I looked at my father, then at Ha-Yoon, then at the sleeping boy. My life had just taken a 180-degree turn without me having any say in the matter.
A return to Apex.
With a girlfriend.
And her little brother, my former enemy/victim, who was about to become my protégé.
It was the most absurd situation I had ever experienced.
My father must have seen the dismay on my face. He came over and patted me on the back, a little too hard.
"Come on, son," he said with a wide grin. "It's a good thing. Having some responsibilities will do you good."
He lowered his voice so only I could hear, a twinkle in his eye.
"Besides, it's time you became a little more independent, don't you think? You can't spend your life hiding in a burger joint and waiting for your old man to come and fix all your problems."
He was teasing me. After everything that had happened, after fighting gods and monsters, he still treated me like a kid who couldn't manage his own life.
