Sunghoon had been preparing for this meeting for days.In his head, he ran through countless scenarios, having no idea what to expect. After all, as a child who remembered absolutely nothing, he had been raised by his grandmother—the woman who found him and gave him care and love, even though life had always been financially difficult for her.
Now, he was sitting at a table with his biological parents and brother—the very people he had lost because of Jay. That cursed vampire had turned his life upside down, making it painful and complicated.
His hand trembled as he held his spoon. He had the distinct feeling that the woman who was his mother had been watching him the entire time.
Was she uncomfortable with the fact that Niki had introduced him as a new friend from a poor background? Or perhaps... her intuition was telling her that he was someone much closer to her heart?And it wasn't just her—he noticed that the man who was his father also kept glancing at him.
At that moment, Sunghoon felt like an intruder.
Niki saw the shocked faces of their parents, who didn't seem to fully comprehend what was happening. He got the sense that they would figure out the truth before he even said it aloud.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he glanced playfully at his younger brother. He could clearly see how anxious Sunghoon was, and their parents' stares weren't helping.
"Thank you for the meal," the eighteen-year-old said, placing his hands together. "I'm grateful to have been a part of this dinner. Everything was delicious."
"Make yourself at home. You should," Niki replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin, then looking at their parents."I have a surprise for you," he added, pulling a folded paper from his pocket and placing it in the middle of the table. "It might be shocking, but I get the feeling you already suspect something, so hopefully there won't be any dramatic tears."
The father reached for the paper, but his wife gently placed her hand on his, stopping him.
"I feel like I'm dreaming… like this can't be real, especially after so many years…"
Sunghoon swallowed nervously.
"What do you mean, Mom?" Niki asked, though he already knew exactly what she was getting at.
"How is it possible that he's alive? How did you find him, Niki?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears as she looked straight at Sunghoon."How could I not recognize you, even if you were just a child back then? You look so strikingly like your father did when he was young…"
Shivers ran down the teenager's spine as the woman stood and walked over to him. She knelt beside him, and the stunned Sunghoon turned toward her, meeting her eyes hesitantly.She took his hands in hers, gazing at his pale, frightened face.
"What happened to you all these years? How can you be alive if the police confirmed your death? Please explain…" she said tearfully, shedding silent tears.
The father finally opened the paper and stared wide-eyed at the DNA test results, unable to believe that his youngest son was sitting right in front of him—just like that—after being presumed dead for so many years.
"It's a long story," the boy answered with a trembling voice. "I lost my memory after a traumatic event—an animal attack. I was taken in by an older woman, my grandmother. Thanks to her, I'm alive."
The woman stood up suddenly and threw her arms around him, hugging him so tightly it was hard for him to breathe.
"This is the happiest day of my life… I didn't believe in miracles until the moment you walked through that door. Every day without you was a nightmare, and I couldn't forgive myself. For all those years, your father and I blamed us for your death. We weren't there to protect you... It's our fault. I'm so sorry."
Niki watched as their father rose from his chair and came over from the other side to embrace his younger son, resting his chin on top of his head. A single tear rolled down his cheek—a silent confirmation that he too had missed him deeply and carried guilt for the tragedy that happened so many years ago.
"Okay, okay… one more second and you're going to suffocate him, for God's sake," Niki said, rolling his eyes.But inside, he was happy. Deeply happy that his little brother had been found alive and well—and now that Jay was finally gone, maybe they could all find some peace and happiness again.
Sunghoon was in such shock that he didn't know how to react. So he just sat there quietly, letting them hold him and rejoice in his return.Even though they were his biological parents, at that moment, he didn't yet feel like they were his real family. That would take time—time to give them a chance, to possibly grow to love them.
Currently, only one person was his true family—his grandmother. She was the one he loved most in the world.
*
It's a Sunday afternoon when the sisters sit in Wonyoung's room, looking at each other with cheerful eyes. Each of them is happy because Jay's curse has finally come to an end. Only now could they feel free and enjoy every moment, drawing and coloring their lives anew.
"Can you believe that jerk was in love with me?" Wonyoung doesn't know the truth and naively repeats the words she heard from Jay. "Not that I care. When I heard it, I was happy because Sunghoon got jealous."
The sisters roll their eyes, bored with the topic. So much time has passed, and they're still not together. It's obvious there's love between them, and yet they're still waiting for a sign from the heavens to take the next step.
"Did you at least kiss?" Sullyoon asks, frowning. Wonyoung clears her throat nervously and tosses her hair over her shoulder.
"No, we just cuddled. That's already intimate enough," she replies, giggling nervously.
"How old are you? Are you in kindergarten?" Yuna snaps at her.
"Our peace was disturbed by Jay. We couldn't even think about what we meant to each other. All we wanted was to get rid of that bastard so we could move on," the nineteen-year-old defends herself.
"Seriously, if he's afraid to make the first move, you do it. Kiss him, for heaven's sake!" Yuna won't back down.
"Don't worry about me. Now that Jay is gone, and Sunghoon is reconnecting with his biological family, I'm sure things will work out between us."
"Unless Niki starts messing things up now."
