I could see the other me lying down quietly in an unfamiliar setting, and Kasugano Yuno was there as well. The scenery was definitely different from the one I was in before. Unlike earlier, where I heard explosions and screams, all I could hear were birds chirping. The room I was in wasn’t luxurious, but it was neat. However, it seemed that the other me couldn’t move. Now that I thought about it, I had seen myself lying in this room when I saw my past life through Kasugano Yuno. I guess I must have spent my time here after she found me.

I had no idea how much time had passed since I fainted, but one thing I was sure of was that the Lee Ki-Young in the Dark World didn’t seem normal. The fact that the other me couldn’t move was one thing, but half of his body was destroyed. I guess this was the result of Park Deok-Gu’s best efforts to save him. It was a miracle that he had survived the attacks, and if Kasugano Yuno hadn’t found him, he would have died a slow death. He probably couldn’t move any part of his body, and his consciousness must be the only part still operational.

Kasugano Yuno quietly opened the door and spoke after approaching him.

‘How pitiful.’

‘...’

‘I feel really bad for you.’

She looked more mature here, and her hair was a little longer since I was looking at her two years in the future, and the mood she gave off was calmer compared to today.

‘I know you have a lot of questions. I can’t tell you anything right now, but I suggest you focus on recovering,’ she said.

‘...’

‘I guess I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Kasugano Yuno. I’m sure you’ve heard of my name before. I don’t really have that big of a reputation, though…’ 

‘...’

‘Yes, you’re probably already aware. I’ll explain later how you got here. I honestly can’t guarantee that your body will recover, but if you have the will, I believe you’ll be able to go back to doing normal activities,’ she explained.

‘...’

‘I guess I’ve been talking too much…’

‘...’

‘I’ll leave you be for today. I’ll… come back tomorrow,’ she informed the other me.

The other me in the Dark World couldn’t see Kasugano Yuno leaving, and since his eyes were fixated on the ceiling, I was sure he couldn’t even see her face. However, the other me was probably thinking about a variety of things. For some reason, I knew what the other me was worried about and what the other me was feeling based on their frantic expression.

Park Deok-Gu had died. This was the reason why the other me in the Dark World looked so shaken. He must have recalled this fact, and how he kept crying without being able to move or scream made him look really miserable. I guess the other me in that world was more sentimental than my current self, and I couldn’t help but acknowledge that seeing myself in that state had shaken me up a bit. I was watching all this from a third-person perspective, but technically, I wasn’t a third party.

I quietly watched as the Dark World version of me continued to cry because he had no way of relieving his anger, and after a few days, Kasugano Yuno visited the other me again. Technically, this wasn’t her first visit because she was looking after him. I didn’t know why she was treating him so well, but I knew she thought of the other me as a difficult person to take care of. The Kasugano Yuno in the Dark World knew that she was going to be with the other me in the future. The Lee Ki-Young in the Dark World probably didn’t know, but I knew she was a shaman who could see into the past and future, so I realized why she was so devoted to the other me. She was probably thinking if she could change the Dark World version of me because she pitied me.

The scenery changed once again. The background remained the same, but the other me was able to talk and move now.

‘You’re awake,’ the other Kasugano Yuno said.

‘...’

‘I brought you food,’ she continued.

‘I can… eat it myself,’ the other me told her.

‘I’m sure it’s still difficult for you to move your body,’ she argued.

‘I don’t need…’

‘Didn’t I tell you it’s going to be hard for you to move? Please give it to me. I’ll feed you,’ 

‘...’

She was devoted to the other me, but it seemed like he didn’t trust her. It was natural for him to be wary of her because even I wouldn’t trust her in that condition. I wasn’t sure if she had noticed it, but the other me didn’t really look friendly.

‘Why did you save me? Actually, let me change my question. What’s the eye that can see through the essence, future and the past? Do you know about the future? Or, did you know this was going to happen?’ asked the other me.

‘The information given to me is limited. I don’t know everything in the past or the future,’ she answered.

‘If that’s the case… why did you save me?’ the other me asked again.

‘That’s—’

‘You know the future me.’ The other me pointed out.

