The Lonely Girl's Isolation

"Lea, I'm here~"

"Ooh! Si-hyun's here, da!"

Pop! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠—Toddododo!

Lea had been lying on the isolation room bed, flailing her arms and legs around, but the moment she realized Si-hyun had arrived, she charged full speed toward the glass wall.

However.

Thonk!

"Fnyaaat...?!"

Having apparently forgotten about the glass wall, Lea—who had been running with sparkling eyes—slammed her forehead right into it.

"Fuuu... That hurt a lot, da..."

"Lea, you okay? Let me see your forehead."

"Hic...! Th-this is nothing, da!"

The girl forced a smile with trembling lips at the corners, insisting she was fine. Tiny teardrops glistened at the corners of her eyes, but Lea didn't cry out loud! She'd only just been recognized as a powerful ghost story, after all—she couldn't afford to cry over something like this.

"M-more than that, Si-hyun! Did you come straight from work, da?"

"Yeah, straight here. Figured you'd be bored."

"Muu, this body was bored, da! Let's talk a whole bunch, da!"

Si-hyun pulled a chair close to the glass wall and plopped down straddling it. Lea plastered herself flat against the glass and started chattering away to Si-hyun about everything—what she'd eaten today, what had happened—leaving nothing out.

"Si-hyun, earlier that weed-head stuck a bunch of stuff on this body and peeled it off while doing weird experiments, da."

"Haha, that was just to check if ghost story energy was coming out of you. Did it hurt during the tests?"

"It didn't hurt, da. But... this body can't touch Si-hyun, yet it touched some other human... somehow... it felt like something, da...!"

Unable to find the right words, the girl poked at her own chest with her small fingers. Her expression looked somehow stifled. It had only been a single day of isolation for Lea, but she was already showing signs of withdrawal.

And that symptom was...

"I should've gone for researcher instead of desk job if I knew it'd be like this. Then I could've used experiments as an excuse to go inside and hug Lea."

...one Si-hyun was suffering from too.

She's always been stuck to me when I sleep or eat pudding... Suddenly she's gone, and yeah, it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feels empty for sure.

Just last night, the bed had felt way too big. It was so awkward without the pretty, mysterious girl who'd always been right there beside him.

"Maybe I should quit the desk job now and beg Emilia to hire me as her assistant? Haha."

"Hehe, you want to be with this body that badly, da?"

"Of course. You too?"

"Kkhit... Truth is, this body feels the same about Si-hyun, da."

《Isolation Day 2》

"Si-hyun~ You're a bit late today, da."

"Sorry, sorry. Meeting ran long today. You wait a lot?"

"Pbuu~ This body was bored, da!"

"Hahaha, then looks like you'll have to sleep an hour later tonight?"

Lea came running to the glass wall at the sound of Si-hyun's voice, just like the day before. But today, she didn't crash into it. She stopped right in front of the wall and carefully poked the glass with her finger. Tok— Tok—

"This body learned now, da! A knight doesn't make the same mistake twice, da!"

Lea said that and flashed her usual smile. But somehow, that smile felt a little slow... a little lonely.

"Lea, brought pudding again today. Want some?"

"Muu, but I just ate one, so this body's full, da. Later, da."

Lea, who could polish off three without breaking a sweat—heck, even one wouldn't have been enough—refusing pudding?

"......"

Si-hyun started to say something, then stopped.

She could've asked for more and it wouldn't be weird... Is Lea just not hungry? Or...

Si-hyun hoped his worries were just unfounded, and stayed by her side until she fell asleep again today.

《Isolation Day 4》

"Lea, I'm here."

Lea always came running whenever Si-hyun opened the door and stepped in.

"Lea...?"

Strangely, there was no response today.

Napping maybe?

Si-hyun quietly sat by the wall, waiting for Lea to appear. After about five minutes, rustle— rustle— a head of red hair peeked out from the bed inside the isolation room.

Lea's hair was messier than usual, and her expression looked a bit downcast.

"Si-hyun... Thanks for coming today too, da..."

The girl's voice trembled faintly, like dry leaves shaking in the wind.

"Lea, you look tired today?"

"Not tired, but... somehow time passes so slowly, da... One day feels like several days, da..."

After hesitating for a long while, Lea cautiously approached the glass wall. Tok— She touched it lightly with a limp hand.

"Si-hyun... This body feels a little... empty, da."

Lea hated the glass wall right in front of her. It let her see everything, but she could never touch it. The transparency that showed her everything only gave shallow hope and expectation in return, making her hate it even more.

If only this wasn't here, this body could jump into Si-hyun's arms freely... Hate it, da...

Suddenly, it hit Lea—maybe she'd never be able to touch Si-hyun again.

"Si-hyun, maybe... this body can never leave this place forever, da...?"

"No, it's just two weeks. Ten days from now, you can come out."

"Really, da...?"

"Yeah, really."

