Chapter 53: The Shadow of a Father
The front door of the Kimo residence creaked open as Kimo stepped inside. His breathing was heavy, and his left sleeve was torn, revealing a jagged, bloody cut on his forearm. His clothes were caked in dust and grime—he had jumped straight into another minor mission after returning from the mansion.
"Seo Yun?" he called out, his voice raspy from exhaustion. "Seo Yun, I'm home."
He walked into the kitchen, expecting to see his wife preparing dinner or a lamp lit on the table. But the room was dark and cold. A sense of unease settled in his gut. He checked their bedroom, then moved toward the upper floor.
"Lai? Are you there?"
He pushed open the door to Mina's room, and the scene inside made his heart stop.
Mina was curled up on her bed, her face pale and her eyes wide with lingering trauma. She was shaking so violently that the headboard was rattling. Sitting beside her was Lai, her brother, holding her hand, while Seo Yun sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes red from crying.
As Kimo entered, Seo Yun stood up. Her grief instantly turned into a cold, sharp fury.
"Oh, look who decided to show up," she hissed, her voice trembling with rage. "The great Vane Master. The hero of the Academy."
"Seo Yun, what happened?" Kimo asked, stepping forward. "Why is Mina in this state?"
"Do you even care, Kimo?" she shouted, poking a finger into his chest. "While you were out chasing monsters and 'making money' for the Academy, your own daughter was almost killed! Some thugs cornered her in an alley. They were going to end her life, Kimo! Where were you then? Where was her 'hero' father?"
Kimo went numb. He looked at Mina, who wouldn't even meet his eyes. "Thugs? In Sector 1? How..."
"It doesn't matter how!" Seo Yun snapped. "What matters is that a stranger did your job. Some boy happened to be there and fought them off. He saved her life while you were busy being a Sensei to everyone else's children."
Kimo knelt beside the bed, his face a mask of guilt. "A boy? Who was he?"
Lai looked up at his father, his expression stern. "Mina kept repeating his name once she felt safe enough to talk."
Kimo's brow furrowed. "What was it? Do we know him?"
"His name is Ren," Lai said firmly.
The name hit Kimo like a physical punch to the gut. The room seemed to spin. Ren? The same kid I just sent home? The kid I've been tracking like a laboratory animal? Kimo looked at his blood-stained hands, the weight of his hypocrisy crashing down on him. The boy he didn't trust was the only reason his family was still whole.