13 November 2021

An apartment, Shenzhen

The crew were given one day off each week to spend how we wished. While the youth of Beijing partied all of Saturday night, I boarded a plane as soon as filming was over, resting for five hours. This was much more comfortable than flapping my webbed and furred arms but I missed gliding on the wind like a kite in autumn.

Once I arrived home, I ate dinner and set an alarm for 11 PM before going to bed. I wanted to spend Junghyunnie's birthday with her but a video call would have to do. Patio furniture decorated the balcony so I'd have a spot to talk to her without disturbing my family. I had an old telescope in my room so an excuse was prepared.

The time zones weren't a hindrance to our relationship: she was an hour ahead of me, on the mainland. I set up the tripod and adjusted the dials, hearing faint whirs and clicks as each lens adjusted. I believed that alien intervention had caused humans to develop as far as we did, just like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Five hours after I'd sent a text telling her to let me know when she woke up, my girlfriend replied. I had taken a short nap an hour after I had woken up, phone in my pocket. The chime woke me up to a sky that had lightened and that would be a pearlescent grey at dawn. I asked if it was okay to video call, giving her time to fix her appearance, if she wished.

The potted plants made for an easy distraction as I waited. As soon as the burning ruby star rose in a tangerine sky, I would be able to easily identify what my father had planted. In my previous life, I was too busy cutting down lives to think about nurturing them. Maybe this second life would be different.

Once the actress let me know she was ready, I switched on an overhanging light and clicked on the app. "Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le, Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le. Zhu ni xing fu, zhu ni jian kang. Zhu ni qian tu guang ming. Zhu ni sheng ri kuai le, zhu ni sheng ri kuai le. Zhu ni xing fu, zhu ni jian kang. You ge wen nuan jia ting."

"What is the meaning of the lyrics?" the birthday girl asked in her honeyed husk.

"Here's to your happiness and your good health, may your future be bright. Here's to your family," my smile cut dimples into my cheeks. I was reminded of the lyrics to Lilili Yabbay so I sang it for her also: "The faith and prayer in my heart, is it a prayer for you?" A laugh danced on her lips and instantly disappeared. "What's wrong?"

After she relived her harrowing experience, I remained silent for a long while. I would never experience what Xiyeon was going through but I wanted to comfort her. "In sickness and in health, through thick and thin endometria, I'm by your side." Although the commitment was serious, I said the words in a light-hearted tone to impart warmth.

The actress wiped her tears away but I knew there would be more as her personality struggled with the battle her body was putting her through. Unfortunately, the lining was inaccessible by my fangs and blood. I would let the doctors work with their surgical instruments and reduce myself to being there during visiting hours.

"I'll visit a shrine on the last day of filming and pray for you," I resolved. She thanked me, hoping that it would be answered by Caishen.

"I wish I were with you right now," Junghyunnie sighed.

"Me too," I nodded vehemently. "I would have given you hongbao with 88 or 99 hundred thousand won," I thought of the red envelopes we used to gift money with.

"Why 88 or 99?" she was curious about the custom.

"Eight is ba which sounds like the fa in facai or wealth while nine is jiu which sounds like everlasting," when the time to blend our families came, I knew that it would be a homogenous mixture since we were enthusiastic about learning the finer things about each other's culture. I'd be patient, waiting for the day her personality shone bright again.

"Ages ending with 9 are a major milestone for women but it's zero for men," I continued. "I'm not very good with desserts but I'd have written the birthday message on the cake in red icing. There'd also be the Chinese character shou which means longevity. For that same reason, we would have eaten noodles as the main course."

She said goodbye first and I let her go, knowing that her parents had probably planned a fun day out to soften the blow her diagnosis had dealt. Relationships weren't always 50/50; until my girlfriend healed, I would burn brighter to make up for the areas in which she thought she lacked. If I could survive the Melona room, I could win any challenge.

Sunlight finally lit up the balcony and I saw what crops my family had planted: tomatoes, chillies, and beans. Frost-etched leaves in a dreamy night, a sweet breeze lifting flowers in the morning dew. I went to my room, taking another nap until my family woke up. Of course, I dreamt of surgeries but they were successful, a good omen of things to come.