"Earth to Keith, is everything alright?"

Sana’s voice broke through the fog of confusion, gently coaxing me to stretch my stiff muscles and draw in a deep breath.

The letter I held in my hands had turned blank, its words fading away like whispers in the wind, while the vivid memories of Baeck swirled relentlessly in my mind. They felt hauntingly real, like fragments of a dream that refused to dissipate.

"You won’t believe what I saw... You were holding the letter, and shortly after you started reading it, its contents seemed to absorb into the page! It’s empty!" Sana exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush. I ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, attempting to untangle the knots of anxiety that clung to me.

"Sana... you also won’t believe me, but everything is starting to connect. The letters are portals to semi-universes where I meet their authors. Remember when I opened Baeck Seok's letter? I met him... I witnessed him die seven times before I figured out what I had to do. I wanted to change his future without disrupting the timeline he lived in. It was a nightmare. He was dying, and I kept going back, again and again." I spoke barely above a whisper, my voice trembling as Sana’s hand rested reassuringly on my shoulder.

"It’s alright, breathe deeply," she reassured me, her tone soothing. "If I hadn’t seen that wonder with the letter myself, I would have suggested you need a psychiatrist. But now, I’m inclined to believe you. Not only will you be going, but I will too. It was only for two minutes, but even though I saw you right in front of me, I didn’t feel your presence. It was as if your soul was missing. It scared me..." Her fingers traced a gentle rhythm on my shoulder, grounding me amidst the chaos of my thoughts.

"Just a few minutes? I felt like I was there for years..." I replied, lost in reflection as she hurriedly packed everything she deemed essential into a sturdy box, her movements filled with purpose.

"Let’s get out of here. I’m getting chills... something’s definitely not right about this place. Let’s keep going and return to Seoul, what do you say?" Sana suggested, and I nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of urgency wash over me. I had no idea what awaited us, but staying here felt like an invitation to darkness.

I pushed myself up from the floor, taking the box from Sana's hands, and together we exited my old home as quickly as possible. A bittersweet weight settled in my chest; I knew this might be the last time I ever returned.

"What do you think all of this means?" The girl with the cherry-red eyes asked, her voice laced with curiosity as we made our way back to the station. I held the box close, my mind racing with possibilities.

"The people who wrote the letters were clearly part of my life. We must have been close... but that raises so many questions. If we were really that close, why didn’t they come to see me after the accident?" 

"Maybe they don’t know?" Sana pondered, her brow furrowed in thought as I let out a heavy sigh.

"Well, then explain this to me: Why would my parents hide something like this?" I pressed, my voice tinged with frustration.

"Now that’s a mystery." She replied, and I nodded, my gaze drifting to the silver bracelet adorning my wrist, its cool touch grounding me amidst the uncertainty.

"I don’t know what will happen from here on out, but I have this sinking feeling that something terrible happened, and I’m the reason behind it. That’s why they want to take me away, to shield me from the memories of how bad I was." I paused, my thoughts swirling as I looked down, my vision becoming blurred with emotion. Sana stopped beside me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and letting out a light laugh, breaking the weight of the moment.

"Oh my God, Keith, what are you talking about?! You, a bad person? That’s an impossible combination! There’s got to be an explanation, I’m sure of it. Give yourself time, and you’ll understand. Promise me you won’t criticize yourself with such nonsense that you’re not even sure is true. Okay?" Her frown softened as I found myself smiling, grateful for the warmth of her understanding presence.

"Hey, sorry, we’ll miss the train, and then you’ll have to come up with an excuse to explain to your parents!" she said with a giggle, dashing ahead, leaving me with no choice but to follow. The path ahead was littered with obstacles, yet I knew I had to face them if I wanted to reclaim the person I was before the accident. No matter how daunting the journey seemed, I was determined to rewrite my future, one step at a time.