episode_0037

After a storm had passed, we sat side by side on the edge of the bed as if we had made a promise, taking a brief rest.

“Why are you sitting here? Move over there.”

“I always sit here. Can’t I sit here?”

“Well, I guess so… but it’s too close!”

“So what? We’re both Jung Siwoo.”

“But our bodies are different, you know?!”

Siwoo kept fidgeting so I had no choice but to move a little to the side.

Ah. It’s still uncomfortable.

The spot Siwoo occupied was the best for leaning against the backrest.

I reluctantly climbed onto the bed and lay down.

I was so tired after explaining the situation.

“Really… does this make sense? How could something like this happen?”

Siwoo seemed to still have trouble accepting reality, muttering to himself with a frown.

“So, I couldn’t believe it at first either.”

“You seem completely unfazed though…?”

“Well, I found out about 5 days earlier than you did.”

“5 days… no way.”

Siwoo counted the days on his fingers and quickly figured out which day it was.

“That day… the accident?”

“Yeah.”

“What… my memories flowed into you because of the accident. Is that it?”

“Probably.”

“Wait. Hey. Um… look.”

Siwoo turned his body towards me on the bed.

“So, you mean that day of the accident, my consciousness split and entered you. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“But why didn’t you say anything that day? Did you even mistake yourself for Min Chaewon?”

And now that doesn’t make sense.

I stared blankly at the fluorescent light for a long time, then blurted out a plausible explanation.

“I thought it was a dream back then.”

It was a good improvisation.

‘I don’t need to tell you about the events that will happen three years later.’

Those are things only I need to know.

‘You just need to live this uneventful life.’

I turned my head to look at Siwoo and smiled contentedly.

“I really thought it was a dream. Even after a day passed, I continued to be Chaewon.”

“… Well, you didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it.”

Pressing the bell to get off at the usual bus stop.

Casually saying he’ll take a shower while rummaging through the closet.

I think I was too lenient back then.

“But honestly, aren’t you stupid for not realizing it back then?”

“What, what are you saying?”

“Right? Instead of hiding it, you made a ton of mistakes.”

Sigh.

After a short breath, Siwoo muttered.

“How could I have suspected… Min Chaewon came to our house… I was so excited that I didn’t think of anything…”

Ah. I’m sorry. I unintentionally gave you a lot of hope.

“Sigh. Damn. I thought of everything.”

“Why? Did you even think of marriage?”

“Shut up.”

“Haha, you’re not a fool, are you?”

“If you had just told me on the first day, everything would have been resolved?! Why didn’t you tell me then and make Chaewon misunderstand you as a stalker?”

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

After confessing, I feel relieved.

Maybe I should have done this earlier.

… No. If I had said it back then, I might have been dragged to a mental hospital or locked up in a hotel by Kang Hwi. If Miss 26 thought I was weird.

It was a bit confusing and chaotic.

But this is a relatively clean resolution.

“But you. Were you trying to confess earlier?”

“……..”

“Honestly, the atmosphere was like that, right?”

Blushing, Siwoo turned away from me again.

Being embarrassed.

I chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“Oh, Siwoo. You’re so bold in front of Min Chaewon.”

“Shut up!”

“If you shout like that, your ribs will hurt even more.”

“Ha… Aaah. Aaaah.”

Siwoo rolled on the floor, messing up his hair in frustration.

The scene from earlier, which was on the edge, kept replaying in my mind, making it hard for me to calm down.

“Are you itching for a bath?”

“But I can’t take a bath right now….”

“You can just use cold water.”

“But cold water at a time like this is not ideal.”

Siu sighed and muttered to himself.

“I thought Chaewon was finally starting to open up to me….”

I felt sorry for him.

I didn’t want this to happen either.

“I thought the timing was right….”

“What are you talking about? No matter how you look at it, it was definitely not the right time for a confession.”

“Oh, it wasn’t?”

“No! Does that even make sense?”

I put my palm on Siu’s head and scolded him.

“How long has it been since you last saw Chaewon?”

“Only… about two months.”

“Two months? Are you counting from the day you met?”

“… About ten days?”

“Yeah! Just ten days and you’re thinking about confessing?”

Listening quietly, Siu raised his voice in protest.

“No, what if it was you? Would you have confessed in the same situation? Chaewon came to your house, slept over, even made breakfast. Went to the store and bought food for you!”

“I wouldn’t have.”

“Don’t lie. You wouldn’t have?”

“I wouldn’t. Anyway, I didn’t.”

“Ugh. Fine. Let’s stop talking about this.”

“Yeah. I’ll keep mentioning it.”

“Seriously.”

His big hand grabbed my cheek firmly.

“Ow, that hurts!”

“….”

“I said it hurts!”

I pushed his hand away and quickly got up, only to see Siu looking dazed.

