Aunt's Family
The last time Kang Jinha saw his aunt, Oh Yoonji, was the day before he was apprehended for his 'crime'.
Lying weakly on the hospital bed with numerous tubes connected to her body, she clutched his hand in a dead grip, tears swirling in her dull yet resolute eyes, "You have to take care of yourself well, Jinha-ya…" she rasped out with much difficulty. "Cherish yourself more and don't… don't put yourself in harm's way for people who can't see your worth…"
Until the very end, not even a hint of blame appeared in her eyes.
But then, three days later, under the police's intense and rigorous interrogation, he voluntarily took the blame and admitted to the crime he did not commit— exactly for this 'person who could not see his worth'.
And not even two months after that, the news of her death reached his ears behind the prison cells.
As the bitter memories replayed in his mind, Kang Jinha felt a familiar breathlessness weighing down on his chest. It rendered him unable to breathe, as though the entire world was caving in on him…
A trickle of fear crept into his heart and he clutched the termos in his arms so tightly as if that was the only anchor that could keep him standing. No, he… he was not ready yet. Even though there was no way they could have remembered anything from the previous lifetime, he still was not ready! He knew it was very cowardly and pathetic of him, but oh God… he really wanted to find somewhere to hide so he did not have to face the people inside so soon!
Alas, just as he desperately commanded his leaden feet to turn away and run, the door before him slid open without warning and he abruptly froze when he came face-to-face with a cold, fierce-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and impeccable three-piece suit.
His cousin, the twenty-eight-year-old golden bachelor, Kwon Minhyuk.
Perhaps due to his excellent upbringing and current high position in the company, Kwon Minhyuk always exuded a commanding aura. His responses were curt more often than not, treating his words more precious than gold bars, and he had a perpetual frown between his brows as though he was dissatisfied with everything he laid his gaze upon.
It was all because of this that Kang Jinha previously misunderstood him, thinking that his presence was wholly unwelcome and detested by the other person. He couldn't help it; he was simply too sensitive at that time, just like a little hedgehog pricking at every single person who threatened his safety. Plus Kwon Minhyuk had never made any attempt to clear the misunderstanding, thus their relationship had never been good from the start. They quarreled every single time due to the smallest matters as if they were born to be nemesis.
At that time, Kang Jinha had been so certain that this person hated him down to the bones, when in fact…
Meanwhile, Kwon Minhyuk, too, was taken aback upon finding the youngster standing motionlessly in front of the door, but he did not give it much thought as he was talking to someone else on the phone. He simply offered Kang Jinha a nod of acknowledgement before brushing past him, thus revealing Kang Jinha's presence to the two other people inside the room.
"Jinha-ya, is that you?"
At the sound of that familiar voice, Kang Jinha swiftly snapped back from the shock brought about by that sudden encounter.
"Grandma!" he hurried to enter the room, his gaze promptly landing on the thin figure on the bed. "How… how are you feeling now? What did the doctor say?" he asked with a faint tremor in his voice which he did not even realize.
"Of course, Grandma is fine." A reassuring smile spread across the elderly woman's face, causing Kang Jinha's eyes to redden in an instant. How much had he longed to see this radiant smile again? How many times had he dreamed of hearing this voice comforting him during his most difficult times? It had been too long… so long that the details had almost blurred from his memory. But at this moment, it all became solid and vivid again. Bright colors returned to his dull and monotone world again and his heart… he could finally feel warmth flooding every inch of his ice-cold heart.
It reminded him once more that he had been reborn, that this was not a dream.
Kang Jinha nearly could not restrain the maelstrom of emotions wracking havoc within him. He had to bite down on his lips to prevent himself from sobbing out loud like a child.
"
Kang Jinha nodded, but then he quickly shook his head again.
He was afraid, yes. But that's alright. The most important thing was that she was still alive, and that was enough… more than enough for him.
"It's good…" he choked out, clinging to her warm and wrinkled hand tremblingly. "It's good that you're okay, Grandma."
Clearly, he was twenty nine years old on the inside, no longer the teenager he used to be, but in front of the person who had raised him with love, he still could not help but act spoiled as if he was still nineteen.
Grandma patted his head with her other hand, all the while beaming to the other person who had been silent since he entered. "Isn't he the cutest?"
"Yes," a gentle yet firm voice replied, causing Kang Jinha's heart to lurch faintly.
