Worst Nightmare

At Kim mansion in country V;

Kim Minho couldn't help but stare at his mum in admiration as she headed the meeting between the societal council and the democratic representatives of country V. They were staying in country Z for the meantime so his mum would occasionally host meetings like this regarding country V or she would sometimes fly back if needed. It was necessary for Kim Minho to attend these meetings with his mum even though he was still too young. This was to prevent any form of misunderstandings or false rumors regarding the running of the Kim empire or country V as a whole.

He really didn't mind having to attend these meetings at all though, if it meant that he would get to see his amazing mum in action like this all the time. Kim Minho admired his mother - Ayra Kim - a lot. She'd been through so much and was still able to stand strong for what she believed in. His father - Marcus Kim - was a monster. He was so cruel to his mother and maltreated her a lot right from marriage, but his mum still loved his father unconditionally nonetheless. He was so ruthless at times that Kim Minho wondered how she ever managed to get pregnant for such an animal. His father had always resulted to domestic violence most of the time which nearly cost Ayra to lose Minho because her husband would always hit her and push her around while she was pregnant.

Marcus had tormented them so much that Kim Minho was happy that his mother was still able to smile and be loving despite all that his father did to them. He remembered that his mum also had a friend that she was really close to at the time. He remembered seeing her smile whenever she spoke to her, however, his mum soon lost that friend and was devastated. He also knew that the woman's daughter ran mad and ran away from the palace years after her parents' death. He couldn't imagine what she must've gone through to have made her react that way. The only consolation was that luckily enough, Jaehyun Go - the current ruler - of the Hae empire was doing a great job and that the young princess was never confirmed dead.

Soon after that incident, his father finally got arrested for a serious case of domestic violence and other serious allegations thrown against him. His uncle and Ayra's older brother Kang Su Min was the reason behind it. He got suspicious when he found out that his sister constantly visited the hospital, and after a lot of investigation, carried out secretly without Ayra's knowledge, he managed to corner the king with enough evidence to keep him from hurting them anymore. Ayra and Minho soon moved to Country Z after Minho was done with his elementary school.

Years had already passed but Kim Minho was still scarred from the experience with his father. Sometimes he could even still hear his father's tormenting voice telling him that he would end up being exactly like him. 'Like father like son', he would normally say before he laughed crazily like a mad man. Kim Minho's face darkened, 'No I'll never be like you, I'm nothing like you!', he uttered inwardly. That was his worst nightmare - to ever turn out to be like his father.

...

Ayra Kim was busy listening and checking records all at once. After a while, they all took a break and her eyes wandered off to her son. He had grown so much and she was always so proud of him. He'd also started to look a lot like his father these days but she knew he was nothing like him. He was her darling son. Her thoughts eventually wandered off to her husband, she loved him yes, but she wasn't that delusional. She tried her hardest to be patient with him with the hope that her unconditional love for him would be able to change him someday, but that day never came. She was actually planning back then to take Kim Minho with her and flee from country V to her family's empire. The Min empire after all was strong enough to withstand her husband's rage, but then her older brother surprised her with his actions. He even scolded her a lot and was very furious with her for being quiet.

After her husband's arrest, her enemies and some other greedy empires used the opportunity to try to get rid of the Kim empire for good. Lots of rumors about their incapable nature to rule spread far and wide. Fortunately enough, the people of country V, as well as other empires that understood and reasoned with their situation, stood by her side. Kim Minho was also a very big help too. Since she already had an heir, it became even more difficult for their enemies to succeed. After all that had happened, Ayra decided to move to country Z once her son was done with elementary school.

She decided that they both needed a break and a breath of fresh air from all the drama they'd been through. Besides, a change in environment would help Minho to recover more and heal. Most of his friends especially his best friends were also attending New Dawn International at country Z. She decided that being with friends and being away for a while was what her dearest son needed to be revived again.