Chapter Nine
Something Connecting The Two Of Us
"In physics and science fiction, every branching of a 'timeline' or 'space' represents a different choice and a different state. The reality we experience - what we see and feel - is decided by our conscious observation. Higher-dimensional space is the container for all these countless branches."
The man and the woman stood on opposite sides of the mirror, both too stunned to react for a moment. Feeling a little awkward, the man slipped his hands into his pockets. Although a hint of tension still lingered in her brows, the woman couldn’t hide the small joy of finally finding him.
"Mm…"
She cleared her throat softly and spoke first.
"Finally… I've found you," she said.
The man hesitated. "…You are?"
She held up the denim jacket that belonged to him, showing it to him.
He understood at once, but words failed him - whatever you say to someone inside a mirror just felt too unreal.
"Thanks for lending me your jacket. That rain really came out of nowhere." She went on.
“I went to your place. I knocked, but it seemed nobody was home. I slipped a note under the door. Did you ever see it?"
She spoke as if she only had one chance to say everything she had to say in a single breath.
"And I dreamt of your scent - the same one on the jacket you lent me!”
“You work at the rose garden, don't you?"
Hearing those words - the rose garden - from the lips of a complete stranger left him even more bewildered. He simply couldn’t find the words to respond.
She paused, smiled and continued: “I feel like there’s something subtle, something strange – somehow, connecting the two of us.”
Still speaking, she stepped forward - as though she had forgotten the mirror was in front of her.
Seeing her come closer, the man instinctively took a half step back.
Just as she was about to hit the glass, the man glimpsed a faint glow tracing her outline. In the span of half a second, she passed through the mirror - and stood right before him.
She froze, blinked, and turned to look back at the bar she had just left - now on the other side of the mirror.
At this moment, the man and the woman stared into the mirror. Neither could see their own reflection.