Chapter 76

Re​a​d o​n K​a​tR​eadi​ngCafe

**Who Are You? (2)**

Maybe it was because Toya was beside me, or maybe because I’d gotten to the hospital before things got really bad—but my condition started to improve quickly.

Of course, I was still a mess, but at least I could move around a little.

Which, well, meant _that._

Since I could move, I figured I’d do what I could myself.

If Toya knew, he’d probably scold me and tell me not to, but… it’s something I can handle on my own. I didn’t want to rely on someone else for this.

“…Water.”

Toya was sleeping in the chair beside me.

If I still had the mental maturity that matched this tiny body, I’d definitely have woken him up.

But I’m Han Yeoreum. Even if I look like this, I’m the same age as Toya—an adult.

I quietly sat up and stretched my legs off the bed.

Naturally, they didn’t reach the floor.

I tried lowering myself as much as I could with my hands on the mattress—

‘Yup, still can’t reach.’

At this point, I felt like someone had sealed me to the bed on purpose.

Okay, _technically_, it’s just that I’m short.

Hmph…

They say losing something you used to have hits harder than never having it in the first place.

I missed the days when I could just dangle my legs and feel the floor.

“Ngah, cha— hngh!?”

Still, it wasn’t like I couldn’t get down from the bed.

My feet would sting a little, but it wasn’t that high.

The problem was the cold marble floor. Stepping on it barefoot was _not_ a great choice.

I landed fine, but the cold shot up through my feet and made me yelp.

Ugh. I need slippers. Slippers…

“…Found them.”

I looked around for a bit and finally managed to shove my feet into a pair.

They were a bit too big, and I wasn’t sure if I could really call it “wearing” them, but hey—better than walking around barefoot in a hospital.

_Sniff,_ I let out a snot-filled breath and started walking slowly.

I’ll be right back, Toya.

“Even if it’s just right outside the room.”

Still, I found myself being extra careful not to wake him.

The dragging sound of the oversized slippers echoed way louder than expected. My heart was pounding.

It felt like I was sneaking through some stealth game.

I carefully turned the door handle—_creeaak_—and slowly opened the hospital room door.

“Eek, cold…”

_Sccrrr—scrrr—sccrrr—_

As soon as I poked my head out, a chill hit me.

It wasn’t piercing like a winter wind, but I could definitely feel it on my skin.

Okay, let’s just get the water and go back.

I shuffled carefully over to the hallway water dispenser.

I reached up and pressed the lever—_click._

“…Huh?”

_Click, click._

No water. Great. Was it broken?

Frowning, I pressed the nozzle a few more times, but no luck.

Fine, whatever. It’s not like kicking it would make water come out.

I sighed heavily and turned around.

If I went back now, I’d probably just toss and turn all night, too thirsty to sleep.

“…Maybe I’ll try another floor.”

Stairs would be tough, but the elevator should be fine.

They had child-height buttons, after all—I wouldn’t have trouble pressing them.

…Not that I liked the fact that I _needed_ child-height buttons.

With a sigh, I pressed the button for an upper floor.

At night, even elevator sounds feel loud, so I tried not to move too much.

_Ding—_

“Ugh…”

The elevator doors opened, and I peeked out.

Was it just me, or did this floor seem darker?

Maybe it was because I was familiar with my own floor, and this one was totally new to me.

In other words, this place felt completely foreign.

“Water dispenser… oh, there it is.”

I followed the faint glow and spotted the outline of a water dispenser.

Nothing bad will happen on the way there, right?

It looked far away, even though it was just at the end of the hall.

My short legs and weak body made every step feel longer than it should’ve.

_Sccrr—scrrr—sccrr—_

‘Wait, aren’t there patients on this floor too?’

The sound of my slippers scraping the floor echoed so loudly, I felt like I was being a huge nuisance.

I tried to walk more carefully, but the slippers were just too big to stay quiet.

I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I just got thirsty at a bad time!

_Huff…_

After what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the dispenser and lifted a cup.

Surely this one works, right? It has to. I came all this way!

_Trickle trickle trickle—_

“Oh.”

Water!

It was just water coming out of a dispenser, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

I felt like a caveman discovering fire. Or someone finding an oasis in the desert.

Anyway.

With my thirst quenched, I felt like I had the whole world.

Alright. Time to head back.

I was just about to take a step when—

“…Huh?”

Something tugged at me.

Not my _body_—something _inside_ me. Something strange, pulling tightly and refusing to let go.

Half pulled, half entranced, I walked toward a cold hospital room door.

I’d never been here before. It was a new room. And yet, strangely… it felt familiar.

_Creaaaak—_

I knew I shouldn’t go in.

How could I just walk into a stranger’s hospital room?

I’m a normal, socially adjusted person. I’d _never_ do something like that.

But this wasn’t normal.

This was one of those “special circumstances.”

Something beyond explanation.

“…Ah.”

Honestly, it wasn’t that dramatic of a scene.

The room was structured just like mine.

The only thing different was a faintly visible barrier—like a transparent wall.

As I took a step toward it, the room suddenly lit up.

‘The curtains weren’t drawn, huh.’

The clouds had moved, and the full moon was shining its light through the window.

But that wasn’t all.

A faint silhouette near the window grew clearer and came into view.

“…Ah.”

Snow-white hair. Crimson eyes.

And a presence so faint, it seemed like it could disappear at any moment.

It felt like I’d been hit in the back of the head with a blunt object.

The kind of situation I’d thought could never, _ever_ happen in my life… was happening right in front of me.

Maybe I was just dreaming from being so sick?

But no matter how many times I blinked, the scene didn’t change.

_This is real, Han Yeoreum. What you’re seeing is real._

Step by step, closer and closer.

The sound of my slippers scraping the floor became a wave crashing against my heart.

At first, it was soft. Then louder. Then a roaring tidal wave.

Bigger. Louder. Stronger…

“…”

“…”

I reached out. My palm pressed against the transparent plastic barrier.

The girl on the other side—wearing a breathing mask—reached out as well, her expression a mirror of mine.

Our hands couldn’t touch through the wall, but I could feel the warmth.

Not just from the wall, but from _her._

A living being. A living person. A living… me.

“…Hi. My name’s Han Yeoreum.”

“…”

“What’s your name?”

I didn’t know what else to say.

So I used the first line I’d learned in the orphanage—the magical phrase that could help anyone become friends.

I’d long since learned magic like that doesn’t really exist.

But in this moment, it slipped from my lips instinctively.

_Hi,_ I said.

And as soon as I heard myself say it, I realized how dumb it sounded.

Still, every connection starts with a greeting, right?

“…”

Maybe she was surprised. Or just thinking.

She blinked slowly, as if unsure she’d heard me.

Just as I opened my mouth to say it again—

“…My name is… Koyuki.”

A small voice replied.

It sounded just like mine, but subtly different.

So faint it seemed it might vanish at any second—dry and drained of life.

And that’s when I realized it.

What I thought was warmth wasn’t just warmth—it was the desperate heat of a weakened body struggling to stay alive.

Yet even so, she—_Koyuki_—kept talking.

As if this was something she _had_ to say.

“I’m… glad to meet you.”

My other half.

My twin.