"I told Gyuri about it. She'll be home this afternoon, so stop by after school and pick up the eye mask." Haemi said to her son, jinwoo, as he was getting ready to leave for school.
"Yeah! Got it! I'll be back soon," jinwoo replied.
"Okay. Take care," she said, watching him leave.
With all her children gone, Haemi finally had the house to herself. The morning's hustle, a familiar ritual for nearly 20 years, had faded, leaving an unfamiliar quiet. To fill the void, she began to move with purpose. She started with the laundry room, tackling the piled-up clothes, and then moved to the kitchen to clear the breakfast table and wash the dishes. She then began to clean the house with a practiced efficiency—the living room, kitchen, laundry room, master bedroom, and the upstairs corridors. She deliberately avoided her children's rooms, only emptying the trash as a matter of respect for their privacy.
Once the cleaning was done, she hung the fresh laundry to dry. Taking a moment to breathe, she looked at her own lavender panties among the other clothes on the drying rack. A subtle disquiet stirred within her. She knew her son, jinwoo, had started to masturbate. The scent of "chestnut blossoms" from his room's trash bin and the telltale signs of a rushed cleanup were hard to miss. She also knew that his older sister, Sohee, often playfully teased him with her outfits, even if it wasn't meant as a genuine seduction.
Haemi knew her son reacted to her as well. She made a point to dress modestly at home, but she also knew that a pair of her panties had gone missing the night before. She could smell the faint, sour odor of semen on the tissues she had found in his trash bin today—a much larger quantity than usual. It was one thing for a family to feel a natural, fleeting arousal from an accidental stimulus, but to see family members as intentional sexual objects was another matter. The thought made Haemi anxious.
She opened the frosted glass door of the bathroom and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over her. She worked up a lather with her body wash, scrubbing her chest, belly, and sides, her movements swift and deliberate. Her hand then moved down, her fingers seeking out the warmth between her thighs. She found her rhythm, a practiced motion that brought a familiar, sweet pleasure. For Haemi, this solitary act of release was a precious moment of liberation.
She had always had a strong sexual desire, and even when her late husband was alive, she sought this private solace. It was her way of coping with everything—the affair her husband had with their oldest daughter, the unresolved guilt and pain after his death. Haemi maintained her image as a perfect mother through this compulsive masturbation. For her, it was less an addiction and more a meditative ritual—a way to release the tension and pressure that built up inside her, allowing her to continue her life as a whole mother. Reaching a detached climax, she lay on the floor, enjoying the lingering afterglow, leaving no trace of her secret.
After a simple lunch, Haemi's sister, Haeju, came to visit. Haeju, a single mother with a daughter the same age as Sohee, was one of the few who knew the truth about Haemi's late husband and their daughter. They were drinking tea when the conversation turned to Sohee's clothing.
"Sohee's not afraid to show a little skin, even at home. It's a good thing, don't you think?" Haeju asked.
"Good? She's just like a fox, teasing jinwoo," Haemi replied, her voice filled with a restless energy from the morning. "Dressing like that at home, the boys get immune to stimulation. He even started using my panties. If you're going to ignore it, you might as well make it easy for him to finish, like Sohee does!" Haeju teased, seeing her sister's excitement.
"Excuse me, jinwoo is my son, you know? What if something happens? Who's going to take responsibility?" Haemi snapped.
Haeju's teasing stopped immediately. She knew that "what if something happens" was a direct reference to the painful situation with their late husband and Yejin. A heavy silence fell between them. Haeju was the first to break it.
"Does Yejin still not come home much? Is she still not taking your calls?"
"Yeah, I hear from jinwoo that she's started a part-time job since taking a break from college." Haemi's voice trailed off.
"Go and talk to her. You can't let this go on forever."
"It still feels awkward. Let's drop it for now," Haemi said abruptly.
Haemi had already forgiven Yejin countless times in her heart. But Yejin didn't want forgiveness; she wanted her relationship with her mother's husband to be acknowledged. A reality that, for Haemi, was too cruel to bear. After another 30 minutes of small talk, Haeju left with a promise to see each other again that weekend.
Today, Haemi had a hospital appointment for Minji. Lately, Minji had been struggling to sleep alone, and she was starting to demand that her mother let her touch and suckle at her breasts. Haemi had reluctantly given in a few times, but the intense, unpleasant arousal it caused her was a source of great distress. Despite her attempts to soothe or scold Minji, the demands only grew.
Haemi sent a message to Sohee about the appointment, asking her to prepare a meal for jinwoo. She decided not to mention that the outing was for a counseling session. She took a taxi to Minji's school, where her daughter was waiting for her at the gate. Minji was quiet and tense during the ride to the hospital.
The consultation was a lengthy session of tests and discussions with the therapist, with Haemi participating alongside her daughter. The diagnosis was an anxiety disorder, and the therapist mentioned that Minji was exhibiting regressive behavior, which is common in toddlers. Instead of scolding her, he advised Haemi to set aside specific times to indulge her demands, including the act of nursing. Minji seemed inwardly pleased, though she didn't say anything. Haemi was troubled not by the act itself, but by her own uncomfortable physical arousal that came with it.
By the time they left the hospital, it was already dark. They took a taxi to a restaurant Minji liked. Throughout the meal, Minji clung to her mother, burying her face in Haemi's large, soft chest, behaving like a happy child. Haemi loved this innocent affection and decided to embrace the family warmth they shared in that moment.
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 30 on my patreon, go check it out
This chapter has been adjusted to meet Webnovel's content policies by removing explicit scenes.
For the full, uncensored version, exclusive 18+ character images, and early chapters, please visit my Patreon. Thanks for your support!
p4treon.com/echotales