AOA 165

“Minchae is your grandson, but he is also my son. Don’t we both wish for our blood relatives to prosper?”

This level of nonsense was top-notch. I had threatened him before, saying I knew that Jo Wonsan’s Autumn Clouds over Geumgang hanging in the Mumuah Art Gallery was a copy. I had warned him that if he touched my family, I would ruin him. Then I cut ties.

However, my biological father assumed that inheriting all of his property was a given. It didn’t work even when I told him that I didn’t need any of that and never to contact me again. Just as it had been before, it felt like talking to a wall. It was the same now.

My aunts’ faces turned grim. Baek Mugyeong also looked visibly displeased. Only grandmother did not lose her smile.

“I heard Park Yuncheon is doing well?”

“Who is that?”

Grandmother interrupted my biological father and mentioned an unfamiliar name. From his reaction, my biological father did not know who it was.

“You don’t know Park Yuncheon? You forgot that? Tsk tsk. Then would you recognize the name Park Minho?”

It was a name I had never heard before, but my biological father’s reaction was dramatic. His face turned pale.

“Madam!”

“You say I’m blocking Minchae’s future? If you just contact Park Yuncheon, Minchae will inherit everything you have. Wouldn’t that actually open the way for him?”

My biological father’s face turned pitch black at Grandmother’s threat. Although I didn’t know who Park Yuncheon was, but that person probably had a grudge against him.

I wasn’t the only one surprised. I could feel Baek Mugyeong’s grip tighten. It was a common saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. However, it was surprising. I knew there would be something, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.

“Do I have to list every single one of your enemies? Is it really that hard to live like strangers?”

“How, how do you know that?”

“Is your bad memory due to getting old? Have you even forgotten who my husband was?”

“No…….”

“If you understand, get lost.”

“I cannot accept this.”

“Now!”

My biological father jumped to his feet when my maternal grandmother yelled. The way she treated him made his face contort in indignation, and he glared at me, my grandmother, and the people around us.

“Do you think I would just sit still?”

“Does your wife know that Minchae sent the waiver of inheritance? It seems she doesn’t. Then I’ll send the waiver to her. Do you trust your wife, who will inherit all your property in Minchae’s place? I don’t think you’ll even be able to drink water at home now.”

“You…….”

“Shut up and go back. Say one more word, and I’ll contact Park Yuncheon right now.”

My biological father, who had been muttering something, clenched his fists. He looked like he wanted to pounce on my grandmother. Both I and Baek Mugyeong were extremely tense.

However, he did not budge. He glared at my grandmother for a few seconds, then turned around and left.

I watched his retreating figure, then turned my gaze to my grandmother. Baek Mugyeong’s joke had become reality. He was right; she had been hiding her strength. With just a few threats, she not only silenced my biological father, who was spouting nonsense, but also chased him away. My heart was overflowing with emotion, and I didn’t know what to say.

“Mom took care of everything.”

“I feel so relieved. You wouldn’t believe how many mean things that man said when Minchae was in the hospital.”

“I will follow in Grandmother’s footsteps.”

Aunt Soyeon, Aunt Jieun, and Baek Mugyeong spoke to Grandmother one after another. Then, Sejun, who had been sitting far away, also came running over.

“Why did it end so quickly?”

My younger sibling, with a surprised look on his face, took the chair where my biological father had been sitting just moments before. Sejun’s face was filled with curiosity.

“Grandma revealed the strength she had been hiding.”

“Huh?”

“She’s a reclusive master. She’s incredibly strong.”

Everyone burst into laughter as I praised Grandmother. Just as Baek Mugyeong had said, she was indeed a grandmother hiding her strength.

“Really? How?”

“He ran away as soon as Grandma said a word.”

“Tell me in detail.”

“When you become an adult. You can’t because you’re still a minor.”

“What kind of rule is that?”

“This kind.”

The adults smiled fondly as we bickered. Sejun asked others to explain the situation to him, but as expected, they remained silent, saying it was harmful to a minor. Only Aunt Soyeon vaguely explained that he had run away because she threatened to spread rumors throughout the neighborhood that he was a bad person.

They burst into laughter again when Sejun, known for his meticulous nature, said he would use the age of 18 as the standard since this was America. I couldn’t help but chuckle too.

Ordinary daily life returned in an instant. It felt like facing my biological father just moments ago had already become something from the past.

I was not fully related to those gathered here by blood. Nor had I lived with them for a long time. Nevertheless, I felt once again that I was being protected by warm and gentle affection.

Feeling emotional, I looked at Baek Mugyeong sitting next to me. The man, sensing my gaze, naturally gave me a look asking what was wrong.

I smiled and squeezed Baek Mugyeong’s hand, which I had been holding for a while.

Joy filled my heart.

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Ending

My eyes flew open without any warning.

