Eunji chuckled softly and soon said something unintelligible.

How can I have so much to say and yet nothing at the same time… What does that even mean?

As I fumbled for words, trying to make sense of it, Eunji shook her head first and slowly straightened up.

With her back straight, Eunji’s head moved from my shoulder.

“A guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“Yes. A welcome one. A guest for me and for you.”

“….Who is it?”

I followed Eunji’s gaze into the void, but all I could see was darkness. However, Eunji’s eyes sparkled as if she saw something clear.

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

“You’ll find out soon enough. But first, Sister…”

Eunji quickly changed the subject. Her eyes turned back to me from staring into the void.

“Yes?”

I responded, waiting for her to continue. Her playful smile softened into a gentle one.

She tapped my hand lightly with her fingers as she held my hand.

“Sister, what’s your name?”

My name? Why so suddenly.

Why would she ask that now?

I was taken aback, unable to answer immediately, but Eunji nodded as if urging me to respond.

“My name? Well…”

Name… my name.

Selena. Selena White.

I couldn’t think of any other name. What was my name in my past life…?

After all, since I died… became Selena, I haven’t remembered my own name.

I don’t remember my face, so how can I remember my name? To begin with, no one called me by my name. It’s hard to remember a name if nobody calls you by it.

‘Hey, you, over there.’

As if that was my name, that’s how my family and those around me often called me.

As I struggled to find an answer, Eunji placed her hand on my shoulder.

Her eyes shone intensely.

“What’s Sister’s name?”

“That is… well… Kim…”

Being Kim Eunji’s sister, I must have been a Kim, too, but that was as far as my memory served. Beyond that, nothing came to mind.

Once again, my answer was stuck.

As I sat frozen, unable to respond, Eunji burst into a cheerful laugh.

Really, her sister couldn’t remember her own name, and she found that amusing?

“My name is… well… Kim… Selena White?”

“Hahaha, what? Kim Selena White? Ahahaha.”

Eunji clutched her stomach and laughed as if she might run out of breath.

What if she laughs like that and ends up possibly dying again?

However, contrary to my thoughts, a quiet chuckle escaped my lips, too. Eunji glanced at me from the corner of her eye.

We laughed together, truly for the first time.

You were born, and I lost my laughter. You gave me a new life, and I found my laughter again.

It’s strange, really strange.

After a hearty laugh, Eunji calmed down and spread her arms wide. As I just stared blankly, she cocked her head as if to say, what are you waiting for?

Wow, what is this….calling her sister with just her head? But what can I do?

I had to indulge her.

As I pretended not to notice and hugged her, Eunji tightly closed her arms around me.

“So, Sister Kim Selena, huh… you really aren’t just Eunji’s sister anymore, you’ve become just Selena.”

A mix of emotions… regret, relief, sadness, and reassurance…settled around my shoulders.

I listened quietly to Eunji.

“I’m glad it seems you’ve made many friends. I’m glad that you laugh more. I’m glad that you remember how to cry. So, Sister…”

As the hug loosened slightly, she paused. I pulled back just enough to see Eunji’s tears.

Tears continued to fall despite her smile.

I reached out to wipe Eunji’s cheeks, but the tears just slipped through my fingers and dropped to the floor. Watching those droplets hit the floor, I lifted my head to meet Eunji’s eyes again.

“Next time, you have to come much, much later, okay? Live as Selena White, not as Eunji’s sister… When your hair has turned white, and your face is deeply wrinkled… then you can return. This time is really the last. There won’t be a second chance. So, no matter what, you must come late.”

Eunji’s voice stretched out. Like a cassette tape was slowing down. Or perhaps it wasn’t her voice stretching but my own consciousness fading.

My head felt heavy.

A buzzing noise filled my mind, and Eunji’s face before me blurred.

“…Eunji?”

“I’m saying it again, no second time, Sister. Or… Selena. Live a happy life and come back without any regrets, and be ready to be my sister again. I….deserve to have a sister even if I’m reborn.”

She kept saying something, but my throbbing head made it hard to hear. Strangely, tears started to flow.

I didn’t understand what she was saying. I couldn’t even see her expression, but tears just kept coming.

“What… What did you say? I can’t hear you well.”

Ignoring my request, Eunji kept talking.

“Be good to Aiden, too. Who else would risk their life to save their lover? I’ve never seen a guy like that. Well, I ended up having to help because he wasn’t strong enough.”

I raised a heavy hand to wipe my eyes.

Even after I wiped at them, Eunji’s face remained unclear.

“Eunji…”

As I reached toward the barely visible Eunji, I felt my upper body start to topple as I lost my balance.

But I didn’t hit the floor. Someone caught me.

Could it be Eunji? But she was still looking at me just as before. Without a change.

I fumbled for the hand that grasped my shoulder. It was rough. A rough but warm hand, the kind that had always caught me…. before I fell.

Could it be… No, why would he be here?

Filled with confusion, I turned to see who was behind me when suddenly, my vision cleared.

As my vision returned, I saw Eunji’s face beaming with a bright smile. Behind her, a faint mist rose.

“Eunji!”

I called out her name, forgetting to check who had grabbed me. It seemed she might disappear any moment, and I couldn’t stop calling for her.

Eunji simply smiled without answering.

She slowly lifted one arm and waved at me.

“Then, goodbye, Sister. Let’s meet again… much later.”

No, where are you going, Eunji? You should stay with me. Where are you going?

But I couldn’t speak aloud.

Her farewell echoed in my ears, and suddenly, my vision plunged into darkness.

__