“Hey. What’s this? She doesn’t look anything like me.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Sora, sipping coffee across from me, tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean, what? It’s about the novel you wrote.”

I shoved the tablet in her face. It contained the novel she’d been scribbling since high school.

“This character, Tristan. What part of me did you base him on?”

Tristan Ruelberta, the character my sister claimed was modeled after me. The worst villain in the story and the cursed head of the Ruelberta family. I skimmed through what she’d written so far, but I couldn’t find a single thing we had in common.

“Why? Doesn’t he resemble you? He’s grumpy, whiny, and totally you.”

“Come on… I’m way nicer than that. How could you turn me into such a pig?”

“Maybe if you gained some weight, you’d look more like him. Hehehe.”

Sora laughed, covering her mouth like a little devil.

It must have been when Sora was in high school.

Honestly, when she first said she wanted to show me her novel, I expected some fanfiction.

You know, the kind girls write at least once during their school years. Anyway, I braced myself for it, but it turned out to be a full-blown fantasy novel. And not just any fantasy—it had an expansive world and a serious tone.

Though it was still a work in progress with many rough patches, the novel had a strange charm.

Since then, I became her sole reader, offering her advice here and there. Well, “advice” was a stretch—I mostly just told her what parts I found interesting or wanted to know more about.

Still, Sora took most of my suggestions and built the story around them. Over three years, the setting and characters grew, and now it’s become an incredibly vast world.

Tristan, in particular, was a villain added during that process. The notorious head of the Ruelberta family and the worst antagonist in the story.

But according to Sora, he was modeled after me. What part of me, exactly?

“People usually don’t see themselves clearly. Ask others. They’ll probably say you’re just like Tristan.”

“Ah, right… Sure.”

“Actually, I like Tristan more than the protagonist. Peter overcomes all sorts of hardships, but Tristan… how should I put it? He’s in a class of his own. It’s like he’s fighting against fate. Isn’t that kind of character cool?”

Seeing Sora’s eyes sparkle as she spoke left me speechless.

“Then… why are you making him die at the hands of the protagonist? Are you a psychopath?”

“Ugh, you wouldn’t get it because you’re a guy. Women are naturally drawn to men like that. The kind who do as they please, no matter what others say. There’s something captivating about that domineering charm.”

“Huh? Domineering… what? That’s just being a selfish jerk.”

“Ugh, stop talking. So, how was the novel?”

I couldn’t understand her point about the character’s appeal, but…

I should at least share my thoughts on what I’ve read so far.

“Well… it’s interesting. Tristan’s backstory is intriguing… But is that it?”

“Yeah. I’ve thought about having him die at the hands of the protagonist, but I haven’t fully fleshed out the story yet.”

“Hmm…”

As I looked at the tablet, lost in thought about Tristan’s settings, I felt awkward. It was strange to give advice about a character supposedly based on me.

“But since the main villain has appeared, have you decided when to finish it?”

“Well…”

Sora rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.

“I’m not going to detail every single setting… I’ll take it step by step.”

“Really?”

“Ah, but I should have enough to submit to the contest. I can attach a synopsis of the general plot.”

Come to think of it, she did mention submitting it to a contest. I didn’t expect much, but it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, I can always support her. I should take care of my sister, after all.

“Ji-hwan oppa.”

“Yeah?”

When I looked up, Sora was scratching her cheek, gauging my reaction.

“What? Why do you look like you need to go to the bathroom?”

“Ugh! It’s not that!”

“Then?”

Sora spoke in a small, embarrassed voice.

“Well… honestly, without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to write this far. I don’t know if I’ll win the contest, but if I do… I’ll treat you well.”

I thought she was going to say something else…

Having lost our parents early, Sora was practically raised by me. I guess she felt guilty about it.

Taking care of your only sibling is natural. She shouldn’t worry about it…

‘Still, she’s pretty considerate.’

I chuckled and said, “Hey, save that talk for when you win or finish the story. It’s making me cringe.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying. I was being nice!”

“You’re not planning to leave it unfinished if you win, are you?”

“Do I look like someone who’d do that?”

“……”

“Wow… I’m disappointed. I can’t believe I trusted and followed someone like you.”

“If you’re so upset, you should’ve been born first.”

“Ugh. I’ll finish it just to spite you.”

“Oh? Is that a promise?”

“Whatever. I was going to finish it anyway, even without your promise.”

We burst out laughing when our eyes met… Looking back, those were happy days that will never return.

*

“Ugh! It’s cold!”

I jolted awake, feeling the cold sensation of spilled tea on my thigh.

“Mr. Ji-hwan? What happened?”

“Ah… Manager Park, you’re here? Sorry. I must have knocked over the cup while sleeping.”

“Tsk tsk…”

Manager Park Se-hee clicked her tongue and shook her head. She was the kind colleague who helped me adjust to the unfamiliar company life. She tapped the tip of her high heels on the floor and said, “This seems familiar… Have you been spilling coffee a lot lately?”

“Ah… I guess so. I should clean it up.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“Huh?”

“Were you sleeping at the office again?”

“Ah, yes. Well… Was it that obvious?”

“Only a fool wouldn’t notice. Go change your pants and wash your face.”

I scratched my head awkwardly. Well, after three days and nights at the office, I must look like a mess.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I saw a homeless man staring back. Unkempt beard, bloodshot eyes, messy hair, and a bloated face…

I could see why Manager Park looked at me with pity.

“Haha…”

Seeing my shabby appearance, I let out a hollow laugh.

“I dreamed about you again. Hey…”

Five years had passed since the accident that changed everything for us.

Sora, who had vowed to finish the novel she was writing at the time, ultimately couldn’t keep her promise. It took me a year to recover from the aftermath of the accident.

“Sigh…”

After washing my face, I realized how much had changed since then.

