A Loving Family-Chapter 81: A Loving Family

"What... what the hell are you talking about?"

Jinwoo says to Seulgi with a voice that seems flustered.

"What are you shocked about? You wanted to know why Sohee noona got like that in just one day, didn't you?"

Seulgi continues speaking calmly as if it's nothing special.

"Well..."

"Give me your hand~!!"

Seulgi said, placing her hands on the table, palms facing up.

Jinwoo hesitated for a moment, then laid his hands on top of Seulgi's palms.

"It seems like something did happen to Sohee noona after you fell asleep yesterday! We're going to check it out together now! You have to concentrate! If you're not honest with yourself, nothing will be revealed!"

Seulgi spoke urgently to Jinwoo, who had been viewing the fortune-telling lightly.

"Uh... yeah..."

Jinwoo responded, feeling the soft touch of Seulgi's hands they were holding.

**

Who has never given or received a gift?

Does someone who has never watched a video really exist in the world?

Maybe it's Jinwoo himself who is fitting randomly spoken words and freely associated memories together.

Maybe Seulgi actually possesses an advanced skill, like scattering words as bait to read non-verbal expressions or clues from others...

Magic, or... superpowers...

Such convenient tools of fantasy couldn't possibly exist in the real world.

Jinwoo thought there was no way Seulgi could know about the sex he had with Sohee noona last night.

Yet, deep inside, a ceaseless turmoil of anxiety and skepticism stirs...

Jinwoo feels like he's lost, submerged in the feeling.

"Something's appearing~"

Seulgi says to Jinwoo in an exaggerated tone, her eyes fixed on the crystal ball.

"What... what is it?"

Jinwoo asks Seulgi, his voice tense.

"It looks like a smartphone? Kind of like a lock..."

Seulgi mutters quietly to herself.

She briefly looks up at Jinwoo.

"Look carefully too, Jinwoo!"

Jinwoo looks into the crystal ball that Seulgi is examining.

Particles of light, like bits of stardust, fill the depths of the crystal ball, moving chaotically.

Suddenly,

A faintly drawn and disappearing series of numbers catch Jinwoo's eye.

His face stiffens as if shocked.

The little pieces of light had sketched something inside the crystal ball They were a sequence of familiar numbers.

Corresponding to Minji's birthday...

And the password Jinwoo had recently set on his smartphone...

"How about that? Does it seem like an answer?"

Seulgi asks, locking eyes with Jinwoo, now wearing a gentle smile.

**

Did Sohee check the smartphone while he was asleep last night?

How did Sohee know that Minji's birthday was the password?

And how did Seulgi know that?

Could it really be that Seulgi saw what happened last night with her superpowers?

Jinwoo processes the barrage of questions flooding his mind with a shocked expression.

Seulgi, seeing the confusion in Jinwoo, pulls his hands forward, making him lean toward her.

She slightly lifts her buttocks, leaning forward, and brings her lips close to Jinwoo's ear.

"It'll definitely be okay~ Mom, Yejin noona, Sohee noona, Minji, and us too..."

A familiar whisper, as if he'd experienced it somewhere before...

Jinwoo's mind goes blank, unable to think of anything further.

"I can only tell you this much for now~! I'll charge extra if we go any further~! Good job~"

Seulgi faces Jinwoo and flashes a gentle smile.

**

As they exit through the curtain and glass door, Daeho is seen waiting for his turn, guided by Teacher Yoo Yena.

"How was it? Fun?"

Daeho's voice is still lively...

"Uh?... yeah..."

Jinwoo answers absentmindedly.

"Why? Did the person you're going to marry cheat on you or something?"

Daeho throws a playful joke at Jinwoo.

Continuing to tease a dazed Jinwoo with more mischievous jokes, Daeho then disappears back into the room with the blackout curtains.

It felt like a dream to Jinwoo.

Talking about anything and everything, Seulgi knew Jinwoo's situation too precisely.

Especially the numbers shown inside the last crystal ball, which couldn't be fooled even if he tried.

Jinwoo struggled to calm his turbulent emotions, but the unrest wasn't easy to soothe.

