Today, there’s a little update.
Tap, tap. The pitiful sound of water knocking on the window.
I reached out with one hand toward the open window, enjoying the moment.
My hand was already soaked, and another drop fell on top of it.
My hand spent endless time in the relentless rain, not even having a moment to dry.
Drip, drip. I could hear it.
The raindrops, knocking at the window at a steady rhythm, had a spellbinding charm. They soothe the hearts of listeners and allow them to reflect on their inner selves—a gift from the heavens.
And there’s solace for those walking with their heads down, oblivious to the hamster wheel of life.
“…Feels refreshing.”
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Of course, the falling raindrops were chilling to the bone.
On a day like this, I wanted to throw away my umbrella and roam the streets freely.
Lying in a puddle and gazing at the sky would be utterly delightful.
But as someone who wasn’t even allowed to step outside freely, I could only stretch my palm towards the window, feeling sorry for myself.
A small cage.
“Ugh…”
Tentatively.
I only fiddled with the useless bandage wrapped around my eyes.
“I want to see… ELI’s face…”
The bandage wrapped around my eyes was tied tightly, representing the will of the one who sees. It was so strong that it couldn’t be easily undone.
Is she truly not considering unwrapping this bandage?
Half a year.
A time that’s both short and long.
That’s how long Eli has lived in a fabricated reality.
Eventually, much like how I reached a cliff fleeing Anna, Eli will also reach her limit someday.
Or maybe she has already.
While I was somewhat annoyed that she didn’t share her secret with me, it also meant she cared enough about me, and I couldn’t help but feel good about it.
“Hehe.”
I touched my chest with my recently mobile left hand.
Thump, thump, I felt a small heartbeat.
My heart was beating.
If she thought of me as a mere weed blooming everywhere, then there’s no reason to hide, right?
The one you want to keep your secrets from the most is probably the one you love the most.
Just knowing there’s someone with a secret they don’t want me to uncover makes me exceedingly happy.
“But time is running out… Sis…”
However, that time is approaching.
I desperately want to wait for her to pull herself together, but Eli’s lies were too clumsy.
If it were someone else, her secret would have been exposed and our relationship would have fallen apart.
Rather, instead of suffering from a lie that could be uncovered at any time, it would be easier to blind me and keep me close by her side.
If Eli decided to keep me by her side forever, I would have accepted everything willingly, but sadly, Eli wasn’t strong enough to harbor such a poisonous heart.
Ah, what a pity.
“—Now, it’s time to be born.”
Of course, I knew that to truly be reborn into a powerful creature dominating the world, one must break, shatter, and crush their shell.
But a chick that cannot break its shell and keeps floundering will ultimately perish.
Calling it the laws of nature seems too cruel.
To end a one-time life without even spreading one’s wings is deeply saddening.
—So, I can’t help but offer my assistance.
“Raindrops, drip, drip—”
Alright then, let’s think.
I need to devise a plan to break Eli’s shell.
Drip, drip.
I bring back my right hand that I’d left outside.
Having been outside for more than an hour in the cold, my right hand was as chilled as ice.
Out of curiosity about the flavor of raindrops, I decided to try a lick, but it didn’t have any special taste at all.
After licking, I remembered I’m not very good at tasting.
Ugh…
Feeling as if I was heartbroken, I slipped my stiff hand between my legs. With a tingling sensation, I could feel warmth returning.
When I gathered my legs and slipped my hand in between, it felt strangely cozy and secure.
“Warm…”
I buried my head in my knees and began formulating my future plans.
Drip, drip, the rain grew even heavier without showing any signs of letting up.
It was a sound I could listen to forever, a clear melody.
“…Whoooosh~”
To be honest, this was easy.
All I had to do was untie my bandage in front of her and reveal her true self.
With that alone, the false life she had worked so hard to build would crumble away, and the time that had stopped would flow once more.
But that’s a deception.
A subject not even worthy of comedy, a target of derision quietly rolling around.
While having a meal as usual, would I take off the bandage in front of her while my eyes are closed? It might give the audience a momentary shock, but who would want to watch such a meaningless drama?
