The soft beeping of machines filled the hallway as Ren stood outside Siya's room, his back against the wall, trying to get his breath back. His calm exterior had cracked today, and he didn't know how to feel about it. He had just sprinted through someone's mansion, barefoot almost, no manners, no permission—nothing like the composed person he usually was. He was still trying to process what had just happened, and now he was standing silently with Siya's mother in the corridor of a literal palace.
Siya's mother turned to him with a trembling voice. "I'll never let her go out alone again. Never. She won't listen to me, but now—now I'll make sure she does."
Ren, still staring at the closed door, nodded slowly. He could feel the weight in her voice—the anxiety, the helplessness, and the desperation of a mother who had just seen her child collapse.
Just then, from the other side of the door, a soft voice drifted out, barely audible.
"…Ren…"
It was Siya.
The doctor opened the door and poked his head out. "She's asking for you. But be gentle. She shouldn't speak much right now."
Ren and Siya's mother rushed inside. Siya was lying in her oversized bed, looking smaller than ever under the big, white sheets. Her face was pale, her usual bright eyes half-lidded, but she smiled when she saw him.
"You came," she whispered with a grin.
Ren was about to say something when she reached out and grabbed his sleeve weakly. "Help me," she mumbled.
"Help you?" he asked, confused.
"My mom… now she'll never let me go out again. You heard her, right? Please help me. I don't want to be locked in this golden cage. I want to feel the sun. Talk to cats. Feed pigeons. Name every flower I see."
Ren blinked. Of all the things she could be worrying about right now—her health, her heart, the literal fact that she had fainted in the middle of the road—she was worried about her freedom.
"I…" Ren looked at Siya's mother, who looked… less amused.
"Siya," her mother said, stepping closer to the bed, her arms crossed, "You're grounded. I don't care how much you beg. I won't let you go outside anymore. Look at you. On this bed. Pale. Weak. You scared me today. I can't take this anymore. You have to understand—this isn't just about you."
"But Mumma," Siya said, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, "I know my life is short. I know the risks. But I don't want to live like a prisoner. What kind of life is that? Watching the seasons change through a window?"
Ren didn't mean to speak. He really didn't. But the words just slipped out.
"I'll take her."
Both Siya and her mother turned toward him.
"I'll take the responsibility," Ren said, more confident now. "Let her go outside. With me. I'll make sure she doesn't overdo it. I'll stay with her. Please."
Siya's mother looked at him like he'd just announced he was from Mars.
"You?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "You're… Ren?"
Ren nodded, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.
"You're the Ren?" she continued. "The one she never mentioned before?"
Ren blinked. "She… never talked about me?"
Siya gave him an innocent shrug, clearly enjoying the drama.
Her mother, still stunned, looked between the two of them. She sighed, rubbed her temples, and finally gave in. "Fine. But only if the doctor agrees."
Just then, the doctor walked in, flipping through some notes.
"She can go out," he said without even looking up, "but only if she walks slowly, no running around, no skipping meals, no talking to every squirrel she sees, and someone must always be with her. Preferably a responsible person."
Everyone turned to look at Ren.
"… He'll do," the doctor said with a shrug.
Siya's face lit up like a lamp.
"I'm going out! I'm going out!" she sang like a child.
Her mother groaned. "We'll go at 6:00 PM. I want the sun lower, less heat."
"No," Siya said quickly, "4:00 PM!"
Ren stepped in, hands raised. "Wait! Can I… can I please get a say in this? I have entrance exam prep. I can't just throw away my future for your outdoor adventures."
"5:00 PM!" Siya declared. "That's final!"
Ren sighed. "Fine."
Siya winked. "Great. I'll be ready. Don't be late."
Ren shook his head. "I don't even know how I got here today."
"Because you care," Siya said softly.
He looked at her. She smiled, that same annoying sunshine smile, and for once—it didn't annoy him.
As the conversation ended, Siya's mother gave him a gentle pat on the back. "Thank you, Ren. For everything."
He nodded.
Outside, the sun was setting again. A little earlier than yesterday, a little softer. But everything looked different now.
Because sometimes, in the time between heartbeats, everything changes.
🦋🦋🦋
Ren quietly opened the front door to his house, trying not to make any noise. He didn't want to explain anything right now. Not because he was hiding something… okay, maybe he was hiding something—but more because he didn't understand it himself.
"Ren?"
Too late.
His mother's voice floated from the kitchen.
"Where were you?" she asked, stepping out with a ladle in hand. "I thought you were in your room studying! I even made your favorite miso soup."
He gave her a sheepish look, brushing some dust off his uniform. "Ah… I had to go out. Something important came up."
His mother gave him a puzzled glance. "Important? Without telling me? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," he said quickly, avoiding eye contact as he started walking toward his room.
She narrowed her eyes. "Wait a minute. You always tell me when you go out. And you barely ever go out. Your friend Sam usually comes here. You don't just disappear like that."
He froze at the door.
"…Do you have a girlfriend now?"
Ren turned around so fast he almost tripped.
"WHAT? No! Mom! Of course not!"
She grinned and folded her arms. "Uh-huh. Sure. You're blushing."
"No, I'm not! It's just warm in here."
"You're near the door. It's literally the coldest spot in the house."
Ren groaned and walked into his room. "I was just working on a… school project."
She raised a brow. "A project, huh?"
He closed the door halfway behind him and whispered to himself, "I don't even know what kind of project I'm doing anymore…"
She chuckled and opened the door again. "Here. Take this before your 'project' eats up your brain."
Ren took the soup gratefully. "Thanks, Mom."
He sat at his desk and opened his books again. Chemistry. Organic formulas stared back at him like a foreign language. He shook his head and scribbled a few notes.
But his mind?
Already gone.
She was sitting under a tree, talking to a bird.
She was feeding a cat, calling it Mr. Tofu.
She was lying in that hospital bed, pale but smiling, still fighting for her freedom like a warrior.
Ren sighed and rested his head on his textbook.
"Let me study, Siya. Please. Just give me one night," he mumbled.
He slapped his own cheeks and sat upright. "Focus!"
He took a deep breath and started again. This time, his mind clung to the equations, slowly working its way back to normal. For the next few hours, it was just Ren and his notes, scribbling and solving, drinking the soup his mother made, and ignoring the slight skip in his heartbeat whenever he remembered her voice calling his name.
Finally, after a long session, he leaned back in his chair.
"Done."
He stretched, closed his books, and got up for a shower.
The water helped. It always did. It cleared his mind. Except tonight… his mind wasn't getting cleared.
It was filling.
With Siya.
Again.
Later, as he lay down on his bed, towel on his head, hair still damp, he stared at the ceiling.
Tomorrow at 5 PM, he was going out. With her.
Every day, maybe.
And that thought… made his heart beat just a little faster.
He wasn't thinking about her illness. Or the seriousness of her condition. He was thinking about how she smiled at him even when she was half-conscious. How she winked and negotiated their meeting time like a seasoned businesswoman. How she laughed, even now, even after everything.
He was thinking about how she said he made it possible for her to go out again.
He buried his face in his pillow.
"Why am I blushing?" he groaned into the pillow. "She's just… chaotic. That's all. She's chaos in a skirt."
But deep inside, he knew. He knew this was no ordinary project.
This was Project Siya.
And he was already failing at staying calm.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as sleep slowly took over. For once, his dreams weren't of textbooks or exam halls. They were of sunshine and flowers… and a girl who refused to live in fear.
And Ren? He was already falling—slowly, surely, helplessly—in the time between heartbeats.....