Chapter 1

My oldest memories always began in a small coastal village.

Mornings when I woke up wrapped tightly in my mother’s arms beneath the dazzling sunlight.

The salty scent of the sea that drifted in whenever I took a walk along the shore in front of our house.

On sunny days, I’d lie in a hammock and take an afternoon nap, and on nights when we lit a campfire, I’d sit beside my father as he played the guitar and sing along.

Back then, I believed that my life would always be this happy and radiant.

That is, until my parents died in an accident that happened in the blink of an eye.

“How could they leave such a little thing behind? Oh, you poor thing… Come with Grandma.”

Before my young mind could even begin to understand what was happening, I was taken in by my paternal grandmother and went to Korea, my father’s hometown.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t sad, but I wasn’t lonely because I had a grandmother who cherished me.

One year passed, then another, and just as I was gradually getting used to life in an unfamiliar place—

“Cough!”

Blood suddenly spilled from my mouth.

The year I turned sixteen, a rare disease struck me without any warning.

And now, three years later, I was nineteen.

Swish—.

When I pulled back the curtains surrounding my bed, the hospital room, filled with the sharp smell of disinfectant, came into view.

I was still in the hospital.

Outside the window, the sky was still dark in the early hours of dawn.

Out of habit, I picked up the tablet I’d left beside my bed.

New Notifications: 4

When I turned on the screen, a notification badge appeared over the cute game icon.

Loading…

5:10 AM

The time in the village was also early morning, exactly the same as in reality.

I moved my character to tidy up the bed, then immediately went outside and took a walk around the village in the game.

It wasn’t long before I spotted a ladder leaning against a tree.

A boy who had been harvesting fruit above noticed my character. He hopped down from the ladder and threw his arms around my character.

Hello, Miel! You’re up early again today, huh? I’m happy to see you.

Seeing the villager circling around my character and welcoming her made a smile spread across my lips.

Then a choice window appeared.

→ 2. Want to go watch the sunrise over the sea?

The moment I selected the option, my character dashed off with the boy toward the sea.

“So cute…!”

Since I was physically unable to go outside myself, I was enjoying the experience vicariously through the game.

I was deeply engrossed in the game when the curtain around my hospital bed was pulled open.

“Ms. Yumiel?”

A familiar-looking nurse called out to me.

“You’re up early. Let me check your blood pressure.”

“Ah. Yes!”

As the nurse took out the equipment, she glanced at the tablet in my hands.

“Are you playing that game again? You must really enjoy it.”

“I love it! It’s so, so much fun! When I’m not in pain, I can play it all day long.”

I spoke excitedly, and the nurse smiled at me.

“That’s good to hear. You were already like that before, but you’ve become even brighter lately. It’s nice to see.”

This was a tablet the hospital had provided for me. As I was spending more and more time confined to my bed and unable to go outside, one of the nurses had made sure I had it.

“Thank you. I’ve been getting a lot of use out of it thanks to you.”

After I started playing the games installed on the tablet, I regained some of the liveliness I’d lost from my daily life.

The one I’d recently become obsessed with was a healing game where you farmed in a small island village.

It was the perfect game for someone like me, who missed her hometown.

“I’ve already decorated my house quite a lot! Look at this. Once I became friends with the villagers, they started coming to visit me first and even giving me gifts. Seeing them every day makes me feel attached to them, you know? Even though it’s just a game, it’s strange…”

I was excitedly chattering away when the nurse suddenly took my hand.

“Ms. Miel.”

I could feel her hand, covering the back of mine, trembling slightly.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

When I saw the serious expression on the nurse’s face, my mind went blank.

I knew better than anyone that my condition had been getting worse with every passing year.

So I’d thought countless times that a day like this might eventually come…

“Ah… um, I…”

“You’ve been given the opportunity to undergo surgery.”

Just as I was desperately trying to remain calm, the answer I received was completely different from what I’d expected.

“…What?”

I asked blankly.

The nurse tightened her grip around my hand.

