Chapter Fourteen

"No, no! Please don't leave. I really need to thank you somehow for walking me home every day like you do! You must have a life outside the school…"

"I need no thanks, and I understand your mother's concerns. A thirty-something year old is taking an unusual interest in her teenage daughter. From her perspective, at least. And that's odd, isn't it, ma'am? I apologize if I caused you any concern."

"No, no, Mr…"

"Linus… Please just call me Linus…" M-21 said to Yuna's mother. She nodded.

"Linus. That's an unusual name. Are you a westerner?"

"I honestly don't remember my life before I came to Korea, but my file says that I was born in Finland."

"Well, Mr. Linus… I'm grateful that you're willing to take time out of your life for my daughter. She won't tell me what happened, but… I'm worried about her. She doesn't sleep well. She wakes up in a cold sweat. Her friends won't enlighten me either. They know something, and I sense that you know as well. Are you going to refuse to tell me as well?" Mrs. Seo asked, eyebrows knit with worry.

"It would not be my place, Ma'am, and you wouldn't like the answer if I did tell you. You would undoubtedly hate me, and be afraid of me."

"No I wouldn't."

"I can't take that chance. It's already risk enough that her friends know about it. I can't risk your life as well. I am truly sorry. But I won't risk civilians' lives by blabbing."

"I… I understand… Linus, please come with me in the other room. I'll make some snacks for you. You must be hungry. Yuna, dear… Get started on your homework… Now!"

"Yes, Mom." Yuna said quietly, hurrying to her room while Linus went to the kitchen. As soon as he got in the room, he was shoved into a chair, and Mrs. Seo grabbed a knife and held it to his throat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Linus… I-I hate to do this to you. You've protected my daughter. You've been good to her, and by extension to me. I know this is a poor way to repay you for your kindness, but I need to know what happened to my daughter! She suffered, and is still suffering now, and I-I can't help her. If you had children you'd know how it would feel to see them every day and know that you can't help them! Please! Please let me help her!" Mrs. Seo pleaded. Linus sighed. He couldn't deny her, now.

"Mrs. Seo. Are you familiar with Han Shinwoo?"

Yuna's mother nodded. "D-did he do something to her?"

"No, ma'am. In fact, he very likely saved her life, and the lives of all of his friends. But Shinwoo is just the start of this. Almost a year ago, something happened to him. I won't elaborate too much.

"He came afoul of a powerful sociopolitical organization, and Miss Yuna, Mr. Ikhan, and Miss Suyi were kidnapped, and… The kidnapper threatened to murder them… One by one… I don't doubt that he would have tortured them first as well, and I'm sure they knew that as well. As if that wasn't frightening enough, he then offered them a chance to live a little longer, as long as Yuna could hold out."

"H-hold out?"

"Having sex with him. She agreed, though, in reality, it was under extreme duress. He called Shinwoo and told him that he had his friends, and that if Shinwoo didn't come within the hour and bring what he demanded, he would kill one friend for every minute he didn't come. However, if Miss Yuna could keep him busy, then they would have that extra time to live.

"Naturally, Yuna, being the noble young woman that she is, agreed."

"H-he… Raped my Yuna?"

"No ma'am. Shinwoo arrived just in time to save her. Sadly, Shinwoo was forced to commit murder that night.

"It hasn't been easy on him, although he hides it well."

"I take it… From your firsthand account of the events… That you were there as well, protecting my daughter?"

"Not as such. Certainly, I was there. But… My assistance was hardly needed. As you know, Han Shinwoo is a highly capable individual. Even against a man with military training, he somehow prevailed. I've always been in awe of his talent."

"I understand. And… Yuna… She's… Still feeling traumatized over the close encounter. I really wish she had told me. I could have helped her! I could have done something!

"Does she not trust me!? Does she…"

"I don't know, Mrs. Seo. I wouldn't know anything about having a biological family. Thank you for the tea. It's delicious." Linus said quietly, taking a sip. Suddenly, Yuna's mother had the urge to hug Linus. She barely knew him, but he seemed very uncomfortable for some reason.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Linus? You seem… I hesitate to say unhappy, but…"

"No. I'm better than ever. I have friends. I have a family. I have a job. What more could I ask for?"

"How old are you, Mr. Linus?"

