Take Me to the Sky✔️

Chapter - 5

Jungkook nodded his head. His mother visibly relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from her.

After greeting their father and brother, they sat down at the table. They wanted to know how Jungkook had fared with the choice of his gem, so the boy told them everything with hair and marks, omitting his meeting with Haneul. They congratulated him on his achievement and then started talking about their experiences when they got his gems. Later his mother asked them about his day at work, to which his father responded with "the same old thing", while his brother Jonghyuk did it with "I hate ice cream".

"I doubt it, if it were up to you, you would eat the contents of a refrigerator in one sitting. Besides, you were the one who wanted to work at the ice cream stand during the summer." Her mother answered calmly.

"I'm not that gluttonous," Jonghyuk said. "I only choose the best."

"Yes, you are. And the best for you are the most expensive." Said his father this time.

"Hey, it's not my fault that the best is the most expensive. Besides, I take comfort in trying them once."

"You mean once a day, right?"

Jonghyuk just pursed his lips as he looked at his father with narrowed eyes. It was supposed to be intimidating, but it only made her father laugh more heartily.

"I just wanted to try a new ice cream, but they wouldn't let me." His brother said with a piteous sigh.

"So you're upset that they didn't let you try it for free, right?" Jungkook contributed.

"Seriously, I hate this kid's brain."

His parents started laughing openly at Jonghyuk's comment. And that's how they finished eating, laughing and with the two brothers messing with each other.

After eating, his father and brother took turns showering while Jungkook helped his mother wash the dishes. His father was going to a martial arts exhibition in which a co-worker took part, while Jonghyuk had plans for the entire afternoon with his friends. Very convenient.

Once they were alone, her mother suggested they watch TV to pass the time until Hana arrived. Incidentally, Jungkook asked him more questions, even the most absurd ones that crossed his mind. Her mother was patient enough (God bless her) to answer everything. The sound of the doorbell pulled them out of their conversation. Well, more like questioning, but the details don't matter.

The first thing Hana did after greeting them was to give Jungkook a small dark blue box. It had the name of the store engraved in silver letters along with an imprint of a tree in the same colour. 

Inside was his stone, already carved, along with a certificate rolled into a parchment, explaining the characteristics of the gem and information about its shape and serial numbers that Jungkook did not find important.

The gem had certain transparency and an elongated shape. It was carved in the shape of a hexagonal prism, with its end ending in a point. The lower half was gold and the upper half was purple. The gem was attached to a silver chain to be worn as a pendant.

"You like?"

"I love it, Hana-ssi," Jungkook said as he looked at the gem in fascination.

"Don't be so formal, you can call me noona."

Sitting on the sofa, Hana told them the news of what she had discovered. For Jungkook it was all new, so he could only understand a few things. But from the look on his mother, it was severe.

"So, that guy is back to his old ways, with one of our allies. And we can't use the powers of the tree." His mother snorted in disbelief. "How could this happen, Hana? Why didn't they get in touch before? And why with Jungkook?"

The aforementioned looked carefully at the two women. Her mother didn't take her eyes off Hana, waiting for an answer, while the woman looked down at her hands and bit her lips.

"I'm sorry, Eunji, but I don't have the answer." She said it in an almost inaudible whisper. His mother closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa. "I could not speak to Haneul or any other fairies. I have asked other guides I trust if they have had any contact."

"What did they tell you?" Her mother had straightened up again, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"They told me that no message had reached them. And when they tried to contact the fairies, they couldn't either. It's as if the tree was weak even to reply." Hana ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. "I haven't ... I haven't told you anything about Jungkook. I wanted your opinion first."

Jungkook's mother looked at the coffee table, probably weighing the pros and cons of what could happen. But Jungkook went ahead.

"You should tell her, noona." His mother looked at him in surprise, about to say something. And Jungkook was afraid that he would tell him it was a bad idea, or that it made little sense. "Haneul told me that the tree was dying and that it needed the vital nutrient. I don't know what it is, but if we give it to him, it can fix the problem, right?"

His mother seemed reluctant to give the go-ahead but eventually relented, on the condition that the identity of her son and his gem would not be revealed. "All precautions are low and I want to make sure that whatever is attacking the tree, it doesn't harm my son."

Hana assured him she understood and that she would do the same in his position. This whole situation was something new and unknown to them, and considering that there was someone among them who was betraying them, they couldn't risk letting him know that I had warned them by a 12-year-old boy.

Now anyone close to District 45 should be considered potentially suspicious, as that point was the root of the problem. There were a couple of people Hana could trust to tell them the truth, except for Jungkook's identity, of course. But it would take time to do the proper investigations without raising suspicions and providing the tree with its vital nutrient.

Despite having learned more than he bargained for in a single day, Jungkook still had that curiosity and desire to know more. He didn't know how long it would take for them to have a conversation like this again, probably too long for his liking.

Until that time came, Jungkook would have to learn to be patient and let things happen at his own pace.

This story belongs to @nometoloko on AO3. I'm just her translator. Two chaps in a day. Have fun. 😅