"I kissed Niki!" Sullyoon's unexpected confession makes both sisters go pale. "I've been in love with him for a long time."
"What?" Yuna swallows hard. "Wait... did you talk about this when I was drunk? That night, after the party?"
"At first it was a secret crush, but now I think he really cares about me and doesn't see me as just a friend. He kissed me at the party."
"It's okay. Niki has my blessing. We reached an understanding. He genuinely cares about Sull. Besides, he clarified it that I could get closer to Sunghoon," Wonyoung reveals.
"Wait, what? You traded our little sister to that bastard in exchange for Sunghoon?" Yuna scolds her with a look.
"Are you crazy? I just see that he truly cares about Sullyoon. He's in love with her."
"Amazing how quickly he jumped from you to the youngest sister," Yuna says, shooting her a furious glance. "Okay, since this is turning into sisterly confessions, I have something to share too. Though mine's a bit more shocking and sad."
"Should we be scared?" Sullyoon widens her eyes, unsure what to expect from her wild sister.
"Kill me, but I realized some time ago that I'm in love with the biggest womanizer at our university."
Wonyoung opens her mouth, suddenly feeling faint. She leans back, barely catching herself with her hands.
"Please tell me it's not our friend..."
"Relax, he doesn't feel the same. He made that clear after one party... after we drunkenly slept together."
"I will faint." Sullyoon waves a notebook in front of her face, one she had just grabbed from Wonyoung's desk. "Tell me this is a joke. I love Jake as a friend, but he's the kind of guy no one should fall for. Especially not you, Yuna. You're the strongest out of all of us."
"I wouldn't have expected it either. I thought I'd get over it quickly, even started ignoring him, but he won't let me. I have such a weakness for him, and the worst part is he clearly told me he doesn't see me as a woman. I know he was always into Somi, she was the only one he took seriously, and she rejected him."
"Unrequited love sucks. I felt the same before Niki started showing interest in me," says Sullyoon.
Wonyoung snatches the notebook from her youngest sister and smacks Yuna on the head with it.
"You're the smartest one out of all of us, so how is this possible? You're anti-romantic, so what love, Yuna? Why Jake, of all people?"
"You're asking me? Why are you in love with Sunghoon?" the brunette fires back, then turns to Sullyoon. "And you? How can you love that idiot Niki for years? What do you see in him?"
"He's sweet and caring with me. Sunghoon's a golden boy, so Wonyoung made the perfect choice. But you? Falling for the worst womanizer? And you slept with him?"
"Kill me for it!" Yuna shouts. "Don't you get it? The heart doesn't listen to reason. I can't help it. I tried to fall out of love..."
The younger sisters sigh, then sit closer on either side of the twenty-year-old and rest their heads on her shoulders.
"We're here for you, always. And we'll totally kick his ass."
*
— Are you okay? — The brothers walk side by side. The older one wraps his arm around the younger. The cold air brushes their faces, causing a blush to appear on their cheeks. — They're pleased, which is why they didn't want to let you leave the house. Consider their request to move in and rebuild the bonds that were broken by that envious Jay. I know you need time, that this is all shocking to you, but we're your family — both us and your grandmother, who raised you.
Sunghoon stops halfway and looks at Niki with a lost expression.
— I still can't process what's happened in my life. I feel like I'm in some melodrama, or like I just woke up from a dream and I don't even know if I want it all to be real. It's not about you, my real family, but about how important my grandmother is to me.
Niki gives him a slight smile, then pats him on the shoulder.
— No one is erasing your grandmother. She's part of your family. What did your parents say? — Sunghoon looks up and meets his brother's gaze. — They really want to meet her and thank her for raising such a great person. They're grateful to her because it's thanks to her that you're alive.
— I'm just worried about how she'll feel when she finds out I found my biological family. What if she feels sad that she won't be the only one in my life?
— Honestly? I think she'll be happy — Niki replies. — Isn't it true that when you love someone, you feel better seeing their happiness?
Sunghoon furrows his brows, grimacing at his brother's words.
— Seriously, when did you get so deep? This doesn't sound like you at all.
Niki laughs.
— Of course, because everyone just sees me as the jerk who listens to heavy music.
The eighteen-year-old smiles.
— I'll call Grandma today and talk to her. I'll visit her next weekend and suggest a meeting. I want her to move into a new place. I've got an apartment for her.
The twenty-year-old looks surprised.
— You have an apartment? Did you rent it?
— No. Jay left me the entire inheritance — Sunghoon announces, looking at his brother's surprised face.
— What? Why did he do that?
— He wanted to make up for all the years of suffering. Strange, right? — He shrugs, hiding the truth that only he knows. — He transferred everything to me. He told me about it before he died.
— Strange, yeah — Niki agrees, then adds: — Well, now you don't have to worry about money. You come from a wealthy family. You can provide your grandmother with a comfortable life.
— No, Niki. I won't take a single penny from you. That's not why I wanted to meet my family.
The twenty-year-old rolls his eyes. He knows arguing with him is pointless. Sunghoon is stubborn, so he'll end up getting his way anyway.