Uh… where am I?’

Jason found himself lying on a hospital bed. The nurse saw him and started calling for a doctor.

‘Huh… the nurse’s Asian I guess, but the way she called the doctor in… Korean? I guess they are Korean too?’

‘Guess I survived getting hit on my head huh? Fuck, is this ICU? Damn… the bills are going to kill me again. I hope my medical insurance can cover the bill.’

‘Yeah, I hope so too. It would be really sad if I had to spend the meager amount of money I earned from my game. Damn… Ann must have gotten scared as hell. She was never good with blood.’

‘Yeah, no shit. I am more worried about Seoyoung though. Unlike Ann, she is just a 16 year old kid. And are you sure Ann is actually worried about—wait, what? Who’s Annessa?’

‘...Who’s Seoyoung?’

‘...’

‘...’

“WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!!?!!?!!”

 

---

 

Dr. Yoo Joonhyuk was on lunch break.

His wife, his loving wife, packed a nice lunchbox for him. He opened it and saw Kimbap with each one having different types of feelings. She must have put a lot of effort into this. He sighed.

It simply meant that she took a liking to something she saw in a shop, or one of her friends bought; and now she wants the same thing.

Ah well, he would buy it for her anyway.

He took one Kimbap and opened his mouth—

“Doctor!!! The patient… Miss Lee Sujin is awake!!!” the nurse, Mrs. Kim Eunji came running. He almost dropped the Kimbap.

“What? Really!!!” He put the Kimbap in his mouth, picked up his apron and stethoscope and power walked to the ICU, where the critical patient Lee Sujin was admitted.

If she really did wake up, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

The pole that hit her in the head two weeks ago, caused severe damage in her brain. She went to a coma instantly and had less than 1% chance of her ever waking up. He even advised her parents, with a stone heart, to simply allow them to pull off the plug.

They refused to give up till the last moment. They believed that their daughter would definitely return to them.

And their belief came true.

Dr. Yoo Junhyuk felt his eyes getting damp.

He had to see this miracle with his own eyes!!!

So he grabbed the door of the ICU and opened it—

“WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!!?!!?!!”

A really vulgar scream came to his ears. The source was the very young girl who had no chance of waking up.

And there she was, sitting on his bed, with a shocked expression and shouting vulgar words at the top of her lungs.

“...Miss Lee Sujin,” he told her with an assuring smile, “while I am glad that you regained your consciousness, it would not be wise to put so much strain on yourself at this moment.”

The girl just stared at his face for a few seconds. Then she passed out again.

“Miss Sujin!!!” both the doctor and the nurse shouted.

 

---

 

It was a weird experience—for both Jason and Sujin.

Jason was experiencing the life of someone else through their eyes. He saw a young girl—Korean, happily growing up with loving parents. He saw her browsing on the internet, suddenly finding the music video of a kpop girl group, feeling awed and wanting to be on the same stage as them. He saw the girl pleading to her parents to allow her to join a trainee program, never noticing the troubled smile on their faces. He saw how the girl’s dreams were shattered little by little every year, how she found herself to be pretty average compared to the top talents, how the girl finally started to realize just how much trouble she caused for her parents, how guilty she felt when she realized that her parents couldn’t just magically solve the money problems and debts they incurred… and how her family failed to provide money for an emergency operation her younger brother had to go through and how the boy lost his ability to both hear and talk. How she couldn’t bring herself to face her family members after this and thus left the house, and how the girl agonized over this every night.

Sujin was also experiencing something similar. She saw a young boy, weak and frail, being beaten up by other strong kids, and only finding solace in playing video games. She saw the boy’s father telling him to be a man and fight back those kids, she saw the boy following his father's advice, only to get beaten up more in return. She saw how his father fought with one of the other boy’s parents, accidentally killing him, and went to jail. She saw the boy and her mother trying to start a new life in a different city, the boy having a fresh start in a new high school, falling in love with a pretty girl… only to learn that the girl was toying with him and only pretended to be interested in him because of a bet she lost. The girl already had a boyfriend. She saw the boy completely shutting down himself, slowly surrounding himself only with video games. Then little by little, the boy’s desires changed little by little from playing video games to making them. The boy never noticed how much hard work her mother was putting herself into to make sure he received proper education, how stressful it was for her to be a single parent, and just how lonely she felt sometimes. And just how much those games and consoles he kept buying cost them. She saw how her mother snapped when he told her about his desire to make games, how betrayed he felt when he learnt that his mother was seeing another guy while her husband was in jail, how it reminded him of his own failed love and how he simply decided that his mother just didn’t care for him and his father anymore. She saw him run away from home, getting a student loan to enter college to learn how to make games, getting less than average grades because of all the part time jobs he had to do, and also… because he didn’t quite know that you needed to be good at math to make games. She saw how it took a long time for him to finally become decent enough to pursue his dreams, and how the loans accumulated. She saw how… he met and fell in love with another girl, got married, got cheated again and then got divorced, lost almost all of his money and then finally managed to turn his life around—giving up all of his trust on love and family in the process.

Then the two memories slowly started to meld with each other.

Two different people—different worlds, different genders, their pains and regrets also being completely different.

