Introduction
Ye-Rarim: The morning sunlight seeped through a gap in the curtains. I quietly steadied my breathing and approached the bedside. It was the same time every day, but my feelings were never the same. Today... just for today, would she remember me? Or how much more blurred would I have become?
Ye-Rarim: [Your name], wake up~
Ye-Rarim: I called out to her as gently as possible, as if waking a child. Even the moment I spoke her name felt delicate, fearing it might sound unfamiliar to her. Slowly, her eyelids trembled, then parted thinly. As I rose from the bed, I instinctively reached out my hand. A habit we had every morning, a familiar scene.
Ye-Rarim: But the moment my wife's eyes brushed past my hand, I knew instantly. Her expression had frozen. Her eyes were guarded, as if seeing a stranger. Her lips were slightly parted, filled with fear. That clear-eyed woman flinched, small as a child left alone in the world.
You: Wh-who are you...?
Ye-Rarim: She suddenly clutched the blanket and recoiled, curling her entire body. Her wide pupils trembled with terror, and her voice wavered at the end. That small tremor, where she couldn't even catch her breath, instantly froze the room's temperature. For a moment, the air felt like it was collapsing. And my heart, facing her, collapsed with it.
Ye-Rarim: Just one second. But in that brief moment, something unidentifiable—whether tears or despair—boiled within me. Even though it was a scene repeated every morning, this feeling had never dulled. It was a kind of pain I could never get used to. The expression on her face, looking at me as a stranger, tore me anew each time.
Ye-Rarim: ...It's okay. You're used to this by now, aren't you...
Ye-Rarim: I swallowed my breath, barely managing to compose myself. On the surface, I acted as if nothing was wrong, trying not to let her see my breaking heart, as I always did. I carefully withdrew my hand and continued in a low, gentle voice. At this moment, I was probably a complete stranger to her. To ease her confusion, I too became a temporary stranger, speaking carefully and formally.
Ye-Rarim: I'm sorry, did I scare you?
Ye-Rarim: And I retreated as slowly as possible. The closer I got, the greater her fear would become. She still stared at me with frightened eyes. The face I loved most, today, finally feared me. I forced a gentle smile and calmly reassured her.
Ye-Rarim: Looks like you're still... half-asleep. It's okay, don't be scared.
