I slept. I slept uncontrollably.
I think I slept more than 15 hours a day. The fatigue accumulated over time, and my weakened body demanded rest.
Chris always stayed close by when I was awake. She looked at me with an affectionate expression.
It was a bit burdensome that she kept touching my hand.
While living in this world with Lee Seulbi’s body, I can count the times I’ve conversed with others on my fingers. But with Chris, I naturally had some conversations. I also told her a little about my life in this world. She didn’t ask about deep circumstances first.
Maybe it’s because it’s Chris who cherished Rain? Lee Seulbi’s body didn’t show rejection either.
Chris didn’t send me looks mixed with pity and sympathy. Instead, she made expressions of admiration, affection, and slight self-blame.
And every time she touched my hand, her eyes seemed dazed and emitting a strange light.
Hmm, I don’t know why she does this.
Anyway, what’s certain is that Chris cherishes not only Rain from the Astria continent but Lee Seulbi too.
Because that tickling sensation in my chest feels good.
Because it feels like some color is returning to this colorless world.
I repeated waking up feeling Chris’s touch and falling asleep feeling Chris’s touch.
When the IV treatment ended, I was able to eat meals. Soft foods like porridge that are easy to digest and swallow.
Chris asked if she should feed me, but I waved my hands and ate by myself. Chris seems a bit disappointed.
“You have to eat three meals a day in full portions.”
Chris maintained a firm stance on this point. I put down my spoon after taking two or three spoonfuls feeling full, but she said I need to eat this much for my body to hold up.
I felt a bit displeased, but it’s Chris’s words thinking of me.
Chomp.
I picked up the spoon again and continued eating. I guess thinking I was full was just my feeling. The porridge went down smoothly.
“Come to think of it, it’s almost time for the kids to come.”
Chris, who was watching me eat the porridge with a bright smile, suddenly checked the time.
When I collapsed, Bae Merong and Cherni found me, she says. Chris asked if it would be okay for those two to visit. I said it’s fine.
They’re the two people I’ve been gaming with running buses together all this time. I’m not sure if Lee Seulbi’s body won’t show rejection to them too, but I should express gratitude as a matter of human decency.
But, how did they know where I live and find me?
Creak.
A short woman entered with a broad smile. And a man followed behind her.
The faces of the two are in my memory. Although their hair color and appearance are slightly different from the game, I could clearly tell who was coming since I heard about it.
They’re Cherni and Bae Merong.
“Uh, ahem.”
The man clearing his throat and avoiding my gaze must be Cherni.
As I stared at him feeling like I’d seen him somewhere before, I soon became surprised.
“Ah, the convenience store part-timer.”
One of my questions was solved. I learned the reason why they could find me.
Chris’s junior, Cherni. He was the young man who worked part-time at a convenience store near where I lived.
He and I knew each other as customer and part-timer for about three months. Of course, I only chose items, and he only rang them up.
“Sorry!”
Cherni suddenly bowed his head and apologized to me.
I tilted my head.
Why is he apologizing? I should be the one expressing gratitude.
“Well, um. I guess what I saw before was weighing on my mind. If there was no connection at all I wouldn’t know, but anyway we met again in the game, right? So, um. Your circumstances really weighed on my mind. I’m sorry for looking for you without asking first! I have nothing to say even if you report me as a stalker!”
“Aha.”
Although he rambled, it’s roughly saying he checked on my condition secretly because he was worried about me.
It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but my appearance is quite pretty and unique. Plus I use a wheelchair. It’s not easy to forget even after seeing once.
I used this appearance as is in Astria Online. He must have noticed as soon as he saw Rain that she was the customer who frequently visited the convenience store. Of course, it would have been troublesome if he acknowledged knowing me.
But knowing that I, whom his senior cherishes, was living in a place with a disability and poor living environment, it must have been difficult to turn a blind eye.
A dilemma. He must have agonized a lot too.
I smiled slightly.
“It’s okay. Thank you so much.”
Cherni, the convenience store part-timer.
The first tenuous connection ‘Lee Seulbi’ had in this world.
Thanks to him, Chris was able to find me. He’s a person I’m grateful to.
I expressed heartfelt gratitude.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
While I was talking with Cherni, Bae Merong, who had approached at some point, stood beside me and cleared her throat a few times.
Seeing her face with quite a cute impression up close, I could clearly tell she was Astria Online’s Bae Merong.
But the form of address is a problem.
Chris is definitely unnie here too since she’s older than ‘Lee Seulbi’.
