episode_0117

The small lamp at the head of the bed softly illuminated the room. Outside the window, the rain continued to fall.

We were silently looking at each other.

Continuing to gaze like this, as if we would never fall asleep.

Due to the sudden turn of events, I missed the timing to speak, but now I realized that it was time to revisit Siwoo’s performance earlier.

“You know.”

“Yeah.”

“Earlier, you. Your color. It came back a little.”

“…Really?”

It seems like he was so preoccupied with thinking about me that he didn’t even realize if the color had faded from his performance.

How much was he thinking about me?

Was he looking at me instead of the piano while playing…?

I thought I would die of embarrassment because of his gaze, but did Siwoo not realize that?

“Today. It was quite enjoyable, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. It was really enjoyable.”

“That’s why. Your words were right. When your heart flutters, the black color gradually fades away.”

Thanks to the many things we did together today, Siwoo shone brighter than ever during his performance.

Of course, there was a moment when it darkened when he asked about the secret I was hiding, but other than that, he was much brighter than usual.

It felt like walking on a path in the mountains with no streetlights, with just a flashlight.

There was a risk of the genre turning from romance to horror due to suddenly telling a creepy story in that atmosphere.

Nevertheless, this pension trip was very successful.

It was to the extent that we could expect Siwoo’s improvement in the Dongyeong concours.

“Well, the situation earlier was a bit… strange.”

“What, what’s strange? Nothing was strange at all?”

“It was strange.”

Siwoo closed his eyes and smiled contentedly.

“Think about it. You communicate with your subscribers through videos all the time. So when you played just for me, it felt really strange.”

“……………… What, what are you saying?! Am I that weird? That’s ridiculous.”

Sadly, I empathized.

Is this the feeling of indulging in something secret where no one knows?

Thinking that Siwoo was the only one who knew a hidden side of Min Chaewon, it felt like there was a simmering desire.

“I’m already excited about doing various things with you in the future.”

“That’s… me too.”

“Where should we go first?”

“You don’t have to ask. Where you go is where I want to go.”

Siwoo grinned mischievously.

“If you keep doing things just for me, when will you take care of yourself?”

“Taking care of you is taking care of myself. Don’t think that I’m doing too much for you. Just think of it as natural. You don’t need to be thankful. It’s all for me.”

However, whether Siwoo perceived that as a selfless sacrifice on my part, he soon looked at me with a suspicious gaze.

“It’s nice that you say that. But still.”

A hand that approached gently swept across my forehead. It tickled a bit, and I thought he would speak, but suddenly I felt a chill run through my body.

“Still. If… there’s something you want to do or need, tell me. I’ll do whatever I can to help. Even if I can’t, I’ll make an effort to make it happen.”

I don’t want that.

I just want Siwoo to be well.

Min Chaewon’s life was going very well.

Just by being with Siwoo, she had achieved 99% of life’s happiness.

If they could continue to get along well, that would be enough to say that it was the entirety of happiness.

So, while I have time to think, think about your future.

Just like Professor List, set a goal to become a pianist who surprises the world and achieve it.

That way, I’ll be happy….

“…Chaewon. Are you asleep?”

“Mm….”

It was a day that seemed uneventful, but for some reason, I felt sleep creeping up on me sooner than expected.

“Good night.”

As I closed my eyes, my consciousness began to fade.

Even so, I responded to Siwoo’s goodnight.

“You too… sleep well….”

A cold sensation spread through my skin, causing me to startle and open my eyes.

I was in the bedroom of the pension, covered with blankets and falling asleep with the air conditioning on.

Somehow, I was underwater.

In the dark and murky water just before death. I couldn’t see anything around me. I was breathing, but my body was lost, floating aimlessly with the flow of water.

I tried moving my hands and feet, but I couldn’t swim and just spun around in the water for a while.

“You can’t get out of here. What does that mean?”

A voice echoed from somewhere.

It was a voice I had heard before. It was the same voice I heard just before I died.

“Chaewon…?”

I turned my head back and forth, flipped my body to check under the water, but there was no Min Chaewon.

“You fool. You’re Min Chaewon.”

