Seeing Min-Seo sleep peacefully, Seol Hwa couldn't resist stretching out her hand toward her, leaning forward.
She then paused mid-action, a subtle frown on her transcendent face.
She retracted her hand, scoffing inwardly. 'Am I becoming soft?'
Shaking her head slightly, Seol Hwa left Min-Seo's room.
'I'm just fond of her. For the Heavenly Demon, for Seol Hwa, that isn't a bad thing.' A smile tugged her lips as she entered her own room.
She took a warm bath since she was in the mood for one before changing into her pajamas.
She strode over to the window and parted the blinds wide.
The moon was exceptionally bright, allowing streams of beautiful moonlight to color the room in silver.
'Tonight's the night,' she mildly thought, gazing at the resplendent New York skyline.
She returned to the mat and sat cross-legged.
It was time to cultivate.
She closed her eyes and inspected her spiritual essence reserve.
It was at 38%, not really impressive but she had already grown accustomed to her current conditions.
She activated [Primordial Unity Demonic Scripture] and began absorbing the lunar energy which was more concentrated.
The scintillating energies bathed her in silver, entering her body.
Dividing her mind, she also pulled that peculiar, ambient green energy.
It was still as chaotic as she remembered. It filled her with immense curiosity.
While she understood the base nature of the energy after stripping down the chaos and dregs, she still wanted to know its true origin.
If her current world had any information about it, then…she would only happily welcome it.
'Still acting stubborn, eh?' she snorted lightly before suppressing the green energy that was acting like a rambunctious child.
Pure lifeforce energy filled her cells, however, that wasn't where she wanted it to be.
Seol Hwa activated [Nirvanic Demon Undying Canon] which needed fuel to work efficiently. The green energy was just the perfect fuel for that with its latent regenerative properties.
She guided the green energy deeper into her soul space. There, her soul fragment floated, flickering like a candle about to be extinguished.
After escaping Heaven's Will, it looked like it would wane out of existence at any moment.
Its current mere survival was all due to her Demonic Will and the stabilization from Eternal Origin Energy.
"Let's see if this will work or not. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed," she murmured.
The moment the refined green energy touched her soul, the most mysterious aspect of existence, she felt it.
The hunger, the joy, the thirst…her soul pulsated excitedly, devouring the green energy.
'This is it. Saves me a lot of time.' Seol Hwa smiled.
She continued to absorb the refined energy, healing her soul.
The healing progress was infinitesimally snail-paced but worth it.
If Seol Hwa wanted to cultivate her soul into a soul body, the damage done to it had to be reversed.
Apparently, things were getting much more difficult.
'It isn't worth a fart to overstress about a future I can't see and don't know about,' Seol Hwa thought, stabilizing her mental state.
She continued her steady cultivation.
At around 1 AM, her spiritual essence had increased to 48%.
The surrounding spiritual Qi was thinning with the rate at which she was absorbing it.
But did she only depend on one energy source? No.
Time passed and without any suspense, morning arrived.
The silvery moonlight had now been replaced with the golden rays of sunlight.
Sounds of car honking, police and ambulance sirens overlapped with the hyper-ambience of New York.
Seol Hwa's eyes flickered open, inhaling the solar essence like oxygen.
She extended her senses from her room and a ghost of a smile appeared on her face.
'Still sleeping? Not surprising. It seems I need to prepare for when she wakes up,' Seol Hwa mused before standing up.
'54%...not bad.' She could feel the dense spiritual essence churning inside her dantian, circulating through her entire physique.
The spiritual Qi within 1-kilometer radius had been totally exhausted. It was just one of the reasons she had decided to stop her meditation session.
If she wanted the sparse energies to replenish, then she had to give it time to do so.
Patience was a virtue she didn't lack anyway.
And today was the start of the weekend.
Surely, the Heavenly Demon also liked weekends…right?
Seol Hwa exited her room.
~~~<>~~~
In the kitchen.
Seol Hwa looked inside the refrigerator and nodded to herself.
She had all the ingredients she needed to make something heavy for herself and Min-Seo.
Immediately, she began cooking.
She prepared soft-boiled eggs, stir-fried kimchi, some stir-fried pork, namul, rice and a special soup infused with very tiny amounts of her qi.
The soup could easily qualify as a refreshing, medicinal broth.
Seol Hwa softly inhaled the tantalizing scent that filled every corner of the kitchen.
"Ah, that smells of perfection," she exhaled.
~~~<>~~~
Meanwhile, in Min-Seo's room.