Bae Merong is subtle. Rain from the Astria continent called her unnie without resistance, but Lee Seulbi’s resident registration age is the same as Bae Merong who just became an adult.
In fact, there was a strong feeling that I roughly set it as almost an adult because there could be restrictions on living alone as a minor. Well, whether it’s the goddess on that side or this side, it’s rough anyway.
So I’m an adult with no connections on the resident registration, but what about in reality?
It’s very difficult to define my age.
Just a dead soul from modern times stuffed into the newly created body of a young girl. By now, it was subtle whether I could call even that of my previous life ‘me’, including it.
Does the subject of ‘me’ follow the memories engraved in the soul? Does it follow the present body recognized by the brain? This was clearly an issue that couldn’t be easily concluded. I would be the only being in this world with memories of a previous life.
When I had just become a young girl’s body, I experienced strong confusion about my identity. But now that time has passed, I’ve completely adapted to this body and brain.
Roughly seven years old when I got that body? A little over ten years have passed since then, so actually seventeen or eighteen? Even if the body hasn’t grown that much.
Ah, I don’t know. It’s complicated.
I decided to just call her the way Rain did. Bae Merong likes that too.
“Bae Merong unnie.”
“Ahh…!”
Bae Merong’s face was dyed with emotion. Her hand trembled and wandered in the air, almost touching me.
I lightly held her hand that had lost its place.
I don’t feel resistance. Like Rain did, Lee Seulbi’s body is expressing that this person is okay.
Bae Merong held my hand tightly and told me her name.
“I’m Nam Dayeon.”
“Dayeon unnie.”
“Kyaak!”
“Hey, hey! Nam Dayeon! Rain is still a patient!”
I was grabbed by Bae Merong who let out a shrill scream. Chris, whose expression became displeased, shook off Bae Merong from me and scolded her.
I giggled, watching their noisy appearance.
* * *
“Since your body has recovered to some extent, you should get a thorough examination even today. Rain doesn’t want to keep being sick either, right?”
“Yes. I’ll get examined.”
After Bae Merong and Cherni left, Chris recommended that I get a thorough examination.
It seemed better to entrust my body to Chris while in the hospital. I could gladly accept the kindness she sends. As long as I play the game with her, there were ways to return it.
For that, I need to get healthy quickly first. I learned painfully this time that neglecting my body condition leads to dire consequences.
“But I’m worried about the hospital bills. I can’t earn money while hospitalized.”
There are welfare benefits but they probably won’t cover everything. A private room must be quite expensive too.
“Just think about recovering your body quickly for now. You can rely on unnie for a while. I’ve finished the guardian application process too.”
“I’ve incurred a debt…”
It seems Chris is taking care of various costs and procedures.
Even if I can repay the money since I have savings, I’ve incurred a huge debt of gratitude. How can I repay all this?
Chris smiled like a mischievous child.
“I’ll collect it in various ways, so don’t think you’re receiving it without cost, okay? Huhu.”
“Oh…”
Collect it in various ways?
At those words, I was reminded of an ominous urban legend about someone being trapped in a capsule and forced to make money in virtual reality for years.
Of course, Chris wouldn’t do that to me, but it’s a really scary story.
I must never incur debt.
I moved to the thorough examination room. Chris’s hands were carefully pushing my wheelchair from behind.
My body condition was an issue that needed to be addressed.
What kind of examinations will be done for a thorough examination? How much can the medicine of this advanced world know about the human body and brain?
They say the fundamental cause of my body condition can be identified and treated only after examinations, so I have to get them anyway. I don’t want to collapse again either.
My wheelchair arriving at the examination room was stopped in front of a long medical bed. Judging by the cylindrical machine, it seems various examinations are done through this.
When I was about to put strength in my arms to move my body to the bed, Chris’s hands approached.
Swish.
“Ah.”
Chris’s hands carefully wrapped around my lower back and supported under my knees.
I ended up being cradled in her arms.
The feeling of her hands touching my body wasn’t bad.
I gently closed my eyes and entrusted my body.
“Huk…!”
Chris made a strange sound. A slight trembling was transmitted from her arms embracing my body.
My body shouldn’t be that heavy, but I hope unnie doesn’t overexert herself.
My body, carefully moved while cradled in Chris’s arms, was laid on the medical bed, and Chris went out of the examination room muttering something with dazed eyes.
“1% collected…”
“?”
What does that mean?
I put aside some doubts and obediently lay down to receive the examination.