"How was the crystal reading? Seulgi is well-known among the teachers for her accurate fortune-telling, you know?!!"

Teacher Yoo Yena boasts about her niece's skills.

"Ah... uh... yes... it... it was good." freeweɓnovel.cøm

Jinwoo stammers, unsure of what to say first.

"Are you okay? You look a bit pale."

Teacher Yoo Yena asks Jinwoo, concerned.

"Is... is that really true?"

Jinwoo suddenly questions Teacher Yoo Yena.

"What are you talking about~?"

Teacher Yoo Yena playfully responds to Jinwoo.

"I mean... inside... with Seulgi..."

Jinwoo tries to sort out his jumbled thoughts.

Suddenly, Teacher Yoo Yena places her index finger on Jinwoo’s lips to stop him.

"We agreed to keep what was said inside a secret, remember?"

Teacher Yoo Yena speaks with a serene tone, showing she understands what Jinwoo wants to say.

"But... still!!!"

Jinwoo looks at Teacher Yoo Yena, as if pleading.

"Calm down~ Just calm down~"

Teacher Yoo Yena steps forward, wraps her arms around Jinwoo, and soothes him like a child, stroking his back.

Her ample bosom presses against Jinwoo's chest, and amidst the confusion, the familiar warmth seems to calm his mind a bit.

**

Back in the principal's office, Jinwoo sits awkwardly on the sofa waiting for Daeho.

Teacher Yoo Yena brings him a glass of water, then settles into her desk chair to sort some papers.

For a while, no words are exchanged, and the atmosphere feels significantly different after their intimate embrace.

The incident with Seulgi and the blackout curtains seems like it can no longer be mentioned.

Instead, Jinwoo tries to bring up another topic.

"Is Minji receiving her psychological therapy well? Was it hypnotherapy?"

Jinwoo cautiously starts the conversation.

"Yes~ She’s receiving it along with magic classes," Teacher Yoo Yena responds kindly.

"Is she also learning how to hypnotize by any chance?"

"She’ll learn the basics soon~ It's part of the performance arts combined with psychology."

"Isn’t that dangerous?"

Jinwoo brings up a concern.

"Dangerous? Ha! What danger~?"

Teacher Yoo Yena teases again with a playful tone.

"I mean, making someone do strange things under hypnosis..."

"Well~? What could that be~?"

Teacher Yoo Yena pretends not to know, tilting her head playfully.

Her coquettish head gesture makes Jinwoo blush slightly.

Jinwoo starts to worry that his vague fears and doubts might upset Teacher Yoo Yena.

He thinks about the random whispers Minji sometimes tries on him, wondering if they could be related to the hypnosis lessons.

-Especially after hearing strange rumors about the school from Daeho this morning and seeing the suspicious crystal reading with Seulgi just now-Teacher Yoo Yena, sensing Jinwoo's thoughts, straightens up and speaks.

"You don’t need to worry~ Hypnosis can’t make anyone do anything they don’t want to."

"Can’t make anyone do anything they don’t want to?"

Jinwoo repeats Teacher Yoo Yena’s words.

"Hypnosis is kind of like asking someone to open a refrigerator door~ Even if they open it because they were asked, they don’t think they're hypnotized; they just think they opened the fridge because they were asked."

"Is that so?"

"Could you make someone open a fridge door without asking, Jinwoo?"

"I guess not? Is there a way?"

"I’d probably just hint about their favorite food being inside the fridge, especially if they were hungry."

"Ah~!"

"What we do in hypnotherapy is to uncover hidden desires in the subconscious and help fulfill them, just by subtly hinting that there’s favorite food in the fridge. If there’s no desired food inside, there’s no way to make them open the fridge. So, you can’t ever make them do anything they don’t want to~"

Teacher Yoo Yena reassures Jinwoo, continuing her explanation...

Jinwoo listens to her soothing voice, gradually drifting into a dreamlike state.

He imagines Teacher Yoo Yena's ample bosom inside the refrigerator.

In his slightly drowsy state, Jinwoo wonders if perhaps Teacher Yoo Yena is hypnotizing him right now.

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