Lately, It's Winter Season.
Chapter 43 - Why isn't the month cute?
The warm morning sunlight streamed through the window. I opened my eyes and saw Tiger lying beside me, staring at me without taking his eyes off me. His big hand gently caressed my cheek, full of affection.
Seeing me awake, he leaned down and kissed my forehead. It was a gentle touch that made my heart flutter. The scent of the person beside me, along with his loving eyes, blended into the peaceful morning air. I reached out to hold his hand and placed a light kiss on it. Tiger slightly rolled his eyes.
“I have to go.”
“You don't need to go.”
“No, I don't want to drop this class.”
“How can you walk? You’re in so much pain.” Tiger said seriously, “You should drop out of school, no, quit altogether, I’ll support you.”
“Are you crazy?” I sighed. Whenever I complained about being tired or depressed, Tiger always told me to drop out of school so he could support me, always.
“I can't stand it anymore. Who told you to be so handsome and cute?”
“Yeah, I know.” He smiled until his eyes narrowed.
“You are…”
“Me?”
His smile is so cute…
“You are cute.”
“Me?” Tiger raised an eyebrow, “No, you're the one who's cute.”
“Why can't we be cute together?” I frowned, “Why don't you just admit what I say?”
“Okay, okay, admitted.”
“Good job.” I patted his head. The other person immediately turned away, his face slightly flushed, which made me smile. Damn… Someone was embarrassed after being praised. I moved a little but immediately felt a sharp pain in my hip. I gritted my teeth. Tiger immediately frowned.
“Hurt?”
“It hurts,” I said bluntly.
“I… I'm sorry.”
He looked like he was about to cry. I quickly tried to calm him down before he actually burst into tears.
“No, it's not your fault. It's normal, and I asked North.”
"Really?"
"Real."
“That's good, I was afraid I didn't do well enough and hurt you.”
“You did well,” I replied. “Don’t think too much about it. But I have to go now. I have class.”
"You're in so much pain, and you still go to school?"
“Why not?”
“Don't you want me to work to support you?” Tiger frowned, “Or do you think I can't support you for the rest of my life?”
“No.” I said, trying to explain so he wouldn’t get angry, “It’s not that I don’t believe you can support me for the rest of my life, it’s just that I want to take care of you too. Even though the money I earn may not be as much as yours, I still want to try my best.”
“Okay, I get it.” Tiger smiled, “But I don't want you to have to work hard either.”
“I'm willing to work hard if it's for our family.”
"… Uncle."
“You’re so cute.” Tiger kissed me hard on the cheek, making me a little stunned, “What will our future family be like? You’ll definitely be a very cute mother.”
“Why do I have to be a mother?”
“Because I am the father.”
“Why can't there be two dads?”
“Okay.” Tiger smiled, “So when are we getting married and having kids?”
I was silent. Suddenly talking about marriage?
“Uh… maybe thirty? Wait until work and everything settles down.”
“No, I think if you’re ready, you can get married and have kids right away. And I’m ready.” He smiled brightly, “Let’s go pick out wedding rings today?”
“But I’m not ready.” I immediately waved it off, “Wait until I finish school. And don’t tell me I should drop out, how about I just wait a little longer?”
“I've waited for six years.” He sighed, “But as long as you tell me to wait, I can wait my whole life.”
I suddenly remembered something that had been on my mind for a long time but had never been said.
“Let me ask you this.” I raised my voice, “You love me so much, so much that you are willing to give me your whole life. But I want to know… why don’t you love yourself a little more? What if one day I die…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Tiger interrupted.
“I will die too.”
“…”
“If you ask me why I don’t love myself, you’re wrong. I do love myself, but that’s my way of loving. Loving you is what makes me want to live. I don’t care if people say I’m stupid, but if there were no Duen Nao, there would be no Tiger.”
“…”
“But don't die.”
“I’m not immortal.” I laughed, almost speechless at his words. Was this the kind of infatuation that made me lose my mind… “But I also can’t imagine without you. So, don’t let anything happen to you.”
