Even though I felt sure Yumi wouldn’t be in the bathroom, I still turned on the light and took a quick look inside.
As expected, she wasn’t there.
I didn’t dare let my mind go to the other possibility. I refused to believe she would sneak off to that place while I was sleeping.
I checked the kitchen, then the balcony… but there was no sign of her anywhere.
Only one place left unchecked… Jihoon’s room.
My body started to tremble as I walked toward his room. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst.
I tried not to let my thoughts turn dark, but worry and wild ideas kept flooding in.
When I reached his door, I noticed something strange.
For the past few days, Jihoon’s door had always been left slightly open.
Tonight, it was shut tight.
Sweat covered my palms as I grabbed the doorknob. I hesitated. Or maybe I just didn’t have the courage. If I opened this door and saw the last thing I wanted to see, how was I supposed to handle it?
It wasn’t that my mind was dirty.
Jihoon was only thirteen, but he had already hit puberty. A boy past puberty is sexually mature… he’s fully capable of having sex and getting a woman pregnant.
And Yumi? I trusted her completely, but because of my physical problems, she hadn’t had real sexual satisfaction in a very long time. She had never cheated before.
But now, with a young, strong boy full of energy sleeping right here… could she secretly betray me?
Anything was possible.
The more I thought about it, the more scared I became.
I shook my head hard, trying to clear my mind. First, I pressed my ear gently against the door and listened.
The soundproofing was too good—there wasn’t a single sound from inside. That made me feel a little better.
I gathered my courage, took a deep breath, and slowly pressed down on the doorknob. I opened the door as quietly as I could.
During the whole process, I worried about one thing: what if it was locked from the inside?
“Click…”
With a soft sound, the doorknob turned.
Even though I moved slowly and carefully, it still made a tiny noise. I didn’t know if it startled the people inside, but it sure scared the hell out of me.
I froze, keeping the handle pressed down, not moving an inch. Sweat dripped down my face. I listened carefully… if I had woken them, what would I do?
Then I suddenly felt ridiculous. Even if I did find something, so what? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Why was I sneaking around like a thief? I should just check openly.
Once I thought that through, I gave the door a gentle push. It swung open.
The scene inside stabbed straight into my heart.
On the bed lay two people—a boy and a woman. It was exactly my newly adopted son Jihoon and my beloved wife Yumi.
They were lying on fresh sheets and blankets. My legs nearly gave out; I almost fainted.
The room was pitch dark. I wanted to turn on the light, but their steady breathing told me both were still sound asleep.
I turned on the flashlight on the back of my phone and shined it toward the bed. Both of them were fully dressed.
Yumi wore the new conservative pajamas she had just bought—nothing looked messy.
Jihoon was also in a fresh set of pajamas, lying on his back, fast asleep. Yumi lay on her side facing him, one hand resting gently on his chest like she was patting him.
I quietly sniffed the air. I was checking for any scent—especially the smell of male hormones. But the room only smelled of air freshener. Nothing else.
Had I overthought everything? Or had they already… finished?
I didn’t wake them.
My mind was full of questions.
I gently closed the door, but not all the way. I left it cracked open just like before. Then I walked slowly to the living room sofa.
From this spot, I could clearly see Jihoon’s door. Even without lights, I couldn’t see inside, but I could hear every sound.
It wasn’t that I wanted to spy on them. I simply couldn’t sleep anymore.
All I had left were endless wild thoughts and a sour feeling of jealousy.
Yumi was my one and only wife. She had always been mine alone. Now she was sleeping in the same bed as a teenage boy.
How could I possibly feel okay about that?
I lit a cigarette and smoked on the sofa.
When I checked the time, it was already four in the morning. I wanted to wake Yumi, but I was afraid of disturbing the child.
How should I even ask her about this?
My brain spun fast. I don’t know how long I sat there before I dozed off without realizing it.
I don’t know how long I slept. I felt something being placed over my body. Then I heard noises coming from the kitchen.
I groggily opened my eyes. It was already six-thirty in the morning. I had fallen asleep on the sofa, covered with a blanket.
Yumi was in the kitchen making breakfast.
“I’ll talk to you tonight…” Yumi mouthed the words silently when she saw me wake up.
She didn’t make a sound and pointed toward Jihoon’s room. Even though it was lip language, I understood perfectly.
I just nodded lightly. Seeing my expression, Yumi knew I wasn’t feeling good. She could only smile bitterly and shake her head.
After breakfast, I went to work.
The anger and jealousy in my chest refused to fade. I spent the whole day in a daze.
When it was finally time to get off work, I used to rush home eagerly. This time, I actually wanted to avoid going back.
When I got home, everything seemed normal.
