5: Body Double
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"You should know that they don't need names," Nancy said slowly and clearly, as if she were talking to a two-year-old.

Naturally, this didn't sit well with Yun. "Why... why wouldn't they?"

"Think about it, imagine giving yourself another name."

"My...self?"

"Yothagou don't have their own identity—they are an extension of us. She," Nancy looks at the woman standing behind her, "Is me. I, am her."

Impossible? Yun widened her eyes in disgust and anger. They are people too. They have their own thoughts and feelings. They have loved ones, they have wants and needs that are different from their masters.

Yun wondered if Hanse could hear all of this from where he was—it was better if he didn't. She doesn't want him hearing any of this blasphemy during his recovery.

Noticing her spacing out, Nancy gently cups the girl's small face and makes her look at her eyes.

"Naming them would be separating them from yourself, Nayun,"

"..."

Such a pretty woman, her sister Nancy. But the words that come out from her mouth are far from pretty.

"...it's just that I'd rather call him something other than 'you' and 'my Yothagou'—it's too long, 's all..." Yun mumbles. She could only make up a reason.

Nancy seemed to wield, sighing. "You know what could help you?"

"What?"

"Stop making him come out as a different face."

Nancy looks at her Yothagou for a moment,  before her Youthagou melted into a thick puddle of gold liquid. After that, a new figure emerged.

A-Another sister Nancy!!!

"This is what I meant when I said they are an extension of ourselves," Nancy stood beside the other Nancy, and even the sharpest of eyes could see that the other is the exact copy of the original. Yun circled around the two of them, and even the skin texture, the placement of some beauty marks, the details in the clothing she had on right now— everything was the same.

"Our second body," The two Nancies said in unison, smiling at Yun. The sight was so uncanny, her legs almost gave out in shock.

"Do you want to try it out?" The Nancies asked Yun.

Yun pursued her lips into a thin line, before opening the door in her subconscious. Right after, Hanse stood beside her. Seeing himself in an unfamiliar place, he immediately hid behind the little girl, peeking over her shoulder. After seeing two identical women smiling at him, he couldn't help but hide again and make himself smaller behind Yun's back.

"How... how do I do it?" Yun asks.

"It's simple, really. You just transfer a bit of your consciousness to your Yothagou."

Easier said than done. Yun looked back at the boy behind her.

"Putting yourself in other people's shoes..." The Nancies giggled. "That's the perfect quote fitting as a tip."

So do I... imagine myself as Hanse?


Standing behind myself, looking back at myself..?

Right in front of her eyes, Hanse melted into a puddle of gold, and another point of view was added to her sight.

She saw herself rising from the puddle, and looking at herself looking at her.

At the same time, she was looking at another girl identical to her who had just risen from the puddle!

How is this possible?! Yun couldn't even utter a single noise in extreme shock. I can see from two different bodies at the same time?!

—And she's not even confused or overwhelmed. It was as if it was only natural to have two point of views at the same time.

Nancy was enjoying the pure reaction of her favourite sister. She couldn't help but hug both of Yun's bodies with hers.

"Two time's the fun!" She squealed. "I can have two of you, and you can have two of me!!"

"Sister," Yun says in both bodies. "Do you use this... body double?"

"Body double, pfft," Nancy laughs at her colourful choice of words, before explaining."I use it sometimes. When I have to be eating with all of you in the dining hall and I still have knitting to do in my room. All trivial reasons— it's not like my life is at risk in this house."

So you really use this as a double... Yun thought.

"Do... do I share similar senses with Hanse?" Sight, touch, smell, taste, memory..."Since it's his body after all?"

"First, it's your body, second, yes, unless you release your control over him." The Nancies frowned. "And you're still calling your Yothagou that."

Yun blatantly ignores her last sentence. "How do I release control?"

"...just shut your second body's senses out. Only focus on your first."

Yun closed her eyes, and tried her best to block everything from Hanse's body— and when she finally could not see or hear anything from his body, she opens her eyes.

She could only see herself looking at the second Yun. She can no longer see from that second Yun, nor control her.

And this time, the second Yun looked at her with a questioning look.

"Hanse? Are you back?" Yun waves a hand in front of the second Yun. To her relief, the second Yun flinched in response, and looked at her meekly.

"...this is Hanse," Hanse says in a voice that doesn't belong to him. At this, he froze in shock, and began inspecting his body wildly. He almost fainted when he realised that this doesn't quite seem to be a body belonging to him.

"Fun, isn't it." Nancy claps her hand, and only then did Yun notice that the other Nancy was already gone.

"Yes...fun..." Yun looks at a bewildered Hanse, before taking the initiative to send him back to the 'room'.

