Ethan worked tirelessly to build his strength and stability, and it took him a full year to settle everything. He promptly went to the police station to nullify his death certificate, paid off all his breach-of-contract fines, and then flew to the United States as soon as he could.
A year had passed, meaning Andy was now eight years old. Ethan constantly worried about what kind of suffering the boy might still be enduring, and it kept him up at night.
Over the course of the year, all of the original owner's multiple personalities had surfaced. Ethan seized the opportunity to understand all the information. Despite the body still having the issue of multiple personalities, it didn't prevent Ethan, as an external soul, from controlling it and retaining all those memories.
A year ago, he had discovered that the body had four separate memory storage areas.
These corresponded to the main personality and three sub-personalities.
The main personality had fallen into a deep sleep shortly after leaving the orphanage. The three sub-personalities had been active in the outside world.
It was rare to see a main personality become so dormant that it had less presence than the sub-personalities.
The main personality was timid, passive, and terrible at handling situations, preferring to avoid problems. Overall, it was the most useless and least charismatic of all the personalities.
The sub-personalities, in the order of their prominence, were Life, Drama, and Indifference.
Life's character was similar to the main personality, being the least noticeable in everyday life. Timid and passive, he was essentially an honest individual who longed for freedom and didn't care much for an acting career. If it weren't for the fact that he was the only one of the three sub-personalities capable of managing daily life, the other two wouldn't have let him out.
Life didn't know where he came from; he only knew how to live.
Drama, well, he was a drama queen. He was the reason for Ethan's fame as an actor, skilled at performing but clueless about everything else. In social situations, he was inept, except when it came to playing pranks. He loved acting and nothing else, often surfacing when it was time to act and vanishing when the performance ended.
Drama didn't know where he came from; he just knew he existed to act.
Indifference was indifferent to everything. He had great capabilities, excelling in all areas except self-care. He often took charge during public appearances and events, holding the fort with his commanding presence. However, his domineering personality and short temper meant that frequent disturbances annoyed him, so he didn't like coming out often.
Among the three sub-personalities, only Indifference knew everything.
It was Life who had the affair.
Interestingly, it was Indifference who had married Elaine. Being with her brought him a sense of peace.
Life's affair angered Indifference greatly, and Drama's inappropriate antics only fueled his rage.
Life had taken a liking to another girl, but his timid nature only allowed him to chat with her secretly. He didn't even dare to hold her hand. Without Drama's instigation, he wouldn't have dared to ask for a divorce. The kiss that Elaine witnessed was actually Drama's doing.
The three personalities selectively shared memories, but evidently, the other two didn't dare inform Indifference of their actions.
By the time Indifference took control, the divorce papers had been signed. He intended to find Elaine but was sidetracked by the drug and assault allegations. Uninterested in the rumors online and learning that Elaine had left the country, he donated all his assets to the orphanage where the main personality had once lived.
In his furious state, Indifference dragged the main personality out, returned to the subconscious, and locked away all the personalities. He forced the main personality to face the vicious online comments alone. The main personality, overwhelmed by fear, committed suicide that very night.
To protect the orphanage, the government never disclosed where the large sums of money had gone.
Over the next decade, government officials came and went, and the matter faded from public memory. Only a few still remembered the event, and the tragedy of Andy's depression and the rapid unfolding of events left little time for people to react, ultimately leading to his tragic fate.
Andy's fate compelled Ethan to resolve the remaining issues of the 'drug scandal' hastily, driving him to the United States in search of Andy.
Upon landing, Ethan first went to an elementary school.
It happened to be recess. Dressed in a suit, Ethan stood quietly at the entrance, indifferent to the bright sun.
All the other personalities were unreliable, so Ethan chose Indifference.
He waited until most of the students had left. The security guard had been watching him for a while. In a predominantly white neighborhood, an Asian man was conspicuous, especially one as striking as Ethan.
Moreover, thanks to his daughter's constant chatter, the guard recognized Ethan's suit—a luxury item priced high enough to sell his family on the black market.
The guard was sure he had never seen Ethan before. Why was he standing at the school gate in such formal attire? It was odd.
He slowly approached Ethan, intending to ask what he was doing. But before he got within ten steps, the cold, indifferent man suddenly tensed up, radiating a chill that made the guard shiver.
Ethan strode into the school.
Oh no, this is bad.
Following Ethan's path, the guard noticed an apparent case of bullying. The bullies were unfamiliar, but he recognized the victim.
Despite looking like an exquisite Oriental porcelain doll, smiling sweetly, Andy was the most bullied student in the school.
He was still small and thin, poorly dressed, and looked pitiful even after all this time.
Feeling embarrassed to be seen by a foreigner, especially since they all appeared to be Asian, the guard called out for the kids to stop.
Under different circumstances, he wouldn't have bothered. As long as nothing serious happened, the children were free to do as they pleased. Intervening could lead to complaints from parents about infringing on their children's right to play, which would be a real hassle. Plus, the kids were used to mischief and didn't fear the security.
As expected, no one heeded the guard's call. The children continued to pull Andy's backpack and hair.
Andy maintained his smile. One kid, with malice in his eyes, taunted, "Hey, smiley ghost, there's a paper-cutting class tomorrow. How about I cut your hair?"
"Oh my god, what else can this smiley ghost do besides smile?"
He raised his leg. "Let's see if he can still smile after this." He aimed a kick at Andy's shin.
Just then, Ethan arrived. Squatting down, he caught the boy's leg before it could hit Andy. With a push in the same direction, he sent the kid sprawling onto the ground. "Brats, if you want to die, try kicking again."