Epilogue Chapter 50 - Back to School (1)

The short month-long summer vacation ended and the sweltering sun that felt like it would melt the world died down a little. The dreamlike summer vacation ended for the children and the time to return to school arrived.

Oh Kang-Hyun finished getting ready early in the morning and approached his half-asleep sisters.

“Are you guys ready to go back to school?” he asked.

“Mmm... I’m so sleepy, oppa. Can I sleep a little more?”

“You can’t. We have to go to school.”

“Can’t we just... skip the opening ceremony? There’s no class after anyway.”

“Nope.”

“Oppa, you meanie.”

Oh Kang-Hee pouted in displeasure but did not let go of Kang-Hyun’s arm she was hugging.

“Haaa. I can’t believe summer vacation is already over... I still haven’t fully recharged myself with our beloved Father’s energy.”

“What energy?”

“Hmph. Pure energy that can’t be charged from a little brat like you, dearest brother.”

“Who are you calling a brat? You’re younger than me.”

Kang-Hyun softly hit Lilia’s head with his fist. They got dressed and lined up in front of the front door.

“We’re off, Mother Seol-Ah,” said Kang-Hyun as he bowed lightly.

Han Seol-Ah expressed worry as she fidgeted her feet restlessly.

“Are you sure you’re fine to go by yourselves? I could go with you...”

“No, it’s okay. We’ll be back as soon as the opening ceremony is over.”

“E-Even so!” Seol-Ah anxiously placed her hands on Kang-Hyun’s shoulders. “Dangerous people might come for you like last time!”

Kang-Hyun and Kim Si-Ah were attacked by an unidentified man at the resort they went to a few weeks ago. Fortunately, they were fine since Oh Kang-Woo and Kim Si-Hun made it to them in time but that did not stop a parent from worrying about their child. Even after they returned from their trip, Seol-Ah had followed Kang-Hyun everywhere to protect him.

“That’s...”

Kang-Hyun’s expression hardened, recalling the attack. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“You don’t have to worry. It was simply an unfortunate accident.”

As Kang-Hyun mentioned, it was an accident and nothing more. The unidentified man’s target had not been either him or Si-Ah. They had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

‘Yeah, so... it couldn’t have been helped...’

Kang-Hyun shut his eyes tightly to rid himself of the thought. Kang-Woo walked over as Seol-Ah looked at Kang-Hyun with worry.

“Let them go by themselves, Darling.”

“B-But...!”

“It’s not like we can stay with them while they’re at school. It’ll only make them more uncomfortable.”

“That’s... true.”

Seol-Ah lowered her head dejectedly.

Lilia, to lighten the mood, said brightly, “Oh~ I would love it if our beloved Father were to accompany us to school~”

“No way. Daddy’s busy,” Kang-Woo replied.

“

Whine

. You haven’t been playing with me at all lately!”

Lia pulled on Kang-Woo’s arm and whined cutely. Kang-Woo smiled and kissed her forehead.

“Kyaaaah!” Lia screamed happily as she placed her hands on her cheeks.

Kang-Woo gently pushed away Lia, who clung to him as she begged him to kiss her on the lips as well. Then, he turned to Kang-Hyun.

“I’ll leave your sisters in your care.”

“Okay...”

“Why are you so down? It’s not like you.” Kang-Woo smiled as he rustled Kang-Hyun’s hair. “Don’t forget.”

“Pardon? Don’t forget what...?”

“The fact that you’re my son, no matter what anyone says.”

“...”

Kang-Hyun’s eyes widened. His lips quivered as if trying to say something but he smiled faintly and nodded instead.

“Yes, Father.”

He gently bowed to Kang-Woo and left through the front door with his sisters.

Clack.

The house fell silent once the door closed.

“Haaa,” Seol-Ah sighed deeply and stared anxiously at the front door. “Are you sure... it’s okay to let them go by themselves?”

“Are you worried?”

“Of course, I am! After what happened...”

Seol-Ah’s heart fell when she heard Kang-Hyun was attacked by an unidentified individual.

“Even so, we can’t coddle our kids forever in our pouches like a kangaroo.”

“We could at least until they become adults...”

“Do you think they could become independent if they’re raised that way?”

“That’s...” Seol-Ah slurred as she averted her gaze from Kang-Woo and bit her lip. “Even if that’s the case, they’re still too young. We have to protect them.”

The children weren’t even ten years old yet. Independence and overprotection were things to be considered far in the future.

“That may be the case if you only consider their age, but do you think Kang-Hyun is an ordinary nine-year-old boy?”

“E-Even Kang-Hyun has childish sides to him!”

“You’re right, but only superficially. He’s far more mature compared to kids his age.”

Kang-Hyun’s mental age was around that of a middle schooler in puberty.

‘And boys that age...’

“It’s important that Kang-Hyun learn how to stand on his own instead of relying on his parents.”

