Epilogue Chapter 33 - Proper Sexual Education (3)

A deathly silence fell for a moment as if time had stopped.

“...”

“...”

Kang-Hyun and Si-Ah stared blankly at each other as if their souls had left their bodies. They wondered if they were dreaming but the soft sensation left on their lips told them it wasn’t a dream.

“A-Aaaahh.”

Si-Ah broke the silence first. Her cheeks were tomato-red as she stumbled backward, breathing heavily. Her cold and confident demeanor had melted away from shock.

“Th-That was... umm... I-I was worried you were hurt, so...!”

She tried her best to make excuses because she had been the root cause of this unforeseen event.

“U-Urghhh...”

However, it only lasted for a moment. She lowered her head as she touched her lips, getting teary-eyed.

“Th-This is all because you’re a weakling!”

She unleashed her temper, unable to handle the embarrassment, and turned around to run away.

“...”

Kang-Hyun was left alone at the supply storage. He touched his lips, his eyes still blank from shock. He recalled the spark he felt when his lips touched Si-Ah’s. His heart pounded crazily as his mind was filled only with Si-Ah’s face.

“This is...”

Kang-Hyun gulped.

***

Ding, dong.

A doorbell echoed throughout the large house.

“Oh, he’s here,” Oh Kang-Woo remarked.

“Was there supposed to be a visitor today?” asked Han Seol-Ah, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, as she walked to the living room.

“I called Si-Hun here because he wanted to tell me something.”

“Tell you what?”

“I asked him to investigate something for me.”

Kang-Woo had asked Kim Si-Hun to inform him of new information regarding the Demon he had heard about during the picnic. Kang-Woo wanted to see Si-Hun as well so he invited him to his house.

Ding, dong.

“Yeah, I’ll be right out~”

Kang-Woo opened the front door to greet a beautiful man who could woo even fellow men, holding a fruit basket in one hand.

“Have you been well, hyung-nim?”

“Same old, same old. Why did you bring fruit?”

Kang-Woo chuckled as he accepted the fruit basket Si-Hun handed him.

“Haha. I didn’t want to visit your home empty-handed.”

“Come on, man. You don’t have to worry about stuff like that with how close we are.”

“You should always treat those you’re close to better.”

‘For fuck’s sake. If you’re courteous on top of being handsome, what does that make me?’

“Thanks, man. I appreciate it, but isn’t it a bit too much?”

“I don’t think it’s that much. There are six of you.”

“Eh? Shouldn’t it be seven? Why are you leaving one out?”

“Huh? Are you going to be eating them too, hyung-nim?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not allowed to eat fruit?”

“But you only eat kimchi stew.”

“I eat other stuff too, dammit!”

‘Do you think I eat kimchi stew for every meal?’

“...”

‘Hmm. Now that I think about it, I could, right?’

Si-Hun chuckled. “Haha. I’m joking.”

“You bastard. You dare try to make a joke of your almighty older brother?”

“Mmm. You sound like a boomer, hyung-nim.”

“I know, dammit.”

The two men made jokes as they laughed and went inside.

“It’s been a while, Si-Hun,” Seol-Ah greeted.

“Were you preparing lunch?” Si-Hun asked.

“Yes. Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful.”

Si-Hun was even willing to pay for Seol-Ah’s food.

“Fufu. That’s great. I happened to make too much.”

“You make a bit too much every time, Darling.”

“My, it reflects the amount of love I have for you, honey.”

“Then I guess it can’t be helped.”

Kang-Woo grinned as he hugged Seol-Ah from behind.

“Haha. You two get along as well as always,” Si-Hun expressed.

“I could say the same for you and Layla. Let’s see... what did she call you again? Doggy?”

“Th-That’s...” Si-Hun turned away in a cold sweat. He looked around for a different topic and asked, “C-Come to think of it, are Yeon-Joo and Lilith away?”

“Yeah. Yeon-Joo went to work and Lilith went shopping with Kang-Hee and Lia.”

“Hm? What about Kang-Hyun?”

“He said he was meeting with Si-Ah for a bit because she called him.”

“Si-Ah did?” Si-Hun expressed surprise but soon smiled in satisfaction and nodded. “I was worried they would grow apart after being put in separate classes but I’m glad they’re getting along well.”

“I sense something in the air between them during the picnic in Yeouido, you know?”

“Haha. There’s no such thing between elementary schoolers.”

“Nah, man. You shouldn’t underestimate elementary schoolers nowadays. You wouldn’t believe the pace at which they progress.”

“Hmm. Indeed, I’ve heard children these days learn things much quicker...”

“Also, Kang-Hyun and SI-Ah are... quite mature.”

“That’s... true.”

Although children these days grew up quickly, Si-Ah and Kang-Hyun were so mature that they sometimes felt more like high schoolers.

“Oh, I don’t think that’s the case,” said Seol-Ah as she brought cups of coffee to the table and sat next to Kang-Woo.

“What do you mean?” Si-Hun asked.

