Moon's Labyrinths

It had been a while since the three ladies had met their grandson, so they did their best to make Shinwoo very comfortable. When Shinwoo had been young, both his parents were usually very busy, so he was frequently in his grandmothers' care. If one considered the amount of love his grandmothers had shown him, he might be closer to his grandmothers than to his parents.

“How’s work? Is it going well?”

Hweeyoung asked as she peeled an apple. It was very unlike his normal self, but Shinwoo directly took a piece of the apple from Hweeyong with his mouth. It looked as if he were a baby bird taking food from the mother bird.

“It’s ok. I can’t complain.”

“You should always be careful. Your life's on the line.”

Aiin quietly spoke. The three of them had lost their husband in the Great labyrinth. Of course, Jungbum had died at the hands of Hyunwoo, but this didn’t mean the labyrinths weren’t any less dangerous.

“If you don’t know something, don't forget to ask me.”

Plu-El also spoke up.

Unlike Connectors, who visited the Moon for some period, Plu-El and her people had lived on the Moon. Regarding labyrinths, her advice was more helpful than most others'.

The three of them spoke from different perspectives, but in the end, they treasured Shinwoo. Receiving this love, he once again felt overjoyed.

“Now that I think about it, how are my uncles and aunt doing?”

“Your uncles are doing the same. They came for a visit a while ago.”

“Nothing particularly good has happened, and nothing bad has happened either. They are doing well.”

Aiin and Hweeyoung spoke one after another. Thankfully, Woosang and Woosung were doing fine.

“Your aunt is also doing well. She’s as close as ever to her husband.”

Plu-El told him about Soyoung. Soyoung was born on the Moon, but she had quickly adapted to Earth’s culture. She wasn’t facing many difficulties as she had created a family for herself.

“Ah! Now that I think about it, Mr. Aruwen wanted me to give you his regards, Grandma Plu-El.”

“Oh my! Really? Is he still staying inside the capital of Planote?”

“Yes. He keeps saying it's his duty to keep an accurate account of what happened to the people of Planote. He called it his last mission. He said it doesn’t matter if the truth is good or ugly. He’ll continue to find more information about Planote.”

Aruwen had chosen to walk down the path of a historian. He was working hard to find even one additional piece of information about Planote.

“I don't want to offend you by asking this question, but was Mr. Aruwen always like this?”

From Shinwoo’s experience, Aruwen was a brusque person. Yet, he answered any question Shinwoo asked. He was a bit standoffish, but he also took good care of Shinwoo.

Plu-El let out a bitter laugh.

“His personality wasn’t just beyond bad. He was a dumpster fire. I’m glad he’s doing well.”

“Yeah. He usually researches, but sometimes, he goes to the grave of a man named Tiotudo to drink some alcohol.”

“I see.”

A distant look appeared in Plu-El’s eyes. She thought about the distant past where she, Tiotudo, and Aruwen had been inseparable.

Hweeyoung and Aiin rubbed Plu-El’s back from each side. Over time, they had become as close as sisters, so Plu-El quietly laughed at their attempts to comfort her.

***

‘I think that’s all the tasks I have to complete for now.’

Shinwoo still had to look up a lot of people; he still had to meet friends and acquaintances. However, he had plenty of time to do all that later.

‘I should start heading back since it's almost time.’

Shinwoo slowly pressed down on the gas pedal. However, he didn’t immediately head toward his house. He had someone to pick up before that.

‘As expected, she came outside. I told her I would contact her when I got here. Yet, she waited on the street like this.’

When he arrived at his destination, he grumbled at the sight of her waiting for him on the street. However, he had expected something like this. He gave up since he knew this was the type of person she was.

She opened the door and got into the car. A smile appeared on Shinwoo’s lips. He was always gentle yet serious in front of his younger siblings. He always tried to maintain the attitude of an older brother, but he no longer kept up that act. The way he now acted was similar to how his younger siblings behaved around him.

“It has been a while, Woo Shinwoo.”

“Indeed it has, Noona.”

He was the reliable big brother to all his younger siblings, but now, he was the younger sibling instead. In front of Shinhae, Shinwoo’s attitude relaxed without him realizing it.

***

“How have you been?”

“The same. Nothing really changes on the Moon. What about you, Noona?”

“Nothing new for me either. Company life is all the same.”

Shinhae stretched her arms in an attempt to get rid of the stress of being a part of society.

“That's why you should've applied to Mom’s company.”

“It’s fine. I want to set up myself using my own power. I’ve already received a lot of help from our parents.”

“I received a lot of Gems from father. You're going to make me feel small if you keep talking like that.”

“No way! How can you compare my work to yours, where you have to put your life on the line?”

