The Edge Of Darkness

Red

Suggested listening: GOT7 - My Youth

On the third day after the awakening incident, Eun-Jung woke up with a different feeling. She felt... exactly the same. No difference in her body, nor in her mind; no voice whispering knowledge to her brain, no voice at all, actually. Everything was silent. The same, and silent, for the first time in seventeen years. Or was it still sixteen?

She ran to her fathers, waking Jin up quite violently.

-What? What happened?

-Papa, I'm the same!

-Are you on drugs?

-Thank you for listening so attentively, dad.

-Don't 'dad' me. Of course you're the same, you're Eun-Jung.

The teen stomped a foot out of frustration, which woke Hwoarang up, too.

-Of course I'm Eun-Jung, but I'm the same as yesterday. I didn't grow. I didn't learn. I don't hear the voice anymore. It's silent. I'm on my own. I don't think I will grow as fast as before anymore. I think now... I will grow as everybody else.

-That's great, gongju! You can finally go to school, make lasting friends... be a normal teenager! Aren't you happy?

-Yes, but... it feels strange. I've never been alone... inside. As evil as it could be, it taught me stuff, talked to me, told me things that happened which I didn't remember. Now I'm all alone.

-Trust me, hime, it's for the better. It's not a good voice to have in your head. It's devious, and it only wanted to lead you astray. Now, you're totally in control. But you can never let your guard down, you hear me? It awaits for your first false step, in the dark. It's not gone. It's just hiding.

-So, to lighten up, Kazama-doom, it seems you're going to grow from sixteen on. Not a bad age to start from. What do you think?

-Yeah, it could have been... worse. Like thirteen. I hated thirteen.

-And you had it for a day, people usually go through it for a year, gongju.

Hwoarang suddenly lightened up and smiled.

-What is it, papa?

-Well, you stabilised... we can finally do what we meant to do when this finally happened: we change our ages -thanks for making me older, by the way, my self-esteem really needed that- with doctored documents done by the Zaibatsu, and we can go abroad to get married. And you, my dear child, will be the rings bearer if you feel up to the task.

-Yes! Oh my, yes! Papas getting married will be the best day of my life! But... where will you do that?

-We thought Ireland would be a good place to do so. Also, we know how much you like it. We could stay there, say, a week or ten days and have a family trip together, which we have never done before. How do you like the idea?

Eun-Jung shrieked and hugged Jin and Hwoarang, jumping on the bed.

-Plus... in Ireland papa Jin will be allowed to legally adopt you. You will legally be his daughter too, finally. And we will fight the court here in Japan to have it recognised here too. So, no one will ever say he's not your papa anymore.

Eun-Jung shed a tear and hugged Jin tight. He smiled and sweetly hugged her back, sinking his head in her hair. She smelled like flowers.

-Can I help choose the suits?

-I actually thought to use one of mine, hime.

-NO WAY, papa Jin. It has to be new, bought for the occasion. And I'll make sure they match each other even if you don't see each other. It will be my mission. Oh God, papa Hwoarang in a suit!