RE: Keep it in the Family (Secret Class) 171 — A Fever Dream IV

Eun Ha's POV:

Eun Ha stayed perfectly still, silent. She struggled to speak, the shock striking her harder than she ever imagined. Why bother with all that buildup and hints if they were just going to... go there?

Even so, Jae-il avoided her gaze when Eun Ha questioned:

"W-what just happened...?"

"Mom..."

"Who in their right mind would want a mother and son to..."

Jae-il scowled, as though he sensed she expected him to complete her thought. A few more moments ticked by, and Eun Ha's thoughts refused to work straight. The heat surged back, paired with growing letdown that the creators thought tossing in such a crazy moment would convince fans of a romance between those doomed partners.

"Such a twisted, insane decision..." Jae-il whispered to himself, the final straw that overflowed the cup. "Who the hell would even root for a match like that to begin with?"

Eun Ha shifted her focus to him. He voiced it, yet a strange glint filled his eyes. A peculiar, shadowing gaze.

"Who knows..." Eun Ha forced out, her mind growing hazy. "Fans nowadays... they... they pair up everything, I suppose."

She tugged the blanket up to her chin.

"Right..." Jae-il replied, sounding far away. He grabbed the laptop and set it on the desk. "They really do."

"......"

He lifted the tray. "I'll bring this to the kitchen. Rest up. We'll watch a proper film once you feel better."

Eun Ha simply nodded, doubting her voice.

He headed for the door, hand lingering on the light switch. "Need anything more? Extra water? Another blanket?"

"No. Nothing." Eun Ha rasped, huddling into the pillows. "Go rest. You've done plenty."

More than plenty, actually. 

"......"

Jae-il nodded, swinging the door open.

"Sweetie?"

He faced her.

"Thank you... for everything."

She caught his lips curving into a soft smile. "No need to say it."

Eun Ha observed him flick the light switch and softly shut the door.

For what felt like ages, Eun Ha lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind a foggy blend of fever, vivid images, and a lingering, remote sorrow.

She couldn't pinpoint the source of that sorrow... perhaps her body battling the sickness, her tangled emotions toward her husband and son, or that doomed film she'd anticipated so eagerly.

Ah, damn it! Just as she started feeling at ease around Jae-il, the movie had to ruin it—

It just had to...

It was so... bizarre...

Mother and son... an outlandish duo no matter what, even accounting for the timeline shifts from the film's genre. Even so, it unsettled her enough that she didn't know how to process it. Yet, gazing at the ceiling, she kept reliving that final shot before Jae-il stopped it.

The film hadn't concluded. Eun Ha had no clue what became of Kael or The Empress after that shameless instant between them. She couldn't guess the direction, regardless of her theories. That close had been so shockingly sudden and... and... and...

She truly, truly .

Yet curiosity, they say, kills the cat... or so Eun Ha reflected as, despite heavy hesitation, she finally threw back the covers and slipped from bed. 

Her legs wobbled like gelatin, she staggered from the fever for seconds, her mind too jumbled to keep pace, and soon enough, she grasped the laptop from the nightstand.

Her inner voice yelled to halt, to sleep, to bury the film and its accompanying ideas.

But illness had eroded her barriers. She flipped open the lid. The screen burst alive, glaringly vivid.

She slid the cursor to the cutoff point, glancing once more at the door, fearing her son might unexpectedly peek in.

Lip caught between teeth, fingers shaking, Eun Ha hit 'resume play.'

She dialed the volume down to the barest whisper, yet audible.

The pair locked eyes.

Their arms wrapped tight in a prolonged, intense hug.

Their mouths met.

On screen, Kael kissed the Empress—no.

Kael kissed . 

Watching their lips press together in fervent harmony, it wasn't merely the Empress in his grasp and kiss. It was his very mother.

The ship rocked from a thunderous blast. Yet they ignored it, consumed by each other's mouths, even as chaos engulfed their world—maybe symbolizing the fallout of such a... 

For many drawn-out minutes, Eun Ha kept viewing in shocked stupor. Naturally, she realized it was merely a film, not a direct echo of her reality, or intended beyond surface fiction.

The performers didn't view their parts that way.

Snapping back, she saw credits scrolling. She'd reached the scene's conclusion.

Just to witness something... absurd, she insisted to herself, shoving her thoughts away from it all.

No chance a mother-son bond like that existed for real, neither in the movie nor beyond.

But suppose it did?

As she powered down the laptop, set it aside, and settled back down, that question dominated her mind.

'?

...

Eun Ha pondered what Dr. Han might say if present in her patient's twisted dream world after tossing restlessly; a wonder she'd slept at all, given the night's chaos, which anyone might mistake for a wild fever hallucination.

And she'd nearly bolted upright to snatch her phone and tell Dr. Han her son was clearly advancing, deliberately so, not purely her imagination.

With his attentiveness, small touches, focus, pampering, and endless closeness.

Was she truly not to overthink it?

Perhaps Dr. Han, rather than offering expert insight, would've fretted over her awful film pick.

Well, the movie was unintended.

The dream wasn't.

.

What the hell was Eun Ha doing aboard a starship, clad in the Empress's majestic attire? 

She scanned around, everything feeling... authentic. The far-off engine clanks, pulsing ceiling lights, faint deck vibrations as the craft weaved through rocky space debris.

She was inside the movie. A dream—though she sensed deep down its haziness marked it unreal, but amid the thrill, shaking free proved tough. 

And the deeper she sank in, the more tangible it grew, reshaping into her reality.

Eun Ha examined her hands. Pale, refined, slender digits that felt alien yet familiar. 

No more fever or frailty. Power coursed through her.

She perched on what seemed a throne, actually a captain's seat in crisp white leather. The bridge stood deserted. No crew. The vessel floated aimlessly. Beyond the vast window swirled endless dark laced with violet.

"Your Majesty?"

Then his voice reached her.

Eun Ha glanced down to see Jae-il in a starship commander's dark gray uniform, tall rigid collar highlighting his sturdy neckline. 

He knelt before her, head dipped low but rising just enough to meet her gaze. Jae-il's features, not Kael's. 

"I await your commands, Your Majesty."

"......"

Eun Ha barely knew her voice, silky and commanding. "Have you come to witness my downfall, my young star commander?"

Jae-il raised his eyes with grave resolve. "No, My Empress. Never. My blade, heart, and life are yours alone."

In that instant, staring into his sincere face, Eun Ha erased all the torments plaguing her for weeks, months. 

Her fever, worries, inner turmoil vanished.

Indeed, her thoughts sharpened, calmer than in ages.

Eun Ha sensed a strange authority as she lifted her chin, gazing down at her young commander... her son.

He remained unaware.

Unaware he was her hidden child, placed here not by chance or destiny, but intent.

But here, shielded in their decaying realm, within her dreams, he'd remain, his wishes mirroring hers.

Eun Ha peered into his devoted gaze. Eyes pledged to guard her, perish for her...

He'd grant her every whim.

.

''

A sly whisper echoed in her mind.

Eun Ha's straight lips now curved into a true empress smile.

"Yes, my star commander, I have a command for you."

Innocent lamb, oblivious his guide harbored utterly unmotherly schemes.

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