Jihoon’s mood was getting better day by day. After dinner, I went to the bedroom first, climbed into bed, and pulled the covers over my head.
Soon I heard Yumi come in.
She must have finished tidying up. She probably noticed something was off with me. Tonight I hadn’t touched my iPad, and I had barely spoken at the dinner table.
I felt her get into bed and lie down beside me. She stayed completely silent, as if she had fallen asleep. I felt strange. I secretly lifted a corner of the blanket and peeked out.
What I saw was Yumi’s playful eyes and smiling face.
“Hehe…” Yumi covered her mouth and giggled. Her whole body shook with laughter, making her full breasts bounce and ripple with waves.
Seeing her laugh so happily while I felt miserable only made me angrier. I pulled the blanket back over my head and wrapped myself up tightly again.
“Alright, hubby, stop being jealous… let your wife explain…” Yumi tugged at the blanket, trying to pull it off my head while she spoke.
But I didn’t answer. I gripped the blanket hard.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull it away.
Yumi knew my childish temper had kicked in again. When I’m in a good mood, I act like a wise old man. When I get upset, I turn into a little kid.
“Hubby, you’re overthinking it, right? This morning when I saw you sleeping on the sofa and noticed Jihoon’s door was open, I knew you must have discovered me in his room in the middle of the night. So you got jealous, didn’t you?”
“First of all, Jihoon is our son now. There’s nothing wrong with a mother sleeping next to her son. Are you feeling neglected? Don’t worry. What I feel for Jihoon is only motherly love. My heart will always belong to you.”
Yumi brought her mouth close to my head and spoke through the blanket. Even though it was covered, I could hear every word clearly.
The jealousy in my heart melted a little.
“Actually, the reason I slept in Jihoon’s room last night was for you,” Yumi continued gently, like she was coaxing a child when I didn’t reply.
“These past two days, Jihoon has been having nightmares every night. He wakes up screaming and keeps disturbing your sleep. You work so hard and carry so much pressure. I know you need your sleep the most, and you get grumpy when you don’t get enough. So last night I decided to sleep with him. As long as I’m there, he doesn’t have nightmares. At least he won’t scream. This child is carrying a lot of fear and trauma right now. I’m the person he’s most familiar with besides his parents. At school or at home, he sees me almost all the time. Right now, I’m his only support. When I stay with him, he sleeps peacefully. And it worked. Last night he slept straight through until morning—no nightmares, no waking up scared.”
“I thought my hubby could finally get a good night’s sleep. But in the end, you still didn’t sleep well… and the reason was… hehe…”
Yumi said a lot, and I listened to every word. What she said made some sense. As a school counselor, she had her own ways of helping with emotional issues. And even if my worst fears were true, there was no way it would happen while I was home.
“So you plan to keep sleeping with him every night?” Even though I felt much better after hearing her, I still couldn’t accept her sleeping with the boy all the time. I pulled my head out from under the blanket and asked.
Yumi didn’t answer right away.
When she saw my face, a flash of heartache crossed her eyes. She gently wiped my face with her hand.
Only then did I realize I had sweated heavily while hiding under the blanket.
“I’ll listen to you, hubby. If you don’t want me to go, I won’t go anymore…” Yumi wiped my sweat, then buried her head in my chest and spoke softly. There was a hint of grievance in her voice.
“Actually, I did so much for Jihoon because of you. You brought this child home. I want to be a good mother so you won’t feel troubled. I want you to feel comforted and warm. But maybe I was too eager, and it made you uncomfortable. If that’s the case, I won’t do it anymore…”
She was right. I was the one who brought the child home. I was the one who wanted to adopt him.
Yumi never objected. Instead, she treated him better than her own flesh and blood. Everything she did was to please me and support me.
Yet here I was, picking at her and making her feel torn. No wonder she felt wronged.
“Alright, wife, I was wrong. You’re right. I should be thanking you instead of getting jealous like this. Having a child just feels like part of your love is being taken away. I’m not used to it yet, that’s all…” I gently patted her back.
“Don’t worry, hubby. You’re my husband, he’s my son. Both of you are very important to me, but your places in my heart are different. Besides, if we’re really going to accept him as our son, it’s for a lifetime. We have to treat him well. He just lost his father and came to a new home. This is the time he needs care the most. For now, you’ll have to bear with it a little. I need to give him all my care so he can recover quickly and live and study normally…” Yumi looked up, her voice gentle and obedient.
“Okay…” Once we talked it out, I felt much lighter.
“Then… hubby… do I still need to go sleep with him tonight? I’ll do whatever you say…” At that moment, Yumi checked the time and asked me carefully, waiting for my opinion and decision.