Min-Seo suddenly stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
The LED clock by her bedside showed it was around 8 o'clock.
She sat upright, her dazed eyes darting to the morning light piercing through the blinds.
She yawned, stretching her arms upward.
"I need to pee," she said monotonously and hurriedly climbed off the bed.
Her movements felt lighter, but her half-awake mind didn't register the peculiarities of her body.
After finishing her business, she washed her hands and walked past the mirror, intending to go out of the bathroom.
Just when her hand was about to clasp the knob, she paused, a light scowl on her face.
'Something's not right,' Min-Seo contemplated.
Then, comically, she quickly started to backpedal, retracing her steps.
She stopped by the mirror.
And behold…
What she saw rendered her speechless.
Because…because there was no way in hell, no…heaven, the person looking back at her was "her."
"Is that…me?" she stammered, her shaking hands tentatively touching her face.
The skin was soft to the touch just like a baby's bum.
"Impossible!" she mouthed, incredulity on her face.
The perpetual dark circles that always clung to her eyes were effectively eliminated.
The wrinkles on her face, due to age and other factors catching up to her, had also disappeared.
She looked like some dermatological ad banner from those skincare commercials made flesh.
The Min-Seo in the mirror looked younger than her. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties.
She squinted her eyes, moving her face closer to the mirror until her nose nearly touched the cold surface.
"Yep. This is definitely me. And this is not…" Min-Seo muttered as she used her index fingers to pull on her lower eyelids, examining her eyes. "…regression."
"There's only one answer." She leaned back, some memories flashing inside her mind.
"SEOL HWA!" Min-Seo shouted at the top of her lungs as she marched out of her room.
"SEOL HWA!"
~~~<>~~~
In the kitchen.
Seol Hwa grinned before assuming an innocent face.
She had sensed Min-Seo a long time ago and prepared herself for her interrogation.
'Welp, here comes trouble,' she thought while preparing the table.
'Just in time…' she looked at the kitchen's doorway.
Min-Seo stormed in, a plethora of emotions showing on her now much younger face.
She pointed an accusatory finger at Seol Hwa, then wordlessly at her changed face.
"I'm not proficient in sign language, mom," Seol Hwa said coolly as she arranged the plates, "Good morning to you too."
'The audacity,' Min-Seo screamed internally at Seol Hwa's sneakiness.
"I MEANT… What.Did.You.Do.To.Me?" Min-Seo mouthed each word with a sharp edge to her voice.
"This is something that not even the best Korean plastic surgeons or some miracle African herb from West Africa can accomplish!" she tried to rationalize.
"Mom, my massage skills can't be evaluated by mortal standards," Seol Hwa faintly chuckled.
"Okay, Jacheongbi," Min-Seo said sarcastically before trying to calm herself.
Seol Hwa watched her in amusement as she poured some tea and sat down.
"Okay, okay. You did the best massage skills that I've ever experienced. That's an undeniable truth. And God, I want to—" Min-Seo started while pacing back and forth in her nightwear.
Seol Hwa lightly cut her off. "You want to experience it again, right? From time to time? Continue looking…what was the word? Hotter?"
Min-Seo's eyes twinkled in excitement before walking and standing behind Seol Hwa.
She then leaned forward and tightly hugged Seol Hwa from behind, her cheek brushing against Seol Hwa's.
"Yes. I shamelessly ask you to regularly do so," Min-Seo whispered, her tone meek and gentle.
"Even if it's once per week, I'll be fine with it. I know how teenagers can get busy with their teenage stuff," she added in consideration.
"Before that, I think you're going to squeeze my soul out of my body, mom," Seol Hwa said uncomfortably, not even trying to wiggle her way out of the mortal hug.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't help myself when my daughter's so squishable," Min-Seo laughed heartily, loosening her arms…a bit.
"Since you said I look hotter, you just gave me an idea. I think I'll just go shopping," she declared mischievously.
"Al…alright," Seol Hwa awkwardly responded as Min-Seo stopped her hug, the warmth of Seol Hwa's body tempting her to go back.
She almost resisted the resistance.
Gululu!
Her stomach whined for justice, an immense amount of it.
Apart from suddenly having the smoothest skin in existence, with the exception of her daughter of course, Min-Seo felt a hunger that she'd never felt in her entire life.
She ravenously eyed the plates of delicacies laid out on the table.
The sheer amount of food just for breakfast made her think that Seol Hwa had anticipated her hunger.
"You're really a thoughtful daughter, Seol Hwa Park," Min-Seo smiled, shook her head and sat beside Seol Hwa.
