Chapter 92
Chapter 92
As G.o.d as his witness, Sungyoon could talk for a week if he was boasting about s.h.i.+nhae . He wouldn’t even need a break . He wouldn’t get tired of talking, because he would be talking about his s.h.i.+nhae .
He was a father overflowing with love for his daughter, and Chelsea had given up halfway as she listened to him . However, time was always an unavoidable obstacle for humans . In time, everything had to come to an end .
The announcement rang out . The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p bound for Korea was getting ready to lift off .
“It is time . ”
He acted as if he hadn’t been bragging about s.h.i.+nhae all this time . He stopped abruptly . He had fun talking about his daughter, but it couldn’t hold a candle to actually meeting her . Sungyoon wanted to get on the Korea-bound s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p as soon as possible .
“It is!”
Chelsea spoke those words as she got up . She grabbed her stuffed luggage as she got ready to move, but Sungyoon looked confused when he saw this .
“I thought the US-bound s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p isn’t ready yet?”
He hadn’t heard any announcement indicating the US-bound s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was getting ready to leave . There was no reason why Chelsea should be getting up .
He wondered if she had come to see him off, but she was holding her luggage . She wasn’t here to simply see him off .
“Oh? Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to Korea . ”
As she spoke, a brilliant smile appeared on her lips .
“This is my first time going to Korea ever since I accompanied Jimin there one time . It has been a while since I’ve gone on an overseas trip . I’m feeling really good about it . ”
She wanted to unwind all the stress she had acc.u.mulated in Armstrong . She was eager to do so in Korea .
“Is that so?”
That was all Sungyoon said .
He could have asked why she was going to Korea instead of her home, but he didn’t . He wasn’t interested in the answer .
Sungyoon and Chelsea got on the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, and they returned to Korea .
* * *
Jimin had once again brought s.h.i.+nhae to the s.p.a.ce center . The little girl was used to this now . She was happy and excited to meet her father soon, but as expected of someone her age, she was also full of curiosity . This was why she explored the s.p.a.ce center .
Jimin slowly followed s.h.i.+nhae around . She made sure the little girl didn’t do anything that would be considered a nuisance to other people, and she stopped her from going into off-limit areas . Aside from that, she didn’t stop the child from roaming around . A Connector had an unmoving heart, and they were provided stamina through magical energy, and s.h.i.+nhae looked like a Connector receiving energy from an outside source . Her stamina was endless as she roamed around the s.p.a.ce center . She was displaying the boundless energy of a child, and it was a mystery as to where all the energy came from . However, Jimin didn’t complain at all as she followed after s.h.i.+nhae . To everyone that saw them, they were the ideal picture of a mother and daughter .
However, it only lasted until Sungyoon’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p arrived .
Soon, the broadcast announced the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p would be landing soon . Before Jimin could call out to s.h.i.+nhae, the little girl ran to her side .
“Unni! The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p is here!”
The s.p.a.ce center stimulated her curiosity, but it was nothing compared to her meeting her dad . s.h.i.+nhae almost dragged Jimin’s arm as they went to the spot where they always waited for Sungyoon .
The place was full of people like s.h.i.+nhae . They were lining up to greet people coming back from the Moon . Of course, the volume of people couldn"t be compared to the crowds that could be found within normal airports .
It didn’t take too long . The people, who had returned from the Moon, came out in ones and twos . s.h.i.+nhae didn’t want to miss her father coming out, so her eyes were wide-open in concentration . She looked over each person that came out .
“Dad!”
s.h.i.+nhae yelled out loud . Her father, whom she wanted to see, had finally come out .
A bright smile appeared on Sungyoon’s lips when he heard his daughter"s voice . He opened both of his arms . s.h.i.+nhae didn’t hesitate . She ran with all her might and jumped into his arms .
“How are you?”
“Good!”
It had been a while since he had felt the warmth of his daughter . She was still warm .
Jimin slowly followed behind s.h.i.+nhae, who had disappeared from her side in a flash . She walked towards where the father and daughter were having a reunion . However, Jimin’s eyes weren’t on those two . She saw someone unexpected . A person was standing behind Sungyoon, and there was a playful expression on her face .