"I thought that question might come up. I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps in my late twenties or early thirties? It seems about right."

"And… You think it's appropriate for you to be romantically interested in an eighteen year old woman?" Yuna's mother asked. Linus sighed.

"Mmm… May I ask what you think my relationship is with Miss Yuna?"
"You and she aren't dating?" Yuna's mother asked. Linus shook his head.

"No. I don't believe so."

Mrs. Seo's eyes narrowed. M-21 was acting strange.

"What do you mean you don't believe so? How could you not know?"

"I haven't really got any experience with that kind of thing, and honestly, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable with this line of questioning. I'm not doing anything inappropriate with your daughter. Yes, I would be ecstatic if she was interested in me. She's smart, beautiful, kind, gentle, funny… everything that I was trained in my past not to be.

"If you are uncomfortable with me being around her, though, I will restrict my contact with her to the boss's house, and to school, both of which I can't possibly avoid her in." Linus said flatly. Mrs. Seo seemed taken aback by M-21's compliments to Yuna. Maybe he wasn't such an odd person.

"Hm, I'm sure that Yuna would be flattered if she knew how you felt about her. It's funny. You have a slightly strange bearing. I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem bad.

"I was on my guard at first. As a mother, I developed a sort of sixth sense to protect my daughter. Mothers of girls have so much to worry about in life. Boys who… Well, it shouldn't be your concern. But when you started your story about that strange man… She said at one point that she had a young western man as a boyfriend… It wasn't that long ago. Is he the man you were talking about? I can't for the life of me remember his name."

"Tesamu…"

"That's it. So, that was him? Thank you, Mr. Linus for your candor. I appreciate you being forthright with me. I'm not certain if I'm comfortable with my Yuna dating someone so much older than her. But I suppose you seem like an honest enough man. You have a steady job, and steady housing. So, you're at least not a vagabond."

"I appreciate your understanding. I'll go now, Mrs. Seo. The tea was good." Linus said, going over to the sink and putting soap in the cup, washing it with hot water and a sponge before putting the cup and the saucer in the dish rack. Mrs. Seo thought it unusual that a guest would be so conscientious as to wash their own dishes at someone else's house.

"Have a good evening, Miss Seo."

"Wait! Let me at least walk you out!" Yuna called, putting on her shoes hurriedly, and going out the door behind Linus. She looked at him sternly.

"I heard you talking to my mother. You told her the entire story of what happened with Tesamu."

"I'm sorry. She… Do all mothers have the ability to guilt people into confessing things?"

"I'm afraid so. Your mother probably had that same ability. It's because you know they're genuinely concerned about their children, and that they get scared when something might be wrong. It feels strange, doesn't it? I don't blame you. If you hadn't been won over by the fact that she guilted you into it, you probably would have told her the story when she held that knife to your throat."

"Miss Yuna… A knife in my throat wouldn't kill me. My regeneration would have me good as new in less than a minute. Besides, she wouldn't have attacked me. She was more afraid of me than I was of her. She's just a normal middle aged woman. I'm a strange, possibly dangerous man who's taken an interest in her daughter. She would have attacked me if she had to. But I was not going to give her a reason to. You seem to have heard a lot of what we talked about.

"You… Heard what I said about you?"

"You mean that I'm smart, beautiful, kind, gentle, and funny… And that you would be ecstatic if I were attracted to you?"

Linus turned a deep red color.

"Y-yes… I apologize. I should not have said anything… Imagine, a thirty year old man chasing after an eighteen year old." M-21 said, bowing politely at the door and starting to walk away. Yuna grabbed his hand, though, and stopped him, pulling him back to her.

"Linus… Over these past few months, I've really enjoyed getting to know you better. You were always so mysterious, and I wondered if you actually ever liked any of us, or if your time spent with us was just part of your job. Your willingness to go so far out of your way for me, walking me home after school like this. Sometimes, you even waited in the PC Bang for us to finish, and then walked me home… I never knew it was because you had feelings for me.

"I am flattered, and… A little bit happy… I-I think I feel the same way, honestly. You may not see it in yourself, but you are kind. You're gentle and even if you have to do violence to protect those you love, your gentle soul still shines through, and… I appreciate that…" Yuna said, pulling Linus close, and kissing him on the lips.