Warm Eyes | Hyunchan ✅

II [Merely A Boy]

Hyunjin gazed around the strange space and noticed that even strangers were staring at him with fear and wonder in their eyes. Hyunjin couldn't figure out what had happened; he was just trying to sleep the night before when he found himself in a place he'd never seen before, and he was terrified.

"Young master! How do you feel now?" A man in his mid-50s ran towards him, opening the massive door to the room; others in the room appeared to be in a hurry as well. While Hyunjin remained silent, the man stroked his brow and checked his pulse. Hyunjin became agitated by an unknown touch and gently removed his hand.

"Please don't touch me.....who are you?" He said this as everyone in the room, including himself, raised their heads.

"Young- someone please call the lord! Young master is under a spell." A man in his early-30s with ruffled hair and a large bow tie cried. That's when Hyunjin discovered his voice had changed; he sounded like a tiny boy, maybe around 10 years old. He couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing. He checked his hands and touched his face; his hands were not large and rough from all of his work at the diner, and his face was soft and squishy. His hair appeared to be cut short as well. He finally realized what had happened as he took his legs out of the blankets. He had turned into a boy, a small boy!! He wanted to scream in terror, but with everyone in the room, not a single word came out of his mouth. People surrounding him also looked at him with concern in their eyes, murmuring in a language he didn't understand. In reality, he hadn't understood anything the prior guys had said. He just shivered on the bed, his body felt heavy, and he wanted to cry.

Suddenly the front door burst open again as a guy entered hurriedly, followed by a woman.

"Hyunjin! Are you okay?!" The man spoke as he approached Hyunjin. But, with the exception of his name, he couldn't understand a word he said. He couldn't speak because tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"W-why...do you... know my name? Where...am I?" Warm tears flowed down his face, turning his ears and cheeks red.

"Clear the room." The man spoke and right away everyone in the room was gone. "Can you speak English?" The man asked in a heavy accent then Hyunjin looked straight at him nodding gently.

"I know your name because I adopted you. Do you not remember me?" He asked again.

"I-I don't remember anything. Just a few hours ago I was a 23 years old student, now I'm a kid who's probably ten." Hyunjin said.

"Hyunjin, you fell in the lake, you have been unconscious for three days. You probably had a dream where you grew up, you're only eight." The man patted him on the head with a smile. The woman standing beside the bedside held Hyunjin's hand and rubbed it lightly; she didn't say anything but only smiled, knowing the younger wouldn't comprehend her. The man stood up and summoned the man who appeared to be Hyunjin's butler. "Let everyone know that the young lord has lost his memories. He might not understand what you're saying so I suggest you use English when you talk to him." He ordered before walking up to Hyunjin again. "Do you want something?" He asked, caressing the younger's hair.

"A shower." Hyunjin said in a small voice.

"Prepare a bath for him and keep me updated." The man said. "Do you remember who I am at least?" He asked.

"No... I'm sorry."

"It's okay." The man sighed. "For now, I'm your father, Nicholas de Croix. And this is your mother, Pernelle de Croix." He smiled before getting up. "I will come back later once you're done with your bath. Take care." Lord Nicholas said before walking towards the exit as he was followed by Pernelle. "By the way, your name on papers is Samuel. Samuel de Croix." Before exiting the room, he said. Hyunjin was still processing what had happened, so he didn't take it well. He had just turned in his assignments the day before when he was unexpectedly adopted by two foreigners. He basically let the helpers do whatever they wanted while he was in the bath. Hyunjin was now in the process of instilling the name in him. 'How come my name is Samuel? Why did he name me again if he knew I was Hyunjin?' But it was only half of the issue. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into. When he entered the bath, it felt like he was in another universe; the bath seemed larger than his own room. He sighed before entering, and once inside, he inquired of one of the helpers, "What is today's date?"

"Today is September 12th, 1507, young master." The worker responded before returning to her duties.

'The date is identical, but the year is 500 years earlier?' He realized now that he had time traveled, he thought to himself. But he couldn't figure out why his body had altered; he didn't even know what he looked like, or whether he looked like himself.

Hyunjin felt fatigued after having a bath; his small body couldn't handle the strain of the previous few hours. He stepped back and stood in front of the mirror in his bathrobe. He looked little, and despite his expectations, he couldn't believe his eyes. He couldn't believe what had just occurred to him. He dashed to his room, leaving the employees behind, but he became disoriented amid the vast unknown castle. He tried to return to check for the workers, but he couldn't find a route back.

"Why are you here like this?" When Hyunjin turned around, he was surprised to hear a voice from behind him, and there stood a boy his height. "Don't you have any manners? Why are you running inside the manor in your bathrob?" Hyunjin was nervous, but he couldn't understand what the boy was saying.

"Sam-"

"I-I don't understand." Hyunjin spoke in English.

"English?" It was now the boy's time to be perplexed. Hyunjin just nodded slightly, he didn't understand why he was acting like that towards a child, maybe because he thought they were the same age at the time. The boy scratched the back of his head, unable to speak after mouthing a few sentences, a blush came across his cheeks, and he fled in embarrassment. Though Hyunjin had no idea what had transpired or why the boy had fled. The workers quickly found him and assisted him in finding his room. He refused to eat and immediately went to bed, covering himself with a blanket. He reasoned that if he fell asleep, he would awaken to his time. "Who's my father?" Hyunjin inquired before the employees left.

"Young master?" The workers seemed confused.

"Who is he?"

"The lord is the... the lord is the count!" One of the workers said it in bad English, but it sufficed for Hyunjin. He leaned back in his bed, reflecting on what he had just learned. He was the count's adopted son.

That was difficult 👁️👄👁️