episode_0373

“Rain. Are you getting better?”

“Euuung…”

Lane seemed to be slumped over and had no intention of getting up.

I sighed as I looked at the light coming in through the window.

Even though I said I had fallen asleep in the morning, the sun was already setting.

Gulp-

I looked in amazement as I watched the water flow down between my legs.

How much water did you put in that it’s still leaking out?

I frowned and pressed on my lower stomach.

The stream of water that had been trickling down suddenly flowed out in a whoosh, and now only water droplets are flowing down.

Are they all out now?

If something like this happened in front of Amy when she went outside, it was certain that it wouldn’t end well.

“Rain. The water keeps leaking because of you. How much did you put in?”

“Heeelp…”

As I grabbed Rain’s sagging cheek and shook it back and forth, Rain let out a small moan and started to cry.

I put the rain down and sighed.

I did a quick tidy up of the messy room, but everything around it was soaked with water, so it seemed like I would have to replace all the furniture.

There were a lot of blankets, so Rain’s sleeping place was made soft and fluffy, but the wet blankets were lying around on the floor in a mess.

I put down the large t-shirt she was going to wear next to Rain and headed to the bathroom.

I look at my body in the large full-length mirror hanging on the bathroom wall.

The long red marks running across his pure white skin made him look like someone who had been tied up with rope and then released.

I put my finger on it and moved it slowly.

The feeling from before came back to me, and my body started trembling.

Where on earth did Rain learn such things?

As I moved along the red mark, I stopped my hand near my lower abdomen.

There were no marks there, but the faint sensation of it poking and prickling my insides still remained.

“Ah.”

Gulp-

Water flowed out between my legs again.

I turned on the shower with a sad face.

I closed my eyes as the hot water poured down on me.

***

After I finished showering, I came out and looked at Rain.

She had a fluffy blanket wrapped around her body and seemed to have no intention of getting up.

I felt like I had to go out alone today.

He takes out his notebook and leaves a note next to Lane’s pillow.

The small text telling me to eat breakfast first when I wake up because I have to go alone has not changed from before.

The font also retains its original style.

I stared blankly at the note, then patted my cheek and started getting dressed.

Fortunately, the clothes inside the drawer weren’t wet, so I was able to pack some good clothes and wear them.

As I left the room, I checked my phone and saw that I had a message from Amy.

Judging from the fact that the content was asking if she had discovered anything, it seemed like she hadn’t found anything special either.

I sighed again.

I’ve been feeling like I’ve been sighing a lot lately.

As I walked down the long hallway, I came across a servant cleaning the area.

“Excuse me.”

“Huh?”

“Can you please tidy up my room? Rain and I… made a mess while playing in the water.”

“Oh. Okay. Okay. ”

I nodded and looked at the servant walking away.

It was hard to find any cuteness in the uniform that suited my grandfather’s taste.

Should I ask her to change into a maid outfit later?

I shook my head as I thought about that.

Passing through the hallway, I headed towards my grandfather’s office.

Now that you’ve finished your recent work, it’s obvious that you’ve returned to this place.

I stopped in front of the door, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked.

dripping-

At the sound of a small knock, a presence was felt inside the door.

[Come in.]

As I opened the door with my grandfather’s permission and went in, a large, furry creature slowly crawled out from inside.

It was a big puppy named Chuchu.

The guy looked at me, sat down, stuck his tongue out, and twirled his tail.

“ChuChu Hello.”

bruise!

Only after hearing my greeting did the guy jump up from his seat and run towards me.

My body is pushed back as a guy taller than an adult male rushes at me.

The strength was so good that my body swayed.

I took Chuchu and walked towards my grandfather’s desk.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Isn’t it a little late to be greeting you in the morning?”

“It was morning when I woke up.”

My grandfather sighed at my answer and put down the pen he was holding.

“Go over there and play.”

I said, pushing Chuchu away.

Chuchu, who seemed to have thought he could play with me, went to the corner with a sullen look on his face and curled up.

A small smile escaped my face when I saw the large ball of fur like that.

I took out the bag of medicine and held it up to my grandfather, who was waiting for me to speak.

Grandfather nodded after looking at the medicine.

It seemed like you already knew.

“Did you know this?”

“Recently, a drug that has started to circulate in the lower regions.”

“It’s a medicine that started to work around the same time my sister showed up.”

“So they are investigating.”

“So, have you figured out anything?”

Instead of answering, the grandfather took a piece of paper out of a drawer and handed it over.

The white A4 paper was covered in small letters, and next to it was a black and white photo of the medicine printed on it.

I went to the sofa and sat down while reading.

“What is this…”

The more I read, the more confused I became.

Are you saying this is starting to circulate in the lower regions?

really?

I raised my head and looked at my grandfather.

Surely, there was no way that my grandfather had investigated it wrong.

“Is this really being released in the lower regions?”

“Yeah.”

“Where did those people get the money…”

“The price of medicine commonly sold in the lower districts is not that different.”

I looked dumbfounded at my grandfather’s answer.

If what I said is true, then whoever was distributing this drug was clearly crazy.

From the manufacturing method to the raw materials used, they were not commonly available.

This means that it is not a medicine that is only applied to the lower areas.

The drugs sold in the lower zones were cheap drugs that were mixed with other cheap drugs to make up for the low price.

Very low quality medicine.

It was a medicine that was made by taking the leftover waste from manufacturing expensive medicine and going through another process to make it complete.

“It looks like someone is conducting an experiment.”

“Is this an experiment?”

