4 — The Talk

"This body doesn't make sense." I thought I'd wake up feeling like a blob of jelly after all that intense workout, but it turned out that Dae Ho's anatomy was simply something science couldn't explain.

Besides a negligible ache in my chest muscles, I was full of energy.

Way too much of it, actually.

A persistent tingling on my crotch reminded me that the healthy body of a man at the peak of his youth was quite vigorous in that 'field' as well. I was the same, in my previous body, though it was sadly losing steam as I aged.

Problem was, a teeny-weeny bit of pre-cum might have slicked my underwear.

'I can't believe this. I didn't even dream of anything.'

I decided to shelf that particular oddity away for later and hurried to the bathroom before my step-sisters beat me to it. Fortunately, I had woken up a little earlier than usual, which meant I could take my sweet time.

Just as I was about to open the bathroom door, it opened by itself, Yeong Gu coming out with a towel around his neck.

"Uncle, good morning." I greeted him with a practiced smile.

"Hn. Good morning, boy." He said stoically, steam billowing in his wake. His eyes avoided mine for some reason. There was a grim sadness that clung to him. It was a bit awkward, because I couldn't understand why he was feeling so down.

Our impromptu conversation seemed to end there as he walked past me, his bare feet thumping against the floor.

Then he stopped, turned his head around, and smiled. "By the way, I ordered what you requested yesterday. Premium shipping too. It should arrive today, so watch out."

My smile widened, gaining a touch of honesty. "Thank you, uncle. Really."

He waved me off with a laugh and proceeded to make his way downstairs.

I stared at his back, until it disappeared around the top navel of the stairs.

'Whatever is going on with him, it's not my business.'

I headed for the now-free bathroom and washed up. After I changed into a fresh set of clothes, I traipsed down, hair still a bit wet. The weather was hot enough that it would dry up on its own.

Auntie Eun Ha was already up and about, smiling to herself as she held onto a tomato, reverently, as if it were harvested from God's own backyard. She didn't notice me, so I decided to be a bit playful. I tip-toed up to her, and leaned my lips right next to her ear.

The faint scent of roses lingered on my nose.

"Good morning."

Eun Ha nearly jumped out of her skin. The sudden scare prompted the tomato in her hand to fly up like a cannonball. She immediately wheeled around, hand on her heaving chest as she glared at me, a pout hanging on her lips. "S-Sheesh, Dae Ho. Don't do that to your Auntie…"

I tracked the soaring tomato with my eyes, calculated where it would fall, extended my hand, palm up, and grabbed it right before it could hit Eun Ha in her pretty little head.

"Fruits can be scary…" My poor attempt at humor seemed to have been a success as Eun Ha's frown turned into a smile. I handed the tomato back to her. "It smells good."

"It does, right?" Eun Ha couldn't help but gush with a bright smile. "I'm so glad I went to the market. It's so fresh!"

My lips moved before I could stop them. "I was not talking about the tomato."

'Okay, I'll just treat it as some harmless flirt. This woman is married, for fuck's sake.'

Eun Ha blinked, puzzled at first, then the realization dawned on her. She quickly averted her gaze, fingering the tomato with a blush across her cheeks.

Things were getting a little dicey. A change of topics was in order. "Where is Uncle Yeong Gu?"

Eun Ha slowly recovered from the impact of my words. "Oh, he's on a business trip. He'll be gone for a few days." At those words, her eyes drooped a bit.

I sensed an edge in her tone, and a hint of resignation.

"Is… everything alright?" I asked as I sat down on my spot at the table. "My offer from yesterday still stands, you know?"

She stopped knifing the tomato, turned around, and didn't shy away from making eye contact with me. The smile that she gifted me, however, was obviously fake, a forced attempt to quell my concerns.

"Everything's alright!" Eun Ha chirped, smile wavering but not going down.

'Now, what am I supposed to do when she's like that?'

I didn't want to poke my nose into her affairs. Offering my help was the best I could do at the moment. Being too pushy would only drive a wedge between us.

"You know, if there's something that's troubling you, I hope I've done a good enough job as your adopted son that you'd come to me." I said, repeating what she told me yesterday right back at her.

Her cheeks puffed a bit as she sent me a 'that's not fair' look.

I laughed, but kept silent.

She did the same.

…

Cha Mia cat walked her way down not too long after, each step rehearsed to resemble a celebrity's stride across a sea of flashing lights. She was dressed in a sleeveless crop tank, revealing most of her creamy white tummy. It also drew emphasis on her ample bosom, which was currently putting a dangerous strain on the fabric of her top.

Her hotpants weren't exactly a modest choice either. It clung to her plump rear, exposing long, slender legs.

It was mesmerizing, honestly, how beautiful the women in this house were.

A mischievous glint flashed in those feline eyes of hers.

Mia skulked quietly behind her mother, bringing a finger to her lips and gesturing to me to keep quiet. I nodded with an amused smile, and watched as she lifted one hand up, and brought the wrath of a Demon down on Auntie Eun Ha's unprotected butt.

"Mom ~"

The crisp, satisfying sound of a pair of naughty cheeks being castigated pierced my soul.

"Good morning!"

"Hnn?!" Eun Ha gasped, reflexively covering her burning rear cheeks. She stared at Mia with tears in the corner of her eyes. "M-Mia?"