Min-Seo devoured the food like there was no tomorrow.
Well, she didn't care about tomorrow. Only the void in her stomach.
"Slow down, mom. The food's not going anywhere," Seol Hwa commented dryly.
"I w-won't tolerate your teasing," Min-Seo replied between mouthfuls, her cheeks almost bursting out.
"But mothers teach table etiquette," Seol Hwa humored her.
"Right now, I am not a mother, but hunger personified." Min-Seo didn't even look up from her plate.
"Why am I so damn hungry, Seol? It's medically implausible," she said while refilling her plate with a little bit of this and that.
"Well, my massage technique has that effect. Your body needs the energy to keep your skin silky smooth for an extended period," Seol Hwa explained.
"Won't this many calories fatten me up?" Min-Seo asked worriedly but her mouth and hand were still working in coordination.
She had always controlled her food portion. Currently, she was breaking that rule.
Her own biological functions demanded the surplus and she feared her own cells might undergo forced autophagy.
"Trust me," Seol Hwa mildly assured her, turning her gaze to the television.
The usual morning report was ongoing.
The news reporter was a clean-shaven man in a seemingly expensive matte grey suit.
A suppressed smile hung on his face as he read the headlines.
"The residents of the state of Florida woke up to a disturbing incident this morning after a 40-year-old man was arrested for a severe case of bestiality. Reports from the local police expose that the deceased moose named Kruger did NOT consent."
Seol Hwa nearly choked on her drink. 'What in tarnation?!'
Min-Seo paused, her eyes widening in visible disgust. "What sort of depraved lowlife dares to even do THAT to a poor, dead animal?!"
"Can't let the animal rest in peace?!"
Min-Seo suddenly felt full, her appetite slowly being satiated.
She took a napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth. "Poor Kruger."
"I doubt hell will be a better place for that man," Seol Hwa commented, her eyes brimming with coldness like a viper coiled and ready to strike.
"Do those animals even exist in Florida?" Min-Seo shook her head; disbelief still etched on her features.
There was a comfortable silence as news shifted to other headlines.
A man with a face as red as a tomato, screamed manically at the screen. "Spider-Man, stop disrupting the public peace and vandalizing our citizens' properties. We don't need your childishly masked *beep* swinging around the *beep* streets…"
The venomous hate radiated off the screen.
Seol Hwa quipped a brow, genuine surprise on her face. "Now who's that foul-mouthed old man?"
Min-Seo chuckled. "That's Spider-Man's number one hater, J. Jonah Jameson. He's been at it for God-knows-how-long."
"He's so passionate about it but his health says otherwise," Seol Hwa said, understanding in her eyes.
"His health? He looks the same to me. Maybe it's that angry face of his giving you that idea." Min-Seo smiled as she drank the soup which tasted unnaturally delicious.
She didn't even bother to ask Seol Hwa about the secret ingredient.
She had slowly begun to realize her own daughter was hidden in subtle mysteries.
Everyone had their own little secrets. As Seol Hwa's mother, she could only continue loving her.
She loved this version of healthy Seol Hwa even more.
"Mutant-human co-existence…"
The news continued in the background.
Soon, the two finished their meal. The remaining leftovers were stored in the fridge.
"I want you to cry, cry for me…" Min-Seo hummed a song as she went to her room.
Seol Hwa continued watching the TV, leaving Min-Seo to bask in her own glow-up.
Mother Park returned later on, clad in modest dress and comfortable coat. In her hand, she carried a pretty pouch.
She had minimal make-up which further emphasized her charm's lethality.
She was a queencard through and through.
"How do I look?" Min-Seo asked with a gorgeous smile as she circled around showcasing her decent curves.
Seol Hwa glanced at her, giving a thumbs-up. "Mom, you've still got it. Beautiful as ever."
"Of course, I'm beautiful. I gave birth to you after all," Min-Seo declared dramatically, winking at the unimpressed Seol Hwa.
'Then why did you ask for my opinion?' Seol Hwa thought, rolling her eyes.
"I'm going shopping for new clothes and other necessities. Do you want to come with me?" Min-Seo asked.
"Another time. Teenage stuff," Seol Hwa answered, using the words Min-Seo had initially used.
"Suit yourself, honey." Min-Seo shrugged and strode over to give Seol Hwa a forehead kiss before excitedly leaving.
'You don't know this but you're the first person to ever experience my Qi massage. Not even Jeonghwa and Yeon Mi or anyone else from Murim ever had such a chance,' Seol Hwa thought, a nostalgic look on her face.
