PUCKD Ch 49

While he was at a loss for words, his mother bypassed Junghyun and began to climb the stairs leading to the second floor. On the second floor were Junghyun’s study, his dress room, and… at the very end, the bedroom where a naked Shin Hojae was lying.

As that thought came to mind, he felt as if the world in front of him was turning black. His mother was not someone who would tolerate him messing around with a man. Junghyun hurriedly followed his mother and blocked her way.

“Mother. There’s nothing up there.”

“If there’s nothing, then it’s fine for me to look, right? The way you’re acting is even stranger.”

“Mother.”

“Then why don’t you try telling me the truth? What were you doing? What were you doing that you left your mother standing outside for over five minutes!”

“……I told you. I was in a meeting.”

“Is it a woman? Did you bring a woman into this house? Junghyun, I won’t get angry, so tell me straight. Which family is she from? Surely it’s not that stupid wench from the pheromone center, is it?”

“……”

“I heard from the director today. That omega wench is still working there just fine. Didn’t you say you would talk to her last time, Junghyun?”

“…That’s.”

“My son must have had his reasons. Right? But didn’t I tell you over and over again? That you have to be most careful of those omega wenches with unknown backgrounds.”

“…Did you happen to see Hyung Gihyuk today? I told you that taking what he says to heart will only make things harder for you….”

At that moment, a sharp pain shot across his cheek. Junghyun opened his mouth slightly and took a step back.

“You’re looking down on me too. You act just like the men of the Kwon family.”

His mother, who was on the stairs, had hit his face while pushing Junghyun’s hand away. A large ring on her hand had happened to graze his cheek, and the spot was now stinging.

His mother, seemingly unaware, was trembling slightly.

“How could you do this to me? After everything I’ve done for you…!”

“…Mother, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Junghyun carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him. His mother was less than half his size.

The fact that his mother felt small was simply because he had grown, but whenever Junghyun felt that fact, the guilt he had felt toward her, which had been accumulating for a very long time, would rear its head.

Junghyun’s childhood was riddled with his mother’s sacrifices, so it was unavoidable for him.

“Junghyun, Junghyun. You can’t be like that. You can’t. You’re my proud son.”

His mother’s hand grabbed Junghyun’s arm. He felt as if his body, which had been floating lightly by Shin Hojae’s side for a brief moment, had been caught by that hand and was being dragged back down into the depths of the water.

Breathing became a little difficult. Of course, the place he was standing was not underwater, but a perfectly normal house with circulating air. It was a foolish thought.

“You must never do what your brother or your father did, spreading your seed anywhere. Never. I will never see some good-for-nothing wench crawling into the family registry claiming she’s carrying your child.”

“……”

“Never, not even if dirt enters my two eyes.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Junghyun whispered in a low voice that he understood, so she should calm her anger now. It was just as her rough breathing was about to subside.

A small thud came from the second floor. It sounded like something had been dropped.

His mother abruptly pulled away from him and looked once in the direction of the sound, and then at Junghyun’s face.

It was a face that looked like it would explode at any moment. Junghyun hastily denied it.

“It’s not.”

“What’s not.”

“It’s not what you think, Mother… Mother!”

She pushed Junghyun away with all her might, her face like that of a demon.

“I need to see what kind of wench she is.”

The sound of footsteps climbing the stairs sounded particularly loud, and his mother finally reached the second-floor hallway. The room right in front was the study, and further in, in order, were the dress room and the bedroom.

His mother’s feet headed toward the innermost room without hesitation.

“Mother, there’s no one there.”

“We’ll know if there is or not when we look…!”

And then she flung the bedroom door open. Junghyun couldn’t bring himself to go any further and froze in the hallway.

He felt a cold sweat pool in his palms. Along with it, a strong urge to bite the back of his hand until it bled, forgetting that he was in front of his mother.

But his mother’s reaction was a little strange. Barely realizing that fact, Junghyun also slowly surveyed the inside of the room.

The room was neatly organized, as if nothing had happened. Without even a trace of Shin Hojae, who had been lying there. Junghyun quietly swallowed and spoke.

“…See? There’s no one here.”

“But just now, I definitely….”

“Director?”

At that moment, a voice that should not have been heard came from behind him. Junghyun felt the fine hairs on his body stand on end.

Shin Hojae’s voice came from outside the bedroom, in the hallway.