“I think they are testing whether or not the medicine has side effects.”

I nodded to my grandfather’s words.

Rather than buying people and experimenting with the drug, it seemed better to just spread it around the lower areas to see what the side effects would be.

It’s a really neat idea, since we can collect multiple samples at once.

I put the papers down on the table.

My gaze turned to the medicine on the table.

Surely not?

No, it was a possible hypothesis.

I think of the boss of Snake Heart, who seemed to be a personal acquaintance of my grandfather.

He was having a very hard time with his grandfather.

They say that all the drugs distributed in District 15 passed through his hands.

As I was thinking that far, I suddenly stood up from my seat.

“Are you going?”

As I was about to leave, my grandfather opened his mouth as if he was sorry.

But now that I couldn’t find any trace of Shine, I had no time to rest.

“Yes.”

“What about dinner?”

“I’ll eat it as I please.”

“Okay, I got it.”

He waves to his grandfather and heads outside.

I closed the door after confirming that Chuchu, who had been huddled in the corner, was following me.

“Choochoo.”

bruise.

“I’m going to go find my sister. So just wait quietly.”

Chuchu tilted his head at my words.

Do you understand?

I smiled slightly and patted the guy’s head.

Drive your car out of the castle and onto the road.

Unlike the car that was speeding along smoothly, my chest felt stuffy.

Grandpa never said a word about Shine.

Has Shine disappeared from Grandpa’s mind now?

no.

My grandfather. The grandfather I know would never have been like that.

There’s definitely something going on.

Booo!

Unable to bear the feeling of frustration, I picked up the speed even more.

Go through the long road, through the gate and into the lower area.

The surrounding scenery changes gradually as you pass through the gate.

Immediately after passing through the last gate, park your car in the parking lot in front of the gate.

As I step outside, I frown at the thick smell of dust that wafts in.

If you lived in a place like this for a long time, your lungs would definitely deteriorate quickly.

If Shine lives in this area, I will do whatever it takes to drag her away.

I thought as I passed the sidewalk blocks that were riddled with holes, as if they had lost their teeth.

We had almost seen everything near the gate, so it was time to head to the end of the city.

Unlike yesterday, there was no major controversy.

After wandering around the city all day, it was clear that rumors about me had spread.

If there was a shine, wouldn’t it have recognized me and come looking for me?

I stood still, thinking to myself.

It was strange.

The surrounding air had become heterogeneous and there was no wind.

It felt like I had entered a closed place.

Clearly, there was an open road ahead of me.

But no matter how much I walk, it doesn’t get any smaller.

hallucination?

Mental world?

But the barrier inside me was intact.

There was no sign of anyone trying to break in.

As I was looking around like that for a while, I could hear faint footsteps coming from far away.

My heart starts beating like crazy at the sound of my shoes clicking, clicking, clicking.

The weight has changed, but it’s a similar, no, the same sound as the beat I remember.

My breathing is getting harder.

My cheeks feel hot and my mouth feels parched.

He clenches and unclenches his fists for no reason and wiggles his toes.

The footsteps stopped right behind me.

I have to look back.

I had to turn around to see who was making these footsteps.

But I was afraid.

I was so scared that if I turned around right then and there, no one would be there, that it was all my imagination.

That moment when I was shivering and unable to do anything.

The person behind me started to move.

As the distance grew closer, something soft touched my back.

A soft, fluffy, yet warm feeling.

At the same time, a familiar scent wafted out.

Could this be an illusion?

Could it be my imagination?

Could this all be a dream?

I’m not in bed yet.

The first thing that came to mind was chocolate and cocoa.

I asked Rain to make sure I didn’t forget Shine’s scent, so I ate cocoa and chocolate with her scent every day.

The body responds naturally to the familiar scent that is deeply engraved in the mind.

As my legs gave out and I began to sway, someone came up behind me and grabbed me.

A hand naturally wrapping around her waist, and a right hand holding her shoulder.

The hand that dug into my chest was so pure white.

I looked down at the hands wrapped around my waist.

A silver lion, shining in the sunlight, sat on the ring finger of his left hand.

Shine.

My sister was clear.

The only person who wore a ring like this, and on the ring finger of her left hand, was Shine.

It’s a ring that I shared with him, and I’ve never taken it off since.

“Sha, is it Shine…?”

In a trembling voice, laughter was heard from behind.

My eyes get hot as I hear the soft voice that tickles my heart.

The hand that was holding my shoulder begins to move little by little.

It brushes across your shoulder, then your neck, and then your cheek.

The soft touch was so delicate that it felt like he was touching a precious treasure.

“You should call me unnie.”

The fantasy became a certainty.

It became a reality.

She was really behind me.

The moment I released my hand and looked back, as if looking in a mirror, there was a woman who looked exactly like me.

The faint smile on her lips reminded me of those old days.

I opened my mouth and couldn’t say anything.

Shine, who was looking at me, tilted her head and touched my cheeks with both hands.

“Jeff. It’s been a while since we last met. Aren’t you happy to see me?”

I couldn’t answer that question.

No voice came out.

Shine’s hand began to move slowly.

The hand that came up from my cheek stretched out its long, delicate fingers and gently pressed them against my eyes.

From eyes to nose and lips.

The finger that stopped there gently brushed her lips.

Playful eyes get closer and closer.

And at that moment, something warm and soft touched my lips and fell.

I blinked at the very light, yet soft kiss.

The slightly receding shine blew a small breeze over my face.

The scent of shine wafting in brought a smile to my lips.