The Love That Remains

It's never quiet in the Sung house. The nine Sung brothers are always up to something while Little Na Mi is always looking forward to foiling their plans. The combined force of Sung Brothers cannot outsmart Little Na Mi. Every day starts with pranks that they pull on each other and ends in laughter.

After not so quiet dinner, Bae Ri Na goes to her room. She has her own room in Sung Jun's house. Sung Jun and Fang Aisa have always treated her like their own daughter and they have loved her more than her parents did. While her own mother always makes her exercise and learn martial arts, Aunty Fang is there to scold her mother when she gets tired or hurt. Her younger brother is better than her in wielding the sword.

Bae Ri Na doesn't care about power. She has only one goal. She wants to find that cat.

At 3 AM, she sneaks out of her room and slowly makes her way toward Sung Jun's study. She literally crawls on the floor. The house is full of demons and a demonic goddess. Her chances are extremely low, but she is sure that they won't kill her if she is caught.

At the speed of a snail and making sure to not make any sound, she reaches Sung Jun's study and silently prays that nobody has seen or heard her. Fingers crossed. Luckily, the study is not locked. She pushes the door and crawls inside. Then, she closes the door.

"Little Ri Na."

Bae Ri Na freezes when she hears that voice. She turns around awkwardly. Sung Jun is sitting on the chair. He is resting his arm on the table and looking at her with a smile that is not really a smile. She has been caught before she could even begin.

"Uncle Sung, I was just practicing how to swim on the floor." She moves her arms and legs like she is swimming. "Don't take this in the wrong way. I didn't know that -"

"You didn't know that I am here." Sung Jun points out, making no room for her excuses. "Get up. No more lies."

Bae Ri Na gets up and stands against the wall, prepared for punishment. "How did you know?"

Sung Jun's lips curl up. "You were acting suspiciously since you came home. You were talking to Soo Han with your eyes. You didn't pay attention to your favorite dishes. You stammered during dinner. I knew that you are up to something."

She closes her eyes. Her uncle knows her well. It's easier to fool her parents than her uncle.

"When are you going to speak up?" Sung Jun crosses his arms. "Let me hear your reasons before I decide your punishment."

"I like someone." Bae Ri Na blurts out. "He won't look at me unless I become an immortal."

"Hmm." Sung Jun has expected to hear something like this. Bae Ri Na is unusually honest at difficult times. Didn't he also fall for someone around this age? He has done crazier things than sneaking into a study to steal a spell. "That cat left quite an impression on you."

"Uncle, you know." Bae Ri Na's eyes become round in surprise. "Did Soo Han tell you? I am never going to help him now."

"He didn't tell me." Sung Jun chuckles.

"How do you know about that cat?" Bae Ri Na asks with a meek voice.

"A god can sneak in through the barrier, but he can't escape the hidden cameras if he doesn't know about it." Sung Jun points to the empty chair. "Sit here. I will tell you a story about a cat."

Bae Ri Na takes the seat opposite of him and quietly listens to everything that Sung Jun tells her about Rene Reis. After the story ends, she doesn't speak for a while. Sung Jun waits for her to digest the information.

"The person who moved his heart was Aunty Fang." Bae Ri Na is not upset about that fact. "You and Aunty Fang pretend to not know that he visits regularly. That proud cat won't come if he finds out that you and Aunty Fang know."

"That's his decision. We are respecting it." Sung Jun has expected her to be upset or angry, but she is showing no such emotion. "Are you giving up on him?"

"No, Uncle." Bae Ri Na looks at him with clear eyes. "I like him more now."

Sung Jun leans forward with a serious expression. "Why?"

"He has a kind heart." She shows him the white handkerchief. "He did have different goals, but he was still someone who tried his best to make things easy for Aunty Fang. He liked her, but he didn't try to make her like him because he knew that she loved you the most. He knew how to respect her wishes. I like that about him."

"You still like him despite the fact that he likes your Aunty Fang?" Sung Jun smiles when he hears her words. "How about respecting his wishes if he doesn't like you back?"

"I am not like him. I won't respect his wishes." Bae Ri Na tells him confidently. "He doesn't like her as much as you love Aunty Fang. That's why I know that I have hope. If it was you, you would have chosen Aunty Fang over the world. That's what I would do for him."

Sung Jun laughs when he hears her logic. "I agree, but it won't be easy to catch that cat. He is quite supercilious."

"I am more stubborn." Bae Ri Na stands up, looking resolute. "I will make him like me back even if I have to chase him to the end of the universe."

"Good, good." Sung Jun's pats her back. She reminds him more of Fang Aisa when she kissed him on the rooftop and then, told him that she would take responsibility for ruining his purity in their other lifetime. Reis will have difficult days in the future.

"Uncle, please give me the spell." Bae Ri Na falls on her knees and begs. "I will become an immortal. I like him a lot. I definitely need immortality to catch that cat god."

"I can't." Sung Jun simpers when he sees her become gloomy. "But, I will help you reach the queen rank. From now on, I will be your mentor. After you reach that rank, you can take a trip to hell with your cousins."

Bae Ri Na's face becomes sunny. If Uncle becomes her mentor, anything is possible.