Chapter 52: Fantasy in the middle of the night

“Hmm…”

The cold air of dawn tickles my lungs, and I struggle to lift my stiff back.

The digital clock on the small table next to my bed reads 4:47 a.m.

It’s an ambiguous time, neither suitable for going back to sleep nor staying awake.

The sun, reaching the first rays of dawn, is slowly preparing to rise.

Goodbye, Teletubbies friends, always a miserable morning.

As the blanket slides down, the rounded curve of her chest is revealed.

Glancing sideways, I see her disheveled blonde hair.

I grab a few strands and play with them, a meaningless gesture.

The hair flows down slowly, falling onto the snow-white throat.

I get out of bed as quietly as possible.

When I pull back the curtains, I see a dim sky, a gloomy sun, and a hesitant breeze.

Everything is bathed in a sense of ambiguity. And perhaps, so am I right now.

Enough with the sentimentality, I sit back down on the bed.

-Woong

At that moment, my phone vibrates.

I reflexively reach for it, but when I see the familiar name on the screen, I hesitate for about three seconds before throwing the phone onto the pillow.

It’s probably just another apology text anyway. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Like a parrot, LJ.

If you’re really sorry, don’t contact me.

I’m sick of it now. I want to avoid facing it. But why does that small face keep popping up in my mind?

Olivia-like black hair, drooping eyelids, lips like roses and clovers.

Give me a dream, Sandman. Have I gone mad? If you ask me which is normal and which is abnormal, I’d probably say abnormal for sure.

“Probably” and “for sure” don’t really go together, but when you put them side by side, they have a strange correlation.

Is there a need to add something to a clumsy association? Emotions are emotions, and memories are memories.

It’s only “barely,” but when will spring finally come? Perhaps it’s already been lost.

Before I knew it, I had become confident in babbling nonsense. I bury that familiar image deep in my heart.

I shake off the delusion of her and reach out to the girl sitting right next to me.

I gently stroke her blank forehead with my fingertips, and her eyelashes tremble.

The green eyes hidden inside seem to be about to reveal themselves.

If a princess from a fairy tale appeared in reality, she would look just like this.

It’s a beauty that is hard to encounter even once in a lifetime, so why is my heart so quiet? Is it because of what is painted on a woman’s heart? Or is there another reason? It is merely the absence of familiarity that is missing.

“…Sister.”

Hurrying to calm my chaotic heart, I lay my head back on the pillow.

With such a clumsy heart, nothing can be achieved. It must not be so.

Not just for myself, but for my sister. Knowing that even if it were to be realized, it would not lead to happiness, that is why.

I make such a cowardly excuse.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

When I look back at her smiling face, she responds with a faint smile.

The bright sunlight illuminates her radiant beauty.

Ijana takes Sia’s empty left hand in both of hers and shakes it cheerfully.

There were about a dozen bodyguards, including a black bear, standing around them, but it felt as if they were the only two people left in the world.

The bodyguards, dressed in uniform suits, became mere decorations, while the flower garden came to life.

A refreshing breeze, the sweet scent of flowers.

Stupid Orwell, utopia is not so far away. Any place can be utopia if you are with the one you love.

It feels like you can fly to the end of the sky even without wings.

If only you could, you would stick chicken wings on your puny arms, but you can’t help resenting yourself for not being able to do so.

I just hold her hand tightly and move forward.

A black limousine parked in front of the grand modern mansion, not very long, but a consideration for her who dislikes ostentation. Ah, I am truly a thoughtful wife!

Shiiiiiiiiiiit!!

Of course, I only think the curse, I don’t say it out loud. She simply acts like a demure young lady, as she always does.

It’s a performance that has become second nature to her.

“Hurry up and take me to the airport!”

She grabs the handle of the cheap limousine she hastily arranged and flings the door open.

It’s far from the pumpkin carriage that would take Cinderella to the ball, but so what? She’s never even opened a car door herself before, but who cares?

She’s happy. Having spent her entire life submerged in a swamp of emptiness, barely able to breathe, this exhilarating emotion can only be described as happiness.

Her excited heart soars like a balloon, higher and higher.

And it’s still going on. I’m happy enough now, but with so many more happy days ahead of me, my heart is filled with anticipation.

My lips curl into an uncontrollable smile.

Izana looks back at Shia once more and smiles as brightly as a blossoming flower.

“Shia!”

“…Sister?”

What the hell is that? Seeing the small girl with long black hair fluttering about like her younger sister rushing toward her, Izana’s face immediately darkened.

