Chick SS2
by CristaeAs Chloe took a step off the beach, her body began to crumble like sand. She muttered awkwardly,
“Ah, damn it. This damned body won’t—”
Chloe abruptly cut herself off, biting her lip. Letting down her mental guard for just a moment, a harsh word had slipped out.
Fortunately, Joorim had swiftly picked up Groo and covered her ears.
Suhyeong pretended not to have heard and cleared his throat meaningfully.
“Hmm, hm, hmm.”
“Mama… what’s wrong?”
Groo’s eyes trembled, worries brimming in her large gaze.
Chloe gently smoothed Groo’s hair.
Time to speak like a mother. Like a real mother.
“Mom… um, is kind of a sand monster who can’t go far from the beach.”
Ding—!
With the shocking words ‘sand monster,’ Groo opened her mouth wide in dismay.
Suhyeong kept on clearing his throat while Joorim and Ijo tried to comfort Groo.
“It’s okay. Mommy’s not a monster.”
“But Mom just…”
“No, no. Mommy just said it wrong.”
Chloe was met with looks that clearly told her to admit her mistake, and she nodded, a little abashed.
‘This isn’t going well.’
Chloe realized that speaking like a mother wasn’t as easy as she thought.
Once it became clear Chloe couldn’t leave the beach, the men quickly set about making preparations.
Joorim and Ijo hurried to set up a hammock on the sand, bickering as they tried to get the height just right. Meanwhile, On Suhyeong said he’d bring food and headed off to their quarters.
Night had fallen over the moonlit beach.
Far from where the waves reached, Groo, wrapped in a large towel, snuggled in Chloe’s arms.
Chloe rested her chin atop Groo’s head and played with the child’s tiny hands.
Groo giggled, scratching at Chloe’s chest before relaxing into her embrace.
Crash—
Waves, stronger now than in the daytime, struck the shore.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“I talked to you every day in the mirror, Mom. Could you hear me?”
Chloe smiled softly.
“I heard everything.”
Groo let out a satisfied little laugh.
Chloe hugged the sweet, smiling child even tighter.
“Mom.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Can I keep meeting you from now on?”
“Will you come find Mommy when you want to see her?”
“Yes!”
“Then we’ll always see each other.”
Groo nodded enthusiastically.
According to the fathers’ theory, Groo’s power still wasn’t quite enough to bring her mother back completely.
But with just a bit more growth—
One day, even Mom might be able to come outside and be happy.
All of them, together.
Happiness so intense it made her shoulders tremble ran through Groo.
Wanting to put it into words, Groo turned to face Chloe, bursting out her feelings like flower buds.
“Mom, I love you.”
“I love you, too. Mommy loves Groo so, so much.”
As Joorim tried to adjust the hammock, the other side kept slipping lower, and he glared irritably at Ijo.
Ijo, busy tying the rope to a tree, kept glancing back toward the beach.
At the end of his gaze was the blonde woman holding a child.
Ijo wore a look as if trying to judge whether this was still a dream or if he’d truly returned to reality.
Joorim let out a small sigh—his own feelings were complicated.
Of course, Chloe’s return was astonishing and brought him joy.
Yet, as the eldest, he also felt a shadow of anxiety—wouldn’t their parents’ affection now be divided with his younger brother?
Suppressing the childish pang in his heart, he leaned against the tree.
“Looks like you’re happy?”
Ijo grinned at Joorim’s sarcastic tone, then replied,
“I am. I keep wondering if I’ve lost my mind for being this happy.”
He resisted the urge to run over and pull Chloe and Groo into his arms.
He wanted to give mother and child time alone.
There would be plenty of time from now on to be together.
That thought filled him with a buoyant emotion.
“How about you help me level out the ropes for once?”
Even as he got nagged by his characteristically prickly younger brother, Ijo couldn’t stop smiling.
While Ijo tied the knots, Joorim glanced up at the sky.
Meanwhile, On Suhyeong, ferrying food in a cart, stopped at a spot with a panoramic view of the beach.
He gazed at the mother holding her child, and at the two fathers watching from behind. A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
This was a scene he’d never even dared imagine in a dream. Tears welled up again, and Suhyeong wiped his eyes with his handkerchief.
He then reached for his repeatedly buzzing cell phone.
“I’ll contact the higher-ups myself, so you can hang up now.”
He looked upward. The satellite glittered like a star in the sky.
Though the island seemed deserted, it was still a prison.
The administrators monitored everything through the satellite cameras—even Chloe Han’s resurrection would have been caught on tape.
Suhyeong dialed a long number and connected directly to the other party.
- Chairman On, is that truly Chloe Han we see on camera right now?
Without preamble, a blunt question was fired at him.
Suhyeong answered with deliberate calm.
“You recognized her well.”
- How did this happen? Has On Ijo regained his power?
“It’s not something you need to worry about.”
- The only reason we didn’t move to deal with this unidentified individual is out of respect for you, Chairman. You’re aware of that.
“…”
Of course Suhyeong knew. By regulation, Chloe Han could have been immediately detained.
But—
He looked over at Ijo and Groo.
He couldn’t exactly confess that it was Groo’s power manifesting now.
Groo was still just a child. To reveal her abilities would be to cast her into a harsh and unforgiving adult world.
There would be a frenzy of people trying to exploit her.
But it was also difficult to lie and say On Ijo had regained his power.
On Ijo was once the strongest ability user in humanity.
If news got out that he’d returned to full strength, the reaction would be far more extreme than simply tightening prison security.
At that moment, someone snatched the phone from Suhyeong’s hand.
“This is On Joorim.”
“Joorim?”
Meeting Suhyeong’s gaze, Joorim said clearly,
“I am the one who brought Chloe Han back, Director of National Security. I’ll come meet you myself.”
Suhyeong accepted the phone again with a sigh.
“We’ll discuss the details when we return. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Swaaaa—
When the call ended, only the sound of the waves returned.
Now, Groo was laughing as she bounded joyfully along the sand with her mother.
Ijo crept up to the two and hugged them both.
Squeals and laughter burst together into the air.
“There was no need for that,” Suhyeong said.
Joorim shrugged.
“With me involved, you’ll be more comfortable.”
He turned his gaze to Groo, who was beaming, face dusted with sand.
After ending the call, National Security Director Choi Chunho zoomed in on the photo in his tablet.
The analysis returned a 99.9% match for “Chloe Han.”
“This can’t be…”
Was it possible? Had the dead come back to life?