Chapter 22 – Shadows That Awaken
The last morning in Jeju Island was meant to be light and carefree. But Erica had been unusually quiet since they woke up. She sat alone on a wooden bench overlooking the sea, her face tilted toward the wind and crashing waves below. Jepoy stood a few feet behind, unsure whether to speak or simply let her be.
He finally walked over and crouched beside her.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
She nodded, but there was a flicker in her expression. “I just… feel something different.”
“Are you feeling sick?” he asked, worry instantly flooding his tone as he reached into his pocket for his phone.
She caught his wrist before he could unlock it. “No, not sick. Just… different. It’s strange, but…” She paused, almost afraid to speak the rest. “I think I saw light.”
Jepoy froze. “What?”
“I don’t see shapes or faces. But this morning, when I opened my eyes… it wasn’t just darkness. There was this… glow. Like a faint line of light.”
His breath caught in his throat. “Erica… are you saying your sight is coming back?”
She turned toward him, lips trembling with a cautious smile. “Maybe. I’m not sure. But I hope so. I really, really hope so.”
He couldn’t hold back. In a rush of overwhelming relief, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, his heart pounding. “That’s amazing. That’s incredible. You’re incredible.”
Erica held on just as tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. “All I’ve ever wished for was just… a second chance to see. Even just a little.”
“You’ll have it,” he whispered. “You’ll see everything again.”
She hesitated, her voice softer now. “Even you.”
His heart stuttered. For a moment, he didn’t respond. She couldn’t see the flicker of fear in his eyes.
What if… when she saw him, really saw him… she wouldn’t like what she saw?
What if the version of him she fell for only existed in the dark?
He pulled away with a smile anyway. “You’ll see a lot of beautiful things, Erica. Korea. Your family. Your art. Yourself.”
She tilted her head with a smile. “And you.”
He tried to laugh it off. “Are you sure you want to see this face? Not exactly movie-star material.”
She smacked his arm playfully. “I already told you—you’re not ugly.”
But that night, long after she’d fallen asleep, Jepoy stayed awake, staring at the ceiling of their quiet seaside hut. Her words kept playing in his head.
"And you."
He should’ve been thrilled. He was thrilled. She was healing. She might see again. She might reclaim her life, her dreams, her art.
But in that quiet space between hope and reality, fear crept in.
Would she still want him if she could see the world again?
Would the drummer-boy from Tondo still be enough?
The next day, back in Seoul, Jepoy was woken by the rustling of sheets. Erica wasn’t beside him anymore. He found her near the window, standing still, her fingers grazing the glass. Her head turned when he entered, her eyes blinking more than usual.
“Morning,” he said softly.
She smiled. “There’s more light today. I think I can tell where the sky begins and ends. Everything’s blurry, but… there’s color.”
He walked toward her, his throat tight. “That’s amazing, Erica.”
She reached out toward him. “Can you sit with me?”
He guided her back to the bed. She held his hand, quiet for a few seconds.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Can you describe your face again?”
He chuckled. “Again? Haven’t I done that too many times already?”
She shrugged. “I want to match what I hear with what I might be starting to see.”
So he knelt in front of her, grinning.
“Alright, fine. First of all, I’m dark-skinned. Tondo-born, sun-kissed kind of dark.”
She laughed gently.
“My nose? Well, let’s say it’s sharp—if you only look at half of it. The rest’s still growing.”
Another soft giggle escaped her lips.
“My eyebrows? They hate each other. They’re as far apart as strangers on a train.”
She was laughing more now, the sound like music to him.
“And my smile,” he said, quieting a little, “only shows up when I’m with you.”
Her laughter faded, replaced by a stillness in the air.
She reached out, touching his cheek, her fingers tracing slowly. “I hope I get to see that smile for real.”
“You will.”
He didn’t mean to sound so unsure. But the fear was still there, buried beneath all the hope. Still whispering.
She’s getting better.
She might leave.
But instead of voicing any of those thoughts, he just took her hand, kissed it gently, and held it against his heart.
“You’ll see everything,” he said. “The world’s not ready for you to return.”
She smiled. “Maybe I’m not ready for it either.”
But that wasn’t true.
Because Erica Salcedo was waking up. Not just from blindness, but from the weight of her pain. The world was calling her back.
And somewhere in that awakening, Jepoy Miranda was terrified that when she opened her eyes for good… she might finally see just how small he was in her universe.
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