Bracing himself, he raised his head to look at the middle-aged woman at the other side of the bed.
Even in her fifties, Oh Yoonji was still a beauty. She had short hair whose tip barely reached her shoulders, tucked neatly behind her ears. Her gaze was sharp and astute, and her sharp eyebrows exuded a hint of heroism which she had inherited from Grandma Kang. Clad in a business suit with the jacket draped over an arm, she looked like she could commend a shareholder meeting at any moment. Nobody would doubt their blood relation if she and Kwon Minhyuk were to stand beside each other.
Her eyes softened ever so slightly when she caught Kang Jinha staring at her, like a lioness deliberately trying to tuck in its claws. "Hello, Jinha-ya. It's nice to meet you. I am your aunt, Oh Yoonji."
When he saw his aunt's healthy and graceful visage, nothing at all like the emaciated, unkempt, and sickly figure lying on her deathbed, Kang Jinha still failed to control his emotions. His expression faltered slightly, but it was fortunate that his eyes were already red to begin with, so nobody found it weird that he was sniffing.
"H–Hello, Aunt," he forced himself to say through his constricted throat. "My name is Kang Jinha. It's nice to meet you too…"
Seeing that the two of them were the taciturn type, Grandma took over the conversation seamlessly, "Jinha-ya, from now on, you're going to stay with your aunt, okay?" She patted his hand tenderly. "Grandma is afraid that there will be no one to take care of you, so I asked your aunt for help. If you need anything, don't hesitate to tell her. Oh, and there's also your cousin, the one who went out earlier. I will introduce you to him later. Don't worry, the two of you will definitely get along well."
If this was the normal nineteen-year-old Kang Jinha, upon hearing such words, perhaps he would have protested, saying that he could take care of himself just fine and refuse other people's care simply based on some immature and meaningless sense of pride. Worse was the Kang Jinha from the previous lifetime, who eyed and treated his aunt with enmity and resentment.
But the current Kang Jinha did nothing but nod, looking extremely obedient and well-behaved.
"Okay," he replied in a nasal tone. "I will be good. Don't worry about me, Grandma. You, too… please get well soon."
He had already looked harmless to begin with, combined with his beautiful blue eyes that were both soft and watery, it easily aroused tender and protective feelings within one's heart.
Oh Yoonji released the breath she didn't know she was holding, her tense posture relaxing. She had expected to be met with refusal because her mother had warned her that Kang Jinha was a sensitive and prideful young man, but it seemed like her concern was unwarranted. The gaze she used to look at Kang Jinha became a degree softer and fonder; if Kwon Minhyuk was here, he would have doubted his entire life.
What a good child! She screamed inwardly. So cute, so sensible… nothing like my dull and boring son!
"I heard you're a ballet dancer… and also an F-Class Guide?" A relieved smile graced her rouged lips as she added, "Nothing good comes out of having more power than most. Being an F-Class is just right."
In this aspect, Kang Jinha agreed wholeheartedly. He also took solace in the fact that he was the 'weakest of the weak'. It would be even better if he was never awakened in the first place.
This way, he could continue his peaceful and ordinary life.
***
The first meeting in the hospital room unfolded successfully and Kang Jinha excused himself to the restroom, intending to wash his face. As he rounded the corridor, however, he caught sight of his cousin talking to someone else in a secluded corner with an expression that was more solemn than usual.
As for the other person…
He was so tall and… broad – that was the first impression Kang Jinha got.
He thought his cousin was already taller than most, yet this person was still half a head taller than Kwon Minhyuk. He was bundled up from head to toe until not even a hint of his appearance could be discerned. The brim of his hat was pulled low, his face covered in a black mask, and he was dressed in an oversized black hoodie with its hood on paired with baggy sweatpants. Not only that, he also wore gloves!
Just looking at him was enough to make one feel overly warm.
Kang Jinha could not help but feel a little flabbergasted.
He noticed that they were not silk gloves for aesthetic purposes, but rather they were thick, hard knuckle gloves made of leather, just like… that's right, just like the tactical gloves Espers usually wore whenever they entered dungeons!
Was that an Esper? But what business did they have with Kwon Minhyuk, a non-awakened person, to the point where they had to meet him here?
Perhaps Kang Jinha's stare was too heated, the Esper tilted his head and their eyes abruptly met in midair.