Chapter 14: A little tip of Eun-kyung's life.

"What?" Eun-woo gently placed his palm on his sister's forehead.

With frustration, Eun-kyung swatted his hand away from her head, "I am not jesting around; this is your novel."

Eun-woo couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "Ahaha, I see, this is one of your practical jokes. Next time, please come up with something more logical, not pure imagination."

She rolled her eyes and hissed, "If only it were just a joke! But, dear brother, your novel has rewritten itself and even changed its cover." She then showed the book that had an artistic display of the universe and constellations imprinted on its front and back covers.

"Couldn't you have paid someone to do it for you?" Eun-woo quipped, casually walking out of her room as she trailed behind.

"Where is your own novel then? Wasn't that why you came to my room in the first place?" Eun-kyung's voice carried a hint of perplexity.

Eun-woo, astonished, turned to face her, "I came to your room because you have been locked up in there since yesterday morning!"

Eun-kyung was taken aback by her brother's statement and realised, "Oh! That's even the more reason why you should believe me. I spent what felt like two weeks in the novel, explaining why I didn't wake up until today."

Eun-woo quickly deduced, "Two weeks in the book correspond to one day here."

"Correct!" Eun-kyung smiled triumphantly, "You get it now, don't you?"

"No, I think you're losing touch with reality," Eun-woo declares before shaking his head and descending down the stairs.

"Please wait a moment, do you not want your novel back?" Eun-kyung inquires as she follows Eun-woo down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Eun-woo retrieves two packets of ramen from the cabinet and inquires, "Are you hungry?"

"You haven't answered my question yet," she says in a state of irritation.

"Then more for me," he dismisses her, retrieves a pot, draws water from the sink, ignites the cooker, and positions the pot on it.

Eun-kyung, now incensed, drags Eun-woo by the ear to the living room. "Don't you want your novel back?"

"That stupid novel is not mine in the first place," he shouts but quickly retracts his statement upon realizing what he has said.

"What did you say?" Eun-kyung grits her teeth together.

"I am not sure what you are referring to," he says, but Eun-kyung lunges at him while gripping his hair tightly. "Speak now."

"You're so stupid to believe that I wrote an entire novel just to prank you?" he retorts, but she becomes even more furious and yanks his hair forcefully.

"I apologize, please," he says twice rapidly, submitting to her rage.

"Apologies will not rectify the situation; where did you acquire it?" she demands, her fury peaking.

"I will take you there, just let me go," he says, tears streaming down his face as she releases him.

"Now take me there," she commands him.

"Do you intend to leave the house dressed like that?" he says, pointing to her nighttime attire.

"You have fifteen minutes to prepare the noodles for both of us," she says, dashing up the stairs.

One full hour had elapsed by the time they arrived and stood in front of a old store, which was locked and impossible to access. Eun-woo shifted his eyes over the store's exterior before making a remark, "It didn't display this weary, time-weathered appearance the last time I came here."

"Are you confident that this is the correct place?" Eun-kyung inquired, addressing him with a note of uncertainty in her voice.

"Absolutely," he asserted confidently.

Eun-kyung proceeded to stride into the nearest convenience store and inquire about the store owner. The sales clerk informed her, "That particular store has been shut down for years already, rumour has it that a curse has been afflicting it since its inception, hence it remains unsold to date. I haven't even seen the owner, and nobody has ever dared to demolish it."

Eun-kyung emerged from the store and approached her brother in a hasty manner, striking him firmly on the head in total disgust. "You bought a book from a ghost, you imbecile," she scolded him furiously.

"But an elderly man gave it to me when I arrived here. He convinced me to purchase it as I intended to play a prank on you," he explained defensively.

"But your childish prank led to my entrapment in the novel, dragging me down as I became a character in it too" Eun-kyung clenched her head tightly, exclaiming, "What if it happens again?"

"Keep calm, Eun-kyung. Our only option is to dispose of the book somewhere and go back home," he tried to comfort her, reaching for the novel from his backpack and placing it into the nearby trash bin.