“Oh my…. Player Shin Hojae?”

Unexpectedly, a look of pleasure appeared on his mother’s face upon seeing him. Junghyun, unable to grasp the situation properly, stupidly stepped half a step aside.

When he slowly turned around, Shin Hojae was really standing there. Properly dressed in the T-shirt and training pants he had come in.

“Goodness. You’re Player Shin Hojae, right? To see you like this. I’m Junghyun’s mother.”

“Hello.”

Shin Hojae, who bowed politely, briefly met Junghyun’s eyes. Junghyun stood there with his mouth half-open, unable to say a word.

“So the guest you had was Player Shin Hojae. Junghyun, you should have told me. I didn’t even know…. Did you happen to hear my voice…?”

His mother asked with a slightly anxious look. She seemed to be concerned about whether Shin Hojae had heard the commotion from earlier.

“No. What were you talking about?”

“It’s fine as long as you didn’t hear.”

At that answer, his mother’s face relaxed considerably.

“My goodness, I always wanted to thank you, I never thought I’d see you like this. If I had known, I would have dressed up more. I just came in what I wear in front of the house. This Junghyun, he didn’t even tell me….”

“You look alike.”

“Huh?”

At the unexpected answer, his mother tilted her head, and Shin Hojae momentarily made a face as if he’d made a mistake. Then, he hesitated before adding.

“I mean, you’re very beautiful. The two of you look alike, so….”

“Oh my.”

It seemed his words had gotten tangled as he tried to compliment his mother and say they looked alike.

Thanks to that, the tension that had filled the room subsided. His mother, now in a completely good mood, stroked Junghyun’s cheek as if to show off.

“My son is handsome because he takes after me. When he was young, everyone said he was the spitting image of his mother… Oh my, Junghyun. Why do you have a scratch on your face?”

Worried eyes turned to Junghyun. Junghyun smiled faintly.

“I must have scratched it somewhere. It’s okay.”

“On your handsome face…. Make sure you put some ointment on it.”

“Yes.”

“By the way, are you and Player Shin Hojae close enough to visit each other’s homes?”

“It’s not like that, Player Shin came to my house today for a meeting. …It happens about once a week.”

Junghyun looked at Shin Hojae, conveying his meaning to play along. Fortunately, he didn’t deny it and stood there as he was. Though he didn’t exactly affirm it either.

“Ah, it’s because of the pheromones, isn’t it? Right?”

Then, his mother looked at Shin Hojae with a bright face.

“I was worried that I might have asked for a difficult favor, but my goodness. To help out like this every time, thank you so much.”

And then she grabbed his hand.

“We’re both variants, how could I not know? Pheromone collection must be uncomfortable and worrying. If our Junghyun manifests, it will all be thanks to Player Shin Hojae. I will definitely reward you handsomely then.”

“……”

His mother seemed to think that Shin Hojae visited this house once a week for pheromone collection.

The problem was Shin Hojae. Junghyun watched Shin Hojae’s unreadable face with an anxious expression.

He had shown such resistance to pheromone collection, so he was suddenly worried about how he would react to his mother’s remark.

However, as if he had noticed his concern, Shin Hojae gave a very respectable answer.

“There’s no need for that. Compared to how much the Director has helped our team, this is nothing.”

“Oh my.”

His mother smiled brightly and looked back at Junghyun once. Junghyun unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth.

“I’ve heard from Junghyun that you’re a great player, but you’re even better in person. Do you have a girlfriend, Player Shin? I know a really nice omega lady….”

“Mother, I’m sorry, but the meeting was cut short in the middle.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you said you were in a meeting. I’m sorry for interrupting so suddenly, Player Shin.”

“Not at all. You could have stayed longer….”

“Then I would feel bad. Junghyun, you don’t need to see me out. Driver Kim is waiting in front. I’ll contact you next time.”

His mother said her final goodbyes to Shin Hojae and left the entrance with an elegant smile.

Only after watching his mother get into the back seat, escorted by Driver Kim, did Junghyun cross the small garden and return to the house.

Fatigue washed over him as if he had just been through a war, but this was probably not the end. Junghyun closed the front door and slowly raised his head.

In the middle of the hallway, Shin Hojae was waiting for him with his arms crossed. Junghyun unconsciously put on a faint smile.

“You’re good with adults. You saved my life.”