"How can you say something like that?" Evelyn asked before her sister could close the door.
Hearing her voice, Adelyn pushed the door open again and shrugged.
"What, am I wrong? We both know you hated that job. Those monsters at your company drained every bit of your energy over these past three years."
Evelyn knew Adelyn was right about that, but the ease with which she said those words still made her angry.
"What did you expect me to do? I have to support this house. If neither of us makes money, how are we supposed to keep living?"
Adelyn rolled her eyes at Evelyn's words.
"The same old excuse. If you really wanted to, you could've worked somewhere that actually made you happy. Even if you sang on the streets and earned just a few coins a day, you'd still be happier than you are now."
Evelyn grew more and more shocked with every word her sister said. As the wine stains on her skin began to itch, she felt her cheeks grow warm.
"You've got to be kidding me. You, of all people, know how hard I tried for days—no, months—to find a job I actually wanted. Maybe I'd have been happier singing on the streets, sure. But could you have kept sitting in your warm room, working on your game, if I came home with no money for days?"
That sentence seemed to irritate Adelyn as well. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a deep sigh.
"So what, I'm your excuse now? Is that what you're saying?"
Evelyn could feel her pulse quickening as the tension between them thickened, but she didn't hold back her words.
"You know damn well it's not an excuse. Do you really think everyone in this world gets to just chase their dreams? There are people out there fighting just to survive."
Adelyn burst out laughing at Evelyn's words.
"You're ridiculous. What, working your little nine-to-three job suddenly makes life a survival race? You just take the easy way out."
Evelyn could hardly recognize the person standing in front of her anymore. So that's what she's thought of me all this time? When she felt her eyes welling up, Adelyn finally seemed to realize the weight of her own words.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like th-"
"If you really cared about me and about us— you wouldn't have left all the responsibility to me."
Evelyn cut her off, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Adelyn's eyebrows rose in shock, but Evelyn kept speaking through her trembling voice.
"I would've loved to chase my dreams like you, you're right. But I'm not like you. While my sister's breaking under psychological and physical pressure every day at a job she hates, I can't just sit at home waiting for my dreams to magically come true."
"Magically come true…" Adelyn repeated under her breath.
Her voice was low, almost trembling, and the look on her face carried a mix of sadness and quiet disappointment.
When Evelyn saw that expression, a heavy pressure settled in her chest—but even then, she couldn't stop herself from speaking.
"There's never a guarantee that we'll succeed at what we do. That's why we can't just blindly cling to our dreams."
She paused, waiting for Adelyn to say something—anything.
But instead, Adelyn whispered something Evelyn never expected.
"Then if I disappeared from your life, you wouldn't have to carry my responsibilities anymore, would you?"
Before Evelyn could even respond, Adelyn stormed out of the bathroom and hurried toward the front door.
For a few seconds, Evelyn stood frozen in shock—her mind blank—until the sound of the door slamming snapped her back to her senses.
Startled, she flinched and immediately ran after her sister.
"What… Wait!" she muttered under her breath, trying to catch up as Adelyn's figure quickly disappeared from sight.
Once outside, Evelyn quickened her pace and shouted.
"Adelyn! Wait!"
When Adelyn heard Evelyn's voice, she turned around for a brief moment—but almost immediately looked away and started running.
Evelyn broke into a run as well, her panic rising with every step.
Even at this late hour, the main road ahead was still busy with traffic, and the thought of it made her chest tighten in fear.
"Adelyn, stop! Please!"
But it was no use. Within seconds, Adelyn dashed straight into the traffic.
The blaring horns and the blinding headlights piercing through the night made Evelyn's head spin, and she felt the soles of her feet start to burn.
As Evelyn weaved through the cars, narrowly avoiding several by mere seconds, she finally managed to get close to Adelyn. The distance between them had shrunk to only a few steps.
She reached her hand forward, desperate to grab her— but just then, a blinding flash of headlights came from Adelyn's right.
The car's horn blared as it sped toward her. The sound finally made Adelyn stop in panic and turn her head to the side.
Evelyn didn't stop running. Everything that happened next was a blur.
At the last moment, she shoved Adelyn forward...
And the next thing she felt was the crushing impact of the car, sending her body flying several meters through the air.
After the sudden surge of unbearable pain, Evelyn's body rolled and skidded across the asphalt. Within seconds, all her senses began to fade.
Her vision turned red.. then slowly, completely black. She could feel the wet warmth of blood seeping through every part of her body.
Ah… I'm dying, she thought faintly.
She tried to part her lips, to whisper her sister's name but no sound came out.
Moments later, Adelyn was kneeling beside her, screaming.
"Eve! Oh my god! NO, no!"
The last thing Evelyn saw was her sister's tear-filled eyes.
Then... endless, silent darkness.
So when we die… we really go nowhere? she thought numbly.
Time —or what she thought was time— stretched endlessly in that void. Fear began to creep in.
If I'm dead, then why am I still able to feel afraid…?
And then suddenly, light.
Her vision cleared, and she found herself looking down at her own body and her sister.
She had drifted out of her flesh, watching them like a stranger. She felt no weight, no warmth— just emptiness.
As she floated closer, she saw Adelyn clutching her broken, lifeless body, sobbing…
Until, abruptly, Adelyn stopped crying and lifted her head. She looked straight at Evelyn with a hollow expression.
Evelyn wanted to speak, to say something, but couldn't.
Then, Adelyn's voice echoed — not only in the air, but through every corner of existence.
"Wake up."