There’s no justification, no causality, no building tension, no crisis or adversity for the protagonist, and not even a hint of emotional resonance.
A story devoid of all these elements has no reason to exist.
Tap, tap, thud.
“…Drip…drip…drip.”
Aristotle once said, Within a tragic plot, there can be no trivial absurdity, and even in unavoidable cases, its conclusion must be wrapped up in external elements of the tragedy.
Here, there shouldn’t be any divine machinery.
No being with absolute power, nor a character whose powers awaken by chance.
Only people.
A life of a single being, shimmering brightly, must be present.
This is a story meant only for Eli.
So, what I think about is: when, where, how, and what should I do to make the most dramatic entrance before her?
No matter how great the cast is, a story capturing ordinary days will not gain empathy anywhere.
A performance that fails to elicit an emotional response from the audience turns the humans into mere pawns.
Exactly.
Direction is necessary.
From acting to background, props, expressions and movements, I’ll consider every element that can be artificially adjusted.
For Eli, the protagonist and audience of this piece, I’ll provide her with the greatest once-in-a-lifetime event that will enable her to move forward.
So, Eli.
I’ll work hard to create the best performance for you.
“—Live dangerously. Build your city on the slope of Mount Vesuvius.”
Here, accept my life that has no reason to exist.
There was something called an unwritten rule.
It refers to rules that are mutually acknowledged and observed without explicit stipulations.
In my case, it would be not to untie my blindfold.
But does my sister know? Saying such things would only encourage that very action in me, a child.
“If you don’t think about a pink elephant,” telling someone that will only make them think about a pink elephant, and it sinks deep into a child’s mind.
She has always obsessively said.
“Don’t take off the bandage.”
Therefore, even if I, who have been holding out well until now, unwrapped the bandage, it’s unavoidable.
Even if I untie the bandage and go searching for my sister, who disappeared somewhere without me, I simply have to.
A child who can only rely on her older sister, when she realizes in the early morning that her sister has vanished, what else could she do but search for her?
The small temptation of unwrapping the bandage.
Children easily fall for it.
Rather, I should feel proud for enduring this long.
Right?
“…Tap, tap, tap…”
Three or four times a week.
Eli comes into the room at night to check if I’m sound asleep.
And then, she disappears.
I have no idea where she goes. To begin with, I don’t know the scenery or geography of this place at all.
But, aside from prepping meals, it’s certain she doesn’t leave my side for a minute, yet spends hours outside while I’m sleeping.
And the next morning, her body often reeked of blood so strongly that even I picked up on it.
When I asked, she’d say she went hunting.
Really, what kind of creature does she catch that leaves such a strong scent?
Finishing her sentence, she’d promptly shut up, and I could tell she was reluctant to bring up that topic.
“…Drip.”
As if the sky had ripped open, the rain grew heavier.
If the sky opens up to let rain fall, does that mean there’s a vast blue ocean up there?
That would be truly interesting.
In the end, as the raindrops flowed into the room, I had no choice but to close the window.
The raindrops knocked on the closed window.
When I listened closely, I could feel the tempo of the song created by the collision of raindrops and glass speeding up with the knock, knock sound.
In response, I tapped the glass with my fingers.
Tap, clack. It was a delight to my ears.
Tap, tat, thud.
The collaboration lasted until my fingers came to a stop.
Not yet, not yet.
Just a little longer, even more perfectly.
ㅡThud!
“………”
For the past two days, Eli hadn’t gone out in the early morning.
Tomorrow, or at least the day after, she’s likely to go out.
Regardless, she’ll always check if I’m sound asleep before leaving.
As long as I keep an eye on that, there’s no reason I would miss Eli’s movements.
Once Eli confirms I’m asleep and heads out…
ㅡI plan to untie the bandage and follow her.
The very facts she doesn’t want me to know.
I’ll expose it all on stage.
What kind of expression will my sister have?
What will she do to me?
“Tap, clack…”
I’m excited.
Really, it’s going to be fun.
But for now, let’s enjoy the sound of the rain.
Quietly…
“……..”