I felt as if I had woken up from a good night’s sleep. My mind was clear, and my body felt light. A familiar landscape came into view through my bright vision.

It was the main bedroom in Baek Mugyeong’s penthouse. As soon as I realized where I was, I remembered what had happened between last night and today. I almost bounced upright in bed.

The bedroom was dim thanks to the blackout curtains, but I knew it was midday outside. This was because I hadn’t fallen asleep until well past 7 o’clock in the morning.

“Uh….”

I looked around for Baek Mugyeong. The man who had definitely been by my side until morning was nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, my heart was beating fast. It had already been quite some time since the miracle of dying and returning to two years ago occurred. As my peaceful daily life continued, I no longer paid much attention to the situation unless I was aware of how things had changed since before the regression.

But today was different. It was because it was the day Baek Mugyeong died before the regression. I had been agonizing over what to do since the end of summer. Many things had changed, but I still couldn’t shake the thought that there might be a time limit for miracles.

Eventually, about a month ago, I had an honest conversation with Baek Mugyeong. I suggested that we stay home all day for our safety. Baek Mugyeong laughed and agreed. So, we decided not to take a single step out of bed from last night until this morning.

Baek Mugyeong’s car accident happened around 11 p.m. So I stayed awake all night staring at my phone until 7 a.m., which was midnight Korean time.

A second passed like a minute, and the moment I had been waiting for arrived.

[AM 00:00:00]

As soon as I saw the numbers filled with zeros, I let out a sigh of relief. Then, released from tension, I flopped right there. Baek Mugyeong, who had stayed up almost all night with me, hugged me and said it was time to sleep. Although I mumbled that I didn’t think I would be able to sleep because I was too tired, I fell asleep not long after.

Baek Mugyeong had definitely been right beside me, but he had disappeared. Even though I knew everything was fine, I felt anxious seeing him out of sight. I instinctively checked my phone. It was just past noon. Baek Mugyeong hadn’t left a message. That meant he was at home.

“Mugyeong-ssi?”

I stood up and left the bedroom. My heart was pounding at the thought that something might be wrong.

“Did you wake up?”

I heard Baek Mugyeong’s voice from the kitchen. I ran straight over and hugged the waist of the man who was taking something out of the refrigerator.

“That’s dangerous. What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

“No. I was just surprised I couldn’t see you.”

Even as I said that, I did not let go of the waist I was tightly hugging. To calm my startled heart, I needed to feel that he was alive. Only then did the anxiety clinging to my back finally fall away at the weighty presence.

I just stepped out to get some water.”

Baek Mugyeong, who usually changes his clothes as soon as he wakes up, was still wearing his pajamas. It seemed I had woken up while he had briefly stepped out to get some water.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”

I finally let go of the arms I had been holding and looked at Baek Mugyeong. I hoped my expression wasn’t one of surprise or fear.

“How do you feel?”

“Great.”

“Drink water first.”

Baek Mugyeong opened the bottle of water he had just taken out of the refrigerator and handed it to me. Drinking the water helped me regain my senses a bit.

“As I said earlier, nothing happened.”

“Yes. I know.”

As I answered, I hugged Baek Mugyeong again. The water bottle I was holding sloshed slightly, but I didn’t care.

“Well.”

“Mugyeong, aren’t you really curious? About who gave us this opportunity and why.”

I have spoken about this topic several times. Baek Mugyeong, who did not believe in God, was a realist. He humbly accepted miracles that could not be told to anyone, and never questioned “why?”

He said not to worry, because if some being with the power to perform miracles had given us a chance, they would not want us to repeat the same life.

“No one will answer that question, so don’t worry too much.”

Unlike me, who had been on edge for days and still hadn’t been able to calm down, Baek Mugyeong was the most carefree thing in the world. He had simply warned me to keep in mind that he no longer had any knowledge of the future, so I wouldn’t be able to make money from stocks. I found his boldness both fascinating and enviable.

“You’re right.”

“Nothing will happen to you either.”

Baek Mugyeong gently stroked my hair.  It felt like encouragement that everything would turn out well, and it made me smile.

To be honest, I couldn’t remember the exact day I died. It was because I was feeling so unwell at the time that my sense of time was all over the place.

Unlike how restless and worried I had been about Baek Mugyeong, I wasn’t that scared when it actually became my own situation. I wondered if I should tell Baek Mugyeong that I was fine so he wouldn’t worry.

Is that why Baek Mugyeong was so calm?

One could not look into people’s hearts. That is why Baek Mugyeong insisted that one must speak in refined words.

I tightened my grip on Baek Mugyeong.

“I love you.”

I could feel Baek Mugyeong flinch in surprise at the sudden confession. And soon, a response tinged with laughter came back.

“I love you too.”

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<All Over Again Side Story> End