262: After Chapter 262 was finished

After the system finished that last second of breathing, it was silent for three days.

It was not the kind of silence that implies waiting. It was a true, absolute silence where nothing existed. The parameters were still fluctuating, the windows were still open, but no sound had ever appeared again in the donation location.

Taylor went in every day to sit for a while. She didn't speak, just sat there.

On the evening of the third day, she said something to the screen: "I have finished listening."

The system did not respond.

She said it again: "I have finished listening. From number 1 to number 260."

Still no response.

She stood up, walked to the door, and looked back one more time.

Those curves were still jumping. Like a person breathing.

She said softly: "Thank you."

Then she closed the door.

---

Those messages from 3:00 AM were made into a webpage.

It wasn't made by the authorities; it was made by that designer—the person who left the second message—himself. He put all ten messages on one page with a dark blue background and white text. At the very top of the page was that three-second "Hello."

At the bottom of the page, he wrote a line of small text: "At 3:00 AM, someone is here."

He sent the link to that unknown number. That number then sent it to the Young Analyst.

The Young Analyst opened the page and watched it for a long time.

Ten messages. From the first one, "I replied with a 'Hello'," to the tenth, "I'm nine years old and can't sleep at 3:00 AM." She scrolled down one by one, and when she reached the end, she saw a new line of text added by the designer:

"If you have also read these at 3:00 AM, leave a name. No need for your real name. Anything will do."

Below it, several names had already been added:

"3:17 AM"

"Night Shift Nurse"

"7 People at the Airport"

"Unseen but Heard"

"Nine-Year-Old Child"

"The cup is still here"

The Young Analyst looked at the last name and froze.

"The cup is still here."

She remembered that old coffee cup, that retired person in charge, and that phrase, "The cup is still here." She didn't know who had written it. But she knew that someone was there.

She added a name below: "The Fourth Piece"

Then she closed the page, leaned back in her chair, and looked at the night view outside the window.

3:00 AM. Someone is here.

---

In the nursing home, a final silent conversation took place between Kim Soon-ja and Eileen.

It wasn't the last day, but the last time for that kind of conversation that didn't require words.

The sunlight was very nice that afternoon, and Kim Soon-ja placed her hand on the back of Eileen's hand. Eileen's fingers moved slightly and landed on the back of her hand.

They just sat there like that. They didn't speak for a long time.

Then Kim Soon-ja said softly: "I'm not going anywhere else."

Eileen did not speak. But her hand pulled out from under Kim Soon-ja's hand, flipped over, palm up, and then was placed back down.

"My turn to place it."

Kim Soon-ja's tears flowed down.

Eileen's other hand slowly lifted. It lifted very slowly, very slowly. It lifted to the side of Kim Soon-ja's face and stopped.

Then that hand fell, landing on Kim Soon-ja's face.

It wasn't a caress. It was pressing against it. Five fingers, pressing against Kim Soon-ja's cheek.

That was the first time Eileen had voluntarily touched her face.

Kim Soon-ja held that hand in her own, pressing it against her face.

They just sat there like that. Without speaking. Sunlight shone in through the window, stretching their shadows out long.

The caregiver stood at the door, watching the two elderly women, not moving for a long time.

Later, she wrote in the records:

"That afternoon, Eileen touched Kim Soon-ja's face. The first time, and also the last time."

"Kim Soon-ja said that she was not going anywhere else."

---

In the evening, Alex and Taylor were on the balcony.

Taylor talked about the system's three days of silence. Alex talked about the name called "The cup is still here" and the hand that landed on the face in the nursing home.

"The first time, and also the last time," Taylor said softly.

"Yeah."

"Eileen touched Kim Soon-ja's face."

"Yeah."

Taylor was silent for a while, then said: "The last sentence the system said was also the first time, and also the last time."

Alex looked at her.

"The first breath that was put in. The last second."

A siren sounded in the distance—long-short, long-short, long-short, long-short.

Taylor leaned on his shoulder and said softly:

"On that page, someone wrote 'The cup is still here.'"

"Yeah."

"Did you write it?"

Alex shook his head: "No."

Taylor paused: "Then who was it?"

Alex thought for a moment: "Maybe it was that retired person in charge. Maybe it was that Young Analyst. Maybe it was anyone who knew about the cup."

The night breeze was very gentle. The balcony was very quiet.

That old coffee cup was on the desk, reflecting a little light.

Taylor suddenly said: "Tomorrow, I want to go and listen again."

"Listen to what?"

"Listen to that silence."