Chapter 26: Always Use Protection

It felt like time had stopped.

At that moment, only one thought filled Hyunwoo’s mind.

‘I’m screwed.’

He might have even muttered it out loud.

The reality unfolding before his eyes was just that unbelievable.

“Uh… It kind of hurts a little, Hyunwoo.”

Maybe it was because his body had tensed up from nervousness.

Chaea, who was pinned beneath him, let out a sound that could easily be misunderstood.

His mother’s eyes widened in shock.

Creak…

Just as she was about to quietly close the door—

“Wait a second! Whatever you’re thinking, it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Hyunwoo finally snapped back to his senses and scrambled off Chaea.

“Huh? Huh?”

Chaea, who had just now noticed Hyunwoo’s mother, quickly sat up as well.

Even though she couldn’t recall everything clearly, she was sharp enough to figure it out.

The only person who would be coming home at this time was Hyunwoo’s mother.

“A misunderstanding?”

His mother crossed her arms, looking like she was willing to hear him out.

Though, judging by her expression, it seemed like she had already reached a verdict.

“We were playing a game and made a bet… and somehow, things just—”

Hyunwoo launched into an explanation, recounting every detail of what had happened after school.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t rambling or fumbling over his words.

That’s how desperate he was to clear up this misunderstanding with his one and only parent.

After listening to his neatly structured and even somewhat emotional explanation, his mother nodded.

“Chaea, is what Hyunwoo said true?”

Naturally, she turned her gaze to Chaea.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her son.

But in a situation like this, it was better to hear from the person who had been underneath rather than the one on top.

“Huh? Huh?!”

Chaea, startled by being suddenly addressed, flinched and nodded repeatedly.

“Yes! He just threw me onto the bed. He didn’t, um, touch me or anything like that.”

“Hmm?”

One of his mother’s eyebrows arched.

Hyunwoo squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Okay, thanks for backing me up… but did you have to be so detailed?’

Adding unnecessary specifics didn’t seem to lessen his mother’s suspicious gaze.

It felt like she was about to explode with a “You’re already causing trouble, huh?” but instead—

“Chaea, your personality seems a little different.”

“Huh?”

Hyunwoo blinked at her unexpected remark.

“You used to be a bit more reserved as you grew up, but now… you’re acting more like you did when you were younger.”

His mother hadn’t raised her eyebrow in disapproval.

She was simply puzzled by the noticeable change in Chaea’s demeanor.

‘Now that she mentions it… she wasn’t like this before.’

Hyunwoo, who had been nervously overthinking everything, exhaled in relief.

“For now, come out to the living room. Didn’t you two order this?”

His mother lifted a paper bag in her hand.

“Ah.”

He’d completely forgotten about it while playing the game.

It was the burger they had ordered earlier.

“I figured it would’ve gone cold by now, so I was bringing it to you… but since I’m here, why don’t we chat for a bit?”

There was no room for refusal.

With his face still burning, Hyunwoo nodded.

The burger tasted absolutely awful.

Not only had it gone completely cold—

“Did your exams go well?”

Cough, cough!

“Geez, you’re choking like I just scared you. Here, drink some cola.”

“Yes, yes…”

His mother sat across from him, watching intently as he ate, waiting until he finished.

And after what had just happened, her watchful gaze felt even more intense.

At this point, he couldn’t even tell if he was chewing the burger or the wrapper.

“I guess I did okay.”

“Hearing you say that means you did well.”

His mother nodded in satisfaction.

Their conversation wasn’t particularly warm.

In fact, it sounded a little stiff, more like a business exchange than a chat between a mother and son.

But that was just how things had always been between them.

A mother who constantly traveled for business and only came home once a month.

A son who managed his studies and grades on his own within the allowance he was given.

To an outsider, their conversations might seem cold and detached.

Which was exactly why the situation earlier had been even more mortifying.

“Chaea, are you doing okay here? Nothing uncomfortable?”

“Oh, yes! Hyunwoo takes good care of me, so I’m really happy here.”

“So… you like Hyunwoo?”

“Huh? Ah, no! I just mean that I’m comfortable living here.”

“Hmm. So, you two still aren’t dating.”

At this rate, will I never get to see it happen before I die?

His mother muttered to herself before continuing.

“If you still only remember Hyunwoo, does that mean you don’t remember me at all?”

“…Uh, no. I don’t. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault.”

His mother tilted her head, looking unconcerned.

In that moment, Chaea suddenly felt like she understood what kind of person Hyunwoo’s mother was.

‘She’s like a slightly colder, drier version of Hyunwoo.’

Well, he was her son, after all.

It was only natural that he had inherited some of her personality.

“At first, you said you occasionally had headaches. But now, you seem well enough to play games?”

“Oh, yes! I only had headaches a few times after the accident. And even then, they went away when Hyunwoo hugged me.”

