Chapter 8: Peculiar Universe

I am Lee Mi Ra, a simple girl from 7AD's universe. Dong-Yul and I meet again in the hallways where Dong-Yul roamed around the hospital in a wheelchair. I stopped him and held onto his warm hand. Seeing those familiar hazel brown eyes made me smile. Yet, could he accept me despite the illness I hid from him?

8><3 You are my rainbow which disappeared without saying goodbye. 8><3

This isn't me.

I blinked my eyes out of confusion. This can't be happening. It was someone's reflection in the mirror. I am sure that this person is Korean based on her appearance. Her pale white skin and tired dark brown eyes project her sickly condition yet these eyes are filled with sparks of contentment.

Well, I don't have any choice. I'll have to pretend that I'm Lee Mi Ra whom Dong-Yul knows. Somehow, I'll find a way to return back to my body.

I walked out of the restroom and darted at Dong-Yul. "Mi Ra, Is there any problem? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I smiled. "Ah, there's nothing wrong. I had a bizarre dream yesterday and I couldn't get over it. It was really terrifying but I'll be okay."

Dong-Yul widened his eyes. "I had an odd dream too. Like it was really out of this world. Would you imagine that I dreamt of being a famous idol of South Korea? It's unlikely to happen because I don't even know if I have a dream anymore. I don't see myself performing anytime. Still, I'm trying to find my way back. I can't exist without my hyungs. Everyone who holds a special part in my life always leaves. Even you."

I became more confused. From what I know, he is a current member of a globally known k-pop group of South Korea but why is he telling me that he never imagined himself performing? There's something wrong, it's like my mind traveled me into a different universe.

I mean, this body isn't mine. It's Lee Mi Ra's.

"I'm sorry, I haven't been myself today. Can we go outside? I think I need some fresh air." I jokingly said to him.

He nodded. We went out of the room with every doctor who was waving at us. We went down a flat lane, I held onto the stand of my dextrose and Dong-Yul struggled walking with his crutches.

He spoke softly under his breath, "Someday Mi Ra, I'll be able to walk normally again. I'll be discharged from the hospital. But once that moment comes, I plan on giving you your favorite kind of flowers, the Dwarven Wild Rose. It's a difficult breed to find one since it is considered the rarest flowers only found in Milan."

Dwarven Wild Rose? I've heard of it before. However, all I know is that the Dwarven Wild Rose does not exist in real life.

I replied back at his sudden confession, "Dong-Yul-ssi, you've mentioned a while ago that you wanted to talk about something. I'm here to listen."

"Oh right. I'll tell you once sit on a nearby bench in the gardens. The surroundings there seems peaceful enough for us to have a private conversation."

We went out into the gardens, eyes gazing at the flock of ravens flying across the sky. I sat on a chair with enough vacant space on its right side for Dong-Yul to sit on.

He looked at me with gentle eyes. The first friendly Dong-Yul vibe I've felt since our first encounter.

However, he is not the Dong-Yul you know of. He is a completely different person

"Do you know why I'm here? The reason why I have to stay here a little longer than expected?"

I shook my head. He stared at me with confusion. "I thought you already knew because of the circulating rumors from the nurses and doctors. Alright, I'll tell you since you're the person I can trust."

I began to listen to every word as he started speaking. "You know how important my hyungs are for me. I consider them as my family but they left and went on distinct paths. Maybe I should move on. For so many days, I felt miserable whenever I'm alone. I thought no one cared for me until you came back. Your presence encouraged me to change my monochromatic perspective of the world. So please don't leave me. "

He took in a deep breath. "The chaos within me happened. It feels like my world has crumbled whenever I fret too much about my hyungs' condition. The good memories come back with the painful ones as well."

He paused, trying to find the right words to say. " I had nightmares about my hyungs like Jae's death. It showed me how much his obsession with fire worsened. He lit his lighter, poured his room with gasoline, and lit his room into flames which led to his death. I tried to rescue him from my nightmare but I can't. I warned him that he should stop fiddling with his lighter, yet we had a horrible argument. He was so furious that after I lost consciousness from hitting my head, he left me all alone. I woke up on the floor with several shattered fragments of glass by my side."

