Chapter 6: Unveiling Secrets, Fear and Familiarity

Hearing her laugh, I’m sure it’s really her.

Yet, the strange feeling of how different the past and present are pulls me into an odd reflection.

In the midst of this, Song Chae-hyun speaks to me.

“So, can I know your name as well?”

Even though I look younger, her respectful tone and delicate manner remind me that she really is Song Chae-hyun.

“My name? It’s Lee Tae…”

No.

I’m a woman now.

Wouldn’t it seem weird if I kept the same name?

My name…

I could probably make something up.

I quickly combined a few names.

“Moon I-hyun.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

With a gentle smile, she said this, trying to soothe me, whose tear-streaked face still hadn’t fully dried.

Even as a woman, my heart fluttered looking at her.

…

Wait? Do I like men?

Ah, no way. Even if the body comes before the mind, there’s no way that’s the case. Right?

…Right?

“Could I also ask what your relationship is with Lee Tae-yeon? Maybe… a girlfriend?”

“N-No! I’m…”

I was about to say I’m his younger sibling, but then I realized I had given a different last name. She’d probably find it odd that I have a sibling now.

“I’m his… his half-sister. We weren’t that close.”

“Oh, I see… I understand.”

This way, she’d find it harder to ask more questions.

“Um… do you mind if I drop the honorifics? You seem younger than me.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

I didn’t know my age, but based on my appearance, I was definitely younger than my former self and her.

I didn’t feel any resistance to her informal speech, and I also didn’t mind using formal speech myself, so I nodded readily.

“I-hyun, do you happen to know where your brother is?”

……

“Here.”

But she wouldn’t believe me if I said that.

“I heard from Son Taehyun that Lee Taeyeon hasn’t been answering any calls, so I came to check in.

He couldn’t come himself… But the fact that the password still works… Oh, I’m really sorry again, I-hyun… I had been told for sure that he was living alone.”

“It’s o-okay.”

As she kept apologizing and comforting me, I started to feel a little more at ease.

I nodded with a faint smile, feeling oddly grateful and even starting to like her, despite the fact that she was the one who scared me by ringing the doorbell.

Strange.

“I normally wouldn’t do something like this, but I heard that he was in a really unstable state… And when no one answered the door, I got worried and acted a little hastily.”

The sound of the door lock had registered, but I hadn’t heard any knocking. That felt a bit strange, but maybe I just noticed the louder sounds more easily.

Still, she had been worried about him.

That warmed my heart a little.

“I totally understand.”

“I just wanted to check on him to make sure everything was okay. If he’s having any bad thoughts, that would be terrible… Do you know where he is?”

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced around the room.

She looked tense.

And of course, looking at the state of my room, it made sense. The place was littered with trash that I hadn’t bothered to take out, and with no sign of the person who lived there, it wasn’t hard to imagine the worst.

“Lee Taeyeon oppa is fine…”

“So, then…?”

What do I say?

“He… he ran away.”

“What?”

I did it.

“He’s been a bit rebellious lately… so he ran away.”

Now that I’ve said it, I have to stick to it.

“Are you in contact with him?”

“Y-yeah. I mean, he hasn’t made any bad choices or anything.”

“Could you call him?”

“I-I mean, he said not to answer anyone’s calls. Maybe he just wants to be alone for a bit.”

“Oh, I see. I really wanted to meet him… But if he’s okay, that’s good.”

She nodded slightly, then perked up and smiled.

“Anyway, as long as he’s alright, that’s a relief.”

Song Chae-hyun said, glancing around the room.

“How long has he been gone?”

“Uh, uhm… one day.”

I felt a little guilty, making it sound like I was talking about my old self.

But I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was the one who had caused this mess…!

“Seriously, that guy’s a mess. I heard he started dyeing his hair, getting tattoos, and even smoking! I was so shocked… What could’ve happened while we weren’t in touch?”

“A-ha ha…”

“At least I’ve heard about him indirectly.”

With that, Song Chae-hyun turned and looked around the room again.

I realized she was about to leave, so I stood up to walk her to the door.

“Oh, yeah. Are you leaving now?”

