The Two Who Become One

August 15th.

That was the day that changed everything.

“Erika.”

My mom called me, her voice as sweet and affectionate as usual.

I looked up at her figure, obscured by the railings on the rooftop of our apartment. My dad was next to her, his gaze held nothing but my mom, as if he couldn’t see anything else.

“Goodbye.”

Her lips curled into a beautiful smile as she took a step beyond the ledge, tugging my dad’s arm with her.

The next second, they both disappeared from sight.

I stood frozen in place, unable to do more than weakly call out to my parents just like any other five year old.

“Mom…? Dad…? Where are you?”

The only answer to my tearful call was the loud sound of cicadas. Tears started welling up in my eyes and I tottered unsteadily toward the railings.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

My small hands slammed the wire railings as I wailed.

“Mom! Dad! Where?! Where are you?! I’m scared! Mom! Don’t leave me alone! Dad! Help me! MOM! DAD! WHY—?!”

My wail was abruptly cut off when I heard something. It wasn’t the blaring siren of ambulance down there nor was it the sound of rushed footsteps running up the stairs.

It was more of a familiar, affectionate voice that I’d been looking for.

“Ah…”

I looked up and let out a faint sigh.

That was the day I first saw the God of Death.

After my parents’ death, I was passed on from one relative to another. None of them were too happy to take the additional burden of caring for a creepy child who’d lost her mind along with her parents—a child who repeatedly claimed she could see the God of Death.

It took on the form of my mom and dad. They would smile at me from beyond the railings or windows, tempting me to join them. But whenever I was a step away from being with them, their figures would disappear, leaving me frustrated.

Today was no different.

“Erika.”

The God of Death’s voice called out to me, sweetly and irresistibly.

In the voice of my beloved mom.

I followed her voice all the way up to the school’s rooftop, where I saw her and my dad standing just beyond the railings.

“Come here.”

My mom smiled and reached out her hand.

“We miss you.”

I climbed over the railings, reaching out to take her hand—

—only to find it dissipate like smoke.

“Why…?”

My face crumpled into a confused frown.

“Why won’t you take me with you?!”

I shouted at the figure of my mom and dad, who stood wordlessly with smiles plastered on their faces.

“Tell me—!”

“HEY! What are you doing there?! Stop!”

A roar came from behind me. A teacher must’ve seen me up here. Dragged away by the panicking teacher, the feeling of confusion refused to leave my mind.

“This is the fifth time already since you started high school! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

The teacher’s endless ranting went into one ear and came out the other without ever really sticking to my mind. I suppressed a bored yawn and stared vacantly at the clock, waiting for him to finish his lecture.

“Do you really want to die so badly?!”

“Yes.”

I answered reflexively, causing the teacher to flinch.

“So I would appreciate it if you stop meddling with me.”

I stood up and left the counseling room, leaving the dumbfounded teacher behind.

Even after I graduated high school and went to live on my own, supporting myself with any part-time jobs I could get my hands on, the God of Death kept appearing in front of me yet eluding me whenever I got too close. As if it was telling me that I was lacking something.

The answer came stumbling into my life in the form of a young man.

“Wait…!”

I was standing on the rooftop of the new apartment I’d just moved in, staring intently at the God of Death before my eyes and wondering if it would disappear yet again today, when a hand seized my wrist out of nowhere.

I looked back in surprise. A young man with disheveled hair and heaving shoulders after sprinting up the stairs was holding my wrist tightly, as if afraid I’d jump off the roof—which admittedly wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Please…let’s stop and calm down, okay? Is something troubling you? If you’d have me, I’ll gladly listen to your problems. Just…step away from there, please.”

The young man talked rapidly, his determined gaze was fixated on me.

“Oh…um…okay.”

I let him pull me back into the safety of the railings, noticing the moment his tense shoulders relaxed and how he let out a small sigh of relief now that I was no longer in danger.

How long has it been since someone else was so worried about me?

Ever since my parents passed away, all I met was disdain and contempt. No one cared whether I live or die, as long as I didn’t bring any trouble to them.

But this young man, whom I’d just met today, showed genuine concern toward me, a complete stranger.

It felt like fate.

At that moment, I came to realize what I was lacking all this time.

I turned to look at the God of Death, who was still hovering just beyond the rooftop edge in the form of my parents. My mom smiled and nodded, as if confirming the answer.

An old story my mom once told me came to mind.

A story of a very special kind of bird, born with only an eye and a wing, fated to never be able to fly on its own. Without giving up on their fate, the birds formed a pair and relied on each other to soar the blue sky. It was known as the Jian bird.

The story taught me that everything in this world came in pairs.

Day and night. Sun and moon. Ying and yang. Light and shadow. Eros and Thanatos.

What I was lacking was a pair—someone to accompany me on my way to meet the God of Death.

I turned to the young man, who blushed when I caught him staring at me. My lips curled into a beautiful smile as I introduced myself.

“Thank you. My name is Erika. What is your name?”

I thought this feeling must have been love at first sight.

After that fated first meeting, we grew closer until we started dating. I told him about my ability to see the God of Death. Unexpectedly, he didn’t call me crazy or deny me. He accepted it as natural, which made me sure that he was the other half of me I’d been looking for.

I wanted to take him with me, to embrace the freedom I’d been longing for. So whenever I attempted to jump, I’d always sent him a message and waited until he arrived.

However, he didn’t seem to understand my message.

His patience grew thin with every attempt, leading to a big quarrel between us.

I was devastated. I thought he, of all people, would understand that I did this for his sake—for our sake.

“I’m sick of this.”

He stared at me silently, looking as if he wanted to say something.

“I’m tired.”

I looked down to his hand, gripping my wrist with enough force to leave a mark.

“I just want to die!”

“I want to die, too!”

The moment those words left his mouth, I looked up. I saw myself reflected in his dark pupils, smiling with the brightest expression I’d ever seen in my entire life.

“So…you finally figured it out?”

He nodded. “Yeah…I finally get it.”

“Really…? Phew.”

A sense of relief flooded my chest when I saw his expression soften, turning him back into the young man I’d fallen in love with. All traces of the dark jealousy brewing beneath his expression had disappeared.

I turned toward the God of Death, waiting patiently just beyond the rooftop edge. In the form of my mom, it smiled and waved at me, beckoning me to join it. I was sure that right now, if I leapt into its embrace together with him by my side, it would accept me wholeheartedly.

“Then, shall we?”

I squeezed his hand.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

He pulled me closer.

Together, hand in hand, we set off running toward the night sky.