188 – Lies (3)

188 – Lies (3)

“Ever since I recovered my previous memories at age five, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why this happened. Here’s the hypothesis I came up with.”

1. 「There was a limit to the wishes the fourth-floor clock could grant.」

2. 「And if anyone made any wish, Ha Young-won would disappear for some reason.」

3. 「Ha Young-won realized that and got out of the fourth floor without making a wish, and the world fell apart.」

4. 「Seeing his friends suffer, Ha Young-won eventually made a wish and sacrificed himself to restore everything to normal.」

Yang Juhee had a hard time understanding Jeong Seok’s explanation. Her grades had always been decent, but Juhee was never the type to think things through in any real sense.

“So, Jeong Seok, what you’re saying is that the suffering in the world where we opened the entrance to the fourth floor ended up making Ha Young-won disappear. Did asking for my sister back drive Ha Young-won into a corner?”

Remembering things that felt both ancient and as recent as yesterday, Yang Juhee let herself sink into a little regret and loss. What if she hadn’t asked for her sister back then?

Her sister and the boy...