They had met after a long time, so they continued to converse in an affectionate manner.

“It really has been a while since all our family members gathered in one place, right, Noona?”

“It's to be expected. We're all busy. Still, this is good timing. I have something to tell everyone.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“I’ll tell you a little bit later.”

Shinwoo smirked when Shinhae winked at him.

***

When the two of them reached home, they found the house as noisy as ever.

“It finally feels like home. It really was quiet without you guys.”

“We do have a big family. Also, it's not like our kids are well-behaved and quiet.”

The sight that could be seen from the front door was ridiculous yet nostalgic.

“You know what? I found this while I cleaned your room. It looked quite precious. You should store it better.”

“Huh? What…! Wait a moment! Why do you have that, Mom!”

Chelsea cackled as she held the diary her daughter had written in middle school. Shinhwee’s face turned red as she snatched away the diary.

“You should relax a little bit. You're too stiff.”

“As your and Father's son, I have to maintain a certain amount of decorum. I can't bring shame to my parents.”

Grace gave some advice to Shinhyun, who was being unnecessarily stiff, but Shinhyun sounded proud of his own behavior.

“Are you really going to fight up close? Isn’t it too dangerous? Are you trying to make your oppa, unni, and me worry about you?”

“It... it isn’t like that, Mom. I think it’ll be safer to follow a path I'm better suited for.”

Emily kept sighing at her daughter’s decision, and Shinbi was at a loss as to how to deal with her mother.

“Where were you today? I heard from Shinbi that you cut class to go meet a woman. You did so knowing it's an important day today.”

“Mom, it isn’t like that.”

As expected, even Shinjung couldn’t screw around in front of Jiyoon. Cold sweat erupted on his back as he came up with an excuse.

“How should I say this? It finally feels like home right now. Am I weird for feeling that way?”

“Really? I think something is still missing.”

“Missing?”

Shinwoo blinked. The sight in front of him was like old times, so he had no idea what was missing.

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’

To be precise, he felt uneasy that his Noona was looking at him with mischievous eyes.

“Shinwoo and Shinhae, you guys are here.”

“Ah, Mom!”

“Yes. We're here, Mom.”

Jimin entered through the front door and greeted the two. It had been a while since Shinwoo had seen his mother, so he greeted Jimin with great joy.

For a short time, everyone exchanged information about what was going on in their everyday life. They finally felt like they were home.

Shinwoo became excited as he gave a detailed account of what he was doing on the Moon. Jimin, who had been quietly listening to the story, suddenly frowned.

‘Shit!’

To boast about his own exploits, Shinwoo had spoken about one of the dangerous things he had done. He quickly shut his mouth, but the water had been spilled.

“How can you do that? I always told you to put safety above all...!”

Jimin started scolding him. Shinwoo just lowered his head. He knew this would go on for much longer if he tried to give an excuse. Therefore, he sealed his mouth shut and quietly listened to Jimin’s scolding.

As he kept his head down, he glanced at Shinhae’s face. She was laughing and enjoying his predicament. There was also a nostalgic look on her face.

‘This is what she meant.’

She had said something was missing, and he finally understood what she had meant.

‘The thing missing was me!’

To be precise, it was him being scolded by his mother. When Jimin’s scolding rang out through the house, it truly felt like the old times.

Click!

The front door opened.

“Everyone is here.”

A familiar baritone voice reached everyone's ears. Shinwoo looked up as if a savior had descended from the heavens. In fact, he was right in using the word savior. The person who had just entered the house would save Shinwoo from Jimin’s scoldings.

“Dad!”

Shinwoo greeted Sungyoon with a delighted expression.

***

Most of Sungyoon’s family lived busy lives. Aside from the scheduled breaks, their workdays were long and hard. There were large parts of the calendar where they had no breaks. That was why the family had scheduled two days in a year where they all gathered at home for dinner. For their family, this was the biggest event.

Scrumptious food was laid out on the table as all of them sat around the desk in a circle. They conversed with each other and caught up with each others' lives. Sometimes they laughed, and sometimes, the mood became serious; at times, they also nagged each other. Shinwoo felt very happy about being in this unfiltered atmosphere amongst his family.

“I have something to tell you all.”

Shinhae never lost her smile, but a serious expression appeared on her face. Everyone turned to look at her, and Shinhae met gazes with each member of the family. After looking into Sungyoon’s eyes in the end, she dropped a bomb.

“I have someone I like, and I want to marry him.”

The bomb had a powerful effect. Sungyoon was a battle-tested hero, yet he was the first one to become speechless. Then, all of Shinhae's mothers became stunned; all of her brothers and sisters stopped eating as well.

