Min-jae remained standing for a brief moment before finally pulling out the chair and sitting down at the table, and that small action alone was enough to draw everyone's attention toward him.
His mother was the first to react, her hands pausing mid-motion as she looked up, surprise flickering across her face before it softened into a warm smile.
"Oh," Lee Sun-young said gently, as if afraid the moment might disappear if she spoke too loudly. "You're eating with us today?"
Min-jae nodded, a little stiff, but sincere. "Yeah. I am."
For a moment, the table fell into an unusual quiet, one that carried more emotion than words ever could.
Then his sister's chopsticks froze halfway to her mouth as she leaned forward, her eyes widening in disbelief while she stared straight at him.
"Huh? Seriously?" Min-seo asked, her tone sharp out of habit, but the shock quickly gave way to open happiness that she did nothing to hide. "What's wrong with you today? Did you finally realize you're part of this family or something?"
Despite himself, Min-jae felt the corner of his lips twitch.
Their father glanced up from his phone, his gaze settling on Min-jae for a brief second as if confirming that what he was seeing was real, before he simply nodded once and spoke calmly.
"Eat while the food is still warm," Kang Hyun-soo said, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
There were no questions and no suspicion in his voice, only quiet acceptance.
Across the table, Min-ho paused his meal and looked at Min-jae more carefully than before, his expression calm and unreadable as he assessed him in silence, before returning to his food.
"It's good that you're eating," Min-ho said evenly. "You've been skipping meals."
Min-jae nodded and lowered his gaze to the food placed neatly in front of him, taking in the familiar sight of rice, soup, and side dishes that had been prepared with care, and when he finally picked up his chopsticks and took his first bite, the warmth spread through him in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature of the food.
His chest tightened unexpectedly, and he had to swallow more than once before continuing to eat.
If I want to change then I need to talk to my family and change this atmosphere, although first I need to fix my body in my age right now I probably don't have a job so I don't really have money.
He looked at his mom,he hesitated, then spoke again.
"Mom."
She looked at him immediately, as if she had been waiting for him to say something. "Yes?"
"I was thinking," Min-jae began slowly, choosing his words with care, "would it be okay if I started going to the gym?"
The reaction was instant.
His mother's eyes widened slightly before lighting up with unmistakable delight, her expression brightening as if he had just given her the best news she had heard in a long time.
"The gym?" she repeated, disbelief and happiness woven together in her voice. "Really?"
Min-seo slammed her chopsticks down on the table without thinking, grinning openly now. "No way. Are you serious? Oppa, are you finally planning to upgrade yourself?"
"Min-seo," their mother said, scolding her weakly, though the smile on her face never faded.
Min-jae nodded. "I want to change," he said quietly, the words carrying far more weight than their simplicity suggested.
Their father set his phone aside and looked at him more directly this time. "Do you have a plan?"
"Not yet," Min-jae admitted honestly, "but I want to start."
Kang Hyun-soo studied him for a moment before nodding slowly. "As long as you don't push yourself too hard."
Min-ho glanced at him again, this time with a trace of interest that had not been there before. "I know a decent gym nearby. It's clean and not too crowded. I can tell you where it is."
Min-jae looked up, surprised by the offer, before nodding. "Thanks."
His mother clasped her hands together lightly, her voice soft with relief. "That's really good to hear. If you want healthier food or need help with meals, just tell me. I'll take care of it."
Something twisted painfully in Min-jae's chest as he listened to her speak.
He didn't understand why this hadn't happened before, or what had gone wrong prior to the accident in his previous life, but he knew that whatever the reason was, he would face it eventually.
After dinner, he stood up first and spoke before anyone else could say anything. "I'm going to shower."
"Don't stay up too late," his mother called after him.
"I won't," he replied.
He then goes upstairs and open the bathroom and rotated the knob to let water come out of the spray head.
The sound of running water soon filled the bathroom as steam gathered in the air, and when the warmth washed over him, it felt as though the heaviness clinging to his body was slowly being carried away.
By the time he returned to his room with damp hair and clean clothes, the house had settled into a peaceful quiet that felt almost fragile.
Min-jae closed the door gently behind him, sat down on his bed, and let out a long breath.