My parents both looked at me as if I were Ghidorah. I had just finished relaying the little boy's predicament to them. They didn't need to give me that look because what I said wasn't very startling. Sure, knowing who the youngster is, is surprising, but it's not that strange given how many children in our world are either abandoned due to a lack of talent or are walled away from the world.
"So he's the son of Kim Jae-sang. I knew Kim Jae-sang had a son, but the child was never revealed to the public, so there were many speculations. Is there anything the youngster said regarding Kim Jae-sang?" Looking at the pitiful youngster, my father inquired.
"He spoke nothing further about his father, and his mother is no longer present. The boy is significantly too tiny for his age, and there are visible signs of physical and emotional abuse." I responded.
"What did you say to him, Hong In-Ho? His face looks worse than it did when he first arrived." Looking between the boy and me, Pyeon Mi-young murmured.
I rubbed the back of my neck, "He requested that I bring his father to court. I suggested there may be a better approach, but he insisted on doing it in front of the court. I promised to remove the Dragons guild, but he believes that Dragons cannot be removed."
"The Dragons is a formidable guild. They have many members, and the majority of them are well-known users. Of course, this does not imply that they are as powerful, but the sheer quantity of individuals should be considered." My father started this with his arms folded across his chest and his gaze fixed on me. "Hong In-Ho, don't walk in blindly since you're simply a non-ability user like me, no matter how powerful you are."
I made a quiet click with my tongue. One thing I despise about myself is that, like my father, I am no longer as powerful as I once was. I suppose we're both too poor to be given. I couldn't help but be irritated by my lack of talent, so I didn't want to save the world. There is only so much a non-ability user can do in this world, and that is what stinks.
"Meanwhile, Hong In-Ho, why don't you look after the boy? If Kim Jae-sang comes seeking the youngster, I'll devise a strategy to deal with him." So says my father.
"Do I need to keep an eye on the kid? Don't you believe he'd be safer in the guild?" I inquired. Although I don't trust many people in the guild, some are still loyal to my father and mother and would not harm the boy, but with me, there's only me, and I'm not strong enough to defend him if a powerful ability user comes to us.
"No, I think the boy is safer with you than in the guild. I'm confident you'll safeguard the child." My father started this while smiling at me. That smile he gives me irritates me so much that I can't say anything back.
Eventually, I returned home, Bo Jiwoo trailing after me. I attempted to walk carefully so the lad wouldn't lag, but this journey back home took longer than I expected. We could have gotten a ride home, but the Bo Jiwoo refused to get in the car. We tried everything to get Bo Jiwoo into the car, but he declined and clung to my leg, so I decided we should walk home. It's exhausting for me to walk back home, and it's so far away.
Little footsteps quickly came up with me, and I peered down to my side at Bo Jiwoo, who stared up at me with his large wide, dull eyes. I doubt I'll ever get used to those eyes, no matter how many times I see them. I wonder if this is how the elderly man felt when he gazed at me in my previous existence. I recall him trying to speak to me and feeding me three times a day without fail, even when everyone claimed I was a hopeless cause, but the old guy never gave up.
I couldn't even repay him for all the affection he had shown me. My bastard father had killed him. I'm not sure what's up with my bastard father, but everyone who gave me a brief moment of affection died, and I was always left to blame for their deaths. The village accused me and expelled me for causing the elderly man's death. When I think of the elderly man's death, I get enraged and feel like losing control, letting my hatred get the best of me.
I grumbled, turning away from Bo Jiwoo and returning my attention to the road. Such things from the past no longer worry me. The 'me' today and the 'me' from before are very different; I'm living a better life now, so there's no need to be bound by my past.
"Are you upset with me?" Bo Jiwoo's words reached my ears, causing me to pause and turn to face him.
"How come you're asking?"
"You simply seemed upset at me."
I blinked, and Bo Jiwoo kept staring at me. "No way. I'm not upset with you; I was thinking about something, and I apologize if you thought I was."
"So you're not upset with me for not taking the car?"
"Of course not; you must have your justification. Everyone has a fear of something at some point in their lives. You should know that I am terrified of death." I smiled at him and patted his head. It is not a lie that I am terrified of death. Although I have only died once in my life, death is still a terrifying thought since no one knows when you will die, and you will be leaving everything you love behind. However, my fear of death is most likely due to the numerous deaths of individuals I care about.
"You don't appear to be afraid of death." His remark made me giggle.
"Of course not; I don't appear to be."
The remainder of the walk back to my flat was spent in silence. We didn't have anything to talk about because I couldn't be bothered to strike up a discussion, and Bo Jiwoo was too busy staring about in awe at everything. Sometimes I wonder if this boy was an adult or a child; I don't know how far into the future he had journeyed or how old he was when he died, but I could only surmise from the way he spoke that he was more of an adult than a child, yet he acted like a child.
I could question him, but this boy has lost some of his memory. When I asked him about Sun Sook, he verified it. Due to his rebirth, he could not retrieve specific memories of his prior existence; therefore, just a few details are known. He also can't determine if any of his recollections are correct or not; it appears like his memories are a jumbled mess. Well, I'm not worried about it, and I don't really want to become engaged with it since memories will spontaneously return from particular situations or everyday items.