"See? The issue is resolved," Eun-woo declared triumphantly and then took his agitated sister along with him back home.

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In the meantime, in the novel, Ji-woo inquired with her brother about everything that had happened since she lost consciousness. After receiving the full explanation, she learned about her alternate personality named Eun-kyung, who was completely different from her, as well as Eun-kyung's actions in school and how she stood up to Ha-rin, her nemesis.

"How are you feeling now?" Eun-woo asked Ji-woo as he entered her hospital room. They had all gone home to change clothes once the bodyguard that U-jin had hired had come to ensure her safety.

"Does it look like I'm feeling better to you?" she queried, pointing at the bandage wrapped around her head.

"I was just asking. There's no need to make a fuss about it," he responded casually.

"Where are the others?" she inquired.

"U-jin and Si-woo haven't arrived yet. It looks like I care more about you than they do," he boasted.

She rolled her eyes at his statement and then followed by asking, "What about Ga-ram?"

"Oh, she is...um, busy," he said nervously.

"Okay," she replied, lowering her gaze as she fiddled with her fingers. "What do you think of this Eun-kyung?"

"Daring and stubborn, at least that's what I could say about her," he stated.

"Oh" she paused then continued "Little Diego will be back on Thursday, right?" she inquired.

"Yes," he responded, studying her closely. "I don't recall any of us telling you that."

"Si-woo mentioned it before he left. By the way, why are you being so chatty with me?" she asked.

"Maybe because I got accustomed to Eun-kyung," he chuckled.

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" she raised an eyebrow.

However, before he could reply, U-jin stormed into the room. "U-jin, I could have..." Eun-woo began.

"Leave us," U-jin interrupted him, prompting Eun-woo to exit the room annoyed. Once alone, U-jin sat down on the couch near Ji-woo's bed. Before he could discuss anything though, Ji-woo cut him off.

"I don't think I can marry you anymore," she announced.

U-jin nodded, "Is that why you attempted suicide?"

"I don't have to tell you why, but what I do need is for you to know a way to prevent us from getting engaged without either of us dying," she said.

"Don't worry. I won't let you suffer again," he reassured her.

Ji-woo gazed at him for a moment before extending her hand. He appeared surprised as she motioned for him to take her hand, which he did. "You don't have to feel guilty about what happened to me. It's not your fault," she said.

"Thanks" he smiles, "I went to your home to tell your aunt all that have happened so her and Si-woo should be on their way now" he continued.

"So that's why you arrived after Eun-woo," She whispered softly, her voice carrying a gentle tone.

"Pardon me?" U-jin asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"I said nothing," she said, smiling kindly at him. U-jin then excused himself and began to leave.

"Eun-kyung," Ji-woo called out, causing him to stop in his tracks just before reaching the door. He turned to her, his expression quizzical.

"I heard that the two of you were close," She said calmly, her head tilting slightly to one side.

"We were never close. She didn't even like me," he replied.

She chuckled. "You weren't fond of me, and she wasn't fond of you. It appears to be a fair exchange," she remarked, yet U-jin remained silent.

"You didn't deny that you have feelings for her. It seems that the great U-jin does have a heart after all. However, don't lose hope. Perhaps, someday, you'll find someone who reciprocates your feelings," Ji-woo said comfortingly, trying to ease his sorrow.

"I will return later," U-jin stated simply ignoring what she said as he walked out of the room.

"It seems that I hit a sensitive spot," She said to herself with a sigh. She glanced out the window and muttered to herself, "Just where did you come from?" her voice trailing off into the silence.

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As both Eun-kyung and Eun-woo arrived at their house, they went straight to their respective rooms. Their mother was out on a volunteer trip to the countryside, leaving the siblings alone in the house. Eun-kyung entered her bedroom and lay on the bed, contemplating everything that had happened in the novel. In the original storyline, Ji-woo did not survive her suicide attempt. So why did she return to her body after Eun-kyung left? Was it because she missed something in the novel, or was it because she possessed Ji-woo's body for sometime. She would have loved to see how the novel goes on now that the storyline had changed but because she was too afraid to be close to the book that's why she allowed her brother to dispose of it or.... maybe she would have.....