"I'm so excited for your education." Nancy sighs, pulling Yun to the rocking chair and making her sit down.

Nancy disappears for a while, before returning with a brush in her hand, and began brushing Yun's hair.

"You have lots to learn. I remember, I was once like you. Everything was amazing and new to me—" She untagles a small knot in the child's hair, "And I couldn't get enough of it. Learning, discovering, experiencing, experimenting...

"It's just a shame that everything got old too quick."

Nancy pulls a mirror from a drawer, before handing it over to Yun.

She saw her hair tied up into a high ponytail.

"Do you like it?" Nancy smiles at her, expectant on her response.

"I like it." Yun had no opinions on hairstyles, anything was fine.

"Sister..."

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm going back to my room." Yun hoped that her sister would let her off.

"Already?" Nancy pouts, before hugging the child close to her. "Are you tired?"

"Kind of..."

"Well, alright." Nancy pulls away, and pinches the girl's fleshy cheek. "You'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

•••

"—and then, I let go of my control on you,"

"Wow,"

Back at Yun's bedroom, she wasted no time and immediately let Hanse out to tell him everything that had happened while he was unconscious.

"Right? I can't believe I could do that,"

"Two bodies are amazing," Hanse couldn't even imagine having to control. It must've required lots of focus and hard work.

Yun blinked, before she frowned.

"Hanse, there is no such thing as two bodies." She hops off the bed and joins him sitting on the floor. "Everyone only has one. I only borrowed yours,"

"Ah ?" He looks at her with his big doe-eyes, clearly not understanding. "But your sister said..."

"That is what she believes," She corrects him. "Your body is yours, not mine."

"...but—"

"Shall we train some more?" Yun stands up, and pulls him with her with a grin.

"O-Okay..."

When dinner approached, Yun actually attended using Hanse's body, while her original one stayed behind in her room.

She ate, socialized with her siblings, and was given a bath normally. Everything seemed like she was all doing this in her own body.

We really are bound, huh. Her body which was lying on the bed was equally full from eating, as if she was the one herself who ate.

Once Hanse's body returned to the room, she released her control over him, and he rushed towards her eagerly.

"Look! They gave me a bath!!"

In between, Yun released her control over him for a few minutes, before taking control again—just so he could see where he's currently at, what he was eating, what it feels like to be her for a short while.

So he knew that he was given a bath by the servantmaids right after dinner.

"My hair smells nice," Hanse blinked, before he corrected himself shyly. "I mean... your hair..."

He still had Yun's form, after all.

"Let me smell," Yun smelled the prussian blue hair, and smiled in delight. "Citrus, my favourite."

"It has a nice smell," Hanse also grabbed a handful of his hair, and sniffed.

It is kind of weird to see herself sniffing her hair like that, so she immediately switched Hanse's form back to his own.

"How is it? Did you have fun?" She scoots over so there would be enough space for him to fit in the bed, and he immediately jumps in.

"I was scared." He says honestly. "But the food was delicious."

Yun giggled. "I'm glad you liked it."

Silence reigned between the two of them. Feeling awkward, Hanse looks down and fiddled with his fingers.

"I think... I'm heading back..."

Yun could only smile softly. "Okay,"

•••

"Father,"

Damian greeted, lowering his head once he saw the silver-haired God appear in the living room.

"My child, why are you still awake?"

"I am still finishing my project due tomorrow," He says, referring to his schoolwork. Hibis nods.

"...how about father?"

"Nayun, your sister," he immediately starts. "How is she?"

Damian wasn't surprised when the first concern his father had was his sister. It wasn't new, his father's favouritism. The God of youth tend to have a seasonal favourite child, which he always asks and inquires about whenever he had the chance. Sometimes he himself takes them out for a walk. Sadly, Damian had never been one of his favorites—but he was already 35, so he no longer minded not having his father's attention.

"She doesn't seem that affected on Hideon's departure." Damian answered truthfully. "But we can never be too sure."

"Maybe she needs new friends of the same age," a voice came descending down the stairs, and it was from Freya, Hibis' eldest child in this mansion.

"Father," she bows at him when she finally comes near, and offers him a letter from her pocket.

"This is?" Hibis accepted the letter, looking at the bright red seal with a rose embellishment.

"An invitation from the Kramer household." Freya sits down next to Damian on the couch. "Their oldest son's seventh birthday party."

"My grandkids are invited, I don't see why Nayun shouldn't attend."

Hibis carefully inspects the square paper in his hand, before disappearing from the living room.

"You do know that father and the Kramers aren't exactly in good terms right now," Damian frowns at his sister, scolding her right after their father left. Maybe losing your mind is a part of being old.

"It's just a birthday party, isn't it," Freya laughs loudly. "Let the child make friends."

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