Chapter 29

A few days have passed since then, and Seok-Woo has been making an effort to open up to Chae-Yoon. He helps her with chores, accompanies her for groceries, and does other things that a mother and son should do together.

At the start, Chae-Yoon was still awkward, but as their interactions became more frequent, the feeling of awkwardness slowly melted away, and Chae-Yoon became more comfortable with him.

Although the perception of the public when the two walked side by side was that they thought they were a couple, Chae-Yoon noticed people looking at them but didn't bother with them, as Seok-Woo told her to let them be.

The more often they bonded together, the closer they became. Seok-Woo almost spent most of his time accompanying her, although he didn't like it at first. He grew fond of Chae-Yoon, as a mother figure.

Seok-Woo didn't want to try to cross the line, not because he wanted to, but because it was Chae-Yoon who mostly did it.

In one instance, waking up Seok-Woo in the morning was something Chae-Yoon did. However, entering his room while he was sleeping to wake him up was different from just knocking on his door.

Chae-Yoon entered his room, only to see a bulge poking out from his bedsheet on his lower body. She gasped loudly, and when Seok-Woo woke up to the sound, he immediately sat up, only to see Chae-Yoon's shocked face.

He processed what had happened to her, and after a moment, he understood why she reacted like that. "Sorry, but could you at least knock before entering?" Seok-Woo said as he looked at her. She was wearing a T-shirt and no pants, and he could see her panties.

This sight made his member twitch in reaction. "And could you wear pants? I can see your panties here, you know," Seok-Woo deadpanned.

In response, she raised up her shirt, revealing her panties in full view to Seok-Woo, who coughed in surprise, not expecting her to do this.

"Why? Are you shy? I don't mind, after all, you're my son," Chae-Yoon said as she smiled at his reaction.

Seok-Woo put his hand on his head in disbelief at her words. "You're just seducing your son if you're doing this," he thought to himself.

"Did you forget that I'm also a man?" Seok-Woo said to her as he tried to reason with her for her boldness.

Chae-Yoon listened to what he said, then replied as she lowered her shirt, covering her panties albeit still visible when looked at from a different angle. "I'm checking whether you're healthy or not," she smiled as she looked at him.

Seok-Woo then knitted his brows, attempting to pay back for her behavior. In one swift move, he removed the bedsheet covering his body, revealing his member, mighty and tall, to Chae-Yoon.

Chae-Yoon widened her eyes as she saw Seok-Woo's member, then turned around to look away. "Why aren't you wearing any underwear, Seok-Woo?" She asked.

"I usually sleep naked," Seok-Woo replied, then continued, "Then mother, am I healthy or not?" Seok-Woo showed his member to her. Chae-Yoon slowly looked back and closely examined his member.

Her breathing started to pick up, but she kept her sanity in check. "Yes, you're very healthy," she said, then started to walk out of his room. Before exiting, she said, "I'll wait for you downstairs; we'll be going out shopping again." Chae-Yoon looked back at his member before leaving, her face red from the sight.

She closed the door firmly, after which Seok-Woo sighed, "Back to zero, huh?" He thought that this moment would make things awkward again, but contrary to his thoughts, it didn't. Instead, everything remained the same as usual.

Neither of them ever talked about that moment again, as if it never happened.

Seok-Woo's father was pleased with the developing relationship between Seok-Woo and Chae-Yoon, especially with Seok-Woo for making it happen.

Time passed, and both Seok-Woo and Chae-Yoon improved their relationship with each other. Seok-Woo wasn't as distant from her anymore, while Chae-Yoon started to loosen up around him, sometimes teasing him subtly in a sexual manner, much to Seok-Woo's dismay, but he welcomed it.

Now, it was the day of Seok-Woo's first day of college life. Chae-Yoon once again entered his room to wake him up, wearing a white shirt and panties.

Seok-Woo was still sleeping, oblivious to Chae-Yoon's intrusion into his room.

Chae-Yoon noticed the bulge on the bedsheet and glanced at it before looking at his face. She had seen that sight numerous times this week.

She then sat on the edge of the bed and started to wake up Seok-Woo by shaking his body.

"Seok-Woo, wake up. It's time for you to go to the university," Chae-Yoon said loudly for Seok-Woo to hear. He slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Chae-Yoon looking at him.

"Sure, give me a moment," Seok-Woo said to her, forgetting that she would need to knock on the door to wake him up. Well, this was better than an alarm clock.

Chae-Yoon stood up as she heard what he said, then walked towards him as she said, "Don't take too long. You don't want to be late for your first class." After saying that, she left the room and closed the door.

Seok-Woo stirred from his slumber, shifting towards the edge of the bed. Rubbing his eyes, he slowly rose to his feet. "It's too late for a workout now," he mused, stealing a glance at the clock. Nevertheless, he resolved to do some push-ups and lift the dumbbells he had recently acquired.

Within a few minutes, he completed his exercise regimen and reached for a towel, heading to the bathroom for a refreshing shower.

Emerging from his room, he caught a whiff of the tantalizing aroma of cooked meals wafting from downstairs. Ignoring it, he made a beeline for the bathroom.

After a brisk shower, he dried his hair and dressed for the day, opting for a black V-neck shirt that accentuated his physique, paired with jeans and casual shoes.

Examining his reflection in the mirror, he pondered, "Should I wear glasses?" Retrieving a pair from his drawer, he settled on a sleek wire-frame style, feeling satisfied with the choice.

After which he then exited his room, proceeding downstairs to eat breakfast. As he walked down, he saw his father and Chae-Yoon already started to eat.

When Seok-Woo approached the dining table, both his father and Chae-Yoon took notice of him, their eyes scanning his appearance. "Seok-Woo, what's with the glasses?" his father inquired, curiosity evident in his tone.