“Yeah, I'm fine because I have you by my side. I also want to be with you for a long, long time.”
“Um… But every time you come back injured, I almost have a heart attack.”
“Oh, speaking of wounds.”
"Star?"
“The night before my father’s funeral, I had a dream,” Tiger began, “I dreamed that late one night while I was sleeping, a woman came into my room with a knife, intending to kill me. But Sing rushed in to save her and was injured so badly that he had to be hospitalised, causing chaos in the house. When my father found out, he was so angry that he beat the woman and locked her in the basement for almost a month.”
“Fuck… What a horrible dream! Wait, don't tell me…”
“It’s true.” Tiger nodded. I was stunned, “That woman was my mother. I told Sing about this dream. At first, he said it was just a dream, but I knew he was lying. I kept asking him, and he finally admitted it was true. It seems like my childhood memories are slowly coming back.”
“…” I didn’t know what to say, but the person who was telling this painful story kept a calm expression as if he didn’t feel anything. It was me who felt so choked up that I couldn’t breathe. I moved a little closer and hugged him.
“I'm fine.”
“But I do.”
“If it were me when I was little, I would definitely be in more pain. But now… I could say I’ve become stronger, right? I don’t feel anything even when my mother says those words to me.”
“Ah…” I pursed my lips. I remembered Tiger telling me what his mother had said the first day he came home. She said she both loved and hated him. She loved him because he was her own son, but she also hated him because his father had raped her and forced her to give birth to two children. Really, these things were so heavy that it was unimaginable… “You’re great, you’re really strong, Ger.”
"YES."
“Who cares if anyone loves you or not, but I will love you. I will also love everyone else in this world.” I reached out to gently stroke his cheek, while trying to hide my eyes that were gradually turning red. I didn’t want to be teased to death…
“Hey, why am I the only one naked like this? It’s not fair at all.”
“You want me to be shirtless too?” Tiger tilted his head in confusion, then propped himself up on his hands, reaching out to grab the hem of his shirt, preparing to take it off.
“No, no! I mean… aren't you going to shower with me?”
“…I originally planned to sit by the bathtub and watch you.”
“Why is that?”
“Do you want to take a shower with me?”
“Um… Uh, I want to take a shower together.” I scratched my cheek in embarrassment, “Oh, my friend texted me earlier that the teacher is off today. Shall we go home?”
“Home?” Tiger raised his eyebrows. He had just taken off his shirt, revealing the red marks left by my hands. Remembering last night, I unconsciously tightened my grip on his hands and shoulders, my nails digging into his skin, “…You.”
“Are you going to stand here naked forever? Go get in the water.”
"YES."
Tiger, with his upper body naked, carried me into the large, warm bath. The bathroom alone was so luxurious that I could sleep here for a night. Soaking in the warm water gradually made my body more comfortable. When he put me in the bath, he stood up straight and took off his pants. Seeing that the thing that was making my whole body ache was now erect, we both blushed.
“Uh… Because… because I saw you weren't wearing anything, so…”
“Ah… Um, it's okay. Come here.” I said softly. Tiger sat down in the tub with me.
“Can I lean on you?” I asked, wanting him to hug me. Tiger leaned against the edge of the tub, pulling me close and hugging me from behind. This position put me on the spot, making me speak up quickly.
“It's not that I want to make you endure this, but today I really can't take it anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s fine. Are you going home?” Tiger changed the subject. I nodded in response. Seeing that, he tightened his arms, his tone revealing his joy.
“Are you going to tell Aunt Maeo about us?”
“Well, I think I’m ready; it’s come to this anyway. Sorry for making you wait.” I gently stroked his hand. We were both naked against each other, making my heart beat wildly.
Actually, Tiger wanted me to tell my mother for a long time, but I didn't dare. Not because I was afraid of my mother's objection, but because I was scared of being teased by her. My mother was very easy-going, never interfering in my love life, as long as the other person was a good person. Moreover, she had almost considered Tiger as her son for a long time. If I told her, she would probably be happier than I...