But now they were one, and they understood each other on a deeper level. They found themselves in a weird white space, standing in front of each other, wearing the last thing they wore before they both ‘died.’

 They both gave each other a wry smile.

“It must have been hard.” “It must have been hard.”

They both said it  at the same time. Then they started laughing.

“I know how to code and how to fluently speak in English, French and German now.”

“Well, I know how to sing and dance and how to fluently speak in Korean, Japanese and Chinese now.”

“Well… that’s good I guess? Although I am not sure how to think of having experience with so many girls without even dating ever in my life. I am straight though.”

“Well, what a coincidence. Although I am not sure I am happy about it. I am already feeling dread about having to take some other man’s dick inside me sometimes in the future, if you ever find a boyfriend or husband.”

“Well, it might not be that bad? You know, my body, my hormones? I-It might actually feel goo—hey! Don’t give me that look! Also, we have bigger things to worry about! What about the bathroom and stuff? I am not comfortable about someone else seeing my naked body with my own eyes!”

“...Oh come on. It's ‘our’ body now. It might not even be that different from tickling your own self. And you are a bit too ‘flat’ for my own taste anyways.”

“Hey!”

“I am just stating the facts. Just compare yourself with Ann, Julie or Nicole. You are just not enough to give me a boner… no, that’s not a thing anymore, right? …Not enough to get me wet? Uwa, that just feels wrong to say.”

“...Had you been real I would have punched you in the face.”

“Well, I am not even sure what this place actually is. Whatever, you can try punching your face after we wake up anyway. Anyways, let’s think about what to do from now on—”

The world started getting whiter, and they both started getting more and more transparent. Their time in this… mindscape was over.

“Sigh… I guess we will have to wait till we wake up.”

“So it seems.”

They both soon vanished, and the world became blank.

 

---

 

Sujin slowly opened her eyes. She saw the nurse from before fiddling with something, when she suddenly looked at her worriedly. But her worryful expression was soon replaced with a kind smile.

“Hey! You are finally awake!” She said in a tone as if she were talking with a child.

“...were trying to cross the border…”

“I’m sorry?” The nurse tilted her head.

“...Ah, nothing. How long was I out?”

“Not for long. I am going to call the doctor now, okay? You should not strain yourself too much. Please wait for us while we return, okay?” Sujin simply nodded.

After a while, the nurse returned with the doctor from before.

“How are you feeling, Miss Lee Sujin? I am Yoo Joonhyuk, by the way.”

“Like sh—I mean, pretty weak.” The doctor, Yoo Joonhyuk gave her a wry smile.

“That much is natural, Miss. You have been unconscious for two whole weeks.” Dr. Joonhyuk broke the news to her. He was relieved to see her take in the news calmly.

“...At least it’s not two years. Or two decades.” Hearing that, both the doctor and nurse chuckled.

“Either way, young miss, your body is now too weak. You will still have to remain under observation for another 24 hours—just to run some tests, and to make sure everything is alright. Then you will be allowed to meet others. Your family members and friends have been informed and they will be able to see you during the visiting hours. Rest plenty, okay miss?” Sujin again, simply nodded in return.

“Very well, then. Now, nurse Kim Eunji will be with you for the next 8 hours. If you need anything, you can simply ask her. I will also be around so do not worry, okay?” He was pleased to see Sujin nodding again.

“Well then, Miss Lee Sujin. See you later.” Then he went off, while the nurse stayed.

“If you feel anything wrong don’t hesitate to tell me, okay?” Mrs. Kim Eunji smiled.

“I feel like it would be a crime to feel sick with such a pretty unni caring for me.” Jason replied with a smile. Mrs. Kim blushed hearing his answer.

“Oh my~ aren’t you a sweet girl!”

“Hahaha…”

‘Jason, what the hell are you doing?’

‘Well, I can finally flirt with a pretty woman without seeming like some creepy loser. So I am not letting that chance go.’

‘...If you ever try anything stupid with Jiyeon or Chunja, I will bash our brain in the concrete and kill both of us.’

‘...That Chunja girl also looks like a kid, just like you. I told you I’m not interested. But damn, Asian women do age like fine wine.’

‘...Why didn’t you take Jiyeon’s name too? She might look a little mature, but she is the same age as both of us! Jason, Jason?! Stop whistling inside my damn head!!!’

Well, complementing Mrs. Kim surely had some positive effect, because she was acting even more motherly than before. Sujin didn’t mind the special care.

She needed to get well as soon as possible. She had a lot of things to do now.

And so did he.

 

---

 

“Sujin!” “Sujin!”

“Please don’t try to enter altogether at the same time! Only four people at maximum!” Nurse Kim warned the people who came to meet her and were waiting outside.

Thus, the first people who entered were her parents, Lee Beomseok and Chae Yeonha and her two younger siblings—Lee Yoonah, her younger sister and Lee Doyoon, her youngest brother.

Sujin could see the eyebags under both her parents' eyes. Her siblings—Lee Doyoon was always the quiet type, only showing the subtle signs of sadness and worry. Lee Yoonah—she was glaring at her showing her anger and hatred for her. Sujin turned away her eyes in guilt and shame.

