IT WAS awkward.
Yejun felt uncomfortable now that he was alone in the room with her mother and father.
After his eting with Grandpa Suk-yong and the others, his parents suddenly approached him and said they wanted to talk to him in private.
[Wonhee told to go, so I did...]
"Yejunnie."
Argh.
That was his childhood nickna.
"Eomma, please don’t call that," Yejun complained lightly. "I’m no longer a child."
"You will always be a baby to us," his mother said, and then she suddenly beca emotional. "But we failed to treat you preciously, didn’t we? We’re so sorry, Yejunnie."
His father wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder to console her, and then he looked at Yejun with sadness and remorse in his eyes. "Son, your mother and I have always felt sorry towards you. We failed to help you lessen the burden on your shoulders. Because we were scared..."
"But it’s only natural to fear an apex predator, isn’t it?"
His parents looked confused, so he explained.
"It wasn’t Eomma and Abeoji’s fault that you felt terrified of back then," Yejun said, shrugging. "I completely snapped last year, but I lost my humanity a few years before that. And I rember how I was back then. I was always grumpy and unnecessarily violent."
Violent towards monsters and people who tried to kill him.
But he never hard a Civilian on purpose.
[Not that it makes it any better.]
"I didn’t act like a human being back then, so it was only fair that Eomma and Abeoji didn’t treat as one," he said casually. He wasn’t taking the conversation lightly. It was just that he knew he was in the wrong and accepted it. "Plus, I’m grateful that Eomma and Abeoji kept your distance from during those years. I could no longer recognize my own parents months before I completely snapped. Thanks to that, we avoided a tragedy within the family."
Back then, he put people in different categories because he couldn’t recognize anyone except his fellow predators. That was how ended up calling people carnivores, herbivores, vertebrates, and invertebrates.
"I probably would have ended up killing Eomma and Abeoji had you insisted on staying by my side back then," Yejun said in a serious tone. "So, Eomma and Abeoji did well. I was neither hurt nor disappointed, so please don’t apologize. I an it when I say I’m truly grateful that you prioritized your safety. I would have never forgiven myself had I hurt you during the ti I wasn’t myself."
It was the truth.
To be honest, that was his greatest fear before.
[Every ti I lose control, I’d be afraid to snap back to a reality where I killed my parents with my own hands.]
That was why he asked Grandpa Suk-yong to send his family abroad while he was sober.
"Do you really not resent us, son?" his mother asked in a cracked voice. "Do you forgive us for failing to protect you?"
"I don’t resent Eomma and Abeoji," Yejun said patiently. "Instead of an apology, I’d like to hear sothing else from my dear parents whom I haven’t seen in a long while."
His parents exchanged looks, and then...
"Chu Wonhee seems like a nice kid," his father said, nodding approvingly. "She’s polite and very refined. She grew up well despite having a nasty-tempered grandfather and crazy older siblings."
Huh?
"Wony is more beautiful in person. Photos don’t do her justice. But, more importantly, she has a good personality," his mother added, nodding. "The entire country practically watched her grow since she’s been a celebrity all her life. It’s amazing how she remains humble despite the fact that she is and will always be famous."
Oho?
Yejun couldn’t help but grin.
Because, yes, those words were music to his ears.
[But this isn’t what I ant by what I said earlier...]
"We’re just kidding, son. I an, all the things we said about Wony were genuine," his mother said, smiling. Then she held his hands and squeezed them tightly. "Welco back, our precious Yejunnie. We’ve missed you."
"Thank you for enduring everything," his father added while patting Yejun’s shoulder. "We’re proud of you, Yejun."
Yes, those were the things Yejun wanted to hear from his parents.
"Eomma, Abeoji, thank you for believing in ," Yejun said sincerely. "I’m back, and you’ll never lose again."
[Because I have Wonhee now.]
His parents hugged him.
It was a bit embarrassing, but Yejun hugged his parents back.
"Eomma, Abeoji, I’ve missed you."
His mother looked up at her. "So, are you going ho with us now?"
Why?
[I an, I did miss my parents, but...]
"We got reports from Suk-yong-nim, Soobin-ssi, and Semi-ssi while we were in France," his father added. "There’s also the news that we received from the Soline Guild. We should talk about those issues as a guild, son."
His mother nodded in agreent. "Moreover, you’re still our Guildmaster. Now that you’re sober, there are several docunts that we need you to sign."
Argh.
Yejun avoided his parents’ gaze. "I have to ask Wonhee’s permission first, dear parents– I’m sure she won’t feel safe without ."
***
"OF COURSE, you may go with your guild mbers," Wonhee said, smiling awkwardly after Yejun asked for her permission in front of his parents. "Yejun-ah, you didn’t have to ask for my permission to spend your ti with your family."
Yejun looked shocked– no, he looked betrayed. "But I need to sleep with you every day, Wonhee-ya."
She felt her face burn from embarrassnt.
Fortunately, the people around her reacted in her stead.
"Don’t say things that people will misunderstand out of context, you cheeky brat!" Grandpa Suk-yong scolded Yejun. "How dare you put my precious granddaughter in an awkward position?"
Mr. Hwang put his hand behind Yejun’s head and forced his son to bow.
The Hwang Triplets snickered while Yejun was being scolded.
On the other hand, Kim Bora just kept texting on her phone.
"Our son is still adjusting," Mr. Hwang said. "So, please excuse him."
Yejun complained. "We’re all Awakened People here, so no one will misunderstand–"
"Hwang Yejun," Mrs. Hwang said. "You’re embarrassing Wony."
"I’m sorry, Wonhee-ya."
"It’s alright," Wonhee said, feeling less embarrassed now. "I’m going to have dinner with my grandpa, so go with your family for now, and let’s just et again later... Yejunnie."
Yejun raised his head, his cheeks red from embarrassnt.
[Cute!]
Yejun looked embarrassed after Wonhee called him by his childhood nickna, and it didn’t help that Grandpa Suk-yong and the Hwang Triplets laughed at his reaction.
***
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