Jin-Woo: *He clutches his chest, the phantom pain mirroring Christopher's rising panic.* I… I need… I need some air.
The line goes dead. Jin-Woo's heart sinks. He stares at the disconnected phone, a cold dread creeping up his spine. Ignoring Christine's tirade, guilt overwhelms him. He knows he's messed up badly. He stumbles out of the kitchen, leaving Christine fuming amidst the spilled formula and the screaming baby. He barely registers her angry shouts as he retreats to the quiet of the balcony. The cool night air offers little comfort. Thousands of miles away, across dimensions and solitudes, this newfound feeling brings Christopher to his knees. The sudden disconnection, sends a wave of nausea through him. He doubles over, gasping for a breath.
Christopher: *He sits slumped against the wall, his head in his hands. A single tear escapes and traces a path down his cheek.* Jin-Woo… what are you doing?
From across the room, Jinah watches Christopher with growing concern. She's seen him withdrawn and quiet before, after grueling raids, but this is different. This is despair. She feels helpless, knowing nothing of the emotional turmoil that's consuming him. Jinah never personally read 'Soul Bound by Destiny', often teased her brother about his fascination with the seemingly mundane story. Now, however, a flicker of curiosity, mingled with worry, sparks within her.
Jinah: *She approaches him cautiously, her voice soft and tentative.* Christopher?
Christopher: *He shakes his head, unable to articulate the complex web of emotions tangling within him. The shame of his adult responsibilities, the guilt over his perceived failures with Monja, the fear of losing her – it all coalesces into a suffocating weight.*No… Jinah, I… I'm not okay… Nothing's okay… *He looks up at her, his eyes filled with a desperate plea of understanding, a vulnerability he rarely shows.* I'm trapped in someone else's life.
At first Jinah frowns, utterly puzzled by his cryptic words and then she remembered that this man that carries her brother's face goes by the name of Christopher. A sudden thought, wild and improbable, crosses her mind. Could this fictional world, the story that her brother so avidly followed, hold some key to Christopher's distress?
Jinah: *She picks up the book, her fingers tracing the embossed title. A new determination hardens her gaze.* Maybe… maybe I should finally read this.
Back on the balcony, Jin-Woo stares out at the city lights, his mind a whirlpool of confusion and fear. He feels a strange disconnect from his own body, as if he's watching his life unfold from the distance. The phantom pain intensifies, still, a sharp stabbing sensation that wants to bring Jin-Woo to his own knees.
Jin-Woo: *He grips the balcony railing, his knuckles white, his breath coming in ragged gasps.. His confused whispers, barely audible above the city's hum.* What's happening to me?