âDâ¦dadâ¦?â
ââ¦What?â
My mind went blank at the word.
It was something Iâd neither said nor heard in my entire life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Did I just hear that right?
âDid he really just say⦠Dad?â
I narrowed my eyes, staring hard.
No matter how I looked at him, the kidâs face was a perfect match to my own younger self.
At most, he looked about sevenâdefinitely no older than ten.
Small and scrawny, just like I had been before my transformation.
And those eyesâ
Sharp and rebellious, full of dissatisfaction, yet staring straight at me with an odd mix of curiosity and determination.
â...â
No matter how I looked at himâhe was me.
The problem wasâ
ââ¦What the hell is this?â
What exactly was he?
He couldnât possibly be my past self, so whoâor whatâwas this kid?
And why the hell was he sitting on Namgung Bi-ahâs lap?
â...â
â...â
We locked eyes for a moment.
After a few seconds, the kid made the first move.
He slipped off Namgung Bi-ahâs lap.
ââ¦Ahâ¦.â
Namgung Bi-ah let out a faint sound, as if disappointed.
Was I imagining that?
The kid landed softly on the floor, eyes still fixed on me, and started walking over.
The closer he got, the more I could see itâ
God, he really did look like a brat.
Even as a kid, he had the kind of face that just begged for a scolding.
But before I could reactâ
Thud.
ââ¦?â
He suddenly wrapped himself around my leg.
His tiny bodyâbarely big enough to reach my kneeâclung to me tightly.
âWhat theâ¦â
Just as I tried to pull awayâ