"What's for breakfast?" Mia said cheekily, ignoring the pout growing on her mother's face.

"You shouldn't hit your mother like that…" Eun Ha reprimanded weakly as she rubbed her sore butt.

Mia laughed, chopsticks already between her fingers. "Haha. It looked so firm, I couldn't help it." She stared at Eun Ha with a smirk. "I mean, how can someone your age still look so hot?"

"S-Stop it…"

"Am I right, Dae Ho?" Mia winked at me.

I chuckled, playing along. "Oh, don't worry. You'll look hot at that age too."

"Ohh ~" She tilted her head, blond hair falling on one side. She looked at me with interest. "Ah, mom, what am I supposed to do? Dae Ho thinks I'm hot."

I rolled my eyes.

"Now, now, stop fooling around and eat up!" Eun Ha announced with her authority as a mother.

As we feasted on the delicacies Eun Ha made, I couldn't help but notice that Su Ah didn't come down that morning either. Then again, it was such a regular thing that no one said anything.

Breakfast went on uneventfully.

Eun Ha busied herself washing the dishes, while Mia slapped my shoulder and headed back to her room. A faint scent of lilies trailed after her swishing hair.

Later that morning, right before lunch, the courier came to deliver a couple of packages for Cha Yeong Gu. And since he wasn't there, I was free to take it in his place.

I remembered what he told me earlier in the day, and looking at the length of the cardboard box, it must have been the pull-up bar he promised me. The weight of the other box was also a good indicator as to what it was.

I brought them back to my room and unboxed them.

The pull-up bar was not a cheap one, which I was thankful for. The problem was that it had to be assembled and nailed to the wall. It was not difficult, and after borrowing Yeong Gu's tools, I got everything done in an hour.

The weights were a set of 10 kilograms, perfect to start with.

Actually, probably not with this body, but I was confident that I would get there soon enough.

And since I was still so full of energy, I decided to get started right away.

──⇌ ⋆★⋆ ⇋──

Jong Eun Ha's POV:

Eun Ha was facing yet another dilemma, though this one seemed to be recurring in nature. A laundry basket was secured tightly against her chest with one hand, while with the other she held a particular piece of underwear.

"Dae Ho…" She whispered to herself, bringing the white garment closer to her face, until her nose was stuffed into the damp fabric. She took a deep whiff, mentally digesting what she was smelling and categorizing the substance as something very familiar.

A faint blush dusted her cheeks.

'Did he have another wet dream? It seems he's having them more and more frequently.'

With a sigh, Eun Ha stuffed all of the dirty clothes inside the washing machine.

'He must not know how to masturbate…'

She pressed the power button on the panel control, and the clothes started whirling.

Yesterday, she was supposed to have a simple chat with him, but now it looked like he needed the 'talk'. Yeong Gu was not interested, so the responsibility fell on her. Naturally, she could wash her hands of it. Recently, he sounded and looked mature enough that he probably didn't need her counsel.

He even flirted with her! Maybe it was not meant to come off as such, but that was how she interpreted it.

'Hmm… what about that friend of his, Go Bong?' But then she remembered how clueless that kid was. Chances were that he knew even less than Dae Ho, and that was highly concerning, especially at their age.

'Should I… teach him?'

…

Eun Ha stood in front of Dae Ho's door. The beat of her heart echoed off in her ears. It was deep into the night, yet again. It was the only time when her 'sneaking off' wouldn't be noticed.

She held a tray of thinly cut slices of apple. A good and healthy sneak, and hopefully it could keep their mouths occupied enough for her to find a way to break the ice.

'There's no need to go too far… I'll just… I'll just…'

The door, which was slightly ajar, was suddenly pulled open.

Eun Ha's breath hitched in her throat.

"So it was you." Dae Ho stood on the threshold, the shadow of a smirk playing on his lips. "Came to talk?"

"Umh…" She was a bit thrown off, but still managed a nod. "Yes, actually…"

He scooted a bit to the side, making enough space for her to slip inside.

Eun Ha idly noticed how tidy his room was. His pull-up bar was fixed on the wall, next to the window, while his weights were neatly organized in a corner, where it wouldn't bother anyone walking around.

She placed the tray in her hands on a low table.

"You look flustered…" Dae Ho pointed out, his sharp eyes never failing to strike at her weaknesses.

Eun Ha smiled disarmingly, hoping to diffuse the situation a bit. "W-Well…" She scratched her cheek, sitting down on his bed. She patted the spot next to her. "Come, sit."

He shrugged and did as he was told.

A stretch of awkward silence followed. It was understandable given the topic she wanted to talk about.

"I'm surprised you're still awake."

Good. That was a decent conversation starter.

He leaned on his elbows as he stared ahead. "Just been… thinking."

"You've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"I'm growing up. Lots of stuff to think about."

"Like what?" Eun Ha was genuinely curious.

Dae Ho finally turned his head to look at her. "Secret." He said conspiratorially, finger on his lips in a 'shushing' motion. She smiled a bit at that. "What about you?" He returned the question. "A lot is going through your mind right now, isn't it?"

She blushed a bit.

"Actually… what I'm about to ask you is a bit weird, but please, bear with me."

Dae Ho blinked, puzzled. "Go on."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, eyes anywhere but on him.

"Have you… ever masturbated before?"

"..."