Even though we are one now, we weren’t originally.

You’re the fool, not me. You ran away, leaving everything to me.

Suppressing the words that burst out in frustration, I swallowed them back and searched for Chaewon again.

“Where are you? Come out and show yourself.”

It was good to hear the voice, but I wanted to talk face to face.

However, no matter how much I swam, I couldn’t see anything.

I couldn’t even tell which way was up or down. I couldn’t tell if I was sinking or rising. It felt like I was spinning in place.

After swimming for a while, I gave up looking for Chaewon and stood still in place.

“You can’t get out of here. What does that mean?”

“This is the tomb of abandoned egos. A place where egos that have passed through Min Chaewon’s body are buried and become useless.”

It’s not 0, right? Does that mean I’m one of the 1 to 25?

“So… am I like the other egos…?”

“Yes. You no longer have any value outside. 0 has regained control. It’s not surprising. It’s so natural.”

“Then… where are the others? Min Chaewon’s ego is about twenty-five years old….”

As I asked, the voice that sounded like one split into several.

It was as if someone had copied the same voice with a slight frame difference using a voice editing program.

“Do we feel like one to you?”

Startled, I stood still and covered my ears. But the sound seemed to be transmitted through my heart, and I couldn’t ignore it by covering my ears.

“You seem scared. It’s just a joke.”

The voices merged again.

I took my fingers out of my ears and looked around again.

I still couldn’t see anything. It felt like a bad dream.

“I can’t… get out?”

“Yes. You can never get out. You’re trapped here until Min Chaewon dies.”

It was Chaewon’s voice, but there was a slight difference as I continued to listen.

The current me, compared to the 19-year-old Min Chaewon, had a younger voice. It wasn’t certain, but it seemed to be around the mid-teens.

With a hint of doubt, I called her ‘special’ name.

“Lady Acklert?”

“Cough!”

The surprised voice coughed loudly. It seemed like a genuine cough.

The surroundings, which had suddenly turned dark, began to brighten. Every time I blinked, the scenery around me changed, and I found myself standing high in the sky among the clouds, which I was certain were deep underwater.

It was definitely above the sky with a hole in the ground, and I could see floating islands and cherry blossom trees.

Pink flower petals were fluttering like snowflakes among the clouds.

“Hmph. I was trying to play a prank, but the fun has faded away.”

Emerging from the clouds was Min Chaewon, who looked about fifteen.

Lady Aclert, brandishing a baton instead of a wand, was there. The sword hanging from her waist proved her identity.

“Hey, newbie. Why didn’t you bow properly when you saw me?”

“Your voice… sounded just like yours.”

Aclert pushed up the hood covering one eye. Whether she just wanted to play the part of a one-eyed inspector, both eyes were perfectly fine.

Her narrowed eyes stared at me for a moment. Soon, Aclert snorted.

“You’re a creepy one.”

“Ahaha… Hi, Aclert.”

“Call me Lady Aclert! How rude!”

Swish.

I quickly switched to formal speech to avoid the sword at my neck.

Her movements were quicker than I expected. Swinging that heavy sword around so casually.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Aclert.”

“Oh, you should have said that sooner!”

“Did… you swallow the other selves, Lady Aclert?”

Aclert put away the dangerous item she had drawn and approached me, tilting her head.

“You didn’t hear that we’re all together earlier? Useless fool.”

“Ugh.”

The flying scabbard almost split my head in half.

It felt like a dream, with no pain at all.

“Anyway, there’s a reason I called you here.”

“What… reason is that?”

“Because I was annoyed, that’s why.”

Aclert glared and poked her finger towards my forehead as if scolding me.

“Sleeping in such a good atmosphere?”

Seemingly unable to understand my actions, Aclert bounced around energetically.

“You didn’t do anything and just fell asleep. Do you even know what romance is? Do you even have the intention to date?”

Realizing a belated fact, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Even at the swimming pool. What if you suddenly create such a heavy atmosphere?! Even if you subtly bump into each other and seduce gently, you missed the point! So frustrating!”

Lady Aclert was a severe case of chuunibyou.

She was more of an otaku than Yoon Jichang.