Unforgettable You {Extraordinary You Sequel!}

Episode 12: Egos

Why does Dano have so many memories of Haru? Why does she have memories of herself saying she wants to change her fate, memories of badmouthing the writer? That must mean everything she's remembering isn't from the stage, but from the shadow! Or, maybe not everything. Maybe, some stage and some shadow. It's hard to tell at this point.

Haru...

Everything seems to lead back to him.

His name alone hits her hard, spreads an unfathomable ache from her chest throughout each of her limbs, until it has reached every seam of her bloodstream.

She needs to stop thinking about him. Stop
involving herself with him. She's only hurting herself, and complicating the story outside the stage.

•••

When she first tells Juda that Haru found his ego, she looks stunned.

"He got it quick," Juda comments, staring thoughtfully into the sky. "I'm kind of impressed."

Dano scoffs, and says nothing.

"Why are you like that?" Juda almost sounds accusatory. "Eun Dano. You're so sketchy when we talk about Haru, you know that?"

"No. I'm not."

"Yeah, you are."

"Dano!" Dohwa's voice ruptures Dano's train of thought. She whirls around to find her best friend skid to a stop in front of them. She grins and waves. He grins goofily back. "Hey, Tiny. Are you walking to History now?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Dano turns to leave with Dohwa, but suddenly notices Juda's face. Juda is staring hard at Dohwa. Her expression has morphed into something strange and unfamiliar on her... it's almost blank, but, it's not. It broods confusion and alarm and—and something else. Something soft. Dano can't put a name to it.

"Juda?"

Juda tears her focus away from Dohwa, who had only stared back at her, expression blank. She turns roughly around to face Dano, and then looks away, like she's been caught coming out of the bathroom in a towel.

"Juda, are you okay—"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine," she says, her eyes scattered with thought. She doesn't even look at Dano. "I gotta go, I have somewhere to be."

And she leaves.

Dano frowns, curiosity crawling inside her. What was that supposed to be? Was Juda acting weird?

Brushing the thought aside, she turns to Dohwa, "Let's go now."

"Oh—yeah."

They start walking to class, Dohwa's thumbs looped around his bag straps. He seems lost in thought.

A moment later, he asks, "Who was she, anyway?"

"Oh, her? That's Yeo Juda. My roommate."

"Yeo Juda?" Dohwa repeats.

"Yeah, remember I was telling you about her the other day? The scary combat boots," Dano stops in her tracks as soon as she realises her mistake. She closes her eyes in defeat, swearing faintly below her breath. "Right. You don't have your ego. You wouldn't remember that—ugh, why do I keep forgetting you don't have your ego?"

"Ego?" Dohwa parrots, turning to stare at Dano as they continue walking. He scoffs a laugh. "What are you talking about? Everyone has an ego."

"No, not that kind of ego. An ego-ego. When you're completely aware that you're in a comic book, made by the writer, and that your life only exists to support the storyline of the male and female protagonist, in this case that will be Saemi and—and...." Dano trails off. She doesn't say his name. She doesn't even want to think it. She clears her throat, her expression stony. "And that other guy."

"What are you talking about?" Dohwa asks, frowning. For once he seems serious. "You sound crazy, you know that?"

"I know, I know," Dano rolls her eyes. "And I knew you were going to say that. Do you know how I knew you were going to say that?"

"No, I don't. How?"

"Because I have my ego, and you don't. I remember everything that happens in the stage and shadow, and you only remember what happens in the stage. So every time we talk in the shadow, and you hear me talking to myself—it's not for you, by the way, not that you'll even remember me saying this—you say 'What are you talking about? You sound crazy, you know that?'" Dano dramatically deepens her voice to play Dohwa. Dohwa laughs at this, but quickly falls silent again. Like he's intensely focused on the conversation.

"What are you talking about? I've never said that before today," he insists.

"Yes, you have," Dano rebuts loudly.

"You sound crazy, you know that?"

"See! You just said it again!" Dano stops walking and exhales a groan, flinging her head up to stare at the blue sky. When she turns back to face the front, her eyes are exhausted. "Okay, I'm done wasting my breath. Ughhh. Dohwaaa, why won't you find your ego! I wish my best friend would remember everything I say."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dohwa says so quietly and slowly he's like the subtle breeze. Dohwa isn't usually quiet when he's lost in thought, unless he's jokingly whispering. But that's not what he is today.

•••

Eun Dano and Lee Dohwa are like two figurines from here, weaving their way between sparse crowds to get to the right wing of the university. Haru sits on the stone steps of the left wing, fiddling with a keychain in his hand. The metal is shiny and red, and moulds to shape a dainty strawberry. Perplexed, Haru clenches his jaw. He turns to the keychain in his hand, his mind running round and round in thought. When he looks up again, Dano and Dohwa are still walking. They're walking slowly, strolling almost, like they're talking. (Haru wonders what they are talking about.) Eun Dano's hair is long and blows behind her in the breeze. Her face lights up in a hundred different expressions: she rolls her eyes, and then scoffs dramatically, and then grins like a little child with a toy.

Her smile is captivating. And intoxicatingly familiar...

Haru sighs harshly. Mouth popped open, he turns to stare at the keychain again.

And then a memory hits him—

A keychain, shaped and sculpted into a pretty pink flower. It falls to the floor, under the table. He glances down at it. He moves to pick it up, but Baek Gyeong grabs it first.

Haru gasps, eyes snapping open.

Someone darts down the steps past him, foot accidentally knocking into Haru's back. The guy whirls immediately around, apologetic, "Oh! Sorry about that, buddy."

Haru turns to say It's okay. But his tongue ties when he sees who it is. His senses sharpen as he fixates a stare into the wide, oblivious eyes of Baek Gyeong. Haru's mind flashes back to the cold night on the ground level of the dorms; Gyeong's viciously dark eyes and seething words—

"You okay?" Gyeong asks him. His irises are tranquil, concerned almost.

Haru raises his attention slowly, eying him.

"Yeah," he says. Gyeong turns away, jogging quickly towards the next wing for his lecture.

Haru remains on the steps. He doesn't make a move to go to his creative writing lecture; he knows that, if he's needed anywhere, he will be there—whether he wants to be or not.