Chapter 77 – Episode 77. Empty Seat

After I was discovered to have used hypnosis, I began to spend more time with Si-eun.

There was also something about hypnosis, but lately I’ve been paying a lot of attention to Su-ah and Si-hyeon, so I’ve been neglecting Si-eun.

Si-eun said that she was fine now after going to see her husband together, but she seemed to like it because she went out on dates with him on the weekends and paid more attention to him.

However, since she was dating Si-eun, her date with Si-hyeon started to get delayed.

Every time that happened, Sihyeon would frown and glare at me.

“… Do you really think I’m dating Si-eun and not me?”

“Ah. Why are you saying that again?”

Every time she received Sihyeon’s suspicious gaze, her heart sank a little.

At times like that, I always spent time with Si-hyeon on weekdays to make up for the weekend date.

I would go home with Si-hyeon, or before that, we would have dinner together and go on a brief date, spending as much time with Si-hyeon as we missed on the weekend.

As I tried to turn back time and block it, I ended up spending a lot less time with Su-ah.

“Sister. I think this week will be a bit difficult as well.”

“You seem to be very busy these days? I don’t need to worry about you, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

“…”

Sister Su-ah always pretended that nothing was wrong, but she looked somewhat lonely.

After a long time since she couldn’t date Su-ah, she was worried that she might become distant again.

“It’s so nice to be doing this with my brother.? I just want to leave my mom and sister alone! It’s to the point where I want to have it all to myself.”

“…”

She tried to talk to Si-eun, but she couldn’t say anything.

When I showed an awkward reaction, Si-eun smiled and pinched my cheek.

“Ehehe… Just kidding! I’m really fine now, so please take care of my mom. I’m a dutiful daughter, so I have to be dutiful!”

“… Filial piety?”

“Is this filial piety? Then what is it? How lonely and lonely my mother was while raising us. If she finds out later, will she be grateful?”

“… Okay, let’s does it like that.”

I’m not sure about Si-eun’s theory of filial piety, but she was able to get her permission anyway.

She said she had time, and this week she decided to go on a date with Su-ah.

“Sister, are you okay with this week’s holiday?”

“This week? Yeah. It’s okay. Why.?”

“Then can we go on a date?”

“… Oh? Uh. Okay. Yes.”

I was also worried about what would happen if Su-ah refused.

Su-ah didn’t refuse, but she had a complicated expression.

“Then let’s meet at the place we always see each other.”

“… Yes, then.”

Sua’s lukewarm response made her anxious and waited for her date.

Time passed and the day of the date arrived, and I arrived at her meeting place and waited for Su-ah.

Su-ah, whom I met at her date after a long time, looked different from usual.

**

These days, my relationship with Sunwoo has become estranged.

Recently, it’s been quite a while since we haven’t been able to go on a date on holidays, let alone get off work together.

I often went out to eat with Sihyeon in the evening, and as a result, it became difficult to look at Seonwoo’s face.

This week too, Sunwoo said that it would be difficult to date with an apologetic face.

She answered that it was okay and that there was no need to worry, but she couldn’t help the feeling of emptiness in her heart.

At some point, when it was time for Su-ah to leave work, she started looking at her phone again and again.

‘Maybe I’ll get a text message asking me to go with you today?’

She was looking at her phone with some anticipation, but despite her expectations, no call came.

Not only that, but when the door opened around the clock and her guests came in, she looked in that direction.

As a café owner, it was natural to check on customers, but the purpose was a little different.

I used to have a bit of anticipation when the silhouette I saw beyond the door was a man.

I wonder if Sunwoo came to visit without contacting me.

I knew it couldn’t be like that.

She tried not to have such vain expectations, but she wasn’t getting her way.

So, Su-ah always had expectations and was disappointed repeatedly.

In the end, she didn’t hear anything from Sunwoo until she got home from work.

After getting off work and getting into her car, Su-ah let out a long sigh.

“Ha. I wonder what this is doing.”

At that time, I felt a vibration on my phone as if I had received a text message.

Su-ah quickly took out her cell phone and checked the caller.

She almost dropped her phone in her haste to retrieve it, but she managed to grab it and check her text messages.

The person who sent the text was Seonwoo.

After checking her name, Su-ah felt anticipation rising and checked her information.

[Sunwoo: I don’t think I can go today either. I’m sorry.”

The high expectations came back as great disappointment.

Su-ah tried to pretend that nothing had happened and wrote down her reply.

[Sua: No, it’s nothing to be sorry about.]

[Sunwoo: Still… And I think I’ll have dinner with Sihyeon’s sister again today.]

[Sua: So? Enjoy your date.]

Before I knew it, Su-ah was writing down a reply with a lot of pressure.

After sending her reply, Su-ah flopped down on her sheet and leaned against her.

Her body wasn’t tired, but she didn’t want to move due to the feeling of exhaustion.

‘… Is it getting farther and farther away?’

When Seon-woo gets a girlfriend, she naturally becomes distant.

It was what Su-ah expected and intended.

