Who Am I, and Where Is This Place?
Who am I, and where is this place again?
During Lee Yeon-hui’s funeral, Baek Yerin once said this to me.
“I’m moving.”
“Really?”
“Mom told me before she passed that memories are enough when they’re buried in photos and the heart. She said it would be better if I left that house. That staying there alone would only multiply the sadness.”
“…I see. Still, you should ask the CEO to help with the move. It’s something you should have received as an artist under RT Entertainment from the beginning.”
For some reason, my words brought a faint smile to Baek Yerin’s lips.
“You haven’t heard yet? It was decided quite a long time ago.”
“Decided?”
“Ah, never mind. I was just talking to myself. The place I’m moving to is already set.”
“That’s good. If anything gets difficult or complicated, tell me anytime. It’s not just me—the CEO and Manager Lee are here for you too.”
“Yeah. Thank you.”
At the time, I thought it was a relief.
It would surely be hard, but it seemed like Yerin wanted to move forward instead of lingering in grief.
But then.
“Oh my, Yerin. You’re such a good cook!”
“Thank you! The kitchen was so well organized that it made cooking really comfortable.”
“Oh come on, we’re living under the same roof now. No need for ‘ma’am.’ Just call me comfortably. Like… Mom?”
“M-Mom…?”
Having said it herself, Yerin’s face flushed with embarrassment.
My mother watched her with a warm, pleased gaze.
…What is going on?
I couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.
“How did this happen?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Your father and sister already knew.”
“That was around the time he suddenly ran off to RT Entertainment to compose, so he probably didn’t hear,” my sister said as she ate the meal Yerin had prepared beside me.
From what I gathered, it all started when my mother injured her ankle and was hospitalized for about two weeks.
That was when Yerin’s mother and my mom grew quite close.
The reason they could bond so easily was probably because of me and Yerin.
After all, the lives we lead are a little far from those of ordinary middle schoolers.
There must have been plenty of things they could relate to, and especially in this life—since Yerin became a singer because of me—there were probably a few unique points that stood out.
Well… yeah.
Up to this part, I already knew the facts.
But one day, Yerin’s mother apparently made a request to my mom.
If it was possible, could she let Yerin live with us?
“Did you ask why?”
“Of course I did.”
“What was it?”
“It’s a secret from you.”
…?
A little hurtful, isn’t it?
Anyway, my mother gladly accepted the request, which led to this situation.
“The room will be right next to mine, I suppose. That one happens to be empty.”
“We already moved her things in starting from lunch.”
“Well… it looks like everyone except me already agreed, and as long as Yerin isn’t uncomfortable, it should be fine, right?”
Of course, I was not fine with it at all.
I looked at Yerin after saying that.
For some reason, she gave me a bright smile.
…Not uncomfortable at all.
That was what her expression seemed to say.
Now I’m living with the most popular singer of the moment!
…I wonder who would actually believe that if I said it out loud.
“But then again, you’re a genius composer yourself, aren’t you?”
Ryu Se-a was sprawled across my bed like she owned it.
My dear older sister continued with a puzzled look.
“In her interview, Yerin—who’s now living in the room right next to yours—said that the reason she’s receiving so much love and attention from people is all thanks to the composer named Haon.”
“Wait, you’re speaking casually with Yerin now too?”
“We just talked in my room. We actually get along surprisingly well.”
“Get along well?”
“You don’t need to know.”
…What the hell is going on?
Maybe I’m the outcast in this house.
“But for a boy your age, shouldn’t this be something to be happy about?”
“Maybe for some. But not for me.”
“Why not?”
“Because to me, Baek Yerin is someone too incredible.”
That was exactly it.
To me, Baek Yerin was the person who made me dream. She was my object of admiration.
Living in the same space as someone like that was…
“Honestly, it’s an honor. An honor, but also burdensome.”
“What a stupid answer. Still, it’s fun because you’re my stupid little brother.”
“That’s not something I expect to hear from my sister who suddenly got into Seolhwa Arts High School. So, how is it?”
“Seolhwa Arts?”
I nodded.
Seolhwa Arts High School.
The most prestigious and well-known arts high school in Korea right now.
