Chapter 26 — Truths & Surprises

Sora’s tears fell freely. 「Why…?」JJ gently picked her up and set her on his lap. 「Well… your mother is still alive, and she takes really good care of you. If it weren’t like that, I would have done something about it. And…」 His gaze darkened with sadness.「Shizu’s… papa?」 Sora’s voice trembled.JJ cleared his throat. 「Oh… sorry. And I also made a promise to your late father the day he died.」Sora tilted her head, confused. 「My late papa…?」Emiko’s expression hardened, a mix of shock and gloom. 「Sora, go play with Shizuko. I need to talk to JJ.」Sora hesitated. 「Um… okay…」 She left quietly.Emiko turned to JJ, eyes piercing. 「What did you mean by that?」JJ let out a sad sigh. 「The day Mr. Mori died… I was there.」
Emiko gasped.
「I couldn’t save him…」 JJ looked down, voice heavy.Emiko’s hand hit his chest, tears streaming. 「Oh… is that so?!」
JJ inhaled deeply and pulled out his phone. 「Iris…」⟦Yes, papa?⟧ Iris' buzzed through the phone's speaker.「Call Detective Itadori and make it a projection call.」 He placed the phone carefully on the table.⟦Okay…⟧ Iris did as told.JJ glanced at Emiko. 「He’ll tell you the truth. I’ll be in my study if you need anything.」 He left the room.
◽Projection Call with Detective Itadori◽
Itadori picked up the call. 「Hello… oh, Ms. Mori.」Emiko’s tears still flowed. 「My husband… how did he die?」Itadori sighed. 「I see… so JJ told you.」Emiko nodded. 「He just mentioned it briefly.」Detective Itadori’s voice softened, full of sympathy. 「If I remember correctly, your daughter Sora was kidnapped when she was three, right?」
Emiko nodded.
「The place she was taken to… happened to be the same place Shizuko was taken. That’s how your husband and JJ first met.」Emiko blinked in surprise. 「What? Really?」「Yes… at the time, the higher-ups didn’t think much of it. But JJ, knowing these patterns, realized that if we didn’t act, the children would have been shipped off to another continent by the time those pigs made their move.」Emiko frowned. 「I see… but that still doesn’t explain how he knew about my late husband’s death.」Itadori’s tone grew uneasy. 「Your husband… he died saving Shizuko from gunfire when the traffickers realized their operation was busted.」Emiko gasped. 「No… way…」Itadori’s voice was firm. 「By now, you know how JJ reacts when someone he respects deeply is hurt.」
Emiko nodded slowly, memories flooding back. 「Yes… he always goes above and beyond…」Itadori continued. 「Do you remember that old lighthouse couples went to, believing it would make their relationships last forever?」Emiko gave a sad chuckle. 「Yes… I do.」「Well… I’ll be honest. JJ is the reason it’s not there anymore.」Emiko frowned, confused. 「What do you mean?」「After all the children were saved, JJ ripped the ground it stood on out. Since it was on a cliff, it fell into the ocean.」Emiko’s eyes widened. 「So… the traffickers…?」Itadori nodded. 「All of them died. They sank along with the lighthouse.」Emiko shook her head. 「That… that’s too outlandish to believe…」
Itadori nodded sympathetically. 「I know. But considering two N.W.O agents arrived the next day, full force, telling JJ he was in breach of a treaty… you’d understand why it seems unbelievable.」Emiko’s eyes widened. 「Wait… why were they there?」「Besides JJ breaking some rules, they came to scold us for saving the missing kids. Then… something interesting happened.」Emiko leaned forward, breath baited. 「…And what happened?」Itadori chuckled lightly. 「JJ killed the first one… and told the second one, the next time they tried to scheme against him, don’t pretend to be the 'wronged party'… & just let the second one go. Scared, of course.」Realization dawned on Emiko. 「You’re not saying…」「Yes. The N.W.O is far more villainous than they let on… and JJ… is even worse in their eyes.」
◽Later That Evening — Dinner◽
JJ cleared his throat, glancing around the table. 「Something strange happened today… and it’s only right that I tell you all.」Shizuko looked at him suspiciously. 「Papa… I don’t like that uncertain tone.」JJ laughed nervously. 「Err… well, bear with me. Emiko… she's… pregnant.」
The room went silent.
Hana’s face lit up. 「 That’s wonderful! It's a total blessing!」Miyeon eyed JJ suspiciously. 「Wait… you’re not thinking of abandoning her, right? Since she’s not someone you could just… marry?」JJ sighed in defeat. 「Emiko… could you explain?」 All eyes turned to her.Emiko cleared her throat. 「Well… everyone, I was deemed infertile after complications from giving birth to Sora. My late husband and I tested… just to be sure. It seemed futile… but now… six years later, at 37, I’m going to give birth again. I never thought I would.」Mei gasped. 「That must’ve been traumatic.」Emiko nodded. 「It was… but now… it’s happening.」Jiyeon asked, curiosity piqued. 「Wait, but how did you even find out?」JJ smiled. 「We were talking… she passed out, so I took her to a friend’s hospital. That’s when we found out. I even called my grandmother… sent her Emiko’s reports. She laughed.」Jiyeon gasped. 「Wow… that’s mean!」JJ shrugged. 「She laughed at me, saying 'you forgot your blood can cure cancer.' I said, ‘I didn’t bleed on Emiko.’ She looked disappointed and said… 'Who says the healing properties in your DNA are limited to your blood?'」Hana’s eyes widened in realization. 「Ohhhh… that explains my skin’s new glow.」Everyone looked confused. 「What?」Hana smiled softly. 「Ever since I started dating JJ, I’ve used far less skin products.」Miyeon nodded slowly. 「Hmm… now that you mention it, my hair’s gotten better too. Being close to JJ… maybe it makes us ideal women for him physically.」Hana glanced at JJ. 「Well… considering he doesn’t have a beating heart and is alive, I wouldn’t disagree.」Jiyeon frowned. 「But the real question… how can he do this?」JJ looked thoughtful. 「Well… my grandmother is older than she looks. Maybe this is a gift I inherited from my mother’s side.」Mei tried to process it. 「So… wait. JJ’s body can heal… and even improve aspects of our bodies?」JJ nodded. 「Exactly. You had bruises that left marks… but they’ve faded bit by bit since moving in.」Mei lifted her sleeve, eyes widening. 「Y-you’re right…」 A small smile appeared on her lips.Shizuko cleared her throat loudly. 「Papa can heal the sick… but all I heard was…」 She looked at JJ with happy, expectant eyes. 「You and Sky’s mama were praying… and I’ll be a big sister!」Sora looked at Emiko, mirroring Shizuko’s gaze. 「Me too, right mama?」Emiko and the adults chuckled softly. 「Yes, Sora. You and Shizu will be big sisters.」Sora and Shizuko nodded excitedly. 「Awesome!」Shizuko jumped up. 「Papa, permission to leave early!」Sora echoed. 「Mhmm! Mhmm!」JJ smiled. 「Sure… just don’t hurt yourselves, alright?」Sora nodded. 「We won’t, Shizu’s papa!」
JJ watched as the girls left.
Jiyeon turned to JJ, curiosity returning. 「Hey… don’t you think your body does this because of what you went through as a child?」JJ’s expression darkened slightly. 「Now that you mention it… my mother did say something about me being awakened too early. I never understood what it meant.」Jiyeon’s eyes narrowed in thought. 【Awakened too early… if the experiments weren’t meant to harm him, then what were they for?】