#113

 

Tears blurred my vision. My sight turned hazy, so I was relieved not to see the unbelievable memory that suddenly came to mind. I wept, hunched over like a caterpillar, unable to even sob aloud.

 

‘I can’t deny it.’

 

The moment I saw the memory, I knew. That it actually happened. That the time I spent at home after being discharged was a fabricated false memory.

 

Before transmigrating, I wasn’t resting at home. I was facing death in a hospital bed.

 

‘It hurts.’

 

“Whines…..”

 

“…General.”

 

Lost in my wails, General licked my tear-stained cheek. I couldn’t bring myself to cry or laugh at General’s heartfelt gesture.

 

“Did you bring me here to show me this?”

 

That I’m actually dead.

 

Half-mad, I grasped General and asked. Since this space isn’t real anyway.

 

‘Does that mean I’m really a thief to Seong Chan-young?’

 

My heart was in turmoil. I couldn’t even begin to guess where my memories had gone wrong, and I was frustrated not knowing why this outcome had occurred.

 

‘It’s strangely quiet behind me.’

 

Seong Chan-young had been hurling insults at me the whole time, calling me a thief and whatnot. I had expected him to laugh and mock me when he saw this scene, but he was quiet. Not even the muffled sounds behind the duct tape were heard.

 

When I turned around, Seong Chan-young and I locked eyes. Whether he thought I couldn’t see him or not, it was more upsetting to see him look away first.

 

“You wouldn’t possibly be feeling sorry for me, would you?”

 

“……”

 

Bound as he was, Seong Chan-young  turned his body away to avoid my gaze as much as possible. I was angry when I wondered why he was so quiet, but seeing his inappropriate sympathy made me even angrier.

 

“You’d better off continuing to curse at me like before.”

 

My heart ached. I felt miserable. I wish I hadn’t known, but discovering it at the moment of preparing for death made it even more agonizing.

 

“Whines…”

 

As if by habit, General licked my cheek. It was damp. Oh, I’m crying again.

 

“General, I don’t know what to do now.”

 

Since my existing memories were wrong, I had a hunch that I could find even more distorted memories if I delved further.

 

‘But I’m scared.’

 

I couldn’t muster the courage to search for those memories. I wanted to escape from here, but even if I woke up, there was no guarantee I would still be alive.

 

‘My head was decapitated, after all.’

 

If I couldn’t even blink like in my past life and had to continue living through lifelong life support, it would be no different from being dead. I was in agony.

 

“I wish I could just disappear like this.”

 

It was the sincerity that came from an infinitely fragile heart.

 

It was then.

 

[Don’t cry. Yeo-woon ah.]

 

“………Huh?”

 

Who said that? I hugged the soft, fluffy general and looked around.

 

But I couldn’t see anything else besides my memory, which abruptly stopped like a video playback. I only saw Seong Chan-young, whose eyes widened in surprise just like mine.

 

“Who’s there?”

 

[It’s me, Yeo-woon. Down here.]

 

The voice was coming from very close by. Right from my warm and adorable puppy, General, that I was holding.

 

“En?”

 

[It’s my voice you’re hearing. I am also the person who guided both you and that person’s consciousness here.]

 

Wait, wait a minute. Did the dog just talk?

 

‘But why does the voice sound so familiar?’

 

As I carefully sifted through my memories, a soft hand lightly slapped my cheek.

 

[You can’t even recognize your noon’s voice? That’s disappointing.]

 

“What?”

 

[It’s me, your sixth sister.]

 

My noona. The one who used to read me stories about the world I’ve entered.

 

“What?”

 

My brain gave up trying to process the new information. The cute and lovable general, who seemed to understand human speech so well, was actually my sister?

 

“Just a moment. Then, was it because of you that General seemed unusually intelligent?”

 

[Yep, it was because of me.]

 

Oh my. Why is the world turning upside down? So, I’m possessing the villain, and my dear sister is possessing a dog?

 

[I didn’t possess anyone.]

 

“Then what’s going on with the dog, I mean, noona, that I’m talking to?”

 

[I’m just borrowing General’s body for a moment. It’s different from you.]

 

“What on earth is going on…”

 

Life seems to be getting more and more twisted. Adding fantasy to the life of a villain’s possessor, where is my life heading now?

 

[If you’re curious, follow me. I’ll tell you why you ended up possessing Seong Chan-young’s body and what that memory you just saw was about.]

 

Speaking with my sister’s voice, General wagged its white tail and took the lead. As General moved forward, memories were erased again, and a white space appeared.