Over the years, I gained weight, and chronic sleep deprivation made my eyes look terrible.

“I’m really turning into Tristan…”

At this rate, I could cosplay as Tristan, the character Sora modeled after me. I’m finally starting to resemble him.

After pulling myself together, I stepped out of the bathroom and was startled to see Manager Park waiting.

“You scared me… What is it? You didn’t make a sound.”

“Since you’re done washing up, let’s go.”

“…? Go where?”

“Did you forget? We have a team meeting today.”

“Ah…… Isn’t today Monday?”

“What are you talking about? It’s Wednesday.”

Ah, right. There’s an important meeting on Wednesday.

I followed Manager Park to the elevator.

Our destination was the VIP room on the top floor of the building. We always gathered there for important meetings.

“Mr. Ji-hwan, did you log in too much yesterday?”

“Huh?”

“You seem a bit disoriented.”

As soon as the elevator doors closed, she asked, sounding concerned.

“Well… Maybe a little over 30 times? I guess the side effects of multiple logins are still there. My head feels fuzzy…”

“Ugh. You’re really going through it. You’re the only one who can log in…”

“It’s fine. I enjoy it. Really.”

“This can’t go on. Let’s talk to the CEO about it. You’re the only one in the company with no personal life. When are you going to date or get married?”

I chuckled at the mention of dating. It felt so out of place given my current situation.

“Manager… What dating? I’m overweight, my sense of time is messed up from the login side effects… I’m just lucky to be alive.”

“Hmm. If you just lost some weight, you’d be fine…”

“Huh?”

“Never mind.”

Ding-

The elevator stopped.

The meeting room had a glass wall, offering a clear view of the room across. I paused in front of the glass.

What caught my eye was an entirely white space. Inside, like a sterile room, was a hospital bed. And on it lay a young woman, eyes closed as if dreaming.

Well… If only she were just dreaming.

The girl who once joked with me in my dreams now lay there, hooked up to oxygen masks and machines, barely clinging to life.

“Sora…”

It was an unfortunate accident.

We were on our way to the beach to celebrate Sora’s contest win. It was our first beach trip in over a decade, and we were excited. We even rented a car to drive there ourselves.

But our car was hit by a truck that suddenly crossed the centerline. In that brief moment, I shielded Sora, who was in the passenger seat. That was my last memory of that day.

When I regained consciousness in the hospital a month later, I was met with a reality worse than hell.

The cause of the accident was the truck driver falling asleep at the wheel. Because of that, Sora’s and my lives were completely upended.

Sora, who suffered a severe head injury, was declared brain-dead. She could no longer survive without a ventilator.

I barely survived after multiple major surgeries. My organs were mostly damaged, and the doctors said I had less chance of surviving than Sora. But the reason I lived… was because of Sora.

“Mr. Ji-hwan, this will be hard to hear, but please listen. Some of the organs in your body were transplanted from your sister.”

I wanted to believe it was a lie.

“Time was critical, and since you two were siblings, there were no other suitable donors. I’m sorry about your sister. But if we hadn’t done this, you would have died.”

“Ahhh…”

I screamed in the nightmare-like reality every day. I wished I had died instead. If I had shielded her better, maybe she would have survived. Maybe we wouldn’t have had to take her organs.

In the ICU, Sora was barely clinging to life. Seeing her like that was too painful. I couldn’t face the sister who had saved my wretched life, so I attempted suicide twice in that hospital.

Back then, I really didn’t want to live. I had no reason to. Both attempts were stopped by the nurses, but…

Tied to the bed after the attempts, I lived like a wreck for a while. I just stared at the ceiling, waiting for the day I would die.

Then, one day, someone appeared before me.

“Isn’t it a relief that both of you are still alive, no matter the process?”

“CEO Park…”

A middle-aged man placed his hand on my shoulder, speaking warmly. He was Park Joon-hyuk, the CEO of ‘Stella,’ who had visited me in the hospital.

“It’s truly the advancement of science and technology, isn’t it? That both of you could survive. And that we can preserve the world created by your sister’s rich imagination—it’s all thanks to the great achievements of science and technology. Hahaha!”

On Sora’s head was a device that looked like a mix between a headset and a helmet. It was a machine developed by ‘Stella’ using BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) technology. It was a next-generation device that could turn the world in Sora’s mind into a game.

That day, CEO Park, who appeared before me, was the founder and CEO of ‘Stella,’ a virtual reality game company known not just in Korea but worldwide.

A figure often spotlighted by global media and the IT industry, even I, who rarely watched the news, knew his name and face.

Out of the blue, this influential man was deeply impressed by my sister’s novel, which had won a contest, and made me a peculiar offer.

He would fund Sora’s life support indefinitely if we handed over the world in her mind to them.

I agonized over it for a long time. Whether to accept the offer to attach a strange device to her head, using her life as collateral.

Honestly, I didn’t like it. Essentially, it meant they wanted to use Sora’s brain like a game server.

But looking at reality, I had no confidence to handle the skyrocketing medical bills with my current condition. There was nowhere to borrow money or ask for help.

Even so, I was about to refuse, but CEO Park delivered the final blow.

“Even though she’s unconscious now, your sister’s consciousness might revive within the game. There are cases where patients declared brain-dead wake up through brain stimulation.”

Hearing that, I eventually accepted his offer. On the condition that I also join the company. Determined to keep an eye on what they were doing to my sister.

“You’ve seen firsthand how vast and beautiful a world created by human imagination can be, haven’t you? It’s on a completely different level from worlds made purely through programming. You and your sister have made a tremendous contribution to human history.”

Saying so, CEO Park Joon-hyuk nodded repeatedly, looking at Sora across the room. Then, turning to me, he smirked and said, “Shall we discuss the service launch schedule now?”