"It must feel nice, being able to see your Leon again, hm?" Val asked, stirring their drink as both they and Hyunwoo walked the streets.
The older man hummed, "Well, it certainly is strange because as much I had hoped to see him again, I won't say that I really thought I would get to. I had hope but at the same time, I had to be realistic. So this does feel like a dream come true, especially with him being alright with Mira and me as well…"
Val giggled at that, "Oh, I think he's more than alright with you and Bella. It's very cute to watch."
Hyunwoo laughed as well, messing with Val's hair, "It is very cute, but if we're going by how was when he and Risále were working together, he's probably going to be hopeless. I might as well tell Bella to make a move herself because he certainly won't."
"Were him and Risále…"
"Never actually together," Hyunwoo sighed, "But he definitely liked her. I had met her a few times back then, but the way he talked about her was very telling. Although, this was before he realized it was okay for him to like more than one person, so he thought he just very much admired her. I won't lie though, it is pretty handy that we both have the same tastes."
It took Val a moment before they realized what he was saying, "Wait, you like her as well?!"
"I thought it was pretty obvious."
"Hm," They hummed, "Well, now that I think about it more, it makes sense. Does Leon know you like her?"
Hyunwoo nodded, "He knows, and he approves. Bella and I have a bet going to see which of the two of us can get Risále to realize we like her first. It's definitely going to be either me or her though since she and Leon are a bit…"
"Hopeless?"
"Endearingly dense, let's say. Enough about me though, I wanted to ask; are you alright? It must be hard, not having Nia remember anything about you…" Hyunwoo asked as they sat down at a table.
Val shrugged, sipping their drink, "At this point, I'd prefer she doesn't remember, Someone like her, well, if she remembered what happened I don't think she'd be able to forgive herself. I mean, she did come to rescue me but in the end…"
"You gave yourself up to save her."
They shook their head, "I definitely didn't save her, after all, she's here now, isn't she? No, I think all I really must have done was buy her a bit more time before she ended up like me. I'm praying she doesn't find out about the eyes because…As traumatic as it was for it to happen to me, she had to watch it happen as well. She's definitely blocked out the memory. Didn't even know my eyes were mechanical until the battle. I'm glad that didn't trigger her memory, she didn't even ask how or why I got them."
"What will you do if she does remember? It's…Going to happen eventually," Hyunwoo asked carefully.
Val looked past him, almost into the distance, "I guess I'd try to convince her that I don't blame her? There wasn't much she could have done, she was only eight when she came for me. I was taken when I was eight but I already knew the rules of being held by the White Lotus. She didn't. She broke the rules, they were going to hurt her. Even…Even when they took me," Val's voice grew quieter, "I actually hadn't told anyone this, but when they took me from the island…They were going to take her originally. I overheard them and told them my name was Nia. I got lucky they didn't actually know why the White Lotus wanted her. They'd heard about the island girl with the constellation freckles but…It was easy to fake those. I already had the freckles, just not the constellations. They only found out when they got back to the facility that I wasn't her. And then they didn't bother going back for her since they found out the freckles were basically just markings and nothing special. When she came after me though…"
"She put herself right in their hands," Hyunwoo realized, "She's never known any of this?"
Val shook their head, "No, I never told her about this. She won't ever find out, and it's for the best. She would already blame herself for pissing off the scientists so much that I took the punishment for her. If she were to find out that the only reason I was there in the first place was to save her…I don't blame her, but she would blame herself. I know she's a bit standoff-ish with me right now but really," They looked up at the sky, "It reminds me of when we were younger. She was always wary of people, it took a lot to break her down and admit we were friends back then. At least that seems to have stayed the same."
Hyunwoo sighed, running his hand through his hair, "I just wish things were easier for you. If anyone deserves happiness, it's you. On the subject of your eyes though, Bella and I found someone that would be willing to change them for you if you'd like," He leaned back, "They've been the same color since you got them, so if you wanted to change the color, or something like cat-eye pupils, we could always get that done."
Val smiled and looked down at their drink, "Did I ever tell you why I chose this color?" When Hyunwoo shook his head, she continued, standing up. It was getting close to evening and they were supposed to start heading back to the house. Hyunwoo followed her, "I chose this color because the bravest person I know has these eyes."
A light of recognition seemed to start to shine in Hyunwoo's eyes, the ones that matched Val's perfectly, "...And who might that person be?"
Val grinned, "Oh, you know perfectly well who," They bumped their shoulder with his upper arm. Their smile softened, "I knew of Lumina, but I didn't know her personally. The only person that I knew directly that had gone through the shit Veronica put us through and…Lived…Was you. And when I heard what you had to endure…On top of that, you took me in after everything. You were only two or so years older than me but you protected me, even though you could have just left me. You're unbelievably kind, Hyunwoo. I always wanted to be just like you, because that would mean I could be a good person. You've always been like an older brother to me. These eyes…They make me feel like I'm like you. I'd like to keep them—"
Before they could finish their sentence, they gasped lightly as they were enveloped in a hug. It wasn't like Hyunwoo had never hugged them before, especially after they woke up from nightmares, but after the last mission Hyunwoo had been on, it had been a while. They didn't hesitate to wrap their arms around his waist, burying their face in his chest.
"Remember I told you that you should meet my mother?" Hyunwoo asked, his voice soft. Val nodded, the movement imperceptable, "I haven't forgotten that. When this is all over, we'll get your last name changed and everything so you can be a part of my family. My mother would be delighted to know she has another child."
Val looked up at them, "Promise? That has to be my late birthday gift, okay? I want to meet your mom."
Hyunwoo smiled, "I promise. You can meet our mom. Now, come on, let's get heading back home."