“h.e.l.lo, Jimin!”
She spoke a bit haltingly when she spoke in Korean . Chelsea waved towards Jimin .
“Chelsea? What are you doing here?”
“This is my first break in a while, so I wanted to see you . ”
s.h.i.+nhae, who had been in Sungyoon’s embrace, raised her head when she heard the conversation between the two unnis .
“Ah . It’s the pretty unni from Moon . ”
“h.e.l.lo! You are s.h.i.+nhae, right?”
“Yes!”
s.h.i.+nhae had seen Chelsea before . Moreover, the two of them had enjoyed a very good time playing outside of Armstrong in a s.p.a.cesuit . Sungyoon had driven everyone outside using the Lunar Surface Vehicle . This was why s.h.i.+nhae wasn’t shy around Chelsea . Still, she didn"t show any signs of separating from her father . She just kept her gaze on Chelsea .
“Oof!”
Sungyoon let out a little grunt as he raised his daughter into his arms . s.h.i.+nhae let out a little scream, and she burst into laughter . Chelsea watched the sight with shock in her eyes .
‘As expected, I can’t get used to this sight . ’
They had come here on the same s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, yet he hadn’t been friendly at all to Chelsea . Now he was pulling all the stops to act charming in front of his daughter . Normally, he had a poker face . Sometimes, she wondered if he was capable of moving his facial muscle . Yet, he was making all kinds of faces currently, and looked silly .
“You received your vacation pretty quickly . Weren’t you supposed to stay another month or two?”
“It got pulled up . I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth . ”
“You don’t have to go home?”
Jimin asked the question as she walked to Chelsea’s side . She was Chelsea"s friend, so she had dutifully asked the question . It was a topic that Sungyoon had blatantly ignored .
“You know what’ll happen if I go home . They’ll ask if I have a boyfriend, and then, they’ll ask when I’m getting married . They’ll ask me to go out on dates . That’s all they’ll ask . ”
She scratched her head as she grumbled .
The United States was the land of the free . From the outside, people thought Americans were very contemporary and progressive in nature . However, the US was a melting pot of races, cultures, and customs from all over the world . There were a lot of progressives and liberals in the US . However, there were a surprising number of conservatives living in the US too . Koreans had a conservative culture, yet they would be surprised how conservative some of the people in the United States could be .
Chelsea’s parents didn’t hold any extreme views, but they held conservative values .
However, Jimin knew conservative values weren"t the only reason why Chelsea’s parents spoke about marriage .
“I can understand why they are worried . Age is age . Aren’t you turning 30 this year?”
They had greeted the new year not too long ago . Chelsea had barely been on that line where she could still call herself to be in her 20s . Jimin knew Chelsea could no longer do that . However, Chelsea grabbed Jimin’s shoulder in anger, and she shook her .
“I’m 28 years old! I haven’t celebrated my birthday yet! You are adding one year to my birth age, and you are automatically adding a year as soon as January 1st arrives! Korean age system is the one that is weird! I’m American!”
It was taboo to talk about a woman’s age . It was a bigger taboo when the front number was about to change .
“Hmm! You are 28 years old in American age . I’m 28 years old in Korean age . ”
“I haven’t seen you in a while, but do you want to throw down right now? I’ll fight you, friend . ”
“Isn’t your birthday in April? It won’t be long before you will be 29 years old in American age . ”
Chelsea charged towards her friend and put her in a playful headlock . The two of them let out squeals of joy . Two beautiful women were laughing, and they were being playful with each other . Their antics drew the eyes of everyone in the surrounding .
“Dad, the unnis are weird . ”
s.h.i.+nhae’s eyes had become round as she pointed her finger towards the two women .
It seemed Chelsea’s indignation had gone away a bit, so she moved away from Jimin .
Jimin tidied up her slightly messed up hair .
