Chapter Seven: Stranger In My House
Miss Ji Ha's grip on Yunli's wrist slackened after a few paces. The silence behind them wasn't just silence—it was heavy, like something unresolved dragging at her heels.
She stopped.
Yunli glanced at her, puzzled.
"Mom?"
Miss Ji Ha didn't respond immediately. Her eyes stayed fixed on the boy, who still knelt with his face to the gravel, limbs locked in that trembling submission. Something about him… triggered a memory she couldn't place. A fragile figure. Alone. Afraid.
And injured.
Just like Yona, her daughter, had once been.
She turned on her heel and marched back.
Wuxian raised a brow, smirking. "Changed your mind already, mortal mother?"
"Shut up." She yelled at him. "You should be ashamed of yourself, bullying children?" She hissed.
Jang Wuxian didn't really feel anything, he was used to insults, from his parents, his brother, down to his little niece.
Her voice was clipped. She crouched beside the boy carefully, reaching out.
"Can you stand?"
No response.
"I'm not going to hurt you," she said, softer now. "But it's dangerous for you to be out here like this."
The boy twitched. His fingers curled on the ground like claws. He turned his face slightly—just enough for Miss Ji Ha to see the blood trickling from his nose. There were faint bruises forming beneath his jaw. And his uniform—although trying to hide it—was singed at the collar.
She sighed. "You look like hell." She was extremely pained.
He mumbled something.
"What?"
"...Don't be nice...to me…"
Miss Ji Ha's eyes narrowed. She understood. That was more than fear in his voice. That was desperation.
She stood and looked at Wuxian, voice cold.
"He's coming with us."
Wuxian gave a soft, delighted laugh. "Taking strays now, are we?"
"If he's a stray, it's because monsters like you make the world unlivable."
Wuxian clutched his chest in mock offense. "How dare you speak to me in such manner." He said mockingly.
She ignored him.
Turning back, she knelt again. "Come on. You'll sleep on the couch. Eat something warm. Then… we'll talk."
The boy finally looked up.
Just a bit.
And in his eyes, Yunli saw something strange—something cracked between gratitude and shame.
He whispered, "Thank you…"
Yunli folded her arms, squinting.
"We're not friends."
The boy nodded slowly.
Wuxian just chuckled behind them. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
---
Wuxian was left behind in the dusk, muttering dramatically to himself.
"Left behind like a villain in act two… tsk. Rude."
But none of them looked back.
At home, the lights were soft. The air smelled faintly of ginger tea and steamed rice.
Miss Ji Ha moved like a quiet storm—efficient, focused—as she disinfected Yunli's bruised knuckles, then gently cleaned the boy's face with a warm cloth.
He winced at first but didn't complain.
Yunli sat nearby on the couch, arms crossed, watching him with suspicious eyes.
Miss Ji Ha brought out dinner—simple soup, grilled fish, warm rice, and kimchi. She placed a bowl in front of each of them, then stepped back to sit quietly, pretending not to watch.
But she was watching.
And what she saw squeezed her heart.
The boy's eyes lit up like someone had just handed him salvation. He mumbled something soft, almost like a prayer, then dug in. He didn't look up, didn't pause. His hands trembled slightly, scooping each bite like it might vanish if he took too long.
Yunli said nothing.
But she slowed her own eating.
Miss Ji Ha's chest tightened. There was something in the way the boy ate—feral, grateful, practiced—that said he'd gone hungry many times before.
"Eat slowly," she said gently. "You'll choke."
He nodded, not slowing.
Silence wrapped around them like a strange fog, thick and unspeakable.
So Miss Ji Ha did what mothers do when silence gets too heavy.
She tried to lighten up the mood.
"So… you two go to the same school?" she asked, folding her hands on the table.
Yunli glanced up. "Apparently."
The boy froze mid-chew, then slowly swallowed.
"I'm in Class 1-B," he murmured.
Ji Ha offered a warm smile. "What's your name?"
He hesitated.
"…call me Hyun"
Yunli frowned.
"Alright then. We'll call you… Hyun."Miss Jiha smiled." She knew something was off, but she didn't wan't to trouble the innocent child.
The boy—Hyun—looked up sharply. His lips parted as if to protest, but… then he simply nodded. "Okay."