I’m sure I’ve wanted this to happen for a long time.

For some reason, she felt empty, as if a part of her heart was empty.

After lying down for a while, Su-ah came to her senses and returned to her house.

Dinner just with Si-eun.

While Si-eun was chattering away, Su-a was listening to the story blankly.

“… Mom! Are you very tired? Your complexion doesn’t look good?”

“… Ah, I’m a little tired…”

“Shouldn’t I work less? What if I fall down again?”

“No, it’s really okay. I’m sorry, but can Si-eun do the dishes? She said she wants to go to bed early.”

“Leave it to me! Mom, can’t you overdo it? Promise!”

“… Okay, promise.”

Su-ah left Si-eun’s worries behind and went into her room.

She then lay down on the bed and looked blankly at the ceiling.

How can I fill this emptiness?

Feeling Seonwoo’s empty space wasn’t just because of sexual desire.

When she was with Sunwoo, she used to get wet to the point of embarrassment, but now instead of being moist, she was dry.

She thought that once she forced herself to relieve it, she would feel a little better.

However, it was difficult for her to go away alone, and she felt like she would feel even more miserable about herself later.

Su-a lay down in her bed, tossing and turning, feeling that her bed was especially wide and empty today.

I thought she would be okay once she got away from Sunwoo.

She felt that Seonwoo’s empty space was bigger than she thought.

‘… No, I’m just going to do this for a moment.’

She tried to console herself, but her emptiness did not go away easily.

“Let’s at least drink some water.”

When she couldn’t sleep, Su-ah got up from her seat and headed to her kitchen.

She opened the refrigerator, took out some cold water, drank a glass, and then tried to go back to her room.

At that time, the front door opened and Si-hyeon and Seon-woo came in.

The two of them were affectionately with their arms around each other, like lovers.

“Oh, mom… Aren’t you sleeping yet?”

The two slowly unwrapped their arms.

Seonwoo turned his gaze to the side, as if he could not be seen.

“… Are you here? I’m going to go to bed now. Sleep well, too.”

“Yes, sleep well, mom too.”

Su-ah smiled slightly and entered her room.

As Su-ah lay back on the bed, various thoughts came to her mind.

‘Someday we will become independent together, right?’

‘After we build our own home like that, it will be difficult to even see each other.’

‘If Si-eun leaves, and I’m left alone in this house…’

‘… When everyone leaves, will I… Be okay with that?’

Raising her two daughters and Seonwoo was the only purpose of her life.

But what if you achieve that goal?

She never thought about it after that.

I thought she would just be happy.

But when she thought about the future where she would be alone, she felt so lonely that she couldn’t bear it.

Su-ah curled up her body hugging her pillow on the wide bed.

She didn’t think she could survive without it.

**

A few days later, Seonwoo spoke to me.

“Sister, are you okay with this week’s holiday?”

“This week? Yeah. It’s okay. Why.?”

“Then can we go on a date?”

“… Huh? Uh… Yeah… Yeah.”

Su-ah was dumbfounded by Seon-woo’s unexpected words.

Belatedly, joy welled up in her heart, but she made no effort to show it.

Because it can’t be like that.

Seon-woo is now the boyfriend of his daughter, Si-hyeon.

So, you shouldn’t be happy about dating someone like that.

… But she kept getting greedy.

Can’t we stay like this with Sunwoo just a little longer?

If it’s a relationship that’s going to end anyway, if it’s a dream that you’ll wake up from…

Can’t I just dream a little longer?

Returning to her room, Su-ah first opened her closet.

She took out the clothes she didn’t usually wear that were hanging in the corner.

It was clothes that revealed the silhouette of the body that I had bought a long time ago but rarely wore.

She also took out the underwear she had bought a while ago and tried it on.

Maybe his chest had gotten bigger, but it was a little tight.

“… Should I buy a new one?”

When her shoulders felt stiff, and she felt the gazes of those around her, she resented her large breasts.

However, when she remembered how excited Sunwoo was when he looked at her breasts, touched them, and sucked them, those feelings melted away like snow.

Every time I moved, the bra pressed against my chest and I felt uncomfortable.

“… Still, it’s underwear that Sunwoo would like.”

Su-ah took off her underwear again and folded up her clothes.

And she looked at herself in the mirror.

She’s a little fat, but she still tries to take care of it.

‘My skin isn’t bad… I don’t think it’s going to get any better…’

But when she remembered her vision, Su-ah let out a sigh.

‘… I guess it will be compared to her vision, right?’

She always goes with light makeup, but this time she decided to add a little more.

Although the date was still far away, I tried on the clothes and makeup I had chosen in advance.

Darker makeup than usual, clothes that accentuate the breasts and reveal the body, and even tight-fitting, sexy underwear.

I felt awkward and uncomfortable because I looked different from my usual self.

‘It’s a relationship that’s going to end anyway… So all I can do is hold on a little longer…’

Su-a checked to see if there was anything strange about her.

And she put it in a corner of her closet to wear on the date and closed the door.