Victorious: Make It Shine...Or Something Like That

Sean opened his eyes to a blinding light and the sound of a baby's screeching.

Oh wait. That was him.

It took him about three seconds to fully process the situation. Memories of his past life flashed through his mind, as did rather blurry memories of his death and his chance meeting with the guy upstairs. 

"Oh look at that - he's finally stopped crying."

As his vision cleared up, Sean could finally make out his surroundings and the giant figures staring down at him. He was lying in a hospital crib and the giants surroundings him were in fact not giants but most probably the hospital staff. And by the looks of things, it seemed that he was just recently brought into this world. 

"Hey there little guy, aren't you a handsome one?" one of the nurses smiled down at him. He knew she was just being kind because what newborn didn't look like a wrinkly monkey? But still, the sentiment more or less touched his heart. 

Another hospital staff, a doctor this time, reached into the crib and gently examined Sean - checking his limbs and listening to his heartbeat. The doctor seemingly nodded to himself and noted down something in a clipboard before turning to the nurse on the side.

"Despite coming out a little earlier than planned, the little guy is as healthy as can be, aside from his weight. We can wrap him up and give him back to his mother who is probably feeling anxious at the moment."

The nurse obeyed the doctor's words and made sure to clean up the newborn Sean, before wrapping up his little body and carrying him to another room. 

'Finally...' thought Sean. The time had come for Sean to meet his mother. 

Faint memories of another lady flickered through his mind before he forcefully shut them away. Although he missed his first mother, he needed to accept that he had a new life now and holding on to the past would allow him to move forward. It was time to look towards the future, even if it meant forgetting the last bit of memory he had of his first parents. 

He had to let go.

Upon entering the room, Sean felt his body being passed into another's arms and he opened his eyes to see a teary-eyed lady looking down at him in awe. Ignoring her rather unkempt look (the woman had just given birth), she was quite beautiful with raven black hair, and ocean-blue eyes. 

'So this is my mother,' though Sean. 

"You're so beautiful, my baby," the lady said as she gently lay him on her chest. 

"He is," the same nurse from earlier agreed. She then asked, "Have you thought of a name for him?"

The lady nodded, "I have. It wasn't difficult. I've been thinking of his name for a few weeks now."

Wearing a soft smile on her face, the lady then said, "Sean. I'll be naming him Sean. It is my late brother's middle name."

Hearing this, Sean felt at ease. He had received the name he already had and somehow, it was comforting. After letting go of everything else, the only thing left that would serve to remind him of a life he once lived was his name. 

Plus, it meant he wouldn't need to learn to respond to a different name. 

"Sean Michael Park."

His new life began now. 

-

Adjusting to his new life was surprisingly easy.

After all, the only things he had to do as a baby were eat, sleep, and take a dump. His mother was extremely attentive to him and often played with him if he was awake. Although it was sometimes boring, he basked in the attention and love his mother gave him. He had long forgotten the feeling of family.

His father, surprisingly, was not American like his mother despite his initial assumption. 

He was South Korean. 

His mother, Elina Smith, and his father, Jay Park, met and fell in love in university before getting married after their graduation. They lived permanently in the United States but often made trips to South Korea to visit Jay's parents.

It had been only a year since they'd married before Elina found herself pregnant and the couple had been ecstatic. 

Jay worked as a software engineer while Elina worked in the marketing department of a large firm. They both made a decent amount of joint income, which allowed them to live comfortably in the city of Los Angeles, California. 

When Elina gave birth around a year ago, Jay's mother had made the trip over from Korea to help out with the baby and left after about a month. She was a great help to Elina who was new to being a mother. 

Sean quite liked his grandmother who was warm and comforting. He was a little sad to see her go but he knew it wouldn't be the last time they'd meet. 

"Do you think your parents would be interested in coming over for Christmas?" Elina asked her husband whilst gently rocking Sean in her arms. 

Pouring himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen, Jay replied, "I think they've already made plans with my brother for this year. We can invite them next year."

Elina nodded. Inviting her own parents was not an option as both were long gone. Her brother as well, having died from a terminal illness at the young age of eighteen. In other words, Sean and Jay were literally the only family she had. She was grateful and felt lucky that her in-laws had welcomed her with open arms despite their initial apprehension. 

"By the way," Jay suddenly spoke. "My coworkers and I were discussing children's schools the other day, and they were saying we should apply early if we want to send him to a good kindergarten"

"We should, but I don't think we should go for the most expensive one," Elina replied. "I mean, it's only kindergarten. I think it would be best to save up and send him to a good high school instead of pouring funds into his early school years."

"But it's not like we can just send him anywhere," Jay frowned. Perhaps it was the Asian blood running through him but he was willing to spend anything when it came to his child's education.

Knowing her husband's thoughts, Elina almost rolled her eyes.

"Of course we won't. I'm just saying, we don't need to go for the most expensive option. There are a ton of early childhood facilities around here and they all offer similar services. We have more than enough time to do a bit of research and decide on the best option. Sean can always learn the basics with us."

Seeing his wife's point, Jay relented. 

It was at this moment when Sean finally realized.

'Wait a minute...I still don't know what world I'm in!'