episode_0066

As I regained consciousness, I found myself in the main living room where Mom, Minjeong, Uncle, and Net had been conversing.

Looking around, I could see myself lying on the three-seater sofa, seemingly lost in sleep with my eyes closed.

Why am I here? I distinctly remember exploring Juyeon’s secret hideout with Uncle, and…

No, it doesn’t matter now.

What’s important is who the person in front of me is and why I am floating in the air as if I were flying, looking down at myself deeply asleep.

The current me is undoubtedly me. I look like Juyeon, but why…

“You finally woke up, huh?”

“Huh?”

At that moment, the me lying on the sofa opened my eyes. Juyeon.

Slowly and uncomfortably, she got up from the sofa, looked at me, and then relaxed.

“I was worried you wouldn’t wake up again. It’s a relief.”

“You… Are you Juyeon?”

“Don’t you recognize me? It hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other. Have you already forgotten?”

“I couldn’t have forgotten. It’s just that I haven’t felt your presence since our last conversation… I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”

There were so many things I wanted to say to this guy, so many things I wanted to hear, but we suddenly parted ways because it was time.

“I never imagined things would turn out like this… But I’m glad we have the chance to talk again.”

Listening to Juyeon’s quiet words, I took a seat on the sofa in front of her.

“So, what happened that made you appear now?”

“Appear now? Are you saying it as if I disappeared?”

“Uh… Did you?”

“No! When you fully regained your memories, I separated from that body, but I was still around you.”

So, I had been around in this body until then.

Since then, I had been feeling a strange sense of loss. It felt like a part of me had disappeared… That’s why I believed she had disappeared.

Wait, what did this guy just say…

“Wait, so you said you were still around me after that? Does that mean you saw everything I did, where and when?”

“Of course! I saw everything. When I disappeared, you hugged Sunwoo naked, got drunk and rode on his back, and even expressed your affection… Everything.”

In disbelief, I stared at Juyeon, who coolly answered and then blushed like a boiled octopus, before finally smiling and teasing me with her last words.

“Eek! Ew!”

“Hehehe, I never imagined you would be the one to seduce first~ What did you say to Sunwoo back then? ‘Please hug me’? Saying such embarrassing and shameless things to me?”

“Please, stop! I was wrong!”

I couldn’t believe she knew everything that had happened… Juyeon continued to tease me, one embarrassing memory after another, making me feel more and more embarrassed.

“Turning into a full-fledged woman… It was worth the effort to make you adapt to my body.”

“What do you mean by making me adapt to your body?”

“Oh.”

Momentarily, Eunhye’s face, which had been lively and animated, stiffened. Suspecting her previous remarks, I continued to press Eunhye, who averted her gaze as if causing an earthquake in her pupils, before finally letting out a sigh and revealing the truth she had been hiding from me.

“So, you’re saying that it’s all your fault that I forgot about myself and believed that I was you, Eunhye?”

“Yes, I made it that way. I thought that in order to make it easier for you, a man, to adapt to my female body without feeling repulsed, it would be natural to alter your memories.”

“Then, was it all because of you that my heart fluttered when you said I was pretty?”

“Oh, that was because I heard Sunwoo oppa say I was pretty, so I unconsciously…”

“Is this really… you’re going to pull a stunt like that on me and act all innocent?”

“There’s no reason to hide it now. It’s more comfortable to just say it outright.”

“You’re quite something yourself.”

“Hehehe, I guess so.”

“Don’t praise me, you blockhead.”

I grabbed Eunhye’s head, which was bobbing around foolishly. I knew it was futile to blame him now, but I couldn’t stand Eunhye’s playful attitude any longer.

“Alright, enough. Why don’t you tell me why I can see you now? Is it all an illusion like before?”

“No, it’s not.”

Eunhye, speaking in a low voice with her head tilted, reached out her hand towards my chest, just like before.

“Uh… what?”

But this time, her hand didn’t pass through my body.

“I’m the only one who can feel you now, but the me in front of you is not an illusion, it’s the real me.”

“What, what’s going on! How do I explain this to other people–”

“You fool. I just said I’m the only one who can feel you now. Don’t you know what state you’re in right now?”

Lowering my head at her remark, I could tell that her hand resting on my chest was semi-transparent. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just my chest.

“Suddenly disappearing from a perfectly healthy body… well, I was shocked to see that truck here, so I understand… ”

Adjusting her posture, Eunhye suddenly puffed up her cheeks and began to vigorously pound my body with her clenched fist.

“Really! I barely caught you. Do you know how worried I was when you disappeared without a word?”

Was I really that worried? Watching her pout while playfully scolding me, she seemed on the verge of bursting into tears.

“If I fell from your body, why doesn’t my appearance return to normal?”

“You know better than anyone what happened to your body.”

I had already been cremated, turned to ashes, and stored in an urn. So, it was natural that I, who had lived as Eunhye until now, would have Eunhye’s appearance.

I couldn’t be sure of anything, but it seemed more natural to think that way.

“So, what happens to me now? Do I have to live forever in this ghostly form?”

“No. For now, you have to stay in this form, but soon you’ll be able to return to this body.”

She said she was only staying until then. Eunhye said that. Happy at the thought of being able to return, I wondered what would happen to Eunhye.

“Is that all you’re curious about? Well then, can I ask you a question this time?”

As I silently gazed at Eunhye, she flashed a mischievous smile and spoke softly.

Still, there were many things I wanted to ask, but I felt it was unfair to keep questioning alone, so I nodded in affirmation.

“Okay, then I’ll ask… Why did you save me back then?”

Curiosity was evident in her eyes as she looked at me.

Why did she save me… I have no idea what this blank expression is trying to convey.

If she had been watching over me all this time, how could she not know that one thing?

“Hey, Ju Eunhye.”

“Yeah.”

When I looked at her with a soft voice, she showed a gaze that seemed to expect something, and longing was evident in her eyes.

Perhaps she knew all along, but couldn’t bring herself to ask me directly?

If that’s the case, then I have to tell her clearly now.

“Does there have to be a reason for an older brother to save his younger sister?”

“…”

Eunhye stared at me with a blank expression. Her face began to contort as if she were expressing pain.

“Huk, huaaah–!”

She burst into tears and threw herself into my arms.

I almost fell backward for a moment, but managed to hold on somehow, cautiously placing my hand on her head and gently stroking her soft brown hair.

“Huaaah–! Oppa… Oppa…!”

Eunhye slowly lifted her head, showing me her tear-stained face, and then began to sob uncontrollably while clinging to me.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness…

But it’s strange that I, looking exactly like Eunhye, am embracing her. It feels like a weird painting of two identical doppelgangers sharing a warm embrace, doesn’t it?