“You usually say that having me is enough.”
“Then let's change it to just the two of us. How can we lose then?”
“Haha, you're always so confident. Why didn't you be the captain back then? You'd probably manage better than me.”
“We take care of each other. It doesn't matter who the captain is.”
“Yeah, I think so too. Having North as a coach is fine.” I laughed. The person behind me laughed too, “It’s fine when playing, but as soon as you die, you start giving orders.”
“Sure. Oh, can I give you a massage?”
“What massage?”
“That hip, it will hurt less. Actually, I massaged it for you last night. I thought it would be better this morning.”
“Ah… mmm!” I moaned softly as Tiger placed his hand on my hip.
“Hurt?”
“No… keep going.” I bit my lip as he started massaging me. If you ask me if it hurt, it did. But more than the pain, I felt something else… After a while, my task started to become difficult too. I was so embarrassed that I quickly squeezed my legs together, but Tiger had already seen it.
“Because you massaged my hips…”
“I didn't say anything?”
“I don't know, just defend yourself first.”
“Haha, okay.”
“Um…”
"This."
"Star?"
“Are you in pain?”
“Yes, it hurts a lot,” I answered frankly.
"Then change it next time?"
“…”
His suggestion made me turn around in surprise, but because I forgot that I was in pain, I acted a bit too forcefully, so I immediately frowned, “Wait… what did you say?”
“In return. You are the one doing it, which means you are the top.”
"Why?"
“Because I see you in pain, I want to hurt for you.”
“…Can you take it?”
"As long as you're happy, I'll take it all."
“Really?” I widened my eyes in surprise. I didn’t expect him to agree so easily, “But… is it okay?”
“It's up to you.”
“…”
I was silent. Let me do it? What the hell. I had already prepared myself to be a bot because I thought Tiger would never agree. And yet he agreed so easily… just because he didn’t want me to get hurt? Damn it, why does he care so much about me? How can I escape from you, Ger…
“No need to go.”
“What's wrong? Or don't you want to do it with me?”
“I want to, but I'd rather you do it.”
“Are you not hurt?”
“You'll get used to it.” I sighed, “It's okay, let me take the pain for you.”
“When you say that, I want you to do it even more. I want to sacrifice for you.”
“No, no, let me go. I’m mentally prepared.” I said honestly, “Actually, it’s fun to do, I like it just as much as you do, it just hurts a little. But I’ll get used to it, so it’s better if you do it.”
"Really?"
"YES."
“Do you want to reconsider? I’m not very good at it, and I’m afraid I’ll hurt you again next time. I massaged you last night, but you’re still in pain this morning.”
…It's mainly your size.
“It's okay, I'm fine. Let's settle it.”
“Okay then.”
“Who was the one who said he wanted to be the husband in the first place? Why are you hesitating to let me do it now?” I couldn't help but tease.
“I see you are in pain…”
“I'm not that weak.”
“Nonsense. You were bleeding yesterday.”
“Huh?! Blood is flowing?”
“Yeah, I was so scared, I almost took you to the hospital. Luckily, the bleeding stopped.”
“Oh my god…” I held my head and groaned. We had clearly prepared everything, but how did we still bleed?
********
After a while of massaging, my body gradually relaxed from stiffness. We soaked in the tub for dozens of minutes before standing up. The pain in my hips had significantly reduced, and it was now easier to walk. After helping me with the massage, we took a shower together, and Tiger said he needed to use the bathroom for a moment.
At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but thinking back… when he said that, his face turned red. He had been holding it in since he saw me take off my clothes. Thinking about what he was doing in there made my face turn red, too.
As for me, I didn't need to restrain myself at all. Maybe because my body was too tired, the feeling of desire quickly disappeared.
After getting dressed, we set off to return home after being away for many months. My mother was so surprised by our sudden return without notice that she rushed to hug us both with love.
"Mom, aren't you opening the shop today?"
“Mom, take a day off. Yesterday, there were so many customers, I was so tired I almost fainted.”