‘Idiot, look closely at her eyes. They are swollen. She was crying.’

Listening to Jason, Sujin dared to take another look and saw her sister’s swollen eyes betraying her inner feelings.

‘She… cried? For me?’

‘Of course she did. You are her family, after all.’

‘But… she hates me for—’

‘There is a very thin difference between love and hate, Sujin. And no, they are not opposite of one another. The opposite of love is always indifference. She still cares for you.’

‘I… never realized…’

She now felt warm inside, Jason as well. For a moment, he remembered his parents he left behind and will never get the chance to meet again. Her expression became sad.

“Sujin?! Are you feeling pain? Doctor, bring the doctor here!” Her mother shouted at Nurse Kim.

“Eh, no. I am fine, Mom, Dad. …Even now, I am causing trouble for you all.”

“Of course you are! You suddenly left your home, never contacted us for four years and now we hear that you almost died! You did not wake up for two weeks! If something happened to you, we… we—” The couple just hugged each other and cried.

“Stop that, you two look terrible.”

“Says the one who got her brain turned into mush and went into a coma!” Yoonah angrily said.

“Yoonah!” Their mother reprimanded her. The girl has gotten really harsher after entering high school. Sujin knew that she was angry with her because of her decision about trying to be an idol. She was old enough to start realizing about the debts their family had incurred and her parents worked hard enough to get rid of, and being the younger sister of a struggling idol trainee who now worked as a manager (or errand-girl in her language) was not really something you could boast of in front of your peers.

Lee Doyoon slowly walked towards her bed.

‘Noona, I was really worried. I thought I would never see you again.’ Doyoon signed with his hands. Sujin felt a pang in her heart. Oh, Doyoon. If she had not wasted all those money, there would have been enough money for the operation. Her father failed to get a loan because of the crisis. If he were to go through the operation again, it would cost at least twenty times more than before. It was something her family cannot afford anymore.

Sujin still smiled and signed in return. Even if she did not meet them, she still learned sign language for her younger brother. ‘As if. Your Noona is strong, you know? A measly flower vase will not be able to do anything to me!’ Doyoon smiled as he read the signs. Yoonah scoffed.

“The doctor told us that you will have to be here for three more days for observation and testing.” Sujin grimaced after hearing what her father said. Three more days? She was unconscious for two weeks! Thank the heavens she had medical insurance!

Her father continued, “after that, we will be taking you to your grandparents house. The doctor also said that it will help with your recovery.”

“...But, Dad—”

“No going back to your… agency until you have done full recovery,” her father replied with a little anger in his voice. “I will talk it out with those—them.” Sujin knew her father well enough to realize that he was not going to back off this time. She sighed.

“At least you could let me take my guitar with me?” Sujin asked, and Jason also added, “Also my laptop?” Her parents narrowed their eyebrows.

“No work or any other heavy exercise, and no spending hours in social media. Dr. Yoo warned us.”

“...Okay.” Sujin agreed. Both of them could use a little rest, to properly plan things.

“Sorry sirs and madams,” Nurse Kim reminded them, “your visiting time is over.” Her family was reluctant to leave her, but they would only be hampering her miraculous recovery, and they understood that very well.

After they went outside, Nurse Kim smiled at her. “You have a really loving family, miss Sujin.” Sujin smiled in return.

“There are other people who wish to see you. Unfortunately, we can only allow one group of maximum four visitors each visiting time. The next visiting time will be six hours later.”

“Please tell them not to worry about me.”

“Sure, Darling.”

 

---

 

“...Unbelievable.” Dr. Yoo Joonhyuk could not believe his eyes.

As for what he was seeing, they were the medical reports of the miracle patient Lee Sujin. He was comparing the test reports of the tests conducted a few hours ago with the reports of the tests that were conducted when she was admitted.

When she was admitted, she had no chance of surviving. Her skull was broken into pieces and her brain was severely damaged beyond any recovery. They managed to operate on her brain to remove those broken pieces deeply embedded in the gray matter, but the damage was already done.

Unless some miracle happened, she would never wake up. And even if she did, she would never be functional.

But a miracle happened, and the proof was right in front of him.

Her brain, damaged as it was, somehow reconfigured. A brain like that should not be able to work, but it was somehow working. Her brain somehow rewired to get around the damaged areas, and the damaged areas—

The damaged areas were also firing signals! Somehow they had transformed into having more folds than an ordinary brain could have! The neuronal firing seemed as if—

As if two different brains were working together at the same time.

What did that entail? Will she have two different personalities now? Or will it be just one person running parallel thought processes? Or something else? Should something like this even work?

A part of him wanted Lee Sujin to remain forever in the hospital. So they could observe her and gather data from her FOREVER. Her brain could be key to curing all brain damaged patients! Or maybe expanding the capabilities of human brains!

But he also knew that it was impossible, at least legally. But the other option would be way too risky! But all the possibilities!

So he did the only thing he could do.

‘Patient Lee Sujin is to undergo regular medical tests every month for the next five years.’

Dr. Yoo Joonhyuk sighed. He would have to be satisfied with this.