'You're taking quite the number of firsts from me, Min-Seo.'
'The Qi massage is only temporary, but I just didn't want the mother of the Heavenly Demon to look like a sleep-deprived Jiangshi.' Seol Hwa lightly scoffed.
Many have always been obsessed with the pursuit of beauty.
Giving Min-Seo a taste of temporary agelessness was just standard filial piety.
~~~<>~~~
It was around 11:53 AM when Seol Hwa got bored with the TV and decided to lock in.
She went back to her room and completed all her homework.
With [Mind-Demon Divine Thought Technique], it was a given.
She then turned her attention to learning new things.
She opened her old MacBook and searched for the full map of the world.
Earth was large just from the computerized satellite images. However, Seol Hwa thought it didn't compare to a fraction of even the smallest region of her former world.
She learned about the over 195 sovereign countries of the world and the seven continents that housed them.
Each country had their own cultures and languages.
"This google exhibits near-omniscient capabilities. It's truly the greatest gift that's offered for free to all of mankind. It's incomparable to those gargantuan scripture repositories in Murim," Seol Hwa exclaimed.
"Simply marvelous."
This meant she could get virtually anything she wanted on the internet about this world.
After having a deep understanding of the world's politics and extensive history, Seol Hwa jumped straight to comprehending the languages.
She began with Russian, a Slavic language used mostly in Eastern Europe.
"Spasiba," she murmured her first Russian word after a few minutes of reading large PDFs from accredited authors, university presses and other sources.
That was the first foreign language, apart from English and Korean, that she mastered in the new world.
It felt natural when she spoke without any mistakes in the pronunciation area.
"Scheisse," she said in a neutral tone.
"So that means shit in German. Okay, I like it," Seol Hwa nodded to herself.
By the time it was 2 PM, she had already learned Russian, German, and Spanish languages.
It was during that time that her phone vibrated on the desk.
BZZZ!
Seol Hwa frowned.
She picked up the phone and saw the name on the lockscreen's notification.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Heyyyy.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Watcha you doing, my favorite human?
"So it was you, mortal," Seol Hwa muttered and replied to the text.
Me: Learning languages.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Wut??? Learning?? (crashing out)
Me: Yeah.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Respect to you, Queen. Wish I had your drive.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: You're not into NORMAL teenage stuff.
Me: No.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: That's so you, LoL. So what languages?
Me: (typing) Russian, Spanish, and German.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: That's so greedy😭
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Those are some difficult languages to learn for fun. One of them is already a headache.
Me: They are simple.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Only to u. Currently trying to improve my drumming and guitar skills.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Super cool, right?
Me: Yeah. You're so cool
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Seol… I can visualize that unamused face of yours.
Me: Yeah. Actions speak louder.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: I'll show you my power. I'm no slouch.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Date it is, right?
Almost instantly, she deleted the message and retyped it. Seol Hwa arched her brows.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Skill exchange then. Um, any day you want.
Me: Yes.
Gwen BFF❤️💛: Goodbye, Seol Hwa. Btw, use Duolingo.
Me: Bye.
She pushed the phone aside, a pondering expression on her face.
"So this is teenage stuff? Texting friends? Should I also learn the guitar?" She whispered, slightly touching her chin.
She shook her head. It wasn't on her list of priorities. While she had never touched a guitar, she had casually dabbled in Zither Dao in her mortal days.
Both the guitar and zither were string-based instruments with different playing styles.
As long as they have a commonality, Seol Hwa thought she could easily learn it.
Seol Hwa smiled, decided to shelf those thoughts aside, and returned to learning.
'So this is Duolingo. It's fun but I'd still prefer raw learning,' she concluded after surfing through the website.
The green owl had a devastated look when she was about to leave, trying to convince her not to leave it alone.
You made Duo sad.
Seol Hwa chuckled at the pitiful thing.
"I didn't mean to. Now if you'll excuse me…" she closed the tab and switched to another.
"I have Chinese to learn."
Multiple tabs were waiting with different Chinese language resources.
~~~<>~~~
Author's Note:
Yu_ner here, I decided to leave a little glossary for you.
Jacheongbi: Goddess of beauty in Korean folklore.
Namul: These are basically seasoned vegetables like radishes doused in sesame oil. It's a side dish.
Kimchi: (I just know you're familiar with this one lol)
Also for support, read 20 chapters ahead at my patreon: https://patreon.com/Yu_ner?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
For general support, buy me coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/yunerr21