“Still, you should go and have a talk with your parents . You know it is hard for you to meet a man in your working environment . ”
She was on Moon where she couldn’t have some fairytale-like encounter with a guy . In fact, she was holed on in her lab, so she barely met any new acquaintances . It was understandable as to why her parents were worried . She had studied ever since she was young, and she only focused on her research when she grew up . She didn’t have any dating experience . She didn’t have much societal experience either .
“In terms of dating, you are in the same boat as me . ”
Chelsea had been too busy with her studies and research to date . Jimin also didn’t have the time to date as she had to run her company . However, Jimin just shrugged her shoulders .
“I’m still 28 in Korean age . Moreover, my birthday is in August . I have time . ”
“Koooooooohk!”
If they were talking about age, Chelsea was two years older . There was no way she could win against Jimin . In the end, Chelsea let out a big sigh .
“You’ve changed . ”
Until a moment ago, Chelsea looked like she would shed bitter tears as she bit her handkerchief . However, she changed her expression as she spoke . She now had a kind expression on her face . She looked like an older sister looking at a younger sister, who was high maintenance .
“I changed?”
“Yes . In the past, you wouldn’t have been playful like this . You always looked like someone that was standing at the edge of a cliff . ”
In the past, her playfulness merely consisted of her threatening Chelsea about not buying her food . However, the current Jimin was much brighter and cheerful when being playful with Chelsea . Of course, she maintained the expression of an ice queen . However, the ice in her face had melted a little bit, and as her old friend, Chelsea could see it .
Jimin placed her hand on her cheek . She found her gaze abruptly turned towards s.h.i.+nhae, who was still in the arms of her father . Her already large eyes were opened wider as she looked at Chelsea and Jimin . s.h.i.+nhae’s blinking eyes were too cute .
Jimin once again moved her gaze . She looked at Sungyoon, who was holding his daughter .
Chelsea and Jimin had caused a big ruckus, and everyone nearby was staring at them . But Sungyoon was the only one, who wasn’t looking at them . His gaze remained on his daughter .
What if Chelsea was right? If she had changed, she could think of only one reason that would have brought on this change .
“In the beginning, I was suspicious . I thought he would stab you in the back . However, I’m relieved he is the Connector contracted to your company . ”
She remembered the instance where Sungyoon had protected her from the trash named Nicholas . His life was put in danger thanks to that incident, yet he didn’t blame her . After that incident, Chelsea completely trusted his character .
Before she knew it, this man and his daughter had started melting the ice within her best friend .
She didn’t know the exact details . She didn’t know to what extent Jimin’s heart had changed . However, Jimin looked a bit shocked as she looked at Sungyoon and s.h.i.+nhae . Chelsea could guess what Jimin’s stance was towards the two of them .
“Shall we go?”
Chelsea spoke in an energetic manner . She pushed Jimin by the back, and called out to the father and daughter . They started to go through the process of exiting the s.p.a.ce center .
Soon, they arrived at the booth where Sungyoon would have to hand over his Devices and Gems for storage . Sungyoon handed over the Devices and Gems one by one . Jimin’s face turned sharp when she witnessed it .
“…the number increased again . ”
How come this guy brought more Gems and Devices each time he came back from the Moon? It was very difficult to find Devices and Gems . Each time he destroyed what she considered to be common sense .
Of course, the increase in the quant.i.ty of Devices and Gems was a good thing for a Connector . Even if a Connector couldn’t use them, they were worth a lot . The problem was the fact that Sungyoon seemed to gain Devices and Gems when his life was in mortal danger .
She wanted to ask, ‘Did you almost die again?’ However, she was barely able to stop herself . If Sungyoon and Chelsea were the only people here, she might have asked it . However, s.h.i.+nhae was here . She had just turned 6 years old . There was no way Jimin would let the little girl hear that her father might have died .
“Hmm? Isn’t it good that he has more Devices and Gems?”
Chelsea didn’t know the exact situation, so she spoke those words . Jimin quietly explained the problem to Chelsea, so s.h.i.+nhae couldn’t hear her . When Chelsea was brought up to speed, her expression didn’t look good either .
“I’ll hear your story at a later time . ”
Jimin spoke in a cold manner . Sungyoon had no choice, and he silently nodded .