Jinwoo was carefully observing the expression of Aunty Gyuri, sitting opposite him, as his mom and aunt Haeju were talking about his dad.
He wondered if Aunty Gyuri's face would show any change, given the special relationship between her and his dad as described in the so-called 'slave contract'.
Aunty Gyuri, from start to finish, just sat looking at his mom and aunt Haeju, nodding or sipping her beer, without showing any significant change in expression.
Sensing Jinwoo's gaze on her, she turned to him and locked eyes.
"Jinwoo, you haven't been coming around to our place much lately, have you?"
Caught off guard by the eye contact, Jinwoo shrunk back a bit, to which Aunty Gyuri smiled warmly and said.
"I'd like to, but Daeho has been really busy these days."
After seeing the comforting gaze of Aunty Gyuri, Jinwoo spoke more comfortably.
"You can come over even when Daeho isn't there... But lately, I really don't know what Daeho is up to.
He leaves at dawn and comes back late at night, you know? Jinwoo, have you heard anything from Daeho?"
All Jinwoo could think about was the slave contract of Aunty Gyuri that Daeho had sent him, but of course, he couldn't just tell her that directly.
More than that, the first sentence she let slip intentionally had caught his attention more.
"You can come over even when Daeho isn't there…" That definitely had a sexual undertone that only Jinwoo and Aunty Gyuri could understand.
Jinwoo was both shocked and pleased by Aunty Gyuri's boldness, even though her husband was back at home.
He was tempted by her, even though she didn't seem to be the submissive slave she was supposed to be to her owner.
For some reason, Jinwoo felt a strong sadistic urge to humiliate and degrade Aunty Gyuri.
"Is Daeho still doing that thing to you when he's home?"
Jinwoo asked mischievously about that secretive act they agreed not to tell others about.
"Uh..uh..yeah, that's right..."
Aunty Gyuri stuttered a bit, seemingly flustered.
Jinwoo stretched his legs across and found Aunty Gyuri's legs sitting opposite him.
When Jinwoo's foot casually touched Aunty Gyuri's, she seemed a bit startled but soon stretched out her leg to intertwine her calf with his.
"Is it okay to leave it like this?"
Jinwoo's question seemed to probe Aunty Gyuri's intentions, with a double meaning.
"Well...now, I guess there's nothing to be done, it feels a bit...familiar, and I just wish no one else knew about it..."
Aunty Gyuri mixed up two things in her reply, dragging it out without a clear conclusion.
"What does the husband say?"
As Jinwoo spoke, he pushed his other leg forward, wrapping both his calves around Aunty Gyuri's.
"That...that man, of course, doesn't know since it's a secret,"
Aunty Gyuri looked at Jinwoo with slightly drunken eyes, as if making a promise.
Jinwoo pulled Aunty Gyuri's calf towards him using both legs.
At the family dinner with both Jinwoo's and aunt Haeju's families present, Aunty Gyuri's leg remained entangled in Jinwoo's, like a secretive personal possession.
Jinwoo intended not to let go of Aunty Gyuri's leg until dinner was over.
It seemed that Aunty Gyuri had no intention of pulling her leg away from Jinwoo as well.
Jinwoo suddenly realized he was the only man among the seven people gathered there.
At that moment, Jinwoo felt like a meticulous predator who had cunningly entangled one of the delicious preys around him.
"Did something happen to brother Daeho?"
Next to them, Minji, who had been quietly listening to Aunty Gyuri and Jinwoo's conversation, asked with a worried expression.
"Don't worry about it, Minji, Daeho is just going through a rebellious phase~"
Aunty Gyuri reassured her with her characteristic eye smile, answering for Jinwoo.
Mom faintly sensed the subtle atmosphere between Jinwoo and Aunty Gyuri.
-Because she had seen the photo of Aunty Gyuri sent by Jinwoo-
Mom occasionally turned her head shyly when her eyes met Jinwoo's.
And then, seemingly embarrassed, she kept sipping her drink without knowing how many glasses she had had.
Her face seemed slightly flushed from the alcohol.
* * *
"But sister, you said that thing we talked about starts really next week, right?"
Aunt Haeju restarted the conversation looking at Mom.
"We have to! It's been scheduled to start next week, we can't live off the insurance money forever."
Mom was already talking as if something had been decided.
"Did brother-in-law leave enough money?"
"We can't predict what might happen to the kids in the future, I need to earn at least the living expenses, and anyway, I can work part-time during the day when I have free time."
"I'd be thankful if you could do it, sister."
Jinwoo's family was financially stable after his father had left a significant inheritance, along with an insurance payout, making everyday living manageable.
Yet, Mom was still worried about the uncertainties of life, hence her intent to take up part-time work.
Aunt Haeju was running an agency that specifically managed freelance models.
Sometimes she would model herself or mobilize acquaintances around her, and she seemed to have suggested this to the well-shaped Mom several times before.
Now, the roles had reversed, with Mom asking Aunt Haeju for help.
-Apparently, Mom had originally planned to announce this at a family dinner-As various conversations flowed, lunch was drawing to a close.
The kids had moved to the living room couch, watching TV and eating fruit, while the mothers were now set to gossip more intensely with alcohol.
-It seemed they had forgotten their agreement to drink moderately-
* * *
"Hey, brother, what are you doing after the intermediate class ends on Monday?"
Minji, sitting next to Jinwoo and eating fruit, asked him.
"Huh? Monday?"
Jinwoo asked back, wondering what it was about Monday.
"Yeah, Monday! There's a parent-teacher meeting at the school, can you come with me?"
Minji gently placed her hand on Jinwoo's arm and asked cautiously.
"Didn't you go to the school with Aunt Haeju?"
Sohee, sitting opposite, asked Minji with a puzzled look.
"Yeah, I went with Aunt Haeju, but they said the meeting has to be with a guardian living with you, hehe."
Minji made a cute face, seeming a bit troubled.
"Shouldn't you tell Mom? Is it okay for a middle school student's brother to go?"
Jinwoo, noticing Sohee's questioning gaze, spoke to Minji.
-Anyway, they had agreed to go school together for two weeks-
"Yeah, the school said it's okay for brother too, and since Mom might be busy with work from Monday, she told me to talk to you about it? I'd really like it if you could come with me, hehe~"
Touched by Minji's endearing request, Jinwoo looked at Sohee.
Sohee shrugged her shoulders as if there was no helping it—a gesture that practically gave him the go-ahead.
"Monday, I'll go to the beginner class and then go to Sua's house, so brother, you just come pick us up after the intermediate class, okay?"
Thus, Jinwoo was set to attend the parent-teacher meeting at the magician school with Minji on Monday.
* * *
As time passed,
Minji and Sua had gone to play in Minji's room.
Sohee also lay on the sofa, checking her smartphone before heading to her room.
Jinwoo was left alone in the living room, watching TV.
The moms, fueled by alcohol, were chatting away, and it seemed Sohee's clothing had come up as a topic again.
"Even down to the underwear, you gave her those?"
Mom spoke as if getting angry again at Aunt Haeju.
"Family means you see each other's bare skin and live with it."
"Our house doesn't work that way, huh? How many times do I have to say it?"
"Because of Jinwoo?"
Jinwoo, who had inadvertently been listening to the mothers' conversation, was taken aback when his name suddenly came up.