Yumi.
Was this kid using the frog-in-boiling-water method to break down her defenses?
It seemed so…the safest approach, and the one most likely to succeed.
I recalled Yumi’s earlier words: “And your father…”
Yumi didn’t finish her sentence, but I knew exactly what she meant to say…that I’m a jealous person.
Yumi understands and knows this about me.
“Alright, Mom will tidy up her bedroom. Then we’ll rest…”
Yumi stood up, gave Jihoon, now nearly her height, a gentle pat on the head, and headed toward her bedroom.
Observing Yumi’s expression, though she had agreed to this intimate mother-son interaction with Jihoon, she seemed reluctant deep down.
After all, this approach was entirely foreign to her understanding.
Yet for the child’s sake, she had no choice but to accept it, to offer him greater comfort.
After returning to her bedroom, Yumi began changing into her nightgown and tidying the room.
Once she left, Jihoon kept pumping his fists in the air, his expression brimming with excitement as he danced around.
Seeing that little brat looking so smug, she felt like going home and giving him a good beating.
After changing into her nightgown in the bedroom, Yumi began changing the sheets and duvet cover in our shared bedroom, replacing the old ones with fresh ones for washing.
Just as she was swapping the duvet cover, Jihoon got up, slipped into his pajamas, and slowly made his way to the bathroom.
It was only then that I realized…when I’d returned home, I’d retrieved all the memory cards from the cameras, but somehow missed the one in the bathroom.
But upon reflection, it didn’t matter much.
What could possibly happen in the bathroom?
All the intimate moments now took place in Jihoon’s bedroom.
Besides, though I was curious about the size of that kid’s penis, I genuinely didn’t want to see the ugly thing between his legs.
On the living room monitor, I saw Jihoon dash into the bathroom.
Half a minute passed, and he still hadn’t emerged…looked like he was doing number two.
Just then, Yumi finished changing the bedding and emerged from the bedroom, cradling the old sheets and pillowcases in both hands.
Her destination was obvious: the bathroom, since our washing machine was in there.
At that moment, Jihoon was in the bathroom using the toilet.
Yumi, carrying a large bundle of bedding and old clothes, headed toward the bathroom, which was very close to both my bedroom and hers.
Our bedroom and Jihoon’s were separated only by the bathroom, with the bathroom door right next to our bedroom door.
I hadn’t been worried at all… after all, Jihoon would surely lock the door while using the restroom, and Yumi would definitely see the bathroom light on.
“Click…”
What I hadn’t anticipated was that Yumi simply opened the bathroom door while still holding the large bundle of bedding and walked right in.
I was stunned, but upon closer inspection, it made sense.
Yumi was holding the bedding high in both arms, and the pile was tall enough to block her view.
Fortunately, the bathroom door was right next to our bedroom doorway, just a turn from our room.
Yumi, clutching the pile of sheets and old clothes, struggled to press down the door handle with one hand through the narrow gap before stepping inside.
She hadn’t noticed the bathroom light was on, and the old clothes and sheets seemed heavy.
Eager to unload the burden she was carrying, she simply barged straight into the bathroom, still holding the bundle.
And that kid Jihoon hadn’t even locked the bathroom door…
“Click…”
Due to some recent issue with the drain, the bathroom had a strong odor, so I’d installed a door closer on the bathroom door.
With it, the door would automatically shut.
As Yumi squeezed into the bathroom with her pile of linens and old clothes, the door closed behind her.
The camera I installed in the living room didn’t capture anything inside the bathroom when the door opened.
As the door closed, the bathroom fell silent, while I kept hitting my head…how could I have forgotten the memory card in the bathroom camera?
Perhaps the living room was too spacious for sound to carry clearly, or maybe no sound came from the bathroom at all.
After watching Yumi enter, an eerie silence descended…an unnerving, abnormal quiet.
Without the bathroom’s memory card, I could only stare intently at the computer screen, fixated on the bathroom door…
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