I am back – Chapter 156

“Is it a week from now?”

Unlike last time when she suddenly heard about it, Young Miss Ga-young listened much more calmly this time.

“Yeah, it is. And I think the shop will be closed for quite a while. If I return, I’ll contact you then. Oh, and even if I don’t return, I can at least keep in touch to some extent.”

Opening a Dimensional Gate wide enough for people to pass through takes time, but opening it wide enough for signals to go through isn’t much of an issue. Just connecting to the internet for a moment allows us to communicate as much as we want.

If I tell Dana, she will gladly agree.

“I see…”

Listening to her older sister, Ga-young lowered her head for a moment before lifting it again.

On Ga-young’s face was a vibe totally different from what we had seen until now.

It looked like she had made up her mind, a determined expression.

“Then… I have something I want to tell you, too.”

Hearing Ga-young speak, I could tell what she was thinking.

In other words, she wanted to tell her sister the reason she ended up working here.

After we leave, we might not see each other’s faces for several months. She probably thought it would be better to share it before we said goodbye instead of waiting that long.

That said, it didn’t seem like the kind of story she could share over a phone call or text.

“Is that so?”

The older sister nodded quietly.

“Then just tell me when it’s convenient. I’ll be waiting.”

“….”

After hearing her sister’s words, Ga-young took a moment to ponder before speaking again.

“Can I bring Mom along when I tell you?”

“Your mother?”

“Yes.”

“Is it something your mother needs to be there for?”

“…. Yes.”

Seeing her older sister ask again, Ga-young hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded.

My sister and I exchanged glances.

“Then, can I bring Siyun with me, too? I think I might get a bit nervous.”

“Ah…”

Ga-young looked at my sister and me alternately with a slightly anxious expression. Was this something I shouldn’t have brought up?

I didn’t think Ga-young had any romantic feelings for my sister, just like I hadn’t imagined. She already knew my sister and I were dating, and more than anything, she wanted to meet her mother.

It was strange that something so important warranted her parents’ presence, yet neither my sister nor I were aware of it. But… I didn’t want to think that Ga-young was trying to deceive us.

I knew how naive and risky such a way of thinking was. Those who want to betray usually don’t let it show. Even if the other party is family or friends, there are always those willing to deceive.

But still.

“To your sister, it could be a very personal story… I’m sorry to say this, but it’s related to her past…”

“….”

We fell silent once more.

If it was about my sister’s past, I might be intertwined with it.


I didn’t know kids like Ga-young, though.

That’s exactly why I wanted to go with my sister.

“That’s okay. I want to hear it together.”

What I didn’t know about my sister’s past was just the last five years. According to her, nothing particularly significant had happened during that time. It was just a period she faced a lot of personal hardship, a time when she didn’t want to intentionally let anyone else know how badly she was doing.

“In that case…”

Ga-young glanced around before finally nodding.

“Okay, then I understand.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Actually, the one who should be thankful is…”

Ga-young bit her lip and trailed off.

A moment of silence passed.

*

After that, Ga-young returned to her usual bright self.

She tried hard to spend time with us and not overthink the conversation we had. I thought that was a relief.

Well, at least it wasn’t like we were meeting right away.

The meeting would be Wednesday afternoon. After Ga-young got off school.

It was the day right before we planned to leave for Irrelaysia.

“….”

Since I had talked with Ga-young, my sister had moments where she would suddenly fall silent.

“Is it because of Ga-young?”

“Huh?”

At my question, my sister jumped slightly in surprise before nodding.

“Ah, yeah. I guess there are some lingering thoughts.”

“Lingering thoughts?”

“Ah, well…”

She paused, shaking her head.

“No, never mind. I’d rather let Ga-young say it when she’s ready. Whether I’m right or wrong, it would be better if she brought it up first.”

“…. Is it something bad?”

“Hmm…”

My sister closed her eyes and lost herself in thought for a moment before finally speaking with difficulty.

“Well… I don’t really know.”

Looking at my sister’s expression as she replied that way, I couldn’t bring myself to ask anything more. She really seemed to not know, but had an expression as if she had to remember something.

“….”

Well, I guess that’s that.

In the end, I would hear everything directly from Ga-young’s mouth.

So, it didn’t really matter what more I asked.

Thinking that, I decided not to pry anymore.

*

A week flew by in the blink of an eye.

Now it was truly the heart of winter. The dates and the weather made it impossible to deny that winter had fully set in.

When we first arrived here, it was so hot that sweat was pouring down, but now even after running in the morning, that heat didn’t feel as strong.

That didn’t mean it wasn’t hot, but it wasn’t just hot either. I felt heat building up inside, but my skin was cold. I definitely had sweat dripping down my forehead, yet I still felt cold.

…And it was the same for my companions, as they all showed surprise after running.

I thought winter was better than sweaty summer, but it seemed my companions disagreed. At least we could open a Dimensional Gate in this winter.

“Tomorrow’s the day.”

“Yeah.”

After finishing my morning shower and sitting down for breakfast, we talked about it.

I replied confidently to Dana’s response.

“I’ve definitely opened the Dimensional Gate. Since we could open it from this side, opening it on Irrelaysia will be much easier. There’s a lot more magical power over there.”

That was a relief.

Everyone here felt the sense of losing a connection that had been built once forever. And it was truly fortunate that I had been able to ensure that I could travel back and forth between the two worlds. We wouldn’t have to eternally lose each other anymore.

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

When I said that, Dana was a bit taken aback and replied.

“I’ve been able to enjoy myself so much thanks to you. If you hadn’t been here… I might not have found hope.”

That could have been a possible future.

I might have been able to forge a bond with my sister, or even become her lover. But I would never have been able to reveal my identity as Siyun. Even when my sister had collapsed that one time, I couldn’t show her to my friends, and she would have felt that something was odd about our connection.

Besides, I wouldn’t have heard any encouraging words.

So,

“Really, thank you.”

“Why are you acting all sentimental all of a sudden?”

Seeing Dana flustered, I coughed awkwardly and added,

“Well, I did what I did because I wanted to go back, so there’s really no need to thank me. And I wouldn’t want to lose my friends forever. That’s why I did it.”

“….”

As I kept looking at Dana, who was crossing her arms and lifting her chin, her face turned completely red.

It was a rare and hard-to-see sight.

“Seriously!”

In the end, Dana burst out in frustration, and everyone watching burst into laughter, bringing that moment to an end.

*

I checked the luggage I would take all morning, and in the afternoon, I reviewed the plan for tomorrow once more. After organizing what I would do first and who I would meet upon crossing to Irrelaysia, it was around three in the afternoon.

I stepped outside with my sister.

Today, I had someone I had to meet.

The designated meeting place was in front of the bakery. Since it was a day off for the bakery, it remained closed. Even if we wanted to talk inside, there was nothing to eat or drink. All the ingredients that could spoil during the months we’d be away had already been dealt with.

On the locked bakery door, we’d attached a note that read:

[Due to personal reasons, we won’t be operating for a while.]

We contemplated writing a longer explanation but decided to keep it short.

We would come back someday.

We would be back to run the bakery again.

Staring at the place we had lived in every day, I stood with my sister holding hands, taking a last look at the bakery.

Having stayed here for several months, I had grown fond of it. Besides, this was where I had been able to reunite with my sister.

While we stood there for a while, gazing at the bakery,

“Hello.”

We heard a voice greeting us from behind.