The Alters. (Purinz)

Four

The subject reacts positively to compliments and praise, and it doesn't seem that demonstrations of love are a trigger; I should study the reactions of the other Alters.

Yunjin closed the notebook and put it in her drawer.

Her work was progressing quite well; she already had several pages of notes. She had been living with Kim for a month, and they had a very good cohabitation. Neither Chaewon nor any of her Alters ate her food, bothered her while she was studying, were noisy, and they went to bed and woke up at very similar times, so she wasn't disturbed by lights being on or noise in the kitchen.

Chaewon was an ideal roommate, and Yunjin couldn't understand why everyone avoided her.

-Yunjin, you have a package - Chaewon said when she returned from her classes one afternoon. -It's on your bed.

Yunjin thanked her and went to check, though she already knew what it was.

Mr. Kim had recommended buying that toy, hoping it would be a trigger and somehow 'awaken' the personality she hadn't yet met, Chaechae, the one Chaewon said was a little girl.

And what better for a little girl than a cute stuffed toy?

She smiled upon seeing the pink bunny stuffed animal, with long ears and big, exaggerated eyes filled with rainbow colors.

-Chaewonnie! - she called out as she left the room and headed to the kitchen-dining area, where the black-haired girl was working on her computer. -Look, it's a gift for you.

-Yunjin, you shouldn't-... - her voice trailed off when she saw the toy, and she was momentarily speechless. Then she laughed softly and adorably, a big smile spreading across her face. -It's so cute~ - she said, her childlike voice was very lovely.

Yunjin handed it over, and the black-haired girl stood up to take it, hugging the stuffed animal, smelling its new aroma, and then looked back at her with an extremely innocent and sweet smile.

-Thank you! - she said, practically throwing herself onto Yunjin to hug her tightly, which surprised Yunjin a bit.

Chaewon was somewhat shy about physical contact, but it was clear that this other alter had no embarrassment about hugging her.

-You're welcome, is it Chaechae?

-I'm Chaechae, yes. Are you Chaewon's girlfriend?

-What? - Yunjin blushed furiously and laughed, feeling a bit awkward.

-I know that Chaewon likes someone - she said, turning slightly on her feet like a restless child. -And you're the only one who's with her.

-Oh, no. We live together, but it's not me, Chaewonnie hangs out with other people, with her friends.

The other person smiled so widely that her little eyes closed a lot, and her cheeks flushed with the faintest red.

-No one calls her Chaewonnie - she murmured, in a cheerful voice. -And Chaewon doesn't have friends, she doesn't hang out with anyone, you're the only one.

Yunjin felt somewhat offended because Chaewon often talked about a couple of friends she had from her photography classes.

She had no reason to feel that way, but she couldn't help it. Perhaps Chaechae said she had more friends just so as not to seem pitiable.

-I'm Chaewon's friend; she does have friends. - she said after a moment of silence, during which Chaechae continued to look at her bunny and smile.

-You're the first friend in a long time - she murmured, though still smiling happily, Yunjin felt a bit sad. -Michelle wants me to go now; I'll play with the bunny later - she said, smiling in that pure and beautiful way. -Thank you, Yun.