Chapter 117 - Altered Fates

KJ was practicing how to walk on his own. He held the railing of the bed for support since he still had difficulty in moving his muscles. But he was recovering rapidly. 

It had been a week since he came out of coma and his reports were already showing improvements. His muscles will take two more weeks to regain movement and it will take him a month more to start heavy dancing again. KJ was not bothered about the latter part; as Dasom had pointed out, he was already a lousy dancer.

Painfully stepping forward, KJ felt his muscles crying. It was difficult to even wake up in the morning. Finally, he plopped on the bed, exhausted by the regular exercises. Jade jumped on the bed beside him, curling up to take a good nap. 

KJ patted the cat. It purred under his touch. Jade did not utter a single word ever since they came out of their coma. He recalled the last conversation they had before KJ chose to return…

….

"Is that your final decision?" the cat had asked.

"Yes," KJ replied. "But that does not mean that I'm not returning."

Jade raised his eyebrows. "It won't be easy," he said. "Seeing the girl you love with someone else."

"It isn't supposed to be," KJ said. "But it's what I chose and I'll live with it. I'm not returning to reconcile with a non-existent relationship. I'm returning there to protect the relationships I have right now. Besides, I was running away all these years like a coward, leaving behind everything. But now...now I'll have to finish what I started."

"That's the spirit," Jade encouraged. "I'll send you back then."

"Wait," KJ frowned. "Aren't you coming too?"

"I used up too much of my spirit energy," Jade said. "By bringing you here, my last remaining power has been used up. It will take me awhile to recover. I will be sleeping inside the cat's body until my energy recovers. But even if I recover, I won't be able to use any of the powers that red lady gave me."

"But you will return, right?" KJ questioned the cat. He could not help but feel concerned. After all, Jade was a reincarnation of his unborn son…

"I'll be fine, KJ," Jade sighed. "It will take some time but I'll recover soon. Till then, my body will be like that of a normal cat's. You won't hear from me for some time. But I will return after my spirit energy increases. Meanwhile, you should return. You don't have much time left. Your body will stop functioning soon. I'll send you back."

Before KJ could open his mouth, Jade lit up a circle around them. 

"KJ, you don't have time!" Jade exclaimed as a blue light began to twirl around them. "You have to return and change Mirae's fate! Otherwise she'll end up the same way she did in the previous timeline."

"How do I do that?" KJ asked as the light began to engulf him. 

Jade mouthed something but KJ could not hear him. The light was too bright, blinding him. He closed his eyes as the light's brightness hit him.

Suddenly the brightness died down. His head felt heavy and confused. Amidst the confusion, he heard a voice.

"Please wake up…" a voice called out for him. It was faint but he could hear it. The voice sounded familiar as if the person had been waiting for him for a long time. He wanted to reach out to the voice, find that person.

Wake up! He willed himself but his body would not move. Move! He ordered himself. Wake up!

With sheer force, he fluttered his eyes. He used all his energy to open them, wanting to reach the person who was waiting for him. 

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw a pair of green pupils staring right into his.

….

The door opened and shut, making KJ snap out of his reverie. A doctor entered the room to check his vitals.

"Your condition is improving rapidly," the doctor informed him. "Even though the muscles are still stiff from the month long coma, regular exercise should make them return to normal in no time."

"Thank you, doctor," KJ said in gratitude. 

"You should thank your friends," the doctor replied. "They were here all the time, looking after you. Especially that masked girl. She was here everyday and didn't even leave your side.She practically lived here, taking care of you and your cat."

KJ smiled at that news. Even though He only saw Mirae once after he recovered, it was nice to hear that she was there for him during his unconscious state. He knew she was catching up on Abyss' work and planning for how to capture Teppei next month. Plus, if he was not wrong, she and Ash were catching up on their relationship. Even if it pained him, he decided to let them live their lives. 

After all, it was his decision to alter their fates.

….

Mirae dozed off on Ash's shoulder. She was exhausted from the day's activities and was falling asleep as soon as they entered the car. Ash let her rest as he drove home. Since KJ was at the hospital and was well protected there, he drove them towards his house which was closer.

Upon reaching his parking lot, he carried Mirae in his arms, careful not to wake her. She snuggled against his chest, oblivious to her surroundings. He had put his jacket over her face in order to hide her identity. It will be disastrous if her face was caught in his building's CCTV.

Entering his penthouse, he carried her straight to his room. Laying her on the bed, Ash took off her shoes and jacket. Mirae stirred when she felt her jacket was being pulled off. She woke up to find Ash putting a blanket over her. He noticed that she had woken up.

"We're at my place," he informed her. "Since, KJ is at the hospital, you can stay here for tonight."

"Okay," Mirae replied, sitting up. 

"You should rest," Ash said, trying to push her back to bed but Mirae shook her head. 

"Thanks for today," she said quietly, her cheeks flushed red. "I really enjoyed a day out after a long time."

Ash pinched her cheek. "You're being coy," he teased. 

Mirae blushed further, pinching him on the arm as he laughed. She edged closer to him, putting her arms around his neck. He puller her on his lap, stroking her back.

"I missed you," she admitted. "I missed being with you. I was so afraid that Madam Hong would harm you and when she almost did I…"

Tears began to swell up as her voice choked. Ash smoothed her face, holding it. 

"I'm here," he whispered. "And I'll stay by your side. All you have to do is trust me."

Mirae inched forward and pecked him on the cheek. "I do," she said. "But I'm still afraid. What if the Cartel finds out? And after that incident at the concert, I'm scared. We didn't even find the culprit! What if the Cartel was behind it and-"

She broke off. "It's so hard to keep an eye on both of you," she admitted. "If KJ is safe, then you fall in trouble. If you are safe, KJ is in danger. I don't know where to go!"

Ash listened to her intently. "We'll think about all that tomorrow morning," he said. "Right now, you need a proper rest. Go to sleep."

Mirae pouted. "I'm not tired!" she weakly protested, trying to stifle a yawn. "We're together after...such a long…"

She began to doze off mid sentence. Ash snickered before untangling himself from her embrace and laying her back on the bed.

"Sleep, perv," he poked her cheek. Mirae sighed. She took off her jeans to make herself more comfortable while Ash took a towel and went into the bathroom. Watching him head into the bathroom, gave her an idea to follow him in. She almost worked on that particular instinct when his sharp voice came out.

"Coming in here won't help," he said sternly. "Sleep!"

Grumbling, Mirae pulled the blanket over her and soon, sleep overcame her.