The girl was in a fit of rage, screaming primal words at Minsoo, who remained standing inside, in front of the door. She grabbed a milk carton from the shelf beside her and hurled it directly at his back. Her breath came in gasps, a mixture of despair, oppression, and fury.
"You wretch, just leave! Vanish... why do you even exist in this world? Your existence is a curse!"
A familiar voice began to ring in Minsoo's ears:
"Don't you think she resembles you? A reflection of your past."
Minsoo tilted his head to the right, and his body swayed involuntarily, as if he had lost his balance—forward and then backward.
At that moment, the mother rushed over, knelt down, and grabbed Minsoo's feet.
"Please... please, sir... I swear, it is not my daughter, it is me."
Minsoo did not turn to face her, for the world to him had now split into two overlapping realms. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the voice that wouldn't stop whispering inside him. His lips trembled slightly, and he took a deep breath, as if trying to reclaim a piece of reality.
"Ma'am, get up. Let go of my feet."
But the woman clung to him even tighter, begging him not to do this to her daughter. His voice finally rose, and his words laid bare the pain he had buried under thousands of layers to keep it hidden.
"Do you think I'm a fool or something?" he shouted. "I said get up! I'm sick of this. Yes, you are the only one responsible. Did I ever ask you to chase me and neglect her? Me, in those times when you used to leave her, and allow that monster to grow inside her slowly."
He leaned down toward her slowly.
"Simply put, I didn't even know if you existed in this world at all. I didn't care. Your family—that's what you cared about, yet you abandoned everything for someone who couldn't care less."
The mother completely collapsed; Minsoo's words were too cruel. As for the girl, she remained standing in the back, watching in silence, her screaming having faded away. Minsoo approached her slightly and looked at her innocent face and childish features.
"Young girl, you directed that hatred at the wrong person. What did I do wrong? I thought I was offering art that I love, something that resembles me. Perhaps it helps someone overcome their loneliness, eases the pain of others, or even brings joy to their hearts. That is all I wanted; I asked for nothing more."
The girl looked at him with sharp, cold eyes, devoid of any spirit or emotion.
"The lyrics of your songs were spells of pain; they haunted me my entire life. For the simplest mistake, when I denied being the one at fault, they would whisper to me that the scent of guilt was reeking off me. And when you punished me, they would also repeat a line from your song, in the very tone I loathe. I have paid the price for your guilt."
Minsoo stepped closer to her.
"You are still young, girl, but from now on, learn to watch your actions and watch your thoughts. And before you judge, ask yourself: If I were in that person's shoes, how would I have acted? Don't be surprised by the answer. Be honest with yourself before anyone else, because you are the first one who will be hurt."
The ringing in Minsoo's ears intensified, and the world around him began to blur and overlap. He headed back toward the shop door, while the voices began to intertwine:
"Sir, please... my daughter... I have no one else but her..."
Minsoo's footsteps were heavy; he seemed to push himself forward with great difficulty. He got into his car and drove off into the darkness of the night, looking for the nearest quiet spot where he could park, as if he were in a race against time—or more accurately, in a race against his world that had begun to fade; for the Blue Jay had announced its arrival. And the voice never stopped whispering:
"You are not a god to forgive... covering for her makes you just like her. She truly resembles you more than you expect, Minsoo."
Minsoo muttered in a broken voice:
"Shut up... shut up... is your silence that difficult?"
Minsoo parked his car with difficulty in the corner of a quiet street, as he no longer had the strength to hold it together. He covered his ears with his hands, as he did every time, even though he knew this gesture was futile, preparing himself for the Blue Jay's appearance. He took one breath... and counted:
"One... two... three... four."
He was bracing himself for what he was about to see.
Dense blue smoke began to fill the car, and from within it emerged two sharp, red eyes and the sound of gnashing teeth. The smoke gradually transformed into feathers until it took on its usual form: a foul odor, rust, dirt, its set of teeth, its bloody beak, and its massive talons.
Minsoo leaned his head back against the car seat. He did not break down as he usually did, for what was happening in his world had become uglier than his usual hallucinations. For the first time, he did not scream, nor did he even cry; instead, he looked directly into those red eyes that had haunted him for years. He had always directed his words to an illusion created by his mind, but somehow, he knew that there was no longer any escape from facing that illusion—which was nothing but a reflection of his past.
"Bird, what do you want from me? I didn't know you hated me this much."
The bird moved closer to Minsoo, wrapped itself around his neck as if choking him, and pressed its face against his until they merged into a single face. For the first time, the bird's voice was not provocative.
"Hate you? Who said that? Did I ever tell you that I hate you? On the contrary, you are the one who repeats that every time I look at you. Minsoo... I am your past. I am your true identity, which you are running away from."
Face me now.
Ignoring me will only destroy you more and more.