Suri and Hongbin met when they were only in high school. Hongbin had always dreamed of being a magician, and Suri, well she’d had a crush on the upperclassman for a year now. Her whole freshman year was left admiring the senior, despite the 2-year , the quiet girl was brave enough to make her move before he’d be gone for good.

   Knowing his love for performances and magic tricks, she offered him a proposal he could not refuse, a assistant. Suri met up with Hongbin that afternoon in the school auditorium, currently abandoned due to the drama club and dance team’s productions having ended for the year. She went through a sort of audition, proving to him she had the potential to better his acts; she’d never been happier for those forced gymnastic lessons when she was younger, or for the Internet to help her learn a few tricks of her own.

   Suri could only do basic tricks on her own, but she’d only planned to be his assistant, so that didn’t matter much anyway. Hongbin was captivated by her drive, beauty and stage presence. She silently commanded attention with her gaze and soft smirks, daring her audience to try to figure out what she’d be up to next. He clapped once her “audition” was over, shaking hands excitedly, making both the shy kids blush without either one noticing.

   Shortly after preparing some routines and practicing for the summer, the duo entered various competitions, eventually landing a spot in a showcase for talented up-and-coming acts. They travelled the country together, Hongbin putting off starting college for a year, and Suri opting to finish high school through online courses.

   The two gained fame as the “wonder duo”, mesmerizing the crowd with and endless array of new tricks, but sadly the last show of the traveling young troupe was drawing near. They needed to do something crazy, something big to draw attention and get signed by an agency if they ever wanted to stay in business.
That brings us to the last show itself, where “Bunny” is turned into an actual rabbit onstage in front of everyone’s eyes. The rabbit then jumps through a ring into a flaming top hat, which Hongbin casually places atop his head after spinning it around, the flames doused once placed onto his hair. Little did Hongbin know that wasn’t just any rabbit he’d placed in his hat, it really was Suri!

   “Let me pass, this is nonsense. You fool! Don’t you know who I am?!” A booming voice was heard backstage, causing the young boy to run over in curiosity. A middle-aged man nearly the height of the backstage prep room loomed over a very frightened-looking crew member.

   “It’s fine, I’ll take it from here.. Dad?” Hongbin waved the nervous stagehand away, asking for a moment of privacy and leading his father over to the duo’s dressing room. Finding it rather odd that Suri was nowhere in sight, he placed his top hat onto the dressed, vowing to search for her after this surprising visit had concluded. No visit from “the big guy” was ever too pleasant, or frequent.

   “My my, it’s been a while. How my son has grown. Tell me now though, you aren’t really planning to follow through with this magic rubbish, are you?” The burly man scratched his bearded chin.

   “Of course I am, father! If you were ever around, maybe you would know something about me. About my passion for performance, or you’d even know how great this prize money would be to us! Did you even know my mother’s close to death?!”

   “Slow down there, son. Of course I know about your mother. I’ve… made a few visits of my own. But there’s nothing I can do to save her. I’m forbidden from using my powers on mortals, even then my powers aren’t exactly made to heal people.” Hongbin’s father sighed, concerned for his son’s sake. “Need I remind you this life you desire is constantly in the limelight? Do you seek exposure that much?”

   “Oh, so I’ve heard. You’re only good at destroying things, just like our family,” Hongbin spat bitterly, “Father, I’m more than aware of my strengths, my upper hand to most humans. I’m a demigod for crying out loud. But if I don’t try and save my mother, no one can. Besides, how much power could I have actually gotten from you, Zelos? There’s no way I’d make a mistake like that on stage.”

   Gathering his things, Zelos nodded silently, making his way over to his son, dwarfing Hongbin with his inhuman stature. “I was only trying to look out for you, I’m well aware of the consequences of my actions. I live in regret every day, that I cannot be with you and your mother, but I’ll never regret you being born. Take care, I.. I love you.”

   Hongbin’s eyes were watery, though he’d never admit it. His father had to live with his own family, guarding the River Styx, not far off from Hades, so it’s safe to say their meetings were few and far apart. The Gods were not allowed to interact with humans, divine intervention was strictly forbidden. But just like humans, Gods have a tendency to rebel. Rules were made to be broken, after all.

   Zelos meet Miss Lee, Hongbin’s mother, while investigating an area filled with mysterious activity. And well, the rest is history. Hongbin was born, wasn’t he? (There’s always Google if you kiddies are lost~)

   Hongbin whispered a soft “I love you too”, never having said it in the presence of Zelos himself, with the exemption of his childhood. He knew his father would hear though, he always did. Hongbin heard a soft rustling before noticing a post-it wafting through the air and landing just over his hat.

   The message read: You said you’d never make a mistake but tonight you committed an error without even noticing. Check inside your hat. Xoxo, Dad.