Chapter 7: Halmeoni

Since he was such an angsty little teen in the past, there weren’t mirrors in his room to check his appearance, so when he lifted his head to brush his teeth, he was taken aback by what he saw. Freezing in place, Ari could only stare at himself with wide eyes. 

 

Ari didn’t know why he was so astounded to see his younger form, even though he accepted the fact that he had time traveled. But he was. He had changed a lot physically throughout those years he had to live by himself.

 

Although he had always been pasty white because of the lack of sunlight, his looks had changed a significant amount from how it was previously. For example, after the fire, the only thing he could afford was a shitty apartment in an equally shitty neighborhood.   

 

Because of that, he started working out and transformed his willowy body into a muscular one to protect himself. So seeing the muscles that he worked so hard to get disappear was jarring. 

 

Not only that, but his hair… his stunning hair that cost him an arm and a leg to get styled into a short taper fade with a wavy fringe on top had been changed back to a head full of curly hair. But Ari could live with his curly hair. What he couldn’t live with was his missing facial hair. 

 

The facial hair that made him look so distinguished, manly, and able to kick someone’s ass if threatened was also gone, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin. Although he knew that because of his second chance, he wouldn’t need that tough facade anymore, it was a little upsetting because his beard took years to grow.

 

Ari always thought because of his father’s genes he would be a hairy man, but his Asian genes overwhelmed his Caucasian ones. As he stared at himself, finding more differences from his future self, he noticed something heartbreaking.

‘How can this be? I’ve even shrunk a few inches!’ Ari gasped as he stared regretfully at his reflection in the mirror. ‘Wait, does that mean I have to go through a growth spurt when I turn 18 again?’

 

Ari’s hazel eyes widened at the thought. He really didn’t want to go through growing pains again. It hurt so much the first time around. He would rather lose the three inches he gained than go through that again. 

 

‘It’s okay. Growth spurts are nothing compared to the pain of losing both my parents and grandparents before the age of 24. I can deal with another growth spurt,’ Ari told himself sternly.

 

After all, he would rather take any physical pain rather than repeat the mental anguish he experienced in the other timeline. With that thought in mind, Ari brushed his teeth before stripping out of his clothes and entering the shower. 

 

It took thirty minutes of getting showered with a soothing spray from three different shower heads before his body was clean and relaxed. However, most of that time was spent on getting relaxed, but that’s of no importance or relevance.

 

Once he was out of the shower, he applied his prescription sun cream called Nature’s Gift all over his body. He had to use it because any type of light can cause damage to his skin without him even noticing. 

 

When he lived by himself, he couldn’t afford it. Because of that, his skin became poisoned, as if he had touched poison ivy. It caused so many rashes to form, scaring his skin. Yet at the time he didn’t mind, the scars made him look tougher. 

 

Shaking his head at his manly persona, Ari continued slathering sunscreen on himself. Once he finished, he put on the clothes he picked out.

 

“Looking good,” Ari brightly smiled as he checked himself out in the mirror. After smoothing out his curls, he picked his dirty clothes off the floor and plopped them into the laundry basket.  

 

Leaving the bathroom, he re-entered his room with a renewed view. Nodding to himself, he smirked before walking toward his bed. Rummaging through his bedsheets, he grabbed his phone, that somehow got lost in them, before leaving his room once again.   

 

Rubbing his stomach, he headed straight to the kitchen. He felt famished. It had been a long time since he had eaten a decent meal. He had been living on instant noodles and rice for the longest time, he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into something new. 

 

With a bounce in his step, he walked into the kitchen, only to be halted by the sight of his grandma washing the dishes. The sight alone made him want to cry, but he wouldn’t allow himself to do so. 

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There was no need to cry because he wouldn’t let his grandma die before it was her time. 

So instead of breaking down like he wanted to, Ari just went and gave her a hug. 

 

Although his grandma was taken aback by the sudden hug, she just smiled and returned it happily. Ari really missed his grammy’s hugs. She always smelled like freshly cut flowers, and she always made him feel safe and loved in her arms. 

 

“What’s with the hug?” she asks. “Not that I’m complaining, but you haven’t hugged me like this since you visited two years ago.”

 

Ari understood where his grandma was coming from. During this time in the previous timeline, he was too deep in his mourning to care about the people around him. It took a good seven months for him to do so and a year to connect with his grandparents again.   

 

Giving the woman a soft smile, Ari just squeezed her tighter before replying, “I just felt like giving you one today.”

 

“Is it because of the nightmare you had? Your mother told me about it before she left,” His grandmother asked with concern. 

 

“Don’t worry Halmeoni, it wasn’t a big deal.”

 

Pulling away from him, she looked him in his eyes and asked, “Are you sure? Your mother was really worried. You know you can talk to me if you need to… right?”

 

“I know, but it’s okay. Although the nightmare was long and scary, it’s over now,” Ari answered with a big grin. “Everything is okay now. It’s better to forget that nightmare altogether.”    

 

While patting his head, his grandma nodded in agreement, “Some things are best to forget, because if you only remember the negatives, you will forget the positives.”

 

“Don’t worry, I will never forget,” Ari replied with a smile. 

 

“Good,” she said with a smile in her eyes. “I bet you’re hungry. Do you want something to eat?”  

 

“You bet I am. In fact, I’m practically starving.”

 

Laughing, his grandma shoo-ed him into the living room, “Go sit and watch something on the tv while I make you something to eat.”

 

“Do you want some help?” Ari asked.

 

“No, it’s fine,” she responded. “It won’t take me long to whip you up something. Just go relax and wait until I call you.”      

 

Grinning, Ari gave his grandma a peck on the cheek before leaving the kitchen as his grandma shook her head in amusement as she watched him. 

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