Cynthia Wynne had known her grandson since the boy was just a fetus in her daughter's womb. She was there when her daughter gave birth, watching the process from her daughter's bedside. She was the one who named the boy Arthur.
She was the one who said she'd take the boy if her daughter didn't want him. From the moment Arthur held her finger to the moment Arthur let it go to study abroad, she was there, watching the boy's every step.
She felt bad for Ashley, but for her, Arthur was rather special.
Perhaps because his circumstances were truly pitiful, and he kept embroiled in bad luck, she couldn't help but pay special attention to him. She knew how long the poor boy had been struggling with self-worth, so she let him go abroad to find himself.
Arthur did come back looking more assured and confident, but it was easy for her to see that something new had been tormenting the boy's mind.
Earlier, he was especially frazzled every time someone mentioned him having his own child.
"Do you not like it when your cousin and grandfather tease you about having a child on your own?" she asked. "It's okay if you do. Just because everyone else has children doesn't mean you have to."
Arthur widened his eyes in surprise.
"If you don't like it, I'll tell them to stop teasing you about it."
Arthur clasped his mouth in reverence. Grandma, I'm glad you're the head of this family! He crawled to the armchair and hugged his grandmother in gratitude.
"Thank you, Grandma," Arthur returned her warm smile with an awkward one. "That's not it, though..."
He sighed and lay his head against the couch, pursing his mouth in contemplation. "I don't mind having children, I just..." he made a wistful expression and lowered his voice. "I'm not sure I'll ever find anyone."
"Why do you say that?" Cynthia slightly knitted her brows before asking curiously. "Haven't you been looking for someone?"
Arthur exhaled heavily. That didn't end well. Not at all. It turned confusing instead, as he had 'moved on' to someone else. Yes, Arthur could no longer treat his feelings as mere admiration. If a fan felt jealous of their idol's partner, that was no longer a healthy fan activity. A fan shouldn't imagine their future child to look like their idol, either.
"Grandma..." without lifting his head, Arthur asked lethargically. "Have you ever fallen for someone else's partner?"
Cynthia almost dropped her teacup, staring at his grandson in shock. "Arthur..."
"I'm just asking," Arthur straightened his back and waved his hands quickly to dispel any unsavory thought from his grandmother's mind. "I'm not trying to be a howewrecker or anything."
Cyntia kept her expression straight, but she sighed inwardly. Her daughter had a child without a shred of love and abandoned said child; her granddaughter married a vile woman and had to raise a child while experiencing heartbreak.
And now her grandson alluded to developing a forbidden love.
Haa...was there something wrong with her way of raising them? Or was it some kind of curse befalling their family? Her son had a completely normal family, though--although he also got taken far too early.
Again, Cynthia could only sigh inwardly. He reached out to stroke her poor grandson's head, feeling like his bad luck was her fault somehow.
"I know we can't control our feelings, but we can control our reaction to that feeling," Cynthia said gently. "You understand that, right?"
Arthur nodded obediently. "Yes, Grandma."
"Good," she continued to stroke the fluffy light brown hair, before sighing and pulling Arthur into a warm hug. "Oh, my poor boy."
Arthur laughed softly and held his grandmother tight. Yeah, he had to forget it. It took him just a few weeks to move from Gin to Eugene, and since it had only been a few weeks, it should be even easier for him to move on.
Perhaps the key to it was to find a new person he could fall in love with. Someone without a partner, preferably. Someone he did not meet in a bar, if he could help it.
Ugh...that should be easy for anyone, but Arthur had been failing even in that area. Finding someone who was single was easy enough, but finding someone who could tolerate his quirks and temperament, not to mention didn't have any strong smell that put him in discomfort, was too damn difficult.
Oh, well...
He just needed to focus on his work, and probably someone would come falling from the sky like Eugene Kim--
Stop thinking about that man at any given time! Arthur groaned and scolded himself inwardly, just as he heard his niece's voice from the second-floor gallery.
"Uncle, can you help me pass the canyon?"
Arthur looked up and saw Samantha waving her portable console at him. "What level are you?"
"23?"
"You're crossing the canyon at level 23?! This girl--" Arthur stood up and rolled his sleeve while sighing. He smirked and waved at his grandmother. "Uncle's duty--see you later, Grandma."