Kasugano Yuno didn’t answer, which meant the other me was right. The Dark World version of me was probably doubtful about the reason for her kindness and why she had saved me.

The scene changed once again during all of this, and there was a time skip.

As usual, she was nursing me with devotion, and despite being suspicious of her, it seemed like the other me was opening up to her a bit. She even started having random conversations with him about her childhood, stories about her surroundings and life, as well as things about herself. The topic always changed; sometimes, she would talk more about her feelings. I wasn’t sure about this, but at this point, I was thinking that she was in love with the other me. The Dark World version of me hadn't realized it, but the expression I saw on Kasugano Yuno’s face was the expression of a woman in love. It seemed to me that she was always thinking of the other me and what she had to do for me every day.

After finishing her difficult tasks, she would immediately visit my room to spend time with the other me, and sometimes, she would start crying after leaving him behind. A small compliment would make her happy, and a slight frustration from the other me would make her sad. She wrote letters and even had sleepless nights because she kept on thinking of the other me.

‘Why are you being kind to me?’ asked the other me for the first time.

‘...’

She couldn’t give me an answer, but her face turned red as she looked down.

The Dark World version of me continued to suffer. As time passed, the pain of the past started to heal along with the physical injuries, but of course, it seemed like the Lee Ki-Young in that world didn’t want that. The other me started drinking on his own more often, and he would either lose his temper or suppress his anger. I was sure he was reminiscing those memories he had with Park Deok-Gu because he knew they would become his driving force.

Kasugano Yuno started looking into the future more often, and it was as if she wanted to peek into the future she couldn’t see. It was obvious why she was obsessed with the future. This scene was probably when the other me and she were thinking about completely different futures, and to see the future she wanted, she continued to consume her stats. I wanted to tell her that what she was doing was dumb, but I couldn’t speak, as I was just a spectator.

Time passed some more…

The condition of the Dark World version of me had improved to the point where he could now completely move his body. Kasugano Yuno’s visit had also become more frequent recently. They talked about trivial things, and this was probably when the other me started having various thoughts. I didn’t know what the other me was thinking, but the interesting part was that the Lee Ki-Young of the Dark World seemed to be thinking whether he should use her or simply accept her kindness. His dilemma seemed pretty risky even in my eyes that I had no words to say about it. After all, the Dark World version of me was relying on Kasugano Yuno.

‘Mr. Lee Ki-Young, it’s time to drink your tea,’ the other Kasugano Yuno said.

‘Oh, thanks.’

‘I think I should take a look at your body today. It hasn’t completely recovered…’

‘I’m fine. I don’t have any problems moving around,’ the other me interrupted her.

‘But…’

‘Is taking care of children a hobby of yours?’ the other me asked.

‘I-It’s not that. It’s just…’ she stuttered.

The other me joked around with her more often to the point that the nice atmosphere seemed absurd, but it was to be expected because she was devoted to him, and even though the other me hadn’t said anything, I knew the other me was mentally cornered. In some ways, it seemed like they were growing their newly developed love, but as the spectator, I thought it wasn’t going to turn out so well because the other me was thinking about leaving Kasugano Yuno, at the very least.

Even though the Kasugano Yuno hadn’t expressed it, I knew she was afraid of losing Lee Ki-Young, and she was stressed that his injuries; mental and physical were recovering. Kasugano Yuno probably couldn’t see it because she seemed to be in a dreamy state, but in my eyes, Lee Ki-Young looked like a bomb about to explode.

The scenery and the background changed once more. This time. It seemed like she and the other me had gotten closer to each other, but the Dark World version of me was instinctively rejecting it. Winter passed and spring arrived for Kasugano Yuno. The scenery was stating to become greener, and then it was summer. The season changed once again and leaves started falling.

‘I’m leaving,’ the other me announced.

‘I-I don’t understand what you’re saying,’ Kasugano Yuno stuttered.

‘I think you know what I’m talking about,’ the other me told her.

‘Y-You can stay a bit longer,’ she offered.

A leaf fell.

‘Y-You haven’t fully recovered yet,’ she added.

