I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things-Chapter 35: W-What Is That?

Twinkle, twinkle.

A pale white light appeared before my eyes, like the glowing lure of an anglerfish swimming through the deep sea.

It shimmered beautifully, almost like it was beckoning—come this way.

Was it bait meant to lure in prey?

Or was it a rope thrown down to lift us out of this situation?

I couldn’t tell yet.

But my instincts—honed through countless crises in Entera—were telling me:

That was the right choice.

As we exited the platform, the train floated forward, drifting through the air.

We were ready to head toward it.

What remained... was whether I believed in my own instinct.

And then, beside me, I saw Hyesung blinking, staring at the light.

His face looked somewhat dazed.

"Do you feel anything?"

Startled by the sudden question, Hyesung flinched, then scratched his head with an awkward smile.

"Uh, no, it’s just... I don’t know, I feel kind of at peace."

"...At peace?"

"Not like... really strongly or anything, but compared to everything I’ve felt since I started having these dreams, it’s the first time something felt even a little... calming? Ah, I can’t really put it into words."

But his expression did look genuinely relaxed.

Whether it was when he was being dragged into the fire by the ankle, or when those creatures of unknown origin were banging on the doors...

Or even the anxiety I’d seen on his face back in reality.

Compared to all of that, this was, undeniably, the most peaceful he’d looked.

...In a way, it was only natural.

I hadn’t told him, but since he was in a spirit state... he might’ve sensed something different than I did.

‘There’s no better option anyway.’

"Then let’s go."

"Huh?"

"It’s your dream, so let’s trust your gut."

"B-but what if it’s a trap?!"

I chuckled as I replied.

"Then we’ll just have to find another way. What else can we do?"

"...Phew."

Wiping his face dry in a motion like a mock face wash, he looked uneasy—but then his eyes changed, as if he’d made up his mind.

"...Let’s go."

"Yeah. You were gonna go even if I hadn’t said it."

"...Then why’d you ask?"

"Politeness."

"Yeah, right..."

I turned my head and looked back out the window.

The glowing light in the darkness was still there, waiting for us.

As I stared at that blinking light—

‘I want to go over there.’

The moment I thought that—

The train began to steer toward the light.

I didn’t know how it worked, but... since it was doing what I wanted, I figured it was fine.

It wasn’t like I wanted to understand it.

I didn’t plan on coming back here anyway.

The train floated as if suspended in space, drawing closer and closer to the light.

The closer we got, the larger the light became.

And when the light finally swallowed everything, the train and all—

We opened our eyes in the real world.

I blinked and saw a familiar room.

When I turned my head slightly, there was Hyeyeon, looking at me with worried eyes.

As our gazes met, the dark shadows under her eyes widened.

"Unnie!"

"...Mmm."

The afterimage of that intense light still lingered, and I had to blink a few times.

From the side of my head came a damp, trembling voice. Disbelieving.

"Y-you’re... you’re awake?"

"Yeah. Looks like your gut was right."

"Oh... thank god."

As Hyesung choked back tears behind me, I looked around the room—

"...What is all this?"

Strange items I’d never seen before were scattered all over the place.

As Hyeyeon helped me up, she spoke brightly.

"You noticed! Unnie!"

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"Uh, huh?"

"That over there is a dreamcatcher... and this is a spirit-repelling stone... and we’ve got red beans, which are traditionally used to ward off spirits, and over there is something I got from overseas—"

Hyeyeon misinterpreted my question and rattled off explanation after explanation.

She looked thrilled to finally have the chance to show off her collection.

The dark circles under her eyes even sparkled a little...

So I didn’t have the heart to tell her to stop.

Instead, I just gave her an awkward smile, like I was watching an excited little sister.

‘...There’s a lot, though.’

I sat quietly and listened to her entire explanation.

Hyesung, meanwhile, was gently touching his body, enjoying the relief of being back.

He seemed to be checking whether he was still intact and not burned.

"You’re listening, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) right, unnie?"

"Ah, y-yeah, of course."

She immediately caught me zoning out, like some kind of ghost detector.

Anyway, to summarize what she said:

She’d been wondering if there was anything she could do for me and Hyesung.

And then remembered the various items she’d collected.

Things said to chase away nightmares, ward off spirits, and talismans from sacred places.

