Chang Seol widens her eyes in awe. Park Yoon-Seo, a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties, is wearing blue silk traditional clothes. The air around her mother is completely different from what she is used to. Park Yoon-Seo seems like a woman of high society -- not the middle-class woman Chang Seol is used to seeing.
"Miran, you are here." Park Yoon-Seo drops her act and bends down on her knees to hug her sister. "Why did you stay away for so long? You should have visited me earlier."
"Elder Sister, I also missed you." Saya strokes Park Yoon-Seo's back gently. "Are you doing okay? I heard that your pregnancy was difficult."
"My pregnancy." Park Yoon-Seo frowns a little. Then, the lines on her forehead turn deeper. "It was difficult for sure but I feel okay right now."
Chang Seol pinches her lips into a thin line. She doesn't like this.
"You told me that you would call her Seol if it's a girl." Saya takes out the egg from her bag and hands it to Park Yoon-Seo. "It was difficult to give birth to an egg. You and your wet nurse even fainted. Then, your father-in-law explained to you and your husband about the shapeshifting gene. After all, it's your first child after three years of marriage. You, your husband, and your father-in-law love this child."
Memories are born in Park Yoon-Seo's mind as Saya's voice infiltrates her ears. "Yes, it's my and Il-Sung's child. I cherish this child."
Saya takes her hand back and smiles at Park Yoon-Seo. "You should take care of this child well."
"I will." Park Yoon-Seo hugs the egg and sobs, "I am not childless anymore."
Chang Seol doesn't react. Her face is nearly white. Everything that she has known is a lie. Her birth and the love of her family are also a lie. Now, it makes sense why her parents have always seemed more genuine toward Mi-Young. They have always been easy going when it was about Mi-Young.
Their love for her has always felt hollow.
She gets up and walks out of the house. This house isn't even her house anymore. Her parents aren't her parents. All the love and memories have been a lie. What would they do if they ever find out the truth? Surely, they will hate her.
"Are you okay?"
Chang Seol turns around and looks at Saya. "I am not. You should have buried me instead."
"I am sorry that you had to see this." Saya gazes at the sea. "But I can't carry you with me on the train. I can't return to the world where you belong. I can't kill you or abandon you because that would add to my punishment. I know that I am selfish but this is the only option that I had."
Chang Seol pants for air, trying to digest her words.
"Chang Seol, your life might have started with a lie." Saya steps closer to her and holds her hands. "Your existence is not a lie though. You aren't like us, the passengers. So, you must never ever get on that evil train again. It controls your journey and the destination. Once you get inside, you are doomed for eternity."
Saya sighs. "Be a part of the world and live a full life. Don't be like me. Park Miran will disappear from Park Yoon-Seo's and everyone else's minds the moment I climb on the train. I won't exist in this world anymore. Besides, it's not a real mission…"
If this girl says things like this while carrying that sadness in her eyes, how is she supposed to hate her? Chang Seol looks away, feeling disheartened. Now, she feels like she doesn't even have a right to be mad at her parents for treating her the way they did.
"Who are my real parents?" Chang Seol croaks.
"I don't know either," Saya replies to her. "Only the cockatrices from that world can tell you who your parents are."
"I don't understand." Chang Seol is on the verge of bursting into tears. "If I am not a human from the beginning, then why was I born as a human child? Why did I turn into a cockatrice at my twentieth birthday like the human female shapeshifters?"
How could she answer this? She's not a cockatrice expert. Saya wrinkles her brows. "It could be because you were living with humans before you broke out of the egg. You were raised by humans too. So you must have been suppressing yourself from taking your real form. It's not a surprise that you changed during your puberty years."
Chang Seol stares at her dumbly. "I am twenty."
"Oh, no, no, don't compare yourself with other humans." Saya waves her hand dismissively as she shakes her head lightly. "You are still in puberty. It takes thirty to forty years for a cockatrice to enter adulthood. Then, you barely age. Cockatrices usually have long lives… way longer than a human's life. In fact, the oldest cockatrice that I met was around 13000 years old and his human form seemed to be in the early forties. I was quite envious."
13000 years… isn't that too much? Chang Seol looks up at the sky in a daze.
"As for why you changed on your 20th birthday like the other female shapeshifters…" Saya scratches her chin. "Let's see. Were you emotionally charged around the time? High emotions can trigger change. In addition to that, your 20th birthday must be important to you in some way. Was it supposed to be special? So, your emotions triggered the change on that day. I am not sure. You are in puberty. Besides, 20th April isn't your birthday. Your birthday is the day your biological mother laid eggs. "
Yes, her 20th birthday was important. It represented her freedom from an unwanted marriage. Chang Seol massages the space between her brows. "Unni, what about heat spells? Why did I get them?"
"That…" Saya gives her a look. "You are in puberty. It's not strange that you have them. After all, cockatrices are wild and sexual. By the way, have you already done it? Cockatrices mate for life and they are extremely devoted to their partners. That's why young female cockatrices are usually kept isolated from the males until they reach adulthood. Then, they must choose their mates from the single male cockatrices."
"..." She didn't know about 'mate for life thing'.
Saya turns her head towards the sea. "It's already time. I need to go to the station."
What? Chang Seol grabs her arm before she could run away. She shouts at her, "Unni, what about me? This isn't 202X. Take me with you."
"Do you want to get on the train and lose all the chances to return to your correct time?" Saya scowls at her. "That train won't go back to 202X for sure. It's heading toward S City in 1980. Besides, you must never board that train again if you don't want to get labelled as a passenger. And, Seol, don't sign any contracts without learning the meaning of each letter in the contract including the fine prints."
That's fine but… Chang Seol watches her signal a cab to stop. She steps toward Saya. "What would I do for twenty years?"
The cab stops in front of them. Saya turns her head toward Chang Seol. "Why? You should stay here for a while and make sure that the egg hatches without any hurdle. Remember you won't exist if something happens to the egg."
"Wha…" Egg hatching?
Saya pats Chang Seol's arm and grins at her. "I am glad that I met you. Now, I can be assured that the egg will do well even if I am not here. Goodbye then. I must go back to the train."
Before Chang Seol could utter a word, Saya gets into the cab. Chang Seol stares hard at the cab until it turns around the corner and disappears from her sight.