“What are you doing…?”

“Oh. Ugh. Snap out of it. That’s not Min Chaewon! Oh no!”

Siu ran to the bathroom, panicking.

It seems like the confusion was far from over.

“Hey, are you okay?”

—I’m going to die of embarrassment.

“Wow, how could you say that in front of Chaewon.”

—….

Thud.

The door opened, and Siu looked down at me from a slightly higher place.

Not only was he not wearing pants.

“Wait, are you really me?”

“Should I tell more stories? What about the time I secretly ate the birthday cake that Baek Cheongha saved and got scolded by Dad, so I had to go on a forced date?”

“……”

Siu squinted his eyes and pressed his temples.

“I don’t even want to imagine that time, so please, let’s stop there.”

“But it was kind of fun, wasn’t it? If it wasn’t for Baek Cheongha, I wouldn’t have had a roller coaster ride in my life.”

“It wasn’t fun at all…. No, it was. Yeah, it was fun….”

It seemed like Siu was worried about me not being ‘Siu’ when he said that.

“Why. Are you pretending to be Siu when you’re actually Min Chaewon?”

He glared at me and walked out of the bathroom.

Thud. The bathroom door closed.

We stood facing each other, looking straight ahead.

“Well, I guess that makes sense. Since you’re showing everything to Chaewon that you wouldn’t want her to see.”

“It’s horrifying to think that I actually had that conversation with Chaewon. Please, let it not be true.”

“Don’t worry! You don’t have to.”

“… Really?”

“Really. You can be Siu.”

“Hey! What are you doing in front of Chaewon.”

Oh, right. Sorry, Chaewon.

In my eagerness to prove something, I almost touched where I shouldn’t have.

“If you’re uncomfortable, just act like you would with Chaewon. Even if I insist that you’re you, it doesn’t mean you have to turn into Siu on the outside.”

Siu nodded in agreement with the right words.

“As long as you don’t act all hesitant and wishy-washy like you did in front of Chaewon, I’ll be fine.”

“I never did that.”

“Pretending not to know when you do. I remember everything about how I was in front of Chaewon in February and March.”

“Right…. What’s the point of lying….”

Sighing, Siu leaned on me.

It seemed like he was trying to act comfortable like a friend.

But as I looked at him casually, his arm on my shoulder slipped off.

“Where are you going?”

“No. I’m still… lacking in resilience.”

“Yeah. Well… that’s how it is.”

Thinking about what I could do to help the confused Jeong Siwoo. As expected, there was only one thing that came to mind.

“So you can adapt quickly. Should we stay here for a while?”

Siwoo pondered something deeply.

Soon, his face turned red.

“It seems like a lot of unwanted things will happen.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. So, let’s go back to Hana Hotel.”

Siwoo closed his eyes and immersed himself in meditation.

I can roughly guess what he’s thinking about.

From the days we fell asleep in the same room a few days ago to the argument at the mart.

And almost confessing to himself.

His face burning with self-reflection.

… Stay strong, Jeong Siwoo.

“Then I’ll go. If you need anything, just let me know.”

“Just a moment.”

Siwoo grabbed my wrist as I was about to leave and asked.

“Where did Chaewon go originally?”

If I hadn’t read the letter she left behind, I might have been worried about the same thing.

But it’s okay. I know where she is now.

Feeling the faint smile of the alter ego 0 in my mind, I reassured Siwoo.

“Stay with me. You don’t have to worry.”

Siwoo let go of my wrist, relieved.

“Thanks for saying that… So, when are you coming back? Why are you out now?”

“Me? Or Chaewon.”

“Both.”

Separated, we must become one.

Chaewon who left home must come back.

[ Strangely, after changing friends a few times, I can now know how long the next friend who comes to visit will stay in my place, right?

But, 26th, you… might stay for a few years, or maybe even longer ]

I don’t know when that time will be.

Chaewon, who knows the details, doesn’t tell me the answer.

Not wanting to infect Siwoo with worry and anxiety.

… I told a small lie.

“3 years later. April 9th.”

Remember April 9th, Siwoo.

That day is really important.

I don’t know if I can leave the airport on that day.

But anyway, it’s that day. There’s no other day.

“… I’m relieved.”

Siwoo showed a fresh smile as if he was relieved.

He should cherish only good memories.

So that when I come back, I can be happy.

Let’s live our lives as Chaewon wished, only doing happy things.

“I’ll go for now. I’ll come back when you go to the hospital on Monday, so keep that in mind.”

“Yeah. Uh…”

“If you feel lonely, call me.”

“Call you if I feel lonely?!”

I didn’t mean to suggest anything inappropriate.

But it’s written all over my face that I had a dirty thought.

“I’m asking you not to use me as a substitute for your dirty thoughts…”

“Are you crazy?!”