"When I get out... can this body eat pudding with Si-hyun, da...?"

"Of course! Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry—we'll eat them all together!"

Si-hyun deliberately smiled extra brightly as he talked to her. He hoped the gloomy girl would draw even a little strength ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from seeing him.

Did his feelings get through? For the first time today,

"Hehe... Muu. Hope that day comes soon, da."

Lea managed to smile.

《Isolation Day 7》

"Si-hyun...... You look tired today. You okay, da...?"

"Hahaha, of course I'm fine."

His words that he was fine stuck in Lea's mind somehow. Si-hyun came to see the girl without fail every single day. And he always waited until she fell asleep before heading home in the late hours of the night.

It had to be physically exhausting, yet he never showed a hint of fatigue in front of her.

What if he's only coming because he's my guardian... forcing himself...

Before, she could've believed without a doubt that it wasn't for that reason—that Si-hyun came because he loved her.

But.

It had been a full seven days. Over 168 hours of Lea fighting loneliness alone. Days trapped in the isolation room were more than enough time to turn the always-positive Lea into a downcast, negative girl.

And so.

"Si-hyun... Do you come every day because this body needs a guardian, da......?"

Lea knew it wasn't true, but she still asked him the sad question.

"Lea, what'd you just say...?"

"Hic...! Because you have to take care of this body... that's why you stay so late, da...?"

Thick teardrops fell from Lea's beautiful eyes.

If Si-hyun only came because she was someone who needed protecting...... that would be too, too sad.

Tok— Tok—

Si-hyun tapped on the glass wall to call Lea over, then quietly opened his mouth.

"Lea, listen... I've never once thought of myself as your guardian."

"Th-then...?"

"We're family. That's why I come."

Family.

That was a word Si-hyun had taught Lea a few days ago. People who spend time together, look out for each other, support one another. Si-hyun had thought of Lea as family then, and he still did now.

"Truth is, I didn't want to leave you alone in this cold isolation room. If I had my way, I'd eat and sleep right here, but the researchers were dead set against it? Haha."

He gave an awkward laugh and pressed his face close to the glass, whispering.

"Lea, but you know what?"

"Wh-what, da...?"

"Today, I'll be by your side not just until you fall asleep—but until you wake up."

He looked proud, like he was waiting for praise.

"I'm sleeping here tonight. Can't cross the glass wall, but. Haha."

"Fua...?"

"That's what family does, right? Can't have you suffering like this while I sleep comfy at home!"

The moment she heard he'd stay the night, tears welled up in Lea's purple eyes.

"Silly Si-hyun... You like this body too much and it's killing you, da."

"Haha, they say the one who falls first loses, after all."

Plop—

Si-hyun and Lea's hands overlapped on the glass wall. They couldn't touch directly, but it felt like their hearts already had.

Lea fell asleep later than usual tonight. Chatting about this and that with Si-hyun across the glass wall until late at night was just too fun. The loneliness of the past seven days still lingered, but tonight, at least, she wasn't drowned in sorrow.

His warm heart was by her side.

Deep into the night, while Si-hyun slept soundly beyond the glass wall.

Rustle—

Lea, who had been sleeping on the other side, lifted her head and sat up.

"Hmnya~"

Lea, wrapped in just a blanket, slowly took in the soundly sleeping Si-hyun. Dark brown hair, long lashes, a sturdy knight-like build, and a handsome face to top it off. With such outstanding looks, he could've easily been swayed by other girls, but he came here every day.

To keep his promise to always be by her side.

"Si-hyun does all this for this body... This body can't just sit still, da!"

Lea jumped out of bed and headed to the drawer beside it. Inside were small notepads and a ballpoint pen the researchers had left for recording.

Scribble— Scribble—

The girl gripped the pen tightly and moved it carefully.

"Hehe, the writing's a bit crooked, but this is good enough, da!"

Lea dashed straight to the glass wall and stuck the notepad at Si-hyun's eye level.

"Kkhit, hope Si-hyun sees this in the morning and gets happy, da."

*

The next morning.

"Whoa, when did I fall asleep? Guess I was really wiped."

Si-hyun let out a big yawn and looked inside the isolation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠room.

"Snoo... Si-hyuun..."

Lea wasn't in bed—she was curled up under a blanket right by the glass wall, asleep.

"Hahaha, Lea must've been beat too."

Si-hyun got up to head to the shower in the on-duty room. That's when.

"Huh?"

A notepad stuck to the glass wall on the other side caught his eye. Messy, hard-to-read scrawl. Just a few words scribbled there, but

"Lea... when'd she write this."

Si-hyun could tell. The warmth of Lea's heart in that note.

"Haha, love, huh... Lea, you."

As Si-hyun read the note full of Lea's pure feelings, sparkle— the half-star bracelet on his wrist caught the sunlight and gleamed faintly. That sparkle shone sharply, as if warning him to beware of approaching danger.