At a vague distance of about five meters, the girl stopped abruptly at the security guards’ restraint, took a moment to catch her breath, and then pursed her cherry-like lips. Her delicate voice trembled pitifully in the breeze.

“Are you really going…leaving?”

“…Yes.”

“Where to?”

“Germany.”

“121—”

The girl’s expression crumbled like cracked glass. For a moment, Sia’s eyebrows twitched, but her expression remained impassive.
And Izana’s face was still twisted.

“You don’t even speak German.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll learn it.”

“…Still, there’s no need to go that far. I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. Please

‘Sister’

The two words spoken bluntly cause the girl’s breath to stop for a moment.

Her transparent, glassy eyes gaze down at the girl. Her gaze was too harsh to be directed at a blood relative.

And Izana’s face was still twisted in anger.

“You know it’s not possible. Breaking up is the only right path for both you and me.”

“Why… why is it not possible? I, I…”

“If you’re not by my side, I’ll forget you in no time. Really, in the blink of an eye.”

“I can’t live without you!”

Does she think she’s the tragic heroine of a drama? She’s acting like she’s in a movie.

The more the girl screamed pitifully, the more Izana’s face rotted away. She smoothed out her already wrinkled face and pulled Shia’s hand, which she had been holding onto, toward her.

“Just go, Shia.”

But her body wouldn’t move. He tried pulling her roughly, but she remained rooted to the spot like a stone.

“Just go, Sia.”

“…”

He urged her, but Sia’s head wouldn’t turn. Izana’s face grew even more twisted.

So, what was this situation, where he felt like he was just a prop?

“I can’t live without Sia. Without Sia, I’ll go mad with sorrow! We’ve been together all this time, and I’ve loved you all along.”

“Sister.”

“If you leave for Germany… I’ll die, I’ll die…”

“…Don’t say such foolish things. Are you threatening me?”

“It doesn’t matter what you think… I’m being sincere.”

“You—”

After letting go of Izana’s hand, Sia walked briskly toward the girl, no, toward her sister.

Soon, a crisp, cheerful sound echoed, bringing a sense of freshness.

As if she hadn’t noticed, the small body swayed wildly like reeds in a storm.

“I told you not to say such foolish things!”

“Why not? I like you that much!”

“That’s why you’re being foolish! We’re sisters, after all! We’re related by blood. But saying we like each other…”

“Then what about you? Sia, do you hate me…?”

“Of course.”

Instead of finishing her sentence, Sia took a deep breath, and in the prolonged silence that followed, Izana pounded her chest with her fist.

Why can’t she just say, “Yeah, I hate you”? What’s so hard about that?

She shifted her gaze to a girl who was even smaller than her, glaring at her fiercely.

The girl had transparent droplets hanging from her eyelashes. Combined with her small frame, she looked quite pitiful, but to Izana, she was just disgusting.

He installed a hidden camera in the bathroom like a pervert, yet he pretends to be so innocent—though I did try to have someone install a camera secretly as well.

I even tried to install one in the bathroom! Mine is love, but his is disgusting stalking. If we both like each other,

that’s enough.

Besides, we’ve already slept together, right? In English, s*x, no, f*ck! We’ve seen each other’s ugly sides, touched each other’s private parts, and even licked each other’s assholes—well, not quite that far, but anyway, we’ve gone as far as we can go. Do you understand? There’s no place for you here.

She glared at Si-hyun with that meaning, but Si-hyun didn’t care about Ijana. He just looked at Sia with a sad gaze.

And maybe Sia too.

But we’ve already gone that far, to the point of ahegao and shiofuki, to the point of giving each other our own adas.

Ijana, overcome with fear, turned to look at Sia, and her ominous which unfortunately came true.

“That… that…”

“I like Sia. What about Sia? What about her?”

“…But we’re sisters.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll explain it to our parents.”

“Besides, we’re the same gender…”

“These days, there are a lot of same-s*x couples.”

“But, but…”

“Sia.”

This isn’t right, this isn’t right. The emotionless eyes, like those of a doll, had somehow regained their human warmth and were trembling pitifully. Sihyeon looked at it sadly and slowly embraced Sia’s, her younger sister’s, body.

Small hands, small arms wrapped around Sia’s waist.

And Izana couldn’t help but mutter, “f*ck,” under her breath.

Though they didn’t glance at their surroundings, only looking at each other,

the two of them…

 

[need to continue here]which ill do it