Chapter 28

The next day, when I opened my eyes, I felt like crying.

I had desperately hoped that all of this was just a dream and that when I woke up, it would be reality—but everything was exactly the same, in a way that made my skin crawl.

I blinked and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling light. I had no idea when I had fallen asleep or how long I had been out. There were no clocks or windows in the room.

After a moment, I realized it wouldn’t have mattered even if there had been a window. The view would not have been morning sunlight or an evening glow, but the vast, overwhelming expanse of space.

I slowly got up. The unpleasantly slick blanket slid to the floor like seaweed, and under my hands, the bed crinkled paper. A few sheets fell under the bed. They were notes.

I had written them as the best way I could think of to hold onto memories that were slipping away like sand through my fingers. There was no other method I could think of.

I wrote down everything I could remember—whatever came to mind—to preserve it. I read it often to recall it.

At first, I only wrote down certain memories: names, ages, birthdates, addresses, the schools and gyms I attended, the sports I practiced, the names of my coaches and friends.

I couldn’t bring myself to write about my mother, but I did record my father, who had held me at the funeral of Baek Ihyeon’s parents.

Worrying that I might run out of memories seemed unnecessary, as they vanished far more quickly than I had expected. I had focused solely on sports, and after being injured, I concentrated on studying to catch up with the progress I had fallen behind in.

My life was simple, so there weren’t many notable events—but most of them involved Baek Ihyeon. That child had been the only color that shone in my otherwise colorless days.

I took special care recording memories of this precious friend. I used black pen for certain memories, and red pen for memories that were faint, too old to be clear, or slipping away from my mind despite being unforgettable.

Even if only half remembered, I wanted it all written down. These were precious memories, and above all, I was afraid the original memories would fade and I might confuse this world’s Baek Ihyeon with the real one. They looked and sounded so identical that it was easy to be deceived.

I rubbed my face with dry hands and gathered the scattered papers on the bed. I picked up every sheet from the floor and stacked them neatly on the bedside table.

Nine out of ten sheets were about Baek Ihyeon.

I considered putting them in the drawer, then reconsidered. Someone might accidentally—or intentionally—throw them away.

After some thought, I stuffed the papers into the narrow gap between the headboard and the wall, a place impossible to find unless one deliberately searched.

While pushing them in, I lost one sheet. It fluttered down to my feet. Every surface was densely filled with writing.

[…The Baek Ihyeon I know would never exploit someone’s goodwill. Therefore, this Baek Ihyeon in this world is not my friend. I must not trust this Baek Ihyeon. Do not give your heart just because they look alike. My friend is dead. Gone from this world. Date of death…]

Suddenly, Kim Dowoon’s words came to mind.

“Your so-called friend… do you really know them perfectly?”

The paper crumpled slightly in my hand.

“How can anyone ever fully know another person? Isn’t that right?”

No. I bit my teeth. I knew everything. I was certain.

Baek Ihyeon was more than a friend; they were family. There was nothing about them I didn’t know. I knew everything.

We met when we were very young, became inseparable, and lived together for years. Our hobbies, skills, likes and dislikes, friendships, and even unconscious habits were all things we inevitably knew in that environment.

Above all, we got along well, and there were no secrets between us…

“Isn’t Baek Ihyeon kind of scary?”

I dropped the paper. It floated gently onto my foot.

I squeezed my eyes shut. A headache hit. The voice repeated in my mind.

In my memory, a girl faced me. A classmate in our school uniform: gray tie and vest.

Her hand holding mine trembled.

“You know the chaos when the police came that time, right? That….”

Her pupils were huge with fear as she whispered desperately.

“Baek Ihyeon did it.”

Did what? I opened my eyes. My vision blurred. I blinked. What was it? What happened? I couldn’t remember.

What had I said? Probably denied it. No matter what it was, Baek Ihyeon could never have done something bad. That wasn’t who they were.

They had always been perfect: handsome, kind, athletic, smart. There were plenty of kids jealous of them, trying in any way to bring them down.

Those were just meaningless rumors spread by envious kids…

My chest thumped uneasily. I tried to ignore it, and when I shoved the papers fully behind the bed, I noticed a box at the door. It hadn’t been there before I slept.

I went over and opened it. Clothes were inside. A familiar black, stiff collar caught my eye. When I pulled it out and unfolded it, a black uniform top fell smoothly through the air.

The material was unlike anything I had ever touched. It flowed like water, was as light as air, and reflected light gently across its creased surface. Even though it was fabric, it felt like soft metal.

I fiddled with it briefly, then put it back in the box and stood up. I needed to wash and change.

The shower proved difficult. From turning on the hot water to adjusting the pressure, everything required effort.

Everything was similar to the world I lived in, yet subtly different, like a parallel universe.

After washing, I put on the uniform from the box. But I couldn’t dry my hair.

I had no idea how to use the sleek, seamless dryer. I fiddled with it but eventually gave up, wrapping my hair in a towel.

As I picked up the shirt and pants to put them in the laundry basket, something hard pressed into my hand.

Checking the top, I discovered a pocket sewn in so neatly I hadn’t noticed it before. Inside was a card.

What’s this?

The front was plain silver. I flipped it. The back was smooth as well.

Holding it under the bathroom light, at a certain angle, the card became translucent, and my name appeared faintly in the upper right corner.

That was when I sensed someone’s presence. I turned, and before I could react, I was grabbed by the collar. The speed and strength left me unable to counter.

I was slammed into the wall, barely stifling a groan.

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

The towel wrapped around my head slipped down, wet hair cascading around me, revealing Kim Dowoon glaring right at me.

His bloodshot eyes pierced mine. Choking on my breath, I tried to push his wrist away. The card fell, clacking to the floor.

Kim Dowoon pinned me roughly. I heard the grinding of teeth near my ear.

“I can’t believe this… seriously…”

“Uh, uh…”

“What?”

The force pressing me against the wall eased slightly. He tilted his head toward me and said with effort,

“You didn’t get in that much trouble anyway.”

“This is really—”

He immediately twisted me again, shaking me roughly.

“Do you want to die? Your business is yours, so why shamelessly throw it at me? Do I look easy?”

“Ca—”

I couldn’t speak. I moved my mouth, desperately pushing against his chest.

“What? Speak clearly!”

“I-I was being careful…!”

His grip loosened slightly. I seized the chance and pushed with all my strength.

He stepped back a little, then lunged closer again. But it gave me just enough space to shout like vomiting:

“I was trying to be careful!”

Silence fell briefly.

Kim Dowoon threw me off roughly, stepping back. I hit the wall and coughed harshly, tears prickling.

I rubbed my throat and looked up, meeting his gaze. He leaned against the cabinet near the sink, arms crossed, staring at me.

“Careful about what?”

“Those people… I’m not even their representative. I don’t want to act like I’m in charge, telling people where to go or what to do.”

“Why? Because you feel grateful to them, but worry something might go wrong later?”

I nodded, touching my sore throat.

“Why do you think that?”

“I felt they didn’t treat me like one of them. Nothing has happened yet, but I want to be as careful as possible.”

Kim Dowoon was silent for a moment, then lowered his gaze and rubbed his face roughly with his hand.

He looked at me again, eyes sharp beneath his messy hair.

“The atmosphere’s already weird, right? They’ve probably picked a leader among themselves without you. Soon, they’ll start demanding things from you. Just wait and see.”

I widened my eyes, staring at him.

“It’s obvious. Damn it, here and there, there are only idiots who don’t know gratitude.”

He cursed roughly at the end, though it didn’t seem directed at me or the other outsiders. He sighed deeply and looked at me.

“If something happens that you’re worried about, tell me.”