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His face twisted in horror.
"Wait… WAIT!"
Jiho froze in the white void as realization struck him like a slap from Goku during warm-up.
"I forgot… a very, very important thing!"
His hands grabbed his head like a drama protagonist.
"I've been gone from the real world for one entire day! That's 24 hours! What will I even say?I can't tell them, 'Hey! I was just chilling in my personal training dimension like a cheat-character from a Korean manhwa.'They'll throw me into the nearest temple, shout 'he's possessed', and beat the ghost out of me!"
The system, ever so helpful (and annoying), pinged a cold message in front of him:
[Notice: 1 year complete. Host has been kicked out of Hyperbolic Time Chamber.]
"Kicked out? Really? Not exited or returned? Do I look like a drunkard thrown out of a tavern?!"
The void around him cracked like broken glass, and in the blink of an eye, Jiho was lying back in his small straw bed.
It was night.
And it was cold.
The moon peeked through the holes in the ceiling, but the silence inside the house was deafening. No fire in the hearth. No whisper of mother's lullabies. No soft humming from father cleaning his dagger.
Just emptiness.
"Wait… where are they?" Jiho sat up, his heart racing. "Don't tell me—did they leave? Are they… gone?"
He rushed to the front of the house. His small feet padded against the cold floor, and he pushed the creaky wooden door open.
The village…
Was upside down.
Torches burned bright across every path. Voices echoed into the night. People—dozens of them—were out with bamboo sticks and pitchforks, shouting Jiho's name in panic.
"Wait what the hell?! What happened here? Is this because of me?!"
Just then, a bony hand grabbed his arm from the side.
"Aiyo! Jiho!"
It was none other than Old Granny Cho—village's part-time gossip vendor and full-time professional nagger.
"Where have you been, child?! Your parents have gone mad with worry! We thought someone kidnapped you! Even Village Chief Xiao joined the search party into the forest! Your mother cried her eyes out and fainted at Shen family's home!"
Jiho blinked, stunned.
"Wait wait wait... this much happened just because I vanished for one day?!"
Granny Cho smacked the back of his head lightly. "What do you mean 'just' one day?! You're THREE! And you disappeared without a trace after your birthday! Do you know how dangerous the forest is right now?!"
"I mean, I was technically training to protect myself but… yeah, not the point right now."
Jiho scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh… where's Mother?"
Granny Cho huffed. "Still at Shen family. Crying like her heart's been ripped out. I'll go spread the word you've returned. You—you go to your mother now, or I swear I'll carry you there and make you cry for real!"
Jiho didn't even argue.
He ran.
Well, a fast toddler-wobble-run, but it counted.
The Shen household wasn't far—two streets down the hill, near the village well. He pushed the wooden gate open and spotted the familiar silhouette of his mother, sitting in the courtyard, hugging her knees.
Shen family's eldest daughter had placed a blanket around her shoulders, trying to comfort her, but Soeun's eyes were swollen. Her hair was messy. She looked like she hadn't eaten all day.
Jiho's heart ached at the sight.
He stepped forward slowly.
"...Mama?"
She turned around instantly.
And the next moment, he was in her arms.
Tears poured down her cheeks as she held him tightly, sobbing into his hair.
"Jiho! My baby! Where were you?! I—I thought—I thought someone had taken you away!"
Jiho wrapped his tiny arms around her neck.
"I'm sorry, Mama… I'm sorry…"
He didn't even have to fake the tears this time. They came on their own.
All those hours inside the void had been mentally brutal, but what was worse… was knowing his absence had caused pain to the only people who loved him with all their heart.
Not long after, Father came rushing in, mud all over his boots, sweat on his brow.
The moment his eyes saw Jiho in Soeun's arms, he fell to his knees.
"Thank the heavens…"
He held both of them together.
No questions.No shouting.Just… relief.
That night, Jiho lay between his parents again.
The house was warm. The fire crackled gently. His birthday decorations still hung on the walls, slightly crooked now, but still there.
Jiho stared at the ceiling and thought:
"This… this is why I must get stronger.So they'll never have to cry because of me again."
But then he paused.
"Also, I seriously need to plan better next time. Like, leave a note or something.'Dear Parents, I've gone to an alternate dimension for one year. Be back in 24 hours. Love, your weirdly talented son.'"
He chuckled to himself and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow… training would resume.
But tonight?
Tonight, he was just their little boy again.