‘I know better than anyone that my body is now fine,’ the other me said.

‘That’s… not true. I need to take care of your body more,’ she argued.

‘...’

‘Please… don’t leave, Mr Lee Ki-Young,’ she begged.

Another leaf fell.

‘I appreciate what you have done for me. After the first time, I didn’t ask you again why you were kind to me, but I think I have an idea now,’ the other me explained.

‘...’

‘I’m thankful, but that’s it. I’m going to make up for my mistakes by killing a lot of people. I’m going to become more heartless and cruel. That’s the kind of future you probably saw, or you could have seen my last moments,’ the other me added.

‘That’s not true. It’s nothing like that. That’s not what I saw, Mr Lee Ki-Young. Wh-What I saw was… us being together,’ she replied in a stutter.

Yet, another leaf fell.

‘I saw us together. I saw it… with my own eyes. I saw us living together in this house, and we looked ha-happy. We had two children, and although I didn’t hear their names, I’m certain they were kind children,’ she added.

‘...’

‘You loved me and cared for me.’

‘You’re lying.’ the other me pointed out.

‘I-It’s true. You and I were living a peaceful life. Yes, both of us looked happy. Not just me, but you seemed happy, too, and we were living a normal life. The reason why I looked for you was that the future I saw bothered me. I didn’t have any other intentions,’ she explained.

‘You’re lying. I can see it in your eyes… also… I don’t have the option of wasting my time here,’ the other me said to her.

‘You were stroking my head and whispering to me that you loved me. Y-You forgot about everything and was living a happy life. D-Destiny! That’s right. I-It was destiny. I think… this is destiny. I-I think it’s fate that… you and I have freed ourselves from all the pain, oppression, and the restraints of the past to live a happy life,’ she added.

A leaf fell.

‘Forget what?’ the other me asked.

‘The p-pain… You seemed like you had forgotten about your pain. I didn’t see you being miserable in the future, and you weren’t drinking to forget about your pain anymore. You didn’t seem like you were suffering and were always smiling. You really looked happy. E-Even about them…’ she cautiously replied.

‘What?’ the other me asked.

‘Ah…’

‘Do you think I forgot?’ the other me questioned her.

‘M-Mr Lee Ki-Young… that’s… not…’

‘Do you really think I forgot just because I wasted my time here and spent time with you? Do you really think I actually forgot what those dirty hypocrites had done? You thought I forgot just because I didn’t ask about them? Do you really think I forgot about that dumb pig who died in my place? You’re saying that the future you saw was a different future? You’re telling me that’s what you really saw?!’ the other me yelled.

‘That’s—’

‘Don’t kid yourself. I didn’t forget. Kasugano Yuno, you’re like poison. I thought you were like medicine to me, but that’s not the case. To me, you’re poison. Destiny? Fine. I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but there’s one thing I’m sure of. It was fate that I came here.’

‘Ah…’

‘It was fate that you brought me here. I was brought here so you can detoxify the poison that has been corroding me,’  the other me continued.

‘Mr Lee Ki-Young… Heuuuk…’

Yet, another leaf fell.

‘I don’t need your useless pity, you dirty bitch. All of you are the same,’ the other me remarked.

‘Ahhh… I pity you…’

‘You think you deserve to pity me?’ the other me asked her.

A leaf fell.

‘Cough… cough…’

‘Thanks to you, I was reminded of what I needed to do. You’ll be an indicator,’ the other me said.

‘Cough…’

‘You’ll be an indicator that’ll show just how cruel I can be. This was what you wanted, right? Am I right? It could be a bit different from the happy life that you wanted, but… at least you’re by my side,’ the other me added.

‘Cough… cough…’

A leaf fell.

‘I’m going to keep you by my side and keep thinking about them. You’ll be the medium that’ll keep me from forgetting about them. It’s good for you as well. Am I right?’ asked the other me.

‘Please… don't’ cry. My… love,’ Yuno mumbled.

‘...’

‘Don’t cry. My love…’ she repeated.

Another leaf fell, and the fool stepped on that leaf.

Winter…

Yet, another long winter had arrived.