episode_0021

[Letter]

To Mira,

First, I’m sorry and ashamed to have to convey this truth to you only through words. Even if the content of this letter is unsettling, I hope you’ll read it calmly. This is all for your sake.

…(omitted)…

Yunyoung is already dead. The place where Yunyoung is enshrined is (omitted), and you’ll probably remember going there. Try to recall when you met me there.

I am Kim Minho, Yunyoung’s friend. You lost your memory in an accident and mistook me for Yunyoung. I was flustered, but due to the doctor’s advice and to stabilize your condition, I had no choice but to impersonate Yunyoung.

…(omitted)…

The password for that bank account is ***. It’s not a lot of money, but I hope you’ll use it for your future. And don’t even think about looking for me. It will only make things harder for you.

Also, it’s too late to abort the child, and it would be difficult for you to raise it alone, so I think it would be best to send it to an orphanage.

Along with the letter, a photograph fell out.

Mira saw a person in the picture and felt an intense sense of familiarity and closeness.

Because that person was none other than the real Yunyoung, whom Mira longed to see and loved so dearly.

But Mira didn’t realize it. Drowning in confusion and delusion, she couldn’t recognize who he was.

She merely felt a familiar and longing impression, and she never even dreamed that he was Yunyoung, her true lover.

Mira read through the letter several times. She was so flustered and disoriented, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She wanted to believe it was undoubtedly nonsense, but on the other hand, a clear seed of anxiety began to sprout.

She couldn’t understand why such a detailed and plausible false letter had been left. And somehow, thinking deeply about it felt terrifying, something she wanted to avoid.

It felt as if an abyss of fear, the fear of facing a truth she didn’t want to know, lay hidden.

She couldn’t understand him claiming he was dead. And Kim Minho, Yunyoung’s friend? She couldn’t even recall if such a person existed.

To suppress the rising fear, Mira forced herself to consider it a joke and let out an awkward laugh.

Yunyoung had told her that if it wasn’t an ‘urgent matter,’ she should send a message rather than call when he had something to tell her.

It seemed he said that because he was busy with work and it was hard for him to answer calls.

Mira, who hadn’t wanted to disturb him, had restrained herself as much as possible until now, but this was different.

This was undoubtedly urgent, a matter she had to call about and confront immediately. Mira, who had always accommodated Yunyoung and given in, couldn’t yield this time.

She called Yunyoung. She held the phone tightly to her ear, anxiously waiting for the call to connect. And the message that played was,

[‘The number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again.’]

Mira wondered if she had dialed incorrectly. She checked her phone’s contacts.

No matter how many times she tried calling again, it said the number was not in service. Mira’s expression rapidly began to darken. Her face twisted uncontrollably with rising frustration and anxiety.

Mira shrieked irritably, as if venting her anger at the innocent phone screen. A phone number that had been working perfectly fine just days ago was suddenly dead; what on earth could have happened?

She assumed there must have been some kind of system error.

Mira quickly made an urgent call to the telecom company’s customer service center. She explained her situation, that the number couldn’t be reached.

The customer service representative asked Mira to read out the phone number, and Mira, clutching her trembling chest, slowly recited each digit.

The representative checked the number and informed Mira of the result.

The answer was truly shocking, and Mira, unable to accept what she was told, raised her voice, arguing while holding her phone.

Beep beep.

The call ended.

It wasn’t that the representative bore any ill will towards Mira or refused her on purpose. Even if they could confirm the information, they wouldn’t be able to disclose it due to personal information protection.

Mira was utterly distraught as the call ended so futilely without her getting the answer she wanted. But soon, realizing she couldn’t just stand by, a strong will entered her eyes.

Her heart grew increasingly impatient, filled with anxiety.

Given the situation, she had no choice but to meet Yunyoung in person and clear up the misunderstanding. She had to confirm again that everything was her own misapprehension and that there had been some communication error with Yunyoung.

Mira hastily grabbed her clothes, dressed, and rushed outside.

Rain poured heavily from the sky, but finding Yunyoung was a more urgent matter than that.

She should have at least gone back inside to grab an umbrella, but the ominous feeling, threatening to burst from her chest, completely stole her rationality.

Splashing through the heavy rain, Mira struggled to find Yunyoung. She barely suppressed the growing fear and wavering anxiety in her heart as she thought of Yunyoung.

Mira couldn’t fully comprehend the letter, but there was one thing she could definitely grasp: through this writing, Yunyoung was breaking up with her.

She repeated it to herself as if trying to brainwash herself, to calm her trembling chest, but she couldn’t easily shake off the fear.

Her body trembled violently as a fear she could barely control began to consume Mira’s heart.

Mira was visibly pregnant to anyone who saw her.

With her belly bulging from carrying a child, soaked from the rain, and wandering the streets, her appearance drew much attention. Some people spoke to her with concern, but Mira ignored them and walked past.

However, none of that registered with Mira at the moment. She was solely absorbed in finding Yunyoung; nothing else mattered.

Mira, suppressing her anxiety, ran frantically along the streets, searching for him.

Though the streets and places were familiar, perhaps due to the burden of having to find Yunyoung, all the scenery felt new and strange to her.

After running for who knew how long, Mira spotted Yunyoung’s back in the distance.

Her tearful face finally relaxed, and a sense of relief settled upon her. With tears welling up from joy, Mira dashed towards him.

The person holding the umbrella turned around, but,

The man, a complete stranger, asked back, seeming flustered by the situation.

Mira murmured weakly.

The man was startled when he saw Mira’s eyes as she mumbled. Her gaze was unfocused and blurry, like the eyes of a rotting fish.

He also noticed her protruding belly and realized she was pregnant. Even a healthy person might suffer from a fever for days after walking in the rain in such weather.

But for a pregnant woman to be completely soaked without an umbrella was truly concerning, even for a stranger.

The man cautiously spoke to Mira, whose gaze seemed fixed on something far away.

But the man didn’t get an answer. Mira had already turned and started running somewhere.

After parting ways with the man, Mira stumbled through the rain again, resuming her search for Yunyoung. Her hair was completely soaked, sticking to her shoulders and neck, and raindrops obscured her eyes, blurring her vision.