“Should I clean this up?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Weren’t you about to leave?” I asked.

“There’s no way I could leave after seeing this mess,” Song Chae-hyun said, rolling up her sleeves with a confident grin.

“Don’t worry. You think I’m doing this because your brother would be embarrassed? It’s fine. I’ve even caught him watching adult videos once when I—”

“Ahhhhhh!” I screamed.

“What’s wrong? Why are you freaking out?”

Damn it! She still remembers that? I guess it’d be strange if she didn’t. My face turned bright red as I clenched my fists, trembling with embarrassment. It felt like I was holding a litmus test of pure shame.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess it’s embarrassing to bring up things like that about your brother,” Song Chae-hyun apologized, looking genuinely remorseful.

That’s not the problem!

“No, no, it’s okay…”

“Well, that’s a relief. Let’s get started, then. You don’t have to help; just leave it to me.”

“Haha, wait a sec…”

“I’ll start with the stuff on the floor…”

She didn’t even hear me as she strode confidently around, gathering plastic wrappers and bottles, piling them in one spot. I just stood there, staring blankly.

A girl I hadn’t seen in years was cleaning up my room.

This is so embarrassing.

“I-I’ll help too!” I said, rushing over to gather the trash as quickly as possible, trying to minimize the embarrassment.

“It’s fine… but if you really want to, go ahead. Thanks.”

I tried to help, but I’d forgotten about the most important thing—the trash I should’ve cleaned up myself. As Song Chae-hyun approached the bed, she kicked at some crumpled tissues lying nearby.

The sound of her foot hitting them snapped my gaze toward her.

I suddenly remembered where those tissues came from.

A chill ran down my spine.

“These tissues…” she muttered.

“Ah…”

“That guy… even with his sister here, he’s still like this… sigh.”

“Haha…”

It wasn’t just a few tissues. They were scattered around the bed like flower petals surrounding the mattress. White petals.

They were from a few weeks of… use.

I bit my lip and hung my head in shame.

I couldn’t possibly explain that these were from my current female body… could I?

Tears welled up as I silently sacrificed my own dignity.

“This would wear out anyone’s bones,” she sighed.

“No kidding… it would be nice if he could take it easy. Anyway, I’ll clean this up, so please…”

Please stop kicking the tissues…

After some time, we finished cleaning. Song Chae-hyun carried out the trash bags in one go, dumping them outside before returning and dusting off her hands.

I thought her strength was impressive.

“Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it, I-hyun,” she said.

“Haha, it’s nothing. It was my trash too, after all, so I had to help.”

“You’re sweet,” she said, smiling as she reached out and patted my head.

Her touch was gentle, and I found myself enjoying it.

I didn’t know if it was because she had five younger siblings, but she was always so caring. That’s probably why I had gotten along with her so well back then.

I let her hand linger on my head, though guilt gnawed at me for deceiving her.

But still, her touch felt warm.

After a moment, she pulled her hand away and looked back toward the door.

“Well, I’d better get going now, I-hyun,” she said.

“Ah, okay. Goodbye,” I replied, following her toward the door.

But she waved her hand to stop me.

“No need to see me out. I appreciate the thought, but I’ll be back soon, so I’ll see you then, I-hyun. Let’s just shake hands for now.”

She held out her hand, and I smiled, shaking it.

Song Chae-hyun was still a good person, unchanged after all this time. Meanwhile, I had changed so much.

I was lost in thought.

But then I noticed something odd—Song Chae-hyun wasn’t letting go of my hand, even after some time had passed.

“Unnie?”

I looked up, confused, and saw her staring intently at the back of my hand.

“Huh?”

Song Chae-hyun let out a confused sound.

Only then did I realize.

“Ah…”

I finally understood what she had been looking at.

I tried to slip my hand out of hers and quickly hide it behind my back.

But before I could, Song Chae-hyun swiftly grabbed my retreating hand and stared at it. Her eyes, usually calm, now held a flicker of fear.

“I-hyun.”

“… Y-Yes?”

“What is this?”

She gripped my scarred wrist tightly, almost painfully, as she looked down at it.

Then, she lifted her gaze, staring straight into my eyes, as if she was trying to see through me.