Suddenly, her phone on the desk opposite of her bed started ringing. Eun-kyung stood up and walked to her desk to answer the phone.

"Hello, Eun-kyung," the person on the other end of the line began screaming loudly.

"Yes?" Eun-kyung answered as she placed her hand on her head knowing fully well who was on the other line.

"You stupid freak, why didn't you come to work yesterday? It was Saturday, of all days, and you decided to bail when you knew that work was going to be busy. Do you want to get fired?" the person continued to scream.

Eun-kyung felt her anger rise up within her. "I'm scared, you know why? Because you're not my boss. When you bail on a Saturday at least twice a month, I don't complain. But this is the first time that I've done it, and you start throwing stupid tantrums," she defended herself.

"I had things to do, but you have no...." The person on the other end of the line continued to speak, but Eun-kyung hung up before hearing any more complaints.

She then lay back on her bed with a deep sigh, a sense of unease crept over her. If Ha-rin was Ji-woo's opponent, it was evident that Bo-ah, the immature girl, was her own adversary. Bo-ah always seemed to nitpick at anything Eun-kyung did and would report her at even the slightest oversight. It was abundantly clear that Bo-ah had an agenda, but Eun-kyung wasn't overly worried. After all, she would soon put an end to Bo-ah's misery.

The following day, Eun-kyung headed to the cafe restaurant where she worked, intent on submitting her letter of resignation. Upon arrival, however, she was accosted by Bo-ah, who took her to the female staff's locker room and forcefully pushed her against one of the lockers.

"Eun-kyung, it seems you don't realize who you are dealing with," Bo-ah spat angrily.

Unfazed, Eun-kyung replied sardonically, "Let me guess, you are the boss's daughter." She silenced Bo-ah with her statement, adding with a smirk, "We all know that. Your remarkable resemblance to the boss is not just a coincidence."

Bo-ah raised her head and growled, "So you should know that you are doomed."

Eun-kyung couldn't resist bursting out in laughter. "What is going on here?" A man in his early thirties said as he walked in.

Eun-kyung composed herself and walked towards the man. "I came here to hand in my resignation letter."

The man looked stunned. "Did Bo-ah..."

"Bo-ah has nothing to do with this," Eun-kyung interrupted. "I thank you for tolerating my behavior and for your care, but this is where our boss and employee relationship has to stop." She bowed and stepped out of the locker room, only to find other staff trying to eavesdrop on what had transpired.

"Is it true you're leaving us?" A guy her age asked.

"Yes," she smiled.

"We will miss you," a woman in her late thirties said.

"I will miss you guys too," she said as they hugged each other as a group.

Subsequently, Eun-kyung disengaged from the embrace and walked out, but as she neared the exit, she saw a young man in his early twenties entering the premises. When he caught sight of her, he called her name, but Eun-kyung ignored him and passed him by, he wanted to chase after her but was stopped by Bo-ah asking him not to leave. Eun-kyung doesn't even know who he was even dating, whether it was her or Bo-ah. Eun-kyung made her way to the bus stop where she waited for the bus alongside other individuals.

After about five minutes, the bus arrived, but before Eun-kyung could board it, she was roughly pulled away by someone. When she recognized her attacker, she kicked him in retaliation.

"Ow... what was that for?" groaned the guy.

"Why the hell did you drag me away, Suk-chin?" she yelled.

"Is it true that you resigned?" he asked.

"Yes, so what?"

"Is it because of Bo-ah? I talked to her, and she agreed to stop bothering you," he said.

"Why does everyone assume that? I did it because I was so bored there. I need to find a more exciting job," she clarified.

"Ah, that's the reason," he replied, asking for confirmation.

"Why do you then look mad at me?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," he responded nervously.

"I'm going home," Eun-kyung tried to leave, but he stopped her.

"It's been so long since we went on a date. Please come with me," he pleaded.