Puberty was a crucial formative period of one’s life. If parents meddled too much with their child’s life, they might live forever under their parents’ shadows. If that were to happen, the talent lying dormant inside Kang-Hyun may never bloom and be extinguished.

‘Or he might be controlled by it.’

Kang-Woo was not a fan of either.

“The best we can do right now is to watch over them so they can gradually learn to stand on their own.”

“...”

Seol-Ah, still worried, poked the floor with the end of her foot in silence. Kang-Woo smirked and gently embraced her from behind.

“Don’t make that face. Even if the worst-case scenario you’re thinking of were to happen, I’ve already made the bare minimum arrangements so that Kang-Hyun will be safe.”

“Really...?”

“Of course. Have I ever lied to you?”

“Mmm... you said you would look at the new lingerie I bought at the resort but you still haven’t.”

Seol-Ah smiled teasingly, her worries slightly reduced, turned around to hug Kang-Woo, and squeezed her breasts on his chest.

“I mean... that was because the situation didn’t call for it.”

Naturally, their trip planned for four days and three nights was cut short due to the attack on Kang-Hyun and Si-Ah. They couldn’t enjoy their trip as if nothing happened when something like that happened to their children. Unfortunately but naturally, his sexy times with his wives which were included in the trip were also canceled. Kang-Woo was also barely home even after they returned because he had been busy investigating the Celestial.

“Fufu. I’m joking.” Seol-Ah wrapped her arms around the flustered Kang-Woo’s waist and kissed him. “But in exchange, promise me you’ll shower me with more love than what we couldn’t share during that trip once this is all over. Okay?”

“That’s a bit...”

“Here, pinky promise.”

Seol-Ah smiled and extended her pinky finger. The love they made normally was so wild that Kang-Woo had to fight for his life to prevent his soul from getting sucked away.

‘But more than that?’

Kang-Woo stepped backward in pallor but Seol-Ah grabbed his butt with her other hand and pulled him toward her.

“You’ll promise... won’t you?”

No husband could defy their wife after hearing that. Kang-Woo nodded teary-eyed and interlocked his pinky finger with hers.

“Ehehe,” she giggled as if she were the happiest woman in the world.

“What the hell are you guys doing, clinging to each other so early in the morning?” asked Cha Yeon-Joo as she came out of their room, her hair disheveled— it seemed she had just woken up.

“Oh, good morning, Yeon-Joo.”

“Morning.” She stared at Seol-Ah grabbing Kang-Woo’s buttcheek tightly and smiled as she grabbed the other buttcheek. “That’s my hubby for ya. Strong buttocks.”

“Lemme ask your question right back at you. What the hell do you think you’re doing first thing in the morning?”

“I saw Seol-Ah doing it so I felt like doing it too.”

“...” Yeon-Joo groped Kang-Woo’s buttcheek and continued, “That aside, Celestial, was it? Have you found where the bitch is hiding?”

“Not yet.”

Kang-Woo had been working with Lilith to find traces of the Celestial but came up with nothing.

He continued, “Well... I have a hunch about a place but it’s not somewhere I can just go willy-nilly.”

“Where?”

“The breach between Rifts.”

“Breach... between Rifts? I thought Rifts were the breach between dimensions.”

“You can think of it as something similar to the open space between subway train cars.”

“Ohh. I think I get it.” Yeon-Joo nodded. “But why can’t you enter it?”

“Because it’ll collapse if I’m not careful.”

It was also the main reason why Kang-Woo couldn’t actively search for the Celestial at the moment.

“Well, I’ve already thought of a few methods, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Really? Oh, and...” Yeon-Joo’s eyes turned cold. “You’d better tell me if you find where the bastard is, got it?”

Thick bloodlust seeped from Yeon-Joo as she gritted her teeth.

“Oh, me too. I have many things I would like to

discuss

with him.”

Even Seol-Ah’s eyes gleamed chillingly as she smiled widely. Kang-Woo chuckled. Whoever the Celestial was, he wouldn’t be having a painless death.

“Alright. If I find him, I’ll bring him back alive.”

“Good, good. Don’t kill him in the heat of the moment.”

“Fufu. That’s a promise.”

Yeon-Joo and Seol-Ah smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

“That aside...” Kang-Woo slurred as she turned to his two wives, feeling the gropes of his buttcheeks growing stronger. “How much longer are you gonna touch them for?”

A husband normally wasn’t sexually harassed endlessly by his wives.

‘No!’

His masculine pride couldn’t stand for such treatment. It was time for him to exert his authority as the man of the house by reprimanding them—

“What’s up? Want me to touch something else? I don’t have to go to work today.”

“Oh, in that case, why don’t we spend some intimate time as husband and wives before the kids come back? We haven’t had any opportunities for it because you’ve been so busy lately.”

“I apologize for overstepping.”

‘Let’s just settle for the butt fondling.’