Page 105 of Signed, I'm Yours!
“I can. And I will. You let me down, Seojun. You let us both down. We were miserable under your roof. But look at us now. We’re thriving.”
“I guess we should thank you though,” Min adds. “If it weren’t for you, we’d never have realized how much we can do with our own powers.”
My limbs go cold. No, not just my limbs. My entire body. This isn’t happening. This isn’t real. I’ve spent so long chasing after them, and they’d dropped me like a sack of potatoes…because I didn’t want money and power? This is a joke if I’ve heard one.
“Do you know the lengths he’s gone to find you? To get some answers?” Jack asks them.
“At least I didn’t do what The Phantom did, right?” My voice comes out monotone and vacant, like my body.
Jesus.
I’m like Phantom Mario. I’ve gone to such great lengths to find my family when I should have followed my own advice to him. Just let them go and move on.
Wow. How’s that for irony?
“That’s not our fault. I tried to make you something, someone to be proud of. To push you to do big and great things, but you were just too chicken. You’re honestly such a disappointment.”
“Hey!” Brandon shouts behind me, and I turn to look at him. Everyone does. “How dare you say that to him? Do you even know him? Seojun has the best fashion sense I’ve ever seen on anyone and always wears the best designer clothes.” I catch my omma scanning my outfit from the corners of my eyes, but I don’t dignify that with a full glance her way. “He’s got the best apartment in New York City, and he even has a sidekick. But most of all, he’s got a big heart and is not afraid to show it even if it gets him into big trouble. I only see the negative in anything and even I can see Seojun’s a real diamond. Which makes you the shittiest family members I’ve ever met.”
Did…did Brandon just stand up for me? Did he call me a diamond? I wonder how many carats he thinks I am.
“And who are you?” Omma asks.
“He’s my friend,” I tell her.
“No. We’re family,” Annie corrects me.
“Damn right. And maybe I should teach you the meaning of the word,” Zeke adds and puts his hand on my shoulder, giving Omma and Min the dirtiest look I’ve ever seen him give anyone. Even me.
“They are,” I say, and the verbal confirmation takes me by surprise as I gasp and tears run down my cheeks. For fuck’s sake. Why am I such an emotional mess? “I may have lost two people, but I gained a whole army of them. And they’re so much better than you.”
I look at Jack and offer him my hand. He takes it and pulls me into his arms, holding me tight. So tight. I don’t want him to ever let me go.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I know,” I whisper back, and I realize how true that is.
I’ve given this man plenty of reasons to walk out on me. I’ve put him through so much since we met. He has every right in the world to be mad at me, yet…he’s still here.
And they’re not.
“You know what’s funny?” he says, louder this time.
He loosens his arms around me and turns to address my…Hana. To address Hana and Min. She no longer gets the privilege of being called Omma or Mom anymore.
“What?” she asks with a dismissive pout.
Jack smiles at both of them.
“You leaving him made him the son and brother you wanted. Because you see Seojun here? He’s a supervillain. Because of you. You gave him one heck of an origin story. Isn’t that funny?”
“Seojun?” Hana asks, but I’m too busy cooing at my boyfriend, who just called me a supervillain. “Is that true?”
I kiss my teeth and shrug.
“Yep. And you want to know another thing?” I turn to her and give her my biggest grin, knowing I’ll be okay. I’ll be fine without her and without Min. “The FBI knows about you.”
Jack bursts into a laugh. Everyone does. I do too.