She agreed and went with him to the mall, where he proceeded to buy her clothes, bags, shoes, and skincare products. They also indulged in a sumptuous meal, and Eun-kyung ordered a lot of food, which she finished to the last morsel. Later, they headed to Suk-chin's car, but as he got in, Eun-kyung opened the passenger's door, dumped all the bags she was carrying, and walked away.

Suk-chin noticed that Eun-kyung did not enter his car and ran after her, grabbing her hands. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Home. I only did what you asked me to do. I just hope Bo-ah likes the stuff," she replied while trying to wriggle her hand out of his grip.

"Bo-ah? What are you talking about?" he asked, thoroughly perplexed.

"You don't think I know what you're up to? You chose those clothes for me instead of letting me choose for myself because you knew that after some time, I'd surely give them back to you and then you'd hand them over to Bo-ah, who would wear them to work and flaunt them in my face. You might have tried to conceal what you two were up to, but she always wanted me to know what was happening. I should thank her for that," Eun-kyung said, chuckling in amusement.

"Eun-kyung, let me explain," he said nervously.

"I wish I had listened to my mom." she muttered.

"Eun-kyung, Bo-ah blackmailed me, and I..." he began.

"I don't care what really happened. I just don't want to be involved," Eun-kyung interrupted, grinning to herself as she remembered something, "I thought that U-jin was a bad person but he always protected Ji-woo despite not loving her, she's so lucky" she remarked.

"Wait, what did you say?" he grasped her tightly.

"It's none of your business. Let go of me," she responded with clenched teeth.

"Not a chance. You've been cheating too," he retorted, gripping her hair and dragging it. Eun-kyung reacted by hitting him between the legs, causing him to release her and fall to the ground in agony.

"You're a pathetic creature. I want nothing to do with you anymore. We're done," she declared, escaping as Suk-chin called out her name.

Eun-kyung went home and found her brother eating noodles while being engrossed in a drama series.

"You came back late," he remarked, still riveted to the TV.

"It's only seven in the evening," Eun-kyung noted, checking her watch.

"Okay, but did you succeed?" he inquired, still not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Yes, and I broke up with Suk-chin," she said, proceeding to ascend the stairs.

"This calls for a celebration," he exclaimed, standing up.

"Let's do it tomorrow," she suggested, killing Eun-woo's excitement.

"Killjoy," he muttered.

Upon entering her bedroom, Eun-kyung carelessly discarded her purse and cellphone onto the inviting bed, meticulously grabbing her nightwear from her moderately sized wardrobe. Subsequently, she leisurely progressed towards her bathroom, halting in front of the mirror with a resigned exhale. Her physical features were strikingly stunning: lengthy tresses of ebony hue accompanied by stylishly chopped bangs, with a petite, symmetrical nose and a set of full, plush, ruby-red lips. Her body possessed a voluptuous figure, except for the contrastingly unique coloring of her irises; one was as dark as the abyss, while the other boasted the galaxy's mystifying colours. Her mother postulated that only if she hadn't birthed Eun-kyung and her twin brother concurrently, they might have both displayed the iris that have the galaxy's mystifying colours on both of their eyes. The siblings, in actuality, inherited the same shade, but her iris that have the galaxy's mystifying colours was situated on the left side then her brother's own was on his right.

Eun-kyung's mother didn't have the same iris they had nor her father so she couldn't just understand why her's and her brother's iris were so different.

She immediately diverted her attention from her reverie, and proceeded to start bathing. Subsequently cloaked in comfortable pajamas, she came out of her bathroom while using her towel to dry her wet hair then she took her phone from her bed only to discover a varied apology messages from Suk-chin that fully rustled her feathers then she immediately blocked his number.

As her footsteps made way towards her desk to retrieve her laptop, she abruptly ceased movement upon eyeing a familiar book peculiarly placed on her workspace. The same book she had previously been transported into, and her brother callously disposed of in the garbage bin. Fear abruptly coursed through her as she dropped her towel on the ground in shock as she called out her brother's name, only to bear witness to the unsettling pages of the book rapidly flipping through the air by itself. Eun-kyung attempted to hurry towards the door but then collapsed a few steps in front of the door.