Moon's Labyrinths

“Hello, Shinhae . ”

Jimin bent down slightly as she did her best to get on eye level with Shinhae . It seemed Shinhae was still suspicious . She had unfastened the door’s chain lock, so Jimin could only see her through the small crack . Still, it was enough for Jimin to see Shinhae .

‘She looks just like her picture . She is a cute girl . ’

No, she looked better in real life than her picture . However, Jimin could see a darkness shadowing her face . It must be because her father wasn’t here . Shinhae’s mother had abandoned her, and the only person she could rely on was her father .

“Are you Jimin ajumma?”

Jimin’s eyebrows twitched . Unlike her usual self, she had done her best to put on a smile . However, a crack appeared on her face . Of course, she didn’t outwardly express her true emotions, and she decided not to push it too much .

“Yes, I’m Jimin unni . ”

However, there was one thing she wouldn’t allow . She didn’t want to be called an ajumma .

Never .

“Unni made a promise with Shinhae’s father . I told him I’ll make sure you are doing ok . May I come into your house?”

Shinhae stared at Jimin’s face for a moment . Jimin worried Sungyoon had not told Shinhae about the promise she had made with him . Jimin was close to being flustered when it happened .

“Wait a moment . ”

Shinhae closed the door after she spoke those words .

Click!

The last lock was the chain lock . Jimin heard it unfasten from the other side of the door, and in the end, the door was fully opened .

“Please come in . ”

“Pardon me . ”

Jimin was careful as she entered the house .

She took off her shoes and placed her feet on the wood floor . She looked at her surroundings .

There wasn’t much furnishing in the house other than the essentials . In some ways, it was a practical yet boring house . At the very least, her hired help was doing their work well as the house was clean, the dishes had been washed and put away in the cupboard, and not a single mote of dust could be found on the floor .

After her visual inspection, she lowered her gaze . Shinhae reached her waist in terms of height, and she kept fidgeting in place in response to her scrutiny . It seemed she felt awkward since an unfamiliar person had visited her home . Of course, Jimin felt awkward too .

“Mmm . Do you find anything lacking? Do you need anything”

That was all she could come up with . Shinhae shook her head from side to side .

“Do you mind if unni looks around the house?”

From what she could see right now, everything looked good . However, there might be problems somewhere else . As a stranger, it would be rude of her to search the house without consent, so Jimin asked for permission from Shinhae .

This time Shinhae moved her head up and down .

When she received consent, Jimin immediately inspected the house . The rooms were clean, and the refrigerator was clean . Food had been prepared in containers, so Shinhae could eat whenever she wanted . The sheets and blankets were washed not too long ago, so Jimin could smell the scent of the laundry detergent .

In the course of her inspection, she located a sketch book placed on a desk in the smallest room . There were several crayons next to it . It seemed Shinhae had been drawing pictures . Naturally, her eyes were drawn to the sketch book .

Shinhae had drawn two people . A man with short hair was smiling, and a small female child with bobbed hair stood next to him .

‘Did she draw her family?’

It was obvious that it was a picture of Sungyoon and Shinhae . Normally, a child would draw the mother alongside the dad . However, the mother didn’t exist within the picture, but it wasn’t as if the picture was incomplete . Shinhae had been coloring in the background, and it was more than halfway done .

Her mother was no longer her family . Shinhae’s picture made this abundantly clear .

Jimin came back out to the living room and found the little girl sitting in the main room, watching TV . When she realized Jimin had come out of the room, Shinhae quickly got up from her seat .

“Mmm! Were you drawing pictures today?”

“...yes . ”

Shinhae’s voice was cute . It matched her cute face . However, behind her cute appearance, there was pain and loneliness .

It was as if Jimin was looking at her past self .

“...do you mind if unni sleeps here today?”

Maybe that was the reason why she blurted out those unexpected words .

Shinhae looked a little bit surprised . Jimin was surprised too . Of course, a child would be surprised by such a statement made by a stranger . In fact, it was quite rude for a stranger to ask to sleep over at someone’s house .

“This was one of the ways I promised I’ll take care of you . ”

She quickly came up with an excuse . Shinhae looked conflicted, but in the end, she nodded . Jimin’s excuse had worked .

“Thank you . ”

Even as she said those words, she inwardly wondered if she was doing the right thing . She didn’t have any spare clothes, and she didn’t have any make up . She didn’t even have pajamas that she could wear to sleep . She had no choice . She would have to visit her house early in the morning before going to work .

Shinhae entered the main room .

“Hnngh!”

Shinhae let out a cute noise as she quickly dragged something out of the room . It was a blanket . Shinhae’s cute little hands brought out the blanket, and she started unfolding it on the floor of the guest room .

“This is ajumma’s blanket . ”

Shinhae spoke those words, and then she went in to get her sketch book and crayons from the desk .

“Oh my! Did you bring this blanket out for me?”

“Yes . ”

Shinhae replied as she placed the sketchbook and crayons on top of the dining room table . The girl was so cute and well behaved . Jimin knew that Shinhae’s heart had been wounded, and it had made the child mature more quickly . Jimin felt sorry for her .

‘Anyways, I should wash myself before I do anything . ’

Jimin received permission from Shinhae before she used the bathroom .

Nothing remarkable happened afterward . Jimin and Shinhae didn’t have a personality where they became attached to someone they met for the first time .

The silence continued . Shinhae swung her legs on the dining chair as she colored her picture, while Jimin brought out a book she carried around in her purse . She sat in the dining chair as she read the book .

