CH 20

The ambience was gone. Irene was the only one who quietly knew Eirene. Embracing the trace Eriene left behind, she returned to her daily life without a younger sister. Even if she unconsciously touches the pocket watch when no one is looking at her, even if she really can’t move on and fully return to the past because of the loss, she came back to the time when she had always been alone on the outside.

Irene swallowed a deep sigh as she stared at the drug she failed to make and the drug that was successful. It seemed like I had to cool my head for a while and try making them again. Even if I couldn’t shake off my troubled heart, I had to eat and live.

Pushing the pocket watched into her pocket, Irene lifted her heavy legs, and dragged herself to step forwards to take a nap.

…

Irene had a dream.

No, I didn’t realize it was a dream at first. Not until the moment I woke up screaming. I thought I’ve always been in that vivid scene.

Even  after waking up, the dream that made me shiver with chills did not disappear for a long time. My heart was beating fast, like it was going to explode. My chest was throbbing with pain of unknown cause.

I couldn’t open my eyes, my brows were wrinkled and my eyelashes were filled with tears. Tears that I don’t know when they started running down my cheeks. Cold sweat oozed out of my forehead, hands nape and my back was drenched with sweat. At the same time, her whole body was shaking.

The inside of my throat was dry and stinging. Two trembling hands wrapped around her neck, barely swallowing her saliva and letting out an “ah-ah-ah” sound. Her voice was hoarse, as if she had been constantly screaming , but her voice came out weakly.

“Ugh…”

My chest was still insanely stuffy. It felt like my pounding heart was being squeezed. Irene instinctively clenched her fists and hit “knock” and “knock” her chest. I frantically pounded my chest until the intensity increased and the speed grew more and more.

And with my short nails, I grabbed the hem of my robe and pulled it with a force enough to tear it apart, then suddenly stopped.

The moonlight through the window shone on the back of her hand. Her dazed eyes followed the moonlight and reached the still-dark sky outside the window.

“How…”

It was strange. Obviously, it wasn’t this kind of scenery that filled her vision just a while ago…

…

The blindfold that blocked the girl’s vision in black finally disappeared, and the door of the box shrouded in shadows opened. The middle-aged man who was illuminated by the heavy atmosphere passed the girl and left the box first.