"Just for fashion, nothing more," Seok-Woo responded as he settled into his seat. His father nodded in understanding and resumed his meal.

Seok-Woo dove into the food before him, savoring each bite. In the midst of his meal, Chae-Yoon suddenly interjected, "Feeling nervous about the university?"

Pausing momentarily, Seok-Woo replied with a smile, "Not nervous, actually. I'm rather excited."

Chae-Yoon then dropped a surprising piece of information. "I forgot to mention, Gyeong-Eun is a professor at your university," she revealed, prompting a raised eyebrow from Seok-Woo.

"I'll be sure to greet her," Seok-Woo acknowledged before returning to his breakfast. Chae-Yoon continued, offering insight into Gyeong-Eun's demeanor.

"Remember, don't take it personally if she seems cold. That's just her usual self," Chae-Yoon advised, speaking from experience as a friend.

Seok-Woo nodded in acknowledgment, a hint of gratitude in his expression, before focusing on finishing his meal.

The three engaged in small talk, covering various topics from Seok-Woo's expectations for university to mundane everyday matters. While Seok-Woo tried to temper his expectations for college, he couldn't shake the feeling that this new chapter in his life would be eventful.

Finishing his breakfast, he rose from his seat and prepared to depart for the university.

"Want me to drop you off?" his father offered, suggesting companionship for the journey.

"I'm not in preschool anymore, Dad," Seok-Woo deadpanned, finding the suggestion amusingly absurd.

His father chuckled at the response. "Alright then, take care of yourself there and study well," he advised before Seok-Woo nodded in acknowledgment.

Exiting the house, Seok-Woo was joined by Chae-Yoon. Together, they made their way to his parked car. As they reached it, Seok-Woo turned to face Chae-Yoon.

Chae-Yoon spoke first. "Seok-Woo, as your father said, take care of yourself. College can be a wild ride, so don't lose sight of who you are," she advised earnestly.

"I'll keep that in mind. Don't worry about me," Seok-Woo reassured her before she hugged him. He reciprocated the hug, albeit not as warmly as she did.

"Don't go surprising me with a girlfriend when you still have Sung-Hee," Chae-Yoon teased lightly as they parted, prompting a wry smile from Seok-Woo.

With a wave from Chae-Yoon, Seok-Woo climbed into the car, started the engine, and drove off towards the university.

The car cruised along the road, and Seok-Woo focused on driving despite the rush hour traffic. However, he wasn't in a hurry, so he waited patiently.

It didn't take long for Seok-Woo to arrive at the university. Glancing out the car window, he observed students entering the campus, both male and female, mingling with one another in their youthful energy.

Seok-Woo then turned his attention to finding a parking spot. He maneuvered his car into the parking area and located an empty space. After parking, he exited the car.

As soon as he stepped out, all eyes seemed to turn towards him. Before leaving, he had turned on notifications for some reason. Now, he regretted that decision as a barrage of Interest Point +1 notifications flooded in.

Quickly growing tired of the incessant sounds, he promptly turned off the notifications. However, before doing so, he took a moment to read the messages they contained.

"Female A is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Female B is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Female C is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Female D is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

.

.

.

.

This continued for a moment, but when he tried to turn off the notification, he saw someone familiar in the notification.

"Sunhwi is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Eun-Ah is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Gyeong-Eun is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

"Ja-In is interested in you. Interest Point +1."

Seok-Woo turned off the notification and started to look around. He noticed a trio of girls: Sunhwi, Eun-Ha, and Ja-In, all staring at him. While he had met Sunhwi before, the other two were unfamiliar faces to him today.

Sunhwi felt like she had seen him before but couldn't remember exactly where. She didn't know that Seok-Woo had gotten a haircut.

Eun-Ah was surprised to see him at the university; she had only seen him at the convenience store once and never thought he was a student, even though he wore glasses she could recognize him.

Ja-In was just curious about Seok-Woo, especially his physique, nothing more.

As for Gyeong-Eun, he couldn't find her. That's because she was in her office, sipping tea as she leaned near the window. From there, she spotted Seok-Woo exiting the car.

"If I'm not mistaken, he must be Chae-Yoon's son," Gyeong-Eun thought to herself. Despite his haircut, his facial structure was recognizable from a distance, as she had quite a first impression of him.

Returning to Seok-Woo, he gave up searching for Gyeong-Eun and instead walked inside the campus. As he strolled, he passed by other students, some admiring his appearance while jealous males glared at him silently.

Unfazed by their looks, he continued on his way, ignoring them as long as they didn't obstruct him. Upon entering the building, he tried to recall the location of his classroom for this period.

While pondering, he unexpectedly encountered Gyeong-Eun. As soon as they locked eyes, Seok-Woo took the initiative to speak first.

"Hello again, Miss Gyeong-Eun," Seok-Woo greeted her. Gyeong-Eun crossed her arms and stoically replied, "Address me as Professor the next time we meet here. This isn't a casual setting, you know. Do you understand?"

"Allow me to correct myself," Seok-Woo interjected, adjusting his tone. "Good morning, Professor Gyeong-Eun." He offered a polite smile, though Gyeong-Eun sensed an underlying mockery, unable to pinpoint its source.

Shrugging off her suspicions, she gracefully bypassed him, issuing a firm instruction. "Professor will suffice, no need for my name." With that, she glided towards her destination with poise.

Seok-Woo watched her departure with a subtle roll of his eyes, silently acknowledging his mother's comment about her. Nevertheless, he redirected his focus towards going to his classroom.

As soon as he arrived at the classroom, he noticed that several students were already seated. Whispers filled the air upon his entrance, but he paid them no mind. He quickly located an unoccupied seat and settled into it, resting his head in his hands as he waited for the class to begin.