Flash!

A light flashed once again outside the window .

Rumble!

The lightning must have occurred nearby since the lightning and thunder almost simultaneously . Moreover, the thunder was clearly louder now .

‘Is it about to strike again?’

It continued to rain outside even after she arrived here . However, the frequency of the thunder and lightning strikes had decreased . It seemed the thunderstorm was about to pick up once again .

Flash!

Another lightning appeared . It lit up the night sky .

“Oooh...!”

Jimin heard an odd sound from next to her . It sounded like a suppressed cry . Jimin turned to look at the source of the sound .

Shinhae was slightly hunched as she continued to draw her picture . However, something was wrong . Until a moment ago, her crayon had been moving constantly . Her hand had come to a stop .

Flash!

Another lightning flashed, and thunder accompanied it . It sounded as if the sky would fall .

Flinch!

Jimin could clearly see Shinhae flinch, and her body started shaking violently .

“Sniff!”

Shinhae’s shoulders shook . Jimin could also hear small sniffles .

She was only 5 years old . She was at an age where she should be shaking in the arms of her mother from being afraid of the thunderstorm . However, Shinhae didn’t have a mother or a father that she could rely on right now . Shinhae did her best to curl in on herself as she waited for the frightening event to end .

Jimin stood up . She saw her past self when she saw Shinhae . Jimin’s father had always been at the labyrinth, and her bitch of a mother had divorced her father early on . Fortunately, there had been other female figures, who had been like a mother to her . Their presence had made her childhood bearable .

On the other hand, Shinhae had no one .

Jimin calmly placed her hand on Shinhae’s shoulder . Shinhae turned around in surprise . Jimin could see Shinhae’s crying face .

“Are you scared?”

Jimin knew she didn’t have a motherly bone in her body . However, she did her best and tried to put on a soft expression . If Chelsea saw this, she would have run away claiming that she wasn’t the real Jimin . Her current expression differed so much from her normal expression .

Shinhae hesitated before she nodded .

Flash!

Another lightning flashed, and Shinhae’s body jumped in place once again .

“It’ll all be ok . ”

Jimin hugged Shinhae .

“It’ll all be ok . It’ll be fine since ajumma is here . ”

Jimin used the word she hated the most . She called herself ajumma as she consoled Shinhae . It was such an unexpected gesture that Shinhae’s body turned stiff . Jimin could tell that Shinhae didn’t know what to do . However, it only lasted a second .

Flash!

Another lightning flashed, and Shinhae instinctively moved closer into Jimin’s arms .

Jimin thought about her childhood as she patted Shinhae’s back . Of course, she couldn’t dispel all the terror felt by the child . However, Jimin blunted the fear felt by Shinhae . Shinhae realized that there was someone next to her that she could rely on . This fact brought immense sense of security to Shinhae .

Shinhae’s trembling lessened . Of course, she continued to jump whenever she heard thunder . However, she was much more grounded than before .

Jimin continued to hold Shinhae for almost an hour . Jimin didn’t look annoyed that she had to do this . Instead, there was a benevolent smile on her lips .

At some point, Jimin heard even breathing . Jimin carefully moved Shinhae away from her bosom . Shinhae’s tear stained eyes were closed . Her chest rose and fell in a rhythmic fashion . It indicated that Shinhae was asleep . Jimin’s blouse was tear stained, but she didn’t care .

Jimin quietly carried Shinhae into the main room and lay her on top of the bed . She placed a blanket over her, and she stroked her hair once . Shinhae muttered in her sleep as she re-positioned herself . Jimin let out a small smile as she stood up . She quietly closed the door as she exited to the living room, which was attached to the kitchen .

‘What should I do now?’

It wasn’t that late . When she looked at her watch, she saw that it had just turned 10 PM . She could head back home . However, she hesitated . She looked at the blanket that had been spread on the floor by Shinhae .

‘Also, the thunderstorm hasn’t stopped’

Shinhae might be woken up by the sound of thunder . She might cry again . This thought rooted Jimin to the floor .

‘I did tell her that I am sleeping over . ’

She didn’t care if it was an excuse or a legitimate reason . She gave up on the thought of going back home . She tucked herself into the blanket provided by Shinhae . In the end, her breathing became even as she fell asleep .

* * *

She had a dream . It was the time when her father wasn’t as handsome, and her mother wasn’t scary . It was a time when everyone laughed brightly in their big house . When it was morning, her mother would quietly wake her up, and she would grumble that she wanted to sleep more . Then her father would let out a big laugh, and he would pick her up into his arms . Her father would brush his scratchy beard against her cheeks, and she would desperately try to avoid it . She would get up . After eating a hot breakfast, she would say goodbye when her father left for work .

It hadn’t lasted long, but it was the happiest period of Shinhae’s life . However, Shinhae knew this was a dream . It was a memory that she’ll never experience again . Shinhae was young, but she knew this to be true .

“Shinhae . Shinhae . ”

Was she still in her dream? Someone was shaking her awake like before . The voice was warm and kind . Shinhae rubbed her eyes as she woke up, and she unconsciously spoke out .

“Mom?”

Shinhae’s vision came back into focus, and she caught sight of Jimin’s face . She had an awkward expression on her face .

“Mmm . Hello, Shinhae . ”

She let out an awkward smile as she pointed towards the kitchen .

“Would you like to eat some breakfast?”

Before Shinhae could think, she subconsciously nodded .