 

“Is that really true?”

 

[Why would I lie to you here?]

 

Well, that’s true.

 

“Okay, I’ll follow.”

 

I wiped away the remaining tears from my eyes with my elbow. Whatever happens, my sister’s words were right. Crying wouldn’t solve anything.

 

“Let’s go, Seong Chan-young. We need to clarify that I’m not a thief.”

 

“…”

 

Even as I pulled on the rope binding Seong Chan-young and dragged him along, he didn’t make any more noise. Seong Chan-young seemed confused too.

 

‘He must also have memory confusion.’

 

Given the circumstances, Seong Chan-young must have died once before. If some memories were lost or distorted due to the strong shock of death, he also needed to know the truth.

 

I approached Seong Chan-young and removed the tape from his mouth. Despite that, he remained quiet.

 

“……………..Are you okay?”

 

“About what?”

 

“Anything. Everything.”

 

“I’m getting worried about a guy who was about to kill me with a knife.”

 

I chuckled in disbelief, but Seong Chan-young blushed in embarrassment as if he knew.

 

“Alright, alright! Hurry up and follow your dog.”

 

“I was going to go even if you didn’t rush me.”

 

“Who said I was rushing you?”

 

“Looks like it’s better to be annoyed. Stop pretending to sympathize and just keep quiet. It’s annoying.”

 

There was no time to take care of the original villain who was trying to kill me while being as sensitive as possible. When I shot back that I didn’t want to see him, he seemed crestfallen.

 

[This way. Follow me.]

 

General, speaking with my sister’s voice, guided us. Uncertain of what lay ahead, I moved forward with a mixture of resignation and determination, holding onto the rope binding Seong Chan-young.

 

Seong Chan-young whimpered halfway.

 

“Since you’re taking off the tape, can’t you untie this too?”

 

“How can I trust you to behave?”

 

“…”

 

He shut his mouth tightly in response to my cold retort.

 

At the end of the path we followed, there was a door.

 

[If you go in here, you’ll find out how the two of you ended up here.]

 

“General… I mean, noona… What will happen if we go in?”

 

[I’m just a consciousness. My role is to bring you this far. I’ll disappear once you enter.]

 

“What does that mean?”

 

My sister’s calm voice was painful to hear. It overlapped with the image of my family giving up on me in my memories, making it even more distressing.

 

“Let’s go together, noona.”

 

[I can’t go.]

 

“Because I’m someone who died? Are you abandoning me too?”

 

[…… That’s not it. In fact, I…….]

 

Unable to overcome the hurt feelings I blurted out, my sister seemed about to retort but stopped herself. Seeing the cute general looking crestfallen was twice as effective.

 

However, I had no intention of backing down. I stubbornly held onto General and headed towards the door.

 

“I wish you could come with me. Especially if you haven’t abandoned me, noona.”

 

I was afraid to be alone. Although the memories I just saw were supposedly mine, I couldn’t believe them. Faced with a truth I didn’t want to believe, I felt utterly weak, and I didn’t want to miss my sister’s voice that appeared as if waiting for me.

 

“Ahem. Ahem. Well, it’s not really my place to say, but it might be best to go together. You’re siblings after all. This guy looks quite fragile.”

 

Seong Chan-young grumbled as he was dragged along.

 

“You’re out of the conversation.”

 

“I also have to go through that door with you, so shouldn’t I have a say?”

 

“Just because you were only verbally alive while trying to kill someone.”

 

“… I’m sorry. If I have to make an excuse, that was the best I could do at the time.”

 

“Alright then.”

 

Seong Chan-young spoke, applying pressure to the hand holding General while whispering into my ear. It was selfishness hoping my sister wouldn’t leave me.

 

“Are you coming with us, sister?”

 

“Will your pain lessen if we go together?”

 

“I don’t know. I can’t believe anything right now. Everything is confusing, and even if I find out why I came here, I have no confidence in life afterwards.”

 

If, as Seong Chan-young said when he rushed in, I am a thief who stole a body… What should I do then?

 

“I just wanted to live, but now I’m afraid to let go of my current life.”

 

If only the worst awaits at the end, what will become of me?

 

Unable to open the door due to overwhelming fear, General’s foot tapped my hand.

 

[I know what you’re worried about.]

 

“….. Noona.”

 

[But I promise you. You won’t have anything to fear once we cross this door. I’m here to wish for your happiness.]

 

My sister’s calm words strangely reassured my anxious heart. So, I opened the door.

 

And then, the distorted memories vanished, and the real events that occurred came flooding back to me.