The days that followed…
They were strange days.
Suspended days.
Days where the light felt fake, where nothing really had any taste — but where, despite everything, Nari was still breathing… because Aera refused to let her fade out.
Day 1 — The shops
Aera spent the whole day glued to Nari like a little fluorescent shadow.
— Come on, move, premium zombie version, up! she said, pulling on her arm.
She took her to the mall.
Not to buy, but to have fun.
They tried on ridiculous hats, huge sunglasses, dresses that were too long, too short, too pink.
Aera spun around in the aisles, imitated ugly mannequins, deliberately dropped her bags to make Nari laugh.
Nari smiled.
A tiny smile, fragile, almost invisible.
But a smile nonetheless.
Aera placed a hand on her arm, serious, almost moved:
— Oh damn Nari… I just witnessed a miracle. We're calling the Vatican.
Nari let out… a breath.
A mini-laugh that died immediately.
But Aera saw it.
She kept it in her pocket like a treasure.
Day 2 — The pool
Aera took her to the public swimming pool.
— Come on, come float, you'll see it feels good to be a corpse in the water!
Nari slid into the warm water.
The weight in her chest seemed to dissolve… just for a few moments.
Aera floated on her back, then deliberately sank to make her laugh.
Ryo joined them later, charging forward like a kid:
— Cannonbaaaall!!
He made a huge splash that drenched everyone.
Nari laughed.
A real laugh.
Short, nervous, but a laugh.
Aera froze.
— Keep going, Ryo! She's laughing! MAKE A TSUNAMI!
They joked, swam, made her jump into the water.
Nari was living… a little.
But that evening, under the shower at Aera's place,
the taste of chlorine mixed with that of tears.
She cried against the tiles.
Silent.
Her stomach on fire.
Day 3 — At the Black Orchid
That night, Nari worked.
Aera and Ryo took turns blowing a little air into her lungs.
Ryo "accidentally" knocked over empty bottles:
— Oops… oh no… I messed up again…
You're going to have to scold me, boss Nari!
Aera imitated Kai:
— "Ryo, you're the worst employee in this country, I hate you."
Nari nodded, rolled her eyes…
and let out a tired, discreet laugh.
But a laugh.
Kai, meanwhile, watched her from the other end of the bar.
A heavy presence, straight, unmoving.
He now came every day.
He didn't drink anything.
He spoke little.
But he came.
Every evening, he dropped one sentence. Just one.
— Eat something.
or
— You're exhausted.
or
— Make sure someone walks you home.
Never more.
Never less.
A silent watch.
An invisible safety net.
Sometimes, he came behind the bar, leaned toward her:
— You holding up?
Nari nodded.
An automatic gesture.
He knew she was lying.
She knew he knew.
But he didn't push her.
Day 5 — Night walk
Aera forced her to go out and walk, under the lights of Seoul.
— You see that? she said, pointing at the buildings. All that keeps turning. And you too, you're going to turn. Maybe limping, but you're going to turn.
They walked all the way to the Han.
The river.
The lights.
The cold on their cheeks.
The city breathing.
Nari breathed too.
Just a little.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message from Kai:
You're still with Aera. Not alone?!
Nari lowered her eyes.
Aera saw her expression.
— It's him, right?
— … yeah.
Aera sighed:
Then, more softly:
— It does you good to have people watching over you, even if you don't admit it.
Nari didn't answer.
But her silence spoke for her.
Day 6 — A tiny step forward
Nari arrived at the Black Orchid standing a little straighter.
A little more alive.
Aera saw it.
Ryo too.
Even Kai.
She served customers without forgetting to give them their change.
She spoke a bit.
She breathed.
But that night again, when she took off her uniform…
She cried.
Silently.
As if her soul was dripping out drop by drop.
⸻
Day 7 — A fragile routine
A week had passed.
And Nari had a routine…
In the morning: Aera woke her up, forced her to eat.
