Reality Rewrites a Sister
Eunseo? Tap, tap, tap.
Inside the studio apartment. Bare feet paced back and forth across the floor, filling the silence.
Eunha had returned to her own place, unable to hide her unease.
And now, in my apartment, only my wife from the future remained—or rather, the 'Eunha' whose very identity had become unclear—pacing anxiously around the room.
"…."
Her dark eyes trembled wildly, as if an earthquake had struck.
There was no trace of her usual composed, sultry demeanor.
"Don't."
"…Yeah."
She was about to bite her nails, so I quickly reached out to stop 'Eunha.'
She froze at my words and nodded.
But soon, the anxiety crept back into her expression.
….
Of course, I could perfectly understand her unease.
I was feeling much the same, even if I wasn't showing it.
Just 30 minutes ago.
When we got back from the beach and opened the front door, we'd witnessed an unbelievable supernatural phenomenon with our own eyes.
On the table.
Items that hadn't been there when we left that morning were now sitting there as if they'd always belonged.
Resident Registration Card
Yoo Eunseo
A woman's leather wallet. And inside it, a crisp resident registration card.
Beside a photo that matched Eunha's face exactly, her birth year and unique ID number were printed in stark clarity.
That wasn't all.
The bag contained a credit card issued to 'Yoo Eunseo,' and even a phone bill addressed to her.
An identity had been created.
I didn't know how to put it… a glitch in the timeline? Reality stitched together like a patchwork?
Whatever it was, it had happened.
A woman who looked exactly like Eunha Yoo but older.
To bridge that gap, 'Yoo Eunseo'—Eunha's older sister—had been inserted into history?
That seemed like the right way to describe it.
Should I be happy? Now that she had a legal identity, should we celebrate that she could live openly?
I didn't know. Really.
'Eunha'—no, now Eunseo—let out another trembling breath.
"Do, Dojin."
Tears finally welled up in her eyes.
I stepped in front of the anxious woman, gripping her slender, shaking shoulders firmly with both hands.
"Calm down first. Deep breaths."
"How can I calm down! I… I suddenly became Yoo Eunseo! My wallet appeared, my name is everywhere!"
"Let's sort this out. Either way, it's not a bad situation for us."
I kept my voice steady, and she collapsed against my chest like someone entranced.
Thud.
"Hic…."
She clung to my waist desperately, mumbling into my chest with a quivering voice.
"What if… what if my identity suddenly appears like this, and the world gets rewritten…."
"…."
"Then the opposite could happen too… right?"
It was exactly what I'd been thinking.
Her entire body shook like a leaf in my arms.
"What if one day, this world realizes I'm a foreign object… and in an instant, erases me without a trace? What if I vanish completely from your memories, from the world… as if I never existed in the first place…."
It had to be the most primal, overwhelming fear a human could feel.
The erasure of one's very existence….
I felt her tears soaking my chest and pulled her trembling back into a tight embrace with my large hands.
And without hesitation, I said firmly,
"That won't happen."
She startled in my arms and looked up.
Her tear-streaked black eyes gazed up at me anxiously.
"H-how… how can you say that for sure? You're not a god…."
"Because I'll make sure it doesn't."
It was a lie from my lips, with no logical basis.
I knew it. 'Eunha' knew it too.
But… right now, what she needed wasn't logical proof or scientific analysis.
She needed a shield to hold her steady, to keep her from crumbling.
I gently stroked her tear-wet cheek and met her gaze without flinching.
"Whether you're Yoo Eunha or Yoo Eunseo, it doesn't matter. You're my wife, my woman. You think I'd let you disappear right in front of me?"
A lie. But sincere comfort.
We both knew deep down it was an impossible claim.
But… that bluff could bring reassurance.
That bluff could dilute the terror.
"Haa… you idiot."
She let out a faint chuckle and burrowed deeper into my embrace.
The tension in her shoulders began to ease, the tremors fading.
"Yeah… you protect me. Hold me tight so I don't disappear…."
'Eunha'—no, Eunseo—lightly scratched down my back.
And then.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
My smartphone on the table started vibrating.
The caller: 'Yoo Eunha.' The Eunha who'd gone back to her place.
Feeling her warmth against me, I reached out with one hand to answer.
"Hey, Eunha."
"Do, Dojin! Haa, haa… This is insane!"
The voice on the other end was frantic, breathless, like she'd seen a ghost, rambling incoherently.
"In my room… in my room, traces of 'Eunha'—no, Eunseo—have appeared!"
Eunseo's shoulders twitched in my arms at the same time.
"It definitely wasn't there this morning… but there's a photo frame on my desk from when we were kids, me and sis together! And in the closet, her clothes are hanging, and in the bathroom, there's an extra toothbrush!"
I swallowed hard again.
Sure… if an identity was created, relationships had to follow suit.
"Calm down, Eunha. It's what we expected. The world is… forcing 'Eunha's' identity to fit, I guess?"
"It's real, seriously… gives me chills."
She whimpered in a trembling voice.
"The words feel off, but… it really seems like Eunseo was always there. Even in my head… faint fragments of memories fighting and playing with sis flash by…."
At her words, Eunseo—listening to the call in my arms—let out a deep sigh of relief.
If Eunha recognized her as 'sis' and the physical traces were perfectly implemented….
She was somewhat free from the fear of being erased by the world.
"Good. That's a relief. Means her identity is secured."
I replied calmly, and Eunseo nuzzled my chest, nodding faintly.
But I couldn't avoid pointing out the most critical, realistic hurdle.
"But… we still have the final hurdle left."
My words made Eunha gasp on the line.
Eunseo's body stiffened again in my arms.
"Haa…."
She sighed deeply.
"Yeah. Objects or my memories being altered doesn't matter. The real key… is Mom and Dad."
"Yeah. If they remember and recognize 'Eunseo' as their eldest daughter… then it's truly real."
Blood ties.
If Eunha's parents saw 'Eunha' as Eunseo, no one in this world would doubt Yoo Eunseo's existence.
As soon as I finished, Eunseo slowly pulled herself up in my arms.
Her face was pale again, but not in full panic like before.
She looked at me with a resolute expression and nodded faintly.
"…I'll do it."
'Eunha'—no, Eunseo—muttered in a determined voice.
"Not sure if I should call you sis… but you're gonna check yourself…?"
Eunha on speaker was holding her breath, watching intently.
I nodded silently instead of answering.
Eunseo's fingers trembled slightly.
She scrolled through her contacts and paused on the one saved as [Mom].
This one call held the proof of her entire existence.
If her parents answered with 'Who is this?'….
I had no idea what to do.
Gulp.
'Eunha'—no, Eunseo—tapped her smartphone.
I swallowed dryly and waited.
"Hello? Mom?"
"Oh, Eunseo! It's been ages since you called!"
I flinched. 'Eunha'—no, Eunseo—did too.