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"it is enough for me to be sure that
you and i exist in this moment."

— Gabriel García Márquez —

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[ 3RD PERSONS VIEW。]

The girl sat by the music room of Hwanseong Highschool, fingers gently pressing down the piano keys as slowly her void of loneliness turned into a soft yet sad musical sound.

Her eyepatch was on top of the black grand piano, and as the sun ray flashed upon her, both eyes shone under them. She looked up at the ceiling, letting the music take her as she closed her eyes shut.

Reopening them, she finds herself still playing the piano, however, the scene was slightly different. It was at their old house– back at an old town a bit far from Jinhae-gu.

"She's crazy! I'm telling you!" Hyosun gritted her teeth as she talked to his husband. Early May of 2012, the younger twin, Choi Haruka, had been claiming about she started seeing colors with her left eye.

When she was young, she often stayed at home because of that eye. Going under a lot of therapy and physical examinations, they concluded that she can't see color with her left eye only, a case of achromatopsia. However, as the years passed Haruka noticed something different.

The melody of the piano kept switching up as now her fingers hastily pressed down the keys, almost as if she was panicking. Gulping down the lump in her throat, the image of her parents disappeared and all she could see was a bunch of people– the worst part was they were splashed on with different colors.

Shaking her head, she looked down, wanting to avoid those people, now her music sounded tremulous. With the fear of her being able to see death on the people around her, she couldn't take it. Her heart hurt so much.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up, seeing herself running around those colored-death people, trying to possibly change their fate by protecting them. But alas, death finds its way.

August of 2013, her parents approached her, the look on their faces told everything. "Okay Haruka, we believe you, I believe you." her Mother told the young Haruka, kneeling down to her daughter's level.

Young Haruka only blinked, looking at her mother with an expression that screamed disbelief. "Do you really, Mother?"

"Of course, Haruka." Hyosun had a crooked smile as she patted the top of young Haruka's head. "But we need you to agree on a deal."

"Deal?" young Haruka tilted her head as she looked confusingly at her parents.

Her Father looked sad as he smiled at her, "You shouldn't go around telling people about..." he gestured at her eyepatch and she hesitatingly reached up to touch it, "I understand how hard it is for you, but we forbid you to tell others about your eye."

But her parents didn't stop there, during the summers of 2014, Haruka was torn apart. Seeing the actual colors on her own twin sister made her more terrified than she already was. She did everything to prevent her death from coming, despite not knowing when she was actually going to die.

"Haruka! She's not going to die– you're talking about nonsense!" Hyosun yelled at her daughter in anger and frustration, her hands reaching up to tug the ends of her hair as she felt so ridiculed by Haruka.

The young girl pursed her lips together, balled fingers clenching hard as she remained still in her place, despite already being slapped by her own mother.

"She is–"

"Enough. Haruka." the young girl snapped her attention towards the door, only to find her Father with a displeased face.

Haruka bit her lip as she faced the piano, the sounds grew louder the more devastated she felt. She was seeing it again, her past, unfolding right in front of her as she played the piano, but that didn't stop her. She wasn't afraid anymore– it was the exact difference. People were afraid of her.

January of 2015, the Choi's once-happy family turned upside down. Both parents agreed that they should separate the twins for safety. Choi Hajoon, the twin's father, took Haruka with him as he did business trips in different countries, meaning they kept moving from time to time, which was great for Haruka 'cause it meant she won't be able to get attached to anyone.

After all, Haruka being attached to someone was what they didn't want to happen. Meanwhile, Choi Hyosun took Haruki and they moved to the town of Jinhae. There, Haruki was placed in a new school and was forced to forget about what had happened.

The visions disappeared from her sight, Haruka was now back in the music room, still, her hands seemed so endless with playing the piano. With a heavy feeling inside her heart, slowly her fast pace decreased until she stopped.

No longer did the music room burst the tragic story of her life.

"You shouldn't keep that to yourself."

Haruka's eyes widened at the voice and quickly grabbed her eyepatch and wore it. She glanced behind her, only to find a familiar-looking boy.

Zhong Chenle. She remembers him.

"Wait– you were the one playing the piano a few days ago... shit."

"Can you see me?"

"Of course I can, are you an imitator or...?"

Haruka stifled a laugh, facing back the piano, "I could be anyone as long as others believe I am that said person."

"But– I believe you're alive."

Her whole body stiffened, eyes growing wide as his words repeated in her mind. No one has ever told her that.

Next, she heard faint footsteps approaching her. Her fingers clutched the end of her school skirt, her heart beating unsteadily fast.

Haruka felt something warm touch her shoulder, glancing to her side, Chenle was holding a heat pack against her shoulder, a warm smile on his face although the truth is told, he was already screaming scared inside.

"You exist. I believe you exist."

"And you believe that because?"

"Because you're not dead. You look dead but you're not. You isolate yourself– making people believe that they should ignore you. They see you as a ghost." Chenle replied, a feeling in him rising as he spoke to her. He didn't feel scared of her anymore. He wasn't gonna lie, she looked scary and unsettling, but something in him was pushing him to believe that she wasn't dead.

Haruka locked eyes with him for a few seconds until she voiced out, "If you're here, can you prove you're really here?"

Chenle crinkled his nose, his other hand dangling onto the piano keys as he pressed random keys. "Do we really need to prove someone that we exist? As long as someone believes we do, then we're fine."

"No one even believes that I exist."

Chenle let out a soft chuckle, "I guess I am no one then."

— • • • —

yes, it's meant to be confusing :')
-jibin