Jett met his son's angry gaze—the same look he'd had for him ever since. His son, the son born to the only woman in his heart, his entire life. His son, the feelings of whom he had unforgivably hurt because of his own thoughtlessness.

 

"Jinn, stop it," Jan tried to calm her son, but didn't want to scold him too much because she knew why he was acting this way. It was all her fault and the fault of the man standing beside her, not his fault at all.

 

"I asked what you're doing here," Jinn continued to stare directly at the man, not glancing at his mother at all.

 

"I came to see your mother," Jett replied softly.

 

“I don’t think you two have anything left to talk about, Mr Jett. It’s been over for a long time. Wasn’t it you who accepted it?” Every word sounded calm, but everyone present could clearly sense that Jinn wasn’t quiet at all. If Jerome hadn’t been holding his arms behind, he would have been standing right in front of that man by now.

 

“Jinn, sigh… Come, let’s sit down and talk properly.” The only woman in the room sighed, her beautiful face filled with worry as she glanced at the man beside her. Seeing the uncertainty in his eyes, she could only offer him sympathy. After all, he was the one who had to solve this problem. The one who made the mistake had to apologise, no matter how old he was.

 

"Let go," Jinn lightly shook his arm, signalling to his lover, but Jerome seemed unwilling to comply. The taller man simply released his hand but instead wrapped his long arm around his boyfriend's neck again, as if wanting to prevent him from lunging forward, as if he knew exactly what Jinn was up to.

 

Jerome's heart was pounding, not because he'd just met his boyfriend's father, but because he suspected that this situation must be the cause of Jan's death. All the characters he'd suspected were involved in her death were here, except for himself, who felt completely out of place. It happened much faster than we initially thought, at least about three years earlier.

 

"Calm down, Jinn. Let's talk this out rationally. We're all adults here. Don't act rashly," the one who foresaw the future tried to calm the hot-headed Jinn down. Although Jinn had calmed down considerably lately, this situation wasn't normal. Jerome thought he should take precautions.

 

“I know why.”

 

"Yeah, I know. But getting so worked up might make things worse. Calm down and let's solve this together, okay?"

 

The gentle tone, filled with understanding and comfort, surprisingly calmed Jinn ever since Jerome dreamt about the future. Ten years later, the other person seemed to have matured more, both in their words and actions, sometimes more than their age warranted, or in the tone of voice they used to soothe him when he was feeling down. All of these things always managed to calm Jinn down.

 

"So you've become this close, huh? I'm so happy," Jan said with a smile, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons as she looked at her son and her best friend's son, who had changed so much she could barely recognise them. They had gone from disliking each other to a visibly close friendship.

 

“Well… yes,” Jerome replied with an awkward smile, before pulling his lover to sit down on the guest sofa not far from where Jan and Jett were sitting.

 

"Mother," Jinn called out to his mother in a firm voice.

 

"Jinn, why are you using that tone with your mother?" Jett frowned slightly, gently scolding his son.

 

"Isn't it all because of you?" Jinn raised an eyebrow in a teasing manner, but his eyes clearly showed his displeasure.

 

"Enough, enough! Both of you, stop it! Can you both please be quiet?" Chan turned to scold her son's father in a stern voice.

 

"...okay"

 

"Actually, I wanted to wait a while longer to explain this to Jinn properly. I didn't expect it to be today," the mother sighed again. In truth, Jan hadn't planned to tell her son about this yet, thinking she'd wait another year or two. But now that things had come to this point, keeping it a secret any longer would be pointless.

 

"Jinn was extremely upset. He wasn't stupid; just seeing them happily holding hands earlier was enough to guess what was going on. But he just didn't want it to be like that. He didn't want this!"

 

"We... decided to get back together for a while, we just didn't tell anyone."

 

"Huh? Back together? You're really fooling yourself, Mom. Back together secretly, like a mistress or something? Seriously?"

 

"Jinn!" Jett yelled at his son in a stern voice, his eyes glaring at the face that bore such a striking resemblance to his own, with displeasure.

 

"Why? Or is it not true? You know perfectly well what you can give my mother. No, you can't give her anything at all!" Jinn wasn't insulting his mother at all; every word he spoke was directed at this man.

 

"Things aren't the same as they were then, Dad..."

 

"You are not my father, and I am not your son!"

 

The words his son spoke in a sudden interruption made Jett gasp. His sharp eyes turned red, not from anger, but from profound sorrow.

 

"Jinn," Jerome called out softly, his large hand gently stroking the broad back as if to comfort him.

 

"...Things are not the same as they were then. Everything will be different. I will fix all the mistakes I made. Jinn's mother wasn't a mistress or a secret lover. From beginning to end, I only had Jan. There was never anyone else."

 

Jett knew that the emotional wounds he had created in his son could not be healed simply by these words. But the young man would dedicate the rest of his life to proving to Jinn that every word he spoke was true.

 

"Haha, you don't even dare tell anyone that you have a wife and children. You keep hiding us. Outside, you're a big star from a famous family, desired by many. Then, after leaving the industry, you become a driven young executive. Only after doing all that do you realise who you've left behind, right? Do you think you can come back to this place whenever you want? Do you expect us to wait for you? Your place, for me, disappeared a long time ago."

 

Jinn met the gaze of the man he once loved most, without flinching. The man he always believed would protect him forever. It was true, but only for the first seven years of his life. Because after that, this man left him, taking with him a wound in his heart that could never be erased.