“Hey, why are you saying unnecessary things?”

Startled, Hyunwoo nudged Chaea’s side with his elbow.

“What do you mean by that? Hugging you?”

Since his mother had already heard it up close, there was no way she would let it slide.

“Chaea says she feels secure when I hug her because I’m the only person she remembers.”

Fearing she might blurt out something else unnecessary, he quickly spoke up.

If Hyunwoo had made one mistake—

“That’s right. That’s why I hug him even when I sleep.”

—it was not covering Chaea’s mouth in time.

When he shot her a look that practically screamed, Are you out of your mind? she simply shrugged.

“Is this something to hide? It’s not like we’re doing anything weird. We should just tell everything honestly.”

“……”

He had no rebuttal to that—her words were just too straightforward.

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

Of course, whether his mother also found them straightforward was another matter.

But now that things had come to this, there was no point in hiding anything. He had to lay it all out.

“Well… Chaea gets scared being alone, so I lie next to her, and by morning…”

In the end, he reported their daily life together in full, starting from the day of the accident.

“So, in short, my son has to be there for her to feel at ease?”

“Something like that.”

At least he had managed to prevent any major misunderstandings.

“Whew… Fine. If you two were going to mess around, you would’ve done it long ago.”

Letting out a deep sigh, his mother got up from her seat.

“I was on the plane for a long time, so I’m exhausted. You’re still going to play more after eating, right?”

“Probably.”

“Don’t stay up too late. And don’t do anything else besides playing games.”

“Huh?”

She waved her hand dismissively, as if it was nothing.

“I have to head out early again tomorrow, so I’m going to bed.”

“Another business trip?”

“This time, it’s domestic. I’ll be back soon, so don’t let me catch you in the same situation again. Do you have any idea how surprised I was earlier?”

With that final warning, she disappeared into her room.

“Haah…”

Hyunwoo let out a long sigh and slumped over the table.

It felt like a huge storm had passed.

As he lay there, completely drained—

“Hyunwoo.”

Poke, poke.

Chaea was poking his cheek.

“What.”

“So, we’re still playing the horror game tonight, right?”

“…Do you still have the energy for that after what just happened?”

“I’m not the one playing—you are.”

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

Either way, their plan to stay up all night playing games hadn’t changed.

“If you hide behind me because you’re scared, I’m turning it off immediately.”

“How is that fair?”

“If you made me play, you should at least watch properly. What’s the point of making a bet if you’re just going to tremble behind me?”

With that, Hyunwoo and Chaea headed back to the room to pick a horror game.

…And this time, just in case, they made sure to lock the door.

The next day.

Thanks to the ridiculous maze-like design of the horror game, they played until almost morning.

By the time Hyunwoo managed to pry open his eyelids, it was already past 2 PM.

“Uuugh…”

As usual, Chaea was clinging to his arm in her sleep, so he rolled her away and got up.

Then, he stumbled into the living room and downed a glass of water.

“Phew…”

After quenching his thirst, he habitually checked his phone.

A yellow speech bubble notification popped up.

Who could it be?

Without much thought, he tapped on it.

[You stayed up late again, didn’t you? I’m leaving this message so you’ll see it when you wake up.]

It was a message from his mother, sent at 9 AM.

The first one read:

[I transferred your allowance for this month. Don’t say it’s too much. This is the only thing I can do for you, so just take it.]

“…I already have more than enough…”

The transaction history showed a sum closer to a working adult’s salary than a high schooler’s allowance.

The second message was:

[I ordered something last night before going to bed. If you woke up late, it’s probably already arrived. Check outside.]

A delivery?

She barely ever came home, so what could she have ordered?

Curious, he opened the front door—

There was a large box, too big to hold with one hand.

“…Huh? It’s not heavy.”

Despite its size, it was surprisingly light.

After bringing it inside and opening it—

“!?”

The box was filled to the brim with packets that looked like vitamin packaging.

Wait… did Mom even order this?

Frowning, he checked his messages again.

[Just in case, I bought as many as I could. Let’s forget about last night, but you never know when something like that might happen again. So, if it ever does, make sure to use protection.]

Thud.

Hyunwoo smacked his forehead with his palm.

His mother’s unnecessary consideration was beyond overwhelming.

[They’re the thinnest kind, so don’t skip them out of laziness, okay? I may have a lot of money, but I’m not ready to cover child support.]

Twitch.

He immediately turned off his phone.

Then, he carefully closed the box again.

No wonder there was no label on the outside…

Hyunwoo fell into deep thought.

If Chaea woke up and asked what it was, things would get awkward.

Should he just throw it away now?

…No, that would be a waste of money.

“…It’s still valuable, after all.”

Muttering to himself even though no one had accused him of anything, he carefully hid the box in his drawer before Chaea woke up.