Merlin’s heart thumped against his chest, his eyes distant as he stared forward at the bustling crowd pouring out of Seoul International Airport. They weren’t supposed to be standing where they were for long, and since Merlin didn’t enjoy being embarrassed, he tapped his foot hurriedly.

  “Where’s she?” he asked Nora, finally losing patience.

  “And why am I being asked that question?” Nora sneered, holding up a cardboard. Written on it was: “Here we are, Aunt Zuzu.”

  Cringe, Merlin had thought when he’d seen it. And he didn’t think otherwise now. Perhaps that was why he was agitated, or maybe it was because he was just pissed.

  Of course he wasn’t exactly angry that it was his aunt he and Nora had come to pick up today, it was just a little bit hurtful that it hadn’t been his parents. Well, maybe not a little bit. They were the ones who should have been present for the inter-academy festival and tournament, but at the last minute, their attention had been urgently needed for an emergency even though they had been given a break. Their aunt, who was always daring to go on any adventure she could lay her hands on, even if it wasn’t technically one, jumped at the opportunity.

  Merlin, honestly, didn’t understand why he was so cranky. He had grown up experiencing such over and over again. He should have seen it coming from a mile away.

  It didn’t matter anyway, because just when the security close by already had enough of their loitering and made to approach them, a lithe woman with blonde hair in a pink floral dress and perfectly done makeup appeared with a suitcase, waving.

  Nora smiled and waved back, excitement on her face. Merlin, on the other hand, just sighed.

  “Aunty!” Nora exclaimed as she was pulled into a hug by their aunt. “How’ve you been?”

  “Good, sweety,” Aunt Zuzu replied. Her voice was mellifluous. In hindsight, she was the kind of lady men would gush at—like now—and yet she had no spouse or suitor, all that while she was closing in on thirty-five. Hmmm… How old was she on her last birthday again? Merlin couldn't remember.

  “Hello, aunty,” Merlin greeted. “How was the flight?”

  Aunt Zuzu turned to him, furrowed her brows, turned to Nora, and back to him again.

  “Who’s this, sweety?” she asked. “Why’s he calling me aunty, and where’s my cheesecake?”

  Merlin shook his head with a sigh. Her display at this moment was one of the reasons why she was still single, despite her pretense that she didn’t care about having a man. Merlin had heard her once complaining to his mother, but that was besides the point at this moment.

  How could she not recognize him?

  Nora rolled her eyes with a groan. “That’s Merlin, aunty.”

  Aunt Zuzu’s green eyes shifted from Nora to Merlin in an instant, perusing him from head to toe, then stayed on his face a little bit longer than they had initially. She gasped soon after.

  “What?!”

  “That’s it!” the security close by exclaimed, stomping towards them. “Leave now, all of you!”

  They all turned towards the security and shifted from the curbside, hurrying into the kakao taxi that had brought Merlin and Nora to the airport. It was obvious that Aunt Zuzu’s shock had triggered the security into action.

  But, nevermind that, Merlin was uncomfortable. They were seated in the taxi now, with Nora in the front, and Merlin and Aunt Zuzu in the back seat, and she was ogling him like a one year old child would a stranger that tried to pick them up.

  “What happened to you, cheesecake?” she finally spoke up. “No. Don’t think I don’t like the new look. But how did you change so much in just a few months? Five, maybe?”

  “About eight months,” Nora replied.

  “Well, that’s a while. But, come on, you’re now so fit.”

  Merlin wanted to take that as a compliment, but he wasn’t really in the mood. Goodness; these days he got so easily frustrated, annoyed, and was hardly in the mood for anything.

  He sighed. “Lots of workout, aunty,” Merlin replied. “I didn't like that I was so thin.”

  Aunt Zuzu smiled, her lips covered in pink lipstick spreading wide.

  “I like that for you, cheesecake,” she said. “They get the girls, you know? Muscles.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “Aunty,” Nora chimed in. “He’s a kid.”

  “I’m not,” Merlin argued. “I’ll be eighteen in three months.”

  “Until then, nerd.”

  Merlin felt his usual urge to pull her hair, but he held himself back. There was a stranger driving them to their destination; such a display wouldn’t be optimal.

  “So,” Aunt Zuzu started. “What am I to expect in Korea?”

  Merlin left the task of answering that question to Nora. She had always enjoyed talking to their aunty; two ladies gisting, Merlin supposed. He, however, no matter how much he tried wasn’t able to talk to her for more than a few minutes at a stretch. It didn’t mean he loved her as a family any less. She was his father’s sister. But his conversations with her just didn’t come as smoothly as he would have liked.

  “Ah… Sightseeing, then,” said Aunt Zuzu when Nora was done with feeding her with expectations. “And food, and…” She sighed as she glanced outside. “The men aren’t what I expected them to be.”

  Their driver glanced over his seat, but said nothing.