"After a few days, we all met again by the familiar sea. Jae still acted cold towards me. What's worse is that Soon Book and Il had an intense fight. Our bond broke off on its own. Ever since I roam around various places where I haven't been before. I let the wind tell me which direction it wants to take me. I couldn't feel anything even though the gangsters who hated me beat me up."

"Without looking, I crossed the road as the car crashed into me. I felt all alone after my hyungs left me to rest. You were there when I was roaming around but you said that it's dangerous. Silly girl, I was just bored being stuck in my room."

"Everyone told me that it was a miracle that I survived. Maybe I'm just lucky. What's important for me is that both of us are still alive. And I promised myself that I'll stay alive. I won't succumb to myself in the dark anymore."

"I wish I could tell you that I'm not Mi Ra," I told myself. If the real Mi Ra was here, she would know how to respond to Dong-Yul's story and she would tell him everything she wanted him to know. Still, I'll be his friend trapped in Mi Ra's body in the meantime. He is lucky with Mi Ra, he looks at her with sincerity and honesty.

"Dong-Yul-ssi, why are you telling me this?"

He couldn't look straight at me. He turned his gaze towards elsewhere. "Someday, I'll tell you the reason. You should not know yet knowing your current condition. This isn’t the right time. So be patient with me, alright?"

Not the right time? This led me to more questions. I replied back, "Alright Dong-Yul-ssi."

"Remove the formality. You can call me Dong-Yul-ah instead. We are not mere strangers. I'm your friend and I want to let you know that you mean a lot to me now."

I felt flustered with his reply. Why isn't the true Mi Ra here? Why am I here?

Dong-Yul looked at me in the eyes. "You mentioned that you have a disease that doesn't have any cure. Due to your frequent visits, you know every corner of this hospital. Tell me, what is your illness?"

I couldn't answer because I didn't know. It filled our surroundings with awkward silence.

"Don't mind Mi Ra, you don't need to answer back. I'll just sketch for a while. You can appreciate the scenery around us. Your presence makes me feel less alone. Just tap my shoulder if you wanted to come back inside."

I couldn't reply back. Instead, he pulled out a sketchpad and started to sketch someone. He is immensely concentrated on the sketch while listening to music. Even his humming felt comforting to listen to. He didn't mind singing softly by my side.

The man in his sketch looked like an abstract picture of a man. A man with different emotions fighting within. The man's structure looks similar to Soon Book's and Jae's facial features.

I'd tried to get his attention by asking random questions. But he didn't respond to any of it. I looked at the performer and got stuck in the trance of her music in an instant.

In these little moments

A special piece fits in my heart

Like broken glass in fragments

Dispute and apathetic memories

can shatter it apart

The melody and harmony blended so well together. A sorrowful song which makes the heart falter for a moment. I removed one of his earphones and pointed my finger towards the singer.

His face looked stunned as recognized the tune.

We approached a crowd where other patients were seated while watching the female performer. One thing that caught both of our eyes, the lighter of Jae.

"The song sounds familiar. Who is she? She's singing a song that Jae played on the piano not a long time ago, a song only Jae-hyung and I know. How come she knows the melody of his song?"

My eyes widened in shock. "Could it be a friend of Jae?"

"Maybe. I want to talk to her. I want to ask her about Jae's condition right now. I've never heard of him since our last encounter."

As Dong-Yul approached the girl, I felt a tingling sensation on my fingertips. I looked at the watch, it's 3:00 PM. And at once, I lost sight of my surroundings.

***

As I blinked my eyes due to the bright light, I noticed that I'm back in my own body. I'm lying on Dong-Yul's sofa, cuddled up with a blanket. I noticed Dong-Yul bringing in kimchi stew that is still steaming.

"Mia, is everything alright?," he asked me in a confused tone.

"I've dreamt of something strange. You were there, yet it’s like a different side of you. And I was someone else. I know it sounds crazy but everything that happened there felt so real."

He sat closer by my side. He spoke softly into my ear, "If that’s the case, then you’ve finally met a part of me. Someone who is fragile and easily hurt from anyone’s harsh words. And now, you’ve met a part of yourself in that same universe as well. I never knew that this would happen, could it be that we were meant to meet again as different people?"