"When you get a new heart, will I still be in there?" She says, barely a whisper. "Will I still be in that heart?"
"You're not just in my heart," Jeongguk replies truthfully. "You're in the blood flowing through my veins, you're in my mind, you're u...
"He was walking into Faerie, in search of a fallen star, with no idea how he would find the star, nor how to keep himself safe and whole as he tried."
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He doesn't feel lonely whenever he watches the sunrise anymore. Maybe it's because there's someone else beside him. But it wouldn't be the same. He's never felt this kind of comfort and security from anyone else.
Park Yerim's head is tilted skyward and her eyes are closed. Jeongguk pries his eyes away from the view of the sky that's stroked with orange and red, to see Yerim's shoulders rose as she inhales deeply.
"Is your mother going to come back soon?"
The question is so out of the blue that Jeongguk can only stare silently at first. Then snapping out of his thoughts, he says, "Soon."
The last time he called his mother, she was working in the factory at well past midnight. She'd given him a scolding as to why he should be sleeping early to be able to recover faster. Or at least, stabilise his condition.
His mother doesn't understand-it's not like he doesn't want to go to sleep. It's just that no matter how much he tries, no matter how hard he shuts his eyes, he keeps thinking that it might be his last night on Earth. He might not wake up the next day. He might take his last breath so soon that he won't see his last moments coming.
He's afraid of that. He's afraid of not being able to wake up ever again.
"Do you miss your family?" Jeongguk asks carefully. He waits for the flash of hesitation to cross her face, but instead she looks as calm as ever. As if she's asked that question to herself a lot of times too.
She stares back up at the sky and sighs. "I'm the queen of the galaxy. I don't need family."
Jeongguk laughs and looks out over the horizon as the sun begins to disappear slowly. He wants to remember this moment forever. "Your imagination is nuts."
"It's not imagination, Kooki. I'm stating facts."
"Don't call me that."
"What? Kooki?"
"It makes me sound like a kid."
"But you are a kid," Yerim finally looks down and flashes him a smile. "You can't deny it when you have those cheeks. Lots of babyfats you got there," she pinches his cheek and he nearly flinches back. But as soon as her fingers touch his skin, he stills and locks his gaze. If she had done this a long time ago, he would've smacked her right back on the forehead.
He wonders what had happened. What made him change. What made him fall in love.
After the night with the air ventilations, none of them has ever brought up the topic of Jeongguk's sudden confession. He's starting to think that Yerim considers it as a friendly statement.
