Tuesday, January 9, 2024
I walk up the stairs, leaving that idiot Ariel behind.
God, he's so annoying. He's always going on about kind words and love and all that nonsense.
I don't know why, but something changed after our argument. I don't feel right. I decide to take a shower and see if it helps.
"It's guilt."
I hear a voice.
Confused, I look around the bathroom.
"It must be exhaustion," I mutter, turning off the shower.
I walk over to the sink to brush my teeth. But when I look at my reflection in the mirror, I notice something strange.
It isn't me... and yet, it is.
My reflection is no longer wearing my bathrobe.
Instead, I see a man dressed as if he'd stepped straight out of another era.
He wears a luxurious red hanbok embroidered with golden dragons across the sleeves and chest. The fabric looks heavy and exceptionally fine, shimmering beneath the bathroom lights. On his head sits a traditional black royal hat, making him look even more imposing.
His posture is flawless-straight, elegant, and dignified, like someone born to rule.
His black hair is perfectly arranged beneath the royal headpiece, and his expression radiates an almost unattainable calm.
But his face...
His face is mine.
"So... you're the Crown Prince?" I ask, staring at my reflection.
He looks at me with disappointment.
"You're a monster," he says in disbelief. "How could you say those things to Ariel?"
"Wasn't taking over my body enough? Now you're going to haunt me, too?" I ask, rolling my eyes.
"When I take control of your body, I'll make it up to Ariel for all the horrible things you've done to him."
"Well, then, every time I come back, I'll make it up to Ariel," I say with a smile.
"We'll see about that," he replies sternly.
"Likewise."
I leave the bathroom.
I lie down in bed, but I can't fall asleep. There's a restless feeling inside me. I don't know why, but I can't get Ariel out of my head. Our argument from earlier keeps replaying in my mind.
"Damn it," I mutter irritably, tossing and turning.
"You feel guilty about what you said to Ariel," the prince's voice echoes in my head.
"Shut up!" I shout, covering my ears with my pillow.
I keep tossing and turning, but sleep refuses to come.
"Damn it!" I growl, finally getting out of bed.
I head to Ariel's room.
"Ariel, open the door," I say, knocking.
I knock several times, but he doesn't answer.
"I'm coming in," I announce, opening the door.
When I enter, I see Ariel lying in bed.
"Are you deaf?" I ask as I approach him.
Suddenly, I trip over something on the floor. I look down.
It's an empty bottle of sleeping pills.
I pick it up. There's nothing left inside.
Suddenly, my chest tightens.
Ariel isn't waking up.
"Hey... wake up!" I say, shaking him.
I can't believe this idiot actually did it.
I look at my hands. They're trembling. Cold sweat runs down my body, and my heart is racing.
"What is this?" I ask, confused. "Why am I feeling like this?"
"This is your fault! Ariel did this because of you!" the prince cries out desperately. "You killed the man I love!"
"Our souls have merged, and now you can feel my emotions," the prince says gravely. "You'll carry this guilt for the rest of your life."
So these feelings are coming from that damn prince? Guilt? I don't feel things like that.
I look at Ariel, lying unconscious, and that tightness in my chest returns. I have this terrible feeling that if I don't wake him up right now... it will never go away.
"You're not going to die," I say, scooping Ariel into my arms.
"It's too late. You-"
"Shut up!" I cut the prince off before he can finish. "Ariel isn't going to die. He's still breathing. It's not too late."
I carry Ariel to the car and drive to the hospital. Even though it's the middle of the night, the streets are still surprisingly busy.
When I arrive, I explain that Ariel won't wake up and that I found an empty bottle of sleeping pills on the floor.
The nurses place him on a stretcher and rush him into the emergency room.
"We need to perform gastric lavage immediately," one of the nurses says.
They position Ariel on his side while preparing the procedure. A doctor approaches and carefully inserts a thin tube through Ariel's nose, guiding it down into his stomach. They then introduce a saline solution through the tube before drawing the liquid back out, repeating the process several times to remove as much of the substance he swallowed as possible.
