“Why are you here?”
Almost instantly, Su Mu sprang up from the sofa that had kept her tightly bound all morning.
The gloom in her eyes melted away as quickly as snow beneath a blazing sun.
[Degree of Immersion: 50.40.30%]
‘I remember now, I’m not Su Mu at all, ah, I’m not the middle schooler Su Mu. I’m a college student!’
Su Mu’s coldness made the pink-haired woman—whose face was so similar to hers—look dim for a moment, but a smile quickly returned to her lips, as if this reaction was already ingrained in her instincts.
“Sorry, when I saw the call, it was already afternoon… Sorry, Mom didn’t mean to come so late. Let’s go home, okay?”
Su Mu subtly avoided the woman’s outstretched hand, her eyes flickering with suspicion as she examined the pink-haired woman before her—who was only a finger’s width taller than herself—as if she were scrutinizing a criminal.
Su Ya, her mother who lived by night and rarely appeared anywhere but the sofa, now looked like a child who had done something wrong, repeatedly apologizing and saying things she used to go on about all day long.
Her not-so-refined makeup was now even more of a mess, making her smile look even more bitter when it clung to her face.
She must’ve forgotten to remove her makeup before lying down on the sofa again.
But that didn’t affect her gentle appearance; if anything, it made her look like a model rushing out the door, a hint of disarray only adding a unique charm to her overall beauty.
For Su Mu, looking at Su Ya was no different from looking in a mirror—almost no difference from head to toe, with the biggest gap being their figures—Su Ya, already over thirty, was still much more mature than her.
“Alright, let’s just go home.”
Su Mu walked straight out, her posture stiff and awkward, not caring whether Su Ya followed or not, simply heading toward the school gate on her own.
She didn’t bother to pack her bag—there was no need to add more burdens in the Dream World.
‘That was close, I almost lost myself in the Dream World.’
The moment she saw Su Ya, a strong sense of dissonance instantly shattered the gray filter over Su Mu’s vision into pieces, and the things that had been growing clearer suddenly blurred again.
That woman, who should never have appeared, had entered this memory as an intruder.
Even if she was the key to healing this wound, Su Mu couldn’t feel even a trace of happiness.
She just walked unnaturally, not even noticing when her steps went out of sync.
‘Is it because it’s a dream? So the scene I longed for is happening, but she shouldn’t be here, and definitely not with this expression.’
‘She should be lifeless, shrouded in drunkenness, turning weakly on the sofa, occasionally greeting me just to show she noticed my presence.’
When Su Mu was little, she was afraid to sleep alone and would often curl up in Su Ya’s soft arms on the sofa, but as time went on and Su Ya came home later and later, reeking more and more of alcohol, Su Mu never got close to her again.
It wasn’t that there were no feelings at all, but it definitely wasn’t how a mother and daughter should be.
Su Mu had once been curious about where Su Ya went at night, so she asked, and even followed Su Ya when she dressed up and went out in the middle of the night, but the results were always disappointing.
“Me? I went out drinking, yeah, drinking…”
Little Su Mu, who had secretly followed Su Ya out, unfortunately ran into a human trafficker.
But perhaps her transparent nature kicked in again, and she miraculously got left behind.
The other children sat in the car, watching her get left behind, but they were all too busy crying to notice her.
Little Su Mu had a good memory.
After being taken some distance away, she still managed to find her way home, but from then on she never dared to go out alone at night, afraid of running into something similar.
She talked about it with Su Ya, but the latter only got emotional for a moment before quickly returning to calm, her reaction no different from a stranger’s, which made Su Mu feel especially cold.
“Don’t go out alone at night, remember? It’s dangerous, don’t worry about me, I can take care of myself.”
That was definitely a memorable moment, but it was also something Su Mu didn’t want to touch.
Compared to this, the language class was nothing but a tutorial level, no challenge at all.
After that, Su Mu never dwelled on Su Ya’s matters again.
‘Why should I seek warmth from an embrace that has no temperature? Even a computer heats up, and anyone else who wants to use it needs a password.’
But Su Ya felt to her like someone who could be replaced by a stuffed animal—no, even a stuffed animal was cleaner, more comforting, and at least didn’t need to be fed.
Most of the time, when Su Ya was sleeping in a drunken haze, it was Su Mu who brought food to her, and only then could she manage a few bites.
But little Su Mu really couldn’t cook; all she knew was how to use the microwave.
The food was prepared by Su Ya when she was sober, but that meant most days Su Mu only got a single mouthful of fresh, hot food.
In turn, as she grew older, Su Mu would take care of the chores that Su Ya neglected, and their relationship became more like two strangers sharing a living space.
Now, Su Mu only hoped they could both be well.
If you’re well, and I’m well, that’s enough.
No need to see each other again.
Who would’ve thought that the next time they’d meet would be in the Dream World?
“Daughter… How should I say this, Little Mu, can I call you Little Mu?”
“Either way is fine.”
Su Mu hesitated for a moment, but still agreed flatly.
She wouldn’t deliberately push Su Ya away, whether in the Dream World or reality, but she also wouldn’t take the initiative to get closer—she didn’t know how to face this gentle “mother” who felt so unfamiliar.
Even though Su Mu only saw her as an illusion, every time Su Ya spoke, she still instinctively felt at a loss.
“Little Mu, what do you like to eat? I’ll make it for you tonight.”
Su Ya’s awkward way of showing affection made Su Mu extremely uncomfortable, and hearing her words made her frown even more.
If she were a beautiful illusion from my heart, then she should know what I like and use the gentlest, most considerate way to please me.
Why act so real?
Even games become torture when they’re too close to reality.
“No need, anything is fine.”
Su Ya’s steps faltered for a moment at Su Mu’s words, then she hurried to catch up.
“Then, how about we take a day off tomorrow? If you’re too tired today…”
‘Six six six, this is the first time I’ve met a mom who offers to take a day off to rest. I have to admit, that’s actually really considerate.’
‘But she has a point—tonight was just too exhausting, so I won’t go to the early class tomorrow.’
“Either way is fine.”
From beginning to end, Su Mu seemed to remain indifferent, but the more she acted this way, the heavier the guilt weighed on Su Ya’s heart.
Because Su Mu acted as if she didn’t care about her compensation at all, as if she were dealing with a ten-yuan bill found on the roadside.
A bottle of cola?
Sure.
Milk tea?
That’s fine.
Potato chips?
Not bad.
Free and cheap.
In the end, Su Ya couldn’t catch up to walk side by side with Su Mu.
She could only lower her head slightly, following closely behind the girl ahead.
Looking at her school uniform, dirtied by fireworks, Su Ya couldn’t help but feel heartache and guilt.
She wanted to reach out and brush off the dust, but Su Mu was already so far away.
They were less than half a meter apart, but who knew how many mountains and seas lay between their hearts.
Maybe this is what they call the greatest distance in the world—’what right do I have to make up for it, when I wasn’t there for her when she needed me most?’