  Merlin was embarrassed on the man’s behalf and decided to be the one to query his aunt.

  “There are always more average men than model-esque men everywhere,” he said. “Even in London. Don’t let the top one percent in the movies deceive you.”

  Aunt Zuzu glanced at him with brows upturned. She was shocked.

  What had he done now?

  “When did you become so outspoken, cheesecake?” she asked, leaning closer to him. “Is this an effect of your muscles? Wow. Those work wonders don’t they?”

  Merlin almost scoffed. He hadn’t changed one bit. If his fitness gave him the ability to be outspoken, he would have told Sofia how he really felt already, and saved the girl from having to go through what he had gone through with Janeth. Which was inevitable, but he would be able to tone it down a bit.

  “On that topic,” Aunt Zuzu continued. “Do you finally have a girlfriend, cheesecake?”

  Merlin’s heart skipped a beat. “What?”

  “And you, sweety? A boy to call yours?”

  Nora scoffed. “Haven’t got a good reason why I should have one. Just a waste of time.”

  “Come on, sweety. You’re not getting any younger. You gotta fall in love and live a little,” Aunt Zuzu pestered.

  Merlin could see that it bothered her so much because of her current state in life. Not that it was bad, but she was a woman with experience. She had lived the lonely life and the one filled with love, and, of course, the one where she had been heartbroken almost beyond repair. She had no idea, but Nora was in some way avoiding that last bit. Despite her cold outwards look, she was one big softy inside. Merlin knew his sister. And that was why he would keep on hoping Lee Jaehyun gave up on being infatuated with her. He had no chance. At least not now.

  “AllI want to do is pass my exams and become a Mage,” Nora replied, waving their aunt’s talk away.

  Aunt Zuzu clicked her tongue. “It’s always so hard to get through that thick skull of yours.” She turned to Merlin. “And you, cheesecake? Please don’t tell me your sister has influenced you?”

  Merlin shook his head reluctantly.

  “Good,” Aunt Zuzu perked up. “Now tell me about it all.”

  Merlin hesitated for a second. But, perhaps this was his best chance at getting some good advice on how he should proceed with Janeth and Sofia? He had never really asked anyone with experience before. Chima was a teenager like he was, and Nora was even worse. But his aunty. She had lived it all.

  Yeah; this was an opportunity for him to rid himself of part of his worries.

  Merlin cleared his throat and poured out all his thoughts. Before he knew it, he had created a new record for talking with his aunty. This one, he would never beat.

  “Oh my,” Aunt Zuzu jerked back into a smile. “My little cheesecake has grown up.”

  Well, that was not the reply he had wanted.

  Nora glanced at him as he sighed and she stifled back a laughter.

  “You want my advice?” Aunt Zuzu continued, tussling Merlin’s hair gently. “You shouldn’t give up on who you like.”

  Merlin’s brows pulled in.

  “What?” he blurted.

  “You see, we ladies can be hard to understand sometimes. In most cases, we don’t even know what we want,” she explained. “We could want this today, and then this tomorrow, and then another thing a second later. The truth is we’re emotional and fickle.”

  Merlin blinked. That was not a point of view he had been expecting.

  “Of course I can’t speak for this Janeth girl,” she continued. “But from what you told me, she only rejected you because she thinks she’s too much of a mess for you to handle. If you like her so much, then what you have to do is simple.”

  Merlin shifted on his seat. “And what’s that, aunty?”

  “Prove that her mess isn’t too much for you to handle,” she said. “Show that you can carry both your burden and hers; that’s the only way for you to figure out her true feelings. If she really likes you, she’ll not push you away any longer. If she doesn’t, then even your proof won’t be enough.”

  Merlin sighed.

  “That’s easier said than done,” he replied. “I don’t even know much about her to begin with.”

  Aunt Zuzu slapped him across the shoulder. “Don’t be lazy, cheesecake. Find out about her. I’ll have no wuss in the Tyrrell family.”

  Merlin pursed his lips. “Yes, aunty.”

  “As for Sofia,” she continued. “I’m giving you until the end of the week to tell her how you feel, or I’ll whoop you.”

  Merlin flinched, past memories of his aunt painting his buttocks red flashing through his mind.

  “She sounds like a lovely girl; stop keeping her on the fence. How would you feel if someone did that to you?”

  Merlin swallowed. “Not good,” he said.

  “Exactly. So be a man and own up to your feelings.” She smiled and pulled Merlin into a hug. “Aww… My cheesecake is now a man.”

  Merlin just let Aunt Zuzu have her hug. Fighting it had never turned out good. The more one wriggled, the tighter it got; it was like trying to pry free from a python’s coil.

  “Goodness,” Nora grumbled. “Relationship talk makes me nauseous. I’ve heard enough.” She took out her headset and placed it over her head, drowning herself in music; while Merlin considered how exactly he was to broker the news of his feelings to Sofia.