"No, I didn't think like that. This place, where Jinn and Mom are, is where I've always wanted to come back to. It's a place I've longed for more than anywhere else. But I was just too cowardly," he said anxiously to his son, his voice trembling.

 

Jett never thought that way, not even once. Throughout his life, the people he loved most were Jan and their child. He never thought he could return to this place whenever he wanted, because it was so difficult to come back. Getting to where he is today wasn't easy at all. But the young man didn't intend to complain, because everything was his own fault.

 

"Jinn, he didn't just come back. He's been back for a while, I just didn't tell you," Jan wiped away the tears that slowly streamed down her face, looking at her son sitting not far away, and then turning back to look at the man who had once caused her so much heartbreak, but whom she loved so deeply.

 

"So what? It's too late. We're doing fine without him, aren't we?" Jinn didn't care at all.

 

He remembered every second of it vividly—the last time he saw this man as his father. Jinn was seven years old then. He let go of his mother's hand and ran joyfully towards the man he recognised as his father. The bright lights and the cacophony of conversations filled his ears, but what he heard most clearly were the words of the man who was his father, the man standing in the middle of everything—words that shattered his feelings completely.

 

"Little one, I'm not your father. You can't call me dad."

 

These were the words this person said before someone gently led him away and handed him over to his mother.

 

Others might think those words were insignificant to a seven-year-old, but for Jinn, it was completely different. He had an excellent memory, especially for things like these—things that hurt his feelings painfully, like what Jerome said back then.

 

At the age of seven, Jinn received two heartbreaking words at once. The first was from Jerome, his first love, and the second was from his father, the very person his mother said loved him dearly but couldn't be with.

 

Back then, Jett chose not to be his father. Therefore, he himself doesn't want to be this man's son anymore, because he doesn't know when he might be without a father again.

 

"Let's go home, Mom. As for you, go away. Go back to where you've always belonged. We don't need you anymore. Leave my mother alone."

 

"Again!" Taking advantage of Jerome's momentary lapse in strength, Jinn lunged forward, grabbed his mother's arm, and turned to walk out of the shop, still seething with anger.

 

"Jinn! No, not like this. Let's talk first!" Jett hurriedly got up and followed him out, leaving Jerome alone in the shop, seemingly lost in thought.

 

"It would have been better if I hadn't been so impulsive back then."

 

Jerome's eyes widened before he turned and ran out of the shop. He quickened his pace, overtaking Jett, who had run ahead. His eyes widened instantly when he saw Jinn walking towards a car.

 

"My mom told me not to drive fast, but I didn't listen."

 

"Why wasn't it me who died?"

 

Jerome thought the dream he had that day and the events happening now must be the same thing. The event that caused Jan's death.

 

"Jinn! Stop it!" The shout and the tight embrace made Jinn falter. The grip on his mother's arm loosened, allowing Jan to free her arm from his son's grasp.

 

"Hey Jay, whose side are you on?!" Jinn yelled at his boyfriend loudly.

 

"I'm not taking anyone's side, but you're not leaving!" Jerome retorted just as loudly.

 

“Why can't I go?!”

 

"Because I have the car keys!"

 

“..." Jinn

 

"And you're too hot-headed to drive. Otherwise, something is going to happen that you'll regret for the rest of your life."

 

"It's not like I'm going to die." 

 

The heavy voice next to his ear made Jinn stop abruptly. His heart ached terribly, and he didn't know why, but it hurt. It hurt so much.

 

"You're all grown up now, talk nicely. You've injured Aunt Jan's arm again," Jerome said gently, as he often did lately, and it always calmed Jinn down.

 

Jinn's eyes, still burning with anger, glared at his mother, who was standing beside that man. Looking at her slender, pale arm, now marked with a clear fingerprint bruise, he felt immense sorrow.

 

"Mom, I'm sorry," Jinn said softly to his mother.

 

"It's okay, but Jinn, can we talk this out calmly? These things need to be discussed gradually. There are many things we need to understand. Even if you bring Mom home today, it doesn't mean she won't see Dad again. If she doesn't see him today, she'll see him tomorrow. It won't change anything. She's just escaping for one day."

 

Jan wasn't angry with her son at all, not even a little. Her beautiful eyes looked at the two children, Jerome still hugging Jinn tightly, refusing to let go. Moreover, it seemed that her son obeyed the other child more than his mother. This was truly unbelievable.

 

“Yeah, just like Aunt Jan said, let's go back home and talk. We can be louder there if we have something to say. Besides, there are other people around here.” Jerome looked around, noticing that more people were paying attention to them. Besides, Jet was a former celebrity; even though he's left the industry, there's no guarantee he won't make headlines.

 

“Okay, Mom will come with Jinn. As for you, go by yourself.” Jinn took a slow breath, pointing his finger at the man dismissively.

 

"But I think I need to close the shop now, before there's not even a mannequin left tomorrow."

 

Jinn, glared at by his mother, blinked repeatedly, completely forgetting that she had to close the shop. His mind was solely focused on getting his mother away from this man.

 

Jerome, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst, felt something within him weeping with joy. Joyful that he could change certain events, joyful that Jinn wouldn't have to suffer the way he had envisioned in the future.

 

He's done it, hasn't he? Jinn won't be hurt by this anymore, right?