We arrived at my house after an hour and a half; it took me 20 minutes to get from home to the guild this morning. At moments like this, I wish I could teleport; it would make my life easier.
"Good morning, Mr. Oh," I said as I approached the front desk.
"Good morning to you, Hong In-Ho. I came up to deliver you a box, but you weren't there; where have you gone at this hour?" Mr. Oh inquired, raising his glasses and picking up a package from the ground he placed on the table.
"Ah, I went to see my folks for a while, but it was cut short owing to something coming up," I replied as I grabbed the box from him. "Though I appreciate you bringing up my package even though you didn't have to. If you had phoned, I could have come down to grab it."
"Oh no, my wife requested that I bring you some of her homemade kimchi. You know she doesn't have someone to dote on, and she's been wanting you to eat some of her homemade recipes since you moved here." Mr. Oh grinned as he went into another room and returned with a wrapped container. "Here it is, my wife has gone shopping and requested me to give it to you when you return."
"Mr. Oh, thank you very much. You don't have to do this all the time."
"Oh, don't bring it up. It's only natural because you've been so wonderful to us since you arrived." Mr. Oh grinned at me before turning his gaze to Bo Jiwoo. "I see you brought someone; is this the little brother you always mention?"
I forgot that I had Bo Jiwoo with me; I shook my head. "No, this is just a child my parents want me to take care of for a while. He's my old man friend's son." I lied.
"Yes, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, son." Mr. Oh welcomed Bo Jiwoo, and the latter nodded. "Well, you should eat the kimchi with this young boy."
"Clearly. Thank you so much."
I escorted the two of us to my flat. I resided on the fifth floor since the elderly couple stated no one ever wanted to live on the fifth level because of an old ghost story; therefore, I was the only one who had lived alone on the fifth floor. I don't believe in ghosts, which doesn't worry me; most people would be terrified to live independently on an empty floor, but I have the entire fifth floor to myself. It was a great opportunity.
When you go into the flat, you are welcomed by a corridor with four doors, two on the right and two on the left. The first left door opens to the living room, which has an open glass window door leading to the balcony, and the second left door leads to the bathroom; the two doors on the right were unoccupied when I moved in, but the larger room near the entrance door was converted into my room. I left the final one empty since I wasn't sure what to do with it, but now that Bo Jiwoo is here, I can turn it into his room.
"Do you live alone here?" As we entered the living room, Bo Jiwoo inquired.
I placed the package on the coffee table and returned my attention to Bo Jiwoo. "True. I don't have somebody to share my home with."
"You're not married?" Bo Jiwoo inquired, and I grinned at his inquiry.
"Why should I? I may have been married in a previous life, but I do not wish to marry anyone in this existence."
"Is it because you still love your previous wife?" asked Bo Jiwoo.
"Why do you want to know that? Don't ask bizarre questions." I waved him off and went into the kitchen to find something to prepare for the two of us. It's almost evening, and I didn't eat anything this morning, so I'm sure Bo Jiwoo is hungry. According to my mother, he had refused to eat anything unless he could see me.
I discovered some eggs, one final carton of tofu, and some seaweeds. I decided to create something with those three ingredients and then go out to acquire additional supplies later. I prepared everything and placed it on the table before noticing that Bo Jiwoo was not present. I should have panicked, but I'm too old to stress about such little matters. I'm sure he's someplace in the house.
I discovered him in my room, reading a book. It was a book about the disaster that occurred when dungeons first appeared in the world, and I recall receiving it as a gift from my father on my fifteenth birthday. I'm not sure why the old man handed it to me, but I suppose the thought counts in this case.
"Do you have any special abilities?" Bo Jiwoo questioned, his gaze fixed on the book.
"No. My father and I are non-ability users." Bo Jiwoo suddenly raised his head from his book to gaze at me.
"You guys are incredible." He answered, returning his gaze to the book. "Isn't this a story written by your father? It explains what he went through as someone who didn't get a divine gift."
I had no idea my father would write the narrative. I assumed it was a dull old book written by wealthy people. I approached Bo Jiwoo and sat down next to him, looking over the book. My father did write it, as I can see my grandfather's name there. I was curious when he wrote this. He was always such a busy man that he practically never had time for me when I was a kid. I didn't mind, but he spent all of his time on me and never took a break when he wasn't working. He would only take breaks after marrying my mother.
"What's the matter?" Bo Jiwoo inquired.
I shook my head and stared at him. "I'm amazed my old man wrote this. I never bothered to look at it."
"Would you like to read it right now?"
"Maybe when I have time, but not right now. Let us go eat before our meal becomes cold." I grabbed the book and placed it on the shelf. I return my attention to Bo Jiwoo, patting his head before exiting the room.
I could feel his eyes burning into my back the entire time, but I ignored it. I have finally noticed that this youngster may be rather frightening at times. I'm wondering if everything will be well from now on.