After a few attempts, Ariel begins coughing and vomits some of the contents of his stomach into a container beside the stretcher.
A few minutes later, his breathing stabilizes. His eyelids begin to flutter slowly... until, finally, his eyes open.
"Where am I?" Ariel asks in confusion, looking around the hospital room. "Why am I in a hospital?"
"Easy, sir. Everything is going to be okay," the nurse says in a soothing voice.
I take a few steps forward.
"Why did you do this, Ariel?" I ask, moving closer.
"Victor..." Ariel says, shooting me a murderous glare. "What happened? Why am I here?"
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier," I tell him, looking at him.
Strangely enough... saying those words makes me feel a lot better.
"Have you completely lost your mind?" Ariel asks, looking confused. "Now tell me: why am I here?"
"Don't play dumb," I reply impatiently. "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't respond. Then I found that empty bottle of pills."
"Wait... you thought I...?"
"Wasn't that what happened?" I ask.
"Of course not!" Ariel says indignantly. "I would never do that!"
"Then explain why you didn't wake up when I called you," I say, raising an eyebrow.
"Wait... you thought I..." Ariel covers his mouth, looking horrified. "Wait... were you worried about me? Is that why you brought me to the hospital?"
"I was not!" I snap, offended. "Just answer the question."
"I couldn't sleep. I found the bottle of sleeping pills, but there were only two left... so I took them both. That's all," Ariel explains.
"So it was all just a misunderstanding," the nurse says with relief.
"Let's go home," I say, turning around.
"Wait!" Ariel calls, jumping off the stretcher.
He gets to his feet and stops in front of me.
"Now that I've had a chance to process this... did you just apologize to me?" he asks incredulously.
"You won't hear me say that again," I reply awkwardly.
"Why did you feel sorry?" he asks, confused.
"Guilt," the prince answers inside my head.
"Let's just go home," I say, taking Ariel's hand and pulling him along.
On the drive home, Ariel doesn't say a word. He simply stares out the car window at the passing scenery.
Is he still upset about what I said?
"You hurt him," the prince remarks.
"Why are you so quiet?" I ask.
"Don't talk to me," Ariel replies, keeping his gaze fixed on the window.
"Wow, you're awfully sensitive," I say, keeping my eyes on the road.
"And you're incredibly insensitive!" Ariel snaps angrily. "Just keep driving and stop talking to me."
God, what a pain.
"You're the pain," the prince retorts. "You're so insensitive. I don't know how he puts up with you."
When we get home, Ariel heads upstairs without even looking at me.
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
It's already morning, and I'm at the office. Ariel had breakfast but didn't even want to talk to me.
I have to admit, I prefer it that way.
I'm in the middle of a meeting, but I can't concentrate. For some reason, I keep thinking about Ariel.
What could he be doing right now?
I send a message to the housekeeper, and she replies that he went to visit his mother.
It's nighttime now, and the rain is coming down hard. I'm standing outside the office building, waiting for Carlos. He went to retrieve the car from the parking garage.
Suddenly, I hear a cat meowing somewhere in the garden.
I open my umbrella and head over.
As I get closer, I spot a cat curled up in a ball, shivering from the cold. I stretch my umbrella over it to shield it from the rain.
"Sir!" Carlos calls, running toward me.
I position the umbrella over the cat, keeping it protected from the rain. The water begins pouring directly onto me instead.
As I crouch down, I notice some flowers growing in the garden. They're pretty.
If I bring these to Ariel, he'll surely stop being angry with me. He likes that kind of silly stuff.
I pick a few flowers and put together a small bouquet.
"Sir, don't get yourself soaked," Carlos says, holding the umbrella over me. "You'll catch a cold."
I get into the car, lost in thought.
What am I doing?
Why do I care if some flea-ridden cat is getting rained on?
And more importantly... why am I so worried about Ariel refusing to talk to me?