“That’s great, don’t overwork yourself.” Tiger smiled. After a few months of being away, I realised that my mother’s shop was still as new as ever, showing no signs of ageing, thanks to her constant attention to cleanliness. The house was the same, just with a few more pieces of furniture and… three dogs.
“Three dogs?” I asked, “You named them after us? Like Nao, Nuea, Ger?”
“That's right. Each one has the same personality as the other, so I'm surprised.” Mom happily introduced her three four-legged 'children'.
“This one is Fried Egg, very naughty, always likes to play, just like Nao. This one is Fried Egg, quiet, not talkative, but very affectionate, much like Nuea. And this one is a boiled egg; it looks cool, like a Tiger. Mom took a picture of it. It often poses a problem for me to take pictures.” Mom showed me her phone.
“Wow, it looks like it.” I looked at the dog in the picture and then turned to look at Tiger, “But is it really cool, Mom? Isn’t it spoiled?”
“Solitude. It barks loudly whenever Fried Egg doesn’t want to play with it. I don’t understand why it sticks to Fried Egg so much. But these two are always together, playing with each other all day. Fried Egg likes to sleep, always lies next to Mom, and does whatever Mom does. Meanwhile, the other two just play. Sometimes they sneak out, but they’re very good at it, and they know how to come home on time.”
“You must be hungry, huh?” I smiled, bending down to pat Boiled Egg’s head – the dog that had been following me all this time. It looked so much like a dog version of Tiger that I couldn’t help but laugh, “Just like you, Ger. A dog version of you.”
“Even if I’m a dog version…” Tiger said as he squeezed between me and Boiled Egg, pushing it away, “I’m not allowed to touch you.”
“What? You're jealous of dogs?”
“Yeah, what?”
“…”
“Once when I was walking on campus, a dog ran past you and I felt jealous.”
“…”
I was speechless. Mom was even more speechless after hearing what we said.
“Wait, these two…” Mom crossed her arms and pointed at me and Tiger.
“What kind of jealousy are you two?”
“This is exactly what I wanted to tell you, Mom.” I smiled, “We're dating!”
“I knew it!” Mom clapped her hands.
“Huh?” Tiger and I were both confused, “What do you mean you knew? You knew already?”
“I've suspected for a long time! These two…” Mom snapped her fingers and winked mischievously.
“I’m your mother, how could I not know! Besides, both of you are always in my sight; it would be strange if I didn’t know.” Mom drawled, “Come on, come on, let’s go inside and have a long talk!” She pulled both of them into the house.
“Have you two eaten yet?”
“Not yet! I'm so hungry, I want to eat what you cook!”
“Humph, you eat Tiger's cooking every day and still want to eat mom's food?” Mom smiled slyly, teasing him as she put on her apron, “But tell me, how did Nao flirt with Tiger?”
“Huh?!” I raised my eyebrows, “Me? Me flirting with him?”
“Of course not? Nao has liked Tiger since middle school!”
“…Middle school? We've known each other since high school, Mom!”
“That’s not true. I clearly remember Nao telling me that the captain of the middle school soccer team was really cool.” Mom held the cooking shovel with a confident look, “Maybe Nao forgot, but I remember!”
“Really? Nao said I was cool?” Tiger turned to me, eyes shining.
“I don’t remember… Ouch! Why are you pulling my ears?!” I cried out when my mother suddenly pulled my ears for no apparent reason.
“Not cute at all!”
“What?” When my mother let go, I rubbed my ear and frowned, “What’s not cute about it?”
“If you are lovers, you should speak gently. No more ‘you’!” Mom had a serious face. “Tiger even calls you ‘you’, but Nao keeps calling you ‘you’, it’s not cute at all. No! Try calling your lover in a cute voice!”
“…Huh?!” I gasped while Tiger laughed heartily.
“Come on, call me 'you'~”
“…”
No… No way!
“Hey, call!”
