Chapter -1 Returning Home

On a windless afternoon, the scorching sun scorched everything unbridled.

On the silent platform, a high-speed train stopped slowly, and a few minutes later, it quickly chugged away.

This remote station, far away from the bustling city, only welcomed a few passengers.

Kim Taehyung had just stepped out of the cool carriage and was almost knocked over by the heat wave that hit his face. He took a quick look at the baby in his arms and made sure that he was still sleeping soundly before dragging his suitcase towards the exit of the station.

The journey lasted less than ten minutes, and he was sweating profusely. He felt as if he had been thrown into the alchemy furnace of Taishang Laojun. Not only did he feel like he was almost cooked, but he also saw stars in his eyes.

When he got out of the station and took a hired-ride car, the mister who took the order was squatting under the shade of a tree eating ice cream. He smiled and said what a coincidence. After eating this ice cream, he was going to go home and take a nap.

The driver was very enthusiastic and helped Kim Taehyung lift his luggage into the trunk.

Leaving the station, the car drove all the way towards the town.

Kim Taehyung looked at the increasingly familiar scenery outside the car window. The tissue he originally used to wipe sweat quietly wiped the corners of his eyes, wiping away a drop of unspilled tears.

“Why are high-rise buildings built here? It turns out to be a small park.” Kim Taehyung sighed looking at a high-rise building outside the window.

The driver smiled and said, “It took two years to build and was just completed this year. It is a landmark building in Qiyun Town.”

Kim Taehyung looked at the tall building. The sunlight shone on the glass curtain wall and reflected into his eyes, making his eyes sore.

He hadn’t been home for more than four years.

When he left home, he was just a teenager who had just graduated from high school. Now when he was coming back, he was already the parent of a child, even though he was only 22 years old.

Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a car repair shop. The driver still enthusiastically went down to help him get the suitcase, but Kim Taehyung hesitated in pushing the car door.

At this moment, he finally realized the meaning of the word “fearful of being close to home”.

On the big trees beside the road, the cicadas chirped loudly and made people anxious. Kim Taehyung hugged the baby in his arms, dragged his luggage, and walked to the main entrance of the car repair shop.

Inside the store, a man wearing dirty overalls and long legs was working under the car. Hearing the movement outside the door, he stuck his head out and his handsome face with strong outlines was smeared with a few oil stains, and there was a half-burned cigarette in his mouth.

When he saw Kim Taehyung’s appearance at the door clearly, the man’s body visibly froze, and there was a hint of surprise in his deep eyes. He paused, slid out from under the car, stood up. The black racer-shaped vest clung to his body, leaving his strong tendons with nowhere to hide.

Due to the heat, a layer of sweat formed on his exposed skin, which looked like it was coated with translucent oil.

Kim Taehyung pursed his dry lips and said nervously:

“Dad, I’m back.”

Kim Vincent still held a pair of pliers in his hand, walked to the door in a few steps, looked at him condescendingly, and suddenly sneered:

“Didn’t you say that even if you die outside, you won’t come back?”

He looked deeply at the thing in Kim Taehyung’s arms and asked,

“What is that?”

Kim Taehyung lowered his head, never daring to raise it to look at him. He just muttered:

“Yes… he is my son.”

With that said, he quickly took off the sling on his chest, took two steps forward and handed the baby to Kim Vincent, and said,

“Dad, help me hold the baby, I need to go to the toilet.”

Kim Vincent was stunned for two seconds, and without care, he threw the pliers on the ground and went to pick up the baby.

Kim Taehyung secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then hurriedly walked towards the toilet in the store. However, in fact, he didn’t have an urgent need to urinate.

Although he hadn’t been back for four years, nothing in the store had changed much. Even the deodorizing aromatherapy in the toilet was the scent he originally had chosen.

Kim Taehyung’s nose felt slightly sour.

In front of the mirror, he freshened up and washed his hands before going out.

Outside, Kim Vincent had carried the baby into the air-conditioned room. Through the bright glass, it was obvious that he was carefully studying the baby in his hands.

Kim Taehyung hesitated for a few seconds, then bravely walked in. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Kim Vincent say in his deep and pleasant voice:

“Baby, I am grandpa.”

Kim Taehyung: “…”