“You can be cured.”

What the nurse told me while I was still half dazed was nothing short of shocking.

A research team had recently discovered the cause of the rare disease and developed a new surgical procedure.

The procedure had since been proven to be safe, and they had decided to perform the surgery as quickly as possible on patients in critical condition.

My heart pounded violently the entire time I listened to her explanation. In a trembling voice, I asked,

“Then… does that mean I can live?”

The nurse firmly squeezed my hand again and nodded.

“Of course. The surgery will be performed the day after tomorrow, right after they finish the reaction test. The director even rearranged his schedule so he could personally perform the operation.”

“I-I want to tell Grandma.”

“Wait!”

The hand I reached for my phone with was stopped.

The nurse quickly continued explaining, looking troubled.

“It hasn’t been announced to the public yet, so we can’t let the information leak outside. We’ll explain everything to your grandmother separately.”

I tried to calm my excitement and nodded.

Even the pain that made my entire body feel as though I’d been beaten from head to toe didn’t matter to me anymore.

I was too happy to care.

“Ah, but what about the hospital bills? How much will the surgery…?”

Until now, I’d been hospitalized at a reduced cost in exchange for participating in various examinations and experiments as a patient with a rare disease.

But surgery was a different matter.

Grandma doesn’t have much money.

The thought of her borrowing money from here and there to pay for my treatment weighed heavily on my heart.

“Don’t worry about that. The research organization is providing a fairly substantial amount of funding for the surgery. The hospital is also… considering covering the entire remaining amount.”

“Really? That’s such a relief… Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The moment I felt relieved, tears burst from my eyes.

“Don’t cry, Ms. Miel.”

“Actually… actually, I thought maybe I’d never get better. I was afraid I’d have to spend my whole life being sick like this… I was so scared that I might never be able to go home again…”

My words kept breaking apart because of my tears.

As though trying to comfort me, the nurse reached out and embraced me.

“The surgery… will go well. I’m sure it will. But once you’re healthy, we might never get to see each other again, so… what am I going to do? I’ll miss you.”

Thump, thump, thump.

It was hard to tell whether the rapidly beating heart I could hear belonged to me or the nurse.

I wiped away my tears, looked up at her, and smiled.

“Just because I leave the hospital doesn’t mean we’ll never see each other again! I’ll definitely come back to see you.”

After spending several years seeing each other’s faces every day, I’d grown quite attached to my nurse unni as well.

I deliberately swallowed my tears and smiled brightly, and she smiled back at me.

Her eyes had turned red too.

“You really mean it, right? It’s a promise.”

“Yes!”

I hooked my pinky around hers and nodded vigorously.

Just knowing that there were people who cared about me this much made me feel like the most blessed person in the world.

Time passed quickly, and the morning of my surgery arrived.

“Oh, sweetheart. My little puppy. Don’t be scared. Go in there and have a successful surgery, okay?”

Grandma stayed by my side the entire time I was being taken to the operating room.

“Of course, Grandma. I’ll definitely get healthy again, so don’t worry.”

“Yes. You have to. Oh, goodness. Thank you. There’s no doubt that Heaven has heard my prayers…”

I gave Grandma a bright smile before entering the operating room.

As soon as I entered, a cold chill enveloped my entire body.

Then the doctor came in, and a bright light snapped on above my head.

“We’ll be putting you under anesthesia soon. Don’t be too nervous. Just breathe slowly.”

“Yes…”

“What would you like to do after the surgery?”

The doctor’s voice was professional, yet gentle enough to ease my tension.

I slowly inhaled and closed my eyes.

“Like I used to…”

The more I imagined it, the wider the smile on my face became.

Once I was healthy again, just like before, I’d go everywhere and take walks, help Grandma with the farm work, eat delicious food…

“I want to run around the countryside, work, and enjoy my everyday life.”

“Is that so?”

The doctor casually said as he put on his medical gloves.

“That’s good. Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”

A faint laugh was mixed into his voice as he spoke to me.