“But mom, I'm not used to it! We've been on 'you' since 10th grade, and he's the one who suddenly switched to 'you and I'! And I'm not used to that way of addressing him either…”
“Why aren’t you cute?” Mom glared at me, making me frown. Tiger spoke up.
“It's okay.” He smiled lightly, “Just let Nao say it like before, I'm fine. Nao is still cute no matter what.”
“Oh my, my son-in-law!” Mom laughed happily, poking her cheek with her finger, “Look at my daughter-in-law!”
“It's my son-in-law.” Tiger smiled, “Is the deal done?”
“Yeah!”
“Hey, one says 'yes' and one says 'yeah', it doesn't sound right.” Mom folded her arms and shook her head.
“Even if Tiger says he’s cute, I don’t think it’s okay. Your father and I still talk politely to each other. I don’t forbid you from talking freely with your friends, but this is your lover.”
“Mom…”
“Hey!”
"Mom…"
“Hey!”
“…Yes.” I gave up when I saw my mother put her hands on her hips and glared, “But can’t we not use ‘you’?”
“As long as it's not 'you' or 'I', it's fine! Call your lover properly!”
“Gee…”
"Tell mom you love each other."
“Mom! Wait, why are you suddenly making me say I love you?”
“To make mom happy. Come on!”
I muttered and sighed helplessly: "I knew it, Mom would make me do this."
Then I turned to him: “Ger…”
“Hmm?” He smiled amusedly.
“Nao loves Ger.”
“I love you too.”
“Haa, now I'm satisfied. Good job to both of you. Let me cook some rice for you.”
Mom smiled brightly, happily turned her back to go to the kitchen, and didn't know that I was clenching my fists and clutching my pants in embarrassment. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to Tiger properly, but... I wasn't used to it! I couldn't get used to it! Aaa!
"From now on, let's talk properly to each other!"
“…”
“Nao, promise me.”
"Yes…"
“Good job.”
“Miss Maeo.”
“You can call me mom, Tiger.”
“Mom.” He obediently did as his mother said, looking very pleased. “Tell me more about how Nao said I was cool in middle school?”
“Ah, that’s right!” Mom suddenly remembered, and while cooking, she told me, “At that time, Nao really wanted to join the soccer club, but our family was poor, and he had to help me at the restaurant, so that he couldn’t join. But he told me that one day he would definitely join the club because the captain was cool and played soccer beautifully. That day was probably a match against another school.”
“Really?” I frowned, “Why don't you remember anything?”
“What do you remember, son?”
“Mom, are you talking about me?”
“No, I'm just a little absent-minded.”
"You made it up yourself!"
"Tell me that?"
“…No, it must be true.” I had to accept. I didn’t really remember, but what my mother said must be true.
“That’s why I think Nao has liked Tiger since then. You always followed him around, often invited him home, and introduced him to the whole family. If you didn’t like him, why would you do that, right? I was also very nervous; every time Tiger didn’t come, I worried for you, afraid that he didn’t like you anymore.”
“…”
“Really. I love whoever you love, and Tiger is like a son to me. Now that you two know each other, I'm very happy. Let me make your favourite dish to treat you two!”
“Um, Mom, actually…” I was about to say something, but Mom wouldn't let me.
“Thank you, Tiger, for loving my son. Nao has loved you for a long time, and he may not be perfect, but everyone has flaws, right? The important thing is to accept each other to be together for a long time.” Mother smiled gently, looking at Tiger lovingly.
“Nao truly loves you, I guarantee it! If he dares to do anything wrong, just tell me, I will deal with it right away!”
“Me? What did I do wrong…”
“That's right, you didn't do anything wrong, right? You liked him since middle school, and now you've gotten what you wanted. Congratulations, my son! I'm so happy!”
“Yes… but actually…”
“Huh? Tiger liked Nao first?!”
Mom opened her eyes in surprise.
“Really? So you've been wrong all these years?”
Mom rested her chin in her hands, thinking while we were sitting down to eat.
“Yes.” Tiger nodded, “I liked Nao first, I liked him since high school.”
