Elderlyn came flying over to me at an incredible speed as soon as she received my call.
Yeah. She probably did fly over.
Given the distance from where Elderlyn lives to here—it’s quite a trek. I almost regretted making the call, it was such a long way.
But if my memory serves me right, the car speeding toward us now was undoubtedly Elderlyn’s.
It’s only been about an hour since then.
So, that car, so pristine and white, must surely have had wings. Otherwise, it means Yuserin must’ve been flooring the accelerator like a madwoman.
‘Did she speed?’
In this day and age, doing so would land her with a hefty heap of fines. And the penalty points would add up fast. There was really no reason for her to go that far for me.
She accepted my rather random request without a single question. That was already more than kind of her.
Still, it seems my assumptions were not off the mark. When Elderlyn stepped out of the car, she looked quite disheveled.
“Da-eun!”
It’s definitely clear she came rushing here straight from the gym. An outer coat loosely covering her form-fitting tights, her hair hastily bundled up. The same hair she’d been nagging me to style a little better.
Was it just gratitude for her haste to come at a phone call that made my chest feel this way? It was heavy, as if sinking.
I thought I had calmed down, but I couldn’t sit still. Clutching my crutch, I limped towards her. Just as I was about to lose my balance and fall, Elderlyn caught me.
Previously, she smelled of perfume. This time, the faint scent of sweat lingered. When her soft touch reached me, my eyes inexplicably felt warm.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I’m fi— ack, hahaha!”
Oh no, this is bad. My mom always said I look absolutely hideous when I cry. I must look terrible right now.
—
—
We couldn’t go anywhere grand.
Serin wasn’t dressed appropriately for much wandering, and my eyes were bloodshot red. The side mirror of the car revealed that I truly looked like a weepy mess.
I cried too much. The car was the only place we could be—sobbing amidst the seats.
Thankfully, the crying soon ceased, but then I found myself embarrassed. Ashamed, even, for acting like a child.
Still, I owed her an explanation. It had been such a first, I could barely grasp how to start or even where to stop.
I just wanted to sink into warmth right now. Should I ask for a moment’s embrace, asking her to not question me? That’s too selfish, even for me.
Elderlyn seemed to have read my mind.
“So, like…”
“You can take your time to think. I’ll just drive us somewhere breezy. Is that okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“You don’t have to tell me if it’s too hard.”
—
Somewhere along the way, we bought coffee. My body craved alcohol, but since Elderlyn drove, that was out of the option.
We arrived at a tranquil spot overlooking the sea. It was somewhere people rarely ventured, leaving an oddly soothing feeling in the air. The waves rhythmically lapped the shore.
“Not bad for a random stop, huh? Shall we sit there?”
We situated ourselves somewhere comfortable, sipping on the coffee. Coffee I had drunk anywhere else, but today it tasted unusually less bitter. Naturally perhaps, Elderlyn sat right beside me.
She was close enough that moving even slightly would make our skin touch. Yearning for warmth, I leaned on her first. A gentle pat on my shoulder followed.
My mind remains unsettled even now. So, I began with an easier question.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
“What? Hmm, I guess you had a right to wonder.”
“Let’s face it, our first meeting wasn’t exactly great.”
Our first meeting was around the time I was hemorrhaging from between my legs.
I have severe menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding. My emotions fluctuate so wildly, I’ve ruined countless interactions with streamers. Elderlyn was one of those victims.
To be honest, she should dislike me, let alone like me.
“How can you not be mad?”
“How can I be mad at someone who came like this?”
“I had a younger sister. Just like you—pretty, and equally precarious.”
—
—
The human body and mind are closely linked. When one falls ill, so does the other.
Yuserin’s younger sister was a case where physical illness seeped into her mind.
One day, she fell too ill to leave the hospital. At first, it was manageable. There was hope for recovery, and the girl endured well. But as her condition worsened, she couldn’t hold on.
“Put more money in the account. If you want something, buy it.”
“I don’t need it! Haven’t I already said I don’t want to see your face?”
“So what if you don’t want to? I can’t just leave you, can I? How’s your body? Isn’t Mr. Park saying there’s improvement?”
“Your face would disappear, and I’d recover faster.”
The treatment was excruciating. The human mind has a limited capacity for pain, yet hers was being packed with sorrow. Her wellspring of emotions began to flow with nothing but anguish.
When did I see her laugh last?
The once-loving sisterly bond now seemed like a distant dream. To alleviate her suffering, she chose to inflict it on others.
It wasn’t right. Elderlyn was hurt, and the sister lashed out at the nurses and medical staff, too. There were instances where she even defended them against bad-mouthing.
It didn’t make sense.
I was doing my best for her sister, so why was she so cruel to me? I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Do you find this funny? Staying cooped up like this…”
“Don’t say such things. I’ve never thought that.”
“If you don’t like hearing this, go away! Leave me alone. Just the sight of you annoys me. Stay away from here!”
Looking back now, it was a scream.
A cry that escapes when the pain is unbearable—a desperate plea for help—rotting and reeking from a sick and decaying heart.
Back then, Serin lacked the emotional capacity.
Being human, she had limits. She couldn’t endure the stench of the decayed heart.
Returning to reality, she had to endure the reproaches of her sister.
She received wounds when she should have been recovering.
So, when the doctor called her one day.
“It’s time to prepare yourself.”
“To prepare?”
“Your sister will soon…”
Serin felt relief.
She wouldn’t have to tirelessly earn hospital fees anymore. She wouldn’t have to listen to her sister’s complaints on weekends. Finally, she could live solely for herself.
Ah, liberation. Freedom had come.
The doctor must’ve thought she was shedding tears of loss, but only Yuserin herself knew—they were tears of joy at her newfound freedom.
Though she felt ugly inside, she hid it. Until her last moments, she stayed by her sister’s side, ready to listen even to the harshest words.
“Sis…”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I stayed even though you said you didn’t want to see me.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m sorry. Forget everything I’ve said.”
“Eh? What?”
In her final moments, the sister apologized to her.
A sudden pang in my chest.
No matter the sharp and thorny words uttered before, this single word, “I’m sorry,” pierced deeper.
As her grip on the sister’s hand loosened, her sister re-grabbed her hand.
With a frail hand that could barely move, she left behind her warmth.
“I’m not in pain anymore, so… I can say it. I love you, sis. Thanks for being there. I’ve never hated you.”
It was her last words. And with them, her sister passed.
And the words “I have never hated you” stopped her mind cold.
So, what about me? Who felt relief and freedom at her death? Who couldn’t give her a final smile?
While the medical staff cleared the room, she couldn’t let go of her sister’s hand. It wasn’t until the doctor shook her shoulder that the tears started to flow—tears of loss, sadness, and regret.
—
A few years later, at the point in time when Yuserin was more commonly called “Elderlyn,” a girl in the game seemed to seek her out.
– Huff… Haa… Ahahaha…
Uneven breathing. A laugh that sounded both masochistic and warped. Yet, the girl clung onto her as though in an embrace.
From this strangling girl, Elderlyn sensed a déjà vu.
It was as if she understood. The girl’s laugh wasn’t laughter—it was a scream.