During the day: outings, shops, silly activities.
In the evening: Black Orchid, Ryo and Aera around her.
Every night: Kai watching, speaking little, but seeing everything.
And alone, under the shower:
the pain came back.
The longing.
The guilt.
The emptiness.
But despite the chaos…
she moved forward.
One step after another.
And, without realizing it…
the light was coming back.
Not much.
Just enough to keep her alive.
The next day, Aera burst into the bedroom like a pink tornado:
unicorn pajamas, messy hair, a smile wider than a sunrise.
She literally jumped onto the bed.
— UP!!! CREATURE OF THE NIGHT!!!
TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO THE SEA!!!!
Nari blinked.
Aera was already wriggling on the duvet, arms in the air:
— AND ON TOP OF THAT, in two days…
TWO. DAYS.
It's CHRISTMAS!!!!!
She clapped her hands like a seven-year-old child in front of a lit Christmas tree.
— Come on, my favorite depressed beauty, come pack the bags! And don't worry, Kai gave us the day OFF!
(Believe me, when I asked him, he said yes way too fast… I didn't ask questions.)
A tiny breath of a laugh escaped Nari's lips.
Infinitesimal.
But alive.
A warm gust of air crossed her heart.
Aera was running everywhere in the apartment.
— What do we take??
— Sandwiches!!!
— Drinks!!!
— MY GLOVES!!
— Your scarf???
— THE BLANKET FOR AESTHETIC PHOTOS AT THE BEACH!!!!
She tripped over a bag, took off again screaming:
— THIS IS GOING TO BE ICONIC!!!!
Nari watched her, still sitting on the bed, hair a mess, fatigue in her bones…
but something in that energy was warming her up.
As if Aera was slowly turning back on a radiator that had been off inside her ribcage.
Nari ended up smiling,
a real smile, delicate like a crack in ice.
They got into Aera's small car.
— Buckle up, we're going on a LIVE mission!
yelled Aera as she started the engine.
Music exploded from the speakers.
Aera started singing off-key, very off-key, so off-key that even Nari burst out laughing.
Then Aera grabbed Nari's hand, lifted it as if to make her dance in the wind:
— Come on, we sing! Or I turn around!!!
Nari shook her head but ended up humming.
Then singing.
Then yelling.
And for a few minutes… she felt light.
Just a 25-year-old girl in a car with her friend.
Nothing more.
When they arrived, the city looked like it came out of a movie.
Golden garlands hanging between the buildings.
Snow stuck to the roofs.
Christmas music playing in the street.
Smell of warm bread, roasted chestnuts, cinnamon.
Nari walked slowly, observing the lit-up shop windows.
Her heart vibrated with a strange mix: nostalgia, softness, contained pain.
Aera was bouncing everywhere:
— LOOK! A beanie with reindeer ears!!!
— OH MY GOD NARI TAKE A PICTURE OF ME IN FRONT OF THIS HORRIBLE SNOWMAN!
— LOOK AT THIS SCARF, IT LOOKS LIKE A DEAD CAT! I want it.
Nari stifled a laugh.
A real one.
They went into a small family restaurant by the sea.
Warm wood atmosphere, soft lighting, windows full of fog.
Aera, again:
— A table for two humans starving for LIFE, please.
Nari stared at her, shook her head, a tender smile slipping onto her lips.
They ate pasta, drank burning hot chocolate.
Aera talked, laughed, told stories from high school, embarrassing exes, failed parties.
At times, Nari drifted off into her thoughts.
But Aera tapped her hand:
— Come back. I didn't drag you all the way here for you to turn into a ghost.
And Nari came back.
Always.
Night fell.
They walked toward the beach.
The air was freezing.
The salty wind.
The dark waves.
The starry sky, immense, crushing, magnificent.
Nari inhaled deeply.
The smell of the sea hit her.
Fresh.
Brutal.
Alive.
She felt something come loose in her chest.
A knot undoing.