She had immediately rushed home, packed it all up, and brought it here to arrange around the room.

Then, following my instructions, she prayed—and eventually, we woke up.

I had been wondering when she’d had time to bring all that in—there was quite a lot—but she was now rambling on, sweating buckets.

Even if they always bicker, I guess she really had been worried about Hyesung.

A soft laugh slipped out of me.

‘Is this... what it means to be siblings?’

A kind of relationship I’d never experienced.

It’s not like I’m envious now or anything... but my mouth tasted bitter.

What would it have been like if I had a sibling?

I shook my head and brushed the thought away.

Even if I’d had siblings or parents, they probably would’ve disappeared here anyway—and all I’d do is cause them worry.

Even if I’d come back, they might not have recognized the changed me, and just suffered in silence.

Though that was unlikely, considering even my ID had changed... if that had happened, would the “me” they saw be the same as the one they remembered?

Just thinking about it made my mouth go dry.

‘...Yeah, maybe it’s better not to have any.’

Either way, I don’t think Hyeyeon’s efforts were wasted.

That light we saw in that pitch-black void—what Hyesung said felt comforting—probably came from her.

I’m not an expert in this kind of thing, so I can’t say for sure, but I decided to believe that.

After Hyeyeon finished her little brag session—

We let the still-exhausted Hyesung get some rest, and the two of us returned her collection items to their places.

I’d been curious where she’d hidden all that when I visited before, but—

That mystery was quickly solved.

Her storage method really was well hidden.

After we put everything away, I checked the time... It was well past dinner.

In other words—it was the perfect time for a late-night snack.

I thought I’d take the opportunity to persuade Hyesung over a meal and headed back to his room.

A familiar savory smell hit me.

I sniffed toward it, and from some wrapped package, a delicious aroma was wafting out.

Steam was still rising from the gaps—it must have just arrived.

Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked:

"What’s that?"

"...After everything ended, I got hungry. I haven’t really eaten in days because of the dream, had no appetite. But now... I’m suddenly starving. I feel like I won’t be able to sleep unless I eat something first."

...That’s not what I meant.

Still, I’d been planning to ask him to eat anyway, so I figured this worked out.

Hyeyeon, apparently hungry too, quietly sat down at the low table.

Hyesung gave a little grin, then tore open the plastic bag.

And inside...

Was chicken. Golden, crispy, glistening.

I stared at it, not quite understanding, looking at it from every angle.

But no matter how I looked at it—it was chicken.

Drawn in by the smell, I sat down solemnly, as if in worship.

Stretching with a grumble, Hyeyeon muttered:

"Been a while since I had chicken."

"What do you mean, you had it last week."

"A week’s a long time."

"Yeah, you should have it at least once a week."

Just one week and they call it “a while”?

Me... ha.

How many years had it been since I’d had chicken?

As someone from the land of chimaek, my blood surged in my veins.

My eyes grew damp, and my nose stung.

"Sniff."

At the sound, Hyeyeon and Hyesung jumped and looked at me.

"N-noona, are you okay?"

"Unnie?"

I wiped tears that looked like chicken droppings with my sleeve and muttered:

"No... it’s just. It’s been so long since I saw chicken. I’m overwhelmed, that’s all..."

Hyesung gave a sheepish laugh. So did Hyeyeon.

They could laugh all they wanted—in my eyes, there was only that golden chicken.

Still, thinking it polite that the one who ordered it eat first, I just stared.

Then Hyeyeon placed a drumstick into my hand.

The crispy crust and rich oiliness made my fingers slippery. The nutty scent grew stronger.

"Here. Eat up, unnie."

"Wait—this is the leg, right?"

As my hands trembled with gratitude, Hyeyeon suddenly barked:

"Ugh, just eat it already if we gave it to you!"

"She’s right, noona. We ordered two chickens, so there’s plenty of legs left. Just go for it."

Even as they said that, I was already gripping the drumstick tightly.

Like I’d die before letting anyone take it from me.

"Ahem... if you insist."

For some reason, both of them looked like they just wanted me to start eating as soon as possible.

Still holding the drumstick,

I slowly opened my mouth.

The nutty aroma teased my nose.

And in that moment, I completely forgot I was supposed to be convincing Hyesung.

All I did was savor the smell.