Chapter 158: Chapter 158: It's between us

As the day passed, Seojun spent a lot of time with his mom, making up for the five years they had been apart. He cherished every moment, taking her out and enjoying their time together. A week went by, and Seojun was sitting at the table, reading a book about beasts that Alexa had given him.

He pretended to be focused on the pages, but he couldn't help sneaking glances at his mom. She was in the kitchen holding a phone and talking with someone, and as soon as she turned around, he quickly dropped the book on his face, pretending to be asleep. He heard her footsteps as she left the room.

[So possessive, host] his system teased.

Huno, his three-headed dog, barked and wagged his tail in agreement.

"Shh, I'm not being possessive, okay? I'm fine if Mom finds someone, but she should have told me first," Seojun muttered. Curiosity got the better of him and he quietly followed his mom.

He reached the gate and peeked outside. To his surprise, he saw his mother talking to a man who was fully covered, almost as if he were hiding. Seojun closed his book,

"Ha! Mom is keeping secrets from me,"

Then he watched as the man hugged his mom and kissed her forehead. Anger bubbled up inside him. "Hey!" he shouted, unable to contain himself.

Both his mom and the man jumped in surprise. The man immediately turned and ran away, and Seojun hurried over to his mom.

"Mom!" he called out.

"Mom, who was that guy?" Seojun asked, trying to sound serious.

His mom looked flustered and tried to deny it. "Oh, it was nothing! Just a friend, Seojun," she said quickly, avoiding his question.

Seojun crossed his arms and acted like a kid, pouting. "A friend? You didn't tell me about this friend, Mom..."

Seoyang laughed, seeing his childish reaction. "Come on, it's not a big deal! Let it go!"

But Seojun wasn't satisfied. "No way You have to tell me!"

Suddenly, Seoyang turned and ran inside the house, laughing. Seojun couldn't resist. He chased after her, running through the yard.

"Mom, wait up!" he shouted, giggling as he tried to catch her.

They ended up playing a game of chase, running around the house.

The next day, Seojun was sitting under a tree in their yard, peacefully reading a book. His mother, Seoyang, was tending to the plants and flowers, watering them gently.

[She managed to grow the flower you gave her, host,] his system chimed in.

"Hmm, that's probably just Mom's nature," Seojun said, smiling. "She values anything that's given to her. Look at this house. It's too big for just the two of us, and it's expensive to maintain, but now, money isn't a problem anymore."

He yawned and stretched, feeling relaxed. "So peaceful," he whispered to himself.

Just then, Nymira, in her cat form, jumped down from the tree and landed on Seojun's lap. He flinched in surprise as Silla crawled down after her, the two running around in playful mischief. Huno, their loyal dog, followed Seoyang, wagging his tail happily.

Seoyang bent down one of the flowers and playfully brought it close to Huno's nose. As he sniffed it, he sneezed loudly, causing Seoyang to burst into laughter.

Huno barked happily, his tail wagging even harder.

Seojun was sitting comfortably under the tree, enjoying his book, when his system spoke up.

[An update today, Host. Lord Grimzark is currently at Lady Sirenith's Domain.]

"Looks like she's babysitting Grimzark," Seojun chuckled. "What happened to the Abyss monsters? Did any of them get in here?"

[Silla's clones have taken care of them, Host. There's nothing to worry about,]

Seojun nodded, feeling at ease, but a shadow suddenly loomed over him. Peeking over his book, he saw his mother standing in front of him. She sat down beside him, and he closed his book, looking at her curiously.

"Yes, Mom?" he asked.

"Oh, you closed the book. You won't be able to find your place now," Seoyang teased.

"It's okay, Mom. I want to focus all my attention on you. Is something wrong? Do you want to buy something? Just tell me, and I'll get it for you," Seojun said, about to stand up, but his mother shook her head, stopping him.

"Sit down...it's nothing like that," she smiled, though there was a hint of hesitation in her eyes.

"What is it, Mom? Are you hurt?" Seojun's voice grew a little worried. Seoyang smiled again, but it was clear she was thinking about something.

"Did you go into the basement recently? Maybe you saw a small book down there?" she asked, her tone casual but with a hint of curiosity.

[She's talking about my book form,] the system remarked quietly.

Seojun shook his head. "No, I haven't seen any small book, Mom. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just wondering," she said, standing up and giving a reassuring smile. "You can continue reading." She then walked back into the house. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Why didn't you tell her that you inherited me, Host?]

Seojun leaned back against the tree, staring up at the sky as his thoughts swirled. He sighed softly, knowing there were things he couldn't share with his mother just yet.

"If Mom knew I inherited you, she'd become worried,"

[Worried?]

Seojun nodded, his gaze distant.

"Yeah. You see, when I was younger, Mom used to tell me bedtime stories. One of them was about a girl who had a book that granted her incredible power. I know now she was talking about herself. In the story, the girl gained so much strength but she also faced danger and fear because of it."

"If she knew I had inherited something as powerful and dangerous as you, it would only bring her more stress. She'd probably try to take on more responsibility, worrying about what could happen to me." he added

Seojun closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the warmth of his mother's voice as she told him those stories long ago.

"I can't let her carry that burden again." He sighed. "For now, it's just between us."

[Understood, Host.]

Seojun glanced toward the house where his mother had disappeared, a small smile playing on his lips. "I'll tell her when the time is right. But not now."