And my sister had proudly entered it on a full scholarship.
I’d heard the entrance exam was brutally competitive, yet she had gotten in as the top student.
“I worked pretty hard. All to sing some idiot’s song.”
“Wait. Is that idiot me?”
“In that sense, you’d better keep your promise, little brother. I think a good opportunity is coming soon.”
“…?”
“Anyway, I’m leaving!”
Ryu Se-a said what she wanted and left my room.
I stared blankly after her, and the words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Fuck… what the hell is going on?”
I can swear on my life.
I haven’t made any promises with my sister in the last few years. I had no intention of making any either.
Unless…
—Okay. Let’s put that story on hold for just a moment.
Was it from when I played Cantabile for her?
My head suddenly throbbed.
My sister was someone I could never quite figure out.
Because of that, I was starting to get the feeling that something related to this was going to happen soon.
So what can you do about it?
It was the perfect phrase for my current situation.
“Let’s just sleep…”
I sighed and lay down on the bed.
My conclusion was that sleeping was better for my mental health.
Honestly, way too many things had happened suddenly today.
Fatigue crashed over me all at once.
I had just lain down to sleep when I heard a sound from the door.
Knock, knock—
It was a knock.
Did my sister come back?
No.
There was no way.
My sister was the type to barge into my room without knocking at all.
Then was it Mom or Dad?
That didn’t seem right either.
They did knock sometimes, but they were the type to come in immediately without waiting for an answer.
Ah, what a house with absolutely no concept of privacy.
That was why I could tell exactly who was knocking right now.
“You can come in.”
When I gave permission, the door slowly opened as if they had heard my voice from outside.
As expected, Baek Yerin was standing there in her pajamas.
And then.
“Just for tonight… can I sleep with you?”
…?
Excuse me?
Who am I, and where is this place again?
Ryu Won stared at the ceiling of his room, falling into deep self-reflection.
The reason he had fallen into this state was the girl lying right beside him.
Baek Yerin.
—Just for tonight… can I sleep with you?
When he had heard those words from her a little earlier, Ryu Won doubted his own ears.
The phrase was so provocative that he couldn’t help but doubt them.
But in the end, Ryu Won couldn’t refuse Baek Yerin’s request.
Because it had been closer to a plea than a simple request.
He had seen it.
The somewhat bitter and lonely look on her face as she said those words.
The moment he saw that expression, his heart had no choice but to weaken.
Think about it.
Baek Yerin was still only sixteen.
A girl that age had just sent her precious mother to heaven, and she had no other family.
In other words, she was now completely alone in this world.
How lonely that fact must feel?
Ryu Won couldn’t even begin to imagine.
And no matter how kindly his family treated her, it was still a completely unfamiliar environment.
Perhaps all those things combined meant she needed somewhere to lean on, even if just for one night.
But am I really at that level…?
Ryu Won fell into another dilemma.
He didn’t deny that he had been good to Yerin all this time.
But those actions had been so natural to him that he never felt anything strange about them.
Still, there was one thing Ryu Won realized clearly.
If the world found out that Baek Yerin had slept alone in the same room—and the same bed—with a male middle school student…
I’d seriously get captured by Yerin’s fans and torn limb from limb.
With that chilling thought, Ryu Won slowly closed his eyes.
Meanwhile.
“……”
Baek Yerin turned her head and quietly looked at Ryu Won’s face.
Thanks to the moonlight, she could see his features clearly.
He had his eyes closed.
As if nothing at all was happening, peacefully.
She already knew.
That he was absolutely not the kind of person who would refuse her request.
That was exactly why she had used that fact against him to create this situation.
The reason was simple.
She wanted to get even a little closer to him.
But paradoxically, she didn’t want him to notice the certain emotion she was harboring…
This feeling that had grown far too large.
Because if he got scared and ran away, it would all be for nothing.
Therefore.
Just endure it a little longer.
The time would surely come.
Baek Yerin was certain that a moment would definitely arrive when he would have to face her properly, in every sense of the word.
And for that day alone, she would continue to press down firmly on this enormous emotion she held inside.
So she could pour everything out at that very moment.