Moon’s Labyrinths Chapter 31

Chapter 31
Chapter 31
“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 .