Cynthia chuckled and waved back, watching the pair of uncle and niece tackle a game together on the staircase. She continued to savor her tea, sending a prayer for her grandson's heart.
Well...if he can fall in love, that's already better than his parents.
* * *
"Wake up, loser."
Arthur felt a slight quake and groaned as he was jolted awake, belatedly realizing someone was kicking the bed he slept in. Slowly, he opened his eyes to a blurry sight of an unfamiliar ceiling.
He mumbled with bleary eyes. "Where am I?"
"Let's run," Ashley threw a face towel at her cousin and knocked on the door frame. "It's been a while since we exercised together."
Arthur peeled the face towel away from his face, slowly remembering that he was spending the night at his grandparents' house. His old room was still there, but since the house was refurbished last year, the ceiling was repainted, and the lamp was changed, making it unfamiliar to him.
Yawning, Arthur wobbled to the bathroom and, after a series of splashing sounds, came out refreshed as if he had been drenched with a triple shot espresso.
"Let's go!" Arthur nodded and pumped up his fists, already in his old tracksuits.
Ashley chuckled and gestured toward the back door, past the kitchen. A little girl hugging a reddish-brown teddy bear walked down the stairs while rubbing her eyes, yawning. She waved the bear's paw at Arthur and Ashley.
"Bye-bye, Mama...bye-bye, Uncle..."
"Don't go too far," the grandfather shouted from the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Meat!" the cousins replied together as they stepped out through the back door.
Past the back door was the old man's vegetable garden and a stone path leading to the annex. They crossed the garden and the empty yard to a row of trees and the back gate, slipping into a small path they often used during their adolescent days.
Arthur took a deep breath, once again feeling the greatness of his childhood house. It was a suburb near the hills and river, but still close enough to the city center. He could enjoy the rare fresh air while running around, filling his body with energy.
"Phew..." Arthur exhaled slowly as they took a break in an open bungalow on the hillside. He remembered playing with Allan and Sophie there--back when Allen still lived in the suburb--and pretending that the bungalow was their secret base. It didn't change much, aside from looking rather shabby and abandoned. "I hadn't run outside for a long time."
"Your fault for leaving the house," Ashley snorted.
"Stop it," Arthur rolled his eyes, and then pulled his revenge with a smirk. "I've sent all of my sound design to your box. Check it later."
Ashley groaned while lolling her head on the porch's railing. "You want to talk about work now?"
"In case I forget," Arthur smirked, and then added with a hiss. "In case that jerk 'accidentally' wiped out my files."
"Heh," Ashley chuckled, fanning herself with her hand.
"Aren't you going to do something about him?" Arthur turned his head, lips pursing in annoyance. "About them?"
Ashley smiled and glanced at her cousin, smirking. "All I need to do is work you to the bone."
"Wow..."
Arthur shook his head and threw the drink he brought to his cousin, who caught it while tilting her head.
"Talking about work," Ashley quenched her thirst before continuing. "I'm going to have a party for the staff before crank-in."
Arthur arched his brow. "Party?"
"I'll let them bring their family," the producer let out a sinister chuckle. "Since they won't be seeing their family for a while after that."
"You evil..."
Arthur shook his head again before pausing. Wait--
For him to completely move on, wouldn't it be better if he could ascertain whether Eugene's partner was Gin or not? Even if the partner wasn't Gin, seeing Eugene's partner with his own eyes would help Arthur curb any feelings he had for the omega.
Yep. That was reasonable.
He glanced at his cousin and asked as nonchalantly as possible. "Are we also going to invite Eugene Kim and his family?"
"Huh?"
"I mean...he's also a staff, right?" Arthur shrugged, as if it were just a suggestion in passing.
"He is, but it's impossible to invite Eugene to a party," Ashley shook her head. "He doesn't want people to see his child, and he tries to avoid alcohol as much as possible."
Arthur knew that much, but he couldn't give up now. "Well...can't he leave his daughter with Sophie and come with his partner only?"
Ashley tilted her head in confusion. "What partner?"
This time, Arthur was the one who got confused. "Huh?"
"Eugene doesn't have a partner," Ashley told him. "He's not even married."
Arthur blinked. "He's...not?"