“What about Nao?”
“I only opened up after Ger confessed because I didn't know before that—well, Ger didn't like me.”
“Ah, 10th grade, third year…” Mom raised her hand and counted, “It's been six years!”
"Yes."
“Six years… Why didn't you realise it sooner?”
“Ger is such a good actor, Mom.” I said while chewing my rice, “He likes me, but he hides it so well, I can’t see it!”
“Oh, but why do I feel like you two have had a sweet atmosphere since high school? Or is it my imagination?”
"You must be imagining it, Mom."
“Oh, is that so? Um… But you keep saying that, it’s so embarrassing!” Mom waved her hand, blushing slightly, “Well, anyway, I’m glad you two are together. I believe that Tiger loves you and will take good care of you. The same goes for Nao!”
"Yes."
"So when is Tiger going to come and ask for my hand in marriage?"
I almost spit out the rice.
“Nao said he wasn’t ready, but I am. My brother is ready too. If you want, we can go over and ask for his hand in marriage first.”
“Um, come now, I don't need a dowry.”
“It's okay, I've prepared a lot.”
“Even if you bring it, I will return it.” Mom smiled, “Save that money for you two to build a family. I will take my time working at the restaurant, and when I get tired, I will take a break and rest. I have savings, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“But I haven't finished school yet…” I protested, “Let's talk about this later, Mom.”
“There are many people who got engaged before me.”
“Who, Mom?”
“I don’t know either. I just heard about it. Tiger also wants to get engaged first, doesn’t Nao want to?”
“Let me finish studying first! I'll be ready as soon as I finish studying. Right now, I want to focus on studying and playing games first.”
“Oh, is that so…” Mom looked regretful, turned to rub Tiger's hand as if to comfort him gently, “It's okay, Tiger, just wait another year!”
“No, I have no problem.” Tiger smiled.
I couldn't help but smile when I heard him call my mother "mom". It felt so good, hard to describe.
“So how was the competition? I watched the livestream but didn’t understand much. All I know is that Nao’s team won all the time, and there’s another match coming up on Saturday.”
“It's fine,” I replied. “I mean, I'm still winning. Hopefully I'll win again on Saturday.”
“You will definitely win! Mom is cheering for you!” Mom smiled brightly, “And if you win the world championship, that would be awesome! Mom looked it up. The world-level prize money is in the millions of dollars.”
“That’s right, Mom!” I raised my eyebrows, “We’re aiming for the world level too. If we win, we’ll each get a few million dollars. Just thinking about it makes me so excited, I want to quit my job!”
“That's good,” Tiger interjected, “Then you don't have to go to work anymore.”
“If we win the world championship, I'll quit my job!”
“Okay! Must win!”
“Is it possible? Let me say it first!”
“I'm serious.”
"Really?"
“Really. I don't want you to suffer.”
"So you're going to let yourself suffer alone?"
"YES."
“So stubborn.” I pouted, “Determined to make me not go to work? So stubborn!”
“You are stubborn, too.”
“You are more stubborn!”
“I'm stubborn, but so are you.”
“Okay, agreed, both are stubborn!”
“Yeah, as long as you agree, I agree too.”
“Haizz, these two are so cute! The hot pot mom cooked doesn’t have any sugar in it, but why is it still so sweet?” Mom smiled at the two of us.
It was after eight o'clock in the evening when we said goodbye to Mom and left. Mom saw us off to the door with the three dogs. I hugged Mom, kissed her on the cheek and said goodbye, promising to come back to visit when I had time.
Tiger stood there, looking hesitant, then mustered up his courage and asked, “Mom.”
“Hmm?”
“Can I…can I hug you?”
“Come here!”
Mom opened her arms, and Tiger immediately stepped forward and hugged my mom tightly. I stood there watching, feeling strangely warm in my heart. He must have felt the same way as I.
Not only did she hug him, she also gently patted his back: "You can come home whenever you want."
“Yes… mom.” Tiger bit his lip, his voice choked.