Yunli muttered, "How annoying"
Miss Ji Ha gave her a pointed look. "That is no way to speak to someone." She cautioned.
Yunli rolled her eyes.
But she didn't argue.
---
After dinner, the house slowly settled.
Hyun was given the guest room—a quiet, clean space with a warm futon and a lamp that flickered gently.
He stood in the doorway for a long moment, taking in the scent of soap and warmth. It was different from the one at home, but he loved this one more.
He slept soundly. Peacefully. As if some invisible weight had been lifted, just for one night.
Yunli, on the other hand, couldn't sleep.
She stared at the ceiling, arms behind her head, mind racing.
A spirit. In her house. Eating her rice.
Snoring, too.
She turned over and punched her pillow, whispering to herself, "Why does he snore like a retired monk?"
---
Morning came too quickly.
Miss Ji Ha was bustling around in her apron. The smell of breakfast was in the air, but Yunli wasn't smiling.
Because right across from her—again—was Hyun.
Still quiet, still awkward, still not human.
"Finish quickly, both of you," Miss Ji Ha said cheerfully. "You're going to school together today."
Yunli choked. "What? But why?" She didn't like this idea.
Hyun blinked. "We are?"
Miss Ji Ha nodded while flipping a pancake. "You're classmates. You might as well go together."
"I don't go to school with—people like him," Yunli muttered, glaring.
Miss Ji Ha turned to her daughter with the look.
Yunli sighed. "Fine."
They left the house in silence, bags slung over shoulders, tension thick between them.
At the bus stop, Yunli was fuming.
"You better not talk to me at school. Or look at me. Or breathe near me."
Hyun scratched his head. "Why?"
"I am trying to build a reputation in this school. Fear. Respect. Authority. You will ruin all of that in five minutes."
"I can walk behind you if that helps?" He said without a care in the world.
"No. Just stay invisible."
But fate wasn't on her side.
They missed the bus. Too bad, they noticed too late.
"Great," Yunli hissed. "Now we're late and people are going to see us arrive together."
"I can carry you if that makes it faster—" He chuckled.
"Don't you dare."
---
Miss Ji Ha ended up driving them, half-dressed in her office suit, hair still in curlers. The car ride was a mix of Hyun asking too many questions and Yunli making empty threats.
"You two are just like cat and rat," Miss Ji Ha chuckled, glancing at them through the mirror.
If only she knew.
Neither of them were human.
---
They arrived at school ten minutes after the bell rang.
Yunli stepped out of the car first, shoulders stiff, praying to the heavens for invisibility. But Hyun, of course, had other plans.
He bounced out right behind her, smiling innocently.
Miss Ji Ha wasn't done.
She stepped out too—heels clicking on the pavement—and followed them through the front gate.
"Wait, Mom, you really don't have to—"
"I already called ahead. I'll explain the tardiness in person," she said cheerfully, adjusting her coat. "It's my responsibility."
Yunli's soul left her body.
Walking into school late was one thing.
Walking into class, escorted by your mom and a strange boy you accidentally brought home, was another.
The classroom door slid open.
Silence.
Heads turned. Whispers sparked.
Yunli stared straight ahead, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. She could feel the tension. She could hear the murmurs forming.
Miss Ji Ha smiled warmly at the teacher. "Sorry for the disturbance. There was an incident last night and I—"
"We live together now," Hyun announced helpfully, stepping beside her.
Yunli froze.
The class gasped.
Even the teacher blinked.
Miss Ji Ha's smile twitched.
The whispers exploded like wildfire:
"Did he say live together?"
"Hyun lives with Yona now?"
"Is he her boyfriend?!"
"No way—Yun Li? Him?"
Yunli slowly turned her head toward Hyun, her smile tight and murderous.
"I will personally destroy you after class," she whispered through clenched teeth.
Hyun tilted his head, confused. "But I thought they'd want to know the truth?"
"The truth" she hissed, "is that you are a freeloader. You sleep in the guest room. Guest. Got that?"
Miss Ji Ha cleared her throat, clearly rethinking all her life choices. "Alright, uh, I'll leave you two to it. Don't forget to eat lunch."
She backed out awkwardly, shutting the door behind her.
The homeroom teacher stood ther, wondering what just happened.
The class erupted.
And Yunli knew—her carefully sculpted reputation had just been shattered with a single sentence.
---