“M-marriage?”

Sungyoon was never flustered to this extent even in front of Grenoid.

“Who…!”

He barely opened his mouth.

“Marriage? You want to marry someone? What kind of person is he?”

Chelsea reacted the fastest. There was excitement in her voice, and everyone felt as if she had raised the temperature inside the room.

“Have you thought this through?”

“You know this isn’t an ordinary family. You have to choose your marriage partner especially well. You know that, right?”

“Of course, she knows what she is doing. What kind of a person is he?”

“Do you have a picture?”

All of her mothers started asking questions at the same time, but they didn't show any disagreement with Shinhae's decision. They just showed curiosity and worry for her.

“Unni, Unni! What kind of a person is he? Is he handsome? What about his personality? Does he show you enough love?”

“You should calm down a little bit before you question her, Woo Shinhwee! However, Shinhwee does have a point! What kind of a person is he?”

“Noona! Men are all wolves! You have to be sure before you marry...!”

“You're the enemy of all women, Woo Shinjung! You have no right to say those words!”

“That is why I’m most qualified to speak about this to Noona! You guys should shut up and let me speak!”

All of Shinhae's siblings spoke up with their opinions. There was no opportunity for Sungyoon to open his mouth.

That was how Shinhae dropped an explosive announcement on an amicable dinner, and the dinner turned into a war of questions.

***

It was the day of the full moon. Sungyoon sat on a chair in the yard as he looked up at the bright Moon.

‘It was a full moon on that day too.’

He thought about the day when his ex-wife and his best friend had stabbed him in the back. He vividly remembered looking up at the full moon that day. Of course, the emotions he felt right now were completely different from the emotions that he had felt back then. The only similarity was that he still felt a bit restless.

Suddenly, someone hugged him around the neck from the back.

“What are you doing here, Dad?”

“I’m looking at the Moon.”

Shinhae kept her arms around his neck as she looked up at the sky with him.

“It's the full Moon. Now that I think about it, wasn’t it a full Moon when she had betrayed you?”

Sungyoon took a firm grip of Shinhae’s hands.

“Don’t worry about me, Dad. I’m fine now. I have mothers better than my birth mother. I have five of them, and they gave me so much love. Even if that woman lived and died a hundred times, she wouldn’t be able to give me as much love as my mothers did. Also, I have you, Dad. You gave me more love than anyone.”

“That’s…”

“Yes! That’s why you shouldn’t worry about me, Dad.”

The strength drained away from his hands. However, it was Shinhae’s turn to grip Sungyoon’s hands.

“He's a good person. He lived a tough life starting from a young age, and he's a hard worker. In that aspect, he's similar to you, Dad.”

Sungyoon smirked.

“Still, I’m going to check if he's a scrub or not.”

“That’s a given. You're my dad.”

Shinhae was well aware of the fact that Sungyoon put her well-being above all else.

“There were three people in our family, then it got reduced to two. Now, we have a much larger family. It's the same thing. We're just gaining one more family member.”

“Don’t you think there are too many rascals in our larger family now?”

Shinhae burst out in a laugh at Sungyoon’s complaint.

“Still, they are cute kids.”

Sungyoon didn’t deny that.

“You have to bring that man to me as soon as possible. I have to see what kind of a man he is.”

“Yes. I’m sure you will like him.”

“No. There's no way!”

Sungyoon flatly denied her assertion.

While the father and daughter affectionately conversed with each other, another shadow approached them.

“What are you two doing here?”

“Ah! Mom.”

Shinhae caught sight of Jimin, who was slowly approaching them.

“Heh heh! It has been a while, but I’m having a date with Dad.”

“Oh my! I'm jealous. Do you mind if I join you guys on your date?”

“Mmm. It’s a shame, but I’ll make a concession. After all, Dad is yours.”

“Hoo hoo! Shinhae knows us well.”

Grace approached from behind Jimin and spoke with a smile on her lips.

“Ah! Then I’ll join in too! I also have a right to my husband, hmm?”

“To be precise, you can have one-fifth of him. You can’t encroach into our share of him.”

“Should we call up King Solomon to see how we should divide him up?”

Chelsea, Emily, and Jiyoon appeared in the yard after Jimin and Grace.

“Uh! What the hell! Something fun must be happening outside with our moms and dad?”

“Really? Wow! That’s so unfair. It has been so long since we’ve all gathered here. You should also include us!”

All of Sungyoon's children followed their mothers outside. Sungyoon and Shinhae looked at each other, then they burst out laughing at the same time.

It was like before inside the house, and the yard was filled with raucous sounds.

The Moon quietly looked down at the loving moment between the family as if it were blessing them.

<Fin>