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Jin-Woo knew that her mother would be happy for her. She knew that she would have helped her realize that she had always been a woman and there was nothing wrong with that long ago. She would have helped her start this journey and have a very different life.
But the Eternal Slumber had taken her from the Sung siblings. After four years, would she even remember them?
Would her mother be disappointed in her? Jin-Woo always tried to live as someone who would make her parents proud. So all the actions she’s done since becoming a player started to weigh on her again. ‘What would mom even say if she knew everything I’ve done? The people I've threatened? The people I've killed?’ Jin-woo thought as she jumped off Kaisel to her mother’s room.
The window had luckily been left open. She looked down at her mother as she stepped down to enter. Her mother’s cheeks were sunken and she could see her skeleton with how thin she was. Jin-Woo looked down at the vial of Holy Water of Life and was struck with her usual doubts.
‘Would she even be able to swallow it? Would it even work if she did?’ Her potions didn’t work after a certain amount of health was reached, what if this was the same? What if it had no effect after so long? What if everything had been in vain?
Jin-Woo shook her head to refocus. She had seen the miracles that the System could do. Hell, she was one in both body and spirit. She just had to place her faith in this crazy situation as she had since this had started.
‘It should be fine to trust it once more.’ She thought as she removed the top to the vial. Jin-woo carefully placed one hand behind her mother’s head and placed the open vial to her mouth. Her hands were shaking. ‘Deep breaths.’
Jin-Woo looked anywhere else as she poured. That was when she saw a certain scar on her mother’s neck.
‘That scar….’
Jin-Woo never forgot that mistake. She had only wanted to help wash her mother’s hair. She had always loved her mother’s hair and took every chance to touch and play with it back then. That was why she had suggested helping her mother wash it.
But Jin-Woo’s unstable hands had made the hot water spill on the back of her mother’s neck. The gritted scream was one she probably would never forget. But her mother hadn’t been mad, no, she had been worried about her child’s safety as she tried to play the burn off as a small accident. But Jin-Woo was only able to see the mistake she made, it was her fault that she had that scar.
Jin-Woo was pulled back to the present as she saw her mother’s color return, her cheeks also filling out a bit.
But she wasn’t waking up.
‘Why… Open your eyes….’
She slowly layed her mother back down.
‘Open your eyes!’
Her mother didn’t move.
‘I only ever had one reason why I wanted to become stronger.’ Jin-Woo though as she slumped down into her usual chair. ‘So please…. Wake up…’ A breeze blew through the window, moving the curtains.
‘Please let me take over…. Let me take over the burden you’ve been carrying, Mom.’
“Please…”
Jin-Woo started to descend into her worries and doubts again. ‘It didn’t work. I went through the Demon Tower just to complete the Holy Water of Life and my goal wasn’t reached.’ Jin-Woo balled her fists. ‘Of course I became stronger but I couldn’t even save the one person I needed to save! All this power is meaningless if I can’t complete such a sim-’
“Jin-Ah?”
Her eye’s shot up to the new, yet very familiar voice in the room. Through tired eyes, Park Kyung-Hye looked down at her. She looked at Jin-Woo with confusion on her face.
“Is that… you Jin-Ah? Just how long was I asleep?”
Jin-Woo didn’t correct her mother. “Four years… It’s been four years.”
“Four years? How’s Jin-Woo? Is he okay?”
Jin-Woo nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine.” ‘He’s currently in front of you….’
A silence fell over the pair. Kyung-Hye kept looking her over, as if trying to figure out something wrong. Jin-Woo looked away towards the window, trying to avoid an explanation.
“You look much too old for it to be only four years ‘Jin-Ah’.”
Jin-Woo stiffened.
“Be honest with me. Please.”
Jin-Woo looked back to her mothers face. All she saw was worry and love coming from her.
“M-mom… It’s me. Jin-Woo.” She said, waiting for a reaction. The pair fell into silence again as her mother took in the information. Jin-Woo would honestly take round two with the Demon King than be in this situation.
Her mother broke the silence.
“I looked away for a bit and you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman.”
Jin-Woo looked up at her mother, who’s worry was now gone. Kyung-Hye reached over and took her daughter's hand in hers.
“You kept Jin-Woo as your name, dear?”
Jin-Woo nodded. “It was the name you and Father gave me. I’m still the same Sung Jin-Woo from before, just happier.”
“I’m happy to hear that. It was the one your father had chosen in the end. Now, how has the actual Jin-Ah been?” Asked her mother.
“Yeah, She’s fine.”
Kyung-Hye reached over and pulled her daughter into a hug. “Thank you Daughter.”
Jin-Woo hugged her mother hard.
“You kept your promise.”
Tears started welling in Jin-Woo’s eyes.
“Because I got sick, My Daughter, It must’ve been hard.”
Jin-Woo cried.
“Yeah.”