“They might seem mature but you can tell they’re still children from their words or actions.”

“Oh... you have a point.”

Even yesterday, Kang-Hyun had asked how babies were made.

“You’re right. Si-Ah might pretend to be mature but she’s just a tomboyish little girl if you get to know her.” Si-Hun grinned as he thought about Si-Ah. “Would you like to see pictures of her when she was little? She was adorable!”

“My, I would love to,” Seol-Ah said.

Si-Hun placed his smartphone on the table and opened an album titled

❤ My Daughter ❤

. Kang-Woo did not know how many pictures were in the album since the number on it was 999+ but considering the scroll bar was barely moving as Si-Hun scrolled down, there were likely thousands.

“Haha. This is when Si-Ah crawled for the first time. This is when she grabbed the bamboo sword during her

doljanchi

[1].”

“My, how cute.”

“Ohh, I remember this.”

“She had her

doljanchi

with Kang-Hyun.”

Si-Ah and Kang-Hyun’s birthdays were very close so they just held their

doljanchi

together. The album also contained a picture of Si-Ah putting her finger in Kang-Hyun’s mouth and pinching his cheek, making him cry.

“Fufu. Thinking back on it now, they were already very close since then.”

“Just based on the pictures... it looks like he’s running away from Si-Ah.”

The next picture was of Si-Ah grabbing the fleeing Kang-Hyun by his ankle and riding him like a horse.

“That aside, I can’t believe you added a bamboo sword as one of the

doljabi

[2]

items. You’re so weird sometimes, man.”

“Haha. Oh, now that you mention it, what did Kang-Hyun grab?”

“A pot that held kimchi stew.”

“I don’t think you have the right to call me weird...” slurred Si-Hun as he stared at Kang-Woo dumbfoundedly.

“I mean, I put it up there as a joke but he ended up grabbing it.”

“I remember Yeon-Joo grilling you about why you would put something so useless on the table,” Seol-Ah added.

FYI, Yeon-Joo had put the latest gaming console on the table.

“Haha. It’s... a strange feeling,” Si-Hun remarked.

“Huh? What is?”

“The fact that this tiny baby girl is an elementary schooler now.”

“Pfft. I would think you’re sending her off to marry if I didn’t know any better.”

“M-Marry?! No! I will not allow Si-Ah to marry anyone! Never!”

Si-Hun slammed his fist on the table and firmly shook his head. Kang-Woo burst into laughter.

“Bwahahahaha! You sure become an idiot when it comes to your daughter, huh?!”

“Y-You’re no different, hyung-nim! Think about sending Kang-Hee and Lia off to marry!”

“Hmm.”

‘Marrying off Kang-Hee and Lia...’

“Huh...?”

‘Why am I boiling with bloodlust?’

“See?! You’re no different from me, hyung-nim!”

“Ahem. I-I’m not as bad as you, at the very least.”

Clack.

Just then, someone opened the front door as the married men were chatting away. Kang-Woo walked to the front door, expecting to be greeted by Lilith, but it was Kang-Hyun.

“I’m home...”

“Huh? Didn’t you have plans with Si-Ah today, son?”

“Oh, yes. W-Well...”

Kang-Hyun was acting incredibly suspicious. Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes as he stared at his flustered son.

‘Did he fight with Si-Ah?’

Kang-Hyun was a clever boy but was a dunce at times. Kang-Woo didn’t know why the two kids met but Kang-Hyun might have troubled Si-Ah by acting insensitively.

“Oh, welcome home, Kang-Hyun.”

“U-Uncle Si-Hun?!” Kang-Hyun was startled by Si-Hun as if he had seen a ghost.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Si-Hun asked.

“N-No... umm...”

Kang-Hyun stumbled backward in a cold sweat. Anyone could tell he was hiding something. Kang-Woo patted his son’s back to calm him down.

“Calm down, son. If you don’t want to tell us, you don’t need to.”

“Is that... okay?”

“Yup. Daddy won’t ask anything. All good, right?”

Kang-Woo was curious about what was making Kang-Hyun act like this but he did not want to forcibly pry into his flustered son.

“Th-Thank you very much.” Kang-Hyun bowed as he ran toward his room but stopped midway. “Huuu...”

He took a deep breath and turned to the adults as if he had made his resolve about something.

He puffed out his chest proudly and continued, “No, I should tell you.”

“Hehe. That’s my boy. So, what’s wrong? Did something happen with Si-Ah?”

“I...” Kang-Hyun touched his lips as he clenched his fist and shouted, “I IMPREGNATED SI-AH!!!”

“...”

“...”

A deathly silence fell.

Shatter!

The coffee cup in Si-Hun’s hand dropped to the floor.

1. Doljanchi (돌잔치) is a celebration of a baby’s first birthday. There is a ritual ceremony held during the doljanchi where items with symbolic meaning are placed for the baby to choose, determining what luck they will have in the future. ☜

2. Doljabi (돌잡이) is the ritual ceremony mentioned in the first reference. ☜